twoforsurprise | One Short Day In Antiva City

One Short Day In Antiva City

Davrin might have forgotten Lucanis' offer about the tailor, but he had not. Not all of their excursions were for fighting demons or cultists or darkspawn, and eventually Rook was going treasure hunting on the Rivani coast with Taash and Harding. And just them. Quite adamant that only Taash and Harding were needed, in fact.

Andraste preserve them, Rook was apparently becoming interested in matchmaking.

It worked out, though. The timing. Lucanis ever so casually mentions that Davrin promised to assist him in some errands in Antiva and Rook is just so happy they're not at each other's throats that they're told to not take however long they need. Lucanis makes a mental note to pick up something nice for Rook when they're in Antiva City.

Ah, Antiva City. A less beautiful Treviso, Lucanis used to say. That was before the Ossuary, before the occupation, before the blight. Now it's hard to not see everything that's been lost. He doesn't insult Davrin by assuming the man can't keep up with the Crow routes along the rooftops and across ziplines, so much faster than the weaving crowded streets up the hill the city is built on overlooking the harbor the few times they need to duck down to street level.

"Should be right around - ah, there it is," Lucanis declares once they're half way up the hill, the financial district of the city settled between the Palace at the top and the harbor and all the wealth the shipping industry brings. This time when he drops down to the street level it is where they'll stay for the time being, heading to an understated store front with a simple hanging sign that looks like an embroidered rose carved into the wood of it.

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"For all I know, that was an elaborate Crow drop and we're on our way to a mark."

It's not serious, obviously not serious. But Davrin couldn't help but think the quaint dwarf tailor and baker wife cooing about their grandchildren would be a perfect cover. And that it was all Lucanis' fault he was thinking this way. Before he'd actually met an assassin, he'd never been concerned there was one standing at every corner.

"Ah, the finest undercover operatives Treviso has ever produced, how did you make them so quickly?"

Teasing. He was teasing. OR WAS HE?

~~He absolutely was.~~

"Alright then, Fledgling, who would be our mark if they were the drop?"

It was Antiva City, of course there were Crows on basically every corner. Not all of them did outright assassinations though, some were just scouts, runners, people in training. Many were above street level, some were dressed out in the open, others just looked like day laborers. Lucanis wasn't looking for them, he had no business with them in particular after all, but he couldn't help but notice them as they passed. As they were likely doing to him and Davrin as well. It made him wonder if they would return to Treviso to have Illario asking why Lucanis did not see fit to bring him along to Antiva City.

Fledgling he mouthed, corners quirked up in amusement. But, alright, he'll play. Blame it on being Antiva, the city just brought out a little murder in everyone.

"Running off the elaborate assassination plots from Bellara's serials?"

Yes, she really had gotten half the Lighthouse reading them now. Davrin may not join in on the book club, but it was impossible to resist picking up the trashy newspaper stories when the other elf gushed about them so much. And those convoluted always-a-cliffhanger plots were more fun than whatever a real assassination would look like.

His lips twisted for a moment as he looked up to the sky- spotting more people running on the roofs, of course, in the process- and giving it all honest consideration. If he was going to play a game, he aimed to win. Never mind there was no winning at story telling.

"The butcher would just be the halfway point. Going up pick up some drugged meat with a passcode. Then the target's name will be written on the butcher paper."

Those serials! Really, Lucanis preferred the romances, though he enjoyed the book club. If nothing else the romances didn't have characters that were thinly veiled versions of him somewhere in there.

"Oh ho. Alright, how do we get the meat to the target, then?" He prompted next. There were plenty of options, he was curious which one Davrin would take. He could see the sign down the other end of the street with a druffalo's head engraved on it.

"I'm doing all the work here? Is master assassin like First Warden? You just sit around in bars doing meetings after serving long enough?"

He was still amused though, enough to keep going with the game. Griping was just a requirement in conversation between the two of them, that was all.

"But I'm an elf. Classic sneak in as a servant, no one notices technique. The target's got to be some rich neglectful husband or something."

"You're a little noticeable for a servant," Lucanis had to point out. Those impressive shoulders, the handsome face with the tattoos, Davrin was quite memorable.

"Do you not let your trainees take point to build their confidence with a senior member as backup in case they fail in the wardens? No wonder you have so much rabble," he added, because they had to snipe.

The shop had a bell on the door that rang when opened. The butcher was helping another customer - an elf dressed as a household servant, of course, but he gave a nod to the two of them to acknowledge he'd be with them as soon as he was done there.

"You're saying that because you met me as a Warden. Trust me, most rich humans? Put me in an alienage dressed like this and they'll never pick me out of a crowd. We're all the same to them."

Dalish that had run to the cities were uncommon, but not rare. He'd learned that himself when he'd first left his clan. That and just how lazy human guards were when it came to finding the guilty. It varied from country to country and city to city, but one elf was as good as another, most of the time.

But he appreciated the fact Lucanis found him...notable.

"Which just means some elf would be blamed. So I'd probably confess to keep them out of trouble. Then maybe get recruited into the Wardens as an alternative to the noose. Call it fate."

