Imprints in Stone [AU]

[GamesMaster]

He's been beaten, badly, which is likely why he's unconscious, but nothing seems immediately life-threatening. 

[Tethras Clan]

After freeing his hands, Zevran slips the dagger into them, figuring he can get his legs free himself if he wakes before the fight finishes. Grabbing the length of rope to replace his blade, Zevran moves towards the fight. "So... capture or just kill the blighter? I must confess, I am not trained as a guard might be in taking prisoners but between us, I suspect we could manage."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"No. He dies. Today." 

"Sod this," says Gold, and in a burst of light, turns into... a hundred golden butterflies that fly off into the distance. 

"Damn," snarls Cindy, unsurprised but frustrated.

[Tethras Clan]

"What."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Another decoy. I've been hunting him down for weeks." She turns to glance at the hostage -- but the hostage is gone, too, leaving them alone. "Damn." 

She turns, then, making for the front door.

[Tethras Clan]

"Wait, no, seriously, what the fuck? Why did he turn into yellow butterflies? That's- that's so damned lame. Does he even have bug powers or- or is he a druid?" Zevran darts over to grab his dagger before following after her. "I would love some context please."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"It's always something different," she says, as she steps out the door to the warehouse.

The door that... hang on, there's nothing outside the door but darkness. He can't even see her anymore, she's just...gone. 

[Tethras Clan]

"So... so today's lesson is that her partner is a bag of rotting dicks," Zevran says, rubbing his forehead. Alright, need to... where was I when..? Ah, there we go. After returning to his hiding spot in the hope that it's still, well, hidden, he reverts to Comforting Lies. 

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Do you think, this window here?"

"Hmm. But then we have to cross the study," he points out in response.

"True."

It seems they're still planning this heist, still cozy as can be.

[Tethras Clan]

Zevran gestures for Varric to follow him back to the other two, a little further away, so they can whisper without too much worry. "So. Evidently this fellow- the Gold Avenger if you can believe it- was a fanboy of the Scale that became a sidekick, then fell to evil. I gather we need to convince Cindy over there to accept that little fact in order to continue on."

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene nods. "Do we have specific information to share?"

[Tethras Clan]

"Gold is evil and kidnapped some poor kid, he turns into golden butterflies- no, seriously- to escape when cornered, he's an evil, a match for Silver in a duel provided Silver is hurt first and he's got a lot of pride," Zevran says after a bit of thought. "Oh, and he's a mage or something- he tried to use some kind of incantation to... do something, but the last part of it got Tabooed and it didn't work."

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene frowns. "We should perhaps try to figure out what the taboo words were. Do you have specific context?"

[Tethras Clan]

"Uh, they were fighting... He shouted out... Buy Gold cert foy nah and then gibberish. It sounded... perhaps Ceslistial? It had that ritual-ish formality to it. And he is an aasimar so..." Zevran shrugs. "He clearly expected it to win him the fight."

[Helene Dakesh]

"Bhí," they correct absently, deep in thought. "That's not likely to be a spell incantation. Possibly a ritual? did he do anything special or just speak? It could be the trigger for something prepared in advance. He was speaking about himself in the third person... Gold was right about something. Oh! I can cast a divination, obtain the rest of the words, and perhaps what they are for. One moment while I--"

Helene stops, already turning to their bag, and stares down at the silver rapier protruding from their chest in horror as deep blue blood seeps into their robes. The rapier retracts ,and they fall, revealing the Scale behind them, mask twisted into a fearsome visage.