The Drow Queen of Glaley [Very NSFW]

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Do you know how to tell if someone's memory has been tampered with? Claudia's having a come-apart over something she doesn't recall doing, but that I have seen evidence that she did. We need to know how far this plot goes."

[Estelle Emerison]

"What?" Her eyes actually glowing with a purple haze, Estelle lifts a hand as if to cast despite the obvious lack of target. "What-- where is she?"

"Estelle?"

Hearing the tentative call, the drow noble practically sprints into the other room, leaving Zevran behind to give Coquette a worried look. "Mon épouse?" he asks carefully. She is not as calm as she wishes to convey.

[Coquette Blacquin]

Coquette steps forward, clinging to Zevran tightly. "Cindi and Sweetheart," she whispers in his ear. "We're real shaken up. Noire won't talk to us. Says we're being fools. I-- she thinks Claudia cheated, but I think Tenachka's up to something."

[Zevran]

Zevran sucks in a sharp breath as he processes that little firebomb. "I... see? Fuck." He gently sways back and forth as he cradles her close. "Well, I certainly think it more likely that Tenachk-unt is an evil bitch than Claudia would make that mistake again."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"She showed us proof," she whimpers. "We had to sit there and smile and pretend to be impressed."

[Zevran]

That gets a confused noise. "What kind of proof is impressive?" he wonders.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"A magical item. We'd been impressed by the previous two, but this... it held an image of them. She explained the way it works is that it captures a moving image of reality and replays it."

[Zevran]

"I'm familiar with a spell that can do something similar," Zevran says slowly. "I've seen court wizards use it to entertain before. But... I had been given the understanding that it was simply illusion, not bound by truth. Could such not..?"

[Coquette Blacquin]

"She said it was limited to true images, but... how can I trust her own word? I need to do research."

[Zevran]

"Also..." Zevran cocks his head to the side, a near decade of spying, seducing, and watching 'courtly' intrigue coming into play. "One of the best ways to fool a seasoned ear is to lie to a messenger, who will then be telling the truth as they know it. Could... could she have, ah, captured the 'true' image of an illusion? The recording would be honest but..."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Perhaps..." she says slowly. "But... an illusion can only be as true as the crafter knows. And she captured Claudia's expressions perfectly."

[Zevran]

"That does add a layer of complication," Zevran allows, frowning in thought. "Claudia is, ah, not very subtle or good at hiding things so I could see Tenachka managing to spy on such, but that does require yet another effort to make it work."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Noire won't hear reason. She's convinced she cheated."

[Zevran]

"I..." Zevran smiles sadly. "I understand. I disagree with her suspicion but I understand why she feels that way. Betrayal is... not a wound that heals cleanly."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Has she told you what happened? Because other than insisting that our wife betrayed us, she won't talk about when or why or with whom."