escordvi | closed 🪶 it's a long way down to the bottom of the ocean...

[Benedikta scratches at her neck—this robe is getting both heavy and far too itchy for her liking and she has half a mind to just throw it off herself and finish the job. Then again... as the trio walk through the corridor that never seems to end, she does wonder quietly to herself if this "woman" is even saveable. She heard the horrific stories, and she can only guess what that means. But if getting her out of here would mean living a more normal life instead of whatever her "master" deems suitable for her...

"Please have a seat." The voice pulls Benedikta free from her thoughts yet again as the woman gestures to the velvety couch in the middle of yet another grand, albeit dark and gaudy, sitting area. "Would you like anything to drink? Or maybe something to eat?"]

[Compared to Benedikta Alhaitham has no real strong opinions himself—and while he won't deny that part of it is due to him naturally distancing himself from most things, at the same time he isn't one to take any story at face value until he sees it for himself. But so far, he has to admit that the things he's heard does seem to line up with what he's seeing so far... for better or worse.

It's not much longer now that they're eventually led to a sitting area with more design tastes that he can again imagine Kaveh making more commentary about, and it draws out a small snort from him despite himself. The woman looks to him then, those unearthly eyes still looking at him as if with the intent to pry something off him.

"Is there anything you want, good sir?" she asks him the same question again, and Alhaitham can see the moment when the intent look in her eyes turns into something strangely excitable. Why, though, is a reason he can't quite fathom.

Not that it matters at the end, since its not like her looks do anything to him at all. So he shakes his head and returns with a simple,] I'm fine.

[Benedikta watches the woman with care, amber eyes locked on to her every move as she slowly lowers herself to sit on the velvety couch, and she lifts a hand to give a sharp clear of her throat.]

I will have some tea. With lemon, if you don't mind.

[The woman looks at her as if Benedikta has just said something utterly offensive, and she swears she can hear her gritting her teeth from the other end of the table before she smiles sweetly. "Of course. Please make yourselves at home. I will fetch my master... and your tea."

Meanwhile, she casts another glance at Alhaitham and waits for her to leave before she speaks up.]

Surely there is something in here describing the nature of them.

[The woman's reaction to Benedikta when she asks for a drink does not go unnoticed by Alhaitham, though he wisely elects to not say or do anything that would indicate as such. For better or worse showing indifference is something that comes easy enough for him, though its never been something he employs as often as people might think.

Still, that's neither here nor there, and Alhaitham continues to maintain his state of placid disinterest until the woman leaves them for the moment to get Benedikta her tea. Once she's gone Alhaitham drops the mask fairly quickly, glancing over to Benedikta as she speaks.]

That's assuming he didn't destroy said information for some reason or other. [That woman, and those eyes of hers... it doesn't sit well with him, that's for sure. Not to mention Kaveh having mentioned to him about his attempt to coax the very same man out of all of this. The pieces are there, but the puzzle that he's trying to put together from it is proving elusive.] It might be something we'll have to take a chance on.

[She pulls her hood down for a better view of the room and stands right up again from the couch. She's been granted some time to snoop, but not much, so she might as well make the best of it.]

If it worked, then I don't see why he would discard it.

[She rolls her shoulders in a shrug as she begins her haphazard search, throwing open a drawer in the coffee table, picking up random books and flipping through them... All while making no effort at all to hide the fact that she has.]

Though, I very much doubt we will find anything in here. I'd be very surprised if he was so careless as to leave a recipe like that sitting out.

You could turn that very same question the other way around: would he have any reason to keep it, after having gotten what he wants?

[Granted, there is always a chance of that logic not holding true, but considering things as they know it right now... its hard to tell.

Unlike Benedikta he stays in place as she goes around to snoop through anything she can lay her hands on in the room, blinking once at her lack of regard on not putting things back to how they were after rifling through them. That's... certainly not the most subtle of searching, if he has anything to say about it.]

I doubt we'd be able to find the exact proof at first pass either, but any other clues would be just as helpful. [Such as the nature of that woman... there's definitely something inhuman to them, but it's hard to place a finger on it.] As long as it is something that'll allow us to actually have a face to face conversation with the alchemist.

[It's definitely not the most subtle way, and with how she's tossing things back, it looks like a small wind has blown through. And it has—it just takes human form in her.]

Do you suppose he has a lab someplace in here? Or an office that we could sneak into?

