Thief of Virtue [Cap'n]

[Emma]

Osilon was known as the Shattered Diamond of Du Weldenvarden.

And now, standing at the very edge of the city, I could see why. Ten years later, and it still looked like the war zone it had served as- once encrusted with enough gems and precious metals to make a dwarf king turn green with envy, blackened buildings stood hunched over in the evening light. Enormous ruts where human engines of war had ploughed through crossed the landscape like dirt roads, and great statues and monuments stood broken and dying. The citizens seemed to take no notice of the chaos they lived in, walking among their crumbling ruins with glazed-over eyes and trembling lips.

It rather beckoned a single, sad little tear, did it not?

I was not here to pity and offer help to elves that had allowed themselves to be herded like animals during the Cleansing. My interests did not, under any circumstances, reach Du Weldenvarden, especially not its worst-faring city. If I were to come to Osilon, it would be to point and laugh at the wretches. However, I did have a valid- or at least, valid to the Riders- reason to have come to this peasants’ hole. I was supposed to acquire an object, an artefact, from a lord here. I carried with me a great deal of coin to satisfy his greed. However, if it did not, I had been permitted to employ extra-legal tactics to obtain this artefact.

In short, I was allowed to steal it, as long as I was discreet about it. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t just thieve it in the first place- then we would have the artefact and the money. The Riders insisted on keeping up their appearance as peacekeepers, however, and though I doubted most of them had anything but good intentions, they were a pack of disorganized cowards, and did not execute their plans very well. With their power, they could take over the entire continent and then some, and yet they continued to cower in their Ilirea like dogs. It was a wasteful shame of resources, really.

As I watched the city ruins in dim amusement, I caught my own reflection in a slow-moving stream beside me. Vanity proved to be an excellent distraction, as I bent down to observe my appearance carefully. My makeup was black as peat, stark against my grey eyes and ivory skin. My lips had been painted with ebony pigments, and my eyes were outlined with thick onyx kohl and smoky pigments to make them as dramatic as possible. My black hair had been styled close to my face, tightly framing it, with short, blunt bangs covering my forehead. My fingernails had unsurprisingly been painted black, as well.

Clothing-wise, I had purposely picked out my most revealing outfit just to upset the supposedly virtuous elves that resided here in Du Weldenvarden. It was more undergarment than clothing, made up entirely of black leather- the vegan elves’ worst nightmare. My torso was barely covered by a shiny bustier that emphasized my breasts, and my arms with fingerless long velvet gloves. Thigh-high heeled boots barely reached the tiny shift I wore that was hardly distinguishable from a loincloth. A jewelled necklace hung around my throat. Now I just had to wait for the inevitable horrified stares.

I made my way down the last few steps. Osilon took up the entirety of a small man-made valley, the land of which had long ago been cleared away for mining. I stepped onto the road, which seemed to be made of a pale blue stone that I couldn’t place. I was near a market that was very quiet, with elves milling about silently. The lord I was going to see lived near the palace, a long walk from here. With a sigh, I shouldered my leather bag and began to head towards it. I was, however, rudely interrupted when I was knocked into by a well-dressed local. Irritated, I turned and fixated my glare on them.

“How quaint. I suppose you are a fool that is considered to be of some significance? Ah, the social stratum quickly makes itself evident no matter where one goes.”

Words;; 700 exactly!
Muse;; Pretty good!
Thoughts;; Uh... none, really. I'm just dying to write with Laioni.

[The Captain Sinn]

Osilion. Why Osilion? Isdes hated going to Osilion. It was the single most depressing place in the Elven Realm. But, his father had threatened Isded to either go to this "Shattered Diamond" willingly, but temporarily. Or to be sent until "otherwise notified, howeverwhich long that may be."

Isdes got the hint, go on the errand, or go as an exile. Isdes sometimes forgot that his father was a bastard, but he never forgot that his father was cunning. He didn't know what his father had planned, but it would be something that would drive Isdes out of Ilia Feon and Sinder. He didn't know how he'd get him to Osilion, but he knew his father had thought of how to do that too.

So he traveled for four bitter days, grumbling the whole time, until he reached the infamous "Shattered Diamond" of the Du Weldenvarden. It was as depressing as he remembered from the last time his father sent him.

He stopped at the first "inn" he found, if it could be called that. In Isdes mind, inns were supposed to be cheerful places. This place wasn't. However, their wine was excellent, so he decided he would stay here for his stay. He paid for a room for two days and after his third glass of wine decided he'd put his task off for long enough.

He went to his room and dressed for his father's errand, his father had taken the liberty of having his uncle pack for him. While his father frowned upon his outlandish style, his uncle understood better, nonetheless that didn't stop him from limiting him to only one party ensemble, with it's matching mask, and he had even pinned a note to the costume. It read simply

"Do not wear this to the meeting with the Lord, wait until after you finish. But there happens to be a surprising amount of entertaining diversions, if you can find them~ Maltheron."

Hah! Entertaining diversions in this town? When was this Uncle? Isdes thought wryly.

"I suppose if anyone should be able to find an entertaining diversion in this place it should be me. I can take solace in the fact that Father didn't pack for me."

