I PLAY TO WIN A WAR

The first moment that Ravid became suspicious was when one of Simon's men had brought him an outfit and a demand for his presence for the night. It was no strange event to be requested to service Simon and his guests, but the outfit choice was far different than the usual. Nowhere near as revealing. If there was any significance to the style it was lost on them, all they could tell was it was not the normal. And it made them nervous.

Life at the manor was a terror, but at least it was predictable. This was different, new....something different was happening. Ravid had the barest moment, a flash of something as they touched the knob of the bedroom. A face. Intense, curious eyes. And then it was gone.

Simon's guards let the guest in, but Ravid was the one who escorted him from the front door, offering a stiff bow in greeting before leading him into Simon's sitting area. The outfit had the usual flowing silks that Simon adored and they danced as Ravid walked, ignoring it.

Simon had greeted the stranger with a shining toothy grin and alcohol. "Reiou! Welcome, welcome...you have gotten a chance to look over my dearest prize on the way in here, I'm sure." Simon's grin grew ever wider, if that was possible, waggling his eyebrows before pushing the glass he had poured for the man to the side. Simon gestured towards the glass with a look at Ravid and he curtly nodded, reaching forward with graceful fingers to collect the glass and offer it to the guest. Ravid knew he should keep his eyes averted, but he was never good at completely behaving, light hazel eyes meeting the stranger's as they waited for the offered drink to be taken.

Despite the awaiting courtesy that he had pushed off on Ravid, Simon bridged the distance between himself and his guest, taking a sip of his drink before coming to a stop beside Ravid. He reached out and grasped Ravid by the jaw. Ravid tensed, but did not move or react. If there was not a guest in the house, he would likely have been cursing the man, biting him. Fighting...But guests meant an extra danger, an extra risk if he disobeyed.

"As I told you over the phone, Ravid here is my favorite...toy."

Isen's contacts had little to say about the man other than his lack of business savvy and questionable affairs. Still, it seemed Simon had stumbled across something of actual value in his frivolous lifestyle. Someone with an ability, an impenetrable glow of their skin, which Isen had never witnessed in a tensai. That had been enough to bring him here -- and he hoped it would be worthwhile.

The doors opened to reveal a younger person, dressed in a deep crimson outfit, made of real silk and adorned with carefully embroidered flowers and cranes. To Simon's credit, the outfit was tasteful, well made -- but the blatant way it accentuated this person's body and the clear imitation of Japanese tradition left a bitter taste in Isen's mouth, one that seeped into his stomach. It was designed to entice, and it threw the whispers and implications of Simon's choice of persuasion into stark relief. Isen scanned the outfit once and never lingered on it again.

The person, wrapped up like a gift to be given -- presumably to him -- gave a forced bow that Isen acknowledged with a small incline of his head. He followed them and glanced around the manor, noting the interior that matched the interesting choice of decorum outside. No sooner had he been led into a room with leather armchairs and the lingering taint of tobacco smoke was his name bellowed, and Isen quickly schooled his expression before he turned.

"Yor," Isen returned, giving another, slightly more reluctant nod in his direction. It was almost a relief to give his attention to Simon's dearest prize who, to his intrigue, held Isen's gaze as though there were no difference between them. Curious, Isen studied the person's face -- though he wasn't given enough time to take the offering before Simon stepped in.

Simon grabbed Ravid's jaw in a way that pricked Isen's irritation; a toy for someone who stooped to such degenerate gluttony and held no worth as a man. But Ravid didn't flinch. Isen's interest in them was piqued as he watched tension stiffen their body, but their gaze was steady, just as it had been before. As though SImon wasn't worthy of fear or obedience. Isen couldn't help but wonder what changes loyalty could bring.

Finally, Ravid spoke to him as if nothing had happened. Isen tilted his head before he reached out and took the drink from their hands; with no intention of tasting it.

"Thank you," he said to Ravid, then let his gaze settle on Simon. "I appreciate you inviting me here," Isen continued, with a bit of good-nature that rolled effortlessly off his tongue. With nothing nice to say about the home, or the treatment of its inhabitants, he simply continued with strategic flattery -- though he couldn't help but call the prize by name as he nodded to them.

a mix of arguments, tension, manipulation, gossiping, fighting, & general emotional messiness!

you  weren't  supposed  to  hear  that.

don't  look  at  me  like  i'm  the  only  one  lying.

want  to  tell  them,  or  should  i?

you  think  i  don't  know  what  you  did?

i've  hit  people  for  less.

oh,  i  thought  you  already  knew.

that's  funny,  you  didn't  say  that  last  night.

say  that  again.  i  dare  you.

you  wanna  talk  about  loyalty?

no  offense,  but  if  you're  the  last  to  know,  that's  on  you.

go  ahead  -  pretend  like  it  wasn't  your  idea!

they  deserve  to  know  the  truth.

you  didn't  hear  this  from  me,  but  -

oh,  so  now  you  care?

don't  flatter  yourself.  you  were  just  convenient.

you  crossed  a  line.

we  had  bets  on  how  long  it  would  last.

it's  not  even  a  secret  anymore.

you  don't  get  to  cry  about  it  now.

touch  me  again  and  see  what  happens.

say  it  again.  louder  this  time.

you  really  thought  nobody  would  find  out?

don't  act  so  innocent.

okay,  but  am  i  the  villain  for  laughing?

tell  me  who  else  knows.  right  now.

this  whole  time,  and  you  didn't  say  a  word?

don't  act  brave  now.

you're  really  gonna  do  this  here?

it  wasn't  supposed  to  get  this  far!

you  can't  rewrite  history.

oh,  i'd  never  say  it  to  their  faces.

it  was  supposed  to  stay  between  us.

we're  all  thinking  it,  i  just  said  it.

you're  not  as  untouchable  as  you  act.

do  you  even  feel  guilty?

they  warned  me  about  you.

go  ahead,  make  it  worse.

if  you  repeat  this,  i'll  deny  everything.

the  next  thing  out  of  your  mouth  better  be  an  apology.

you're  about  three  seconds  away  from  regretting  this.

you  keep  pushing,  and  i'll  push  you  back.

they're  going  to  find  out.

one  more  lie,  and  i  walk.

they're  lying  to  you.

you  need  to  back  off.  now.

you're  defending  them?  after  everything?

don't  try  to  hide  it.

tell  me,  was  i  just  a  placeholder?

you  really  think  sorry  fixes  this?

there's  nothing  left  to  say.

don't  act  like  you're  the  one  hurting.

i  don't  owe  you  any  explanation.

whatever  helps  you  sleep  at  night.

you  should've  seen  this  coming.

i  hope  it  was  worth  it.

i  told  the  truth.  just  not  all  of  it.

you'll  miss  me  before  i  miss  you.

smile.  you're  ruining  the  mood.

i'd  watch  that  tone  if  i  were  you.

it's  not  my  fault  you  believed  me.

you  have  such  a  talent  for  pretending  you're  innocent.

we  both  know  this  is  over.

i  never  said  i  was  a  good  person.