[Benedikta arches a brow, and flips open a book, but she glances over her shoulder at Alhaitham.]

I only ask because that woman seemed rather taken with you...

[Her words hang.]

[Frankly with how much noise Benedikta is already making from her less than subtle ransacking Alhaitham doubts that their actions are going unnoticed, so there really isn't much of a point in covering it back up. Thus he doesn't bother with any attempt at all and just continues to stay where he is.]

He has to have had conducted his work somewhere, and there hasn't been any indication of it being performed outdoors. [Even if this particular house is somewhat secluded Alhaitham has no doubt that his work wouldn't have stayed unnoticed for long, with the kind of place Eltrut is.] I'd be surprised if he didn't have one.

[The only question now is of course where that might be...

...but before Alhaitham can fully immerse himself in that line of questioning Benedikta speaks up again, bringing up a remark that has him blinking back at her in mild confusion for a moment, and then faint irritation.]

I do not have any interest in the likes of her. [For one, she isn't Kaveh. Secondly... well, the first is good enough, frankly. There's hardly any reason for him to consider anyone else when Kaveh already exists.]

I didn't say you did.

[Irritation that goes in one of Benedikta's ears and out the other, nothing more than rain off her back because she sees an opportunity.

She pauses when she finds a few coins on the fancy oak desk on the other side of the room, and she pockets them.]

I am simply saying that we could use that to our advantage.

[Sorry, Alhaitham. She may respect you, but she is not above using people for her own gains. And besides, it's for him, too!]

[Honestly Alhaitham is more annoyed by the momentary assumption that Benedikta thinks he'd be swayed by some random woman for no reason other than physical attractiveness, especially when she doesn't even hold a candle to Kaveh, but since that particular misunderstanding has been cleared up he's perfectly fine with moving the conversation along—

—and said conversation now goes onto... well.

Alhaitham lets out a heavy exhale through his nose as he crosses his arms over his chest, a difficult expression coming onto his face. He sees what Benedikta is suggesting, and for the most part he does agree with her idea and sees why it would work, it is just... well. Putting on an act for Azar had been one thing, but the feign interest in somebody who he could care less about? That's a whole different thing altogether.

Then again, if he changes it to how he might use that 'interest' to his advantage... maybe he could make it work.]

Alright. [He voices out his agreement a moment after his exhale, dropping his arms down from his chest as he makes his way over to where she is.] What signal should I give to warn you?

[They don't have too much time before the woman returns, so best to quickly settle things while they still can.]

Hm.

[Benedikta wishes she could say that she would just go in there with him, but...

She presses her lips together thoughtfully, as she pockets what appears to be a letter opener, but to her, it is an easy throwing knife for if things get a little dicier.]

Not to worry, I won't leave you waiting for long in there. But... should you need me sooner... simply whisper for me. The winds will do the rest.

[Honestly, she's a little surprised that he had agreed so quickly to it, but it's a pleasant sort of surprise.

... As the footsteps return down the hall. Only there is not one set of footsteps anymore, but two.]

[Alhaitham had agreed to it despite not being the biggest fan of it because he can see how this would probably be the best way to do things. Of course, they could just go for the violent option, but its not the best course of action when neither of them know how to deal with... whatever that strange woman actually is. Or if she is even human in the first place. It's still frankly kind of up in the air.

...and the sound of a second set of footsteps brings about a new set of concerns. Alhaitham frowns at this, then looks at Benedikta to give her a quick nod to acknowledge her words, followed by a jerk of his head as the signal for her to quickly make her move before they return—whoever they are.]

[They are the succubi, the other one accompanying her "sister" this time as they both walk into the room. Their eyes land on Benedikta first as she stands by the desk, staring back, as if she hadn't a care in the world of what they might think she was doing there... but then their eyes are quickly set on Alhaitham before they enter, almost in complete sync of each other... it's almost eerie in a way.

The one sets the cup down while the other remains near Alhaitham.

"Your tea, miss." A gesture for her to sit down, and Benedikta does as she's bid, picking it up but definitely not fucking drinking that—]

So, my partner here was very interested in seeing the work you all do here. He was wondering if he might see where all the magic happens?

[Ah so there's not just one of them, but two. Granted, the job description itself did seem to suggest as much, but he hadn't been wholly certain prior since they'd been only just dealing with the one. So at least this particular mystery is solved.

