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Arnof waved him off with an equally half-hearted smile. "He's not going to last a week..." he muttered to himself and started the process of draining and cleaning out the tub.
Joane wasn't even in the room when he arrived, but came in a few moments after he did. "Sit, eat, we need to talk. You're apparently a bigger idiot than I thought. Did you really think it was a good idea to go advertising the fact that you're the king's new thief and assassin? What part of that post seems like it would be something you should let everyone know about?" She rubbed her temples as she spoke, clearly irritated. "Have you absolutely no sense of discretion about you at all? You're lucky it was Ermi that heard you. Nearly anyone else would have ended in your death. You realize that, right?" |
He went to the table and let his eyes eat the food first before he took some bread and and started tearing into it hungrily. "I figured it was a guard and knight bathing room, so it'd be fine. Isn't it common knowledge around the knights that I'm an assassin now?" he asked. "You're the one in charge so I'm sure not just you know about me. But it's okay I'll be seen and not heard from now on," he said and grabbed some sausage and took a bite of one and had a foodgasm in his mouth. It had been ages since he had hot food. "This is heavenly. A cat boy can get used to this...though I shouldn't since I'm already pegged to be dead within the week right?"
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She sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "No, no one is supposed to know who you really are. It is not common knowledge, not among the knights... not even among the king's chief advisors is it commonly knowledge that he keeps a highly trained thief and assassin on hand to deal with his problems." She snarled softly to herself and hung her head into her hands. "Why? Why did it have to be someone with absolutely no sense of subtlety or secrecy? Why did it have to be someone with no common sense?" She looked back up and him and shook her head. "The week? You tried to get yourself killed today!"
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He looked at her softly. "I'm still alive though aren't I?" he said with his head tilted. "Look, I know you don't want me here, and I don't want to be here. So let's just say we hate each other and move along. Just teach me what you need to, and then we can part ways. I"m not stupid and if I make the cut I won't be in your hair anymore. I'll try not to make you want to pull your hair out....doesn't look like you can spare too much more..." he commented as he stuffed another sausage into his mouth.
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"That's my problem though... you keep insisting you're not stupid, but you also insisted you weren't a thief." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't hate you, though, I just wish I hadn't been saddled with you. You're not smart enough to keep your mouth shut when you need to. You ego outweighs your ambition, and in several cases now even your interest in staying alive. I don't think you're suited to this, to be honest. I think you're going to have some little snarky comment to make on your first mission and you'll have a knife in your back before it gets fully out of your mouth." She clucked her tongue and stood. "You don't take this seriously, so I don't want to waste my time on you."
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He stood up finally after stuffing his face. "I really don't have much of a choice in the matter though, do I? It's death or this. I really rather be alive and finding something else I could be good at, then becoming a trained assassin. And no, Maybe I didn't know that me stealing could have harsh repercussions as you have mentioned in the past, but I'm not stealing because I wanted to.
At this rate, I think I much rather just be a house pet. At least that'll ensure me a place to sleep, food and nice clothing..." he muttered. He looked away from her for a brief moment. "But I'm sorry, I'll try to be less....snarky as you put it. If I'm meant to be your charge, I'll try to act as such." He said firmly. |
"You're aiming low, and once again not seeing the big picture. This could be your gateway to bigger and better things. Yes, being an assassin isn't glamorous work, but don't try to tell me it is any less noble to kill the enemies of the empire than it is to steal the jewelry of the nobility. Do your job well and you'll be rewarded handsomely. The king will create a reason for you to be in the palace, which means you'll be elevated to nobility, has that not sunk in yet? You may not have had a choice in the matter, but you do have a choice now. Give up and die in the dungeons like you would have eventually anyway, or succeed and reach heights you had only previously imagined. You keep looking at this as a punishment instead of an opportunity... and I can't understand that." The knight stood up a little straighter and put a belt about her waist. "Do you think you'll spend your time in the king's employee sleeping on the floor and eating kitchen leftovers? Have an eye for tomorrow."
Joane was trying to keep her temper in check, but the longer this went on the more she was sure the noble that had "gifted" him to the king had done it as an act of sabotage. "How did you evade capture for so long if you're this bad at keeping quiet? Or were you paid to get caught?" |
He honestly didn't see in his mind, being anything but a worthless peon to do the work of some nobleman. "I really had no idea that, I could get that high. I figured I'd just be like the king's dog...well...cat in this situation. Taught to go 'fetch' and if I was a good 'dog' I got to eat and sleep inside. I never even imagined that I'd be...seen as someone important. Important enough to have a title and rank." he shook his head still not believing it. "And I'm noisy during the day...when I'm sneaking around I'm quiet as a mouse. Feels like a menagerie with all this talk of animals."
