[Rinthoro] Bargaining is a game that works two ways

((Once again, another neo speedplay! This is canon, and fits into the plot during June, after Atoro has been made Tactician of the Surahnian Rebels, before Rintho has been seen at Celen's Fall in an attempt to take a piece of the Lighting Stone.))

It was late May and the weather was quite good today. Walking around New Racksom was a strange experience, he'd never visited the city before much anyway, but when he had it had been...horrible...now it was a great deal more pleasant, though the whole place set him on edge. The Surahs of here never took kindly to what they did not understand, or at least, would try to control or suppress it.
This time, the "it" was magic and he was a huge part of it, or rather, he /was/ magic. Rintho should have died a long time ago now, yet, with some incredible fortune that may be mistaken for misfortune by others, here he was "alive" in the loosest sense of the word and well in the most cautious.

Wrapped head to toe in the desert-like robes of further north, he was covered to every inch and masked to boot. So while he could be picked out among the sea of surahnian folk, he was also not fully revealed for what he was. To them he was just another "new" citizen...or maybe a trader.
The latter was not an entire lie, he was here on business afterall, though he kept that to himself usually. People were often inclined to disown him as a friend, association was as good as cursing their entire family when around him, it seemed.
Walking in the great square before the palace, he could see just over the other side was also the Earth Stone Tower...It all looked fittingly regal and mighty, very imposing.
It could have been his odd appearance, but nobody would speak to him. To them, he may as well have been invisible, too unworthy for their words. Good. Perhaps this would go smoother.


Atoro had been watching from the window of his room for his... Rintho was not a guest. He had been studying for the morning, but as more time passed, he grew frustrated and had abandoned his work, watching from his window for the figure he so disliked to appear.

This time, their meeting would go a lot more according to plan. They would not find themselves in Kaionar, nor would he find himself in the most humiliating state hours after the lich had done a runner.

He also would retrieve his rapier, if Rintho still possessed it.

At the first sign of the man, he left his room, shutting the door firmly and sending a servant to fetch Rintho, and bring him to one of the smaller meeting rooms in the palace. It was a little off the more well-used paths around the
king's stronghold, mainly because Atoro did not want their little tete-a-tete interrupted- and there were a lot of people to interrupt. A few chairs, a table and a side desk, a window, and a couple of tapestries on the wall- little to give Rintho an advantage, if he tried anything suspicious.

Atoro hardly expected anything else.

He stood waiting by the table as the lich was guided in,
arms folded across his chest. They had some serious business to attend to, and he was in no mood to be dealing with Rintho's usual tricks of the tongue, or feigned knowledge.


Rintho was uncomfortable meeting such a snake-like man again, one whom was happy to dispatch anyone and anything to fit him whenever he pleased.
Such a shame that men like this were so often the ones with power, but what could a mage like himself hope to do about it?

Leaving the discontent about /that/ little qualm aside, he found himself led up to a meeting room round one of the less
known sides to this palace, often reserved for the residents themselves.

As he was brought in before Atoro, he felt an immediate sense of heavy tension, or was it awkwardness? Rintho didn't want to make bets on his chances at surviving the day at any rate, lich or not. The man probably knew how to kill him, but did not have the means...at this moment.
“Lord Reimeghan" he began, bowing
to him in the usual manner.
Rintho suddenly felt painfully aware he was still holding the man's rapier and had been for a good few weeks now.

“What brings you to summon me? Am I not your enemy..."


“I am so glad my dislike of you is so transparent, Rintho," said Atoro, giving him a thin-lipped smile. Good, he did not want the lich, or anyone else, thinking they were /allies/. What with their distinctly rocky history, it would not be the case they were friends.

After all, each had tried to kill the other, and one had nearly succeeded.

“And it is for such reasons that I have had you summoned here. Do not think of trying any tricks as last time; the palace is well guarded, and you will not make it to the door.”
Warned, and at least half-convinced that Rintho would not make some foolish bid for freedom, he moved onto the real reasons he wanted Rintho's aid.

