[center][b]INTERLUDE[/b][/center] [sub]Year 4256 2nd day of the month of Olfaccium Morning Svephraey + Octavio[/sub] [hr]Octavio strode through the halls that connected the dungeon's chambers, his gloved index finger brushing past the length of the stone wall as he moved. Though initially an earnest attempt to use its texture to avoid getting lost, he'd gradually grown bored. He saw no reason to continue acting as if this situation was any different from his encounter with the Mysterious Stranger. If either of the powerful men had wanted him dead, then there would be no obstacles in their way. While his first encounter of that nature had left him feeling frustrated and powerless, he now felt a kind of disinterested respect. There were far more important things to worry about than the intentions of men who insisted on shrouding themselves in mystery. His movements came to a halt. [color=dde0c7]"An indent, interesting."[/color] His finger traced the circumference of a small concave bump in the wall. He withdrew a small knife to carve out a marker, but thought better of it. There was no way to know the extent of the Kharu-Natjer's power, and he wasn't about to vandalize his home. He chuckled. In the absence of his companion, it was a lot harder to make civilized decisions. [color=f6989d]"Little runt, little runt. Not like the other pups."[/color] A female's voice purred from the tunnel's depths. There, where light met shadow, sat Svephraey, scraping at the floor with a needle like dagger. Eyes towards the ground, she continued her chant. [color=f6989d]"Begs for food. Begs for love. Never did it find a one."[/color] Her words came rhythmically. They hung in the air much like a melody. [color=f6989d]"Alone, it wandered to and fro. Till, one day... it met another..."[/color] A pebble leapt from the ground. Chipped away by Svephraey's dagger. The woman ceased her scrapping. Her weapon hand relaxed. Slowly Svephraey's gaze wandered upward. Her eyes meeting Octavio's expectantly. [color=f6989d]"Tell me, love."[/color] The woman said. [color=f6989d]"What happened then?"[/color] A sudden noise made Octavio turn. Through the eerie glow of the jade torches he made out the rough shape of a person, a shape that moved bit by bit as it carved the ground with a dagger. He cursed himself for having carelessly assumed the Kharu-Natjer’s territory would have been free of threats outside the man himself. As the sound of metal scraping against stone rattled in his skull, he realized that just because the man saw use in keeping him alive it didn’t mean he’d be under his protection. What general or king hadn’t waved away the lives of his inferiors without as much as a blink of the eye? She chanted, or at least seemed to recite, a verse about a lost animal, and although there was no way a reasonable man would arrive to the conclusion, he knew on an instinctual level it was about him. [color=dde0c7]“What an interesting little chant,”[/color] he mused, eyes drifting towards the miserable sources of light around them, [color=dde0c7]“do you by any chance remember who taught you that?”[/color] In the past, he’d had conversations with individuals who had blades pressed against his throat. Despite the distance between them, the encounter felt similar. Svephraey cocked her head. Her expression unchanging... or at least as far as anyone could tell. The exaggerated turtleneck made reading her expression quite difficult, as the only thing left visible were her eyes. The woman gave the man a shrug. Slowly, she rose from the ground. Her dagger vanishing beneath the folds of her sleeve with a flick of the wrist. [color=f6989d]"Just a story my mother told."[/color] She said. [color=f6989d]"Her stories never did end... pleasantly..."[/color] A part of him wanted to let out a fabricated chuckle, or even a grin to ease the oppressive tension that permeated the chamber, but it was hard to gauge what was appropriate given the woman's obscured expressions. At least withdrawing her dagger meant he wasn't a target. For now. [color=dde0c7]"Ah, well they say every story is either a tragedy or a comedy. I myself always preferred the latter, in my youth as an actor."[/color] His shoulder leaned against the stone, the rest of his body softening in response. Amused by Octavio's words, Svephraey's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. [color=f6989d]"Smooth words, fine garments, a fear of tragedies and..."[/color] Svephraey's eyes wandered to Octavio's many rings. [color=f6989d]"a taste for shiny accessories... Yes... an actor indeed..."