Death's Dealer

Svala smiled and nodded, “support is definitely something he has to have.” She thought of Torsten as the blonde spoke and nodded, “oh yes… I guess he’s ready to try to take me on but I’m definitely not ready for it. His determination though will get him far.” 

Svala nodded, “sounds like a fun excursion then. You can count me in.” She smirked shaking her head at the woman’s wink. She sighed and nodded, “I’ve seen a few, but that’s probably because I live out in the woods. Still have yet to catch glimpse of a pegasus. Hellhounds do seem like a lot to handle, I definitely steer clear of them.”

Celine chuckled, raising her glass. “I’ll drink to that, darling.“ What would her captain think of that, she wondered? Kai always struck her as the wild type, athough to know that the woman’s son was competing with her for a particular position was far more enticing information. “Having ambition certainly does help, but having experience is even better. At least you can bond over friendly competition. It’s not something I shared with my own family, but I think it’s quite charming.”

Satisfied with having gotten the woman’s approval, she took a deep drink from her pint. “Oh yes, hellhounds are dreadful beasts. Always travel in packs, and near impossible to kill. You’re far better off without them. As for the pegasus, we’ll make plans for another night. Just ask around for Celine near the docks and I’m sure they’ll point you in my direction soon enough.” She nodded, confident of it. “Which reminds me, I don’t think I ever got your name. Who should I be keeping an eye out for?”

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Svala nodded, “he is definitely something else. Charming at times and persuasive at best. He could easily kick me off the ship and still have everyone’s undying allegiance, probably.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “One of them is yes. I think it was just all he knew. My stories probably didn’t help to keep him away either.”

Svala shook her head, “No, I haven’t. You would think living out in the wood, I would at least catch a glimpse, but never have I seen one.” Her eyes widened and she smiled, “really? I didn’t know that. I’m not afraid of trespassing. Just don’t get my children involved and we’ll be fine.” She said shaking her head and laughing as she took another drink. “So what all creatures have you seen?” 

“I don’t doubt it. But if there is one thing a Pirate Lord can be counted on, it’s his loyalty to his crew. You don’t get that kind of infamy without sound support, after all.“ It was perhaps one of the reasons why Celine had never taken to the life of a pirate; she enjoyed backstabbing far too much to ever be considered trustworthy. Not that anyone had really earned the honor. “Grown up on tales of his mother fighting sea serpents and seeking out treasure? I’d be surprised if he could resist. Has he ever tried for your position in the crew?”

Her smile widened, leaning over the bar. “Of couse, love. I’m a woman of my word. And I’m sure we would have far better luck if we keep this a two-person operation. Can’t let the guards become too suspicious, after all.” She giggled, winking cheekily. “I’ve seen just about every beast that lives here. All types of dragons, centaurs, cyclops, griffins. Spotted a phoenix once, but obviously that wasn’t something I could hunt. I’ve even seen hellhounds, but between the two of us, you don’t want to tangle with those any time soon.”

Bohai wasn’t at all shocked by the scars that covered her body. Yes it was a little unusual for the women he usually slept with, but he knew what her job was. Plus he was no stranger to scars himself. His whole body was covered in them. From raids that have gone bad to drunken fights in the pub, each scar had it’s story. He wasn’t ashamed of him and he was pleased to see that she felt the same way about her own body.  He smiled at her when she asked if he was enjoying the view. It was the best view this ship had to offer right now.  

“I am. But I think we need to change positions.” Bohai’s hands moved to her legs as he inched forward in his chair.  Once he was sure he had a good grip on her he stood up an carried her to his bed. He laid her down on his bed and admired the sight of her spread out on his bed. He pulled of his shirt before moving onto the bed with her. He kissed along her neck to her breasts as his hands moved farther down her body. 

The blonde couldn’t help but shiver at the way he looked at her, letting out a breathless laugh as he picked her up. “You won’t hear me complaining, darling.“ Celine planted kisses along his jawline, nipping at his earlobe as she playfully took advantage of his busy hands. As he placed her on the bed, she stretched out across the sheets, soaking in all the delightful attention Bohai was giving her. To see him so captivated by her was...exhilarating and completely addictive. 

It was like the blood never left her skin. Vivi would look down and still see the smears and the red. None of it was hers but it stuck to her like glue. She was a healer, but a mere apothecary. The things she made, the medicines she would provide, were supposed to ease pain, to be preventative, but what could be preventative to having one’s heart ripped out? It was nothing like when she was five years old. Her young eyes and mind were shielded from the blood and death, for the most part. It was really hard to bodies to drop underwater. Those were images that were never going to leave Vivi’s mind. She’s seen the dead, she’s helped a few even to ease their suffering, but to just see the killing as it happened, that was something that was keeping her up at night. The thought of her possibly being one of those bodies was why she was here.

