Solo Secrets and Elegance Part 2

[Kynier]

2nd of Winter, 518 A.V.

Continued from Part 1

There were certain people that needed to be avoided, even by Sunberth’s standards. If a person was lucky, they would be able to slide under the attention of such a figure. Kynier had not been so lucky. Then he hoped that his contact with the Viper would be very minimal each season. If today was to be any sort of indication, this Winter season was not going to be a good one. There had been no dead drop with an objective for him to accomplish left for nearly thirty days. And yet, here she was.

The appalled look he had at the sight of her changed when he looked up and down her figure. Instead of her usual leather armor with bandoliers full of daggers, the woman was wearing a silken dress of a darker shade of sapphire. The hem of the dress only reached her knees, exposing a very lightly tanned set of legs. Her left arm was sleeveless while her right was not. It was tight and form fitting, with a neckline that exposed her cleavage. Her long dark hair looked how it always looked. Loose and framing her hair in a naturally alluring way. She wore more feminine products that added dark color to around her eyes and an intense redness to her lips.

Ashara smiled and let out a single breathy laugh of amusement. “If the offer is genuine…” she said, licking the inside of her lower lip. Kynier crossed his arms and glared at her. Some redness filled his cheeks that he wished he could’ve blamed on the rum. She stepped closer and wrapped both of her hands around one of his arms. It was a gentle touch with an equally gentle pull to change his pose. “Oh, come now. Don’t be this way, my pet. I’m not here to make your life more challenging,” she said as hand broke away to softly stroke the side of his face with the backside of her fingers. “In fact, I’m very curious to why it is you are here,” she whispered as her eyes displayed her curiosity.

Kynier stiffened even more and pulled his face away from her touch. The motion seemed to surprise her a little and gave her pause. After a tick, she took a half step back but kept a hand on his arm. “As far as I’m aware, it has nothing to do with you or your interests.” At that, she withdrew her hand and they both disappeared behind her back. Her weight shifted to cock one hip out to the side while she tilted her head to the same side.

“And how would you know for certain if you don’t speak to me?” Her tone was playful with feigned distressed. After a tick a smile bloomed on her face and she raised her eyebrows once. Then she giggled and patted his arm. “Relax, pet,” her voice now in the tone he normally heard. Her body language relaxed and she straightened to her full height, which was just a few inches below his own. “I’m just very surprised to see you here, at the Sanctum.” Ashara snaked one hand under his arm to interlock their elbows. Kynier complied with the light pull she gave to get them walking side by side.

“But as surprised as I am,” she said softly while leaning in towards him, “there’s that small part of my mind that expected no less of you.” The music stopped for a moment as a few more musicians with percussions joined the group. When the next song began, it was a little livelier while not being extremely vigorous. It caused Ashara to turn her head away for a moment. When she turned back, she had an excited smile upon her face. “This song is wonderful to dance to. Would you come dance with me?”

“Ha! I…” but she pulled on his arm and took them away from the parlor to a more open section of the floor. Ashara was giggling slightly and it perplexed him. This was a side of her Kynier didn’t know existed. She had been… flirtatious and sensual. But this seemed like a completely different person from the spymaster that had been causing him grief since the summer. He groaned to himself as he found himself following her to the area she wished to dance. The Viper turned to face him and took the last few steps backwards, holding his hand with both of hers and a smile.


Word Count: 749

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Kynier]

What was happening was something that he didn’t truly understand. This woman was someone that he hated and sought to destroy with her own secrets once he discovered them. The Viper had poisoned a part of his that had brought him happiness. Yet, as much as he wanted to lay the blame on this woman for how that chapter of his life came to an end, it wouldn’t have been even half true. So, he forced himself to relax a little, and to allow her to get physically closer. But he still didn’t smile. Kynier could not let his guard down that much around this woman.

Ashara stepped closer with two very slow steps. Her hands touched his chest and gradually rose to perch on his shoulders. His heart leaped into his throat as she pressed herself against him and rested her head against the side of his. For a tick or two, he stood there in awkward surprise before setting one hand on her lower back and the other was set on her shoulder from behind. The Viper’s body was both firm and soft against his, in a way that only a woman could accomplish. Then, he started swaying with his hips and shifting his feet to have them rotate in place.

