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Penny's Dungeons and Dragons: Hard Bargains

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To much of Faerûn, the Sword Coast is not a destination, but an in-between; a tract of unclaimed wilderness that must be crossed to get to somewhere important. In actuality, however, the Sword Coast has a long history and encompasses many independent cities, states, and other communities that have their own unique cultures and identities, and occasionally, someone from the nations of Faerûn even considers them important. One such occasion has sent Zeona Alsevir on a long, unpleasant journey across Faerûn, first traveling the river down from Cormyr and then sailing up the coast to the city of Ossimar.

On paper, Ossimar is an old city, but it only really became significant in the last few decades. Its land and sea have enough fish and game for its population to grow comfortably, but it never produced enough trade to be anything other than a resupply port for sailors. That changed a generation ago with the arrival of the Charr family, exiles from Thay who swiftly took control of Ossimar's business and government and turned it towards profit, with a backing of Thayan magic. Now, Ossimar is turning into a very productive and profitable center of commerce, as well as a tiny pocket of Thay-style iron-fisted magocracy.

This still doesn't mean the nobility of Faerûn considers it important. Despite its growth, its economic significance is still dwarfed by cities like Waterdeep or Baldur's Gate, let alone the nations. A few decades of success mean little to families hundreds or thousands of years old. But the Alsevir family, in certain ways, is similar to Ossimar: it is an old family, but only became relevant less than a century ago, returning to Cormyr after seemingly dying out over a thousand years ago. Like Ossimar, it strives to be noticed: to survive and rebuild, it merged with an old Cormyran Elven family and became wealthy merchants, both controversial among the oldest Cormyran houses. And like Ossimar, it wants to build powerful connections - that is why the Charrs have sent invitations to their lavish ball across Faerûn, and that is why the Alsevirs have deigned to appear at it.

"Lord Charr hasn't arrived yet," Minara says breathlessly, slipping into the changeroom. "We still have time!"

"Good, we're almost done!" Sara pulls the cords tighter on Zeona's dress, tightening it, then knots them securely. Ossimar's public infrastructure bely its centuries of sleepy, unplanned growth, and the Charrs hadn't yet bothered to invest in making it more navigable. Detours and the confusing layout had made Zeona's entourage late and left them scrambling to get Zeona ready for the ball.

"Careful with this," Safira says, adjusting Zeona's neckline. Safira's family had served the Alsevirs for generations; her father had served Zeona's parents. She had always been more canny than Zeona's other servants. After tugging the neckline down a half-inch, she pushed Zeona's breasts upward, then let them fall naturally within the dress, exposing just the right amount of cleavage. "Don't get anything touch those, or you'll be showing a lot more. Unless you want to really make friends with Kandik."

"Safira!" hisses Sara.

"You're right. I forget myself." Safira bows her head towards Zeona. "Please forgive me, Lady Zeona."

Kandik Charr is one of the young, unmarried sons of the Charr family and the host of this ball. It's Zeona's responsibility to meet him and make a good impression - not to seduce him. While the Alsevirs may seek a political marriage at some point in the future, the Charrs are still so new that it's unknown whether that would even be safe, let alone desired. If a political marriage does happen, it will be after years of negotiation between the families. For now, just making an appearance at the ball and introducing herself to the Charrs will be enough.

"Are we ready yet?" Carran, a knight in service to the Alsevir family, slips into the room. Like Zeona's servants, she's been given new, formal clothes for the ball, though hers are designed for ease of movement. Her armour gleams with a fresh polish. While Zeona is the jewel of the entourage, it would not do for any of her retainers to look sloppy at the ball.
 
"Better it be you handling them than any unknown males. I am here to get a feel of the Charrs, not to give one, after all." Zeona put on her royal cold smile in reply to the dramatic Safira. She was taking herself a little bit more seriously among themselves, than it was really needed.