Lucanis thought he would find Davrin noticeable no matter what - but he was also trained since childhood by the First Talon, and going undercover as a servant was one of his own plays he deployed regularly. And Davrin was simply good looking enough to draw attention, that was an objective fact.

"Ah, I can already imagine the report. 'Talented but lacks the attitude and spirit necessary for a full Crow. Suggestion: allow the Wardens to have him, forward any remaining pay to his family with apologies and inform Wardens where his skills need improving so he will have an edge on his training with them'," Lucanis said with a grin, folding up the note from Alessa to slip into his own pocket.

"You've written that before."

It was somewhere between a statement and an accusation. Davrin tried to do a mental check of any Antivan wardens he may know, but he had never really been one for making lasting connections. Do the job, move forward, hope the people you just left behind will be alive next time you pass through. But don't count on it.

He followed Lucanis inside, ready to see what the master chef thought appropriate for a wild hunter to eat.

"Written? No, I am not an Heir, I do not handle training or recruitment," Lucanis said with a little wave of his hand.

Read the reports to Teia and Viago, been asked for a second opinion on the matter and suggested pay be forwarded to the family with apologies, well.

It was Antiva, so of course a good ten minutes worth of small talk with the butcher was required before business could be started. For all that the questions were innocuous ones though it still gave plenty of information on the current state of things in Antiva City. It was not Lucanis' home, he was not on a job, but one never knew when additional information could come on handy.

He finally dropped that the butcher was recommended by the La Rosa's as a reliable and quality provider of bones for their dogs, and he was quite happy to assist a friend of a friend for the same. He was clearly assuming a dog for Lucanis, and Lucanis let him believe that, putting a hand on Davrin's wrist behind the counter where the butcher couldn't see to stop the other man from correcting him. There was a helper in back that Lucanis could see who was very obviously (to him) eavesdropping on the conversation. Maybe it was a Crow too, but Lucanis would hope they were better trained in Antiva City to not be so obvious. He couldn't be sure, so he defaulted to paranoia.

He ended up settling on some druffalo bones that the butcher insisted took weeks to crack. Lucanis thought they would be lucky to last several days with Assan's beak, but those would be days he wasn't chewing on something important so it was still going to be a win. Along with that, a dozen hearts, some tongues, as well as a liver - he also allowed himself to be talked in to druffalo lungs as well. Some sausage too, though some of that was for them. He was planning on making a lasagna later.

Davrin watched with a raised eyebrow as the list grew. And grew. And grew. Assan was going to set his expectations way too high after this trip. The Wardens would go broke feeding him alone, never mind once they gathered all his siblings back.

Spy he was not, but he looked down at the hand on his wrist, then up to the people behind the counter, and got some idea. While the butcher was packaging, he leaned in closer to Lucanis.

"I never asked- would killing you make the killer next in line for first?"

Clearly they just needed a benefactor with deep pockets and no children of his own. Provided one could get past the whole 'blood money' aspect.

"Why, have your sights set on a career change?" Lucanis teased. He knew damn well that wasn't why Davrin asked though and shook his head a moment later. "No. Bragging rights, maybe, and a target of their own on their back would be the only rewards for that if they succeeded. It's a whole thing with the council and the current First Talon's wishes."

Former First Talon's wishes. Lucanis was Caterina's heir presumptive, everyone knew he was her favorite and favored. But that was before he carried a demon within him, and that surely changed some opinions of the other talons.

His own was not needed or required. The decision made for him, like so many others. Caterina was like a force of nature, and all that could be done was to endure.

Davrin has the patience to at least wait until they're out of the shop, burdened with meat that would need to make its way back to the Lighthouse sooner rather than later, before picking at that particular thread again. He wasn't trying to open a wound, but in his experience groups in turmoil were groups dangerous to be a known ranking member of as people saw their chance to skip up the ranks. And between the death of the first talon and the blighting of Treviso, the Crows were in turmoil.

"And who exactly is that now? The First."

It would. Which meant there would be no lingering in Treviso on the way back. Need to get this to an icebox sooner rather than later.

He bites back a sharp comment that it is neither Davrin's concern nor his business. It was neither of those things, but he could already hear Rook's chiding tone prompted by another fight to stay his tongue.

"No one. There's other matters taking everyone's attention right now," he said. Like the blighting of Treviso. "Illario will probably make a move for it. He's always wanted it."

And with Lucanis not a viable option thanks to Spite, he had his chance.

"And you didn't?"

He's pushing hard at the edge of the peace they've made, and he knows it. But when the opening was that clear, he couldn't force himself to stay his hand and leave his curiosity unsatisfied. He's wondered what Lucanis would have been if allowed to make his own choices. Now, for better or worse and at a terribly high price, the man may be facing a dark version of that very opportunity. He wanted to know what he thought, earnestly and honestly, even if it was enough to reignite a real argument between them.

"I would have done as Caterina asked," Lucanis says, and that's the sad truth of it.

He didn't want it, at all. But if she'd told him to take it, he would have. It was entirely possible her favor would have shifted to Illario anyway with Lucanis now being an abomination. It probably would have been. That would have been the ideal scenario - everyone got what they wanted, more or less. Illario might be happy then. Him and Caterina could finally come to an understanding.

