She Who Battles Monsters: An Assassin's Tale

[Mirdthestrill]

@ MishaCantu- Yeah, I tend not to enjoy shopping, although I like the results. Why can't I just find the thing I want, buy it, and get out of there, lol?

 

@Frauzet- Exactly the problem she was running into. Not helped by the fact that she's an unusual size and has fairly unusual (for a human) coloring.

 

I must appologize, as there was really no good place to cut today's post off, so I just went with making it more-or-less the same length as the rest of the chapters and I'll pick it up later.

 

Part 82: The Party, Part the First

 

 

As the party approaches, Zash keeps me busy running every which way to make last minute preparations. The servants are equally frantic in the kitchen and my master hurries from room to room straightening knickknacks, removing papers, and ensuring that every centimeter of the house is polished to a spit shine.

 

Finally, she checks the wall chrono one last time and waves for me to go get ready as she scampers off to do so herself. I hurry up the stairs.

 

The dress is laying draped across the bed where it’s been since earlier this afternoon. True to their word, the shop finished it in plenty of time and the granddaughter dropped it off personally in a plain, light grey box. I shower quickly and change into the sumptuous outfit, which is fortunate, as it takes me almost an hour and half a dozen holonet tutorials to figure out how to arrange my hair and do my makeup to what I believe will be Zash’s satisfaction. My efforts with the former have been limited to tied back, braided, or loose, and the later I’ve never worn at all.

 

With only a few minutes left until the guests are due to arrive, I slide into my shoes and step back to inspect myself. My dress is dark grey, just a bit lighter than black, with a fitted bodice that flares a bit into a skirt full of layers of soft fabric that cling just slightly to my frame. The sleevelessness problem was solved by adding a fitted overbodice of a nearly-opaque sepisilk embroidered in silver with crystal beading. It covers everything and looks quite nice. I left my hair loose, but curled it a bit to give some loose ringlets and after three tries, managed to enhance the dark shadows around my eyes and bring some color to my cheeks, so it looks like I’m in the clutches of the dark side. A pair of plain slippers- however nice a little extra height would be, I don’t trust myself in heels- and nails polished in deep emerald green finish it off.

 

I hope I’m not overdressed. Better to over- than under-do it, I suppose, but I doubt Zash will forgive my showing her up in any way.

 

I needn’t have worried. Her dress has a fairly standard bodice- strapless with just a little bit of shaping to emphasize her bust- but that’s where conservative ends. The front hem is halfway up her thighs, showing off her long legs that gleam with what I’m assuming is some sort of spray to make them shimmer gold, while the back drags in a short train and her heels are probably adding almost ten centimeters to her height. To top it all off, the entire thing is done in an intense shade of pink and trimmed with copious amounts of black lace. It certainly delivers a statement, but it’s not one I’d want to make.

 

She eyes me up and down, then nods. “You’ll do. Where is you monster?”

 

“Upstairs.” Imagining Khem Val making small talk is laughable, and I don’t think any of the Sith in attendance would appreciate a hulking Dashade looming over their appetizers.

 

“Excellent. And he won’t cause any trouble?”

 

“No, master.”

 

She nods again, a short, clipped movement that tells me she’ll give it no more thought tonight, and moves over to inspect my outfit more closely. “A pair of earrings would improve this outfit tremendously. You didn’t think to buy any?”

 

I shake my head. I don’t have any piercings, nor the desire to obtain any. She continues, running her fingers through my hair and tilting my face to inspect my makeup. “You should do your hair like this more often. It brings out your unique coloration. It minimizes your facial scarring as well.”

 

Fighting the urge to pull out of her grasp, I endure the inspection, along with the accompanying tightness in my throat and twisting of my stomach. Fortunately, it’s cut short by a ring of the doorbell, followed a few seconds later by the male servant announcing that a Lord Krenndel has arrived.

 

Zash instantly lets go of my chin and straightens up, gliding forward to receive her guest. “Lord Krenndel,” I hear her coo. “I’m delighted you could make it tonight.”

