Masquerade - These Masks We Wear

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Sir Maverick, do you have family?" Ivian picked a cup of calming jasmine tea from a servant's plate.

Quote

NO HESITATION.

 

[The Ward's Guard he/him]

Quote

Straight into the fire, I see.

 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

2 minutes ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

"Sir Maverick, do you have family?" Ivian picked a cup of calming jasmine tea from a servant's plate.

"I... Well, yes, although I'm sure you know I live alone. My parents perished in a fire, sir, and I have not seen my brother in many years. We had... a disagreement of sorts."

[Channelknight Fadran]

"I see." Ivian offered Maverick a cup of tea. "What was your brother's name?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Darrin, sir." Mav bit his lip. "Your Highness, the lockdown last night... I know my brother became a mercenary. He didn't...  Did he cause the lockdown?"

[Channelknight Fadran]

Ivian held up a finger. "One last question: do you approve of the Raveness's methods of interrogation?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Mav paled. Then, however, his face grew uncharacteristically hard. "On Darrin? Yes."

[Channelknight Fadran]

"I see." Ivian stood. "In that case, I suggest you keep away from the dungeons. Seeing you might make him... less easily pursuaded to talk."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Mav furrowed his brow, eyes dark. "Your Majesty... I would like to see him. We didn't end things very well, I want to at least get a glimpse of the man he's turned into. I may not approve of the road he's gone down, but he's still my little brother."

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Perhaps. The Raveness is very good at leaving her subjects alive, so I'll allow you to meet him as soon as she finishes her interrogation."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

But I have to get home to my cat... "How long will that take?" Mav asked with a sigh.

[Channelknight Fadran]

"If you return in two days' time, I'm sure we'll have squeezed out everything useful."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Quote

Keep in mind that 
1) I expect they'll "execute" Darrin after he doesn't break near as fast as they wanted. Use an unnamed masked prisoner, excecute him instead. 
2) The previous point makes Mav furious. He'd been hoping to take Darrin back home with him and care for him.

Mav chuckled. "I know your Raven is good, but you don't know Darrin. He won't break that fast. It would just be easier for him to talk to me now. I don't want to be long. I just want him to know how disappointed I am."

Edited May 12, 2021 by Shard of Thought

[Channelknight Fadran]

Ivian frowned. "I see. Do you think that you'd be capable of enacting the information we need from him?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Mav considered. "... perhaps. I don't intend to stay long, however. He'll make me too angry and I'm certain he'd catch on; figure out I was trying to get info. Still, I can do my best."

[Channelknight Fadran]

"We'll reward you handsomly if you can, though I doubt that a man of your stature would care either way."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Maverick smiled, though his usually charm just wasn't in it. "No reward is necessary. I'm well off as is..."

Edited May 12, 2021 by Shard of Thought

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Alright. In that case..." Ivian called for some guards to take him to the dungeons.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

The cell was boring. Darrin laid with his back against the floor, feet on the wall while he chewed on a piece of straw. He'd have to find some way to make his stay here more interesting... 

His first visit with the Raveness had been... minorly enjoyable, it he was being honest. She'd talked with him, tested him for allergies he might have to the ingredients she used. She was a surprisingly energetic woman, and bright too. Despite her messy profession, every surface was clean and there were books on the shelves, ones that looked to be hand-bound. He suspected they were full of recopies and handwritten notes from a lifetime of practice. Evil or not, she was incredibly passionate about her craft and that was something Darrin could respect.

“You know, I can’t say I’m surprised to see you in here, Darrin. But it does make me a little sad that you actually did end up the way I predicted you would.”

Darrin paled, his stomach dropping with an unexpected flurry of buried emotion. That voice. He hadn’t heard that voice in… Fear embraced his heart. If it wasn’t his brother speaking, then he would end up disappointed. And if it was Mav, well, then. He was in for quite the chastising. He braced himself and stole a glance at whoever had come to speak with him, pulling the straw out of his mouth. “Maverick?”

A hard face glared at him through the bars. The years had changed Darrin’s brother quite a bit, but his disapproving eyes remained the same. Not even the Raveness herself could make Darrin feel nearly as uncomfortable or afraid as that man did. It hadn’t always been that way, of course, but neither of them liked to think back to those times. Darin got up off his back, walking towards the bars in disbelief. 

“Why?” Maverick asked simply.

Silence. The mercenary was far too surprised to say anything. And more than that... Darrin had no explanation. Not for Maverick and… not for himself either. 

“Oh, why do I even ask anymore…” The taller man shook his head ruefully. “Did you have to go after the king, Darrin? Did you really have to?”

“Well, you know me, brother. Can’t do anything halfway.” 

Darrin’s words were met with an eyeroll. “You would have me believe that you haven’t changed a bit in the years since I last saw you. But even you’re not that doltish. So tell me. What made you have the death wish that led you to do all this, hmm?”

“I don’t have a death wish.”

Maverick slammed the bars, a sudden burst of intense anger overtaking him. Despite himself, Darrin flinched. “Then WHY’D you do it, huh, why?!" Maverick boomed. Prisoners in nearby cells turned heads. "I know it wasn’t for whatever amount of money you were offered and I know you didn’t want to get caught, so why?”

Again, silence. Darrin only stood there, open mouthed. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know, Maverick. I mean… what do you want me to even say? That I did it to get some sort of revenge? That I’ve joined the rebellion? That I snapped and went crazy? I just… I thought I could do it. And I couldn’t. That’s it, there’s nothing else to it.”

Maverick’s anger appeared to melt, his hands slipping off the bars, his gaze turning towards the floor. “Well, alright then. Fine.”

As he walked away, Darrin blurted, “I’m going to die, Mav.” A heavy blanket of tension fell between them. “They’re going to execute me.” Darrin gulped. 

Though Maverick stopped in place, he did not turn to face his brother. “Good. You’re finally going to realize that your actions have consequences.” With that, Maverick left the dungeon, leaving Darrin alone once more to await his next session with the Raveness.

[Channelknight Fadran]

Noblemen were disgusting.

She'd only been cleaning up after them for less than a few hours, but Wendy had come to this conclusion and decided that she'd never renounce it for the world. After doing their laundry, scrubbing their washbasins, changing their bedsheets, and sweeping their floors, she was even beginning to wonder if 'disgusting' was powerful enough to describe their messiness. Maybe 'rancid' would be more accurate.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Maverick Oakenwey left the dungeons in a sour mood. His eyes were dark, his fists clenched, his breath coming even but hard. The guards escorted him back to the king and Mav bowed. 

[Channelknight Fadran]

Ivian turned to face him. "Well?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Your Majesty, I know you aren't likely to believe this, but... I don't think anyone hired Darrin. As far as I can tell the only thing that drove him to this was boredom." Maverick sighed. "He's always been a thrill seeker, Highness, but after the fire, he just... changed. He doesn't care who his actions hurt anymore. I don't think you'll get anything out of him from torture, but I do think that he might... Oh, I don't know. Just.." He squared his shoulders. "I would appreciate being updated as the situation progresses."

[Channelknight Fadran]

"I can make you privy to any information about him; after it's been filtered into levels of secrecy, of course. As for what you've said..." Ivian clasped his hands. "We'll take it into consideration. You are dismissed."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"I appreciate it, sir" said Mav. His expression and tone of voice were utterly devoid of any emotion. With a bow, he left the castle. He wasn't anxious anymore. He was just... dead.