The Subtle Art of Wine and Politics [Hugo]

[Salen]

Searing 20th, 4622

Salen arrived at the party, fully dressed up as accordance to Ulen. However, he appeared to be wearing a black cloak which covered the entirity of his form; a rather respectful gesture towards the Daravinic Entente; however, he was here for his own accord. To make friends, have a laugh and to dabble in some of the unknown territory that Dahlia had left him with. He would think of these as battle scars rather than accomplished things. After all, she had no power in Genteven, A good sign for the Corvo, since he was free from her grasp for now.

Entering the room, it appeared to be a large ballroom within a exquisitely stated manor house of some sort. Perhaps this was the home of an well-established Veir family in Genteven. Either way, Salen looked around curiously as he made his way over to the giant drinks fountain; whilst still cloaked, he made an immediate flicker of his hand and the cloak would disappear in an ounce of black gas. After all, it was too hot to be pervading around in dark colours, especially at this time of the season.

Summer.

Salen would remain cautious around people, especially towards the Entente; it had hardly been a problem to fit into an area, but here it appeared more elaborate than Amoren itself. Perhaps he needed a drink to forget about the nerves of being somewhere new. He eventually took a glass of Daravinic Wine from the fountain, but unknowingly he ended up knocking over a bundle of glasses, causing half of the fountain to collapse. Salen's eyes widen as he smiled awkwardly "Erm... My apologies... Seems someone is no good at stacking the fountains..." He said, hoping that would invoke their gazes away, but it appears that they all had their eyes on him.

The den of wolves appeared to be ready to strike.

[Hugo Abreo]

Entrance

Standing just outside an estate in the centre of Gentreven Hugo Abreo looked at the small trickle of people heading towards the moderately sized (but very well built) estate. The people in the incoming crowd could be defined into three rough groups. One was the upper nobility, the well-off Viers and other influential members of the capital. The second would be those who are less well off but still of considerable influence and renown. These included less influential Veir like Hugo himself (though he was by far on the low end) and well-off, independent Valran. The final and largest were the servants, which mostly consisted of Valran serving as guards and attendants for the various Veir. These would accompany their Veir towards the estate, but would (with some exceptions) not join them inside the ballroom.

The event itself was hosted by one Sybille Laurent, a well-off Vier working directly in service for the empire at a high administrative position. This soiree would serve as a way for her to show her wealth and gain support for any number of endeavours that she was practising. For others, it provided a way for them to mix with their peers, inferiors and superiors. Opportunities to learn more important information, make themselves positively known or attempt to harm the reputation or plot of a rival. It was akin to a large lake, with various fish interacting with one another in an isolated but elaborate ecosystem. One where you might find food, or where you might be food at any moment.

Regardless of all this information and context as to why the soiree was happening, now it was time to head into the pit and see if he could come out of it with some positive results himself. He took a deep breath and then continued to walk towards the estate of lady Laurent. Giving only a quick glance in the direction of the footsteps just behind him, the one of his bodyguard and primary servant Bertrand. He arrived at a gate where a pair of Valran was 'guarding' the entryway. Officially they served to keep any intruders or those uninvited to the soiree from attending. But since no one who was not a noble was dim-witted enough to go through this part of town they served more as unofficial greeters for all of the guests. One where they gave the regards of their patron to the guests and informed them of the rules of this particular soiree which everyone already knew. Keeping an eye on who walked in and if anything unusual was up with them Very rarely they even made small talk with some of the guests coming in. But really this served as another small step in the local hierarchy of a Veir's household. WIth those Valran who were given guard duty being out of favour of their patron for some reason.

Hugo then arrived at the large, open, iron gate where the two guards were standing. One guard, a blonde-haired male who had to be in his 30s spoke up as Hugo approached. 'Welcome to the Soiree of her grace the lady Laurent. No arms are allowed within the confines of the estate, and no casting of magic is allowed on the premise. The drinks and food will have a Southern theme. May you have a pleasant evening and enjoy the hospitality of her grace.' Hugo gave a small, almost imperceptible nod and spoke the almost traditional words. "I am her guest and will receive her hospitality with grace." He then dismissed the words of the guard entirely out of his head, even as Bertrand left his longsword with the guards for safekeeping. The words of the guards were meaningless, especially about magic and weapons not being allowed. Weapons in the first place were unnecessary in the company where they were attending, and the rule was not to be caught using magic on the site. If you did not get caught no one cared one whit whether magic was used or not. Depending on the circumstances an excellent display of magic would even be applauded. It was more of use as a general rule to 'discourage' the usage of hostile magic within the estate.