 

I follow at a slower pace. She probably wants me to shadow her like the dutiful apprentice I am, at least until she’s finished greeting her guests. Lord Krenndel turns out to be a short, balding man in a set of black formal robes that do little to disguise his pudginess. He shakes Zash’s hand enthusiastically and turns to me. “And who is this?” he says with a bit of a twinkle in his eye, like the doting grandfather I’m sure he isn’t.

 

Zash smiles and places her hand on my shoulder. “This is Kiarn, Krenndel. Surely you remember me telling you about her?” I duck my head in deference.

 

“But of course. So is she the one who-“

 

“Kiarn, bring me something to drink.” I obey instantly. She’s bound to be on edge tonight and if it was something serious enough to cut a rival off in the middle of his sentence, she’ll be seriously upset if she even suspects that I overhead. Still, I try to keep my ears open as I make my way over to the bar.

 

A young man I don’t recognize is pouring drinks, around my age, fairly slim and dark haired. He smiles at me as I approach. “What can I get you?”

 

“Something for her.” I gesture over my shoulder towards where Zash is still whispering to Lord Krenndel.

 

“Does she have a preference?” I shake my head. If she knows what she wants, she didn’t tell me. “I’ll make her something special, then.” He pulls several bottles from below the counter and starts splashing the contents into a thin glass. “You must be her apprentice, then? Nice to meet you. I’m Kimmi.”

 

“Kiarn. And if I were you, I wouldn’t speak so familiarly to the next Sith you encounter.” It’s going to get him killed if he’s not careful. I’m not sure how Zash even ended up hiring a Force-blind who seems so casual around her, but maybe it was a service. Or he’s just really, really good at his job.

 

“Oh. Sorry, Lord.” He looks a bit taken aback and finishes mixing in silence before handing me Zash’s drink. It’s off-white and slightly cloudy, with a harsh scent and a sprig of some sort of herb stuck into it. Hopefully she likes it.

By now, several more lords have arrived and she’s moved on to talk to someone else, this one an older human man with white hair. I approach quietly and stand just to her left, waiting to be noticed.

 

 

 

[Mirdthestrill]

Merry Christmas, and have another chapter!

 

Part 83: The Party, part the second

 

 

After a moment, Zash realizes I’m behind her and takes the drink without a word before waving me off. I suppose I’m supposed to go mingle. Make small talk. Charm. All the things I’m no good at.

 

Maybe I should go get a drink. I’m still not a fan of alcohol, apart from the spiced wine Zash sometimes has served with dinner on chilly nights, but having something in my hand might give me a little confidence. I just can’t drink too much. Wouldn’t want to loosen my tongue even the slightest bit.

 

The bartender, Kimmi, I suppose, is serving someone else when I arrive, but I wait my turn patiently. He flashes a smile when I approach. “Knew you’d be back soon. What can I do for you?”

 

“I’d like a drink. And what did I say about being so casual? This is not some bar in the east end. This is a Sith party. There are people here who will kill you if you look them in the eye.”

 

“Fine, if you’re so uptight about it. What do you want?” I don’t know why I bother sometimes.

 

“I told you, a drink. Pick something.” Perhaps giving him free reign over my drink selection isn’t the best option after I’ve annoyed him, but I don’t know nearly enough about mixed drinks to pick something and drinking something disgusting is better than looking stupid.

 

When he hands me my drink, I instantly regret that sentiment. Whatever it is in in a wide-mouthed glass, but that’s where the similarities to any drink I’ve ever seen before end. The stuff is a solid white color and thicker than most alcohol. Weird multicolored flecks float in it. I take a sip before I walk away, keeping a perfectly straight face. The thing is sticky sweet and doesn’t really taste like much of anything except sugar. At least it doesn’t seem to have much alcohol in it.

 

If Kimmi is disappointed by my lack of reaction, he doesn’t show it. Wandering through the living room, I search for a place to stand out of the way and observe. It’s getting crowded in here and all I really want to do is try to pick up whatever information I can.