“As you still owe me for last time, for all that /trouble/ you put me through, I have orders for you. Do not think of trying to disobey me again.
First, I want to know of Jiluria, and pertaining to that, what you may have done with my rapier, in the time that you have had custody of it.”

He was not pleased with the way Rintho had taken such a valuable weapon from him.


Rintho flatly refused this, of course. Tempting fate already.
“Return it? It is like any other rapier. So with all due respect My Lord, I am sure you may find another, perhaps a better one, with your own people." He paused, and looked to Atoro, "Or am I to believe you are a people without weapons for even the highest among you?”
He spoke softly and politely, it would even sound to the untrained ear that he was complimenting Atoro.

“Now, let us talk about issues that matter, I am sure you would agree, this is a better use for our time." He hesitated a little saying this, although he seemed to keep baiting the snake, he also kept running from it too. Atoro was not to be trifled with, yet, Rintho couldn't simply feign spinelessness.


Mm, Atoro had forgotten what it was like to be sidestepped around by this one, in the time that had spanned since their last meeting.
“Rintho, you think yourself clever for sidestepping around to refuse me, but you forget, I need not even be asking you for my sword back; like any other it may be, but for it to be mine, in your possession, is not what I want. With but a snap of my fingers, I could have you hung by your ankles from the battlements, and I will have my sword back."

He had to admit, that prospect sounded very pleasing.

“However," he said, taking a slightly different tone, "I would prefer your compliance, rather than having to tease every little detail out of you." Certainly, it would make things easier. That did not mean he wouldn't hang Rintho out later for the birds to knaw on.

Leaning back a little on the table behind him, feigning relaxation, he turned his head to one side a little and regarded the man.
“Tell me of Jiluria. What is it like, as a town? Accepting, of those that are different, ways that are better? Or does it not enjoy foreign company.”
Certainly, if Rintho could survive there, there had to be hope for the Surahnians.


Rintho chose, daringly, to simply ignore Atoro's former command and rather comply on the second. Speaking about Jiluria would probably do little to change it's fate. He wasn't a man to simply be a traitor, though, he was a man that could see the reality for what it was. Jiluria would soon be under new hands, a terrible shame. To think men like this deserved to rule at all.

“There are many connecting towns in the area, it is well off, the people are...They are merchants, many of them. Traders, barterers, thieves disguised as honest people. Jiluria is much like any well to do place, you will find people of all sorts there and with all sorts of standings...Why do you ask? It is not that the Surahnians are looking to be...well received, is it?" He waited a moment before continuing. "You are only as good as your money, in Jiluria. Surahnians should not care." He was about to mention Kaionar, the nearest parallel, but then thought better of it. Atoro did not have the greatest disposition to amiability or agreeableness, even in good company, Rintho presumed. Let alone when bad events were brought to light.

“So then, I am free to leave. Good day Atoro."


Picking up on Rintho's unwillingness to oblige his command, Atoro filed hanging him from his bootlaces as "later tasks". He nodded along as Rintho described the seedy seaside port, taking particular consideration over those things that he would find only from a native of the place; those were the most important snippets of information.

He pulled up at the lich's question however.
“How the Surahnians are looking to be recieved is of no concern to you," he said, cagey about letting this wanton man know anything of their plans. He was fully adept at ruining even the most well-thought of plans, and while he could just about handle personal slip ups, public ones were another matter entirely.
Taking Jiluria was going to be a completely different thing to taking Racksom.
“Not so fast, Rintho, unless you wish to meet the eagles so quickly," he pulled him back verbally, sitting up from the table again and dropping his relaxed pose. "Do not think a few words that could have been teased out of any Jilurian wretch is going to pay your fee and let you leave after such a short time. There is a lot more I wish to know." Not everything had to be for work.
He wanted to know more about this island itself; knowledge was, after all, power.
“So, where might you be rushing off to, if I allowed you to? Some new spell ingredients, perhaps? Surely not back to Jiluria. Or is there some other event that has persuaded you into the area?"


