"Common Speech"
"Silvain Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"
♅ Belle of the Ball: Act 1 ♅
♅ The home of Gregorio Alvarez was bustling with the rapid footsteps of servants, the clamoring of coordinators, and furniture moving from place to place. A soirée was about to take place at the Noir Chateau, home of the Wolf of Lyonesse. After the debacle in the badlands, Gregorio went straight to work planning this gathering for the affiliates under him. There was of course an alterer motive to this soiree. There standing on the balcony, a figure stood overlooking the parlor, watching the staff finalize preparations for the night. One of them was Gregorio, dressed in a fine black & grey attire, accented with golden embellishments, wolves fur, and wolf insignias. He exuded an air of authority to him as dark brown eyes gazed down as the men and woman continued to work frantically, his favored wolf, Scarborough at his side.
"Is this truly necessary Gregorio?" Constantine called, causing the man and his wolven companion to turn and face him as Constantine was being stripped of his clothes, standing bare and exposed before the man. Constantine was being measured by men and woman from all sides, a nonchalant look on his face as he was used to strangers touching him and didnt mind having hands all over his body.
Espionage was not his forte, not in the least. But when Gregorio mention this soiree would be the key to finding the one who could be the leak, well it piqued his interest. He would play whatever role needed if it meant gaining info on the traitor. As the tailors & seamstresses made their calculations, Gregorio sat and watched as the half-elf's body was scrutinized by the artisans, impressed by Constantine and his endowments.
"If we are to catch this traitor then yes, I do believe this is needed." the man retorted. Constantine interest perked up a bit, as he held a look on his face that said "So you noticed too?" Gregorio chuckled with a nod to acknowledge that he knew there was a leak.
It had been several days since the incident and Gregorio had yet to talk to Constantine about it, or about what he thought about the situation. After the measurements had been made, he was whisked away, a bath fixed for him in order to cleanse his body of impurities and filth. He needed to be pure and free of the filth that was associated with foreigners. He didnt know that a bath could be so.....invasive, but he endured it no matter how uncomfortable he was. A multitude of hands and brushes ran over his body and in vigorous scrutiny, Gregorio watching as he rolled a coin across his knuckles.
"I always knew there was a possibility of betrayal among my pack, but I guess I didn't want to believe one of my own would do it." he began, his fist clenching around the coin. "The sharks are in the water now, and I'm certain they will come for my throat if this is not dealt with soon. Tell me what you learned from corpses in the ravine."
It was hard to focus but Constantine did his best as the many servants were still cleansing his body. "From what I gathered, it was a set up by a member of the Jaegers, though it is a possibility that it could be an outside source. I would hate to believe that one of your own would actually betray you." he explained.
It was hard to believe but Gregorio was not all too surprised. "I must admit you don't seem too shocked, but as you stated earlier you were expecting something of this nature." Gregorio nodded to his words, snapping his fingers. It was a loud snap, but it signaled for the tailors and seamstresses to come and fit Constantine with his attire for the night. His eyes widened as he was removed from the bath, naked and all as the garbs were fit to his form. After he was dressed, he looked to Gregorio who stood and walked to the window, Constantine following soon after he was comfortable in his clothing.
"Tonight you will see how those of Daravin play at court, I must warn you, however, we never play nice. Monsters and demons hide behind the masks of human flesh, and you can never be too careful about who you trust. Though you are under my tutelage, you will also forge alliances and bonds outside of our own. If you are to survive that, you must first learn the tricks of the game and how to play." he explained, looking out to the horizon as night was coming, the sun setting beautifully in the sky.♅