Hugo finally entered the estate itself and quickly headed into a ballroom. The ballroom itself was decently packed, with about four dozen Veir and Valran being spread around. But each has enough room to walk around without risking bumping into one another, a grave slight and show of extreme clumsiness. Something which would make one lose a lot of prestige. With a small smile on his face, Hugo walked into the gladiator pit.

[Hugo Abreo]

Meet and Greet

With a small, confident smile Hugo entered the ballroom. Taking a short moment to see his reflection in one of the glass windows leading to the outside. He could see a dim reflection of his outfit, seeing the dimmed yellow colour of his sand-coloured open jacket and just a hint of the green vest that he was wearing under it. Then he cast a look around the rest of the ballroom to see what groups and prominent people were present at the soiree.

He could not see the lady Laurant as of yet, she might be in discussion with another prominent official or distracted with something else. He could see one of her councillors and expert law expert Sylvain Courtial, interesting. Sylvain was one of the Valran in the service of Laurant yet he was known for his lack of enthusiasm in politics and the candor. He must have done something to displease his mistress or needed to make contact for a specific job or task. Perhaps he could talk to Sylvain at a later time since he was of a similar class. Another major figure of interest was Denis Pichard, a duellist of of some renown. He was a young veir and recently came into his inheritance, he was quite boisterous and seeking to prove himself. Fitting to his personality, he was attempting (and succeeding) in being one of the centre points of attention. Everyone wanted to have a powerful and inexperienced Veir as a 'friend' if possible, as such, it probably would not be wise for Hugo to talk with him, far too busy and too many people eying one person.

Hugo's eyes were then drawn by a figure which seemed somehow out of place at the whole soiree. A male figure with dark clothing that, whilst adhering to the official dress code of the entente, did not match with the uniformity that was so common among the entente. Yet they walked with a certain confidence and their appearance was magnificent. An almost perfectly chiselled face, dark brown hair with locks of silver which seemed to take in and enhance the lightning around the ballroom. All finished off by a brilliant smile and pale skin that almost seemed to glow. Many people turned and seemed to asses this unknown person, with such a powerful presence yet never having been seen before. Hugo had to almost force his eyes away from the figure so he could continue to survey the ballroom for major individuals.

Another interesting figure that Hugo could make out was Sarah Vidal, a local Veir who was a prominent information trader of some renown. Specifically amongst the social circles that Hugo walked. SHe often had quite reaso-

Then in the middle of Hugo's thought process, he could hear the sound of glass shattering, which caused him to freeze before turning his attention to the source of the sound. The source seemed to be the same man from earlier, a puddle of red liquid and glass now gathered around his feet whilst he awkwardly looked around the room. At the same time, everyone around the room looked unsure what to think, something like this had never happened before as they remember. This individual did not look like a servant, he was not of the traditional Entente and just committed a major blunder and faux pas. Yet he did not seem to have broken any laws or codes. The first to speak up was Denis Pichard, the duelist, a smug and predatory grin on his face. Very obvious and amateurish really. "I know that the servants of this estate are of the highest quality. Are you implying that the fault of this.... incident is on them ?" The rest of the nobles gathered had a curious look on them as they watched this engagement. Meanwhile, Hugo kept his face blank as he observed how the individual would react to the verbal barb.

[Salen]

Salen smiled and remained calm, a simple walk towards him was much more daring as he placed both his hands behind his back; he chose to cast Phantasmal Reckoning, projecting a memory of what was once there as the Entente were looking away at him "Highest quality... And what you, defending the honor of someone whose not within their own class." He battled back towards the other man, his eyes immediately locked on the other man's as Beguiler had begun to take effect upon him "Come on, atleast retract that for a simple ounce of conversation and drink, you might aswell enjoy a good time whilst it lasts" He nodded.

