The Basilisk

Story by Rabbit Lucien on SoFurry

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#1 of The Gwyd Chronicles


The night belongs to the cunning. A maxim held sacred to few, all others held it with spite. It was a view that was held especially true in the metropolis of Lutra. While it was seen as the most glamorous city in the country, it was also the most crime ridden. Only the most daring braved the streets at night, that or the most stupid. It was a fact that a young ferret was aware of in this warm summer night.

"Have everything?" Said the ferret to the hooded figure behind him. A scaly mouth poked out from the hood slightly, with a forked tongue popping out every few seconds to taste the air. The looming snake slithered over next to the ferret.

"Everything's prepared," said the snake that spoke with smooth tremble that held an air of nobility that could fool the very monarchs themselves. "Might I saw you look absolutely divine. Celestials themselves would want to fuck you." The snake placed a hand against the ferret's exposed hip and slightly down his leg. There was no doubt that the snake enjoyed the Ferret's outfit, rightfully so. It consisted mostly of gossamer ribbons wrapped around the ferrets pale champagne fur, with thicker strands coiling around the neck which weaved into colorful hood. One more wide strand was wrapped around the ferret's left thigh, covering his groin but leaving the right side of his body completely exposed. It was a whore's outfit, but god's be damned if it wasn't an alluring one.

"Now, now, Verdugo," said the ferret squirming out of the snake's grasp. "Get frisky and we'll lose our chance."

"Is that really such a bad thing?" Asked Verdugo as he nuzzled into the ferret's neck fur. The ferret responded by pushing away the snake's nose.

"It is with a thousand gold ermines on the line," snapped the ferret with a hushed voice. "Continue and I'll chug a vial just for you." The snake chuckled then gave the ferret one lick on the ear before backing away.

"Always so serious, Elov." Said Verdugo.

"We'll get to play when the job's done," Elov reached into a pouch hanging against his waist, conveniently disguised as adorning ribbons. From within the pouch he extracted a crystal vial with shimmering red liquid. Elov quickly uncorked the vial and downed its contents. The taste was acrid, and it scratched the throat on the way down. The power it gave was worth the discomfort, however. He could feel it there, within the bottom of his belly. Something ignited within him, a warmth that began to flow throughout his body. The power was there, ready for him to seize it. Elov placed the empty vial of velvet back into his pouch, he took note of one spare vial of velvet and another vial of gold liquid. That one was called filigree. He secured the pouch to make sure moving wouldn't rattle the vials within, and went to work.

Lord Berolt was an interesting target, he was your typical nobleman cat. Quite the gut, a fancy for political intrigue, posh demeanor, and a taste for the finer things in life. What was atypical about this particular cat however, was how he fancied whores, particularly slender males. This was information that was kept behind lock and key, fortunately Elov had the right contacts for such information. It was a pain to get and he owed quite a few people some favors, but it made sense why it was so secret. If this information would slip then the Lord would find himself in loads of trouble. Should the information slip, then a ruined reputation would be the least of his problems.

Elov was able to obtain not only where he would normally find his whores, but also what time, what species he hired the most, and what particular tastes he favored. Elov had mostly everything down to the letter, he was slender, quite attractive if he did say so himself, and was barely wearing anything. While it was true that Berolt only picked squirrels and mice, Elov could rely on velvet to carry him through the rest of his plan. So all that was left was to clear the corner of competition, which was only one vixen, and convince the Lord once he came.

Elov approached the street corner, brightly illuminated by those new electrical lamps the city had recently installed. The Vixen stood by the lamp seeming rather alert, with good reason, the streets at this hour were dangerous. Who knew what strange ruffians one would encounter randomly.

"Beautiful night isn't it?" called out Elov, which caused the vixen to jump and spin towards Elov reaching behind her but not quite drawing out her hidden weapon. She softened as soon as she saw what Elov was wearing. "Getting much work tonight?" The vixen didn't answer right away, she eyed the ferret before her cautiously.

"A few clients," said the Vixen crossing her arms. "Heard a fat cat comes by around this time, so I'm trying my luck."