“No, I know,” Vivi said, glad that she wasn’t startled. Maybe it was because the voice was a cold serene. It was a voice she knew, that she has known for a long time. Celine’s wasn’t a friendly voice in any way, but it was one that Victoria had known for a long time, and that was better than a friendly voice. “I was hoping to find you. I–I have a question. A request really and I don’t think anyone else can help me fulfill it.” Vivi paused, much like she did before she asked James the other day. It was not a stupid request, but it still felt wrong. Even if learning to defend herself was not truly an act of violence, the possibility of her actually hurting someone was higher than before. “The wedding, it was a mess and I-I think I need to learn how to defend myself. I’m not asking to be a swordswoman, but at least… at least something so I don’t feel so helpless if I’m left with nothing.”

The hunter was silent as Vivi made her request, watching her with rapt attention. So the girl was ready to start learning how to fight? Admittedly, she was a bit later in years to start training, but later was better than never, especially in their respective lines of work. And for her to have asked Celine to be her trainer, well, the blonde was flattered. What a delightfully pleasing choice of tutor. “Vivi darling, I thought you would never ask.” Given how many beasts there were in Candoris, both of the animal and human kind, Celine couldn’t rightfully turn the request down. Besides, the idea of having a student...it appealed to her, in a twisted way. Was this what they called a protective instinct? Huh.

“I, for one, think it’s imperative for any young lady to know precisely how to incapacitate, or perhaps decapitate an attacker. Clearly you’ve seen it first-hand, what happens when you’re ill-prepared for an occasion.“ The Beaumont Wedding had been a delight for Celine, but for Vivi, who she had sheltered from much of the bloodshed in her usual dealings, it was clearly a shock. But perhaps not a terrible one. “But I’ve taken down just about every known creature at least once. I might not make a hunter out of you, but you’ll be a damned good fighter if I have anything to say about it.”

But before she got too ahead of herself, it was vital to make sure the mermaid knew exactly what she was getting into. “I’ll warn you now, dear. If you want to learn from me, I’ll teach you things capable of killing. Not out of a desire to craft you into something you aren’t, but because it’s necessary.” After all, life-or-death situations weren’t named as such without reason. “Are you certain about this, love?”

Ronan glanced over just in time to see an irritable blonde snapping at him to confiscate the ring for himself. Ronan’s brows arched, irritation ebbing away his curiosity over the jewelry as he gazed at the woman with narrowed eyes. She looked…familiar, perhaps, but Ronan couldn’t quite place where he might have seen her before. Not that his knowledge of the people was a particularly narrow scope. She could have been anybody, for all he knew; a family member of a previous client or another assassin part of the trade. He glanced over at the weakened merchant she was speaking of, but rather than choosing to purchase the ring, he placed the jewelry down on its cart (much to the displeasure of the shop vendor) and directed his attention back towards the young woman again.

Ronan thought he had found something much more interesting than jewelry.

“…a wolf?” he asked, growing cold all over. The urge to lash out and swipe his claws against this bitch’s face rose within him; the very idea of a wolf sprawled out, dead at the hands of poachers and bigots, filled Ronan wih a sense of anger and dread so severe he found he couldn’t quite put it into words. But it was never a good idea to show your hand too early; if Ronan wanted to learn more about this particularly malevolent trade the stranger was referring to, he’d have to play his cards right. “I suppose I wouldn’t mind seeing what you have to offer–I don’t suppose they’re particularly easy to catch, being darlings of the king and all that?”

She looked at him a moment with a deadpanned expression, before finally letting out a chuckle. “Not that kind of wolf, darling, although I’ve been known to take a request or two to deal with those controlled by their...baser instincts, we’ll say.“ Celine smirked, eyes flickering away to the crowd for but a moment. “This particular one is a rare find. In fact, I believe it’s my first encounter with him. Couldn’t have come at a better timing really.” There. She spotted them a few stalls away, watching like hawks from the shadows. Well, if she could convince the gentleman to be of assistance, she wouldn’t need to worry about it for much longer.

