#corentiaux

I want a little “shine” for this husbandos too :3

K'rhid Tia

Sevrin 

M'zhet Tia

Jacke Swallow

Corentiaux

Pipin Tarupin

Stephanivien

"Why must it be me? Can you not practice on Corentiaux?" Ger questions, her pace swift as she goes about finishing up the last few tasks she had for the day.

Ramora hurries after her, having to actually jog a little to match with her, and then walks backwards in front of the knigt. Ger watches her with faint amusement as the duskwight continues to try to convince her. "Because," Ramora draws out the word, twirling to follow after the smaller woman as she sets down the stack of paper in her arms and moves about the room speaking briefly with other knights.

"Corentiaux is too easy! No offense, Corentiaux." Ramora says, flashing the baby faced knight a bright smile.

"None taken," the knight says with a bob of his head. He had been no challenge for the duskwight, after all.

"Hmm. Did you try Francel?" Ger offers distractedly, leafing through reports on her Lord Haurchefant's desk.

Ramora sits on the desk and on one stack of papers that Ger had yet to look over. "I.. tried," the duskwight hedges, looking a tad guilty. "My last visit. Francel still won't look me in the eye and I think he's avoiding me."

Ger reaches for the papers pinned beneath her duskwight friend's behind, attempting to tug them out from underneath without wrinkles or tearing. Ramora watches her struggle for a moment in amusement, then lifts her hip to allow the papers to slip free. 

Ger clears her throat, straightening the papers with a few taps on her Lord's desk.

Ramora flashes her a toothy grin.

"...And Lord Haurchefant?"

Ramora laughs, leaning back on her hands. "A valiant effort, truly! But I am afraid your Lord Haurchefant is just simply too honest and open about his desires and general horniness." It was why they got along so well.

There's a choked off sound of laughter and Ramora glances over at Corentiaux, who was covering up his laughter by coughing into his closed fist, and offers him a cheeky wink.

Ger frowns disapprovingly. It was true, but she should not say it.

Corentiaux clears his throat, shrugging sheepishly as Ger shakes her stack of papers at him. "Well, she does have a point."

Ranora jerks a thumb in his direction. "See? C'mon, Ger! Please." She clasps her hands together and affects a pleading expression. "Please, please, please?"

Ger sighs deeply, rolling her eyes so slight it was barely noticeable unless you were gazing hopefully into her face.

"Why me?"

Ramora beams, looping her arms around the knight and then curling her legs around her as well in a clingy hug as she croons into the flustered knight's rounded ear, "Because you're my favorite! And I know you will be an actual challenge!"

Ger squirms out of her hold, bopping Ramora on the head with her stack of papers, who tucks her tongue between her teeth and looks entirely unrepentant.

"Fine. You've convinced me."

"Yay!" Ramora bounces up, cheering, and darts in to press a lipstick staining kiss to the midlander's cheek. Ger squints at her, already regretting this decision.

....

Ger scrubs at the lipstick mark on her face with a handkerchief to no avail as her duskwight friend sits across from her in a comfortable chair in Ger's quarters.

"How does this work exactly?" Ger asks, balling up the handkerchief and setting it aside. Her cheek is bright pink surrounding the red mark of Ramora's lipstick.

Ramora is only too smug and does not tell her she needs to use soap to get it off. "You're going to try to resist me."

"Easy enough." Ger remarks blandly.

Ramora clutches a hand to her breast at the jab, gasping. "Rude. I could so seduce you!"

"You could try." Ger offers her a slight smile and sits down, far more comfortable to do this in her own room and away from prying eyes.

Ramora sniffs in faux offense, but gets back to the subject at hand. "The point is for me to really have to work for it. I need to practice using it. It can't be too easy. So, you don't want to tell me. Anything. As far as you're concerned, I'm the enemy interrogating you and you're giving me nothing."

Ger nods. "All right."

Ramora flashes her a fanged grin, "Yes! Ok, don't freak out." And closes her eyes.

Ger quirks a brow and then leans abruptly backwards when Ramora opens her eyes again. They were startlingly red.

