Caught in the Middle [Vivian][Memory]

[Salen]

Glade 25th, 4620

The Coven of Scaeva

Salen had returned with Tiberius, who appeared to be drained from Dahlia's demands. There was no pleasing the woman as just as there wasn't pleasing a creature of Brazim's whims. "Tiberius! That isn't any good, I've asked you to dispose of Ariel Namakra, you have the information, so why did you come back? I told you to get rid of her?" She growled out as Salen watched the whole thing conspire between the two of them, knowing that Dahlia herself was a difficult woman. Her glare was frosty, cold and sharp as if daggers were coming out of her eyes. If she were a Brand mage, she would be flying swords in every direction by now as her voice filled with ungrateful anger. Tiberius appeared to be further agitated by her demands "Look, Dahlia, you're the one on the glass pedestal, cut us some slack. I know you're not happy." Dahlia laughed before her face went serious.

"Of course not, I ask you to do one thing, it isn't done." She looked at both of them with stern anger as her eyes shifted towards Salen, standing up to assert her dominance upon the men, despite being short of stature "Must I do everything myself? Incompetent!" Dahlia chastised them both as she turned around.

"But..."

"Get out of my sight, both of you!"

Salen rolled his eyes at the sudden temper tantrum as she left her office, knowing she would have another one of her temper tantrums. It was time for the two men to leave "Drink?" Tiberius asked as his eyes shifted to the right, before making direct eye contact. Salen knew that look very well, it wasn't a plea for a drink but more of a suggestion. He raised his eyebrow, before looking as if thinking for a moment "Don't lie to me, Tibers..." Salen could see right through that lecherous grin. It was endearing, but at the same time there was something pressing on Salen's mind.

Something that wasn't quite right.

The Streets of Amoren

The craving's were high for the two Corvo men, young of age. It appeared that they would take a walk amongst the seediest of places. Though there were always eyes in the dark. Eyes looking for that one thing. Opportunity. For years the Daravinic Entente choose to continue their games of vile politics and indulge in debaucherous actions, as did the Reveler's who watched over their every move and perhaps delved into some of the chaos themselves.

Atleast, that wasn't a thing to worry about for the two men. Salen would toss a coin for the peasant begging on the streets as he came to an alleyway "Tiberius, why are we?" The Sil'Norai male was always full of surprises, yet there was an ominous feeling, knowing where they were going. Amoren clearly had it's secrets, as did Salen and Tiberius. They were secrets they shared with each other, but before they could delve further into the darkness. He stopped.

Salen heard something clattering as he narrowed his eyes vigilantly. Were they being followed? Tiberius drew his blade from the scabbard of his belt and looked around with caution in his eyes. Weither it was another member of the Daravinic Entente, or a simple thief. It was best to keep their eyes upon the area. They never knew what could crop up next.

[Vivian]

Vivian was making his rounds around the seedier areas of Amoren. Overall, it wasn't a bad day. He'd found a half-rotten apple in someone's garbage pile and was currently gnawing around the soft bits, rotating and inspecting each bite before sinking his teeth into it. He was comfortable on the streets, and had used a bit of charcoal from a campfire on his eyes. Mixing it with a little tallow made his long lashes stand out perfectly. It had rained yesterday evening, and he'd gotten the chance to bathe under a few of the cleaner gutters. Vivian was in quite a good mood, and looking to make some money for himself.

He had noticed a pair of men walking toward the alleyways. Well, either they were looking to kill each other or to get their cocks sucked somewhere private. That was a good sign for Vivian. He trailed them, quietly and at a distance, peacefully eating his apple. He was in plain sight, trying not to look like he was sneaking up on them. He wanted to be seen. He wanted their eyes to wander up and down his form or see the lips he was curling around the apple. He noticed they were edging toward some of the beggars on the street, and paused at one of them. He didn't want to lose his marks but he could use some information.

"Morning. Nobles feeling pleasant today?" he asked, eyeing the beggar.

The other tensed and clutched the coins close. "What's it to you, whore?" the beggar sneered, clearly ready to fight him if he wanted to steal the coins. Vivian eyed him, weighing his options. He could overpower the other and steal his coins. Or he could not alert the two men turning into an alleyway and get a greater reward.