Rintho again chose to ignore part of his words. Of course what the Surahnians were doing concerned him, most likely, they'd be the ones stealing his house, running down his livelihood and imposing their own barbaric way of life on his wonderful little slice of solace in Jiluria.

Though, the man was now pressing him, and being more personal about it too. Rintho suddenly felt all the more squeamish under his stare. It would be useless to lie, but the whole truth was not needed either. The poor man was probably terrified of the idea that using magic could light a fire, let alone what /he/ used magic for...

“Oh, not much to say on that account. I have always known folks in Racksom, so occasionally I visit, my how much has changed and so quickly.
At least the handiwork of the Surahnians cannot be criticised." He mused, dancing around any details quite blatantly, and smiling mirthlessly. "I suppose you could say /my/ affairs are of no interest to you, my Lord. However I did not want to offend you with no response, so there you have it. Though you may not believe it, my life is unextraordinary. Truly.”

He chose to quickly move on again.

“So how does the tactician spend his days in this wonderful palace of old then? Surely he is above taunting those so much lower than him...”
Rintho couldn't tell if his own words were said in sarcasm or honesty, yet they rang through clear and sharp.


Look at the pair of them, dancing round one another's questions like a pair of well trained dancers. It would almost have been comical, had it not been the distinct edge under Atoro's words that was quite menacing, at points.
“And you decided to visit at such a time that our king is setting up his new capital, what timing for you," he said, a snide edge on his voice. "I do hope you have
been made aware of the fact that magic is not held in such high value here; especially of your kind. The fact that you even /have/ a life is quite extraordinary in itself."

They couldn't have Rintho being run out of town for being green, or some other unappealing trait, now could they? And by extraordinary, Atoro did not mean it in an endearing fashion.

“I am sure you would be pleased to know that for the past couple of days, I have spent my time tracking yourself down, and you /do/ seem to have been in some interesting spots of the city. But I suppose that such affairs are of no interest to me?”

Of course, he was partially bluffing, but how would Rintho ever know that?

Stepping away from the table, he slowly paced out a few steps, watching Rintho for any odd moves.


“You are correct then Lord Reimeghan, they are of no interest to you. They are typical goings on for a peasant like myself." He lied again. Well, they were normal to him, but not others.

“Enough of this silly charade." He said in his usual soft and calm tone, and he walked toward Atoro then, but slowly enough not to simply startle him.
He stopped only two feet away from him and lowered his voice, confident that there would have been ears about, happy to eavesdrop.
“Let us end all speaking here and depart on good terms, in fact..." He was loathe to do it but, he reached to his side and drew the rapier away from his belt, presenting it out rested between his two hands to Atoro.
“Take this as a gesture of peace and then we'll be even and done.
He looked Atoro over, not at all sure how he would take this. The man was not easily persuaded.
“I won't interfere in your matters and you'll leave me well alone too. We shall be equally in good stead."


Immediately on his guard as Rintho stepped close, cautious of what had happened last time they had tangled, Atoro checked first his hands (not in his pockets, good, that was what had gotten him last time), then stared him down until he stopped, a shout on his lips, ready to call the guards who he had made stand outside, in case the lich tried anything.

He did not expect, however, to be presented with his rapier again, especially after all the fuss that Rintho had so far put up about it. Well, this was a surprise.
“I would like nothing more than to not have to speak with you again," he said, eyeing his sword. "Nor see you again, that stands for Jiluria as well.”
And as much as he would have preferred to make Rintho leave his sword on the table, well away from where he could exact any tricks, instead he took it from him directly, feeling the familiar weight in his hand once again. Yes, it may have been a sword like many others, but each had a slightly different feel, and this was definitely Atoro's sword.