It starts out easy enough. The questions Ramora ask simple enough for Ger to refuse to answer. But then Ramora cocks her head, impressed and says, "Atta' girl. Shall we go harder then?"

Ger feels a hair raising prickle, a dark presence hovering around her friend that almost has the knight instinctively reaching for her sword. It certainly has the midlander leaning away.

"Come now, darling," Ramora purrs and her voice is rich and smooth. Ohh. This... this was a thrall, wasn't it?

Still, Ger resists and keeps her back straight and pressed to the back of her chair even though she wants to lean forward.

"Won't you tell me things, hmm?" Ramora continues, leaning forward with arms crossed under her breasts to bring attention to her ample cleavage. "Tell me.. what you want. Tell me.. what you need. Tell me your deepest, darkest desires."

Ger glances briefly down, eyebrows furrowing, and then meets the duskwight's compelling red eyed stare with narrow eyes. Her tongue feels strange in her mouth and she has to swallow several times, but she fights through the urge to tell Ramora anything. Especially any of that.

"Damn, you're good," Ramora sighs, twirling her hair. "And here I was hoping I'd finally have a chance at seducing you. I'd make it worth your while." Ramora flutters her eyelashes, running her tongue along her red painted lips. "By the end, you'll be so relaxed you would never know there was such a large stick up your-"

Ger gives a rough ahem. Unimpressed.

Ramora pouts. "Too easy for you? Damn. I suppose I'll just have to... try something else." The duskwight closes her eyes, breathing deep, and when she opens them again the whites of her eyes have turned black. That dark feeling intensifying so strong that Ger feels it crawl across her skin and inspire a rush of shivery bumps.

Ger's reaction is so instinctual that she does not realize she'd drawn a blade until she sees the dagger.

Ramora pushes the pointed bit away from her with her pointer finger, ruby lips twisting as she snarks, "Sorry, darling, I'm not into that sort of penetration. Unless you intend to reimburse me for the act of cutting the clothes off my body, knife play is off the table."

Ger drops the dagger with a clatter onto the table between them, her heart beating fast. "What do you intend to do?'".

Ramora rolls her neck, humming low. "If I tell you it won't be a surprise."

Ger's eyes flicker to her dagger. Ramora notices and reaches out to steal the dagger from her sight. No stabbing today, thank you.

"I do not like surprises," the midlander says, lips thinning.

Ramora smiles wickedly. "You'll like this one." If it worked, that is. "Ok, close your eyes?"

Ger squints as her, suspicious. "Why?"

Ramora groans. "Close them! You're helping me, remember?"

Ger grunts, regretting the decision, and closes her eyes. It is quiet for several moments. And then Ramora says, "You can look now."

Ger opens her eyes, and instantly flinches. She looks around, confused; because the duskwight had disappeared and in her place sat her lord Haurchefant, chin resting on his steepled fingers as he grinned impishly.

Ger blinks slow.

"...What are you up to?" She asks him.

Haurchefant blinks, sitting back, and his lips turn down into a pout. "It didn't work?" He asks.

Ger furrows her brow. "...What didn't?"

Haurchefant blows out a breath, slumping forward in a very unlordly fashion. "The glamour! I'm supposed to look and sound like your heart's desire! Damn, I knew Daemryss was a bloody liar!"

Ger stares hard. This.. was Ramora? Ramora glamoured to look like Ger's... Like Haurchefant. His face, his voice, his body. Ohh. Nno. Ramora could not know of this.

So Ger says nothing, reaching out to pat her - Haurchefant's! - hand.

Ramora sighs, and in Haurchefant's voice, tells her, "Thank you for humoring me." She shakes her head then, eyes falling closed. And in the fraction of a second it takes Ger to blink does the glamour fall away, and the duskwight is herself again.

The midlander allows herself to relax.

"Oh well," Ramora sighs, pushing back her chair and standing up to stretch. "I suppose there had to be someone out there resistant to my many charms. I'm not too upset that it's you." Ramora says, walking around the table to lean down and sling an arm around the midlander. "Want to go get a drink?"

