04-23-2025, 11:29 PM
Jaxen's eyes narrowed, the corners crinkling with a smirk that didn't quite reach his lips. The ambient glow of Kallisti's chandeliers cast playful shadows across his face, but the glint in his eyes was all too real.
"Ah, the classic 'not for free' clause," he muttered, his voice laced with mock admiration. "You know, I was beginning to worry this exchange might lack the requisite drama. But here we are, teetering on the edge of a transaction that promises to be as much intriguing as much as I assume will be followed with inevitable betrayal."
He leaned in slightly, the scent of liquor and her perfume mingling between them. He was liking her undivided attention, but he was all too aware of his location. It was probably an act, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy himself.
"So, Bode, what's the price? Money? A favor? My firstborn?" His tone was light, except on that last offer as images of aliens and pointed teeth flashed across his vision, but his own cat-like gaze was piercing, searching for any flicker of hesitation.
Meanwhile, the Emissary's presence pulsed at the back of his mind, a relentless drumbeat urging action. GET THE KEY GET THE KEY. But Jaxen, ever the showman, was content to let the tension simmer a moment longer.
"Let's make a deal," he said, extending his hand with a flourish to help her up. "But be warned, I'm a terrible loser.”
"Ah, the classic 'not for free' clause," he muttered, his voice laced with mock admiration. "You know, I was beginning to worry this exchange might lack the requisite drama. But here we are, teetering on the edge of a transaction that promises to be as much intriguing as much as I assume will be followed with inevitable betrayal."
He leaned in slightly, the scent of liquor and her perfume mingling between them. He was liking her undivided attention, but he was all too aware of his location. It was probably an act, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy himself.
"So, Bode, what's the price? Money? A favor? My firstborn?" His tone was light, except on that last offer as images of aliens and pointed teeth flashed across his vision, but his own cat-like gaze was piercing, searching for any flicker of hesitation.
Meanwhile, the Emissary's presence pulsed at the back of his mind, a relentless drumbeat urging action. GET THE KEY GET THE KEY. But Jaxen, ever the showman, was content to let the tension simmer a moment longer.
"Let's make a deal," he said, extending his hand with a flourish to help her up. "But be warned, I'm a terrible loser.”