“Wise decision," he said, holding the sword loosely by his side. He flicked his fingers away, dismissing Rintho in the most offhand way possible- but then, just at the last moment, when he must have thought he was in the clear,

“Ah, but there is one last thing I am owed by you. I can look aside the fact that you used your magic against me, foul as it is, but, the terms of our bargain last time, the Charis Poison. That, you still owe me. Or, another favour.”
He left this one up to Rintho's decision.

Rintho had already done his respectful motions and was leaving, when the man stopped him. Of all dishonourable people, to be like this after his offering? Rintho froze where he was, but did not look back to Atoro, as if suddenly stuck there. Then, he simply proceeded to carry on walking away from him, willfully closing off his ears.
“I cannot comply with this My Lord." He called back, not so much as giving the man another glance.
“I do not resent you, but I cannot give you what you seek. I apologise, farewell." He said, before walking all the more promptly out toward the entrance of the halls, hoping Atoro would simply stay put and then, he could be off and away and all would be fine again.
That was until he remembered he'd left his old stave back in the room with Atoro.
The staff was one he often used for powerful spells that were all so much harder without it. He was carrying it along with him to his journey in Racksom amongst his "other business" and had unfortunately had it with him when he was simply plucked from the street by Atoro.

Rintho stopped again and felt pebbles falling to the bottom of his stomach and sighed inwardly.
“Ahm, My Lord,"
“Forgive me, I will only be a moment." He nipped back to the room and re entered it in full view of Atoro's waiting eyes, while he scuttled across the room looking left and right for his staff...

Foolish man. Thinking he could simply waltz out of the palace with such simplicity; why, it was complete naivety on Rintho's part. He kept neutral as Rintho walked out, already planned for this eventuality. After all, this was Rintho, and last time he /had/ done a runner.
Stepping to the door, he folded his arms behind his back and called loudly for a guard, waiting for the wayward lich to be brought back, unwilling or no. What he did not expect was for him to come back of his own accord, dodging into the room and looking both ways for whatever it was he had lost.

So, that old stick he had brought with him and propped by the fireplace was important.

Snapping his fingers at the guard that appeared, he stepped over to the side of the staff, holding his rapier down by it's base. If it had magical properties- and surely it did- then he had no wish to touch it.
“You have returned for this? Then listen to what I want, foolish Rintho, otherwise I will knock it into the fire." His voice went cold, losing its earlier slightly more congenial tone.


Rintho cursed himself thoroughly, to make matters worse there was a guard here now, he stayed still and silent, waiting for Atoro's instruction at first, before then gathering some words together.
“What is it then I can do for you My Lord?”
His eyes were fixed on the rapier and the staff, that was one possession he'd far sooner be keeping than losing. Least of all to /this/ man.


Good, finally, proper attention from Rintho. That was what he wanted to hear. That did not mean he let down his guard, however; he kept an even closer watch on both the lich, and the staff at his own side. Unpredictability seemed to be Rintho's greatest ally.
“I do not doubt you are unwilling to give me back my poison, once more," he said, before continuing, "But, as we cannot come to an agreement over that, then I have another proposition. I am sure you will... enjoy such a task.”
The corner of his mouth tweaked up in a smile.
“I desire a part of the lightning stone for myself. You will fetch this for me."


Rintho gasped right away, not even attempting to hide his shock.
“The lightning stone? Surely you are more reasonable than this my Lord...Please have mercy on a mere mortal like myself. Who in all of Dragons' Cove can possibly retrieve that?" He was looking straight into his eyes, checking to see just how serious Atoro was, but found no hint of humour, this deeply unsettled him.
“I can't! It is simply not something I am able to do, nor anyone but the great Guardians themselves. Oh Atoro you must have something besides this you require of me, something fairer and...possible."
Rintho was bargaining for a better end but already felt this uphill battle shifting heavily against him. Atoro just would never leave him be. "And to think I returned your rapier, a kind thing, stupid thing."