"No skin off my fucking nose." Vivian said snippily, and thumped the apple core off the beggar's forehead for his insolence. He hurried away as the old man fussed and grumbled about him, hurrying to catch up to the pair of men.

Ah, this could be his lucky day! He didn't mind a pair of well-cut gentlemen. He was getting close when one of them suddenly drew a sword. Vivian backed out of range, smiling and holding up his hands.

"A little jumpy are we? I'd have thought you'd expect me by now." he purred, tilting his head just so and letting his long lashes fall over his eyes. His eyes were one of his best features, and he wasn't shy about using them. "I figure a lovely pair of gentlemen like you are looking for something rougher than what you can find uptown. Always a little cleaner up there...but sometimes that's not the point is it?" He gave them a playful smile, leaning against the entrance to the alleyway. He hooked a hand in his waistband, intending to pull the eye a little lower.

[Salen]

The scoundrel had made an offer, although Tiberius and Salen were quite cautious; since Tiberius was more versed in the Candor, he knew that other Entente would be watching; a common whore on the streets wouldn't have lasted five minutes in the company of the Daravinic elite. At least, the two men weren't people of that stature, although they pretended to be. Perhaps an extra delight was what they needed to end their disgruntled thoughts from dealing with a woman that rained on everyone's parade.

The two haven't forgotten about their meet up with their drug dealer; after all, Daravin would not be the place for exhibitionism, knowing it would get them flogged and found out for their blasphemous views to the Ulen faith. However, some risks may have been worth taking given that all they wanted was a night to wind down. Salen snickered at the egotistical gesture as a smirk had risen "Expect you? Listen, pretty boy..." His voice was stern, baritone and heeded with warning. He knew exactly what the male wanted. A chance to fulfill his own desires, whilst earning a spot of cash. It was down in this area where all the seedy activity went on and Salen knew that folk like him, wasn't looking for a way to break "I don't think you'd wanna be hanging around these parts at night, especially someone as pretty as you" He complimented with a smirk, before Tiberius looked at him with a hint of jealousy

"What?" Salen could see the hint of jealousy and burning passion as Tiberius' eyes meet for a moment; the couple obviously had a long relationship with each other as Tiberius tilted his head, taking another look as his lecherous grin turned. He snickered before looking at the male "I'd think we'd love to but It's best if you leave. You'll make things more... Complicated." Tiberius circled him like a shark, although it was clear the boys were hiding something. Something involving illegal activity in Daravin. It was common amongst the Entente to delve into their own ways of debaucherous activities, but yet at their own privacy. He knew that their drug dealer would be meeting them soon at any point, it was only a matter of time before he arrived.

The silver haired pretty boy had followed them here, it was likely that he would make things complicated for the two Corvo men. They were told to come alone as Salen was wondering if he'd ever heed his warning or weither he would simply be toast to a gang of thugs.

[Vivian]

Vivian laughed, though it wasn’t scornful. They truly thought he didn’t live here! What, as though everything born in the slums was ugly and crawling with filth? He wasn’t the cleanest creature on earth but he definitely took pride in his appearance, and the idea that the two mistook him for something greater was encouraging. He warmed to the compliment, approaching them cautiously. There was still a weapon out after all, but the men hadn’t been entirely unreceptive to his offer.

“I think you have it all wrong, sweethearts. You’re in my home, not the other way around.” He purred. His eyes slid between the pair. Couples could be a little harder to deal with. There was the jealousy, and usually if anything turned violent in a lovers’ spat it was the whore who got the raw end of the deal. However he could smell them; they didn’t reek of this place. They didn’t have fleas or worms. Their clothing was clean, and they were armed. Oh, it was almost cute. A pair of men thinking they’d come for a bit of rough, whether that was combat, drugs or sex.

