✨Sparkles’ Blog✨

More about Veryl: Posts • A basic Introduction • Aesthetic •Rook Character sheet • Veryl Characterization cheat sheet • Rook Questionnaire • Rook Character Development • Veryl as a Companion • Veryl's Sliders pt1 & pt2 • Mourn Watch Oath

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Anywho, it's crazy out there, I hope you enjoy this peaceful space :)

They passed the other woman as they headed down the steps of The Swan. There was no doubt she could overhear their conversation, even if she remained several paces behind them, with her hood muffling the sound.

"Huh? Oh, sure, I guess." He gave Mallory another look, silently pleading with her to stop talking. "I'm sure she knows what she's doing, she was hired for a reason."

"They weren't very forthcoming with that reason," Mallory mused. "But I guess a Nevarran artifact begets a Nevarran. Can you believe that they think it could destroy the veil? Of all things!"

I'm about to destroy the veil if we don't get this over with. Jericho sighed internally. "Maybe… don't say that too loudly? Don't want to scare the general public…"

The woman giggled like a child and covered her mouth, "of course, I shouldn't have said a word."

"Mercar, a moment." Near silent footfall and Ingellvar was moving past them, rounding the corner into an alley. Not a question— a demand to speak alone.

"Wait here," he directed at Mallory. Maybe he would finally get some answers… Or a knife in the back. He nodded silently and followed Veryl into the alley.

The alley was a dead end with a high wall he had no chance of scaling with the lack of exercise he'd had in recent days. She waited just under an overhang, the rain heavy enough against it to drown out whatever they would say. It was smart, calculating.

"I've heard of Vera Servis," she said, only speaking loud enough that he would strain to hear. "I don't think we should pursue this."

"And I should trust your judgment, why?" he hissed at her. "I hope you have a good explanation."

"I don't," she said. Her face gave nothing away, nor did it try to convince him to trust her.

"And you just expect me to not follow up on a lead, because you say so?" He crossed his arms and glared. "I have a job to do. You can back out now if you want."

Her fist visibly tightened at her side, the only visible indication that she was irritated. "I have a job to do too, and this lead will end one of two ways, running in circles, or a fight we don't want. I don't know about you, but I don't go picking fights." She flung the words like an open accusation.

"Really? Because it seems like you're trying to pick one right now." Jericho was almost a mirror to her, clenching his fist in response, flinging his own accusations. "Unless you actually have a reason not to talk her… I don't see a reason not to check it out."

Light flashed in her eyes, the first sign of anything existing under a cold façade. Her nose flared as she took a deep breath, he thought he might have heard stifled groan of frustration.

"Listen… okay," She started, running a gloved hand against her hood. "I looked into this Gaufrid's Animace, and we shouldn't be trusting just anyone with it, or information about it."

"Uh huh… And? Do you have some other lead for us? Or…?"

"There's a man named Petreson in the lower slums, I don't know much about him, other than that he's a fugitive."

The name sounded Nevarran, but there was no way to be sure.

"A fugitive?" He tapped his foot anxiously. "You expect us to trust a fugitive over a reputable artifact dealer?"

Any progress they'd made stopped and retracted at the question. Veryl's eyes shuttered and she gave him an infinitesimal smirk.

"Why not? They trust you, isn't that the same?" Her voice was sickly sweet.

His eyes narrowed darkly. "You know nothing about me," he whispered through gritted teeth. "You still haven't explained why we should trust you. Why I should trust you."

She blinked, and let her eyes measure him. Head to toe and everything in between, like she was cataloging, memorizing, determining his worth and it felt as though he had no choice but to let her. It wasn't predatory, her gaze, it was analyzing.

"I don't have to, Jericho." She stepped into his space, bending the smallest amount to get eye level with him. "I know who you are."

Then she was turning and striding toward the dead end of the alley.

Before she could fully move away, he responded quietly, just loud enough for her to hear as he followed, "No. You think you know who I am. That's not the full story." There was something nearly defeated in his tone. Like he was begging her not to reveal anything before knowing the truth. "Maybe, if we get through this job, you'll get to hear the whole thing." He was careful not to make it a promise.