"That's not an answer."

It was, though. It really clearly was. But Davrin couldn't help pushing further, encouraging (demanding) the man say the actual words. Sometimes half the battle was just acknowledging there was one to fight.

"It's the only one that matters," Lucanis said - with more force and snap than intended, drawing at least a couple stray looks from others at the raised tone. He spared none of them a second glance, his eyes wholly focused on Davrin. "I thought you were supposed to understand 'duty'."

"I chose my duty. And lost the right to go back to my family for it."

It's not a holier than thou sentiment- he made the choice right for him, not for anyone else. Placing that kind of expectation on another would be no better than when his parents demanded he stick to the old ways at all cost. It an ideal world, there would never be a choice between who you were and what your family would accept. But both of them knew they lived far from that kind of life, and he couldn't fault Lucanis for picking the latter.

They weren't walking anymore. They should duck down an alley or put a pin in this, but what were they if not stubborn, immovable objects?

"There's nothing wrong with recognizing you have duty to yourself, too. You don't have to follow it. But you should know what it would be."

He did have a duty to himself - to stay alive. That was all that mattered. Every other want was just a want, and those could be lived without. Some were weakness. No matter what ~~his cousin~~ Davrin said.

{{ WANT OUT! }}

Lucanis flinched at the sudden shout in his ear, but did not look at the demon, did not acknowledge him. He had plenty of out time these days, he had no place to complain.

"My family is not so easily set aside-" it was a low blow, one he would regret likely in just a few minutes. "Even moreso as the already small number dwindles further."

"Right. So you're going to replenish the bloodline instead of taking first Talon, now? Is that the plan? Keep twisting yourself in knots to find new ways to leave all your choices to the Dellamortes."

This was definitely going past where he'd intended, but Davrin didn't care. They both had pride, a temper, and an undying loyalty to their respective sacrifices. Lucanis may not wanted to have been an assassin, or maybe he did. But the fact he wouldn't admit he made a choice to follow that desire, or to give up on his independence instead of his family desires chaffed in a way Davrin didn't understand. Like looking through a mirror that twisted everything just wrong enough to make his stomach turn.

It was simply not an option for him right now - to admit what he had given up. He was willing to accept that his life was mostly others (Caterina) making his choices for him, but if he admitted why he simply followed orders instead of fighting then he would have to look at why he made that choice. Why he had decided to fall into line. It would mean acknowledging more about Caterina than Lucanis could handle. And she was dead now, anyway, so what did it matter? Why bring up that pain all over again when he had figured out how to survive it?

'I don't need time, I need a target' he had said, immediately after finding out she had been killed, mere hours after escaping where he was imprisoned and tortured for a year.

He did not need to think, to feel. He needed to work.

"Right now, I am going to finish the contract I was given," he said, harsh. "And I am going to get my revenge on Zara for what she has done. The rest does not matter."

Maybe he would die in the process of one of those. That also didn't matter. Spite screamed and howled and Lucanis wiped blood away from his nose again, turning on his heel to go to the nearest alleyway where he knew there was a handhold back up to the roofs. The fastest way out of the city.

Spite was going to have a rant and rave ready next time, Davrin could tell. If Lucanis slept again. If he let Davrin help for a few weeks after this. If Lucanis went It alone he was pretty sure Spite would bloody more than the crow's nose. It was the other man's own choice of suffering, sure. And Davrin wasn't one to bite back his opinions even if half of the suffering would have ended up being his own.

"Damned fool."

He muttered, loud enough for Lucanis to hear, as he followed begrudgingly behind.

Lucanis had every intention to go it alone for at least a little while. He knew how far he could push himself, how much he could take. He endured Spite before Davrin had started helping, he could endure on his own again.

Endure. Always the watch word. He did not respond to Davrin's comment, because Davrin simply did not understand. It helped his own anger, though. Let it burn rather than feel guilt over his own harsh words. Seeing Treviso again helped that, the sullen burn of anger and shame that took over everything else. That somehow he should have been better enough to stop this from happening to his city.

There was no ignoring the Crows, the eluvian was in the Cantori Diamond, shot through with thick tree-trunk like tentacles of blight like so many other buildings now. So the first words Lucanis did say to Davrin again was after hearing Teia call out to him. He held the bag he was carrying out to the Warden.

"Go ahead - I'll follow when I can."

Davrin grabbed half of Lucanis' hand when he took the bag in hand, meeting the other man's eye with unwavering certainty.

"If you're not back by the morning, I'll find you."

After Lucanis had gone missing following the attack, Davrin wasn't going to risk the crow sulking back into the shadows because of a spat. He'd drag a blighted Spite screaming back to the Lighthouse if need be, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"Warden, remember. I have my ways."

((Maybe next day Davrin has to keep his word and hunt down Lucanis in the blight?))

Edited 2024-12-25 02:42 (UTC)

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(rip treviso, blighting it today)

at least blight black and red are still fashionable colors >.>

TT_______TT

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I did not expect Lucanis to just be SO FUCKING SAD.

His giant bleeding murder heart