(no subject)

[sythyry]

Confession [27 Hispis 4385; Eigrach; Srineia]

When I answered Totalie's strangly kiss with fire-breath, Totalie at least had the grace to release me and leap back, eyes full of clattery madness, shivering with a Wild Rush. It was Not Cute under the circumstances.

Rheng came roaring up the stairs, his tail streaming behind him; Sleeth can hear better than other people. Phaniet and Arfaen followed in a frenzy, and Yerenthax thundered up after them. Totalie was quickly surrounded and pinioned.

"So: shall I treat that like an attempted rape, or an attempted murder?" I asked Totalie.

Totalie's voice was muddy with pain, and, I should imagine, blisters on the tongue and palate. "No, no, nothing like that!"

Arfaen snarled and shook Totalie's shoulders. "What did you do to zir, you putrescent mushroom?"

"I, I didn't, ow," mumbled Totalie.

"Strangled me and tried to lick my tonsils," I said. "Held me by the neck and shook me around, too," which was somewhat of an exaggeration.

Rheng put a heavy paw on Totalie's mouth. "Perhaps your own tonsils are itchy, rrai? Perhaps I scratch them for you?" Totalie whined.

Phaniet tugged Rheng's harness. "Stop, stop. This is perplexing in a confusing sort of way. I can think of several proximate goals that the gentleman might have attempted. Was he trying to kill Sythyry?" Totalie was shaking his head, but could not speak under Rheng's paw. "Perhaps -- but why use his bare hands, and why try to kiss zir?"

Rheng snorted. "Perhaps he has the poisonous fangs. I know stories of such Orren!"

"I know stories of such norren, myself," said Phaniet. "Conversely, was he trying to rape Sythyry?" Totalie shook his head again. "The practical issues of forcing a wizard are boggling. I cannot how it could be sensibly attempted; I should use blackmail, myself, if I were so foolish and wicked as to try such a thing. Can it be that Totalie is foolish, wicked, and astoundingly impractical? Well, yes, it can, of course it can, but perhaps there is another explanation."

"I don't much care about another explanation," I said, because I was rather cross. "If we were at home I'd take him to court for assault. As a foreigner I don't expect I'd have much chance of success here, though."

Phaniet, who is a loyal and extremely helpful assistant, ignored me. "I suspect that there is more going on here. Rheng, let the gentleman talk."

Rheng laughed. "I let him talk. Does Sythyry's kiss let him talk? Or does he enjoy the blisters and the burnings." He moved his paw off Totalie's mouth.

Totalie squeaked, "They said that's what the Zi Ri wanted!"

"They did, did they?" I hissed. "Who are they, and why are they ordering abuse on my behalf?"

"And is that them watching now?" asked Phaniet.

I checked, and half a dozen people were scrying on us. "Phaniet, make them stop watching." Which she did, quite adequately.

"Right," said Phaniet. "This sounds like an annoying little misunderstanding. Let's clear it up by providing a better and more true understanding, shall we? Arfaen, let him stand up and fetch him some water, would you be so kind?"

"I don't want a conversation with him. If he touches me again I shall burn the part he touches me with off," I said. My loyal and obedient clients ignored me.

Totalie lapped water from a chalice. "I thought zie likes that sort of thing. I asked, really I did. I was trying to be the best seneschal I could. I need to understand what the new lord wants and needs for that, don't I?"

"The new lord wants and needs Totalie punished for assault. Don't do anything illegal, or not very illegal anyhow, but maybe Rheng could claw him in the process of pulling him off of me, perhaps," I said. Everyone helpfully ignored me.

Phaniet looked alarmed, and wagged her tail placatingly to Totalie. "Oh, dear. You talked to one of the information mages, didn't you?"

Totalie nodded. "Oh, yes. Glekjinga gave me lots and lots of details."

Phaniet's ears drooped. "Then you deserve an apology. One of our defenses backfired."

"Why does he deserve an apology? I think he should be apologizing!" I noted in a whiny justifiably upset voice.

"I suspect he'll want to apologize quite a bit too," said Phaniet. "But actually I think we cast a fireball and are now complaining that our house is burning." She turned to Totalie. "So, who did you talk to about Sythyry, and what did they say?"

"Well, of course I talked to lots of people, anyone who knew anything. Glekjinga is one of the, well, he was 'specially interested in foreign wizards. He's an information mage, Rassimel you know..."

"And rather easily spooked," said Phaniet.

"I wouldn't know about that. He'd been ... well ...", said Totalie, and faded off.

"He'd been scrying on us at home, is what he'd been doing. Which isn't a thing we much approve of," I said. "Though he's a branch-width more polite about it than you are."