"Yeah well I can't have that," Elov reached into his pouch, causing the vixen to fully draw out her knife in panic. "How much?" Elov held a pouch, she seemed dumbfounded by the question. This wasn't Elov's first time working as a high quality slut, he'd dare say that he had enough experience to be a professional slut. He knew what an amateur looked like, and he also knew how desperate for money amateurs were. On top of that, bribing someone and making a friend was always better than fighting them and making an enemy. Sort of like buying a favor.

"Pardon?" Asked the vixen, still quite confused. Elov rolled his eyes. Beginners these days were getting more simple by the year.

"How much will convince you to leave?" Elov made sure he said each word clearly. Now velvet was a curious source. When using potions the caster needed to realize that efficiency was key. Users of velvet were seen as skilled based on two factors. One, how efficient you were when using the art, and two, how subtle you could be when using it. Efficiency with velvet involved reading a person, what they wanted, what drove them. It didn't take a genius to realise that a starting off street whore could be easily persuaded with the right amount of coin. Velvet simply gave the extra nudge to move things along more quickly, but a skilled velvet user would give the right nudge. One could nudge on the vixens desire to go home and be safe, but Elov could sense something more.

Hm, a family, Realized the ferret. The Vixen's maternal instinct was much more vulnerable, and in turn it would take much less velvet to influence. All she needed now was a nudge. Think about your cubs, you can be feeding them right now with the money you'll be getting. Enough to feed them for weeks.

"Twenty," said the vixen finally.

"Fantastic!" said Elov as he opened the pouch full of silver coins and began to count them out.

"You're serious?" Asked the Vixen in disbelief. "You'd give me twenty copper rats, just for me to go away?" Elov stopped counting his silver wolves and deadpanned the vixen. He rolled his eyes in slight frustration and sealed up the pouch.

"Just take the whole pouch and get out of here," he said tossing the pouch. The ferret walked over to the lamp and leaned against it while he waited.

"T-this is silver!" exclaimed the vixen.

"You don't say?" said Elov as he checked his reserves of velvet. Still plentiful, barely used any. "You have your money, run along before I change my mind."

"T-Thank you so much, sir!" Said the vixen as she bowed her head, which caused the ferret to groan in discomfort.

"I said go!" Elov began to shoo away the competition with a dramatic flap of his arms. Finally she ran off, vanishing into the night. "And don't show it to anyone they'll just mug you!"

Several minutes later, Elov spotted a black mechanical cart making its way towards the street corner. The ferret assumed his persona, moving his right foot forward, showing off the exposed half of his body. Keeping his hood down, he waited for the machine cart to stop before him. The rear door opened to reveal a rather portly cat, tabby from the looks of it. Elov couldn't quite make out all the features mostly because the street lamp wasn't strong enough to completely illuminate the area. The cat's green eyes could reflect what light they could draw and were bright in the darkness. The eyes narrowed slightly as they looked upon Elov, they quickly scanned the ferret then the surrounding area. The cat stepped into the light.

He was clad in regular nobleman's attire. Black suit with an equally black vest and mantle. Top hat and cane to complete the set. While black wasn't the usual color for nobility, it made sense if someone didn't want to get spotted talking to whores in the night.

"I don't suppose you've seen more of... your kind out here, have you my sweet?" Asked the cat with low voice accented with a purr.

"Been a slow night, my lord," Elov ignited the velvet within him, gently nudging desire for only a single person rather than for multiple. He also sparked a desire for ferrets in particular. Elov was pushing a desire that wasn't vulnerable and sparking an entirely new one from nothing, which consumed a substantial amount of velvet. "You shouldn't worry though, I can make up for the lack of variety." The ferret drew close to the cat and gently draped his arms over the lord's shoulders. Velvet allowed him to sense the cat's slowly growing desire, he gave that emotion another push.

"I-I must say," stammered the cat as he took out a cloth handkerchief and wiped his paws. "I've never seen one quite like you around here."

