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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 4-5, Reversal of Fortunes

Alarice groaned as Inigo lowered her down onto the small sofa of their well-appointed hotel room. They had both agreed that the Order of Blades fully expected them to lay low, so it only made sense to 'lay high', thus they chose one of the finer establishments in town. Not only that, but the group separated; the scholars were under the care of Wiesen, who would see to it that their clothing was suitably changed before they all checked in separately. The dragon himself would show up with Sada, and they would reserve a room as a couple.

The rest of the group was at least a half hour away, and that meant giving Inigo answers, because he was certain to ask questions. The first of which came just as quickly as expected; his paw brushed across the wound in her side and he recoiled, "What are you wearing underneath your blouse?"

She rolled her eyes mockingly, "PLEASE, Inigo... you've used that line on me enough times that I'd hardly think you'd expect it to--"

The bat leveled his gaze at her, "I mean it... what are you wearing?"

Taken aback at his insistence, she slowly raised her blouse, revealing a slightly baggy but still well-fitting tunic of sheafed mail, "I got it from one of the Order who had tried to stop us from destroying the base." she rapped her knuckles against it, "Light, flexible, and very, VERY strong... which explains why I couldn't kill him."

Inigo inched closer and rested his paw against it, "How DID you kill him?"

Alarice shrugged, "The explosion did it for me."

"And how did YOU survive it?"

She waved the concern away, wincing as the movement hurt her bruised shoulder, "Simple... he was between me and the explosion... that protected me from the worst of it, and then he fell on top of me before the roof did. His head caved in and I was left with just enough room to start digging myself out."

Inigo finally pulled back, "Spoils of war, huh?"

Alarice grabbed hold of his wrist before he could draw away. She could tell that something was bothering him. "I told you I'd be back."

He nodded, "I know... but--"

Despite the objections of her aching body, she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, "The only 'butt' I want you thinking about is mine." She stood slowly, and drew the bat to the bed, where they both sat down.

The bat did an almost convincing job of changing his expression of one to levity, "Already done." though it sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that as much as her. By the time she had him undressed, however, he seemed to have come around.

Her aches and pains were still present as Inigo held her but she managed to stifle her winces and hissed only once through her teeth; being with him greatly overpowered the discomfort and she was more than willing to put up with her body's simple objections if it meant that she could get what she wanted. Ultimately, he ended up on his back with her atop him, fingers gripping handfuls of his fur as she rode him as surely as any obedient steed.

He performed well, as was to be expected and, once she felt him give over to his release she finally let her own aching body have its own... and she let out a soft, slightly less pained sigh, laying atop him with his flesh still hilted within her. All was quiet for several seconds until she felt him shudder softly beneath her-- a moment later she heard him sniffle, followed by the feel of his wet cheek pressing against her ear, "I thought I lost you."

At first, Alarice almost thought that Inigo was kidding-- another one of his silly ploys for sentimentality, but, when she felt his arms encircle her she could tell in his embrace that it was complete truth. She rolled slowly to the side and slid her arms around him as well. Resting her chin on his shoulder she shook her head, "You're not going to lose me that easily, Inigo... I told you I'd be back."

His words came out with just a hint of anger, "Yea? Well whether you meant them or were just lying you don't always have control over--"

Her slap silenced him, and that helped reset his emotions; she wasn't one to normally strike the bat. He gazed back at her with a hint of defiance, and she took the opportunity to tell him off. "What did I tell you when you first came into my services, Inigo?"

He didn't even hesitate, "That if I did as I was told and was obedient then you'd be the best thing that ever happened to me."

"....and?"

Inigo paused, "...and that you'd never lie to me."

She nodded, "That I would NEVER lie to you." Alarice felt a moment of self-loathing as she drove the point home. Technically she never HAD lied to Inigo. Truth, such as it was, served as her play thing-- a lump of clay to be molded and shaped to suit her needs... but no, she never HAD precisely lied to him.

He sighed, slowly letting go of her. He slid further from her on the bed, and sat on the corner, looking down at his paws, "That coulda been a promise you couldn't a kept."

Alarice laid on the bed behind him for several seconds before she slid closer to him, wrapping her arms around his abdomen as she rested her head against his back, "I did keep it... and I'm back. Isn't that everything you could ask for?"

He slowly rotated, looking down at her, eyes glimmering again with tears, "They're all gone, Alarice... you're all I have."

She had already known that she meant a lot to him, but, until that moment, once everything else was gone from his life, it became readily apparent about just how much that was. It hurt her on some level, deep down, but she quickly buried that sensation in the satisfaction that his loyalty would never falter... she believed.... expected... thought... hoped. As that confidence wavered, she slowly sat up and took his paws in her hands, "Inigo... I do what has to be done in order to complete what I have to do."

His face hardened slightly in resolve, "I could have stayed."

She sighed, rolling her eyes at the infantile statement; she had expected better from him.

"Inigo, you probably would have died... besides, I got it done by myself."

He shook his head, "No... I mean I could have stayed and you could have gone."

The clarification hurt for just a moment until she quickly recovered, and tried a slightly softer tact, reaching out to cup his cheek in her palm, "That was my call, and not yours, Inny. Besides, you helped the scholars and that was important too."

A moment of frustration entered his voice, "I..." but it was quickly replaced by helplessness, "I.. I don't want to be alone... not again..." he shook his head, covering his face with his paws, "...not again..." and he started sobbing.

Alarice embraced the bat, pulling him to her as she started rocking him back and forth. It had been a long time since he had shown any emotion other than the happy-go-lucky Inny that she had come to know but, in that moment, she was drawn back to the early days of her life when she remembered Inigo's father telling her about some of the nights when Inigo would stay up, crying over the loss of his mother.

It made so much sense to her, suddenly realizing that, despite the fact that they were employer and employee, that they were boss and enforcer, that they were lovers, it only made sense that, in some twisted kind of way, she was also the only mother figure the bat had. That understanding made her a little sick to her stomach; it cut too close to home with regard to how life might have turned out... "If only things had been different."

He slowly looked up at her, sniffling, eyes still damp, "If what?"

Alarice suddenly realized that she had actually spoken her thoughts aloud. She quickly recovered, "I think I heard some footsteps coming up the stairs... come on-- I'll bet they're starting to arrive."

She admired the way that Inigo was able to compose herself at her request. While he had been a vulnerable young batling huddled in her arms mere moments before, seconds later he was the self-assured ready-to-kill henchman she had come to rely on, depend on, and, even to a certain extent... love? No, she told herself, love didn't really have a place in her life... she was deluding herself to think that there was any chance of a happily ever after with Inigo any more than there had really been a chance with his father. She promised herself that it made sense, and ordered herself to believe it-- she never was very good at taking orders.

She was thankfully given reprieve from her thoughts as she sat down with the rest of the group. Once the coast was clear everyone piled into Wiesen and Sada's room, which was larger than the rest. Alarice got straight to the point, "The Order of Blades is far more informed than any of us may have thought, and they're obviously picking up the timing on their attacks. We might have slowed them down with the destruction of their South Quarter base, but it's only a matter of time before they come at us again."

Joshew, who was sitting in the middle of the three scholars set his goblet of wine down, somehow managing to get it almost perfectly centered on a coaster, "I've said it from the beginning, and I mean it... we should go to the University for help."

Roland shook his head, then added a "No." for the benefit of the human scholar, "There's still a lot going on there-- I don't think we can rely on their help... for all we know they might think we had something to do with it because we disappeared."

Alarice nodded, "Roland is right. If we're going to the University it's to confront the issuer of my contract... if anything HE might know something about what happened since he's the one who foresaw the need for my services."

Inigo's ample ears lowered slightly, "Calling out an employer? That might be bad for business, Alarice."

She smirked, "Yea? Well not getting a better understanding of what's going on could cause more problems, but you're right, Inny-- going to the University isn't exactly the first among our options."

Roland was very forthcoming in offering the woman a segue into the rest of the conversation, "What other options do we have?"

Alarice dug into her pocket as she spoke, "The Order of Blades is only one player in this." Once she found what she was seeking she pulled the golden ring out and tossed it onto the table in the middle of the group. It rolled a few times, then came to a stop, golden cog emblem on its face staring up.

Wiesen obviously needed no education as he snorted with distaste, "Mechanists? Where did you get this?"

It was time to come clean, "You said once that you knew an Alarice-- THAT woman was the one I got this from... when I killed her."

The dragon seemed taken aback, but he simply acknowledged her words with a nod. Sada, on the other hand, had more questions, "So what IS your name then?"

The woman shrugged dismissively, "For now, Alarice is still fine." The group's response was a number of quiet whispers among one another.

Wiesen, however was content with that, and pushed the conversation forward "We're all entitled to our secrets. But what I want to know is what THEY have to do with all of this?"

It was time for a leap of logic, but Alarice felt ready, "I believe they're behind the sabotage with the Albatross."

Joshew was quick to object, "I thought you said that was the Order of Blades."

She smirked despite the blind man's inability to see it, "Someone would have had to have hired the Order."

Brother Jessen fidgeted, "Do you think it's possible that they also ordered them to attack the temple?"

Despite the answer being unknown to her, Alarice understood the benefit of having an ally to her cause, "I would say that is quite likely, Brother Jessen."

The coyote's teeth were revealed in a barely restrained snarl, "Then we will have to show them that they erred."

Alvis raised an arm and grabbed Brother Jessen by the paw, "Whoever these people are, if they're powerful enough to buy the Order of Blades then we'll need help."

Alarice smiled wide as she realized that the group was starting to reach a consensus before she'd even suggested one; it was always easier when people did what you wanted them to without you having to speak up, so she kept her mouth shut.

Sada immediately inquired of the dragon "Wiesen, what can you tell us about the Mechanists?"

The Dragon snorted, "Only that they want to control everything... they're a secret organization with their fingers in everything... Church, University... probably even some of the nobility-- I wouldn't be surprised if they had something to do with the whole succession issue here in Lehsunia... it practically reeks of Mechanist intervention."

Alvis whined faintly, "If they're that involved with the powers then what can we do about them? I mean... if all that's true we can't even go back to the University."

Brother Jessen pulled the mutt back into a seated position beside him and linked paws with him, "Do not lose faith, Alvis... we WILL think of something."

It was the perfect time for Alarice to speak up, "I already have a plan... several in fact... if you're all willing to listen." She glanced around at the attentive faces and that only strengthened her resolve-- these people were her new crew, such as they were, and she was dedicated to making it work. It was for the best, she realized, since the time of Alarice was coming to a close it only stood to reason that she would have to escape the trappings of her former life... soon, things would come to a head, and she vowed to be ready. Leaning closer to the middle of the group, her plan went into motion, "This is what we'll do..."