"Look, if this lead doesn't pan out, we'll talk to your guy. But it would be stupid of me not to explore our options."

She climbed on top of a large crate, speaking as she went. "I've seen everything I need to see. Have fun with Rory, she's a hoot and half."

Even with limited space, she managed to take a running jump up the wall and haul herself up to the top. Before ditching him there in the alley, she turned back, staring down at him from her perch.

"Remember, it doesn't matter what I think I know, it's about what it looks like. And I can make it look very, very, bad." Then she was flipping over the other side and out of sight.

"Venhedis," he breathed, making his way out of the alley. This woman was going to get him killed. Or worse. There was nothing left but to go back to Mallory and try to finish the job.

Or run. He shook that thought from his head. Not yet. Maybe he could still contain the situation…

"Oh, good! You're back!" Mallory immediately made to cling to his arm and gave a little pout. "It was starting to get lonely."

Once again, he reclaimed his arm from her grasp and sighed. "Veryl left."

"Did she? That's curious. But then, I suppose someone like that tends to do what they want, I can't imagine she's the kind to follow orders," She mused. "I have to tell you, the chill that ran down my spine when she looked at me, with those eyes. She's downright scary!"

Jericho didn't feel like explaining that her eyes were probably one of the least scary things about her. A bit strange, maybe, unsettling to some, but scary? No. That was the information she was holding like a weapon. He shrugged. "She doesn't trust your lead. Wouldn't say why."

"Oh, that's too bad. The Servis family has been in the artifact business for generations, they're trusted by most nobility for their antiquities purchases. Vera told me her great-great-great-great-great grandfather once sold a napkin ring to the Archon's advisor. It was a very big to do." Mallory then proceeded to describe the napkin ring in excruciating detail.

"Ah… that's… that many greats huh? Fascinating." Maybe he should have listened to Veryl after all.

"Lovey! Darling!" Vera Servis threw her arms open wide and gave Mallory a hug. "What brings you to my side of town?"

It was the more affluent neighborhood that sat on just the other side of Dock Town and insisted on pretending it didn't. There was no immediate threat of Nobility, as there were no estates in the area, but gossip no doubt traveled far enough to reach servants ears in those households.

"We were in the area, and I wanted to stop in, and Jericho was so kind to say yes." She simpered, actually simpered. "Jericho, this is Vera Servis, my dear, dear friend. Vera, this is Jericho Mercar, my—"

"Colleague," he finished her sentence quickly, silently hoping she didn't try to take his arm again.

Vera and Mallory shared a look that Jericho didn't like the connotation of.

"Well any 'colleague' of Lovey," she put air quotes around the word and winked broadly, "is a friend of mine. Do come in."

She waved them into her storefront, a chaotic plethora of odds and ends. Books, chairs, lamps, various accessories, and even some clothing, were all stacked this way and that, in a very disorganized fashion. It seemed to go on for ages, with different avenues and paths leading around the room. One step— one breath and the whole place felt like it might collapse into a cloud of dust and sticks.

"So, what can I do for you two?" Vera stood in front of a counter, running her fingers through long silky locks, and her eyes over Jericho. It was much more obviously lascivious than Veryl's stare had been.

Jericho didn't meet the woman's eyes, choosing instead to look around at the various items on display. "We're looking for information on an artifact."

"Yes! And I told him that we absolutely had to come here!" Mallory took Vera's hand in her own. "I told him that if anyone would know, you would. Do you still have that gigantic tome we used to pour through when we were girls?"

"Of course I do, Darling, but as I recall our interest was hardly academic. Those anatomical sketches are practically worn through." She cackled and Mallory laughed. "Give me a minute or two to find it. Feel free to look around."

She waved them away, and Mallory disappeared quickly into the overwhelming amount stuff. Frankly, now that he looked more closely, it turn out to be mostly junk. Perhaps a few things were genuine, but he knew the paintings to be replications or forgeries, and books claiming to be originals, were actually watered down transcriptions. A store like this wouldn't survive anywhere more upscale.

It certainly seemed a far fetch to believe that Vera might know anything about… what had Veryl called it? Gaufrid's Animace? What was that?