Raising his eyebrows briefly, Atoro was relatively pleased with Rintho's response. Well then, he had picked quite the perfect task for him. Enough to teach him (if he survived) that messing with Atoro was not a wise choice.
“A mere mortal, you label yourself, after such a /wonder/ you have performed." It was foul. "I am sure, of all men, your talents will not be wasted on such a task; surely you relish such a challenge?”
Perhaps he did not enjoy being so out of his depth. He was definitely showing all the signs of genuine fright- anyone but Atoro, or their king, probably, would have shown some mercy at this point.

He chilled even more in demeanour, however.
“Was it fair how you shocked me in Kaionar? Or how you stole my sword, and my poison? Think of this as punishment.
You owe me, Rintho, and should be grateful I did not have you killed the moment you set foot in Racksom.”

Just to add a little more threat to his words, he tapped the edge of his blade against the man's staff, reminding him of how boxed in he was.

Rintho shifted on the spot,
“If I have offended you it is not out of a personal dislike toward you, but out of necessity...at the time, I mean." He was feeling less and less hopeful of the outcome toward this meeting. "Forgive me please if I acted rashly, but please do not give me such a harsh sentence. I do not wish you dead My Lord, do not wish the same for me." He then added, still staring between him and the staff.

“If I agree to this for you...then what? How do I even know you will keep your word? I don't wish ill for you but I cannot trust you either, simply being here...I feel..." He couldn't quite find the right word until the last moment. "I feel a great deal of stress. Please find the kindness in yourself to be a fair man, as you are an official are you not?"


“Now, why would I wish you dead, when you are of such use to me, Rintho?" said Atoro, ignoring all his attempts at pleading an easier task. It was not happening, he was not going to change his mind on this one. He didn't care of the harshness of the sentence, nor what it would cost Rintho; more that he would learn about respect on his mission.
“And you do not know I will keep my word," he said simply, inclining his head slightly in a shrug. "You will just have to bring me back what I wish for, and hope I have not changed my mind in the time that you have been away.

Which he might. It depended how long it took for Rintho to retrieve part of the stone.

He removed his sword from across the man's staff, no longer guarding it like a dog to a bone. Now he could have his precious stick back.

“You have a month. If you do not return in that time, I will have no choice but to send a quart of Surahnians after you, and rest assured, they will not have pleasant instructions regarding you."

Rintho had not said much more to Atoro thereafter, abjectly accepting his hopeless mission. Though, he was not going to simply embark on it without first trying to find a means to slip out of it.
Biding his time the day, being sure to stay out of the many watchful eyes of New Surahnia's sentinels, he'd spent the best part of his time outside the palace in a hedge lying perfectly still.
This was another time when the limits of a mortal body were unimportant to him, he quite enjoyed the time to allow his magic to settle. Though now it was very late, early hours of the morning, perhaps one or two and the guards circled the palace, alert and well within their right to kill any trespassers without challenge.
Rintho readied his invisibility spell, the strong grip and relaxed his
body. It was a surprisingly large consumption of his magic, but a necessary one for now. Just two floors above was Atoro's personal quarters, and all the evidence, dirt and underpinnings he needed to force the man's hand for his freedom.
Minutes later, he was tiptoeing down from the window sill and onto the sturdy wooden floor inside Atoro's chamber. He wasn't there; now was the perfect time.
The room was quite well decorated, probably by the former residents though; he doubted Atoro was much more than spartan about that sort of thing. Looking around he could see it was exquisitely furnished, an untouched bed, many drawers and cabinets, neat books and scrolls all in their perfect places.
Rintho nodded with respect, here was a man of good learning and curiosity, such a shame he also had to be a liar, fraud and savage manipulatior.
Rintho began to make his way over to one of the drawers and so, began his searching...


Finally Rintho gave in to Atoro's demands, and he for one, left feeling quite pleased with himself. If he succeeded, well, he would get quite the prize, and if not... well, Rintho was no huge loss.

