How to Bait a Wolf

Log Info

• Title: How to Bait a Wolf

• Emitter: Ravenstongue

• Characters: Ravenstongue, Seldan

• Place: Temple of Eluna

• Summary: Ravenstongue goes to find Seldan at the Temple of Eluna in the aftermath of the giant wolf sighting at the gates of Alexandria. The Elunite is there, albeit recovering from a turned ankle, and they converse about Zalgiman Joakim, the man that Ravenstongue enthralled. Reunion pipes up to give their own opinions on the matter, and Ravenstongue decides to give the plan a little more thought.

Right of the heels of... well, the wolf's heels, Cor'lana attempts to find Seldan in the aftermath. However, the man has disappeared, and after a "I'll catch up with you later, love," to Telamon, Cor'lana breaks off from her fiance to find the man of Eluna.

Her first inclination is to step inside the Temple of Eluna, where Seldan has told her before that he can generally be found when in Alexandria. Pothy rides on her shoulder as she walks in and looks around, the expression of concern on her mouth and in her violet eyes wearing deeper with every passing moment that Seldan remains unfound.

Fortunately, Seldan's promises about where to find him are entirely accurate. He emerges through a door into the main sanctuary, having entirely cleaned his gear and clothing, and his demeanor is that of one weary, but pleased with a job well done. The only thing is that he's treading quite carefully on his left foot as he walks, but when his eyes light on Cor;lana, he immediately changes direction and turns towards her. "Is something amiss, my lady?"

The expression of concern in Cor'lana's face lifts as she sees Seldan with her own eyes. "Just worried," she says, smiling warmly as she looks at him. "You disappeared so quickly that I didn't have a chance to ask if you were okay. That wolf was a fearsome opponent, and while I fear I don't have any healing capabilities, a friend's supposed to check in on a friend, right?" Her voice carries a hopeful note on it by the end, a little cheery chirp that might be more befitting of the raven on her shoulder.

A lifted brow suggests genuine surprise at the concern, but Seldan keeps his smile small. "I am well. A turned ankle only, but I thought it inadvisable to walk to the Temple. It is my hope that the Temples can aid her, and I know not the spells of transmutation to return her to her proper form. Transmutation is Mal's gift. What of yourself?" Suddenly, his gaze grows keen, and he looks her up and down.

"Only a chill from the wolf blowing that cold air," Cor'lana replies, which is truthful. Her exposed bits of skin show evidence of the sort of rash that would ordinarily only be seen from too-long contact with the snow in the season so opposite to the current one. "I can treat it at home. I'm sorry to hear about the ankle, however. That must be more painful than you're showing--or you're used to that sort of pain."

She looks at Seldan and gives him sort of a sad smile. "Or you're used to hiding pain," she says. "Which I can understand, too. I did far too much of it."

It's strange, because Seldan's own skin shows barely any signs of it bothering him in the slightest, as nasty as it was. "Nay, my lady. I do not conceal it. I would be foolish to do so, as such things must rest if they are to heal. The woman was far more in need than I. I have not removed the boot to examine it yet, but I wished to leave the city ere I did so." A healer knows that there is good reason for this choice. "As with you, it will heal well enough at home, although your concern is well-taken. It is not so very painful, so long as I step carefully."

Cor'lana is not a healer, it seems, as she nods to his explanation of his sprain, not a single indication of a question in her eyes. "There I go assuming things again," she chides herself, although there's a sort of small smirk that accompanies it. "Or more aptly, projecting."

She sighs a little. "So long as you are well--and will be well--then I cannot complain. I am mostly more... perplexed and bemused by the matter of that... fellow," she says, choosing her wording for Zalgiman carefully. "I am just lucky he didn't even seem to notice my presence. I was worried that could have gone much differently."

"You refer, I assume, to Master Zalgiman." It's not a question, and Seldan lowers his tone, his demeanor suddenly becoming serious and focused. He shifts just a little, so that he is standing shoulder to shoulder with the carven pillar to his left, one of the thirteen that surrounds the mighty pool and the altar that overlooks it. Nope, totally not leaning on it at all.

"Lady Cor'lana, do not underestimate that one. He is of the Dark, and clearly so, although the aura is not strong enough to suggest an extraplanar creature. No, I think him but a powerful servant of the Hound. I cannot say if he be their leader, or nay, but it is in my mind that if it is not he who thieved the relic from Draco Solis' temple, then it is someone in his employ. I know not if someone has been tasked with its return, but does that interest you, he is likely involved."

Cor'lana nods soberly. "I... have worried about that. I have worried that he will try and seek me out specifically because of the way that I tricked him before," she says quietly, her voice taking on a certain sort of edge, a hint of fear behind the steel.

But her violet eyes take on a certain strength as she looks at Seldan. "And... yet I am reminded I cannot hide forever in my home. That I shouldn't hide behind warded walls. It's in my old instinct to do so, and yet if I do--the body is safe, but the mind..."