Mallory might have talked about it, but there was no way to know, he'd stopped trying to listen when she took one of those expansive breaths that let her speak for far too long.

"What do you think?" Mallory popped up out of seemingly no where. "Isn't it wild?"

"What? The store?" He contemplated for a moment, but decided that the job was too important to be polite about this. "I… don't think we're going to find what we're looking for here," he tried gently.

She was immediately crestfallen, a frown added to both her lips and her brow.

"Really? You… you don't think there's any way it could be here?" She was quiet, disappointed. "I'll let Vera know we don't need her anymore."

He nodded, feeling a little bit bad that she was so disappointed, but also eager to leave and find a better lead. "I'm sorry…" he stopped short of telling her that most everything in the store was obviously fake. He'd need to have a word with Tarquin about their choice of "expert."

"Vera, I'm afraid we're not going to find what we're looking for here." Mallory announced as the other woman came around holding a tome half her height.

"Oh? That's fine, Lovey, there's a lot of stuff in here." Vera didn't seem the slightest bit put off by the lack of interest. "I found the book I was looking for, if you still wanted me to search for information. What was the name?"

She slammed the large book down on the counter between them and waved away the layers of dust that clouded the air in response, all three were left coughing. Vera beckoned them closer to see what she was seeing.

"This dates- this-" she coughed, "Excuse me, one moment while I get some water."

As she stepped aside, a ring on display behind the counter caught his eye. The setting held a jewel that, at first glance, could be mistaken for a ruby, but there was something sinister in pulsing aura it gave off. If Jericho had to guess, it was one of the many red lyrium artifacts that had started popping up among the Venatori in the last ten years or so. He couldn't be sure what it did, but he was sure it would take blood magic to activate it. He could feel it.

"What is that?" he asked before he could stop himself. "You shouldn't have something like that. No one should."

"Hmmm? What?" Vera came back to his question and followed his eyes to the ring. "Oh that! A find from my cousin, while he was working for the Inquisition. Red Lyrium, isn't it gorgeous? I've had several interested customers, but I can't seem to part with it."

"Kaffas. Somehow I doubt the Inquisition would be happy to know he had that," Jericho muttered before looking up and speaking to her more directly. "You need to get rid of that. It's dangerous."

Vera studied him in a new way, her eyes suspicious and assessing. As though she knew why she was holding on to the ring, but wanted to know why he knew. They stared each other down. Was this what Veryl had been talking about? If he pressed this issue, insisted on her destroying the artifact, how would she respond?

What were the chances that the Servis family served the Venatori?

Exactly how much danger was he in right now?

Beside him, Mallory laughed nervously, "it's lovely, Vera. Now about that artifact… they think it might destroy the veil—"

"That's enough," he spoke a little more harshly than intended. "We need to leave. Now." He didn't care how friendly Mallory was with Vera. She couldn't be trusted.

"Ah, but, the book, we should ask—" Mallory started to insist.

"No," he stated firmly, before muttering under his breath, "that book's probably as fake as almost everything else in here."

Vera's eyes narrowed. "Get out of my store, both of you."

"Jericho! I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Mallory called as she rushed after Jericho who had already left before Vera finished the sentence.

Out on the street she kept up a constant stream of apologies, none of which actually identified what she should be apologizing for. Instead, they were just empty platitudes, and anything that put her "friend" in a bad light, she was very quick to sell out and switch to any side he was on.

"Really! I had no idea. You're right, it was a terrible lead. I have a better one! I know someone else!" Mallory insisted as they worked their way across town, sticking to his side.

He stopped and turned to face her. "How am I supposed to know if the next lead is any better? Couldn't you tell almost everything in there was fake at a glance? Or recognize red lyrium when you see it?"

She blinked at him with large brown eyes, he could see the way her brain worked overtime to try to form a thought.

"I-I-I-" it came out quick and stuttering. "I've only read… about most things… I've never seen…" She swallowed and blinked again. "But I can learn! I'll start looking for things!"

Jericho gave an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I know you're trying your best… but we really need to get on the trail of this artifact quickly. Maybe… we should try to find Veryl again… she mentioned someone." He hated to do it, but Tarquin would kick his ass if flubbed this job.