But this, of course, only brings about a new set of problems, the top of which is the fact that Alhaitham has no idea how to deal with two of these women. Well, he probably can and he will, but its not going to be any less annoying and potentially irritating.

As always, he's perfectly fine with letting Benedikta call the shots on how to make this work, and at the right cue nods to show his agreement.]

My knowledge about bioalchemy is mostly theoretical, so I'd like to learn more from his expertise. You help in this would be appreciated.

[He puts on his best innocent, gullible look then, which... is pretty much the same impassive expression that he's seen with, but bright look in his eyes is hopefully good enough to be convincing.]

[Well, on the bright side, at least he won't have to do much to impress them. Neither of them seems particularly interested in what he has to say about his knowledge in bioalchemy, or what Benedikta has to say, period...

On the not-so-bright side... well, they don't seem that interested in what he has to say, which gives her very little time to gauge the situation, because both of them are throwing themselves at Alhaitham now. One makes doe eyes at him as she circles him while the other wraps his arm with hers and pulls, aggressively.

Benedikta makes a face, and her hand nearly goes to the sword hidden beneath her robe. Magic trickles from her fingertips that he might see, but she puts all of that away immediately.

"Well, we can show you where the magic happens. I'm sure our Master won't mind~" One of them coos.]

[The... very unsubtle way in which the two women are throwing themselves at him now is doing a very fine job in reminding him why he loathes any form of attention that isn't from Kaveh. The blatant flirtatious advances, the aggressive come ons, the thinly veiled attempts at seduction... its all enough to put him much closer to the point of discomfort. Honestly, he wouldn't even be mad if Benedikta had decided to end the charade here and move on straight to the violence. He's almost tempted enough to do that himself.

But he doesn't, since it'd probably cause more trouble at this point in time, and after he casts a quick glance at Benedikta to ensure that she's in the right spot (ie. completely ignored) he (reluctantly) nods an agreement to the offer that'd been given to him. He's not so naive as to think that they are actually going to bring him anywhere that's remotely close to what they're saying here, but he can handle a few sexual advances. The more important thing right now is to give Benedikta whatever time she needs to get things done.]

[Like him, Benedikta is itching for a bit of violence. The way these girls—if they can even be called that—are throwing themselves at Alhaitham make her sick to her stomach that it's hard to watch. Not just for him, though she certainly does feel no shortage of pity for the poor man, but because if that alchemist had any decorum or even a proper conscience, he would not have done this at all.

This is no way for a woman to live, and it leaves a bad taste in her mouth like bile as she watches it all.

Violence will come, and she will be sure to put these girls out of their misery... once they have something—anything that they came for.

"Will you please come with us?"

Hardly waiting for him to answer before they are dragging him away, and Benedikta gives him a not-so-subtle nod to let him know that she will be right behind them.]

Edited 2024-05-15 04:05 (UTC)

[It's one thing to tell himself to be ready for it, but its another thing entirely to actually go through with it himself. Both women prove to be just as troublesome as the other, almost working in tandem to drag him out of the waiting area he and Benedikta had been in. They stick close to him the whole time they walk down the hallway, their breasts all but pressing against him in an act that he supposes is meant to seduce.

Of course, none of that has any effect on him whatsoever, and if anything all it really does is to make his skin crawl. Had it been any other situation Alhaitham would have already done whatever he needed to to get himself out of it, but the current circumstances isn't going to make that work—at least not without breaking their covers entirely, so all he can do is to grit his teeth and continue to put up with this.

Thankfully the walk down the hallway doesn't go on for much longer, as the women comes to a stop at a door on the side. The one closer to said door does a little wave with her finger, causing tiny sparks to fly out from her fingertip over to the door, which unlocks with an audible click and then swings open.

"Right in here, good sir," they trill to him once the way is open. Alhaitham would be a fool to not see the trap for what it is, but turning them down would most likely not fly well... is there anything else he can do to buy some time?]

...I want to see the library first. [He says after a moment, giving both of the women a flat stare.] It will give me a better understanding of his basis, before moving on to see his actual work.

[It really is too bad that these women are not at all interested in other women. While Alhaitham is handling this whole thing like a champ, Benedikta would have at least been a little less uncomfortable about it than he appears to be, and it's not like she can blame him for it. The way that they are fawning over him like that makes even her skin crawl...

Benedikta, in the meanwhile, picks up her teacup and dumps it into the nearest potted plant—or what should be one. The poor thing is as good as dead. She'll carry the cup with her, however, and peer out of the room and down the hall just in time to see them at the other end, but just as they are about to enter, they all stop, and she ducks back behind the door.