Totalie nodded. "Yes, that's it, exactly. So he knew what you'd like, I thought, and how best to negotiate with you. He said that you, well, liked being grabbed by the neck, and, well, never mind the rest." Everyone stared at him and motioned him to continue. "Well, and, to be passed around like a bottle and give a treat to all the males in the room with your mouth and neck."

I hissed and flapped my wings in a fury. Everyone ignored me, except Arfaen, who petted me, just as if I weren't four times her age.

Phaniet shook her head. "Actually, scrying on a wizard of Sythyry's subtlety is not as accurate as might be hoped. That was not actually Sythyry that Glekjinga observed; it was an illusion. Designed more to entertain than to instruct, if you must know."

Totalie stared at me. "So you don't..."

"I do not. I very definitely do not. Haven't done anything even remotely like that for ... longer than you've been alive. I am very fussy about my choice of lovers," I said. "And being held by the neck isn't a bit appealing, either."

Totalie dashed the rest of his chalice of water onto the floor, and threw himself after it. "Then I am lost -- ruined! Doomed forevermore!", he said, as he wobbled into water-form.

"Now he sounds like part of Sythyry's household, rrai!" said Rheng.

[Poll #1453203]

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>> The practical issues of forcing a wizard are boggling. <<

Now there is a splendid reason to practice one's magic diligently, so as to become the next best thing to unassailable.

>> "Phaniet, make them stop watching." <<

I think by this point I'd be arranging the anti-scrying spells differently. Like, first the snoops would see nothing but a flaming message, "DO NOT SCRY ON THE WIZARD AND COMPANIONS!" And if they didn't stop, every scrying spell would be tailed back to its owner who would be tagged with a petty but embarrassing curse, such as having all their clothes made invisible for a week.

>>I thought zie likes that sort of thing.<<

No civilized person grabs a desired partner without first obtaining said partner's consent. Even if one believes that one's intended partner enjoys playing rough, one begins by discussing which activities are mutually desirable. Failure to obtain consent justifies the intended partner responding with violence, regardless of what fool idea caused the assailant to believe that assuming consent was acceptable. Not even a Sleeth would behave so bluntly, unless he wanted to have his attributes clawed off by a she-Sleeth unaware of his interest until he leapt upon her back.

>>Actually, scrying on a wizard of Sythyry's subtlety is not as accurate as might be hoped.<<

Not to mention the -- what is it, 1 in 20? -- standard chance of scrying spells being wildly inaccurate due to divine inattention.

>>"Now he sounds like part of Sythyry's household, rrai!" said Rheng.<<

This is sadly accurate, down to the bouts of occasional idiocy.

More details on the poll...

>>What is the most important thing for me to think here?<<

Totalie is a fool and hideously rude, and Eigrach employs scryers who are not very smart or gracious themselves. And some other mode of discouraging scrying ought to be considered.

>>Which is it?<<

Although it began with a misunderstanding, it is still a crime, if sexual assault is illegal in Eigrach. (Someone should check on that. Not everywhere is civilized, but I'm pretty sure traff rape would be discourage all over tree.) Nothing excuses jumping on someone without asking that very person if such attention is welcome. The most that could be excused under "innocent misunderstanding" would be awkward words like, "Sythyry, someone told me that you're traff, especially for Orren, and enjoy being passed around like a bottle. Shall we?"

>>What should I do to Totalie?<<

A tempting but uncivilized response would be to give him the memory of the assault from Sythyry's vantage. However, that's the mental equivalent of rape, so not a civilized thing to do.

A civilized response would be to say, "Totalie, you have behaved like a fool, which is not something I desire in a servant. You have one chance to apologize in a practical and civilized manner. If your apology is satisfactory to me, I will consider maintaining you in my employ, and we will discuss proper manners. If it is not, I will fire you on the spot and make publically known the reason."

A sadistic response would be, "Totalie, you have behaved like a fool, which is typical of my crew. I see your talents are wasted here. I'm transferring you to my sky-yacht, where I intend to install you as supervisor for two young traff stowaways. You are personally responsible for making sure they behave in a civilized manner."

Re: Thoughts

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

"Phaniet, make them stop watching."

I think by this point I'd be arranging the anti-scrying spells differently. Like, first the snoops would see nothing but a flaming message, "DO NOT SCRY ON THE WIZARD AND COMPANIONS!" And if they didn't stop, every scrying spell would be tailed back to its owner who would be tagged with a petty but embarrassing curse, such as having all their clothes made invisible for a week.


Phaniet doesn't have that spell; she's merely got the basic None May Watch or some variation thereof. I can do somewhat more -- though not everything more -- but I am using a great deal of cley these days, and am generally trying not to cast too much that isn't for work.

The rest of your suggestions make lots of sense, which, of course, means they will not happen if I am anywhere about.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but you should still be able to use your idiot assailant as some sort of doom-shield to catch stuff before it all lands on you.