His presence lingered everywhere, from the scent of his own cologne, only it wasn't cologne it appeared to be a some kind of pheromone unleashed from him. A strong powerful scent that could enthrall a man or woman from across the room, it was a fragrant and yet strong scent to others, but many people had different desires for the smell they particularly lingered across. Salen hoped his presence would calm the Entente as he would sit down, cross his legs and enjoy a glass of wine. His eyes would linger to a young Veir, which he appeared to be deeply intrigued by, perhaps he was the answer to the glory he was going to face.

The scent was inviting enough to draw other people forward, but it appeared he simply had the draw for the younger Veir who had made his presence known. His eyes beamed even more predatory as he perhaps wanted something more, maybe information and maybe the key to his heart's desire.

Who knew, for it was a gladiator pit full of Veir, fighting for the glory of their family names and titles as well as their own cause for power. However, Salen was wanting to secure his own source, could he do that? His eyes moved back to Denis Pichard "Come on, sit down... Enjoy yourself, after all, what's war without a party." He snickered.

"It's not a party until something gets broken."

[Hugo Abreo]

Meet and Greet

Hugo had to swallow and make use of nearly all of his self-control to keep a blank expression on his face whilst he was watching the enigmatic figure that had suddenly appeared in the soiree. The individual was clearly not a usual attendant to one of these events and didn't fit the usual style of such a gathering, and yet he still showed that he excelled in the skills that were necessary among the Entente nobles. Having the wit to deflect a verbal barb sent his way and also managing to do some magical feat without anyone noticing, specifically seeming to repair the large fountain of drinks.

There was also some kind of fragrance that became clearer as Hugo focused his attention on the solitary figure, he could smell the soft undertones of polished wood and caramel lightly present in the air. A smell that kept one's attention on the already dominant presence in the ballroom. Perhaps it was due to the barb, the smell or something else but Dennis Prichard, the young and somewhat unskilled Veir grew flustered. His face grew red and sweat appeared on his face, but worst of all, the emotion of confusion appeared on his face and they even swiped some sweat from their face! It showed a stunning lack of control of both body and emotion—something which caused mild looks of disdain to be levied in the direction of the young Veir.

Dennis Prichard looks uncertain for a moment as if tempted to say no but can't as his gaze remains locked on Salen's eyes. He then responds, speaking in a stuttering tone. "Uhm, I wouldn't defend the honour of a servant, I just wanted to... show that the lady Laurent would not make a mistake. Certainly not in.... her choice of staff."

The Duellist then touches the collar of his outfit, fidgeting with it a little whilst talking to salen. "OH a drink, uhm, sure, yes, that would be a good idea, only..... are the drinks gone ?." Prichard then reaches out to try and grab some wine from the illusionary tower of glass only to find his hand passing through it. "Ah yes ummm, sitting down, yes that would be nice." Prichard would then begin to sit down at one of the round tables placed around the soiree.

Meanwhile, Hugo was talking to one of the Valran passing by, regarding the recent weather and the incident of now, but his true focus remained on Salen and his interaction with Dennis Prichard.

[Salen]

Salen seemed content for a moment, but it took one look at Denis and he appeared to be discontent with the way he slighted him like that, using him as such a bait to gain nothing more than popularity; however, it appeared that such action of trying to out him had expired "Yes, isn't that lovely, seems although we are all well behaved now... Relaxing isn't it." He crossed his legs, taking a glance into Denis' eyes for a moment as he appeared to be calm; of course he was going to make him pay for such an action of speaking out on tones.

However, his gaze shifted towards Hugo who appeared to be eyeing the merchandise so easily, taking in the view of what could be information. Salen seemed to take an interest, but only so that he would divert his attention elsewhere. He simply got up from his chair and smiled "If you'll excuse me..." He chuckled for a moment as if looking like he was suppose to meet a friend or client. The man seemed to have some spot of shade about him, although it wasn't common for a man to be so shadowy in these times, especially when Daravin is considered a rally of legal criminals; it was about the Candor and to other people, he seemed to have impressed a variety in expressing his power and dominance over the young Veir who seemed to be flustered.