“No, I believe this wolf is one that’s good for assisting on a hunt, if the rumours are true. A cold-blooded killer of the highest caliber. You don’t come across too many of that description, dear.“ She tilted her head ever so slightly towards her stalkers before stepping away from the stand, making the faintest gesture to follow her. “However, it’s a limited time offer. If you want to know more, we’ll have to walk and talk. You know how it is. Too many ears can spoil the surprise, after all.“ Celine dropped back into the crowd, slipping away behind the market stands and into the darker alleys, where only the desperate and the destitute lurked in the dead of night. But now, while the kingsguard were out and about, it made for the perfect place to have a private conversation. That was, assuming the dolt was paying proper attention.

Svala shrugged, “I’m sure everyone has their issues, yes.” She smiled at the talk of The Gemini and nodded, “it’s was the farthest place from home and Kai sold me on it. I follow his lead.” She shrugged, “we have similar views on the world sometimes.” She had heard the talk of the ship she had called home and for the most part she ignored it. Sure they were well known but she made sure it never went to her head. “I’m sure they are, I’m pretty sure my son spreads them.” She smirked. “When Kai decided what he was going to do I joined him. I had no where else to be.”

Her brows raised and she smiled, “honest work. I deal with some of them when I go home. I think about the only one I have yet to see is a pegasus and I’ve wanted one since I was a child.” She smirked and nodded, “I definitely agree. I’ve learned my part of it but mostly when we’re docked for a while.” 

Celine took another sip as the other woman spoke, noting her ties with the captain and storing them away for later use. “Ah yes, he can be quite the persuasive darling, when he wants to be. Although, I must confess that I’ve only met him a few times in passing. A charming fellow indeed.“ Blonde eyebrows raised slightly at the mention of a son, however. Knowing she had family possibly lurking around the docks could be another way into the ship, if she was clever about it. “Is your son a pirate too? I’ve always wondered if it was a familial type of occupation.” 

A quiet laugh left her as she set the tankard down, eyes sparkling. “You’ve never seen a pegasus? I do suppose they’re hard to catch, but I know of at least one in Acrine. In the stables at Valentina Castle.” Of course, if the rumours were true, it was a remarkably temperamental beast. Still, if anyone outside of royalty could tame one, then a crew member from The Gemini would have been a curious bet to make. “Well, should you ever find yourself docked for a substantial amount of time again, it would be my pleasure to show you. If you’re not afraid of a little trespassing, of course.”

“Very interesting choices, my love. Although, between the two of us, I don’t think I’ll be rolling around in the sheets with Barrett again any time soon. He’s too afraid I might take a...souvenir for my mantlepiece. Something he’s rather attached to that I think matches his personality quite well. Dear Bohai certainly won’t need to worry about that any time soon, given that it’s, ah, in use, so to speak.“

@lordbohai @alexandervbarrett

“Beauty and the beast? I mean, if you’re suggesting a little threesome, I’m all for it. However, I don’t think I could get the both of them in bed at the same time. Still, a girl can dream. What a weekend that would be.“

@ikaiaraharuh @taikamin

&&.@celine-dahl

There was a dull ache that had been slowly saturating her mind for the last couple of days. Spreading the irritation to the edges of her head until she could not withstand the pain any longer. Adrienne pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to soothe it any bit. Often when she had headaches like these, it was because she had simply forgotten to eat. She was usually busy discussing everything about the war with Gabriel and now with making sure Sophia was comfortable her plate was full. Not to mention that any of her free time that used to be just her’s was spent with Mercy now. Not that she was complaining at all, it just meant the simple things like eating and sleeping tended to slip her mind after a full few days. 

She wandered a bit in the Wilde Wood looking for her victim. Someone she could drain quickly and unsuspecting. When Adrienne found them, she drank and drank and drank until she had emptied the blood bag completely. Yet her insatiable craving hadn’t been cured and neither had the headache. If anything, the human just made her feel worse. She felt like she had drank too much, more than she needed too but she still felt oddly empty. Adrienne wandered around bringing her clammy hand to her opposite arm to sooth an itch that had formed. The only thing her meal had brought her was an onslaught of agitation that she was unable to curb her appetite. Adrienne had prided herself on being incredibly wise, she had been alive for so long it would have been a waste if she didn’t use her brain for that reason. However, now she was angry that the simple solution to get rid of the headache didn’t work. 

Small sweat beads accumulated across her forehead as she mindlessly meandered through the wood, as if something was drawing her closer to it. Her fangs deployed on their own when her line of vision met a shack, something that was unusual for a vampire who had learned to control those urges a long time ago. Adrienne couldn’t retract them as she approached the small hut on the edge of the sea, she had this sickening feeling in her gut that the thing she had been craving could be found there. Perhaps B negative just wasn’t doing the trick for her. She peered her head around the corner, eyes scanning the perimeter until they fell on a blonde figure. 