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Joane ran a hand through her hair to smooth it down and cool her frustrated nerves. "At the end of the day we are all the king's dogs, only here to do his bidding... but, you'll notice that those of us that are good at it, we are treated very well. Yes, you'll be at his beck and call, but since your job is secret, something you need to work on keeping..." She narrowed her eyes at him. "He'll have to explain your presence in another way. The assigned story, as you heard and immediately refuted, is that you are the bastard son of the Queen's cousin. The cousin she chose is deceased. You have a living half-brother, but he's away at the moment. He'll probably hate you when he arrives. Don't worry, he's not in her majesty's favor anyway. He's a letch and a fool." She clucked her tongue and leaned against the wall. "Have you finished eating? We have a lot to do? Anyway, you're to be trained up to be presented at court by me, because my story is not so dissimilar, though mine is a true one."
The knight stretched and pulled up one of the floorboards to pull out a few sheathed daggers and other strange tools that were most certainly not used by chivalrous knights. "It is my job to make you fit in a court, but also to teach your the tricks of your trade." |
Trevor tried to process all of this information as she spoke. So, he was going to be presented as a noble person to the court, as the bastard of the Queen's cousin. So he'll have to remember names and faces as well as learn to conduct himself among royalty, as well as learn the trade of an assassin. His head was reeling but all he did was sit back down.
"Yeah I'm done," he said pushing the rest of the food away. Suddenly what he did eat set in his stomach like a brick. He took a sip of water and then stood back up. "So does this mean I also need to be schooled as well? I mean I do know math and I know how to read and write a little," he said. "But I'm guessing that's not enough for someone of my future status eh?" |
Joane checked the blades on the daggers and slid them back into their sheathes. "You will have to be better than those around you... smarter, more charming... because of your background." She sighed softly and held one of the daggers out to him hilt first. "Treat this with care. You'll be supplied with others once you complete your training, but these were smithed in the forge deep beneath the altar of the shadow god."
She tapped a little mask tattoo on her wrist. "Are you religious?" |
He watched as she went through a few sheathed daggers and he took the one he was handed. The scabbard had two small straps on the back and he rolled up his sleeve and concealed it under his long sleeve, blade inward so he could pull it out if needed.
"Do I get a fancy outfit too m'lady?" he asked. "Coal black and with a mask to help with concealment in the shadows?" He gave her a cheeky smile as he tilted his head. "I guess the threads come after I graduate assassin school?" |
"You didn't answer my question," she pointed out with a little sigh. "Yes, you will get clothing and perhaps armor." She clucked her tongue at him and then turned abruptly and started toward the door. "Alright, I'm going to climb a ladder to get to the roof. You're not allowed to use one. You're a cat, so I assume you're good at climbing. If you beat me up there, you won't have extra work... if I beat you you'll have to run two laps all the way around the castle." She snapped her fingers and headed down the side of the building.
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He avoided her question on purpose. He wasn't religious and he probably would never be. He rolled his eyes and slipped out of the window. He looked around to assess the situation of how to get up to the roof. He saw some rain gutters but those were flimsy at best. He jumped up to the top of the shutter that was hooked to the window. He then grabbed onto the edge of the window on the top and started doing a slow climb upward.
He usually had *some* tools to help him. Like a grappling hook or some pitch for his hands to help with grip. He gritted his teeth as he slipped a few times but scrambled up to the edge of the roof and then crawled over to the top. He plopped down and licked a few scratches. |
"At least you didn't fall to your death." Joane mused aloud as she joined him on the edge of the roof. "I know what you're probably thinking, wouldn't the king's assassin have all the best tools? You're right, you will, but if you train without them at first, you'll be able to function if they are lost to you. It helped me out several times." She pointed to the tower on the western side of the castle. "Next target. Be careful, I didn't warn the guards what we were doing. Try not to get caught. They might shoot you with a crossbow before I can explain who you are." She winked and hopped up, heading toward where she would meet him at the top of the tower.
At least his instincts were good. She wasn't sure if he was equally good at climbing during the day when he didn't have his feline form, but she also wasn't sure that he would be doing much work during the day so it might not matter. |
He huffed and he got down to his belly and skittered along the surface of the roof, making his way over to the tower that jutted from one corner of the castle. He found a patch of roofing that was missing with some exposed tar that was still sticky. He placed his hands into it, to get some traction on his next climb.
