Thread: Fall of Elen'thalas (Krimson & HeavenSundered)

He looked. Of course he looked. For all of his royal etiquette classes, all the teachings of holy Paladins, he was still just a young man in his twenties. And there are certain things no young men could resist, such as the beautiful, provocative female before him. Admiring eyes raked over every inch of skin put on such bold display. Modesty be damned if the sorceress minded, she wouldn't have done so in the first place. His eyes dilated ever so slightly, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to remind himself of his objective. He had thought magic-users would be fragile beings, the proverbial wizard with a tall hat and gray beard. But she was the very opposite...feminine, enticing, toned and shapely in just the right way. Even the strange appendage - her tail, only seemed to add to her unique allure. And for a moment, he was content to hold his tongue, standing transfixed by the Draconian beauty before him. Her whistle surprised him, but only because the table next to him began to quake the tiny bones upon the table, moved with seemingly nothing, reforming and rearranging themselves. He tensed, hands almost drifted to his blades again, but stopped himself before making contact, forcibly relaxing them besides his body, posture carefully neutral. No, he sensed no enmity from her. She was guarded, of course, something he could detect even under all the layers and layers of honeyed charisma she was projecting. But she wasn't trying to kill him, at least not yet. And so he stood and watched, eyes widening briefly in almost boyish awe. Admiration not only for her beauty now, but also her power, her command over an element invisible to him. He studied the skeletal birds, but whereas others would have recoiled in fear and disgust, in his eyes there was only unbridled curiosity. So this was what magic truly looked like... There were royal sorcerers that served the House von Irion of course, but all those men ever did was scry into their crystal orbs, and even that they got wrong sometimes. But this, her, even a complete novice like him could tell that this was different. She was far, far more powerful than any sorcerer he had ever encountered. But that only excited him. He clearly made the right choice in coming here. Taking such a significant risk...even as the woman pronounced his heritage. Under her inquisitive gaze, he simply smiled, charming but enigmatic, neither confirming nor denying. She was searching for his intentions, he was sure of that. But he wasn't ready to reveal that just yet. No, he could tell that she was curious of him, but that wasn't enough. He needed her intrigued, charmed, so to speak, before divesting his plan. Sorceresses as powerful as she do not simply camp out in the wilderness, even considering how lavish as this abode was, if they wanted just any princes to come knocking around trying to recruit them. A drink would be great. He met her eyes again, even as the woman strode away, apparently satisfied with her inspection. His voice ever pleasant, not as low as his two brothers, but nevertheless masculine. Poison? Please. If he was paranoid over every little thing, he would be marching here with a full legion, instead of alone, and appearing quite vulnerable at that. He took those words as an invitation, trailing after her, keeping a few steps behind. It felt strange to walk barefoot on cavern floor he left his boots by the entrance, as instructed. Ezza, He began, deliberately, to speak one's name was a means of building rapport. Might I at least offer you some delicatessens over the drink? Not out of fairness, of course, but merely because I want an early afternoon snack? Ever heeding her earlier words about fairness, Seth tried a different approach. Reaching inside his vest to retrieve a small pouch, far too small to seem to contain anything more than coins. He wasn't sure how sorceresses recognized magic, but if she could somehow sense magic, she would no doubt recognize the space around the bag as being distorted. A Bag of Expansion, quite the rare prize among adventurers. It was clear he came prepared - Seth took out a flat container of woven wood planks, took off the lid, and revealed quite the assortment of cheese, various cold cuts of meat, artisan-baked bread and all the butter one could possibly want.