[/color] Svephraey slowly approached Octavio. Her steps so light and delicate, it made her appear to glide across the floor in the dim light. [color=f6989d]"Be honest now, love."[/color] The woman said. [color=f6989d]"Did you steal your pet the way you stole the cloth on your back?"[/color] It wasn't the first time he'd been correctly accused of having stolen his garments. But those other incidents had been after copious amounts of alcohol or the failure to latch on to some trend among nobles. All of this was information she could possibly have no way of knowing, information she laid out on display as part of some attempt to cut him down to size. He was really starting to miss the good old days of just stealing. [color=dde0c7]"Ah, you mean Lynx..." [/color] He was becoming aware of how uncomfortable the rough stone against his body felt, a pressure that prickled against his skin through the stolen cloth. [color=dde0c7]"Calling him a pet is a disservice to his capabilities. A fine young man, once you look past the four paws."[/color] As strange as it felt to defend Lynx, the words flowed out of him effortlessly. [color=f6989d]"My-my, you are an amusing one..."[/color] Svephraey replied, her eyebrows rising just a hint. She raised her arm to her side, letting her fingers brush against the stone wall as she drew ever closer. [color=f6989d]"It followed the other. A runt much like itself."[/color] Svephraey continued her chant. [color=f6989d]"From here to there, it didn't matter where. Learn, it did, from the other's ways. To survive, to hunt, wherever it stayed. Some lessons, though, did allude. Trust. Friendship. A heart left askew."[/color] Svephraey's steps came to a pause, positioning her just in front of Octavio. Her gaze seemed to intensify as her chant cut off. [color=f6989d]"Talon spoke of your Familiar's delusions of self-importance. He did not mention you encouraged its behavior."[/color] Svephraey's eyes almost seemed to twinkle in amusement. [color=f6989d]"Funny, I would almost believe that you're the pet and it the master."[/color] Svephraey paused, tilting her head as she regarded Octavio with curiosity. [color=f6989d]"A dangerous thing, love,"[/color] She started, her voice just above a whisper, [color=f6989d]"when a pet becomes the master. You walk that same line the other did. A line so fine it leaves no sign..."[/color] As she drew nearer he didn't budge. It was clear she was looking to toy with him, and he wasn't going to squirm that easily. [color=dde0c7]"It's not pets and masters, it's two allies, each helping the other. Unless... you see all relationships that way?"[/color] He let the words hang in the stagnant air. The corners of Svephraey's eyes appeared to rise almost as if she were smiling. [color=f6989d]"When you do what I do, you have no choice but to view all relationships with a healthy dose of skepticism. Else one day you'll find yourself alone. Bleeding out. Left to die..."[/color] Svephraey hesitated. Her gaze grew distant. [color=f6989d]"Sometimes, it's best to cut away others before they cut away you..."[/color] A knot formed in Octavio’s throat. This is how I sound like to other people. The man who had once proudly proclaimed himself to be ruled by no one, coming and going wherever whenever. The man who had managed to ruin every inkling of a relationship with others, who ran before he could ever face anything approximating a consequence for his actions. [color=dde0c7]“That’s not… right."[/color] His words caused Svephraey to raise an eyebrow, skeptically. He couldn’t believe he was hesitating, but he couldn’t think of any suitable retort either. His experiences within his current party and his past both raged in his mind, images that contradicted one another. For the past few days he had been on the edge, and Svephraey was pushing him. [color=dde0c7]“Who are you?”[/color] The woman eyed Octavio. [color=f6989d]"Just someone capable of filling in the blanks."[/color] She said coyly. Her gaze turned toward one of the nearby crystal jade candles. Slowly, she strode toward it. [color=f6989d]"The story... it ends with the other realizing it outgrew the runt. But the other couldn't just let the runt go. So it did the only sensible thing... It bared its fangs on the little runt."[/color] [color=f6989d]"The other devises a plan to trick the runt."[/color] She continued. [color=f6989d]"It kills a sickly boar and invites the runt to feast. Eating the boar would surely leave the runt weakened. It would be then that the other would come in with the killing blow."