She pauses for a moment, and then shakes her head. "I will figure out the proper course in due time. Things are different now compared to my childhood. I have friends. I have family. I have the name of a goddess that has often crossed my thoughts and if I were to pray to Her, perhaps She would be more likely to answer than Navos would. Her Muses tell me she is compassionate."

"You speak of Vaire." The sildanyari name for Ceinara falls easily from Seldan's lips, and he nods. "The Lady of the Fire is a fickle and tempestuous mistress, but you have the right of it. Warded walls will not protect you forever, and no place is truly safe from a determined being of power." The voice of experience speaks there.

That small smile returns, and it holds something boyish within it, a flicker of joy that is almost mischievous. "Tweaking the noses of those of the Dark is a dangerous pastime, and yet is it well satisfying and in good service to all. In this case, if he can be motivated to petty revenge, it may be that he can be distracted from his true ends. Those of the Dark can often be - enticed - to serve their own ends above the ends of others, and thus may they be led to their destruction. It is in my mind that this Master Zalgiman is one such. He said, that a man stands on his own two feet, and indeed does that fit the Hound's false teaching. But, if that be his mind, his own pride may be the means by which a group may entrap him."

Cor'lana can't help but return that smile, albeit in a wider form than Seldan's. "That's an expression that suggests you have stories, Seldan," she says, addressing him in that familiar way she had before by the end of their last conversation. "I assume they don't involve you pulling down the front of your dress a little to entice servants of the Dark, but I could be wrong. I frequently am, and sometimes it's to my own pleasure." Truly a budding Ceinaran if the desire for the story is what's piqued her interest.

For many people, making paladins turn interesting colors is a pastime. Seldan's eyes immediately go to the marble floor at his feet, and even in the dim light here, his fair skin noticeably darkens, his armored shoulders hunching with embarrassment. He coughs a couple of times, but at length looks up, draws a deep breath. "Er. Several seasons past now, there was a powerful vampire harassing the city, and indeed is he part of the reason why teleportation is banned within the city walls. His name was Kol Demontry. A powerful foe in his own right, and a master of seizing minds and using others to his benefit to satisfy his lust for blood and pain, he was also in the employ of the fae queen that was responsible for the plague in the city."

"I personally crossed swords with him on several occasions, and too often did I come out the worse for it, but in so doing was I able to learn something of his mind. Of his lust for blood, and desire for mine. Of his love of the fight, in which he found passion, though I know not why. I recalled also a thing told to me by Mithralla, who had attempted to finish him by holding him in running water. He thought it effective, but lacked the strength to accomplish it himself."

"On the day in which he burst the temple fountain and sought to infect all present, I was able to lure him into the water by spilling my own blood and inviting him to drink of it. It took six of us to hold him under long enough to destroy him, but destroy him we did. Thus may evil be brought low by its own vices."

That flushing gets a stifled giggle from Cor'lana, who looks positively delighted to see such a reaction from such a reserved man. But she listens to the story without adding any colorful commentary or any jokes at Seldan's expense. At the very least, she's a good listener. "So he was fixated on you, and you used that to your advantage," she says thoughtfully after a moment.

She puts a hand to her chin, her eyes looking downward. "I'll have to invest in a tighter bodice on a low-cut dress. Madame Sandy could help me there. Although she might get too enthusiastic that I finally have an interest in the more scandalous clothes she has to offer."

Cor'lana grins widely, looking up at Seldan. "After all... if you're trying to lure a dog into a trap, you have to provide it with an appetizing-looking meal, even if the meal has no intentions of being eaten. Do you think it'd work?" There's truly a sort of twinkle in her eyes that is full of mischief, mirth, and cunning. The girl is truly of fey descent.

Again, Seldan manages to look uncomfortable, his eyes going to the floor, and this time, he swallows. It's a truly boyish appearance he's putting on. "Er, it could, but - such wiles have their limit. It is in my mind that the true desire of a servant of the Hound is power. He believes himself mightier than any, and thus deserving of the Hound's favor. But, no matter how mighty one is, they are still but one, and may be laid low by a like-minded group working in concert. A woman's wiles will not distract him for long, but feed his ego, convince him of his power, and the trap will be more sound and better laid."

"And if it comes from someone that has tempted him before, someone that he's fixated on," Cor'lana says, continuing off Seldan's conclusion, "then that's all the more powerful of a lure. I'll have to think about it some more. I have friends and allies that are gathering more information about him--and I think it's time we make a strike rather than wait for the Hound's servants to make another advance."

Her expression turns to a soft smile. "And my apologies, Seldan. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I am... Not an open book, but I am learning I have a whim for being free with my words if it's warranted to do so. Perhaps that's what drew me to Vaire."