To the eager knight Zeona replies "Ready as we ever be..." as she tries out some regal poses to get a feel how her dress - and her body - fared from the long travels. They arrived just a tad late, no time to have a beauty sleep before the ball. "Keep an eye out for each other, girls, what others present sees of us - of me - matters a little more than just trapping Lord Charr's eyes." She was not shy pushing forward her slightly exotic looks, but if the Alsevirs really wanted to make an impression, she would need to focus on her other qualities more.

For the slutty look, Minara was doing a good work herself. Sara as the oldest of them - not counting their guardian of course - should be the wisest about their everyday needs. Where her wisdom ended was how to act and react to pushy nobles, but for that Safira was more than the angelic looking new best friend. While their real protector was Carran, who looked the part of being through the grinder numerous times, it was Safira who should put herself on the line for Zeona's safety if she got into an unwanted situation. She just hoped there would be no need for the handmaiden's hidden dagger to come to play.

"And keep your ears open for gossip and any words about how they see and think about me, of course..." the young woman breathed in deeply, letting the air out and checking how her breasts moved, as she tried to shake off the jittery feelings. She was better than most of them, after all. Only the host mattered, but it wouldn't be right to dismiss any of the crowd until she knows who is who and what connections they have.
 
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Zeona and her entourage walk into the ballroom: Carran in first, one hand on the hilt of her sword, then Zeona, then her three servants, head bowed respectfully. Realistically, of course, Carran is unnecessary, but it is only appropriate for one of Zeona's stature to have a bodyguard. As they near the ballroom doors, a half-elf in a mask boys deeply.

"The Lady from Alsevir, I believe?" The half-elf wears a mask, does not make eye contact, and speaks in a way that is both respectful and curt, as if to minimize the time that people must listen to him. Unlike Thay, there are no slaves in Ossimar, but the Charrs keep their servants on a short leash. Turning, the servant opens both doors, then steps aside for Zeona to enter the ballroom.

"Lady Zeona of the House Alsevir, from Cormyr!" The servant's voice is melodic, but carries throughout the room. Inside the large room are a combination of servants and nobles. Zeona recognizes some of the latter by their heraldry or fashion, but not their faces. The Alsevirs did not send their most important members to this ball - nor, apparently, did anyone else. Some of the assembled nobles carry themselves with dignity and pride that borders on haughty arrogance. Others are remarkably casual, apparently giving the event little regard. The nearest noble to Zeona raises her wine glass to Zeona's entrance, then downs it and hails a servant for another.

Thankfully, Zeona is not yet late, because the ball has not yet truly begun. The guests make small talk with each other and snack and drink refreshments provided by servants, but Kandik Charr hasn't appeared yet. The orchestra provides pleasant background music, but no one is dancing.

As she enters, Zeona hears voices from above, on the second floor, from a section that overlooks the dance floor. The guests were instructed to remain on the first floor of the ballroom, so she knows these voices are probably either servants or the Charrs themselves.

"Must I stay the entire night, mother? What's the point of talking with these people? Look at them. Look at their empty eyes. Half of them are already drunk."

"There's more out there in the world than your studies, Kandik. Maybe you'll even meet a girl. You can't just sleep with the servants forever."

Zeona hears a testy, frustrated sigh. "Can't you just arrange a marriage for me? My experiments - "

"Are already being taken care of. Go, Kandik. Do it for me. I promise, you won't be missed."
 
Nodding to the questioner Zeona gathered her wits for the walk in, counting on all eyes on her, and trying to watch out for her steps the same time she looked over the ball room. While she does carry on dignified and proud, for her this is as casualas she would let her get in a situation like this. She is happy that they arrived just at the right time - and hearing the voices she hides a smirk while looking around if anyone is worth making small talk with. Mostly because she was reading all about the sword coast and its noble families, and she indeed does not know anyone.