The Viper followed his lead and matched his rhythm. As strange as it was, the silence between them was pleasant. Kynier could feel the swelling of her bodice with each breath she took, as she must have been able to feel the beating of his heart. After a chime, or several, a thought came to him. What if this was just another ploy on her part? Her objective was still unclear to him. Each mission he had fulfilled for her seemed unrelated to the next. Maybe, if he understood he Daggerhand’s plans better, or at all, he’d be able to see what she was doing in Sunberth.

Her head broke away from his and she placed her lips by his neck, just below the ear. “There is something about you,” she whispered in a way that sent shivers down his neck, “that has been a burning question in my mind for some time now.” Kynier turned his head slightly towards hers in response. “I know that you’ve left the Midnight Gem. Did…”

The fingers on her shoulder tightened abruptly, digging the nails that he could into the dress and the flesh below. All while the other hand pulled her closer to him by her lower back, and his feet paused in their movements. Kynier turned his head to whisper by her ear, allowing a piece of his vehemence to slip into his words. “Mention that place, or the people that live there again and you’ll regret each day that you have the strength to live another day when I’ve finished with you.” He felt the small pivot of her head towards him though the hair that rested against this face. The way her entire body tensed was also noticeable to his touch. Unexpectedly, she did not respond.

After a moment, he relaxed his grip and his hold on her body and began to move his feet once more. The Viper followed his lead for a moment of silence before he broke it. “I no longer have any connections there,” he whispered in a cold tone. Kynier cast his gaze around at the others that had decided to dance as well. “So then, you no longer have a hold over me. Which means that you should not expect me to fulfill your abnormal requests anymore.”

Ashara pulled herself away just enough for a hand to slid from Kynier’s shoulder and rest on his chest. A feigned smile rested on her lips and an icy stare came from her eyes. “My sweet pet, you don’t realize that I’m more dangerous to you now that I was before.” Kynier met her gaze with a challenge. She broke away first and looked at the those around them and indicated them with an incline of her chin. “See these people around us? They all have so much that they could lose. That’s why each one that I get under my influence does what I say. People in this city don’t hold any value to life, especially their own.”

“Or those of strangers,” she said softly but teeming with malevolence.

Kynier arched an eyebrow and looked at the side of her head. There wasn’t anything, but she had just slipped something about her past. Which meant that there was something to discover that he might be able to use against her. It would require a closer eye on her though. “When the only thing they have left is their own life, that’s when they’re dangerous enough to be left for Jeb.” The woman turned her azure gaze back on him. “You might be close, but you’re not there yet. There is still some use that you can be to me.”

“And what use is that? What is it that you’re working towards?” The Viper answered with only a broader smile. “What I do know, is that it does not align completely with the Daggerhand’s interest.” The woman let out a small, genuine, laugh. One that made her appear younger.

“Oh, so few things do. Perhaps that’s one of your faults, my pet,” she met his gaze with a smile again. “Do you think we’re like the Sun’s Birth? That we just behave like good little soldiers, waiting for what those at the top say they want? Everyone has their personal agenda. Something to make or take. It doesn’t matter. The game is learning how to advance your desire without it looking like its being advanced.” A brief silence passed as Kynier tried to think about his own agenda. There were multiple things that he wanted, but what was his agenda?



Word Count: 977
Total Word Count: 1,726

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Kynier]

Ashara’s hands slid up his body to entwine themselves behind his neck. His other hand drifted down to rest on the other side of her lower back. How she did it, he did not know, but the Viper danced even closer to him. Nearly pressing herself against his whole body, somehow managing to not have their legs collide. “I could tell you what my intentions are, my pet. If you were to come into the Daggerhand fold.” Kynier stopped and tried to pull himself away from her, only to have her hold on and pull herself closer.

“Think about it,” she urged in a whisper. Her Svafran blue eyes afire with a passionate thought. “You would excel above the rest. You could become my protégé and learn about my designs. The other Big Siblings would grow jealous of what the two of us could accomplish.” Kynier thought she was beginning to sound like a madwoman, only she wasn’t finished yet. “We could even push out the Underbosses. Lead them in a new direction. The two of us could ferret out the Night Eyes together. And the Sun’s Birth… they’ll be less of a problem, soon enough.”

