Snare for the Wolf

Log Info

• Title: Snare for the Wolf

• Emitter: Ravenstongue

• Characters: Ravenstongue, Telamon

• Place: Ravenstongue and Telamon's house

• Summary: Ravenstongue and Telamon are home, and find themselves discussing what to do with their growing 'problem' in the form of one Zalgiman Joaki. Plans are discussed and ideas are tossed around. Eventually, the pair agree to start small with plans for entrapment elsewhere... with one of the things that Ravenstongue is best at: the written word.

Lúpecyll-Atlon home, evening.

The slight chill and damp of the spring evening outside is, besides other and present reasons, a good excuse to stay at home tonight, rather than enjoy a meal out and risk having it spoiled. Thus, it's a simple dinner in tonight for the sorcerer-spouses, a simple but hearty affair that's brightened by the vase of flowers that Cor'lana brought home for herself and Telamon on her way home from visiting Auranar: blue violets, daisies, peonies, and red roses.

As Cor'lana gathers up the dishes from the dining table, she looks at the vase and offers it a small smile. "I like having flowers that I chose around the house," Cor'lana says with a little point to her voice.

Lily-of-the-Valley, who sits on the back of the couch in the living room with her pixie-sister, Mirabilis, calls out, "I'll take him if you don't want him! He's a looker! I'll bark for him ANY day. Woof woof--"

Mirabilis just sighs and clamps her hand over Lily-of-the-Valley's mouth. "I didn't realize your condition of drooling over men could go this low," she remarks dryly.

Clearly, Telamon has been talking to -someone-, because he hasn't been idle. A simple pot sits on the coffee table, filled with yarrow and thyme. "I admit, I probably should've expected that return volley from our mutual acquaintance." He loathes saying the man's name, even though it's silly. "But dear gods, poor Jovani was shocked when I walked in on him hale as ever."

Tel gestures for his unseen servant to begin cleaning the table. "Lana, why don't you let my invisible friend do the dishes? We need to talk about what we're going to do with this idiot." He offers his wife a reassuring smile, before flicking his gaze to the pixies. "You wouldn't want him, ladies. I don't think he's housebroken, for starters."

Cor'lana wrinkles her nose at the thought of Zalgiman using the facilities. Yes, Telamon can tell she's briefly wondering if he lifts his leg up like a dog, or if he does it in the normal fashion, and then she just dismisses it entirely, revulsion and darkness overtaking the emotional part of the bond. "Ugh," she replies, walking over to the couch and taking a seat. "Sorry. I just... I've realized I've gotten us into what could potentially be a lot of trouble as of today. Verna, Auranar, Dolan, and I discussed earlier. The man isn't an idiot, despite the way he acts and the way he speaks most of the time--and we think he could want to use me as a 'woman between worlds' to take control of the Red Maw for himself. It's not just carnal matters for him."

Mirabilis lets go of Lily-of-the-Valley and folds her arms. "In other words, he's fixated on you for reasons that aren't just that you've been taunting him."

"I'd... really appreciate it if you didn't use that word," Cor'lana replies, looking exasperated. "I mean, I did. I did, I fully messed it all up and thought I could play Nadina Branfeax--just enough to make him betray it all. But I was... naive."

It's her turn to cross her arms now, and both pixies look a little remorseful for Mirabilis's choice of words.

Telamon gestures for the servant to take up the task of cleaning, and joins Lana on the couch. "Look... Lana. This isn't about me being worried about us. That, I am completely certain about." He taps his temple and gives her a smile. In her mind, his love flows down the bond, unstinting and unconditional.

"No, this is about how we extricate ourselves from this mess. I heard what Dolan said, and to be honest, there's a certain kind of attraction to just squashing the man like a bug." He sighs. "But unfortunately, he's been clever. You know it's him. I know it's him. But he's been very careful to leave himself enough wiggle room to avoid being dragged into the courts."

Tel's hand slides over Lana's, folding around it. "So let's put our heads together and see what we can do to spike his wagon wheels properly. We're both smart people -- maybe not the wisest, but we're smart. And we have help -- the pixies, and Pothy." He pauses. "Let's... not bring Grandfather in, though. Not unless we need to just go full evocation on Zalgiman."

Cor'lana snuggles into Telamon, leaning into his shoulder and placing her chin there to rest. "Honestly, I'm with Dolan," she murmurs. "Kill Zalgiman. He's a creature of bestial instinct. He won't stop with no. I fear the general idea of being alone with him, because what would he do if there was no one to stop him? I keep looking over my shoulder everywhere, Tel, and while I'm trying not to let it get to me--"

She sighs, deflating as she snuggles closer into him. "But we can't just kill him. Otherwise all the women in the world faced with men who never learned how to take a 'no, and that's final' would be killers. And I don't even want to entertain the idea of 'arranging an accident'. Too many ways it could go wrong." And Telamon knows she's not even thinking of the morality of doing so.