Nodding and putting on a smile for the noble who lifted her glass to her arrival, Zeona takes her time to get to the drinks. Wanting to time it with the arrival of Kandik, who sounded like the kind who would hurry in, and take a drink in hand - just like she would - and try to mingle to find someone interesting to converse with - just like she planned. Unless she knows some members of any present house personally, all that awaited her was small talk anyway.

Zeona was naughty enough to lift her glass and wish Kandik "To the success of your experiments." if she could, before disappearing from his sight just enough to make him wonder and maybe even look for her.

The girls would do the drinking and mingling good enough for their status, she could count on them trying to get some connecting done with the servants and the more at ease or drunk nobles.
 
Zeona's attempt to coordinate her first drink with Kandik's introduction strikes gold, though she misjudges the nature of his entrance. She is taking a drink from a servant, in the centre of the ballroom floor and in excellent view of the staircase, when she hears the masked half-elf's loud, melodic voice again.

"Honoured ladies and gentlemen, your host!" The half-elf stands in front of the staircase and bows deeply, gesturing up the stairs. "Lord Kandik Charr of Ossimar!"

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Descending the stairs is a man in his early twenties. Like the wizards of Thay, his head is shaved and marked with tattoos, but the tattoos look different than most wizards of Thay, and he wears clothes of rich purple and gold rather than red robes. As Zeona was told in preparation for this ball, the Charrs are Thayan exiles, not colonists, and they've struggled to find a comfortable balance between adherence between their family's traditions and a desire to distance themselves from the oppressive and slave-reliant nation.

The tattoos used by the Red Wizards of Thay have specific meaning and importance. Cormyr is located relatively close to Thay and Zeona may have picked up some knowledge of their traditions. Zeona may roll an Intelligence (History) check to infer additional information about Kandik's tattoos.

The music picks up as Kandik descends to the dance floor. Some of the assembled nobles applaud. Kandik smiles awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with the attention, and hurries to grab a drink from a servant as soon as he touches down.

Zeona said:
"To the success of your experiments."
Click to expand...

Kandik glances over mid-sip, his interest clearly piqued, but Zeona has already slipped into the crowd. Kandik moves to follow, but he is intercepted by other, more eager nobles. Meanwhile, Zeona sees her servants working the crowd - mostly with other servants, but Zeona sees Safira chatting with a very interested looking young noble man dressed in Sembian fashion.

It's several minutes before Kandik manages to catch up with Zeona, but eventually he does. By this time, the nobles have begun dancing on the ballroom floor. "Hello!" he says, giving Zeona a more genuine-looking smile than he showed while descending the stairs. He motions towards the dance floor. "Care to join me?"
 
She needed the away time to recover her composure after seeing Kandik Charr. She kept her hopefully mysterious smile, but had not counted on the host's dark skin and golden tattoos, nor the bald head or the differently colored eyes. The purple and gold clothes just made him look more like a Drow, jet obviously different. Not even the maybe sembian with Safira could ground her as she joined the two for a nod and hello.

Zeona is eager to get on with the dancing, still thinking about what she knew about Thayans and tattos and other signs, but just as she comes to a memory to put meaning into Kandik's outlook, he is again standing in front of her. "Of course, it is always a honor to dance with the host..." she is not known for her tact, and blurts out her knowledge about those tattoos... probably has to go with her cormyrian knowledge at the end "... even more so if he looks like a prince." but she does not blush.
6

She is dextrous (+3) and charismatic (+3) and I rolled a 16
 
"I'm not really the host," Kandik says in a tone that is half conspiratorial, half disgruntled. "My mother's the one that arranged all of this. More of her politics. I don't care about any of that."

He grins guilelessly at Zeona. "Even these clothes! I didn't know they looked royal. She picked them out for this ball. She probably had some recommend them. I know she was working with foreigners to set this all up - not just the guests, but the arrangements, too."

Zeona isn't used to anyone besides close family members speaking so frankly, but it soon becomes obvious Kandik is already drunk. The drinks at the ball are surprisingly strong - Zeona can feel it acting on her as well, despite the small amount she's had time to imbibe - but Kandik must either be a complete lightweight or hit the drinks hard after descending the stairs. Thankfully, he allows the far more skillful Zeona to lead the dance.