 

A corner that doesn’t seem to have picked up anyone presents itself and I hurry over to it, careful not to trip over the hem of my dress or step on anyone’s toes. There, I focus inward for a moment, wrapping the Force around my body to make myself a little less obtrusive, more a part of the décor. It’s not something I’ve attempted before, but if I can disappear completely, becoming unnoticed should be possible, shouldn’t it? And if it doesn’t work, it won’t be obvious that I tried.

 

Whether it does or not, before a minute is out, a pair of older Sith women, a Pureblood and a human, approach my corner. The Pureblood is smiling grimly, but the human looks angry. “I’m going to kill him,” she growls.

 

“Do that, and you’ll just bring out the lightsabers,” replies her companion. They’re both dressed similarly, in off-the-shoulder dresses that cling to their frames, although the Pureblood’s is green with an elaborately tied sash and copious gold trim, while the human’s is an unadorned red. They don’t seem to have noticed me at all, so I force myself to gradually fade out of sight altogether. Too fast will just startle them, but I don’t want to chance their looking over at me while they’re discussing something interesting.

 

“So what do you suggest I do?”

 

“Wait a bit. Decapitation kills instantly, but indigestion takes a few hours to manifest.”

 

The human bites her lip and shoves a bit of dark hair out of her face. “But I don’t know what he’s allergic to.”

 

Smiling, the Pureblood pats her bosom. “The Force is with you today, my friend.”

 

“You mean-“ The human reaches out her hand, but the Pureblood pushes it away gently.

 

Turning towards me and away from the rest of the party, she fishes a small glass tube out of her dress, filled halfway with clear liquid and capped with a plug. “Patience. Wait until dinner. But you’ll owe me for this.”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you.” The human practically snatches the vial from her hand and I can feel the anger radiating from her. The woman is a loose cannon, and based on what I’ve seen so far, someone to stay as far away from as possible.

 

“You’d better. And don’t use too much. This stuff is difficult to find.” The Pureblood spins on her heel and mixes into the crowd, one more sparkly dress in a sea of them.

 

As she leaves, the human brushes her hair back from her face again, and if I had been even the slightest bit distracted, I would have missed her sliding the poison container into the knot of hair at the back of her head. A cruel smile spreads across her face, and she remains in the corner primping for a moment before sliding after her friend.

 

I release the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and let my invisibility fade. This is an interesting turn of events. Should I tell Zash, or let events play out on their own? The former presents opportunity to gain favor with my master. I may not be in particularly short supply of it right now, but that can change in an instant and I need as much as I can get. On the other hand, the fewer Sith in the galaxy, the better, and if one can be eliminated without my having to do anything… add to that the fact that someone as angry as the would-be assassin seems to be will likely be caught and probably will give up her accomplice out of pure spite, and we can potentially get rid of three scars on the face of the universe tonight.

 

Perhaps I should figure out who their planned victim is before making a decision, though. I can always tell Zash later if I so choose.

 

 

[MishaCantu]

Merry Christmas to you also.

 

 

I can definitely sympathize with Kiarn's discomfort at being at the party, not my favorite venue either. You did capture the atmosphere very well. Interesting tidbit she overheard though, and waiting to see the outcome.

 

[Lunafox]

Merry Christmas Mird I hope you have a lovely holiday.

 

 

I enjoyed the chapter very much, as always. And for some reason, I found this line particularly amusing...maybe it's my mood, maybe cause it sounds like dinner conversation at my house (after I've cooked lol).

 

“Wait a bit. Decapitation kills instantly, but indigestion takes a few hours to manifest.”

 

Looking forward to the next!

 

[Mirdthestrill]

Thanks for the kind words, guys, I had a rather lovely Christmas with my family.

 

@MishaCantu- Yeah, I'm not a party person, either. The outcome will be seen in the next few posts, so stay tuned!

 

@Lunafox- I unfortunately cannot take credit for that line, which was a slightly-modified shoutout to The Count of Monte Cristo (or at least my translation of it), which I was reading at the time I composed the post