Again, Seldan draws a deep breath, and when he looks up again, his expression has settled again into a serious focus that has just a touch of impassive neutrality to it. The color, however, has not entirely vanished. "That is well. I must depart the city for a few days, but will return when I may, and I wish you and yours the best of luck in finding more information. And, you have not offended me. I am well aware of the power of such wiles." Hey, I like them too, he leaves unsaid. "I merely - wished not to offend in my response to you."

"This only would I advise you and your friends," he warns. "I am no slouch as a swordsman, and I would be hard put in a fight against one such. I advise against challenging him directly."

From Seldan's hip, a crotchety old man's voice pipes up. "What you mean, Seldan, is that you like women's breasts as much as I do."

if anything, Seldan's color darkens more. "Kanian, enough. She belongs to another." He still hasn't looked up.

"That doesn't stop you looking, boy - or finding another set to look at."

"You know why it is that I do not."

"How are you going to carry on the family line this way?"

"I shall not. It is enough that my father's brother and his children do so. We have discussed this."

The pair seem entirely to have forgotten about Cor'lana.

Cor'lana can't help but snicker at the conversation that flows between Reunion and Seldan. "I see I'm not the only one here pressured to carry on the family line," she says. "Hello, Reunion. Or... Kanian, was it? It's true, I belong to another, just as he belongs to me. Seldan is a very nice fellow, but I'm afraid the only person I've ever truly found attractive is Telamon. The rest... have all been fictional characters in books."

She looks up at Seldan, smiling pleasantly. "I am glad you are not offended. And I am not, in turn. It takes a little more to offend me. But I will take your warning seriously. It's only an idea for now.

"Well, you're certainly a nice enough-looking young lady, are you -"

"KANIAN!" The word is echoed from Seldan and at least two other voice in the sword, both of the recognizable ones female. "You shut your mouth and mind your manners," the older, nasally female adds.

A deeper, male voice, rich and older, adds in, "Shame on you, Kanian. The Padaryn line is not false to their spouses, and does not entice others to be so."

Silence from the sword hangs in the air of the wake of the outburst.

At length, Seldan coughs. "That is well," is all he can manage.

Cor'lana listens to the conversation with a bit of a bewildered look on her face, before she looks to Seldan. "Are they... always like that?" she asks. "How do you manage to get any sleep?" Luckily, she doesn't appear to be offended by anything Kanian said.

Her expression turns sympathetic. "I thought I had it bad with Grandfather encouraging me to have children with Telamon when we're both ready for it, but goodness. There in your sword, all the time. That must be... a lot. Really and truly a lot."

It takes Seldan another moment to answer, but when he does, it is with another of those small smiles. "I can silence them, do I wish, but they are my ancestors, and their word is not without value. All the same -" So saying, he reaches for the buckle holding his well-used leather weapon belt to his hip, to a storm of protest.

"Seldan, don't you dare!" The crotchety old man pipes up again. "Please don't." "What will you do if you're attacked again?"

All of this gets ignored, as the belt is detached, wrapped around the scabbard, and the sword is stowed in the new-looking leather haversack over his back, an item that doesn't look like it should fit something that big. Blessed silence ensues.

"It is - complex," he admits. "Mal has threatened to throw it in the ocean a few times, but their advice and support is of great value to me."

Cor'lana snickers as she watches Seldan silence Reunion, her violet eyes twinkling as Seldan doesn't even deign Kanian with a response. "I can imagine," she says. "If my husband had a chatterbox of a sword that went on and on and on, I might want to throw it into the ocean, too. But I also perfectly understand wanting their advice and support."

Her gaze turns thoughtful. "After all, I also understand what it's like to be adrift with no family. Or so I thought at the time. Learning what I have has been... painful at times. But also more liberating than anything."

The violet eyes drop to Seldan's pained ankle for only a moment before she looks back up at Seldan himself, meeting his eyes. The smile renews on her face. "Well, my friend," she says, "I hope you have a safe trip out of the city. Please, if you find yourself in Alexandria again, and you want a friendly face and a cup of tea, come by my house--or come find me in the Theatre District. I'm usually there listening to other people's poetry--I haven't quite gotten the nerve yet to perform much of my own."

"I shall return, fear me not. My work is not yet done here, and I shall indeed remember. They will berate me, when next I draw them, but it is a simple enough matter to remind them that Kanian's mouth required me to do so." Seldan inclines his head, his smile small. "There is much yet to be done. Her light upon your path, until we meet again."

He shifts only a little, but it straightens him, and he clearly prepares to leave.

"Until we meet again," Cor'lana responds with a smile. She turns around as well, but then she pauses, remembering herself.

"And Vaire's verse in your heart, Seldan," she says, a smile spreading across her face. There's a sort of self-assured confidence in her steps as she walks off. Cor'lana wears her newfound faith like a well-fitting garment, which is a sharp and welcome contrast to the first time she'd sought out Seldan in the Temple some time ago.