"Or did you mean my tattoos?" he continues, hardly pausing for breath. "They just indicate my studies. Do you know what they mean? I heard you talking about my experiments. My tutor says they're good for me. I'm learning a lot of stuff about divination, like things even my tutor didn't know, for instance did you know that..."

What follows is several minutes of Kandik talking at Zeona about magic in excruciating technical detail, giving Zeona no opportunity to interject and no concern for her understanding or interest. Whatever knowledge she has of magic is insufficient to follow his words, but that makes little difference as he clearly has no intention of letting her participate in the conversation.

Meanwhile, he continues to get more inebriated as his body absorbs the alcohol he's already drunk. This doesn't interrupt his monologue, but he does get increasingly physical. He presses his body against Zeona as they dance and rubs his hand up and down her side, seemingly without regard for the dozens of other people on the dance floor. This culminates when his hand slides down Zeona's side and back to blatantly grab a handful of her ass.
 
Zeona's slight smile growing more and more forced as the obviously - and surprisingly - drunk Kandik takes some liberties in their first ever dance. She would gladly hear him speaking about anything, if he wasn't so distracting, and inappropriate. So, Zeona tries to maneuver him among some guests who seem eager to converse with the noble, or get asked for the next dance. She almost succeeds to hand him off, when at the last tacts of music Kandik looses all tact and grabs her ass.

Slapping the man comes automatic for the grabbing of her ass. Zeona tries to hold back, but her hand still connects. Stepping back and away, she tries to save both of their faces from getting too hot from what just happened. "You just seem to drank something too heavy for you, Lord Kandik, I hope my mother's remedy for that worked on you."

Fleeing is a little too hard of a word on what she does next, but Zeona do hurry away to hide and eat something to counteract her own drink that is making her more flushed than she should be after what happened.
 
The reaction to the slap is immediate - not just from Kandik, but from the entire room. Kandik is the host of the ball, and more than a few of the assembled nobles and servants have their eye on him, waiting for a chance with the Charr heir once he finally grows tired of Zeona. So when her hand connects with his face, not only does Kandik freeze in shock, but so do several of the surrounding guests. Most of the others follow suit in the next few seconds, less those that are too drunk - they really do make it strong here in Ossimar, it seems - and soon the whole room is still. The music continues, but it only highlights the sheer discomfort of the situation.

Kandik's hand moves to his reddening face. "You hit me?" he demands, offended. "How do you - "

He cuts himself off mid-word, then follows after Zeona, keeping his eyes locked on her specifically to avoid making eye contact with the other guests. "Lady Zeona, wait," he says firmly - surprisingly firmly, given his inebriation and obviously emotional state. "Wait. Just look at me."

At that moment, he makes a quiet, strained grunt as something emerges from his neck. Eyes widening, he reaches up with one hand to find it is a bloody arrow's shaft. Now even the musicians drop silent. Kandik's fingers trace the shaft before he opens his mouth, trying to speak, but only a soft gurgle comes out.

Then another arrow thuds into his back and he falls. Suddenly, more arrows fill the air, striking nobles, bodyguards, and servants alike, as the ballroom occupants begin to scream.
 
Knowing that she did something without thinking it really thought, Zeona abruptly stops and turns, not really hating the man's interest - just thinking he was too drunk to appreciate her fine ass and the opportunity to touch it. Also, from his voice it is obvious the slap worked as advertised.

One would think that a fine lady like Zeona would shriek and faint from the sight of the grievous arrow wound, but she is made from harder things. Following Kandik to the floor, she is trying to ease his fall, trying not to agravate the wound. Flashes of a memory when a buck had stalled from a similar wound, then more arrows piercing its body on a hunt - unnecesarily killing the animal as it was not even worth the trophy and there was already enough meat -, and Zeona is not even surprised that he has another one in his back already.