Kynier furrowed his brow. What did she mean by that? “What do you say, pet?” Kynier reached over his shoulder and undid the clasp of her hands with one of his, pulling himself away. The disappointment flooded her eyes as he took part of a step away from her.

“I have a name, and it isn’t ‘pet’.” Before he could say anything else, she gently shushed at him, and set a finger upon his lips to silence him.

“I prefer the mystery. Knowing your name would ruin that.” Her smile was mischievous as she slowly dragged her finger down his lip. There was no appeal to her proposal, but there was an opportunity.

“What about Sebastian?” He asked with a little feigned interest. She smiled wider and drew closer, unsatisfied somehow with how he kept making distance between them.

“Seb shows promise and is adequate for the tasks I give him. But he has never displayed capability like you have. Seb has had his failures. You… you may never have fully succeeded, but everything I’ve wanted you to do was done.” She narrowed her eyes at him in an admiring way. “At first, I didn’t understand how you were able to do all of them. The fire, the shipment, and Narim Avuel. Things that only an exemplary individual could accomplish on their own. And you did. And I discovered how you were able to.” A chill ran down his spine as Ashara stepped in close.

Usually, it would’ve been highly alluring the way she pulled herself into him. Hands resting on his shoulders again, which she used to pull herself up enough to whisper gently in his ear. “Mage.” The word was so softly spoken even he was barely able to hear it. Yet, it radiated through him like thunder. His body entered that indecisive moment between fight or flight. She knew. The Viper inhaled deeply with her nose close to his hair and ended it with a sensual moan. “I’ve told no one. Not even Stiletto. Because I want you to be mine,” she said before trailing her tongue up the side of his neck.

The touch awoke his body and he grasped the woman by her shoulders, forcing her away from him. She giggled even as he turned and walked away from her. Perhaps he had waited too long. A missed opportunity to learn a debilitating secret of hers. Now, she knew his. And he didn’t trust her at all to know it. Ashara caught up to him and took his arm in hers. “Don’t fret. I vow to not tell anyone about you. That is, as long as you remain useful to me.” Though she was smiling, he could see the venom behind her words.

Walking away from the dancing area, Kynier moved to a column a little away from everyone else. With a jerk of the elbow she had her arm wrapped around, he spun her around and forced her back against the column. While he was not in possession of bulky muscle, his frame was larger than hers, which he used to try and overwhelm her. “Allow me to make this perfectly clear,” he whispered with a bit of snarl. The woman’s eyes were gazing up at him with a strange excitement and look of expectation. “I am not your ‘pet’, and I am not your tool. I will not answer your summons for a task to further your own agenda.”

She was biting her lower lip as she stared at him, and her breath appeared slightly aflutter. It was no longer apparent if he was holding the Viper against the column, or if she was leaning back against it now. One of her hands fidgeted with the hem of her dress just above a knee. The motion caught his eye and he could see a strange bulge beneath the silk. One of his own hands caught hers to prevent it from moving. Then, he slipped his fingers under the hem Ashara had been fidgeting with. Smooth skin ran along the surface of his fingertips as he moved it up her thigh. He stopped when he felt the dagger strapped against her leg.

When he brought his gaze back up to meet hers, she was still biting her lower lip and had a look of hunger in her eyes. “I had been curious where you were keeping it,” he said. When he removed his hand, she groaned in disappointment.

“Are you not going to take it?” She raised her foot to rest against the column, propping her knee up a little higher and out. From the look in her eyes, Kynier could tell that she wasn’t talking about the dagger. Rather than acknowledge that with a response, he continued the thoughts he was voicing earlier and even took her throat in his hand to bring her attention back to their conversation. She made a slight choking sound, mostly out of surprise. Kynier spoke through gritted teeth.

“I will not be a disposable resource to you. Do you understand that?”