Funny enough they had seemed more defensive than anything, and they hadn’t just gone to a brothel, which meant the first and last were out. That left…

“You know, a lot of the dealers around here will just block the alleyway with a big metal plate and fire down on you from up there.” He gestured up at the roofs above them. “Especially new clients with shiny swords and nice clothing who go around giving coins to people like Reg the drunk. Might be safer if you had a local with you.” He smirked. “And then if you took that local home and railed him while you take whatever you bought.”

Vivian smiled playfully at them. “Deal?”

Oh he wouldn’t mind this at all. Take him home, get them insensate, get fucked out of his mind…then rob them while they slept it off. Maybe make himself a sandwich on the way out. Hell, maybe he’d take a night off, snort something with them and fuck till morning. There were times where he occasionally did enjoy his job.

[Salen]

Salen snickered as he made eye contact with the male. His hypnotic gaze fixated amongst the male. The golden twinkle in his eyes was there for a split second before he spoke his demand "You're home? Why, I don't think you know who you're dealing with either, we are mages." A slight raise of his eyebrows as he slithered around him in a reptilian fashion, a stance that would make anyone either intimidated or worse; his features were calm and soft.

Salen watched him vigilantly, knowing that such tricks themselves were done by thieves. He knew very well, for he had taken the liberty of stealing when he was younger. Tiberius put his weapon away as he tilted his head; so it was the right choice. If he'd kept it out he would be considered even more threatening, even though they weren't suppose to be. Perhaps their plans could change after all, knowing how strapping the man was despite being a common street whore. Commoners had their charm, although it was illegal to consider class betrayal. However, no one knew them very well in Daravin, unlike Dahlia who held more of a celebrity status, she would cease to allow such folk within their home, unless they had gifts themselves.

The scents of the two men would change dramatically; as it smell earthy and woody amongst them. However, the smell that drew out the most was the smell of leather.

Leather.

A dangerous scent, but was powerful enough to subdue lust into another man. The changes in his smell were obviously to integrate lust. Tiberius would tilt his head "Alright, but... One problem. Our Veir would not let us bring you into her house, she's... Very particular of her company." He said, refering to Dahlia which irked Salen slightly, knowing how much of a pain it was to try and please the woman. Perhaps there was a better chance of pleasing their guest of honor for tonight. A common whore.

Salen's eye contact didn't stop as he still had a demand to promise; something which Salen got close and grabbed him harshly by the chin, forcing eye contact as the golden twinkle happened again in his eye. A split second it took and Vivian could feel a magnetising pull towards his desires, his urges "You do it on our terms... Is that clear?" He asked. Beguiler was in effect as he lingered onto it for a moment.

It was time to begin the fun, but will Vivian accept?

► Show Spoiler

Hello, Vivian

Salen has chosen to use Beguiler on you, which means he has a 30% chance to press at your character's sexual desires and urges; his current level in Beguiler is 30/100 which means he has a 30% chance to beguile your character. The fairest way of implementing this strategy is dice rolling.

You have a chance to resist the beguile or give in, if you want to chose to resist it, you must roll a 1d100 and get an outcome above the Beguiler score. If you fall below, your character will be beguiled. You can do this on the Brenda bot in discord.

[Vivian]

"So am I." Vivian said easily. What, was being a mage supposed to impress him? Well...he supposed it should. At least a little bit. They were likely killers who had done horrific things to other people, but they weren't about to kill him now were they? They just wanted to intimidate him a little, which he could respect. They wanted to make sure he knew how strong they were. He smiled placatingly, watching Salen as he slid around him. Well now, they were proving to be very suggestible indeed. He wasn't so foolish as to reach out to touch the mages; they'd have to initiate contact so he could be sure he wasn't about to get his hand snapped off. He had a feeling touching these two without their consent would cost him a limb.

Thank the gods, the other was at least putting his weapon away. Thank you for not killing me for hitting on your boyfriend, Vivian thought silently. The other man was close enough to him that he could begin to pick up scents. Nice, earthy scents he was absolutely sure were chemical or magical, not at all the result of hard work. These men looked like they paid other people to chop their wood rather than smell that way honestly. The scent of leather, that was genuine. He smiled and leaned into the smell, feeling heat gather between his legs. This was going to be one of those jobs he absolutely enjoyed doing. Why shouldn't he? He was a bit dirty but he was fucking pretty. Why shouldn't he have partners like this occasionally, instead of drunks who fell asleep halfway through?