[/color] [color=f6989d]"But the runt saw through the facade and found a weasel to bring to the feast. A weasel with quite the bite. Just right to set upon the other before it makes its strike."[/color] Svephraey stopped in front of the candle. Her story ending much like it started. Silence. Reaching out, Svephraey took the crystal jade candle and turned it in her hand. [color=f6989d]"A tragedy, much to your dislike."[/color] She said in a hushed tone. [color=f6989d]"Two companions turned enemies... On the bright side, the little runt does escape with its life... But one does wonder... Why did the other bare its fangs upon the runt?"[/color] [color=dde0c7]"Because there was distrust. And ignorance. Had they been civilized little animals,"[/color] his eyes followed the taken candle, [color=dde0c7]"then they would have known that cooperation is the wisest choice. It's why we're the civilized species."[/color] The wording. [color=dde0c7][i]I'm going to come to regret that.[/i][/color] He felt like an idiot, to say the least. The story was intended to be a parallel to his own experiences and an invitation for them to be dissected, and he'd chosen to take the coward's way out and criticize it in the literal sense. A younger Octavio would have considered that a victory, but he couldn't help but desire more, more than to simply be content with never truly understanding a problem before running away from it. [color=f6989d]"Civilized? Us?"[/color] Svephraey said. [color=f6989d]"That there is the real comedy. Cooperation? We cooperate only for as long as it serves us. In the end, no matter how much we pretend, our species is no different."[/color] Svephraey paid the man a sidelong glance before tossing him the crystal jade candle. [color=f6989d]"Tell me, love. What do you see when you look at the crystal?"[/color] Being with Lynx had helped Octavio in a number of ways. With their combined efforts, it had been far easier to determine crucial information, from the layouts of buildings to what a target's favorite color was. But exclusively targeting the emotionally vulnerable had come at the cost of dulling him. Against the woman's sharp wit, he found himself at a loss for words once more. Had this been a physical battle, he would have been scrambling from cover to cover, none of it working. He had to think harder, the way his younger self would before growing comfortable in the world of false luxury. [color=dde0c7][i]She wants me to agree with her.[/i][/color] But why? [color=dde0c7][i]She's stalking around a dark tunnel. And based on a handful of her earlier statements it wouldn't be wrong to assume she believes most of the ideas coming out of her mouth.[/i][/color] He refused to let himself lapse into thinking about escape. The candle, for lack of a better term, glowed in the palms of his hands. A symbol of hope. But that wouldn't be the "correct" answer. No. What did the candle [i]really[/i] represent? The answer came to him quickly, much to his distaste. [color=dde0c7]"The lack of cooperation. The sacrifice of hundreds of lives, of those who would never be able to receive the light to protect them."[/color] The fingers of his right hand stretched around it, gradually smothering the glow in streaks of pitch black. His eyes remained on the green energy, however. [color=dde0c7]"But that wouldn't be right, would it? There are people willing to band together to stop the madness tearing at this world, willing to give their lives for it." [/color] Svephraey gave the man a bored sounding clap. [color=f6989d]"Very deep. Very drawl."[/color] She lamented. [color=f6989d]"Is he a philosopher or a thief?"[/color] She wondered aloud. [color=f6989d]"Or just very good at putting a woman to sleep?"[/color] With a shrug, Svephraey turned and proceeded to lazily stroll down the tunnel's length. [color=f6989d]"People band together only when madness threatens their comfortable way of life. Much like that mismash of friends of yours."[/color] She said jeeringly. [color=f6989d]"Come, Love. You think you will all be sticking together once this fight is over, do you? No... You know better than that. They will all split up. Each of you going your separate ways."[/color] Svephraey stopped her stroll in front of another crystal. [color=f6989d]"You know what I see when looking upon a crystal?"[/color] She asked. She didn't bother to wait for an answer. [color=f6989d]"When I stare into that greenish glow... I see a profit..."