Thread: A Pillar of Serpents [ft. xanaphia & november]

No, I wasnt. Darius just blinked and shrugged his shoulders, like she was asking a weird question he didnt exactly understand. I just thought, lets say our peace and leave. Once someone has that much practice talking its hard to beat them at it. The Posting Inns throughout Niderna were one of Cirrens brilliant ideas. And he wasnt entirely being sarcastic, it wasnt the kind of thing that would not have occurred to him in five lifetimes. Confidential messages were sent through the inns, with official government licensed couriers, and each message sent through the Posting system was treated with the legal authority of a royal seal provided you were able to pay for the privilege. Workers on the frontier sent messages and money back to the west, nobles and merchants schemed back and forth, piracy was slashed to a minimum, and the Crown got a cut of everything the rent for the inns, the drinks, the Posting seals. It was a genius little scheme. He looked around, mostly quiet as the men set up, making a big show of acting happy and looking charitable, like a rich uncle giving an embarrassment of gifts to poor children. He felt useless as usual and warded it off by grabbing one of the table and opening a trunk on top of it. Your Majesty. He cringed inwardly. She was right, they shouldnt appear to be too close. She gave him a polite sort of look and looked down her nose at the box. There was fucking chocolate in here, and more than hed ever seen in his life. He had half a mind to take it away and save it for himself, and maybe some of the boys from his unit. The frontier was the only place to get it, and you had to plant it, and then harvest it, and it took two years. Dangerous. Expensive. He squinted at the box for a long time. It seemed too good to just give out as alms. Like giving pearls to a beggar. It was the sort of kindness that made people suspicious. After pondering it for far too long, Darius took the box in his hands and carried it away. One of the men gave him a look of outrage, and Darius gave him a look of I-will-break-your-neck-in-public-if-you-open-your-mouth-about-this, which did shut him up, thank god. He wasnt sure what he was going to do with it. Maybe he would set it back down, or He walked up the stairs, looking to stick the box down while he thought. Most of the rooms were dingy looking except for the main one on the upper floor, with a heavy seal that was a bit derivative of the ruling house. Close enough to look like you were important for staying there, far enough that you didnt get any bright ideas. Darius creaked the door open. There was a squat looking man, likely a trader, with arms like a butchers, in his underwear, smoking Darius sniffed. Some weird, tart variety of devilgrass. And of course, there was a whore shaped lump in the bed. Uh, excuse me. This is my room. Pardon, Darius said with a sigh. He walked out with the box, back down the stairs, and set the chocolate down in front of Persia. Was this your idea? He asked. Maybe the chocolate was a brilliant strategy that he just didnt get. Perhaps he was overestimating the suspicion of common people. And theres a man in the Sealed Suite. Do you want him to have it, or It just seemed strange that the Queen would have a lesser room. In any other circumstance, he would have thrown the man out without a second thought. But this was a goodwill trip and so And then again, the man was high and getting his dick sucked, maybe he didnt know what was going on downstairs. Or maybe he knew but was hoping to fly under notice and enjoy his poncy bedding.