The way the dead birds sing

[Dimitri Wladisyaw]

(40th of Pontius)

Dimitri had a purpose in Jaedaxia, a black diamond needed to be found. It seemed foolish to try to find one in Vortex and then risk loosing it so he had decided to aquire one in this city. He regretted the idea.

In Vortex the smells were dark and musty and fine, Jaedaxia had so many and with his increased smell it drove Dim mad, he was often agitated and unable to be his usual liquid smooth self, this annoyed him further and this led him onto a second purpose.

He would get the diamond and after he had done so he would take a life to pay for how his was difficult, it was not a fair trade even Dimitri knew this but he was inherently selfish like all men, and decided that this was to be his reward for suffering, a whore or an urchin would suffice for his love of the macabre.

Still for now he roamed the streets with two small rolls of silk inserted into each nostril to block any smells and an eyepatch across his bad eye. He moved with ten human guards and carried himself like the aristocrat he was, even in this city. He looked for that most reliable source of direction in Jaedaxia, namely an urchin and he searched for something simple, the finest jewellers in Jaedaxia, surely they would have what he sought.

[Crimson]

Jaedaxia always had what one sought -- it just depended on where one looked actually. There were fancy hats, shoes, and colorful clothes at the bazaar; along the harbors there were fresh fish and an assortment of other fuit de la mer, or seafood in Common; down the wide boulevards of the Southern Quarter on the other hand were the more posh establishments that usually shunned the non-educated or the commoner. These were reserved for the elite of Jaedaxia, or le creme de la creme.

One such shoppe happened to be Madeline's. The establishment was welll known among the upper strata and Dimitri would find little hesitation in those whom he asked. Some guards regarded him indifferently but gladly pointed the way to the quaint shoppe that everyone agreed to be ridicolously expensive. "But you wouldn't mind that", one of the guards offered smugly. There had always been a rift between the rich and poor, and in Jaedaxia it was no different. The commoners stayed in their apartments while the upper class lived in their fancy town houses and estates.

C'est la vie.

It was cold that brightening when Dimitri, dressed in hopes of subduing his enhanced senses, marched down the cobblestones of the Southern Quarter. The Suns were already on their zeniths but the occasional breeze from Libertas Bay still sent a frigid shiver down his spine, including those whom he brought along. The ten guards, armed and mostly freezing, maintained a professional silence with only the crunch of their heavy military boots and the squeak of frost against metal disrupting Dimitri's thoughts.

Finally, they arrived at a parlor looking place. From the outside, the frosty glass and the brightly colored shoppe appeared more like a restaurant than a jewelry store. Then again, did it really matter? Outside, in golden script, were the words: Madeline's Finest. Upon entering a splash of purfume attacked the guards and nearly caused Dimitri to choke on his own breath. The place was well lit with candles and oil lamps which highlighted the shine and shimmer of the gems, jewels, and precious metals behind glass display cases along shelves and cabinets.

An elderly woman appeared from what looked like a backroom. She regarded the number of men and scoffed. "What is this? A raid?" Then she laughed, abruptly, and almost manically. "Jus joshin' you. What can I do for you, monsieurs?" Madeline was a colorful character who enjoyed donning the most frivolous types of clothes her purse could afford. That brightening she wore a fur coat over a bright yellow undershirt that appeared to be threaded with gold. And, as if this wasn't lavish enough, she ensured that all of her ten snarly fingers had at least one ring on them.

[Dimitri Wladisyaw]

(right right lets get this show on the road!)

Dimitri with a hand clamped over his nose entered the shop, he coughed and spluttered and took a moment to compose himself finding it hard to talk his usual charm in such a sensual atmosphere.

"Hail good woman......." he coughed and spluttered but continued, "I am Dimitri Wladisyaw Duke of the city of Vortex and I have a quest to find the finest jeweller.....the finest jeweller in the land." He placed a big hand on a hard surface and reeled for a moment while one of his guards hit his back helping his coughing.

He stood again and bowed in apology, "A black diamond, I need a black diamond for the Vortexian gem collection, a boon to you from the city should you provide one, much gold and prestige, a title perhaps if you will it." Dimitri was willing at this point to promise half his manhood to be rid of the curse that made him choke in public.

[Crimson]

Finest in the land, she thought through her abnormally large looped earrings. She's heard that speech before. The offered title was a sweet little addition, though. It made her grin, which made Dimitri a tad uncomfortable. There was something about the jeweller .. maybe it was the way her wrinkled skin hung loosely below her neck. And with his enhanced senses, he could almost taste the thick make-up the whore had on. It made him shudder, though not outwardly.

"Black Diamonds are ... rare" she replied with a practiced floudish of her left, totally bling-ed-out fingers "but not impossible to find." She smiled smartly then passed a glance at the crowded number of bodyguards the Duke decided to bring along. "What size, karat?" she continued with a raised tattooed eyebrow for effect "clarity? Have you any knowledge about gems, love? Or are you here just to increase your collection?"