"Oh, then it's this way." And they tug him further along into another new corridor, with Benedikta following, her feet tiptoeing over her wind so as not to make a sound...]

[Try as he might, Alhaitham can't help but hold his breath a little after he'd voiced out his request—though the gesture is not so much due to nervousness, but rather to brace himself anything that might happen. With how... insistent and forward these women have been they've long since set off more than a few warning signs within Alhaitham, even if he's been doing a decent enough job of keeping his suspicion under wraps at the moment. It's going to be a matter of time, however, if things keep up the way they do.

But at the very least, they've acquiesced to his request, so that will buy them both a bit of time which Alhaitham intends to make good use of. He allows the women to lead him down this new corridor, which... looks just about the same as the previous one, really, but there are a few more signs of this house actually being lived in by someone. Some portraits on the walls, frames on small display tables, and even a bouquet of lilies... even if most of said flowers have already wilted from the lack of sunlight.

Alhaitham passes by all of those things and then some, eventually coming to a stop at one of the doors near the end of the hallway. One of them—he is no longer bothering to tell the difference between them when they're both equally annoying—opens up the door with a giggle, and the other lets out one of her own in return as she more or less unceremoniously shoves Alhaitham right inside, making sure to shut the door right after.]

[Benedikta is not far behind, and before that door closes, there will be a breeze that blows in past him—a sign to let him know that she is near, and that she knows where they had disappeared off to. She may not have much time, so she, too, intends to make the most of what he has given her.

Down the corridor she goes, opening what doors that she can... which is surprisingly quite a few. Nothing of note, of course. She would have been shocked if there were any that were left unlocked... Just some more books, more sitting areas, a bathroom, all of them looking like they have not been used in years what with the cobwebs and dust.

But there is one room at the end of the hall, close to the library, and that door in particular is very much locked... with a padlock and everything holding the door shut. She jiggles it, the sound echoing far too much through the corridor...

And inside, the two women will look over their shoulders. "Did you hear that?"]

[Alhaitham feels that faint breeze, which does give him some measure of reassurance, but it doesn't change the fact that he's basically by himself with these two women who constantly shift between discomfort and danger. The discomfort is, of course, obvious, but the danger part is still something he's trying to figure out. If push comes to shove he can defend himself, but in an enclosed space like this...

That's a bridge he'll have to try and figure out how to cross if necessary as he starts to look through the library. Truthfully he is a little surprised that they'd actually brought him to it at all instead of attempting anything else, but perhaps this might be a ploy to lower his guard, since its not like he's really made an effort to hide his wariness of them.

"Are you sure you want to keep looking at these boring old books?" One of them asks in what he assumes to be some sort of sweet, seductive tone, but to him it pretty much just falls flat. That does nothing to deter her though, and she leans forward, all but flashing her chest at him as she continues to speak. "You're such a studious man, but surely you want to take a break too? Both of us are right here—"

She's cut off by a rattling sound that Alhaitham just barely manages to make out, and he tells himself to not react too visibly as the two women look over their shoulders in the direction of the door. "Did you hear that?" they ask, their suspicions rising, and Alhaitham knows that he has to act fast here lest they decide to step out.]

Hear what? [He asks, doing his best to sound as guileless as possible—which turns out to be fairly convincing, at least in his opinion.] I'm more concerned about the fact that these books seem to have not been touched for a while now. Does your... companion no longer use them?

[At the very least, Alhaitham's disinterest only serves to fire up their determination further. They turn away from the door at his question, and there's a fire that lights up in their eyes as they exchange a look. Frustration? Anger? Something else entirely? Who is to say, but one of the girls growls something under her breath, impatience getting the best of her.

Why isn't their allure working!?!? Well, whatever.

"Not really. We haven't seen him use them." One of the girls wanders to the shelves and runs her fingers along their spines, but she looks more bored than anything. "If you'd like, I can let you see something far more interesting than these boring books..."

Meanwhile, in the corridor...]

Fucking thing...

[Benedikta hisses at the lock and she has half a mind to just blast this door to shreds. It would certainly be faster, but it might blow their entire cover. She came for information, and she is not about to leave empty handed and with only scarred eyes to show for it. She does hope that Alhaitham is doing fine in the library, because she's reaching into her pockets and pulling out a small keychain, the lockpick dangling from it.