He put some on his bare feet as well, since he wasn't wearing any shoes or stockings either. He pressed his back against the tower wall, and looked up. There were some looser stones on the side away from the window. He used the bricks that stuck out some as hand and footholds to make his way up the side of the tower. He breathed quietly and hefted his way up to the roof as quickly and soundlessly as he could. When he finally got to the top, he was a bit winded but wasn't so out of breath he was hindered. |
The knight was already up there waiting on him when he arrived. She looked up from picking under her fingernails with the point of a dagger. "About time you joined me." She teased and looked over the edge of the tower. "And no guards, that's good. You're not a total lost cause." She sounded fairly pleased.
She patted the side of the roof where she was sitting. "This is the highest vantage point in the whole city. I want you to climb up here every night and draw a map of the castle, then start mapping the city. Find out its secrets, know every road and rooftop like you're a rat on the street." She looked up at the sky. "You'll do that in the day before you go to sleep." |
Trevor rubbed at his palms slightly to roll the tar off. "It'd of been faster if I had my tools," he said. "I know all of the slum areas already," he said hooking a thumb towards the lesser kept areas he lived in. The buildings were short and poorly made. The streets, though made of cobble, were cracked, dirty and caked with horse shit and dirt. "It's the richer part of town that I was memorizing when you caught me. Working my way up sort of speak," he said.
"But sure. I have a really good memory for town layouts. One has to, in order to know which way to go. The only reason you caught me is that I was trying a part of the city that I wasn't entirely familiar with." he shrugged. "So it shouldn't take too long to memorize the rest of it." |
Joane clucked her tongue at him. "I said make maps, not memorize. It's helpful to have it all in your head, but if you have maps, and keep them updated, then you don't have to rely entirely on your mind." She shook her head slightly and looked over at the slums. "I know well the slums. I grew up there myself. That's where I learned what I am teaching you now."
She slid off the side of the tower and caught a couple handholds on the way down to slow her descent. Once she was on the ground she whistled up at him. "We'll go work on some fighting techniques." |
He followed suit, still being quiet so he wouldn't alarm the guards. He figured all times were training time and if he faltered at any time, he'd be reprimanded for it. So he followed her down to the ground and then followed her. "Just supply me with parchment and a pencil then. I'll draw up a map," he said "Or maybe better yet, leather...Parchment makes noises if stuffed in a shirt." he said as an afterthought.
He followed Joane wherever she was leading him. He scratched one of his ears as they walked. "So you're from the slums too? Were you abandoned like I was?" he asked. "I was considered a freak so I guess there's a reason to why I was. But what about you?" |
"Now you're starting to think... so since you need some leather and something to write with, perhaps that should be your next little training exercises. There are some hides for writing in the king's study. If you get caught by the guards you'll spend the rest of the night in lock up until the king wakes to pardon you in the morning." She had brought him to the courtyard of the castle. "You'll have to do twice the work tomorrow to make up for the rest of the missed night."
She considered brushing off his questions, not really wanting to speak about herself. "My mother was a maid in my father's house. When she became pregnant my father's wife cast her out and she eventually ended up in a brothel. I was raised there. The woman that ran our brothel was a devotee of the masked god, so when she saw I had a talent for slipping around unseen she convinced my mother to take me to the shadowed temple. I was trained... and then worked in the slums and lower quarter until my father came looking for his lost progeny. All of my siblings had died in childbirth so he spurned his wife and thought to seek out my mother and I... Thus I became nobility." |
When he heard he had to sneak into the king's study he twitched internally again. "Are all my tasks going to be fetching quests to get whatever I need? You saw my skills. I've still not proved myself? I've been sneaking through windows for years and getting away with it. I think I should be learning that combat stuff you mentioned." he said planting his hands on his hips. "The map leathers I'm sure will be best asked for then stolen...So please can you teach me something that I don't know? Better use of both of our time really."
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At his show of defiance Joane raised a brow and then nodded. "You know what, yes... I will show you some combat things since you want to know them so badly, and then you'll sneak in and get what you are supposed to. By then, the valet may be rousing to light the fireplace in his majesty's study so it could provide a more appropriate challenge for the master thief that you so clearly are." Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she headed down a narrow path between two buildings and ended up in an enclosed training yard. She removed her shoes and pointed to a circle painted on the ground. "We'll start with hand to hand, since it is among the most important skills. Once again, start without tools, then you won't be lost if you lose them. I'll walk you through breaking basic holds and throwing an opponent so you'll have time to get away."