Vivian smiled at the swordsman charmingly. "Oh please, you've never snuck in someone for a nice bath and a fucking?" he teased. He tensed when the first man seized him by the chin. That was a bit rough, but he forced himself to calm down. Alright, so clearly they weren't done with the dominance display. He met the other man's eyes, watching the golden depths of them. He felt something creeping over his shoulders, his body, like fingers across his skin. That wasn't just dominance, that was magic. It wasn't hostile, or at least didn't appear to be. Was this man trying to use magic to seduce him? Vivian didn't mind being seduced, that wasn't the problem here.

He did step closer, feeling the magic wash over him and heat his skin. He smiled. "Absolutely..." he whispered. He could give himself over for a few hours. "Where's your home?" he asked. "Because I think we're both sick of this filthy alley..."

[Salen]

Salen's grip loosened amongst his jaw as he still remained in eye contact; he had learnt the male was a mage, although that was strange. What was a mage doing out on the streets if he had been given a mark? Should he be serving as a Valran for the Daravinic Empire? Clearly, the boy needed some guidance, knowing if someone had got their hands on such information, he would be executed by blaspheming Ulen's name by possessing the gift unlawfully "Yeah, I wouldn't go bragging about that around in these parts, especially with the way you dress, it's... Unhealthy." Salen put it bluntly about his magic.

Tiberius still kept his eye on him, he was cautious; maybe perhaps jealous as Salen would be. How would someone else feel if he openly flirted in front of his lover? Salen would have said something first, but he couldn't help tease the pretty boy. He was just as playful as his lust. He could feel the moment of excitement on the other male, with a slight suspicion that he may have fallen for his beguiling gaze. Perhaps it was something that he could take advantage off.

No? Yes?

That wasn't the point, it was time to get off the streets before it starts getting rowdy. Anything could happen at this time of night as Salen was streetwise in his knowledge. Entente would just about do anything for power, including the one he served. Dahlia. The Black Dahlia as she is called by her peers. A woman that you would never want to be in a battle with in terms of sociopolitics. If they returned there was no doubt she'd send word of a 'foreign mage' just to spite.

Besides, it wasn't worth going back instead he offered something else "Hmm? Well, An inn perhaps?" Tiberius suggested with a smirk, knowing that his libido had started to rise, thinking about their private thoughts Salen and Tiberius both knew that they couldn't bring home sexual encounters. That was a hard rule Dahlia had, for she was a private person. Perhaps too private, too invested in the game of the Candor to even see the real value of life in Daravin.

"First, Denerin? Remember? We promised and he doesnt like his promises broken" He teased further, he wondered if the drug dealer would arrive any moment so that they could "So, pretty boy..." Salen snickered at him, noticing how much taller he was, yet he was weaker and lanky, compared to Salen who had somewhat athletic muscle upon his visage "You claim to know the area, why don't you show us since you're a smart ass. Try anything funny though." He made a slight threat, although it was subtle enough to be friendly. He wasn't a stern man, although playful with his words, phrases and jibes. A charmer in many ways, unlike so.

[Vivian]

Vivian tugged his jaw out of Salen’s grip indignantly. “What the fuck is wrong with the way I dress?” He pouted, pushing his bottom lip out a bit. “Well if you don’t like it, I’ll have to get rid of it somewhere.” He pulled his coat down over his shoulders, looking at Salen. The man had used magic on him, and his body was humming. He wanted to be sprawled out on a bed somewhere having this man use his body, not waiting in an alleyway for a drug dealer to show up.

Well, maybe it would be worth it. Some men got drugs into their systems and could fuck until the sun rose. He brightened at the suggestion of an inn. A clean inn! Not an inn around here with too many bedbugs in the frames and lice on the pillows. Somewhere midtown. Nothing that looked like Vivian was trying to take advantage of them but not disgusting either. He smiled and nodded.