Word Count: 1,040
Total Word Count: 2,766

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Kynier]

While he couldn’t say that he understood the woman, it was clear that something was very different with her way of thinking. She lifted her chin to expose more of her neck, as though goading him to take a tighter, better grip. Most would pry at the fingers to remove a hand that was grasping their throat, the Viper didn’t do that. Instead, she ran a hand up his arm until it reached his bicep, where it then stopped to feel the form of his arm beneath the satin jacket. Was she not taking this seriously? Kynier tightened his grip on her throat and pushed with his arm to drive his hand more toward the column, feeling the soft skin compress.

Ashara still did nothing to stop him but kept her eye lock with his and a sensual bite of her lower lip. He watched as the color of her face shifted. Her eye started to lose focus when another voice spoke loudly from nearby. “Is this another of your games, Ashara?” A higher octave voice said. Kyneir turned to see a Myrian woman that was taller than him standing close by. She wore only a vest and a skirt of brightly colored velvets to contrast her darker skin tone. A pair of hooked swords hung from her waist, and most of her exposed skin was covered in tattoos or scars. One tattoo on her forearm was the red dagger and chain of the Daggerhand. An associate of Ashara’s.

Kynier released his grip and pulled his hand away, still maintaining the scowl he had. Ashara coughed a few times before she got her breathing under control. As she messaged her own throat, she turned to look at the Myrian from behind the veil of her own hair. “Gira,” she said with a weak voice, “why must you always intrude on our fun?” Kynier shifted his eyes between the two women. The Myrian, Gira, was looking at the Viper as though she were detesting.

“Couldn’t let another Sibling turn up dead. Not after Narim. And it looked like you were about to get yourself killed by your own strange fetishes.” The Myrian turned her hard eyes upon Kynier. “And is this your newest… partner?” Kynier arched an eyebrow then turned his head to the Viper. As appealing as her form was, he felt fairly certain that getting involved with Ashara like that would spell out a swift demise. There was something about the word “partner” that stuck with him though.

Ashara cleared her throat and removed herself from the column. She swayed once before regaining her balance by setting a hand against Kynier’s arm to use him as a brace. “No need for feigned concern, Gira.” Ashara turned her eye on Kynier. “There’s nothing that happens to me that I don’t allow.” Kynier narrowed his eyes a little at her. While she had bested him in the one confrontation they had, that was over a season and a half ago. He’d like to think he had improved in his ability with a short sword since then. The question would be how much had she improved in her skills?

“Hmph,” the Myrian groaned. “Don’t get too reckless then. The boss is counting on you. And I’d hate to see you disappoint him.” The way Gira had said it indicated a lack of sincerity. But the Myrian turned and left them without another word. Ashara watched her walk away with daggers for eyes. Kynier made a mental note to try and understand their dynamic a little better. It could be beneficial to understand if there was a possibility of pitting the two women against each other. When she finally looked away, it was to his eyes.

“I hope you enjoyed having your hand on my throat, pet. The next time you try it, you’ll most likely lose the hand.” She took a step closer and kissed his cheek. Kynier’s eyes widened in confusion as she withdrew from him. “The performances are about to start, we should sit before the best places are all taken,” she said with a more light-hearted tone. Ashara took his hand and dragged him away to find a place to watch the shows.

Continued in Part 3

Word Count: 704
Total Word Count: 3,470

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Regime]

Kynier

Grading Check list

Green Check mark on CS:	Yes
Previous Season living expenses Paid:	Yes

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Rhetoric	2XP
Dancing	1XP
Intimidation	2XP
Interrogation	2XP
Wrestling	1XP

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Kynier: Avoid Ashara the Viper.
•	Observation: Ogling the Viper.
•	Dancing: The rotating slow dance of awkwardness.
•	Ashara the Viper: Ambition to overstep her bounds.
•	Ashara the Viper: Knows Kynier is a Mage.
•	Ashara the Viper: Always has a dagger somewhere.
•	Wrestling: Single Hand Choke.
•	Intimidation: Choking for emphasis.
•	Ashara the Viper: Has a choking fetish.
•	Gira, a Myrian Daggerhand.

Comments:
Ashara’s weight as a Daggerhand only goes so far, she is an older sibling, not an underboss. Refrain from having her do anything too far from the gangs interests or behind Stilettos back.