Unfortunately for him, having trained as a knight as well as her shadow training, he was in for a rough couple hours. She wouldn't show him any mercy just because he was a novice and would be just as rough with her throws as she would be in a real match, though she was careful not to break any bones. He would, however, have a few nasty new bruises. This became his new routine. She would start the evening with some warm ups like climbing the tower and racing across the rooftops of the noble quarter, then a few hours of hand to hand combat, followed by a few hours of tutoring. Nearly two weeks later she nudged him an hour or so before sundown. "Her majesty has invited us to dinner." |
He had grown muscles in that two weeks of intense training. He was thin before and wasn't like buff now, but had gotten muscle and had gained weight from regular feedings. He was a quick learner so he was able to keep up pretty well with Joane, though he never worked so hard in his life.
"Dinner? I don't really have anything proper to wear to a dinner with the King." he said with a frown. "Unless you've been holding out on me." he said his dark tail swishing idly behind him as he spoke. |
Joane pointed to the chest. "There should be some decent clothes at the bottom of the chest. We're dining with Her Majesty, not His Majesty," she corrected him and looked in her wardrobe with a little frown. "She just wants to discuss your... family connections. She thinks if the two of you are to be related then you'll need to have a closer relationship than your current one, which is of course having never met."
Joane eventually tugged a green gown from the wardrobe and sighed at it. "She expected me in a gown and jewels, mostly because she knows it bothers me. There should be an embroidered tunic and breeches in the bottom of the trunk. Eventually you'll have to get jewelry befitting your new station, but I dont' have any that would suit you." |
"Oh" He said and went to the trunk and started rifling through to the bottom and pulling out said tunic and breeches from inside. He unfolded them and saw the fancy embroidery on the tunic and scrunched his nose. It wasn't really his cuppa tea but he shrugged. "I need an um....hole in the breeches. For my tail. "he frowned. "And some without holes for any daytime events when I"m not a cat boy," he added.
He pulled the clothes he had on, off and pulled the shirt on. It fit pretty well. It at least didn't hang on him like it would have two weeks ago. He carefully used a knive to add a tail hole for his tail in the breeches and then fed his tail through the hole before stepping into them. "There how do I look?" he asked. |
"We'll have to talk to my seamstress to see if she can make you some clothes. If not, she'll be able to suggest someone that can." She disappeared into a side room and came back several minutes later with the gown on. "Will you help me? There are laces up the back of this gown... Normally I would have a maid help me, but this invitation came too late for me to ask one of them to come by." She turned her back to him so he could tug the laces snug.
"You look fine. I'm sure she'll approve." Once they were both dressed she headed down the hallway. "I know you don't have a whole lot of etiquette training, but I assume that you've enough sense to not eat like an animal in front of the queen?" She quirked an eyebrow in amusement. Her Majesty Elizaveta was waiting for them in a small private dining room. "Ah, Lady Joane... and my dear cousin. I have such an extended family, I'm afraid you will have to remind me of your name?" She held her hand out to him. |
Once approaching the Queen he bowed and took her hand and kissed it as he bent at the waist. "Majesty," he said. "I am Trevor. Please to make your acquaintance officially," he said. He then rose slowly, pouring on the charm. "I want to thank you for inviting us to your dinner." he continued. He then stood by and let the Queen and Joane talk as he listened.
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The Queen smiled politely and seated herself at the table. They went through the usual small talk of how everyone's day had been and the upcoming events, what was happening at the playhouse, and other minute amusements. Eventually, when the first course of tiny pastry birds swimming in some kind of fish flavored broth arrived, Elizaveta turned her attention to Trevor. "I trust that Joane has been working hard to train you in proper court etiquette? We will have to basically present you at court so people will know who you are. Traditionally we wouldn't exactly do a debut for a male, especially one of your age, but there will be rumors, best to put them to rest quickly. At my birthday ball I shall announce you as my cousin. Find yourself a young lady to escort... unless your preferences sway the other direction. Then find yourself someone to have on your arm. Choose wisely, regardless, this could be a political move for you. "
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Trevor sat through the dinner as quiet as he could get away with. His ears would twitch as the ladies talked about the weather, and upcoming events and the like. He wasn't exactly used to froo froo food such as what was served, but he did his best to stomach it for the Queens' sake. When she turned to him, to talk about her birthday and being formally announced as her cousin and brought to the court he nodded. The part he was surprised about, was bringing someone with him.
