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[hider=Strands of ashes separated]His companion had continued until well past nightfall, the man only relenting for the love of sleep before another day of hard labor. Iris had cleaned himself up and slipped away quietly, careful to leave the innkeeper with enough coin to pay both board and breakfast for his willing partner in the morning. He stumbled back to the estate, hips still aching and legs more unsteady than he would have liked. He didn't mind rough partners, but walking immediately after the act was becoming more and more of a bad idea. Surely he could have returned in the morning, but he hated parting ways with his bedfellows while they remained awake. For all that he watched people come and go, Iris had always hated partings. Even with the Violet Widow, he found the time to leave before his partners ever woke, sparing both of them the unpleasant formalities of a drunkard's morning regrets or cloying affections beyond the services rendered.

He was aware his clothes remained unfastened, that they remained on his shoulders by some miracle, but it was late and no one was about. Safe enough that he needn't care about appearances as he finally stumbled towards the estate entrance. A lone figure stood below the dim torches perched atop the main gate's pillars, and Iris stopped a safe distance away, squinting to discern the person though the armor soon identified the knight.

Before him was Ganth the Inquisitor, who had taken upon himself to stand guard in front of the mansion's gate. Even in the dead of the night, he stood tall, the dull glimmer of his breastplate took on an golden glow from the nearby torches. Piercing grey eyes stared off into the night, awake and alerted despite the bags that had began to form beneath. He noticed the courtesan soon enough, the man's clothing was hardly inconspicuous. 

"[color goldenrod]You have returned.[/color]" -Ganth nodded a greeting, once Iris had come into hearing range.

[color 7588ff]"...Inquisitor,"[/color] Iris greeted with as much liveliness as he could muster. His voice was barely hoarse, just on the fringes, the byproduct of conspicuously loud and recent activities.

"[color goldenrod]It is late.[/color]" -Grey eyes gave Iris a subtle onceover, but he did not comment on the courtesan's appearance. 

[color 7588ff]"It is."[/color]

"[color goldenrod]You should head to bed.[/color]" -Ganth lifted his mace and clamped it back on his belt -"[color goldenrod]I'll escort you to your chamber.[/color]"

[color 7588ff]"...As you like, Inquisitor,"[/color] Iris agreed, straightening his gait and moving past Ganth. With a stress-relieving activity behind him, he didn't feel as much ire as he did for the Inquisitor's lost first impression, but he remained wary all the same. The problem--as it had always been--was that he trusted his gut instinct too quickly, used to the brief durations of conversations and time spent together that was customary of one-offs and even regulars. He had only ever needed to guess how someone would behave for the night. It was much more difficult to discern how someone would act for much longer than that.

Ganth was silent afterward, shadowing Iris back to his assigned room. His only intention was to discuss his recent findings with someone more knowledgeable than him on the topic. Yet, he found his gaze lingering a bit too long on the courtesan's bare shoulders. Immediately, he rectified the situation by brushing past Iris and taking the lead, keeping the shorter man out of his field of vision entirely. It was a disadvantage, his training and experience screamed; he needed to keep his target in sight at all times. But he would much prefer to keep his sanity intact. 

Upon arrival, Ganth stood aside for Iris to unlock the door, before following him inside, closing the door behind him.   

There was momentary surprise on Iris's face as he heard the door click shut behind him, but the sound of armor still clinking clearly inside the room. He made no comment on it, instead curling up onto the bed and sighing, already missing the sensation of warmth near him and arms around him. Muscle memory had his fingers sliding into the embroidered silk stockings, carefully removing them from his legs as he readied for another sleepless night where his body had been primed for more activities, only to be left wanting.

"[color goldenrod]I don't wish to disturb your rest, Iris. But there is something we need discuss.[/color]" -Ganth chose that exact moment to raise his voice, crossing his arms and leaning against the door. 

[color 7588ff]"I figured that much at least, since you're clearly not here for anything else,"[/color] Iris replied, slipping out of the light material that made up the top half of his outfit before deftly removing the flower-like sleeves. Naked now, he reclined on the bed in his favorite position, regarding Ganth coolly. [color 7588ff]"How can I be of service, Lord Inquisitor?"[/color]

Ganth cleared his throat, suddenly finding one of the decorative vases in the room fascinating. 

"[color goldenrod]I saw you sing earlier. At the tavern. What for?[/color]" 

[color 7588ff]"I heard music. And I [i]know[/i] music,"[/color] the courtesan answered, a small spark in his eyes. [color 7588ff]"The bugs were moving in sync. And I wondered if I could do the same."[/color]

"[color goldenrod]Were they...controlled?[/color]"

[color 7588ff]”They were.”[/color] He shifted on the bed, crossing and recrossing his bare legs.

Ganth fell silent once more, clearly concerned about the new information; that fact made obvious by the way his brows knitted together. It confirmed his suspicion. The attack was planned, filled with malevolent intents. But who was those Stirges for? Tomomi, Iris and himself was present at the time, so it was likely for them. Yet, stirges were simple critters, so perhaps this was just a warning? Or test? Both possibilities were equally disturbing. 

Many things were still unclear, but Ganth was certain that he would need to find new leads, and fast.

"[color goldenrod]Say, was the music from a flute, by any chance?[/color]" 

[color 7588ff]"No, not that I could tell. Ethereal, and it masked the instrument."[/color] He settled down into the bed, laying on his stomach with his head pillowed by slender forearms. [color 7588ff]"That's all I can provide, unfortunately."[/color]

"[color goldenrod]I'll leave you to it then.[/color]" -Ganth picked up the hint easily enough -"[color goldenrod]Thank you for the information. I wish you a good night's rest.[/color]" 

With that, Ganth left quickly, the clattering of his armor soon faded after the door clicked shut once more. 

Breathing out a disappointed breath, Iris closed his eyes, hoping sleep would come on its own, unbidden, while he replayed the more enjoyable events of the evening in his head. Ganth was his type, it was true, but there was no redeeming the Inquisitor's mentality and Iris didn't care enough to press further, especially not when bitten repeatedly by rejection. Twice shy, even he had his limits and while an insubstantial hope had followed Ganth into the room, it had faded just as quickly when the Inquisitor opened his mouth. All business. Of course. And the disappointment was almost as vivid as a slap to the face. He hummed a quiet tune to himself, an old children's song he liked hoping the cheery tune would drive the midnight thoughts away. It helped, vaguely, but more importantly by the time the supernaturally imbued song had faded away Iris had fallen fast asleep, tired enough to feel it but not enough to realize how ready he had been for rest.[/hider]