Salen showed intellect, wit and brutal will on showing the man is not to mess with a man who simply doesnt care about the law, but uses it in terms of manipulating others to get what he wants. He walks by taking another glance at Hugo as he channels his ether, projecting a much more cleaner and younger self-reflection of himself through the composition of the Mask, a powerful tool for disguise but also he makes a discovery; the ability to be in two places at once, or so it would seem. He further channeled his ether, splitting the phantasmal matter from the mask as it would become two shifting holographic figures that'll displace against his form before projecting two tangible illusory clones of himself with Phantasmal Reckoning.

Exhausted by such a feat of magic, he simply stepped amongst the hidden corridors of the library, whilst his other clone would distract the guests and enjoy the party. It would seem he had a contract for one of the heads of Veir at the party under the name of Sylve Damocha, who appeared to be hiding. Perhaps he knew he was being hunted, but only time would tell.

[Hugo Abreo]

After the embarrassment of poor Dennis Prichard, well not really the person was quite rich, Hugo's eyes remained on Salen. For a moment he froze as there was eye contact between the two of them before the enigmatic guest shifted his attention elsewhere. The figure seemed to walk towards one of the exits of the ballroom, made eye contact with him and....... Hugo had to blink several times to make sure that the was seeing the right thing. For a moment it seemed that instead of one of these soiree wine-knocking guests there were two of them. Certainly, one more than expected. It was almost hard to determine with how quickly the second figure detached itself from the original, but Hugo had a feeling that one of the two was not actually human. To verify this Hugo pulled ether towards the core of his being. He took a deep breath and then began channelling that energy into his axis, his soul made manifest into crystal. From there he turned the raw ether into magical energy and carefully pulled it through his being, before focusing all of his attention on not being stumbled into and slowly immersing his eyes in the Branded magic. Thus for 10 seconds, Hugo's vision began to slowly shift, an extra sheen, a new colour making its presence in his vision. It was everywhere but shone most brightly in the people around him. Then the colour dimmed once more and it was only present in those immediately surrounding him. Shining in the centres of their being. This was not the first time Hugo had used ethersight but it was his fourth or so. As such it was quite hard to see all the different auras individually, as each shone so brightly. He was partially successful but at some points, the ether of one person seemed to blend with that of another.

Regardless, Hugo once more looked around and laid eyes upon the 'guest', who seemed to freely be interacting with people at the soiree he could see that the one in the ballroom was made entirely of Ether. Though it was a good approximation of a human it was clearly not an actual human. Which was made especially clear as where most humans had ether in their chest area, this being had a bright aura spread around his entire form. As such the true, physical individual was the one which had headed towards another part of the estate. Hugo quickly made his way in that direction, seeing that the individual in question had gone to one corner of the library. With a polite smile, Hugo walked in the individual's direction, trying not to be too captivated by the individual's appearance. His slow but steady footsteps came closer and as came to a standstill about 7 feet away from the individual. "Well, it seems that the centre of attention has left to another. "

"Quite an impression that you have made. Focusing all attention on yourself, embarrassing a prominent young noble and then disappearing from the public eye. You act with the traits which make one prosper here, yet clearly do not know the steps of the dance that is done here. " Hugo's eyes narrowed, his smile growing smug. "So who are you and why are you here?"

[Salen]

Salen was looking for an opportunity to slip out of the party, into the cover of darkness whilst he scouted for his contract kill. However, it became more difficult as another social pest lingered amongst the toe. He turned around as he was addressed by the male he appeared he saw back at the party, who was enthralled by the scene caused by him. Who didn't love a little trouble, especially when it came to humiliating a once great name? Or was he just a nobody? Who knew the damage he could do, but he wasn't impressed by the mere interruption, so much that Salen played coy, he turned around with a chameleon smile of complete innocence.

"Well, it isn't hard when people wind the rope on themselves..." He smirked, haughtily as he turned towards the other male, who appeared to be more confident and assertive when it came to Hugo quizzing him; his smile was smug as it appeared he was more adept at playing such a game, knowing how many Entente showdowns and applications he has watched, although he was about to make a mistake somewhere? So far, he was cool, calm and collected, poise in his appearance in the Candor as he eyed the male in front of him.

Veir, young and a complete fool...