"The only Lady I know is Joane," he said gesturing to her."I've been too busy really to notice or talk to anyone else. Would she do?" he asked. "I don't have to be betrothed too, do I? I never thought of being married to anyone," he admitted. |
The Queen actually laughed at his admission of never thinking about marriage. "No, I suppose you haven't been vetted and trained from birth. Much like our dear Joane here, you've had many other things to worry about in your youth. No, you aren't landed as of yet, and you don't really have any titles or possessions to pass on, so marriage and heirs are hardly in your scope of concerns. It is just best for you to have someone on your arm for... well for moral support and because it makes you look more personable. I take it that you haven't bothered socializing much yet, then? I know there are many that are curious about you."
Joane narrowed her eyes when he asked if she would do. "How do you know that I don't already have an escort to her majesty's birthday? I have more going on in my life than just training you, you know." |
Trevor was relieved that he didn't have to be married right away. He couldn't see him worrying about a wife and kids as well as being an assassin. "That is a welcome relief. I am definitely not ready to get married yet," he said. He shook his head and looked sheepish. "I'm sorry I've really not got around to talking to many others. Especially not other ladies," he said his ears drooping a little. "When is your birthday exactly? Maybe I have some time to find a lady to escort to it. Since Joane seems to have her escort already."
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Joane hummed as she thought about a good escort for him. "We will find someone. Be careful about who you socialize with, however, you don't want to seem like you're flirting too much with any young women that are betrothed or already married." She warned him and chuckled.
The Queen shook her head slightly. "No, that woudn't do, but I believe I have a lady-in-waiting that might be a good candidate for you to escort." AS the second course, some sort of beans with a pungently spiced sauce and roasted duck, arrived she nodded approvingly. "It's mostly important that we find someone that will... well to be honest, shield you from too much scrutiny." |
Trevor sat there with his insides all squirming around. He didn't know if it was the food or the fact that they were trying to find some single lady for him to escort. He stared at the second course and was wondering exactly how many courses where there and where he was gonna put all this food. He sighed and stared at his plate for a while. "I'm sure your judgment would be the best, Your Majesty. I shall escort whomever you seem to be fitting for me." he looked up and tried to smile pleasently.
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"You don't have to eat it all," one of the servants murmured softly to him as they refilled his glass. "Just a few bites of each dish."
Joane overheard the servant and chuckled. "Your majesty, your love of the strange and delightful foods leaves many with an aching stomach. You wont' take offense if we both eat a little more modestly than you, correct?" The queen waved it off. "I am not my sister. I know that not everyone has my tastes and woulnd't expect you to live up to them." |
Trevor sighed with relief. "Thank you. Not that this stuff is interesting, I honestly couldn't eat it all." he said. Now that he was no longer concerned with eating the entierty of each dish, he was able to concentrate more on the conversation.
"How soon can I meet this lady you speak of. I think me getting to know her as soon as possible would be best, so she knows of me before I escort her to your party." |
The queen giggled at his relief. "You can relax, dear cousin, this is an informal occasion."
Joane scowled. "If it is so informal why did I have to wear a gown?" "Because your queen asked it of you, and that color is lovely on you. Trevor, you can meet her tomorrow if you please." She smiled again and then grinned as they placed the third course, a pie stuffed with eels, on the table. |
Trevor chuckled when he saw how displeased Joane was, to be wearing a dress. "Oh yes, that shade just brings out your eyes!" he said batting his lashes adorably. When the smell of the eel pie came under his nose, his ears perked and his tail swished happily. Even though it seemed very stereotypical for a cat to like fish, he actually LOVED all manners of seafood. Eel was something different to him though, but the overall smell was similar.
He picked up his fork and digging into the pie and savoring the flavor. When he saw both the Queen and Joane staring at him he cleared his throat and sat back and resumed eating in a less eager manner. "Sorry, I just really love fish," he said giving a half sided grin. |
Elizaveta took the moment to clear her throat. "How did you come to... become a cat? Was it something that happened at birth or did you end up this way through magic?" She had been waiting for him to broach the subject, not wanting to appear rude.
Joane realized she hadn't actually heard this story before and put her chin in her hands. She was content to leave the eel pie to the two of them, never having been a fan of eels. "I'm more interested in if you chase mice." |
He gave Joane a 'look' at her comment about chasing mice. "I was told I was cursed ever since I was young. I don't know who it was or why. I don't have any real memories of being anything but a cat-person at sundown. I've gotten used to it to the best of my ability." he said with a shrug. "Though being as I am, I was called a freak and practically shunned. That's why my life has consisted of me being on the street and doing my best to survive. Had I known that I was related to someone such as you, I may of had a better life at a younger age."
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