Feel free to comment - Vic is here and she is not being nice at all...
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Rush Of Blood To The Head, part 2.33.
Viconia De Vir is standing in front of us, a haughty sneer gracing her sensual lips as she watches Jaheira and me with a sense of superiority.
“Crawling back to her? What is she talking about?” Jaheira recovers as first and asks me surprised.
“Eh… I ran into her shortly after our escape and saved her from a crowd of fanatics, but told her to leave, afterwards,” I whisper to Jaheira so that Viconia cannot hear me, “she was upset about it…”
“I see… well, as much as I dislike her, she is a cleric and a competent one at that,” Jaheira whispers back to me.
“Oh, I get your idea…” I snicker, “are you sure that you will be able to get along better this time?”
Jaheira only shrugs her shoulders in response as Viconia interjects in our council, “Ah, you haven’t learned a thing since I saw you the last time, wael… Still taking orders from that mongrel dog, aren’t you?”
I am surprised about the fact that Jaheira does not respond to Viconia’s insult with one of her own, thus I continue, “So… what are you doing here Vic? I mean… in the graveyard… at night… you aren’t with the vampires or you aren’t a vampire yourself… dare I hope?”
“I love reading epitaphs, fool…” Viconia retorts angrily, “If you really must know… I live here. These stupid kivvil, forcing me to live like this… at least the vampires treat me with respect.”
“Well… Viconia, since we are in need of someone with your skills, perhaps you will consider joining us? Then at least you will not be forced to spend your days amongst tombstones and undead…” I ask, trying to look as indifferent as possible.
“Humph, I cannot say that I am impressed with the company you currently keep, Theodur,” Viconia shoots another sharp glare towards Jaheira, “but I do remember that traveling with you sometimes can be profitable… so I would join you, yes…”
“Excellent, Viconia…” I smile, “let us return to our place of staying then, I’m sure that you will enjoy sleeping in a comfortable bed for a change… those stone floors must be really unsuitable for sleeping.”
“Whatever you say, jaluk,” Viconia only grimaces at my comment, “lead on then…”
“And one more thing, Viconia,” I add meaningfully as we leave the graveyard, “hurling murderous glares or venomous comments in Jaheira’s direction will not improve our relationship… and my patience is a great deal thinner than hers these days…”
“Thank you very much for your concern, but there is no need to coddle me, I assure you,” Jaheira mutters under her breath, “it will take much more than insults of this drow to upset me.”
“Ah, but maybe I simply have not found the right approach yet, half-breed…” Viconia ends the conversation with a hearty and promising chuckle…
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Luckily Pugney has a free room for Viconia, so she doesn’t have to sleep in the same room with Jan… True, Jan is back at his home in the slums for tonight… I don’t think they would make good roommates, not as good as Jaheira and I, anyways. In fact, putting those two in the same room will probably result in a very dead Jan Jansen, be it a very pretty death and I’m sure he would die as a very happy gnome…
It is already way past midnight and the sun will be rising in a couple of hours, as the three of us are sitting at the table in the inn, slowly sipping the vine. Pugney was very surly when we woke him up, he doesn’t approve of guests wandering around at such hours, but when Viconia dropped her hood and flashed a beaming smile at him, he was only too eager to assist us….
“Moronic jaluk,” Viconia hisses, looking at poor, old Pugney staring at her from behind the bar counter, “they are so easy to manipulate…”
“And you of course are very skilled at that, drow,” Jaheira adds.
“Ah, you’re still here? Yes, I suppose you have to make some kind of derogatory remark, just to remind me of your existence… it is so easy to forget, elg’caress…” Viconia smiles as she speaks.
“Viconia…” I add warningly.
“Very well, jaluk. Tell me – how did you two ended up together again? Last I saw you, you were alone and very unconvinced…” Viconia winks at me.
“Well I was unconvinced then, Viconia… but I still don’t see how it is your business,” I retort sharply.
“I simply want to know more about people that I travel with…” Viconia smirks, “so what exactly happened? You can be sure that I will find out eventually, so you might as well tell me now… I think it concerns our dear treehuggers beloved m’ranndii, am I wrong? To think how quick you were to deny that you have your eyes laid on Theodur, way back then… I suppose we can agree on one thing, elg’caress – we both seem to think very little on this whole kivvil notion of marriage…”
Jaheira pales visibly and licks her lips to undoubtedly retort with an equally venomous insult… but instead she just turns to face me and speaks with weariness in her eyes “It’s late and I want to get at least some sleep this night… I trust you will be joining me soon.”
Watching her leave, accompanied by Viconia’s sniggering makes my blood boil in anger. I reach out over the table to grab Viconia by the hand in which she holds the glass of vine.
“Listen, Viconia,” I speak angrily, squeezing her hand until she winces in pain and releases the glass. It falls down and as it hits the table, drops of vine spurt all over her cloak. “I was not joking when I told you to keep away from her. If I would believe you being able of compassion, I would perhaps consider telling you the reasons for it and all those things we suffered in the recent past. But since I don’t think you would be able to understand it, I think that a straightforward threat will do more good… if you keep this up, I will do something that will make you terribly unattractive to the male population…”
I see a flash of anger in Viconia’s eyes as I release her hand, but it is quickly replaced by something of a curiosity and recognition.
“Such flare… even if it is beyond my comprehension what you see in her, it seems that you do see something… is that what you kivvil call “love”? Never mind answering that… I would not be able to understand it.”
“Perhaps, in time you will be able to grasp the concept of love, Viconia… who knows… Perhaps, I also spoke too harshly condemning you unable of compassion. Maybe knowledge of what we have went through will hasten the process…”
“Abbil, you speak of me like I was a test subject… I don’t like it,” Viconia sounds grumpy, “and I need my glass refilled…”
“Very well, Viconia, I will tell you the details… and I hope that you will not use it malevolently… We were captured by a mad mage, who held us captive for a very long time… during this time we were subjected to various tortures. I think that he tested the limits of how much pain I am able to take… numerous times he almost killed me with his powerful magic or through the physical torture… but always he stopped before I crossed the line that separates the life from the death and after I was healed, he continued.”
“Imoen… she was subjected to tests much the same way as I do. Of course, being the kind, gentle soul she is… her threshold for pain was that much lower than mine. Jaheira… she was not tortured the way like Imoen and I were… instead, well, I… I don’t think I can speak about it…” I slump back heavily in the chair and grab my glass with trembling hands.
“I think I can guess what she had to endure…” Viconia speaks in a lower voice, “I… I will try… to be easier on her. But I’m only doing it for you, abbil…”
“Thank you, Viconia, I’m not asking for more…” I rise from the chair to head to my room, “right now there is someone who needs me upstairs…”
Viconia only grins at my admission, then turns her attention to Pugney, her lips shaping the most seductive smile… “How about another bottle of vine for this lonely jalil?”
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