Telamon arches an eyebrow. "There are reasons crimes committed against the dignity and virtue of women are harshly punished in many civilized lands, love. And there have been cases where a man refused to take no for an answer, and ultimately found himself answering to the gods for it." He folds his arm around her. "I misjudged as well, if it helps. I thought I could draw his attention, and didn't expect he'd be so... fixated."

"Our friends may be right -- this may very well be more than just the desires of the flesh. If he thinks he can get lucky and grab control of the Red Maw away from -- presumably, Zinskas -- why wouldn't he? Which... kind of puts him outside the discussion about 'legality'. Consorting with 'ye powers of darkness' is a pretty serious crime; ask Dolan."

"Yes, but look at it from the perspective of a judge--if we kill him in Alexandria and he's not outwardly a werewolf harming the public, then we look like murderers. The man has breweries where he takes boys at risk of falling into rough lives and employs them, for the gods' sake--a judge would think we're bloodthirsty killers." Cor'lana looks grumpy indeed.

Lily-of-the-Valley looks at Cor'lana for a moment. "I... have an idea."

"Oh, gods," Cor'lana murmurs. "Please tell me you're offering to fly into the man's mouth and strangle him from the inside."

"That might be the only way that Lily-of-the-Valley ever experiences a man," Mirabilis offers.

"I'm going to scream in your ear very loud, Mira," Lily says with a pout. "No, I was thinking. What if... Cor'lana could use her charm and wiles to expose him as a werewolf?"

Telamon nods. "That is a problem." He runs his hands through his hair. "Plausible deniability. That was the charming phrase my father taught me. I suspect he learned it by personal experience. We need plausible deniability if something happens to Zalgiman. And unfortunately, I've screwed it all up by taking notice of it and doing that stunt with the bards." He looks disgusted with himself. "Now if something happens to him I guarantee we'll be the first suspects."

Tel smiles at Lily and Mira. "Sadly, I don't know if he's quite that besotted with her. We know he's tangled up with the werewolves, but we don't have anything concrete we could present as a defense." He pauses. "We need to find his lair. Hire a good thief, and see if we can, how shall we say, 'liberate' some evidence."

Cor'lana looks thoughtful at the notion of Telamon's comment about besotting. "No, I..." She pauses in thought. "I think he is fixated on me like that. He picked out flowers with specific meanings in the fey custom of flower language. He wrote that poem that he sent me. And that dress he sent me? I knew from looking at it that he'd probably gotten my measurements from Jovani. That's part of why my first instinct was to go into town and find somewhere to donate it to the needy--it felt like it was proof he was trying to know... every single inch of me without even touching me."

She shivers, and she eventually just pushes herself into Telamon's lap, throwing her arms around the back of his neck. Just to be close. Just to feel safe. "I feel disgusting--that he knows me so well. And... if you aggravating him just incites him to threats of violence..."

Cor'lana's violet eyes become astonishingly close to her ancestor's. "What if I turn the tables. What if I make him think he's getting what he wants. But it's just a trap. He's giving away everything including his weakness. What if we do it in the dream, Tel, and we kill him from within the dream? Like how you did with Kol with Dolan and the others?"

Telamon actually shudders a bit. "Like someone pawing through your clothing," he says with an equally disgusted tone. "It could be both, too. Honestly, it doesn't matter... this is getting out of hand." When Lana scrambles into his lap, he folds his arms around her, cuddling her in close. "If he escalates to violence, it'll blow everything up for him." His eyes narrow. "Maybe we do need to bait him."

He frowns at the idea of laying a trap in the dream realm. "Kol wasn't... 'real'. He was a creature of dreams made manifest. Zalgiman isn't, so far as we know. Trying to kill him in the dream realm might not work." He smiles mirthlessly. "On the other hand, absolutely terrorizing him to the point where he decides he doesn't want to play any more could work, and it's not like the city watch will arrest us for giving him bad dreams."

Cor'lana nuzzles in close, her cheek against Telamon's. "How about... I arrange for him to meet me somewhere. I send him a flower arrangement and a note that makes him think we have a chance but promises only a secret meeting that you 'won't know about'--but of course, you do--where we can discuss things freely and truly. I demand him to tell me the truth of it all if he wants a 'chance'."

Not that Telamon can see it, but he can certainly hear it in her voice and feel the contentment in the bond, but she's smirking. "Of course, he won't know what the chance is. He might think it's a chance of being with me. In reality, it's a chance of staying alive... just a bit longer."

He doesn't seem enthused about the prospect. "It puts you at too much risk," Telamon replies stubbornly. "You managed to bluff your way around him a few times, but you were terrified trapped in that bookstore with him. I don't want you within arm's reach of him, not without a whole lot of help close at hand."

He strokes her hair, nuzzling in against her head. "I thought I'd lost you once. I don't want to even get close to experiencing that again."

Of course, Cor'lana melts as Telamon runs his hand through her hair and tells her those words, and she presses her lips to his cheek in a kiss. "I know," she almost whispers. "It was scary for me, too, but... that's why I'm doing this, because I don't want to come home to find you bloodied or worse."

