Wayward Sons (Hadrian)

[Dayn]

“What are you working on, exactly?” Dayn raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t had much contact with mages over the years, so he was naturally curious about the sorts of things they did. But then again, he knew that magic was a furtive craft, guarded jealously by its practitioners. Of course it was dangerous. One didn’t need to attend the University to know that. Many people feared magic, even when it was relatively innocuous, because they were uncertain of its effects. Others knew exactly how devastating magic could be. Hadrian wasn’t the sort of mage that threw balls of fire around – at least, Dayn didn’t think so – but he was probably the sort that could generate some sort of devastating mishap. By accident.

“Having been a squire once,” Dayn chuckled, “I wouldn’t trust your assistants further than I can spit. Being a squire is terribly boring. They’re probably daring each other to drink twelve kinds of acid, or tossing a helmet around for sport. That’s the sort of thing we used to do even after our stones dropped.”

“Perhaps the key is to find squires that don’t have stones,” he said with a sly wink. “Have you got a special lady, Hadrian?”

[Hadrian]

"Well, I mean... It's done. I finished it. Both of them. I'm not sure how much they want me telling people, but you're of a knightly family... Basically they're just sets of gems that help units maintain cohesion. Not offensive magic, nor really defensive, though I suppose a strategist could use it either way. It's just augmentative... support magic. I like to think I'm cosmopolitan, a citizen of Mizahar, but the fact of the matter is, I was born and raised in Syliras, so part of me will always think that what they're doing has merit, I suppose. Even if I was never... suitable material for knighthood..." He shrugged. There was a certain amount of detachment to his stance, the ivory tower intellectual, coupled with the kid who was always picked last for football until he sought refuge with his books. No knight had ever saved him from torment, but that didn't mean they didn't have a point. Then again, there was always a counterargument. "And, well... they basically guard the door." He shrugged. "I warn them that if they touch anything, their dicks will fall off. So far, nothing has gone missing or horribly awry. And, ah... My work keeps me too busy for that, really. There were a few in Zeltiva, but..." He shrugged. "Perhaps one day I will be rich and powerful and I'll have a harem fit to make an Eypharian nabob jealous."

[Dayn]

Hadrian seemed to be trying to compress the entire corpus of his magecraft into a few choice sentences, but even so, Dayn found himself getting bored quickly. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t appreciate the effort. He’d been the one asking, after all. Hadrian wasn’t to blame that unit cohesion devices were far less intriguing than amulets that spat clouds of fire, or chastity belts that unlocked when the a maiden found her true love. Is that even possible? In any case, Dayn wasn’t going to ask. He half expected his buzz to wear off at any moment.

There was the usual nodding, the occasional murmur of “that’s clever,” or “sounds useful,” but the thing that caught his notice was the slight hint of melancholy. Well, that makes two of us. Hadrian might not be suited to handling a weapon, but he was probably head and shoulders above Dayn in the honor department.

Mercifully, the mage took a different tack.

“Harems? What do you need a harem for?” Dayn raised an eyebrow. “It’s a step up from whores, but you still need to pay for that lot… and what with all the perfumes and silks and sweetmeats, trying to keep up that sort of spending is going to give you an ulcer. It’s promises that work the best. If you’re capable of making a fortune, let the ladies know. I promise you that more’n one of them will try to snare you in their webs, so you can just kick your heels up without having to make the fortune.” Actually, it wasn’t very good advice, but Dayn had always felt that certain people could probably gain more from bad than good.

“Care for a nip?” He inquired, taking a flask from beneath his tunic. “You probably shouldn’t ask what it is.”

[Hadrian]

"Anyone with the potential to make a fortune or massive biceps can kick up their heels," he protested. "But if one can afford a harem, one should have a harem. Though I suppose other people would get jealous and want in on it, but if the harem is full of women who can earn coin and protect themselves, a lot of that would take care of itself. Especially if they are utterly devoted to a man. Namely, me." He shrugged; it was a nice dream. "Sure, I'll have a nip. Can't be much worse than the kelp beer in Zeltiva, and I used to drink that like mother's milk after a while. You get so hungry during the lean winters you'll eat or drink practically anything to stay alive." He held his hand out to take the flask when Dayn was done, wondering what the man's motivation for speaking to him was. Nostalgia didn't seem to factor into it, and he had no interest in what Hadrian did. Perhaps he was lonely and didn't want to admit it out loud to another man.