Ger squints at her. "It's the middle of the day."

- - -

- -

-

Corentiaux watches his lord pace. Strains his ears to hear the disgruntled noises he makes every time he glances at the door. Lord Haurchefant is wound tight like a spring, back tense as he wears a path in the floor with his unrelenting pacing.

 Corentiaux looks away for but a moment, that very moment Lord Haurchefant moves. Striding towards the door with singular intent. "I'll not stand idly by!"

 "You cannot go, Lord Haurchefant!" Corentiaux calls after him, waving to the knights posted around the room to slow him down. At first they try to block his path but Haurchefant side steps and turns around them. 

 Corentiaux catches up quickly, grabbing his lord by the arm. Haurchefant shakes him off. "I have made up my mind. I'll not be deterred, Corentiaux!" Haurchefant declares, reprimand in his tone as he evades every attempt to detain him.   

 "As a single unit!" Corentiaux barks in command, filled with little joy but the sense of relief as half a dozen knights pile unto their leader. Grabbing hold of him wherever they could reach. Arms, legs, you name it. Two even sprawling on the floor to grab his ankles. Corentiaux himself grasping Haurchefant about the waist as his lord flails with indignation. 

 "You cannot stop me, Corentiaux!" Haurchefant growls, thrashing so wildly that he manages to dislodge several knights for a scant few moments. It's enough for him to move a few more paces to the door. 

 The knights he'd discarded pile back on, feet planted on the stone floor in an attempt to slow him. He pushes forward even still, grunting with strain as he drags the weight of several armored knights along with him. 'How is he this strong?!' Corentiaux gapes, feet dragging as Haurchefant pulls him along with several other knights. 'Sweet Halone, it must be love!' 

 "They...! Need.. me, Corentiaux! I... must.. Help them!" Haurchefant huffs out.

 "There's..! Nn..othing you can do, my lord!" Corentiaux tries to reason with him through gritted teeth. Haurchefant labors on as if he hadn't spoken, grunting with the effort it took to drag their combined weight.

 "That doesn't matter! I cannot sit here while they risk their life! I must go to them!" Suddenly there's the chirp of a linkpearl. The linkpearl given to them by Lord Alphinaud to keep them apprised of the situation. 

Haurchefant halts abruptly; the knights holding onto him groaning with pain as they sprawl with a clatter onto the floor without the force of him dragging them along in an incredible feat of strength. Haurchefant jumps over the pile of grumbling knights - to his desk in a flash! - to press the pearl to his ear with a fretful expression. 

"There is news?!" He asks without preamble, desperation in his eyes. The knights watch his expression become pinched as someone - likely Alphinaud - replies. "Yes, yes...! Greetings to you as well Alphinaud! Pray tell me our friend is well?!" 

 Another pause. Relief washes over Haurchefant's face. He breathes a shaky sigh, dragging a hand over his face as he drops heavily into his chair. "I see. Good, good. ..Yes, I shall speak with you anon." 

 There's another chirp as the linkpearl communication ends. Haurchefant rakes his hands through his hair, breathing heavily. He looks up to find his knights watching him, still sprawled in a heap of limbs on the floor. Corentiaux stands beside the pile, only minimally ruffled despite his earlier strain.

 "Is aught amiss?" Corentiaux prompts. 

 Haurchefant smiles. "Our guest shall arrive shortly." There's a murmuring of good-natured commentary from the knights on the floor. 

 Haurchefant laughs, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly. "As you were?"

Set during chapter 30 of LbR. Raven finds a soulstone that had been on the body of an adventurer, killed while fighting voidsent at the bottom of Witchdrop. She takes the stone to the knights of Camp Dragonhead where Corentiaux teaches her the skill Spirits Within.

((This is the start of a series of quests that is the replacement of the PLD quests for Raven. Because the in-game ones suck but I love how PLD plays. Also look at me giving my ship a chance for a friendship to bloom! Bc lbr here this is what the ARR section is for these quests. ^^;))