Just as the knowledge to how to care for wounds - and thus try to save the man's life - is not hers, Zeona never had to act theatrically either. But it is against her nature to run around like a headless chicken. Far from any covers or exits from the room, she just lies there, hands on the wounds, almost hugging the Lord, and wishing - praying to any higher power to have the arrows spare the lives of 'her girls' - which of course includes her.

Hoping that Carran would be going after the obvious danger and not putting herself in front of it by coming for her, and Safira to at least protect herself, Zeona is still ready to go with any of her girls who would be silly enough to get to her with arrows in the air, to not make them be an easy target. She still imagine that as a guest from far away, nobody would shoot her just for fun.

As she lies there, trying to stem the flow of the blood and stop the dangerous movements of the arrows, her keen mind goes to the evident first shot making Kandik unable to speak - obviously they did not wanted him to be able to cast a spell, or activate an item. So, maybe the noble has something that can be useful? Not knowing the language of Thay, Zeona still tries every word for safety she knows in her praying, adding just as various 'help!' words, on the very low chance to have something happen.
 
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Kandik's surprised expression remains on his face as Zeona guides his body to the floor. His eyes stare at nothing; if he's even aware of her help, he gives no indication of it. It's not clear whether he's conscious or even alive.

"Lady Zeona!" Carran deflects an arrow with her shield, her sword in her other hand, as she crosses the ballroom towards her. Before being hired by House Alsevir, Carran was a member of the Steel Shadows mercenary company, and her martial instincts seem sharper than many of the bodyguards in the room. Halfway across the floor, streaking bolts of magical energy zigzag through the air to impact against her armour. She grunts in pain and stumbles, but it hardly breaks her stride.

"Come, girl!" Carran orders as she reaches Zeona, breaching the normal etiqeutte for their social stations. "Leave him! We'll break for the door. Stay close to me!"

Zeona may roll Medicine to try and stabilize Kandik. She may also choose whether or not to go with Carran, though of course, she or other NPCs may not respect her decision.
 
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Not wanting to put either of them into more danger, Zeona follows Carran, staying close to her, eyes and ears open for dangers while they break for the door - and even more so once out of the room. She just hopes that the door would not be barred from the outside, and that nobody waited for them with killer intent.

She was not looking to save anyone else than herself, but she would also not put anyone into more danger if she could help it.
 
"Carran - !" Sara, lying on the floor with an arrow sticking out of her ribs, calls out reaches out towards Zeona and Carran from several feet away. Carran ignores her, leading Zeona towards the door. Another arrow pings off her armour as she holds her shield over Zeona's body.

Up to this point, the attackers have stayed on the upper floor, slipping in and out of view as they rain arrows and the occasional spell down on the ball guests. Now they are descending the stairs, mopping up whatever bodyguards weren't neutralized in the initial volley. Guests scream, but most cower in place; anyone that runs for an exit, like Zeona now, are a priority target.

Zeona cannot identify the attackers. They are mostly human, their clothes are simple and practical, and they bear no distinguishable brands or heraldry. On the second floor, overlooking the door, a woman steps into view. She looks down at Zeona and Carran and rests her hands on the banister.

"Stop!" she commands, her voice authoritative. Carran stops dead, staring up at the woman, still holding the shield over Zeona.
 
Zeona would have been inclined to help Sara if she called out for her, but seeing that the woman could call out at all, that arrow wasn't that deadly. Also, moving the body with the arrow would put all three of them into more danger. With the attackers - who and why? Zeona questions it in her mind - moving down and confronting whoever flees, maybe even she would have been better off pretending to be dead...

"Why did you stop?!" she hisses the question to Carran, hiding behind the shield and the woman, trying to be out of sight for the archers. Glancing at her supposed bodyguard and peeking at the woman, Zeona uses the opportunity to take a dagger from Carran to protectherself with - not that she has any hope to make it that hard for the attackers to kill her, but at least she would make it look like she tried.