His duties took a long time that day, and by the time he had finished up sorting everything, it was late into the night. Instead of studying in his room as normal, he had taken a couple of
books down to a different room that doubled as a stockpile for information- it was messy, but Atoro was slowly sorting through it for things that he might find useful. He was quite pleased tonight, as he'd found a new map, and of a part of Dragons' Cove that was poorly documented in his other ones.

Packing up his things for the night, he locked the door and put the scroll under his arm,
yawning as he made his way up to his room. Being so late at night, he could let down his guard a little- it wasn't as though there were many other people up.
He had to stop doing this, he'd be up after a ridiculously short sleep again, no doubt. Probably didn't help his temper.

Always keeping his room's door locked when he wasn't in, it took him a few seconds longer than normal to get the key in the lock- yes, he was tired tonight. But, he managed, and pushed the door open, ready to just kick off his boots and drop onto his bed...

He did not expect the shadowy figure who was there.


Rintho had taken his time, while working through the draws he'd extracted many maps, all exxquisitely detailed to the smallest of inflexions and delicate writing on the parchment. The man apparently had some talent for this, he'd taken his time to look at some with great curosity. Entire lands and towns he'd never seen nor heard of were detailed to him and this fascinated him enough to spend a great deal more time than he should have spent doing so. Along the way he'd also found small trinkets and the like, Surahnian icons, figures and paraphenalia.
Then, when he came across a particularly large drawer he discovered at the bottom of it a great canvas of a map, it was another land he couldn't place anywhere in his memory but must have been the origin of these people. Surahnia, and by the great guardians was it huge.
Rintho being so interested in this revelation, lost track of time and the next moment as he was holding the scroll out, studying it in all it's intricacy, he turned back toward the windows and the door to see a figure standing in the frame of the door.

Rintho cursed then how flaky his hearing could be. What to do?

“Good morning My Lord?"


Atoro quickly took in the scene in front of him; his drawers ransacked, desk covered in maps that he certainly hadn't put out (and when he did, treated them with the utmost care, they were priceless to him). And there in the middle of it all, Rintho. Standing like he practically owned the place, and in his hands, Atoro's most precious map of all, the only one he had detailing the whole of Surahnia. That map meant more than practically anything else to Atoro, and here it was, Rintho idling about with it like it was any old thing he'd found in a market.

So much for being tired.

He let go of the door with one hand, putting the other out towards Rintho, hesitantly.
“Just... Put that down, Rintho, carefully," he said, eyes fixed completely on his map. He would have been angry, but fear completely overrode that.

“Put it /down/."


Rintho hadn't expected such a subdued tone from the man and for a few seconds he just stared at him, still holding the map in place.
“Don't worry. I am not going to ruin it, in fact, it is too lovely a thing to ruin wouldn't you say?"

He said this casually, but inside was fearing the absolute worst. "You know, it's amazing really, didn't know your sort had a country so big! Mmm, and all these others, Kahruna, Lahruka...You've even marked out their lands in detail too, must be well travelled I see."
He was becoming intensely aware of Atoro's unpredictable look about him, but held fast to the map.
Rintho had a good feeling it was the only thing protecting him from being ran through by the man himself.

“It would be a sad thing if it was ever ruined." He commented.


“Rintho, I mean it, put the map down," Atoro repeated again, the other man's words going completely over his head in such a numb state. He pushed the door shut behind him again, half aware that if someone came across them like this, Atoro was not going to come off looking well. "There aren't any copies of that other than this one.”

It had once been a base map of Surahnia, impressive in it's own right to start with, but Atoro had added over the years all the places he had come across, and he was sure there would be none other like it. For all that knowledge to be lost... it was horrific to even speculate on.
He swallowed, then hesitantly started towards Rintho, not wanting to scare him off into breaking the thing.
Of all the maps he had to focus on, it had to be this one.