He snickered and laughed at the other male as he blinked twice "I'm sure most people could learn a thing or two in this day and age." He paused for a moment as the Corvo listened; although his scent appeared to be lingering around the room, as if in comparison to the den of wolves that lingered around the area. It invaded the senses, hungrily, permeating every last corner of the room in fragrance.

As soon as he had finished, he lingered as if trying to avoid an answer. He knew what he was trying to do but it appeared that Salen had already gotten wind of it "What traits? You seem quite an amateur in such the dance yourself that you're forgetting one thing... Do you think I would reveal any information by just asking nicely for it? No, it takes effort such as getting to know one another, getting close and more importantly, defining the line of usefulness and uselessness. In other words, friend or foe..." He blinked as he circled the man like a shark, before stopping and initiating eye contact with him "In other words, I ask the questions, you simply answer and then I'll decide if you're worth my time or not... Agreed?" He paused for a moment.

"Besides, we're all predators in this game" He smirked.

"I can make it worth it, if you tell me exactly you're purpose here... Perhaps I may share such things if you cooperate, for which I suggest you do..." He said as his eyes were directly looking into his when he gave the demand; Beguiler appeared to be under affect as Salen had initiated his spoken desire in front of him. Will he choose to give in or will he resist the temptation and the urge to reveal information.

► Show Spoiler

Hello Hugo.

It appears that Salen has casted Beguiler to influence you to show a specific memory, should Hugo choose to resist, you as the player would need to make a dice roll determine weither Hugo would resist it or not. You can choose not to roll the dice and give into temptation, or you can fight to resist.

The dice roll requirement is 1d100.

Hugo' resistance modifiers are
No Resistance Modifier's currently, these are determined by your Meditation, Remnant and Mentalism skills.

Salen's Beguiler modifiers are
Beguiler Skill +36

This means Salen has a 36% chance to Beguile Hugo, therefore he would need to roll above 36 in order to resist temptation.

[Hugo Abreo]

Hugo's smile did not change as Salen spoke to him, even as Salen called him an amateur Then the individual spoke, clearly showing he knew at least the basic rules of the entente. So he was well-educated enough to know about the basic rules of conduct, yet still unused or new to soirees such as this. Which meant that this individual was well-educated or had good sources of information. The statement that he knew how the game was played was followed by a somewhat aggressive but not too out of place appeal to make it be known whether or not he was a friend or foe of this strange individual. Overall it seemed an attempt of this strange individual to take control of the conversation, set the pace and act like a domineering presence. To make Hugo feel like a fool and out of his depth, whilst making himself appear more mysterious and knowing. An admirable attempt by one who was probably not of the orthodox ranks of the Entente but not too effective on Hugo himself.

Then there was the request from this stranger to ask questions whilst Hugo gave answers so that the stranger may determine whether he was worth the stranger's time. Hugo had to almost laugh at the sheer audacity of this individual. A stranger with no known associates appears causes a mess, embarrasses a Veir and then implies that he is the superior in this whole conversation. At the very least it was a refreshing change of pace from the usual parts of a soiree. This audacious attempt to solicit information by Hugo was followed by a statement that they were all predators in here. A combined threat and a way to build a report with him, an interesting tactic. It wouldn't work as well for most people but it fits with the stranger's style. Then came the reward, that if Hugo would tell this stranger whatever he wanted that he would get information in return. Something that the enigmatic and beautiful stranger wanted so much. All Hugo had to do was to give whatever information he wanted. But it would all be worth it in the end no? Who knew what secrets and information this Adonis held, perhaps even -----

Wait what was he thinking? Was he just thinking of giving information to this absolute stranger for no guarantee of anything of value in return? Was he tempted to go and have sex with a stranger? Something that Hugo had told himself never to do. Why would he suddenly feel this way? Sure the stranger was enigmatic and not too bad looking but this was all so sudden. Sure he had felt a mild amount of desire for the stranger earlier because admittedly they were hot, but to almost blurt out whatever the stranger wanted? It didn't make sense. Maybe it was due to the stranger's closeness, maybe it was just a momentary weakness of himself? Perhaps, but then Dennis Prichard acted so oddly as well. Sure the young Veir was not the brightest of the bunch but he was not as foolish or uncontrolled as he normally would be. Was this also perhaps due to this individual? Was Prichard simply unable to resist and gave in to whatever this feeling was? There was a good chance, still, magic or not (which this probably was) this upstart had to be shown that he was a small fish in this pond. Hugo admittedly was a small fish himself, but he was not going to be manipulated by some no-name who acted like he was better than him.