This was not going… well.

First, she had gotten lost. She blamed the city for this because all of the streets looked the same and all of them seemed to lead directly to the water no matter which direction she went.

Then it was the lack of communication. People in the slums didn't speak common, or if they did, they didn't speak it well enough for her to get across who she was looking for.

Third, and the most vital in this moment, was that not only was Petreson indeed a fugitive, he was a fugitive with a hatred for his fellow Nevarrans and a small following.

All of whom surrounded her now in the nearby square. Locals didn't bother sticking around, already several store fronts had shuttered and even the beggars had quickly found somewhere else to be. Petreson and his gang were the terror of the Lower Slums. Not a lead for an artifact.

And while it was disappointing to be wrong, she took solace in knowing Jericho would never need to know.

It was about that time that Jericho and Mallory came within sight of the scene. "She said she doesn't pick fights, but it looks like one picked her," he grimaced. "I'm guessing her lead didn't pan out either." He unsheathed his staff and prepared to step in if needed, trying not to draw attention to himself as he drew a bit closer.

"I don't think you understand, Cryptie. You and your fellow undertakers ruined everything I had. It's only reasonable that I ruin you, eye for an ear." Petreson growled.

"Eye for an eye," she corrected, unimpressed.

"What?"

"The phrase, it's an eye for an eye. What is your empty eye socket going to do with an extra ear?" she had yet to draw her weapon, and truthfully, if it kept going like this, they might just kill themselves with their own stupidity. How hard would it be to start a fire and convince them to walk into it?

"See?!" he howled. "It's that same uppity attitude that did in that council member. He had it coming." His fists clenched and unclenched.

"You killed Councilman Hauser?" She scoffed. "Please."

"I did! Sliced him ear to ear!" He took a step toward her, his men in sync around her. "Just like I'll do to that pretty little neck of yours."

Twelve men didn't scare her, all of their hearts still beat, all of their skin remained on their bodies. It did, however, worry her, that she had a very limited amount of weaponry. She would have to take out the second on her left, and then the fourth, and then the sixth on her right, just to make up for the blades she would lose by sinking the first three.

Although, Petreson's spiked club would do the job nice—

There was a loud crack and one of the henchmen on her right collapsed to the ground. Rory stood behind him with a metal pipe, which she promptly dropped. The sound ricocheted around the square as they all turned to look at her.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Veryl openly groaned before jumping into the flurry of action.

"For fucks sake," Jericho breathed as he flung a cascade of ice into the crowd of attackers, freezing a few in place. He was definitely going to have a word with Tarquin about Mallory's future work, or lack thereof, with the Shadows when this was over.

Veryl flipped around one of the men to come to Rory's defense, blocking the path to get to her.

"The fuck, Mercar, what's your expert doing in the middle of my fight!" She yelled to the mage that was swinging his staff in circles and sending out ice and bolts of magic. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'd like to ask her the same question!" he yelled back. "And I'm helping!" Another attacker froze in their tracks and shattered as they tried to sneak up behind Veryl.

"Rory—" Veryl tried to ask, but was instead greeted by a call to "Look out!"

She struck out with a right hook and followed it with a shove of her foot against a chest, sending her attacker stumbling back before another took his place. Ice flew past her, freezing and holding people in place until she could incapacitate them more permanently.

"How'd your lead work out for you?" She asked as she ran by Jericho, ducking under his magical attack. Petreson was down and she wanted his club, now and as a souvenir.

"A charlatan with possible Venatori connections," he grumbled. "I'd ask about yours, but well, I think I know." He fade stepped an attack and sent his assailant flying in response.

Veryl caught a guy on an upward swing of her new weapon, and a rush of excitement ran through her. Whiskey was nothing compared to this.

"I happen to be very pleased with this outcome, thank you very much." She said as another man raced towards her with a sword that she knocked out of his hand. A solid hit to his stomach sent him to the ground, and she bounced the club off of his skull before catching it in the air, effectively knocking him out. "If it hadn't been for you and your number one fan, it wouldn't have been this messy!

"My what?" he asked as he threw a quick barrier around them both. "And you find this pleasing?"