“I know of a place. Rooms are cheap but clean…which bodes well for you because I’m not.” Vivian winked. Not cheap or not clean he didn’t specify, because it was both. He definitely planned on bathing to remove the latter. “Where is your drug dealer anyway? You both know how to keep a lady waiting.”

He heard footsteps behind him and stepped aside, smiling. That man walked with purpose, it had to be the one they were expecting. Especially with the suspicious look he shot Vivian on his way in.

[Salen]

Salen's smirk was rubbed right off his face as he noticed that the drug dealer had brought them further, knowing that Vivian was there? What a pain, Salen smirked as he grinned, charmingly "Oh? the man there. A common whore, as they would say. You were just passing weren't you?" He said, pretending like he didn't know, but clearly he made things worse. The drug lord's look was more of a glare "Salen, you know Dahlia will not be pleased, especially when I come to her door." He asked. The drug lord was also stupid enough to reveal Dahlia into his, but yet he had a plan "Dahlia? Who's Dahlia. What's this guy on?" He looked at Tiberius with a playful grin, knowing that Vivian couldn't know anything.

Vivian was clearly a threat to the situation, yet his eyes caught a glimpse of a crystalline dagger that the man had Devised through his Brand magic. His eyes glared for a moment as Salen would shroud himself in Obscura and disappear and camoflague into the dark of night. Tiberius would take his blade out and began fighting the man with each blade strike there was a parrying riposte from the other gang leader, that was until Salen appeared behind him, grabbing on the shoulder and squeezing so hard that he would feel the agony drench him as he dropped down to his knees.

The other gang members weren't mages unlike him, but it appeared that they would drop their weapons and run away in fear. Tiberius put his sword away and cupped the man's chin "So, what you got for us" He said after a sudden rough-up. The gang leader spat his curses, knowing that he had been beaten, or so they thought as they were pushed back. Some kind of telekinetic force pushed them on top of each other as they groaned. A mentalist? Weird. There was no mention that the dealer had magic "Perhaps, pulling a stunt like that would've cost you... Perhaps I'll let this one slide, but next time you two... Come alone"

He handed them their drugs. A pack of methamphetamine and cocaine that was enough to last them as the drug lord disappeared into the night. Salen growled as he looked back at Tiberius then towards Vivian. It wasn't every day that someone would witness his ass get kicked, but it was surely draining on his ego "Don't say a word!" His aggression in his voice was communicated in a gruff way as Tiberius got up from the floor as Salen heaved.

It was clear, the other man had a temper.

A huge one.

[Vivian]

Vivian slowly backed away as the drug dealer made his appearance. He seemed to threaten his prospective clients, and Vivian ferreted the name Dahlia away for future reference. Someone who had some sway over the two men. A mother? A patron? A wife? Someone who wouldn’t be pleased about them skulking around looking for drugs and men to fuck. Though really, if this woman knew drug dealers so well how pious could she actually be?

Vivian stayed out of the way as they fought. He had no horse in this race other than a pair of clients he didn’t want to lose, and he had a vested interest in keeping himself alive. He stayed just around the corner, using the edge of the building to keep himself well out of harms way. He listened closely. If he heard his clients dying he was going to run; he had no interest in being passed around by a bunch of gang members.

He did notice when they shot out of the alleyway, clearly fleeing. Good. He gingerly poked his head back in. They’d gotten their drugs, as evidenced by the packet in Tiberius’ hand. The other man snarled at him not to say anything. “Hey. I’m discreet.” Vivian said with a smile, holding his hands up. “But let’s say we get out of here, hm? There’s an inn around the corner. Let’s pay for a bath and relax a bit.”

He nodded his head out of the alleyway. Hopefully they’d follow him. He was headed toward an inn on the border of the slums. It was clean, and they advertised large baths in the back of the property. They were hogshead barrels sawn in half and varnished so thickly Vivian didn’t like anyones odds in a fire. But the water in them was ardently cleaned and swapped out every few clients or so. Hot baths were five gold, and Vivian wanted to get clean. Maybe get them a room and have some fun after the bath.

However…he looked back at his clients sheepishly. He didn’t have anything on him. “Spot me a few for the bath and room? I promise you, it’s worth it.” He told Salen.