There's a moment before she offers, "Would you prefer if you were there, but in hiding? Somewhere that he couldn't see you or detect you?"

Telamon can tell how she feels, and he smiles at the kiss. "I know. But whatever we do, we need to do it together -- not apart." He lifts his head to kiss her back. "Never apart." A tight squeeze, as he takes a deep breath, trying to focus again.

"Sure, though I wouldn't object to bringing along help if I could get away with it. What did you have in mind?" His eyes twinkle. "And no, I don't plan to fight fair or challenge him to some kind of duel. Fair fights are for suckers."

"We'd need to find somewhere secluded enough for him to feel like he's alone with me, but in reality, you're in hiding, waiting for him to mess up or make the wrong move," Cor'lana replies. In the mental bond, she's already trying to think of places that might suit the bill. "Preferably somewhere in Alexandria, so we have the assurance of the ward--slight though it may be."

She draws back enough to look at Telamon in his starry eyes, and there's an impish look that settles on her face. "I wasn't thinking of a fair fight, either," she says. "Perhaps there's a bottle of wine involved. That happens to be laced with wolfsbane ground into a fine powder. Or I bring a meal for us to share laced with the same."

Telamon's expression shows he's working the problem, not dismissing it out of hand. "Not sure if he'll take the bait in Alexandria proper, but you make a good point. Plus he'll feel more comfortable if he knows I'm not just going to teleport in and ruin his big night." He taps his fingers on his chin. "He's not stupid, though. We'd need a good hiding place for myself. The good news is that we have some options -- lack of air isn't an issue." At the mention of wolfsbane in the meal or wine, Telamon points out, "Remember it's also poisonous to people, love. It's just more poisonous to werewolves."

"Hm. I imagine he'd want somewhere under his thumb, where he could control things. He wouldn't want to try this in the TarRaCe. Hmmm..."

Cor'lana wrinkles her nose. "You're right on the wolfsbane," she says. "Besides, with his enhanced senses, he would know it for what it is right away."

She thinks about it. And then... she has an idea. "One of the Theatre playhouses," she says. "He's comfortable in the Theatre District. He knows people there. Perhaps I get an box seat for a show, and you disguise yourself and end up in the one next to us. Goodness know plenty of private things happen up in the box seats all the time--secret dealings and so forth." Yes, those are thoughts of similar scenes from novels that she's read in the mental bond.

Telamon mulls it over. "I'm not great at disguises. I may need help doing one. That being said, I could slip in and wait for you to give the signal." He frowns. "The question is, what do we do if he decides he doesn't want to go quietly -- figuratively or literally? How much of a ruckus are we prepared to start? Remember, if we're there during a performance there'll be innocent bystanders there -- and Zalgiman is just the sadistic sort to unleash his werewolves on the audience if he doesn't get his way."

Cor'lana smirks a little broadly. "What if the audience thinks it's part of the production and they applaud?" she asks. "You've been with me to some of these shows--they can get a little... experimental at times, you know? Like, oh, which one was it again about the man growing a man-eating plant, and how in the final song, the puppeteering extended all the way into the audience? 'Small Shop' or something like that."

She reaches up and gently rubs Telamon's cheek. "In all seriousness, though--I don't anticipate needing to make a ruckus. I think this could be... an initial meeting, to bring down his barriers and make him think he has a chance. Then we lure him into comfort and make him go for a venue where we have the upper hand later."

Telamon cups her face in his, and kisses her softly. "True, but I still don't like the idea of setting something off there in the district. I like the idea of stringing him along and getting him to someplace where we can bring the hammer down on him, a lot better." He nuzzles Lana. "Let's keep plugging away at this. I want to try and be three steps ahead of this asshole, so that when we do spring our trap, he's completely and utterly without a chance."

He nuzzles Lana happily. "I love it when you're devious, dear. Even when it doesn't go your way. You just have to learn the same lessons I did -- to fall back, and plan a new campaign."

"Then instead of a face-to-face initial meeting," Cor'lana suggests, "perhaps... I start writing letters back and sending them to him 'in secret' and bid him to take care in sending his letters back to me. After all, I have a 'jealous husband'." There's a roll of her eyes and a devious grin, just in the fashion that he adores. "You like my deviousness, but we don't have to tell him that."

Then she pauses a moment before she adds, "How about this, too. You and I will even write the letters together, so you know exactly what they say. I think I know how to entice him, but I always welcome a collaborative effort in writing." There's a twinkle in her eyes.

Telamon nods. "Absolutely. Like I said, let's tackle this together." His starry eyes get a hard glint. "This man's been a thorn in all our sides for way too long. With a little luck, maybe we can pluck him -- permanently." He chuckles. "It's bad form to mess with another man's wife. Let's show him just how bad it can be."

Then he gives her a look. "But in the meantime, I think we both need something to tide us over before we set up this little trap. Why don't we discuss it in the bedroom?"

And so, life goes on in the house of the Lúpecyll-Atlons.