"Exceedingly so! Duck!" Jericho did as she said and Veryl swung, knocking yet another one aside before he could land a knife in Jericho's back just as the barrier dissipated. "It's sort of therapeutic, don't you think? All the anger and resentment finally has a place to go. Maker, sometimes I think it's better than sex."

She didn't wait for his response, moving off to dispatch the final two that were terrorizing Rory, zeroing in on her and making her scream.

Jericho shook his head and followed quickly behind, preparing a spell, but careful not to loose it wildly, afraid Mallory might get caught in at as well.

Veryl swung and stretched her arms, feeling the weight of the club. Rory cowered in front of them, but as soon as she saw Veryl she was using her small stature to slip between their legs and scrambled toward the taller woman, knocking her off balance and sending them both to the ground.

Somehow managing to suppress an eyeroll, Jericho used the opportunity to unleash the spell he'd prepared, catching the last two in men in a icy vortex that sent them flying and shattered them on ground. With the battlefield now clear, he moved to help Veryl and Mallory.

"Jericho! I was so frightened!" Rory exclaimed as she used Veryl's stomach to lift herself up and run to the man as he approached. Veryl decided it was fine, that she didn't need to breathe anyway. Instead she laid on the ground, and contemplated the stormclouds overhead, wondering when they might crack open. Maybe she'd stay here, drenched in blood and gore, let the rain wash it away.

"I can't believe that happened!" Mallory reached for his hand.

Jericho quickly determined that Mallory was fine, given how she'd jumped to her feet and immediately started rambling. Dodging her attempt to grab his hand, he moved toward where Veryl still lay on the ground. "Are you okay?" He offered a hand to help her up.

She contemplated him from her position on the ground. She hadn't asked for his help, she didn't particularly want his help. But still, his arm was outstretched, waiting.

"I'm good." She closed her eyes and clasped her hands over her stomach, wriggling her shoulders like she was making herself comfortable.

He stared down at her for a moment, hand still awkwardly held out for her to take, before he gave up and knelt beside her instead. "… Are you sure? You're not injured?"

She peeked one eye open, "I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle." She'd have bruises and ache for several days, and she was sure something was dislocated. Fighting like that after not having done so in an age, there was bound to be some issues. But what she didn't need was the help from a potential threat.

"Quit fussing like a mother hen and leave me alone, Mercar."

"Suit yourself." He stood back up and started to step away before looking back. "But we still have a job to do, if you're still interested in getting paid."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be around." She said drily, keeping her eyes shut. Ears open, she would listen for Jericho and Rory's departure, then set about praying for the bodies and trying to figure out what to do with them. No need to leave the streets worse than she found them.

Mallory stood over one of the bodies, crying as Jericho approached.

"What's wrong?" he asked, reassessing her for injuries as he got closer.

"They're dead…" She turned to him, and sniffed. "She killed them…"

Bewildered, he stared at her for a moment. "Some of them, yes. And some of them were me." And you hit one with a pipe. "Sometimes that's the job."

She stared up at him, fat tears escaped down her cheeks.

"I can't do this… it's too much, it's—" Mallory's breath came in short gasps and she gave Jericho only seconds before her eyes were rolling back into her head and she collapsed.

"Venhedis," he huffed as he caught her just in time. His knees buckled, but he managed to stay upright.

"Mercar? Everything okay?" Veryl called from her spot on the other side of the square.

"Mallory fainted…"

"Can you carry her to a clinic, or are you too squishy for that?" It had the cadence of a joke but her tone was serious.

"Wouldn't mind the help," he called back.

He heard shuffling of a body and grunting and groaning as she got to her feet and worked her way to him. Without hesitating, she took the smaller woman from his arms.

"Maker she'd heavier than she looks." She complained. "Call your people to clean up this mess. I'll memorialize them." Then she was gone, carrying Mallory across the square, picking her way between bodies without so much as a goodbye.

"Thank you!" he called after her, unsure if she could even hear him. Looking around at the mess, he sighed heavily. Tarquin was not going to be pleased. Especially when he told him that they'd have to cut Mallory loose. He could only hope Veryl proved more cooperative going forward. He'd have to keep a close eye on her, for his own sake.