"I come out on rare occasions," said Elov. "When the mood strikes me. If you will forgive my forwardness, do you mind if we skip the pleasantries? You look like someone who could use some company tonight."

"Um..." said the cat caught off guard. "Y-Yes of course. Before we engage in business, erm, what sort of eccentricities will you indulge?"Elov leaned in to kiss the cat, their lips met for only a brief moment while Elov gave the cat's desire a sharper than normal push.

"Nothing involving blood and we should be fine," said the ferret after drawing back. "One gold ermine the hour, deal?" the cat nodded, almost vigorously. Elov was then gently taken by the paw, being shown manners fit for any noble, not exactly something he was used to but he knew how to behave.

"Then let us be off my dear," said Lord Berolt as he guided the ferret to the mechanical cart. "By the way, how may I address a creature as fine as yourself?"

"Anything your heart desires my lord," Said the ferret as the cat ushered him into the cart. He sat down at the end, gently resting against the soft cushioned seats.

"Do you, um, mind Stefan?" asked the Lord as he joined Elov.

"Stefan it is," said Elov giving the cat a wink. The Lord was probably blushing underneath his fur, which only meant that he was enjoying Elov's service. It was not every day one could be charmed off their paws for the night. Elov scooted closer to the cat, sensing that the action made him more nervous. Elov nudged that emotion down slightly, it was enough for the the cat to raise his paw tentatively. After a bit more encouraging, he finally rested it against Elov's belly. It slowly began to travel down. The ferret leaned in to the taller cat and drew him into another kiss, this time allowing their muzzles to part and to intrude the other one with more vigor. Elov stifled a groan of pleasure as he felt a series of soft pads reach into the cloth covering him and gently rub the sheath within. The other paw traveled down Elov's back and rested at the base of his tail. The Lord began to rub the base, teasing, twisting. Elov felt a finger slide down below his tail, and the ferret removed himself from the cat. "I'm all for doing it here, my lord, but wouldn't you rather some place more private?"

"Y-Yes of course!" Said the cat, he immediately removed his paws from Elov and ducked his head in shame. "My apologies." Granted it was not all the Lord's fault that he was so forward, at times the ferret couldn't help himself. Elov responded by placing his legs over the cat's lap and leaned into the lord. The cat responded with an embrace.

"No need to apologize, my Lord." Elov said while using more velvet to regulate the cat's lust. It was at a manageable level now yet the desire was evident to the ferret. The velvet allowed him to perceive it quite clearly. He wanted this, badly.

After a lengthy trip through the dark Lutra streets, the cart finally stopped. Elov returned to a proper sitting position while Lord Berolt left the cart first and held his paw out to the ferret. Elov accepted the gesture and left the mechanical cart with a graceful stride. Before him was a large mansion blanketed by the darkness of midnight. Small torches lit up the lower areas, which revealed stained glass windows of various different renderings of tales of old. A butler left the cart to open up the main gate of the mansion. Instinctively Elov ignited velvet to reduce the butler's suspicion, one could never be too carefull. Two more servants came out to greet their lord and to put away the cart.

"Shall we, Stefan?" Said the Lord as he gestured towards the mansion.

"Lead the way, my Lord." With that Elov was lead inside. Both strode into the darkened home, illuminated only by the dim moonlight cascading through the stained glass. Despite the darkness both could see relatively well without it. It was better for Elov, he preferred to not show his face as much as possible tonight. Finally, they made it into a rather spacious room. The window was large enough for the moon to shine in, and illuminate the lavish decor and furnishings. What Elov noticed right away was the massive poster bed that could fit quite a few people if the Lord wished it so. Silk sheets and pillows were neatly placed on the bed, and a bottle of wine and some glasses were on the nightstand next to the bed. There were dressers, mirrors, closets, and additional benches, all adorned with the house sigil or trinkets.

"Would you like a moment, Stefan?" Asked Lord Berolt as he closed the door and locked it. "There is space over there if you would like some privacy."

"Yes, my Lord." Said Elov as he released the Lord's paw and moved over to the corner of the room where there was a wardrobe and a screen that could be folded to cover one's self. The ferret noticed the cat moving over to the bed, he acted quickly and took another vial of velvet from his pouch. He needed to use it while the Lord was turned away since the contents practically glowed in the darkness. He downed the silky crimson liquid and placed the vial back into the pouch before Lord Berolt could notice the other glowing vial in the pouch. He had not used much velvet through the course of the night so far, but he knew he would need as much as he could hold in a few moments.

Elov rounded back to the Lord, realizing that he had removed his mantle and was currently undoing his vest. The cat paused as he saw the ferret stepped into the moonlight and began to undress. Elov undid the hood and allowed the strands that covered his shoulders and neck to slide off from his back. Next he took a step towards the Lord and undid the cloth that covered his sheath, practically naked, he moved in closer as he unfastened the ribbons around his chest.

"Do you need help, my Lord?" Asked Elov as he sat by the the bed and patted a space next to him.

"Y-Yes," said the Lord walking over, sitting next to the ferret and scooting close. "I would like that." Elov leaned in and began to unbutton the vest, making short work of it and moving on to the bowtie and shirt. The cat now sat bare chested in front of the ferret, there was an air bashfulness in the cat's posture. Elov could sense from the cat that he was nervous, a more forceful push would tell him exactly what he thought but it would also alert the cat that his mind was being influenced. Instead Elov began to dampen the sense of embarrassment the cat was feeling, it also helped that the ferret began to rub the cat's exposed belly. Elov would never admit it openly, but he had a weakness for "cute things" and seeing the lord like this made him seem absolutely adorable. Perhaps the cat didn't know, but he wore his weight well, it was a very fitting image for him and one that he should be proud of. Elov further accented that opinion by sinking his muzzle into the cat's belly fur and breathing in his scent.

Elov didn't need to ask the Lord if he was enjoying the treatment, he could hear the noble cat stifling very faint groans of pleasure as Elov kneaded into the soft furry flesh. The ferret began to descend lower, until he finally reached the bulge between the cat's legs. The cat gasped as he felt the ferret sucking through the fabric, slowly teasing the cat as his trousers grew tighter.

"May I, my Lord?" Asked Elov as he placed his paws on the button of the trousers.

"Please," he said in a quivering voice. He had wanted this for a while now, the ferret wondered that maybe he was pushing the Lord just a bit too much. No harm done, however. Elov decided to stop teasing the Lord and unbuttoned the trousers, the stretched fabric of the undergarments was pulled down and Elov had to jerk back from the sheer size of the hardened member nearly slapping him.

Oh, my... thought the ferret as he held the cat's throbbing shaft in one paw, his fingers could barely reach around the girth . It's huge! Elov admitted that this was a detail not mentioned by the whores he had drawn information from. Elov saw no reason why the cat was so shy now, something like this would even put Verdugo to shame. This is going to hurt coming in. thought Elov, not at all deterred. Better get to work then. Without further delay he drew the member into his mouth and was rewarded with another gasp from the Lord. Elov began to rub the soft nubs of flesh that are common with a cat's dick. The ferret began to lose himself as he breathed in the fur at the base of the sheath, he began to desire the sounds the cat made more and more. A stifled moan here, a restrained gasp there. He wanted him to cry out, to exclaim his pleasure and to beg for more. It was getting to a point where if the Lord would not give him what he wanted, then Elov would have to force it out of him. He looked up towards the cat, the curve of his belly made it difficult to make eye contact but he managed. Eyes locked on each other's gaze, the cat's were begging for more, the ferret's were demanding attention. And then, Elov took his velvet, and shoved.

"S-Stefan!" Gasped the cat. "I'm close."

"Is that bad, my Lord?" Asked Elov as he removed himself from the shaft but kept a firm grip on the slick surface, gently prodding the nubs at the head and licking the tip every so often.

"Uhm..." began the cat, hesitation evident. Elov was done playing games. he snuffed out the shyness, which turned out to be quite difficult, and elevated his desire. "I would like to finish inside of you...I-If you don't mind." A grin spread across the ferret's face. He began to climb up the bed, reaching all the way up to the headboard. He was going to let the cat fuck him, but he would have some more fun first. Elov did not sense any objection, and it seemed that the cat understood what he wanted to do first. So without any hesitation, the ferret lowered himself over the cat's face.

This time the Lord's paw's were free to roam, finally digging into the ferret and spreading him out as he began lick the opening. This time it was Elov's turn to gasp, he felt the rough tongue explore the entrance before it, prodding, teasing. Was he allowing his feelings to get carried away? A bit. Was he pushing the cat with velvet a bit too aggressively? Most definitely. But if he cared then he would have still shown signs of hesitation. It was both obvious what they both wanted. Elov wanted to play, and Lord Berolt wanted to be played with. Elov obliged by Rocking his hips lower, seeing if the cat would take the hin--

"Oh gods!" Cried out the ferret as he felt the tongue enter him, coarse surface rubbing against all of his sensitive spots. He wanted the cat and he was not about to wait any longer. He trembled as he felt his length leaking, begging to be touched. The ferret then flinched when he felt a soft paw wrap around his member. He did not stifle his moan, nor did he make any effort to be quiet. Especially when the cat began to rub his pads over the slick and sensitive flesh. However, as soon as the overwhelming pleasure came, it vanished. The Lord had released the ferret and his tongue had left the opening. He pushed the ferrets hips off his face, causing Elov to stumble forward and hold on to the headboard for support. Lord Berolt then slid off the bed and walked over to the nightstand. He returned with a vial of clear liquid, he held it gingerly as he found his voice. Elov gave his confidence a shove.

"On your knees, Stefan," Said the cat, and Elov obeyed. The ferret turned away from the lord, presenting himself while curling his tail up his lower back, and gently swaying it from side to side. Elov heard the cat uncork the vial, seconds later he felt a cold, slick finger prod him. The teasing was driving him mad, the slow agonizing prodding that only made time crawl slower. A warmth overtook him as he felt the cat insert his finger, spreading the cold oil into him.

Just plough me already, thought Elov, a thought that he had sent out through velvet. The cat received it. Elov was confirmed of this as the Lord began to spread him, and as gently as he could, he entered the ferret. There was a flash of pain, but only a brief one. Elov was no stranger to intimacy, but he could never quite get the initial entry to be painless. Besides, the cat was rather gifted after all. The ferret was reminded of that fact once he felt the Lord slide in a bit more. Elov sank into the bed as he felt every single barb of flesh moving within him. Again, not quite painless, but the ferret felt jolts of pleasure none the less. Then, without going any deeper the cat climbed up to the bed, sitting up as he embraced the ferret and sank a few inches deeper.

Elov felt the warmth of the Lord pressing up against him, the pounding of his heart, the rough breathing that the ferret could feel against his back. It was bliss, it reminded him of Verdugo. The ferret found it ironic that not only was the cat imagining him as whoever this "Stefan" was, but Elov had been doing the same thing as well. In his own way. The Lord did not have bulging muscles, smooth scales, or the prominence of the snake, but velvet could do wonders. He did find that the cat was giving him something that Verdugo never did however. Tender affection. Elov found himself basking in the feeling, draining every ounce of it that he could get from the Lord. He was starved of this emotion that he could never sense from Verdugo.

It was a curse among frequent users of velvet, you always knew how people felt about you. You use that ability so much that you begin to use it on instinct. Whoever this Stefan character was, the cat truly loved him. Elov felt it with the embrace, the way the Lord nibbled on his neck, and how was being fucked. It was an addicting sensation.

Elov began to cry out once again, feeling the force of the cat hammering into him. Each thrust bringing more and more pleasure. Until finally, it was all too much for the ferret, he released, seed spurting out and falling onto the sheets. The sudden spasms of pleasure shot through his body, tightening his hold on the cat. Before long the lord began to moan as he tightened his embrace on the ferret and shot his load. Small streams of white slowly dribbled out of Elov, pooling by the cat's sheath.

"Stefan," panted the cat after his relief. "I love you." That was when Elov snapped out of his bliss induced haze.

You have a job to do, thought the ferret. Focus! Suddenly the Lord collapsed onto his bed, releasing Elov and leaving him to sit up on the bed. The ferret straightened himself, getting the cat the slide out of him and allowing his senses to slowly return. He checked his reserves of velvet, just enough for the final stage. Shifting his focus back to the Lord, he encouraged his mind to seek out slumber. Before the cat fell asleep. Elov stood up, taking a sheet and wiping off any left over mess on him with it and tossing it aside as he approached his pouch. His legs were shaky, his muscles sore, along with other areas that had been strained quite a bit. Filigree would fix that. The ferret took the shimmering vial of gold fluid and downed the contents.

A new source of power appeared within him, radiating with unparalleled brilliance. He tapped into it, and immediately felt relief sweep through his body. He had taken three vials already however, and began to feel a slight pain creeping through his veins. A constant throbbing of dull pain coursing through him. No more vials for tonight unless he wanted to cough his intestines out. Potions aside, he reached for his hood and placed it over his head. With a light step he left the room.

There were little to no servants in the mansion, Elov noted this as he strode through the hallways completely naked save for his hood. His outfit did not cover much anyway, and he wasn't planning on being spotted. Apparently Lord Berolt wanted to take extra precautions of no one discovering what he did in lonely nights. Absolutely no servants were on the upper floor and only a few on the lower one. Presumably keeping watch should anyone come in the middle of the night for whatever reason. Elov began searching through the rooms, most of them were drawing rooms and guest quarters. He also found the study but it would not contain what he was looking for, it did however have a window. Elov walked into the room and propped open the window, no servants in sight, and it was facing away from the city streets. It was a perfect spot. He looked out the window, not finding any place to jump off or climb. So he cupped his hands over his mouth and used them to make a gentle sound that carried out into the air. It resembled one of the calls of those birds that found their voices to be so alluring. Elov hated them to be honest but he was not going to deny how useful it was for these situations. Moments later, a rope appeared out the window, heading towards the roof.

Elov leaped to the rope and held on, he sensed his partner in the roof above and mentally sent out a signal to pull him up. Slowly the ferret began to ascend. Once he reached the edge, he was pulled up the rest of the way by a strong scaly hand.

"Showing up with nothing but a hood," said Verdugo. "Have half a mind to fuck you right here."

"And have the servants find us?" Asked Elov. "Keep it in your slit at least until we get back to the guild. Do you have my things?"

"Of course," said Verdugo as he swung a pack off his shoulder. He handed it to the ferret. "Any idea where it is?"

"My guess is the lower floors," said Elov as he opened the pack and took a black gambeson and trousers. "How many vials have you taken?"

"Just some azure to get here," said Verdugo as Elov placed some patches of leather armor for vital areas, and a belt with a dagger on it. "How about you? I can see curse marks around your eyes."

"Three," said Elov. "Two velvet and one filigree."

"Fine, no more vials for you," said the snake as he held up a gold and blue vial. "I have one more azure and filigree should we need it."

"And I still have a bit of velvet and the rest of my filigree inside me," nodded Elov. "Let's go."

Despite having to slither everywhere, Verdugo was quite adept at sneaking. Elov barely had to worry about him making a mistake, even if a few servants were wandering around the lower floor. The vault room was not exactly well hidden and the duo managed to find it with little effort. It was locked however, and Elov was forced to use his lockpicks. They both donned their masks, Verdugo having the visage of a wolf while Elov had one of a lizard. Should anyone happen to stumble by, at least they wouldn't get a good look of their face. Elov got to work.

"So how was he?" Asked Verdugo, constantly looking down the halls for servants or maybe even a possible guard.

"There's a reason I needed filigree," replied Elov. "Don't understand why he's so shy, he's massive." Eov could tell Verdugo was grinning behind his mask.

"Now I wished it had been me to sneak in and scout the area."

"You're too intimidating," said Elov with a hushed chuckle. "Would have scared him off."

"Velvet would have helped," shrugged the snake.