If the attackers stopped too, Zeona would pull Carran in the direction of Sara, hoping to be together and maybe able to help her somehow. Whatever would come next, it would be ... interesting at least.
 
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Zeona pulls a dagger from Carran's belt. The bodyguard makes no attempt to stop her. Indeed, she doesn't even look at Zeona, instead staring up at the figure standing above them.

"Lady Zeona," Carran struggles to speak through grit teeth. "I can't...

The woman leans further over the balcony, gazing down at the two of them imperiously. "Kneel." Carran falls to her knees, and the shield falls with her, away from Zeona. The attackers fan out from the stairs and penetrate through the ballroom, mopping up the remaining bodyguards and forcing to the floor whatever cowering guests weren't killed by the flurry of arrows and magic.
 
"Magic..." Zeona tries to forcefully turn away Carran from staring at the woman, to push her shield or even herself in front of the scarred face and eyes staring at the witch. She even hits her, maybe the attack help "...snap out of it!" then she looks around to what was happening. If they do not kill others who does not put up a fight, she would push the older woman to the floor while still looking for away to flee the room. They would make a run for it, if Carran can move, otherwise if her bodyguard gave up sufficiently to be left alive, Zeona would make sure they leave Sara alone too - or better, help her.

Unless there is a clear way for her to run away, in which case she would.
 
Zeona looks around, but there is nowhere to run. Archers remain on the upper floors in every direction, and more attackers are spreading quickly throughout the room. Maybe if she'd been located next to the door at the first volley of arrows, she'd have had a chance, but not now. This attack was clearly planned and coordinated to prevent anyone's escape. As she watches, two brawny thugs with swords approach her and Carran.

Carran resists Zeona's attempts to push her to the floor, not understanding her reasons for doing so. Zeona's attempts to block her view of the woman are more successful; Carran holds the shield up where Zeona places it, and flinches at the slap. Carran's eyes are focused on Zeona as the woman speaks again.

"Stay..."

Carran grits her teeth and remains kneeling in place. The two brawny thugs loom over her, one lifting a sword in both hands. Carran starts to speak: "My lady - "

"...and die." the woman above continues.

The thug brings his sword down and severs Carran's head with one swing. Blood spurts, splashing across Zeona's face and chest. The headless body sags, then slumps to the side with a soft clank of metal on wood. Meanwhile, Zeona hears screaming from the remaining guests.

"No!" shouts Sara as a thug steps over to her, but the thug stabs her with a spear nonetheless. At the same time, Minara screams as a wild-eyed thug pulls her by the hair, finally forcing her to her knees next to the already-kneeling masked, half-elven servant that had announced Zeona's presence.

"Let's see how you two suck cock!" he cackles, undoing his pants. "I might let the best one live!"

In unison, the two thugs before Zeona reach to grab her arms.

We'll treat this as a grapple. The thugs will roll Athletics with advantage, since one is aiding the other, which Zeona may resist using either Athletics or Acrobatics. Please let me know what dice roller you're using so I can use the same one for my rolls.
 
Zeona cries out when she sees the sword moving and hears the words, even if sheis slow and not trained enough,shetries to attack the thug with her dagger - even if it is too late. She flinches from the spray of blood, and very possibly get sick from the beheading next to her.
Using a d20 ... 8 ... 5 - but 16 and not throwing up from the killing (even if she would rather do that). And these are with the bonuses. 14 against throwing up from the idea of sucking their cocks... (even if she would had no problem with that either)
She does not have the breath or the strenght to do more than whine in the loss and fear,but on the other hand the stress keeps her from fainting and somehow even keeps the contents of her stomach.

Struggling with the thugs she is no match for them. Keeping her mouth closed and gritting her teeth, the noble Lady Zeona rather look at her dead or living ... 'friends' ... than the undone piece of cloth. Even if she gets pushed to her knees and showed at it.
 