[Dayn]

“Fair enough,” Dayn cocked his head. He was not eager to discuss hypothetical situations and vacuous philosophy with a student. Hadrian’s mind, no doubt honed by thousands of musty pages, would put him to shame. He took a quick swig and handed over the flask, an idea percolating along with the fiery liquor. “How would you like to have some fun?”

Dayn raised an eyebrow, pausing for a moment before he elaborated on his admittedly foolish scheme. “My sister has recently alleged, somewhat indelicately, that I prefer the company of whores to my own flesh and blood. It’s completely true, of course. I find them quite amusing, but I can’t deny that my pride is sorely wounded. I’ve been thinking about teaching her a harmless lesson, and for that I’m going to need a bit of assistance.” He looked Hadrian over again, wondering if he could serve the purpose.

[Hadrian]

"Fun?" he asked, obviously curious, but guardedly so. He was a young man who took risks, but not generally of the same sort as others of his age. But, while intrigued, he had to wonder what sort of shenanigans a man such as Dayn Nigriso would find entertaining and whether that entertainment value would hold for someone like Hadrian. He wasn't exactly classist, but he had rarely spent much time seeking fun with mercenaries. Perhaps this would be a first. "Tell me more," he urged, not knowing Dayn or his sister to speak of.

[Dayn]

Dayn took a deep breath. He didn’t know how Hadrian would respond to such an absurd proposal, but the fact remained that he was bored and slightly drunk. “So, you know what they say about bears and honey, right?” He raised an eyebrow, savoring the moment. “Um, it’s rather hard to explain what I have in mind. But I’ll try. When I was whelp, my brother told me the fable of Bartholomew the Bear. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it. Bartholomew spent years terrorizing the countryside, gobbling up naughty children and seducing their mothers, whom he carried back to his cave and saved for a late night snack. If you know what I mean. None of the knights could defeat him. Bartholomew slew and feasted on Ser Horbert the Strong, and returned Ser Arris the Swift to the city gates with a rude note tied around his neck. But there was a clever squire, named Guy, who thought he could defeat Bartholomew. The knights scoffed at him, but they let him go regardless.” Dayn paused, clearing his throat. “Guy convinced the bees to fill their hive with venom, so when Bartholomew decided to partake of the delicious, he feel over stone dead.”

“Now, keep in mind that I’m not talking about poisoning my sister,” Dayn cautioned. “I just want to set up a honey trap, with you as the bait.” He peered into Hadrian’s eyes, trying to see if he’d made any sort of effect. So far, he’d only implied what he was looking for. If there was a spark of interest, he would elaborate on his scheme.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian drank while Dayn told his story and nodded at appropriate times to keep the tale spinning, but mostly he was just drinking. So when it came to the end of the story and he was supposed to make some logical leap from the story of Bartholomew the Bear to some shenanigan or other with Dayn's sister, and while he couldn't be certain, part of him was wondering if Dayn was asking him to become his brother-in-law by impregnating the female Nigriso. Frowning, he peered at the man. "So let me get this straight: you want me to sleep with your sister and be your little honey badger?" He blinked. Perhaps the drink was stronger than he had anticipated.

[Dayn]

“Sleep with my sister?” Dayn recoiled. “No, no, no – that’s certainly not what I had in mind. I just wanted you to pretend to whore yourself out so I could leap out from behind some curtains and shout, ‘who’s the slut now?’ But actually sleeping with her? Are you mad?” Actually, this Hadrian didn’t sound very crazy, but Dayn hated to think of the consequences. He reached for his flask, finding it nearly empty. This guy really does guzzle the stuff like milk.

“Well, it was a stupid plan in any case,” he said with a shrug. “I should really get on with my debauchery, but you’re always welcome to sleep with my sister if I get to sleep with one of yours.”

OOCWe should probably wrap this up

[Hadrian]

"So I'm to pretend to sleep with your sister..." He wondered if the alcohol was muddling up his understanding or Dayn's delivery of this plan. Not that Hadrian was some great tactician, mind. "Well, I don't have a lot of luck with the ladies, but if you think she would go for it... You're welcome to sleep with my sisters. They're married, though, so you might want to watch out for husbands and knights and all that... They have relatives within the Order now so you might get run out of town earlier than expected that way. But you seem to be the sort of man who laughs in the face of danger, or at least punches danger in the balls and then sleeps with danger's wife..." He blinked, wondering just what the petch he was saying. "Well, anyway... If you have to go, you have to go. Perhaps I'll see you around. Thanks for the drink and permission to sleep with your sister should the opportunity arise. Such as... well, you could always drug her dinner and let her wake up in bed with me. Then she wouldn't know one way or another..."

OOCEnd at will, sir. Sorry if I'm boring.