#86 - Juggling - Dancing Around - Tekia - Semi-Original

[tekia.livejournal.com]

Title: Dancing Around
Fandom: Original/ Exalted
Prompt: #86 Juggling
Warnings: foul words and me trying to be cunning, but failing.
Rating: R, prehaps? I'm not good with ratings.
Summary: Sicarii plots to take revenge for his murdered family.

Sicarii stalked down the hall, a servant behind him exactly two steps. Rigidly keeping his features in a cool cast, he mentally cursed his father’s paranoia. If the old man would just turn his attention away from his own house for just a bit, it would make Sicarii’s job all that much easier.
His lips twitched. Not that he didn’t enjoy the added peril. The thrill of walking the edge. If ever any member of his family caught on, he was done for. Being not blood related to the family meant that he was expendable. But that was a double-edged knife as well, for he felt no loyalty to this family.
As the duo walked in silence down the hall, Sicarii thought over all the things that had to be done this day. Aside from all that had to be done, it all had to be done in secret, with a full house. He lowered his eyes to hide the light in them at the thought of fooling all the nobles and arrogant persons in the family, plus their guests. This was the thrill he loved, the danger that kept him in thrall.
He stepped into the large parlor, flicking the sliding wicker door closed behind him with a flick of his wrist, cutting off the servant. Before fully entering, he pulled a fan from his sleeve, splaying it open to hide his rouged lips and the cruel twist to his smile that he couldn’t repress.
The room was full of dynasts. Music filtered through the air, drifting along with the sweet scent of perfumes and wines. Low laughter reached his ears as his brown gaze flicked over the crowd, noting who had come to visit his family.
How he hated each and every one of them.
Except for that one, he thought with a true smile, albeit, hidden by the fan. It wouldn’t do for anybody to know that he was well acquainted with that man. Although the man’s true profession wasn’t known, it was still unseemly for the son of a noble house to consort with a commoner such as him.
To the far left, there was a smattering of clapping that drew his attention. Making his way over, he paused only to greet his parents’ friends, always the polite and spoilt second son. He never overstepped his bounds as a mortal in a gathering of Blessed, always lowering his gaze if he should find one of theirs upon him, no matter how much he resented it all.
These people were all full of themselves and their righteousness, it made him ill to be in their presence. They acted as if all the world were theirs. Which, it was, in a way. They were the Blessed, the son’s and daughters of the Empress.
Then, all the world didn’t matter to Sicarii. Only his family, the ones they killed without a qualm. True, they had taken him in, but the very same family that raised him were the ones that spilt his real family’s blood.
Spying his mother across the room, Sicarii quickly made his excuses to the group of nobles and made good on his escape. Before he risked speaking with his mother, he had to speak with his agent.
A few of his old school chums had arrived and he made the pretty, reminiscing and congratulating on old and new glories the warriors had made while out in the world. He smirked behind his fan as he listened to how one had fought against one of the dreaded anathema. How would they react if they knew that they supped that night within the house of such a creature?
They would all know, in time. For now, while he gathered his intelligence, created his network, he had to stay in the shadows of the dynasts. A mere mortal to be easily overlooked.
The group of youths slowly made their way to the group gathered in the far side of the room where the clapping had increased to cheers. From his spot on the floor, he could only see tiny balls being tossed into the air in a steady rhythm. The others with him were also drawn in by the display and their conversation dwindled away as the balls were replaced by random objects.
Sicarii wondered who had ordered this entertainment. It would be fitting with his father’s whimsical nature, but, really, he would place his bet on his mother. While she was all that was noble, her sense of proper entertainment for a dynastic party was way off.
A sudden presence at his side had him again raising his fan to hide the lower half of his face as he spoke sotto voce.
“Tell me you have news.”
The other man’s head bobbed only slightly. He stood with his attention on the juggler, giving no indication that he was at all aware of the noble he was standing next to.
“Sire, your bother has contracted two ships to set sail in two days’ time for the Isle. He has also arranged for a show to sell his findings. Buyers include members of the Peleps house and Ledaal house.”
Sicarii pursed his lips as he lowered his fan to clap at the latest display from the juggler. People moved about and the young noble caught sight of the acrobat, finally. It was a young woman, not much older than himself, with dark brown hair pulled tightly away from her strong featured face. She bowed gracefully before setting aside the last set of objects and pulling out wickedly sharp jade knives. These she tossed into the air easily, each one gleaming in the late sun’s light peeking through the wicker shutters.
Silently, Sicarii wondered how the girl would react if one of the blessed put fire to the red jade knife, or perhaps waterlogged the black jade one. Turning his attention back to the crowd, he noted his father eyeing him askance. With a start he repressed, he realized that he was showing the play much too much attention.
He turned his head away from his father, deliberately eyeing the girl’s lithe frame. When she finally noticed him, he winked at her, drawing a pale pink to her cheeks.
“It would be a pity if those ships never arrived, wouldn’t it? To set sail and never reach the Isle is all too common in this troubled time.”
His spy just dipped his head, then drifted off to blend into the crowd as Sicarii once again found himself within the group of youths on leave from their duties for the night. He played his part well, having trained for it all his life, gathering rumors and setting up others while sipping the sweet wine imported from the far east.
Through his network of spies, he knew nearly every deep dark secret of every person present. Those that had betrayed their own families, those that killed to get where they were, those that used bribes and tricks. He knew it all and used it shamelessly.
Although, it could never be placed on his shoulders.
If anything, if anybody were to suspect his house, they would turn their gazes to one of his parents, or his brother, never him. Never a mortal.
Next on his list was to speak with his most trusted. That man stood just at the edge of the room, not really a part of the party. Sicarii bit back a grimace as he realized that getting the man to move from his spot was going to prove difficult, but there was no way the spoilt prince would ever take it upon himself to seek out a commoner.
Instead, he smiled brightly at his mother as she headed his direction. Still was he not ready to speak with her, so he caught the sleeve of a passing servant. He flicked his gaze to his mother and the girl nodded once and immediately changed course to capture her lady’s attention. Sicarii made good his escape, getting entangled into a conversation with someone he knew his mother loathed and would never speak to unless forced to.
The old man did drone on, but didn’t pay attention to those that were supposed to be listening, and Sicarii allowed his mind to wonder.
His bother’s wealth would dwindle with the loss of his latest find. It would destroy his reputation as well, making for easy prey for Sicarii’s harsh rumors. Satisfied, Sicarii decided that was enough for the night, regarding his brother. It wouldn’t do to have too much happen all at once. Perhaps later he would uncover the other man’s darkest secret. It was well time to break that dynast.
But first, he had to remove power from his mother’s hands. And before that, he had to remove his father’s support. Adultery was nothing new to the family, any dynast family, so that was useless. He rested his folded fan against his chin as he thought, his brown gaze on the old dynast.
It was his father that was proving to be the most difficult hurdle. The man seemed to be all that was honorable and good. He showed himself to be the up right Dragon that many only pretended at. There were no rumors about any failings at his door.
So, it would have to wait yet another day. His spies were always on the lookout, always ready for the man to slip up. Sicarii wouldn’t kill them they way they had killed his family, obliterating them from the surface of Creation. No, instead, he will bring them down and let them kill themselves. What dynast would live broken, in the shadows of their peers?
Perhaps he should see if Old Man Iselsi would like a job.
As he was making his final rounds of the gathered nobles, he found himself seated before the still cowering spy. Sicarii spoke with the researcher his brother was wooing, laughter sprinkling their conversation. Finally his brother presented himself to draw the woman away and leaving Sicarii alone.
He leaned back in his chair, lightly fanning himself. “You’ve gotten what I requested?”
“I do, sire.”
“Don’t leave me in suspense. Tell me it was worth all the effort.”
The man stepped out from behind the curtains, his honor gleaming on his shoulders in the form of badges eared in battle and politics. He gave a strained smile to a passing couple. “Indeed it was. It seems your dear mother has arranged a marriage for you with the daughter of her cousin, one Cynis Myluka. That aside, she had arranged for another market to open in two day’s time to contest with the one you’ve opened in the Dry District.”
“She’s moving quickly. Have there been any rumors about her suspecting anybody? Surely she’s been questioning who this upstart is?”
The other man’s lips quirked at that. “Question she has, but there are no leads that would point to her own son. You’ve covered your tracks well.”
Sicarii flicked invisible lint off his robes. “One market to fill with slaves is quite a feat to achieve, in only two days. I think I would like to see this happen. Meanwhile, burn down her bordello on Winter Street and promote ours by hiring her homeless whores. That will draw customers our way while tweaking her nose.”
Sicarii waved the man away when his eye caught the juggler now juggling the knives while standing on one foot on a chair’s back. He smiled when he noticed, yet again, that his father’s eye was on him.
In any event, the girl would prove to be an entertaining distraction, he thought as he stood and made his way to the girl.



It can also be read here.