Thug rolls 20 on the Athletics check, beating Zeona's 5.

Unless you have a strong objection, I would prefer you use an online dice roller. If you create an account on the hamete virtual dice server, I can add you to a dice log for this game. You need an email address to sign up and to provide that email address to me, but you can use a dummy email provider (I recommend YOPmail).

Zeona's dagger fails to penetrate the thug's armour, but he is nonetheless surprised by her attack. He obviously didn't expect her to have a weapon. When the two thugs grab Zeona, that thug in particular forces her arm painfully behind her back.

Sara lies still, either dead, dying, or very convincingly pretending. Minara makes desperate eye contact with Zeona for a moment, but then turns her attention back to the raider standing before her; his back is to Zeona, so she can't see what Minara sees, but she can guess. Zeona is not subjected to the same thing as Minara, however. The thugs do not force her to her knees or undo their clothes. They seem to be waiting for something.

"My lady, how careless," Zeona hears from behind her. It's Safira's voice, in a slow, sultry whisper. "All this blood has ruined your nice dress. You'll have to change. Let me help."

Zeona feels the cold of metal against her back, but no pain. The metal travels up along her spine and she feels her dress loosen as the cords are cut. A moment later, Safira's hand snakes around Zeona's side, reaches up to grab the neckline of her dress, and yanks it down to her lowest ribs, exposing her breasts to the ballroom.
 
The noble Zeona freezes at the voice of the obviously unhurt Safira. She is anxious at what happened, and how obviously both of them was singled out... with Safira having the upper hand for once. Not able to do more thanstruggle, she evenceases to do thatwhenshefeels the coldblade ather back. Fearing death, but what follows is not much better either.

"Whoever would see me like this is already dead, or will be!" she hisses as the dress is yanked down. But she does not move, standing there with hands held and breasts bared. Her anger overcoming her surprise and fear, Zafira is pulling herself out proudly. It is not like she could do anything to free herself or hide, and she has the blessing of nice breasts, nothing to be ashamed of.

That does not mean that she is not flushed from the various emotions coursing through her body and mind.
 
Though some take the opportunity to enjoy Zeona's nice breasts, most are too occupied with their own duties. Zeona cannot make eye contact with Minara, as her face is pressed against the crotch of the thug standing over her, but Zeona can faintly hear the sound of Minara's choked sobs struggling past the blockage in her mouth and throat. Beside her, the thug that Zeona attacked with her dagger grabs at one of her exposed breasts with a cackle, squeezing it painfully. Acting with unexpected coordination, the other thug takes hold of both of Zeona's arms while the more aggressive one moves to grab her legs, lifting them off the floor.

"That's enough," Safira says firmly, still out of sight of Zeona, but the thug continues. He forces Zeona's legs apart and steps closer, and she can feel the bulge in his pants pressing between her legs.

"That's enough!" Safira repeats, now shouting. "If she's not a virgin, nobody gets paid!"

That's enough to catch the attention of everyone in the room. Even the thug preparing to assault her pauses, then looks over his shoulder at the others. No one, apparently, wants to give up their payment so he can enjoy Zeona's body, and he releases her, letting her stand on her own feet again.

Safira finally steps into Zeona's view, but doesn't look at her. Instead, she points at two female thugs. "You and you, take her instead. We can't keep her here, apparently. I have somewhere to put her while we finish things up. Do not try anything. I meant what I said."

The female thugs take Zeona's arms from the men. One of the females speaks up. "You know you can't really tell if someone's a virgin, right?"

"Hymens can be damaged all kinds of ways," the other adds.

"Some girls aren't even born with them."

"I know all that!" Safira cuts the two female thugs off. "This isn't a matter of flesh. It's a concept. And there are things in this and other worlds that trade in concepts. Now get her moving. There's no time to waste."

Zeona hears someone coming up from behind her. A second later, the mysterious person throws a bag over her head, plunging her into darkness. Thereafter, the two thugs holding her force her to walk, leading her out of the building.