It was a possiblility that the jeweller didn't trust Dimitri -- maybe just as much as he didn't trust her. But even with a cursory look of her collection, the Duke of Vortex was appeased, maybe even impressed, by the number of gems and other precious things she had in store. There were platnium sceptars, massive golden rings, necklaces, silver things imbedded with sapphires, rubies, and emeralds.

But no guards? It was a curious thought. Perhaps the old woman had her own tricks. Invisible ones, like the type he was beginning to smell ...

[Dimitri Wladisyaw]

Dimitri hacked out another cough and could not help but sense the perfume, it was strong somehow. Even with his increased senses he could tell there was something....wrong about it.

"I seek but a black diamond, it is a necessary item for a fitting crown from one from the black lands of Arium." He smiled, "You are an....artisan Lady, I seek your approval and advice on the stone itself." He paused, "The finer the better I suppose, then you shall name....name your price for it."

He paused and leant on a nearby object again trying to steady himself, his fingers clamped over his nose now so he could not smell anything but every few seconds he had to release his fingers and take a deep, suffocating breath of this sweet poison.

He hoped the women would hurry apace with this issue, he did not relish the smell and hoped to escape its clutches soon.

[Crimson]

"Are you unwell, monsieur?" the jeweler asked in a frilly sort of way. Then with a dismissive gesture she set about on a small chair near the corner of the pompous display room. The table was made from cherry wood unlike those found in the Carmelyn. She had a high backed chair fit for a noble more than an artisan but it seemed to fit her well enough. The jeweler picked up a thick bound tome of some sort -- Dimitri knew it was old since he could smell every dust particle and colony of mold that lived in it -- and scanned through the pages. Each flick of the ancient book caused the Duke to sneeze and cough as if seized by some horrible allergy. The jeweler, pleased with herself, paid him no heed whatsoever. His men, however, were growing anxious and occasionally asked if their leige was indeed well.

Several minutes later, she pricked a page with the nail of her left index finger and said: "here" and then wandered off to the back of the shoppe. There was a fluttery of her slik, beaded curtain and she disappeared only to reappear with an irovy box about the size of a small child's hand. It was engraved with patterns Dimitri recognized to be from the desert dwellers in the West but said nothing of it. With another practiced flourish, she opened the box to reveal a diamond that captured light and never sparkled.

"A black diamond" she said but kept the object away from the Duke's hands "46,000 crowns" she added with a wink "and that's cheap considering the amount I settled to purchase this beauty. Mined by dwarves, carved by dwarves. You can't expect anything of higher quality. And" she raised a finger "this is the only one in my collection."

[Dimitri Wladisyaw]

(ooc: see my Pm)

Dimitri smiled, a forced smile coming from under restless lids and a weary face drained by the smells of this place. But the diamond wa sbefore him, the path to power was before him and the path to freedom was again before him.

Carefully he turned to a guard and smiled, "We have what we came for." He turned back to the woman casting a casual glance about the shop, admiring even among his suffering the sparkling gems and fine furniture. He could even appreciate the smells inside him somewhewre past the building bile of his over-dominant senses.

He looked square at the woman, "It is much currency, i do not carry such a sum in cash but I can procure it from the bank in an instant." He paused, "But first we barter, the black diamond is not the rarest of all gems and I find your price steep." He paused, "I will offer you 35,000 crowns for the thing, and I will come back to you for future assigments." He paused, "My fiancee is cousin of the regent of this Empire you understand, perhaps court jeweller is an ambition you one day may desire?" He paused and desite his pain at being in this place could not resist this light spot of haggling.

[Crimson]

The jeweler's eyes glazed up at the mention of bartering. She threw her massively ringed fingers upward to protest -- until Dimitri mentioned his relation to the Regent. The old crow's heavily powdered lined face brightened in a crooked smile before she said "Court Jeweller?" It could have been her life long dream. Then again, with her fabolous wealth, she could have easily whored the Prince or Regent or whatever that Imperial was called now. "That makes things interesting" she mused.

Not that she'd part with her shinies so easily of course.

Suddenly, a thought struck her. At the same time, she held the diamond closer to the Duke's grasp and wiggled it playfully to test Dimitri's interest in the matter. He was willing to barter, which meant he wasn't that desperate. People who took the first offer she gave were often thus; or just stupid. She shrugged inwardly at the thought. "Thirty five thousand is ... low" she said reluctantly, which looked almost real had Dimitri less personal experience in persuasion and manipulation himself. But the Duke saw through it all, the acting, the flourishing of the diamond. And his patience was wearing thin, especially now that the foul smell was nearing its climax against his senses.

"I am willing to go for thirty nine thousand" the jeweler said finally, and for effect she replaced the black diamond in its plushy container then added "last offer."

Before Dimitri could respond, however, he heard a snapping sound behind him followed by a soft swish and a crossbow bolt impaled the old woman neatly between the eyes.

She dropped dead in an instant, the remaining drops of her ancient blood spilling on her Arakmatan carpetted flooring.