[/color] The woman stared into the eerie light. It shine gave her a wolfish look. [color=f6989d]"Yes,"[/color] She continued. [color=f6989d]"A Profit. One made by trafficking large quantities of crystal across the border."[/color] She nodded to herself as if coming to a decision on something. [color=f6989d]"Yes..."[/color] She said. [color=f6989d]"If things go poorly here, that is what I shall do."[/color] The woman raised her gaze back to Octavio. [color=f6989d]"When the dogs can no longer hide among the shadows, they will pay a lofty sum of coin to have tools like this in hand."[/color] [color=dde0c7]"And here I thought we were having an interesting conversation about society."[/color] He rested a hand on one of his hips. [color=dde0c7]"It was about me this whole time?"[/color] A chuckle left his lips, as if they were both in on some sort of joke. [color=dde0c7]"While I can't say I'm confident my allies and I will even survive this, cooperation is what's kept us from anything grisly so far. I'd even go as far as to say I've befriended some of them."[/color] His attempts at unearthing her motivations hadn't given him the success he was hoping for. The answer ended up being the most obvious option, what every man toiled and yearned for most in life. Or at least as much as love, but Octavio had no respect for those who thought that way. [color=dde0c7]"I was finally beginning to enjoy myself. Then you had to go and make it all about money."[/color] It really [i]was[/i] like trying to have a conversation with another him. One that hadn't been humbled by mortal combat and beings that skirted the line between human and not. Judging solely by appearances, she definitely seemed to be someone who could hold their own in combat. He mused how likely it was that he would have turned out the same had he put more effort into training. [color=dde0c7][i]Why am I feeling jealous again? First that one stranger who dragged me into this mess, and now her. [/i][/color] [color=dde0c7]"Is stalking around dark tunnels related to your plan?"[/color] [color=f6989d]"Of course,"[/color] She said smoothly. [color=f6989d]"After all, it's never been about the money, love."[/color] Svephraey flicked her wrist. Her needle-like dagger reappeared in her hand. [color=f6989d]"It's always been about staying on top."[/color] Svephraey spun quickly. With a yell, she swung her blade with all her might into the nearby crystal jade candle. To the candle holder's credit, the candle stayed in the structure. The structure, of course, unharmed. The candle, however, didn't fare as well. Where her blow landed, a few tiny white cracks spread out like a web. Svephraey cocked her head. Her dagger already having disappeared back beneath her sleeve. [color=f6989d]"Sturdier than I thought."[/color] She said. With a shrug, Svephraey let the candle be and retreated back towards the shadows. However, upon reaching the shadow's edge, she came to a halt. [color=f6989d]"You know,"[/color] She said, looking over her shoulder. [color=f6989d]"I suppose, in a way, the runt wasn't actually a runt after all... Funny, isn't it? How sometimes a tragedy and a comedy can be one in the same."[/color] His eyes followed the spider web of cracks along the crystal in a way that suggested he knew how valuable they were. They were, of course, responsible for having saved him and his party’s lives repeatedly. But he now knew that Kheru-Natjer was more lax about his property than he assumed. Unless Svephraey was important enough to where an act like this was permissible? Staying on top. [color=dde0c7][i]Survival.[/i][/color] They were on the same page now, at least. It had taken some time for both Lynx and him to grow accustomed to cooperating with others, yet survival hadn’t wavered as their ultimate goal in mind. He approached the cracked crystal and traced the white lines on its surface, his index finger traversing their paths like an explorer inside of a labyrinth, only barely avoiding one dead end after another. [color=dde0c7]“Who knows? We’ve yet to find out,”[/color] he said, as much as to himself as to her. The corners of her eyes appeared to rise as if she were smiling. [color=f6989d]“Farewell, love. I imagine we will be seeing each other much more often in the future.”[/color] She said, disappearing into the shadows. [color=f6989d]“... Unless, of course, she gets revenge before we get the chance…”[/color] It felt like a heavy blow aimed at his chest. He was certain he was on the edge of keeling over. Ophelia was coming.