With a deep sigh he placed the costume aside and looked at what else had been packed for him. Something that still peeved him. It was as if his father thought him a puppet, that he feared what would happen should his strings be cut. He knew what he would've picked for this errand had he been given the choice. Nevertheless he found something that would suffice.

After he was finished he looked at himself in the tall mirror upon the wall opposite the door. His long black hair was gathered behind his head in a styled horsetail. But the white hair was left free, framing his face. His golden, kohl lined eyes a stark contrast to his warm brown skin, making them glitter all the more.

He wore finely made clothes, but almost all of his clothes were finely made. His shirt was a dark slate color, almost black, but not quite, rich pink accented the shirt in several places. His pants were long and loosely fitted, so not to restict movement, but were not loose to look baggy, and were made in the same style as the shirt, dark slate accented with rich pink in several places. He wore leather slippers that just reached his ankle.

Either way, tonight he would have that jewel from whatever that Lord's name was. And if he wouldn't sell it, Isdes could keep the price he had been authorized to offer him.

He left the inn and surveyed the town. It was a dreary a place as ever. He followed the slow moving stream toward the palace, occaisionally looking at his reflection. With a sigh of regret he turned from the stream and onto the street of blue stone, his thoughts of Sinder and the amoral mirth to be had there.

He was knocked from the world of waking dreams to the drear of the present world. A beautiful woman bumped into him, and nearly made him lose his balance, but he shifted his weight in a way that instead of toppling over he was now staring the woman in the...bosom.

She was darkly beautiful, and dressed in such a provacative way that he though her that perhaps the human myths had the way of it, perhaps there were goddesses of lust that occasionally walked among the races that were so short lived compared to them. Her eyes smoldered with a terrible passion. Then she spoke, her accent unfamiliar, but not terrible.

"How quaint. I suppose you are a fool that is considered to be of some significance? Ah, the social stratum quickly makes itself evident no matter where one goes.”

Isdes smiled, and his rich voice replied "I'm actually of little social importance even in my own town, and of none here in this dreadfully depressing place. What importance I do have is in entertainment. However, before we get to know each other, I feel that it is considered polite to apologize when bumping into another, so feel free to say you're sorry whenever you wish, then we can learn about one another." He smiled, she though it was he who bumped into her, but it was the other way around and he wouldn't be slighted, not even by this goddess of lust.


Well, I still feel an abundance of muse after this post, so I'm going to say-
Muse: Excellent
I read over it, but I'm doing this all by phone(an HTC Ozone), so if I've missed something, gramatically, or otherwise, if you'll point it out to me I'll fix it as soon as I can.

[Emma]

“I’m actually of little social importance even in my own town, and of none here in this dreadfully depressing place.”

In my supreme irritation, I hadn’t actually gotten a proper look at the man. At a glance, I’d seen dark garments of fine make, and shiny black hair which almost carried a purple tint that was done up in a tight ponytail. Now that I looked at him, however, I was surprised to see that he was no ordinary elf. Pompous and arrogant, yes, but he was also clearly foreign. His eyes were golden, a colour I’d only ever seen on my own mother- and she was a Shade. His features were also very defined, even exotic, and his skin was deep copper in hue. He also ogled me much like a human would, and had a mischievous twinkle in his eye. So, he was no passive-aggressive like all the others, then? Hmm.

“What importance I do have is in entertainment. However, before we get to know each other, I feel that it is considered polite to apologize when bumping into another, so feel free to say you’re sorry whenever you wish, then we can learn about one another.”
“Apologize?” I snapped indignantly. “I? Bite your tongue, elf. I am not one of your servants, to hang on to your every word.”

He was eyeing me much as one would eye a delicious roast, I realized. Those golden eyes were firmly fixated on my breasts, among other things. A barely concealed snarl rose in my throat. I was not used to men gawking at me, unless it was in shock or horror. This did not under any circumstances mean that I was unaware of my beauty or of my sexuality- I had the goddess figure, the bedroom eyes, the deep, seductive voice. I was not shy in the face of being an object of lust, but nor was I pleased about it. I found myself incredibly irritated by pointless flattery and worthless trinkets that ultimately led to nothing but agonized writhing in the bed sheets. In my experience, everyone paid for sex.

My rebuttal was supposed to be the end of it. I was not going to bore myself with a fop of this calibre. However, much to my distress, I realized that we were going exactly the same direction; towards the palace at the far end of the valley. A few moments of staring at the gem-encrusted castle in the shadow of the mountain gave me a fair idea of exactly how long I would be stuck with the nobleman. And despite my ice-cold rebuttal, he seemed very intent on following me. In some ways, he couldn’t he blamed. The rich and the spoiled were often very bored individuals. And in Osilon, a land of death, misery, and filth, one dark temptress such as myself was more than intriguing.

“… and entertainment, did you say? Should I even try to imagine what the likes of you would consider as ‘entertainment’? Humour me sufficiently, and I shall consider giving you the privilege of my apology.”

Words;; 515
Muse;; Pretty good!
Thoughts;; I like the turnout. =)