Rintho scowled, the man hadn't responded fairly. He rolled up the map and held it away from Atoro in his right hand and stepped away from him.
“Don't worry, I know better than to purge knowledge, I am seeker of it myself."
He looked back towards the closed door.
“Calm down too, so long as you don't make a thing of this Atoro nobody will even know! Now, I suppose I will be off."
He nodded and backed away from him again, though now becoming acutely aware his space was running out and Atoro was cutting off his beeline to both the door and the window. It always seemed to go like this.
He held the map now in front of him, careful not to crease the scroll.
“Let me go free and I'll have your map returned to you in perfect condition! Would be a shame to waste it..."


Atoro tried to calm his breathing, and stop this fast beating of his heart, but none of his normal techniques seemed to be working. His eyes kept changing from between Rintho and his map, especially as he rolled it up and held it out.
“No wait, you can't take that," he said, a touch of desperation in his voice now. "You can go, noone will stop you on your way." He was torn between continuing
to step forwards and try and take his map back, or staying still and hoping that would persuade Rintho.

At least he hadn't done more than roll up the map, so far.

“Please, Rintho. Just leave it on the table.”
My, how the tables had turned.


“I'd love to Atoro, I really would as you know I am no common thief...however." And that was an important "however", "However, if I leave this with you I know you'll still be making things difficult for me...It's just a betrayal of good trust between ordinary people and acquaintances.”

He had the upper hand now, he could tell, Atoro never pleaded.
“Send your guards after me and it will be burnt to ash." He said, then, taking a turn on the subject. Threats weren't his specialty.
“That is besides my interest though, it's amazing how much you have stashed away in here.”
Rintho opened some drawers to his side, exposing maps, maps, and all other sorts of things.
“Mmm, you've accrued a lot in this way of thinking, though I must say; your Jilurian one is a little off."


“No, Rintho, everything will be forgotten, just leave me that map... you can have my rapier back, take a different map!" He was pleading now, pathetic that he had been brought so low by such a gutterrat. If he could have paled, he would have, at the thought of his map being burnt; no, that could never happen. He felt vaguely sick at that. So much so the fact that Rintho kept going through his things barely scratched his worry any more.

“It's a lifetime of work." He bit his tongue as Rintho's hand lazily shuffled over the contents of another draw, stopping himself from barking out a command at him. He inched forwards a few more steps, hoping Rintho was so interested in the drawer he wouldn't be afraid of it.
“That one I got from a trader, it needs further study. Take it!"


“Calm down my Lord, I can't possibly carry them all! Now, just be fair and I won't have to incinerate all of these at once.”
Rintho however wasn't going to be swayed either. He walked around Atoro, giving him a wide berth with the big map in hand, and out toward the window again. He perched himself on the pane and looked back.

“I'll return it to you, if you are fair, but in the mean time, I'd very much like to study this rather than your rapier. Thankyou my Lord!" He smiled, his mask was down and so it showed.
So, he began to climb sown the side of the palace, the grip spell still flowing in him, though the invisibility had worn itself from him too long ago to be recalled.
“Remember your promise okay." He said, now watching for guards.


Incinerate them all? By the Willow Mother, he wouldn't...he felt giddy at the thought of it, and had to grip the side of his bed, holding himself upright. He couldn't believe this was happening- and Rintho was the source of it, too.

At his smile, he almost lost it.

He stayed in place as Rintho started to climb down from his window, then after a few moments leaned out to see, fingers clenched around the windowsill. This was so frustrating. But, he had to keep his promise- he could /not/ see his map go up in flames. Going to the door, he shouted for a guard until one appeared, looking tired.
“Go to the gate, tell them... Rintho is... he is not to be stopped from leaving." He gritted his teeth saying it, but it had to be done. Once the guard had left again, he shut his door, leaning against the wood with his eyes closed before lashing out with a yell, finally allowed to be angry. He wouldn't wreck his maps, but a glass went flying, as did a few old books he knew were in good circulation, and his chair too.
He was going to kill Rintho, one day.

Not done with being angry, but feeling exhausted and upset, he slumped down against the wall next to the window, putting his head in his hands. His best map was gone, and his room was a ransacked mess. Bloody Rintho.

He was never going to get any sleep now.