"Unless you want to completely dominate his mind I don't see him letting you inside his bedroom."

"Just let me have the fantasy will you?"

"We're in," said Elove as the lock clicked and he swung the door open. Both Elov and Verdugo went in, using the vial of filigree to illuminate the complete darkness of the room. Immediately, the target reflected the light and revealed itself. There sitting on a display was a jeweled brooch, shaped like a resplendent flower with petals made of amethyst. Each one carefully cut to perfection. Elov quickly took it and placed it inside his pack. Meanwhile Verdugo raided the other displays of rings and pins. With the treasure neatly stored the duo made their way back upstairs, searching for an appropriate window to leave from. Verdugo spotted one at the far end of the mansion and began to slowly slither towards it, meanwhile Elov used the last of his velvet to send a quick radial blast of energy in all directions. It was useful to see who was alert or actively searching for them, it also gave a small hint at what the person was feeling.

"Hold on," said Elov, causing the snake to stop. "Go ahead without me, I'll catch up." The snake pause for a second, then nodded and continued on his way. The quick scan of the mansion had depleted the rest of his velvet but it was enough to sense that the Lord, was wide awake, still in his room, and emitting an intense sensation of longing. Elov wasn't sure what drove him to investigate, perhaps it was curiosity, maybe just a bit of guilt. The only crime that the cat had really committed was being dishonest with his feelings, a crime Elov himself was guilty of. Moments later Elov found himself standing by the entrance of the room. The cat was indeed awake, sitting on his bed, still naked. He looked at Elov, something indescribable in his eyes. Or was it that there was simply nothing there?

"You're a charmer," said the Lord.

"And you knew that I was influencing you the entire time," Elov walked into the room and sat down on the bed. The ferret removed his mask and took off his pack. "You knew something was up, why go on with it?"

"I still don't know," said Lord Berolt. "I guess I just wanted a change of pace, and I heard charmers could... make illusions."

"Could have asked me while you were inside me," said Elov. "I would have done it."

"Something stopped me," the cat moved over next to me, I leaned into him. "I don't know, I just think we both understood something about each other."

"Side effects of velvet," explained Elov. "Temporary connections of mind, makes sex incredible."

"I'll agree to that," said the Lord. "So what did you take?" Elov responded by taking out the brooch. "Ah, of course. Should have known that word of that would have gotten out."

"You seem more alright with me stealing your valuable trinkets than most nobility." said the Ferret.

"I honestly hate it," said the cat with a shrug. "It's mean to be a betrothal gift for the daughter of a viscount. Or at least a sort of offering of betrothal, house politics and all that. Don't really know the girl at all to be honest."

"I see," Elov placed the brooch back into his pack. "So who's Stefan?"

"...Someone from long ago." was all the cat said. Elov did not need velvet to know how much affection the noble had for this person. "So who were you imagining while we were..."

"Fucking?" offered Elov. "My partner in crime I suppose. Never really had the courage to tell him how I feel."

"Take it from me, ferret," said the cat. "Don't sit around waiting, you'll regret it." they sat there in silence, after enough waiting Elov unbuckled the belt around my waist.

"If you're ever tired of the usual politics," said Elov. "Show this dagger to any watch maker in the market district. Tell them you want to see the owner."

"Then what?" Asked the Lord taking a hold of the belt with the dagger attached.

"You'll start your descent into a life of crime," said Elov as he stood up and made his way to the window. "The guild could use someone like you."

"...I'll consider it," said the cat.

"I need to be on my way, no need to pay me obviously."

"Most expensive lay I've ever had to pay for,' chuckled the Lord.

"But it was worth every coin," smiled Elov.

"Before you go," asked the Cat. "Who are you?" Elov simply smiled even wider. He donned the mask, a reptilian visage with ruby red eyes gazed upon the cat. It made the Lord widen his eyes in surprise. He knew that face, on the newspaper, from rumors, from stories of his exploits.

"I'm the Basilisk of course. Until next time, my Lord." With that Elov opened the window, and leaped into the night.