At least her career in subterfuge taught her this much, and she makes quick and dirty work of the lock in no time, the loud thunk of it as it falls open like music to her very sore ears. The door itself is far too loud for her liking, but at least she is in.

And oh, she does not like what she sees...

Some sort of laboratory? Filled with books and papers and tools scattered everywhere with no rhyme or reason to them. She has no idea where to start, but she makes a hurried attempt to search for something—anything that will give them a hint of what this could all be about. Hell, even a recipe that they could use to sell for money... which is mainly what she was here for. The black market would kill for something like this if what she heard is true.

However...

What she does find on these scribbles...]

Fuck.

[Well, that would explain things.

It takes about ten more minutes after the initial thud of the lock for the library door to burst open with a blast of wind that pops open one of the girl's shirts. (whoops)]

Alhaitham, get out—!

[Alhaitham raises a bit of an eyebrow at both of the women's reaction, and he supposes they must have assumed that he can't hear well due to his ear pieces because otherwise there is no reason as to why one of them would say something like that right in front of him, even if utter under her breath. Doesn't change the fact that its not inconspicuous at all—even if his noise-cancelling had been turned on, he'd have been able to read her lips anyway.

Regardless, now that he's heard those words his suspicions have risen much further, and as wary as he has become now Alhaitham does his best to keep them on the down low as the other woman brings up the idea of something more interesting than books which is... well. Very much another trap if he knows one, especially after what he'd heard just now.]

I'd like to take more of a look at the books myself before making my own judgement.

[...clearly, his answer is not what they'd been wanting to hear, given the displeased frown that appears which they do not bother to hide this time, which is interesting. Either this is a slip up, or their patience is starting to get thin... Alhaitham can't say for sure, but he would not be surprised if it were the latter. Regardless, it does not matter, and he simply turns his attention to the book that's currently in his hand to resume reading.

"...So muscular and studious. You really are everything that a woman can dream of, aren't you?" The question comes after he'd spent some time reading, the words leaving in a purr from the one that'd been skulking to the side, now seemingly having decided to return from that and even ramp up this whole charade. He feels the press of her breasts against his arm as she leans into him, his skin crawling in discomfort as she slides a hand up the length of his arm. "Such a shame that you're with that lady friend of yours..."

...all Alhaitham does at this point is to blink, because he doesn't know what Benedikta has to do with any of this aside from the breaking and entering she is most likely in the middle of doing right now. Plus the other things he'd seen her take from the drawers. At least she won't be damaging any books, since he's the one in the library.

But he can tell that they're expecting... some kind of response? So he tilts his head after a few beats and says, quite simply] Yes, but she's not present here at the moment.

[The women take this answer with a fair amount of amusement, their unearthly eyes now gleaming bright with unnatural excitement.

"Yes, she isn't here at all now, is she?" the one still pressed at his arm states, her voice nearly a purr. "Just the three of us then, in this nice room where nobody can hear anything..."

She trails off to a chuckle, dark and discomforting, and Alhaitham feels that same discomfort making itself even more apparent now inside of him as the other woman chuckles too and steps closer to him. Alhaitham feels himself flinching a bit, but the woman at his arm has a much tighter grip than expected, effectively keeping him trapped in place, and that sense of danger that'd been bubbling underneath his skin is coming to a boil now. He narrows his eyes and flexes the hand of his free arm, ready to do whatever is needed to get out of this if necessary—

—but for better or worse, that's when the door to the library bursts open, the force of the wind that comes after it strong enough to rattle the books where they're kept and even cause some of the loosely packed ones to drop. But between all of that is Benedikta's warning to him, as clear as day, and it's one that Alhaitham immediately heeds to; with the woman at his arm shaken by the blast of wind he's able to push her away, ignoring the shriek that comes from that in lieu of relishing having freed himself from this before going over to where Benedikta stands, making sure to some decent space between him and the two women.]

Edited 2024-05-23 17:39 (UTC)

Fucking hells...

[She looks at the mess that she has made in just a few short seconds, a look of disgust at the two women... or not-quite-women in the room, one of them clutching her top to herself as if she wasn't just trying to lure him further in with it.]

Succubi...

[That's all the explanation that she gives to Alhaitham before she's relentlessly ripping her robes off herself so that she can better reach for her sword hidden beneath. Ugh, she really should have just gone with no robe at all.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject