Necilla knew beforehand that it was going to be a bad day, she knew because it was her father's good day and a good day for her father meant scotch in daytime and hordes of drunken men. On days like those she prefered to disappear entirely than to be in the company of those men, she didn't expect her wish meant kidnap though. "...still..." She thought, "For a hostage I sure don't feel like one." After being attacked by that man she expected to wake up in some caravan due south but instead it was in a fine bed in a large room of an enormous estate.
She warrily looked around as she left the room but no one bothered to even give her a single glance which somewhat annoyed her. the kidnapper could at least have the decency to wait for her to wake up or even lock the door, did people really think she was so meek as to let herself get captured without a fight?
She left the inside of the mansion and outside were richly dressed people playing croquet and reading under the shade of a sycamore tree. Some, were faces she recognized: the Viscount of Hendelbridge, Baron Chesterre of Slevach, and Lady Norderelle. People that were reportedly missing...and presumed dead...
That was when the understanding dawned upon her, "The Rogue's Estate" that was where she was...and she had no hope of ever escaping. What enemy could her father have that they'd be so powerful as to have a Rogue on their service? "It doesn't matter." She realized as her father never negotiates with the enemy, he either runs away from them, or if he's certain that he can win, attack head on. Whoever this was who kidnapped her was not one that her father would risk fighting, thus, she is doomed.
She sat down on a bench cherishing her last days, "In the end I really didn't matter huh..." a single tear fell down on her rosy cheek but none more, she accepted her fate. She was born unremarkable and unremarkable she would die. While looking around trying to distract herself she found a couple of men dressed in flamboyant battle clothing dusting themselves off.
"Alvos Helrough is such an arrogant cheater! There's no way a smoke bomb is allowed to be used!" One said, presumably removing bits of the aforesaid smoke bomb on his ornated battle vest.
"Yeah, he is an embarrassment to the Rogue Constortium! Fighting so dirty and with so many of those tribal toys, he should have just become a tinker!" The other said laughing, he was wearing a plate armor that was almost black from the dust.
Suddenly, the two stopped laughing as a young man smoking a cigar walked towards them with an exaggerated swagger in his step and an expression that was arrogant that Necilla was sure this was the man they were talking about.
Alvos stopped in front of the man wearing the ornate battle vest, and huffed smoke from the cigar right in his face with a devil-may-care smirk that made the man wearing the ornate battle vest go red with either anger or embarrasment but the man didn't move a muscle. "You should be thankful, you look better with smoke covering that hideous face of yours." Alvos slandered. The other man was about to protest but froze the moment Alvos faced him. "You were about to say something dirty man? I'd say, if anyone, you're the embarrassment here wearing that dusty garbage armor of yours." he said as he made little slaps to the armored man's face. "Of course, you can face in the battle field if your so eager to prove yourselves." Alvos challenged with some bite in his words. "But, I warn you that you'd be losing much more than your dignity if you do." WIth one final puff, he placed the cigar in the armored man's glass of wine and turned around.
The two men were shaking with anger but were unable to move a muscle, like sparrows in the midst of a falcon, they were outmatched and they knew it but it did not please Necilla at all seeing the way this arrogant man treated his collegues and she stood up from her bench getting Alvos Helrough's attention. When Alvos faced her, Necilla recognized him as the man who kidnapped her and was annoyed that she hadn't earlier but that servant who called himself Miyo Soutti might as well have been this man's little brother, having his features but none of his swagger or intensity, how could those once gentle hazel eyes hold such a hateful coldness in a matter of a few hours?
"You're a hateful little man aren't you?" Necilla said putting some bite in her words which seemed to strike a chord with Alvos.
"What?" Avlos asked with increasing coldness in his voice.
"You heard me, you have the stature of a child so unless you want to be mistaken one, for then then I suggest you stop acting like a brat." Necilla once again said now crossing her arms like a mother to her child.
"You chose your last words unwisely." Alvos' eyes were blazing and he reached towards his backpocket for a knife having thrown all the weapons in his sleeve at Ai. He was fuming, first there was the risk of his near-perfect job success rate being destroyed because of the remainder of his morals, then those two jokes of a rogue talking shit about him in public, and finally the woman he was risking his reputation for was now verbally abusing him.
Why shouldn't he just end her now? Who cares about some nobody noble being killed? His problems would certainly disappear! If only he break his rule just once. As he took out the first thing he could grab from his pocket he found the old cook's letter containing those four words. "Your father is sick." Immediately, Alvos' anger dissipated and he remember the first time his father spanked him, really spanked him. He was a child then and he had punched a girl because she called him a tiny beggar. He still remembered the words his father told him then. "I have given you the best thing that any father could, it is your morals, the moment throw that away, then you really will have nothing and no amount of money and no largeness of stature would make you any more than garbage."
"I cannot be called a man if I harm a lady." Alvos sighed. "...over something so petty..." he muttered under his breath.
"You aren't much of a man then since you took me away by force." Necilla continued to cross her arms unconvinced by his sudden change of behavior, "This man is not right in the head." She thought.
"Yes, I am scum." He shook his head and made a semblance of a smile, his hazel eyes becoming genlte once more. Necilla was about to retort once more but Alvos stopped her, he looked at the other letter in his pocket, the one instructing him to kill Necilla and ripped it. "Were taking a trip, go back to your room and wear something comfortable and doesn't stand out. The Consortium will provide you with the rest of your clothes for the journey."
Necilla's lips pursed. "Where are you taking me?"
Avlos' smile widened. "To meet my father."