“You.” Eyes thinning for a moment as her body began to tremble. She clenched her fists in an attempt to control the convulsions as best as she could. “Ayudame, por favor.” It felt odd for her to even be asking for help like this, but as the blood had settled into her stomach, she felt so nauseous and dizzy she didn’t know what else to do in this moment. 

The past few nights had been harrowing for Celine. Wrangling together new staff to keep her operations running, mixed with a missing inventory worth thousands in gold. At every safehouse she had checked so far, there were emptied bundles, and the smell of dried and powdered Reasper’s Bane floated in the air. So potent was the scent that even she, with her dulled human senses, needed to cover her mouth and retreat from the shack for a breath of fresh air. Whatever concoction it was, that went by another name that felt awkward on her tongue, it was potent. Messing with it was becoming an increasing gamble; one Celine was not longer sure she was willing to take.

She rested on a log outside of the shack, contemplating the folded envelope in front of her. To think something so small could make a puppet out of her was...unsettling to say the least. But there was a job to do, and her quarry should have been arriving any moment. A woman emerged from the woods, trembling like a newborn fawn. Celine carefully stashed away the envelop, leaving it pressed between her leg and the soft leather of her boots, before rising to greet her new guest. This one, she knew about. The Queen had sent her instructions and a detailed description of her contact, and this stranger seemed to meet it to a tee. 

“Hello love.“ She purred, prowling towards her with all the confidence of an apex predator. In these woods, Celine was far worse than any monster. Given how vulnerable the stranger was, as expected, it was only a matter of keeping the act up. “Feeling a little woozy? Has the cramping started yet? I can see the sweating has.” Small beads of water glistened on the woman’s pale skin, as though a fever was raging through her body. 

It was a waste, not having the thrill of a good fight. But Celine’s only job was to collect and deliver this time around. “I have just the thing to make you better, darling. But I can’t give it away for free. You remember, don’t you? Our little bargain?”

This woman was definitely trouble. Her confidence was not a show and from her smell she was definitely experienced in protecting herself. “When would you need this done by?” he asked. He knew this job could get him in trouble, but he was used to a little danger and had no true personal attachments to Candoris. He was sure someone could take care of them in his place. 

“Traps are not my specialty.” he admitted. “I use the basic net trapping or a crossbow for hunting.” He much preferred hunting in he wolf form though. It was easier to sneak up on something and carry it back to his home. Plus there was a thrill to it all. His inner wolf longed for a good hunt almost as much as it longed for a good run. Something about the hunt made him excited and almost giddy. Thinking about the idea reminded him he was getting low on deer meat and needed to restock. “I don’t have any plans to start either. I learned weapon craft as need rather than a want. Sorry if that inconveniences you.” The apology was genuine. 

“Next month, if that’s a suitable amount of time. I’ve got an engagement coming up.“ She said with a shrewd grin, convinved that this was an investment worth pursuing. It certainly would have been best if he had known how to make traps, but that was something she could live without. After all, he wasn’t the only smith in the city, and certainly not the only one with clever hands. Celine made a habit out of collecting useful people, after all.

“That’s no trouble, love. I would certainly recommend trying it out sometime. They can be remarkably useful should you ever come across the nastier types of creatures wandering around the woods.” Although, given his bulk, perhaps it wasn’t something he needed to concern himself with? The hunter considered his physique a moment, calculating, before she smiled up at him in a more pleasant manner. “Well, should you ever be interested, it would be my pleasure to demonstrate them for you one of these days. If you’re not afraid of the bigger beasts, of course.”

“He shivered me timbers delightfully, love. Take from that what you will.”

@lordbohai

“Depends on the day of the week. Sometimes it’s money, sometimes it’s revenge. Most of the time it’s getting a rise out of people for the hell of it, but if I were to pick one particular reason? Power. Getting it and using it- that’s the real prize, dear.“

“Memorable as in good? Or memorable as in bad? I’ve had a handful of both. Generally the ones with the most lasting impressions as my last three, so Bohai, Sophia and Alex in that order. If anyone wants to help me bump Alex out of that spot however, this shop’s always open for business, darling.“

( @lordbohai, @sophiabcaumont, @alexandervbarrett)

“I like dragons best. Sure, they’re the highest risk, but they’re also the highest reward. If you’re talking something more sentient, werewolves.“