hey would have the cover of darkness if they descended upon the night court now, and they'd need every advantage to be successful. The Soltrrans knew not an inch of those mountains or fields, and the Night court while full of strangers was still a home of unpredictable vagabonds and gypsies. Reconnaissance was always a difficult task, especially when it involved reeling back perpetrators and targets. It was this in mind that caused Maxence to chose his most reliable soldier, and one he believed would get the job done regardless of their personal differences.
"Avdotya!" He boomed across the court from where he stood on the balcony of his quarters, soon to call out the next name which left his lips with a bitter taste. "Velorca"
As he fled down to the courtyard where he hoped to meet them, Maxence was almost shocked ot find the morning felt almost cold. The sun was yet to come up, though the sky was already shaded with a translucent shade of lavender and the promise of daybreak. If they set off now, they'd surely make it to Denocte by the time the night was in full swing.
@Avdotya @Velorca
Get your balaclavas kiddies, lets get to work.
The calling of her name stirred Avdotya from her slumber with effective ease. Molten eyes peeled open and blinked three times to clear her blurred vision, small bits of sleep crumbling away as they did so. She turned her heavy towards the door and stared briefly at it while her mind began to churn from its stillness, "What in the hell does he need this early in the morning." the mare murmured clumsily to herself. Whatever it was, she eventually found her way to him in the courtyard.
By now she was just beginning to adjust to her wakefulness (and the fact that Solis hadn't even woken yet), and it was Maxence who now stood in the focus of her gaze. Her face seemed to reflect the tired curiosity she harboured, though she was more interested in knowing why Velorca's name, of all others, crackled from his lips alongside her own. For a second, she wondered if it had anything to do with the little scuffle the two men had many days prior.
As they awaited to silvery stallion, Avdotya loosed an idle yawn. "I do hope there is good reason for this meeting." It was not often she presented herself with such a blatant lack of her usual predatory elegance, but there was was, droopy-eared and heavy-lidded. She was the picture of grace, truly.
glitter and gold is the man in the chair
rings on his fingers, and a hardened harsh stare
While hardened warriors like Avdotya and Maxence slept in the wee hours of the night, Velorca was often awake, partaking in less than savoury activities. Tonight was no different - he was wound around one of the newest recruits, sweat lingering upon his satin skin, a breathy smile on his razor lined face. The last thing he expected to hear was Maxence - in fact, with a cooling, exhausted soldier in his bed it was the last voice he wanted to hear. His brows furrowed instantly, purring;
"Get out."
To the soldier beside him. The man looked up, bewildered, then proceeded to stumble out of the room when he beheld the cool ire on Lorca's exquisite face. After a moment, the serpentine sage got to his feet, checked his reflection in the dainty pool of water he had somehow managed to claim in his room and then strode out of the door.
Slipping from shadow to shadow, his silver skin little more than a dim shine in the darkness, Lorca peered at his Sovereign and Regent, unseen in the nooks of their home. Had Maxence finally had enough and decided to assassinate him? Using Avdotya as the executioner? Velorca refused to believe she would accept such an offer against another of her clan-mates. So, death or no, he coiled out of the shadows with an eloquent and unusually subdued;
"Maxence. Avdotya. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"
The word rolled off of his tongue as if it were licking their spines, lupine eyes close to glowing in the dim light.
aiting was certainly not the king's strong suit, especially when an important and delicate task was at foot. When Avdotya rose from the waning shadows in a state he'd never expected to see her that a smile almost rose to his lips - He imagined she'd always be creeping, lithe and cat-like - never groggily and half awake. It was this crack in her elegant facade that gave Maxence cause to view her as pretty for a short moment, and not just a threat. "I hope you slept well" He spoke somewhat cryptically, his eyebrows raising from what was a perpetual scowl to a neutral expression - the closest thing Maxence really had to a smile.
It was when Velorca arrived that his countenance once again began to change, that same old frown falling upon each side of his face until he looked just as glad ot be awake as the others. "I have a task for you; one I can only trust to those who will achieve it in good time and without mess. Avdotya is more than capable of carrying it out herself, though she might enjoy your company..."
To say that Maxence had not heard of Lorca's perculiar set of skills and his interesting taste in partners would be a lie - he had heard more than just whispers by now, and he had the feeling that the man was more than capable. Under Avdotya's supervision they could determine if the sly silver hare was capable of working for the new solterra and not against it.
"Go to the night court, be there by midnight. Take the one known as Rostislav. He must remain alive and unharmed, but use whatever means necessary to bring him back to Solterra. When you have him in a cell your work is done."
"Solis be with you"
And with that the King turned his back and swept his feet back along the terrace, confident that his agents would complete the task at hand.
