The Drow Queen of Glaley [Very NSFW]

[Zevran]

"Of all the things I could have gotten," Zevran mutters after a moment, shaking his head. "Perhaps Estelle can spare some time from her end of the project-- and her actual work too, I suppose-- to teach you?" A beat, then, "or perhaps Bria has this ability as well?" He likes Obi well enough, but he doesn't trust him as much as he does Bria. Mostly due to their personalities and mindset, but also because of how they ended up with each of them.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I... am not certain Estelle knows, as well. Or rather, if it is a common ability, then it won't be of use to us here."

[Zevran]

"If naught else, knowing whether it's something they'd have plans for would be helpful then."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Agreed. Let's check in with my wife's wife."

[Estelle Emerison]

"Shadow manipulation?" Estelle leans back against her desk. They'd managed to track her down at work, though she'd quickly called them back to talk. "Most everyone call do so, at least a little. Deepening shadows or creating false lights and such. Why do you ask, if I may?"

[Coquette Blacquin]

"There was a male I met once who could... he could cover himself in the barest scrap of shadow and seem to vanish."

[Estelle Emerison]

Estelle gives just the barest of a flicker of a glance at the male in the room before replying. "Utterly and truly vanish? As if invisible, or simply expert use of shadow and such to obscure oneself?" She makes a gesture, requesting a moment to clarify. "If one were to look in the right spot, would they see this person, or would they see only shadows still?

[Coquette Blacquin]

"More the latter, but... most see only deepening shadow, perhaps roughly humanoid if they are exceptionally perceptive, though there are tells, angles where you can see just so and the image pops into view."

[Estelle Emerison]

Estelle hums softly, pondering the description for a moment. "That sounds similar to what someone of our most elite scouts and," she coughs lightly, "infiltration experts are capable of doing. A... pseudo magical-- or rather, a para-magical-- ability to hide in conditions that would leave most in plain sight of watchers. Shadows are most common, but I recall hearing about a few that can do so thanks to their familiarity and connection to particular environments. Caverns mostly, as one might expect."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I've read of felines using a beam of bright sunlight, though I can't imagine how."

[Zevran]

"Hellcats," Zevran says, voice a blend of respect and hatred wrapped in pained fear. "I was... matched with one such beast during my training. I never learned the trick it uses, bending and twisting light with it's fur-- nor how or why they thought I even could-- but it did teach me many tricks for fighting what I can not see."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I did read somewhere that mortals could learn how, though I haven't the faintest idea how we could. Regardless. It sounds like this is not a thing you could teach me? Either version?" she asks of Estelle. 

[Estelle Emerison]

"I can cast invisibility, but no, I can't help personally," Estelle admits, then smiles. "But I know someone who can; my old bodyguard Toren. He'd been assigned to me since I was a girl; he only retired two years ago. I'm sure he'd be happy to help out however; grandchildren or not, I know he's just a little bored."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Can I trust him? How far?"

[Estelle Emerison]

"He served me loyally and faithfully for almost a hundred years," Estelle points out with a faint smile "He never once took a bribe-- well, none that I did not instruct him to accept-- he never once sold gossip or information about myself, never stole from me. He died to protect me once," she finishes in a quiet, almost fragile voice. "Literally threw himself in the way of a cleric's slaying spell, a feat that requires that someone train and mentally condition themselves to accomplish. He didn't just react, he foresaw the possibility and made a plan to keep me safe no matter the cost to himself." Estelle takes a slow, steadying breath "So... yes, I would say you can trust him as far as you need to, as long as it's not an action against me."