Hugo first cast a quick glance around him to see if anyone was still watching, remnants of his ethersight making it clear that no other magical being was near or hidden. Good. So with a dreamy smile, Hugo took a step forwards, getting closer to Salen and putting his left hand on Salen's right wrist and giving this dreamy smile. Then he slowly opened his lips, showing teeth and the transformation of the smile of prey, to the smile of a predator. Hugo had once heard that you should not show teeth to a dog, that it was a sign that you were threatening the dog. The canines to show that you wanted/were able to bite him. Hugo had not fully understood that sentence then, but he did now. With his hand now clenched around Salen's wrist in a hard grip Hugo spoke. "Oh my good sir, you misunderstand. What you see as being Amateurish is me being polite and inquisitive, the first steps of a delicate dance."

"And it is true, only an amateur would give information for free. There are steps to this, such a process takes time. " The fingers clenched. "Information is not given immediately, or for free. So if you wish to speed this process up, make the dance go at your own pace, then let me dance at your pace."

Hugo got a wispy look, as if reciting some academic knowledge. "Have you heard of the ability galvanize ? It is quite interesting, it works through agitating the raw ether of the environment. First all of the raw ether is drawn to a certain point and then it is through magic turned into an agitated state. This agitated state can then pass through nearly any material, wood, steel, flesh and bone." Hugo once more looked at Salen. "Proximity also helps with casting it. Close or in between one's fingers for example." After saying this Hugo's thumb and finger would squeeze at Salen's wrist. "First, let's iterate the conditions of this conversation. First, we will act civility and with mutual respect. Secondly, in the event that you are mentally influencing me, don't do that. Thirdly, we introduce each other by our names and civilly trade questions and answers. First I ask a question and then you respond. Then you ask a question and I respond. We can each choose not to answer. Is that understood, because if it isn't. " Hugo once more squeezes his thumb and index finger on Salen's wrist. "Then I will cast a little magic and my finger will meet my thumb."

Hugo smiled.

[Salen]

Salen felt the man's wrist clasping around his hand tightly as he was squeezed, causing him to hiss in pain, he looked at Hugo with some form of hostility in his eyes, although it appeared to be passive aggressive by nature. Salen had failed to beguile the male and therefore it has resulted in him taking action with his own hands. The half-Sil'Norai knew he had to cooperate in the hands of the Entente, especially when they were deemed the most powerful people in Daravin and the ones who could be potentially deadly to Salen's wellbeing. With that, Salen had spoken pretending to act coy about such matters and continued expressing his seductive wiles upon him "Why, arent we moving too fast to be expressing, what looks as if to be, public displays of affection?" He teased the other male, hoping his bluff would pay off.

Salen continued to listen to the other male as he had already retorted in some form of rebellion against him, a unwise move when Hugo proceeded to channel Galvanize as a way to threaten Salen. He could feel the pain of the ether, channeling against his hand and causing a somewhat burning sensation amongst it. He eventually hissed and gave into Hugo's demands "Alright, but that doesn't mean I trust you..." He said with his eyes lingering onto him as if he was watchful of him, knowing he was the helpless prey in this situation; he had to wriggle himself out away from the predator's grasp, knowing that his only opportunity of surviving is to simply cooperate "And if I wanted to mentally influence you, I would've done that at a much earlier stage of meeting you, trust me..." He retorted as his glared at the other male, before resuming a form of passive-aggression towards him.

Eventually, Salen would sigh knowing that a civil conversation wasn't something that the warped mind of an Entente was wanting; they wanted to find out information and secure a network of spies and other information brokers to help them with their work "My name is Salen." He iterated, seemingly agitated by his advances, he eventually tensed up as he felt somewhat uncomfortable, particularly when he had an assignment to finish. Killing a man that was undesirable to Daravin's Entente network. Despite hating them, money was money and Salen needed enough dime to survive and provide himself with the necessities he needed, whilst sleeping with other men to ensure he got into soirees like this.