There's not much Zeona can do right now, but you may surprise me. If nothing comes to mind, let me know and we'll simply skip to your destination.
 
She does not understand what is happening and why. Well, obviously she sees and hears what is happening, but there must be more underneath the attack and killing. Not that she cares much for anyone other than herself, but death is death, and Zeona is sad that anyone had to die. While she struggled to slap the manfor grabbing her tit, being constrained she could only stare at him, memorising his face and posture to never forget making sure what she promised is done when she has the opportunity. If not outright killing the man, he would wish for it when she was through him!

Getting hauled away Zeona did try to get out of the predicament, not making it easy for her captors - after all, if she was needed virgin, she would be needed alive for sure. And if she angered anyone enough, and they stroke that concept ..., well, making sure whatever Safira planned was not coming to fruition was foremost in her mind. Trying to recall everything about her treacherous handmaiden, Zeona stayed uncharacteristically silent. Still counting on someone, anyone mounting a rescue or a counterattack, the noble young woman kept alert and collected her strenght to act at any opportunity to flee.
 
Zeona recalls what she knows of Safira. She's a few years older than Zeona and has been her servant for as long as Zeona can remember - since Safira herself was a girl, and that Safira's father served Zeona's parents, though she doesn't know of generations before that. She knows Safira has always been a little cannier than Zeona's other servants, or at least, appeared so; if the others were intelligent, they didn't share their thoughts with Zeona. Indeed, Safira was a looser with her tongue than most servants, sometimes toeing the line of what one of her station could get away with.

Other than that, Zeona doesn't know much about Safira. The private lives of common people are not the concern of nobility like her.

One of the thugs yanks Zeona's dress up to cover her breasts, but otherwise, they waste no time in marching Zeona to wherever they're going. Though her eyes are covered, she can tell she's outside for some portion of the journey, though no one besides the thugs and Safira sound close enough for Zeona to call for help or attention. If Zeona makes any noise, someone hits her in the head, hard. Finally, she's shoved into a building of some sort. She can tell from the acoustics that the building is small and, when she's forced into a prone position on her stomach, that the floor is rough stone tile. One of the thugs kneels on her back while two other people - probably Safira and the other thug - hurriedly move about the room. It sounds like they're grabbing things.

"That's everything she could use as a weapon," Safira finally says. "The door doesn't have a lock, but she's not trained in combat or magic or anything like that. You should be able to handle her. It won't take more than a few hours before we're ready to transport her."

"What if someone hears her?" the thug on Zeona's back asks.

"Not much noise escapes this room," Safira says. The tone of her voice is confident, like she knows this fact from experience. "But if necessary, use whatever you need to. We need her alive. We don't need her arms or legs to work, or her mind, if it comes to it."

The thug finally gets off of Zeona's back. All three leave the building and shut the door behind them, leaving Zeona alone on the stone floor, with only a loose dress and a bag over her head.
 
Trembling with rage and fear, she sits up carefully not to pull anything or tear her dress. Removing the sack from her head, Zeona's first concern is her hair and clothes, these she can check on with her trembling hands even if it was dark. Getting up from the floor carefully, she looks around while massaging her arms and trying not to bite her lips in concern. Unless Minara gets to tell someone who could and would act to find her, she only had Safira's plan to count on. However, there is only a small part of her that thinks the once was noble family's daughter is not looking out for herself, but caring about Zeona enough that this is just a nightmarish but exciting adventure.

In other words, she realises that she is fucked, at best, and beaten to death at the worst. Being an offering to some power seems to be a given. While a captive, of course she would try to find a way out, and look her best at all times doing that. So a throughout search of the room and trying to get the door open would be whatshe does, until her body comes down from the excitement of the evening.

Before trying to rest, of course she will try shouting and shrieeking for help, and if they took offence, she would order her potty cleaned after getting them to bring her dinner.
 
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