Another group of memories returned to her. The knowledge it seemed stayed with her after running it's course. Either it was the recent experience she had or some sort of lock being popped on memories associated with that experience.

Veronica had remembered how to perform all manners of fire based magic, how to ride steeds and not just unicorns and had a bit more knowledge about the Fae she had witnessed and had recalled asking about the Sprites once upon a time.

“Here,” Cain answered, releasing his grasp on one of the book spheres that floated back into place. However long the memories took to play out it was not instantaneous it seemed, perhaps it was as long as the original memory itself

In any case it was long enough for Cain to look up something real quick. She only could assume it wasn't for long since he was standing rather than sitting. Nor had he delayed in answering her so it was probably something that had not been important.

He did not know much about what she was doing though if he had he would have explained that Zephyr was a common name among the Sylph. Of course, that did not rule out the fact that this had been a member of the Forgotten Four or not.

“Abdul does not know of that … like I relayed it is not a bad matter. Just one he does not know about,” He grinned, though paused as she asked about that word. There was nothing as extreme as the color leaving his face though.

“Nesai … hmm, I do not believe there is a word in your tongue that is equivalent … underage being the closest I guess but that is not quite it. Most Fae will not deal with another who is no at least a century old. Granted you have the Faerie Dragons that live such short lives that they hit maturity in such a few years, though regardless of their age one could never say that they are mature or Pixies for that matter ...”

He grinned at that and shook his head slightly.

“Anyway you have your Fae that beguile or chase down other species like Satyrs and Nymphs who only go after those that are of a mature age of their species … that's what, 18 or so for you humans. But if they were chasing after a Dwarf for instance they would only go for the ones 40 years of age or older … and most others, including Sylph totally refrain from dallying with any being beneath 100. Until then you are deemed a child, even if it is not the case. Alliances between Fae and humans often break down over this point seeing that bargains and deals tend to follow along the same principles but are less restrictive, species maturity is the crux for most.”

So the explained the term more or less. Either Zephyr was very unusual or …

What he would relay about Zephyr would all depend on the questions she asked him. While he would not lie about matters he would only tackle the issues that she chose to bring up unless he had thought that they were relevant to what she was doing.

But there was something he would add for free, given that he had seen the memory before. “The soldier does not refer to your Dwarf companion. At the most Dwarfs live 800 years and most pass after 600 if they live that long. Like humans they get into wars a lot defending ancestral lands. Think old as in how a Fae would view it”

Shame from the experience of a stranger’s kiss which, too, happened to be her first were likely the reason for trying to discourage Cain from telling Abdul since a great many prospective suitors and plain admirers alike had been sent on their way by the mighty Efreeti and Veronica might have feared his reaction due to his extraordinary care in that regard. She never went out of her way to attain someone else’s affection and hardly experimented in that regard, not even surrounded by countless Fae. Perhaps the very notion of intimacy had been a taboo in itself, but far more likely the extent of her actions was just unknown to her to the point where giving into it just once had her worried Abdul might be upset with her.

She supposed a first kiss was meant to be kept secret hence telling Abdul would have been catastrophic. There were several ways to think about it and Veronica could not choose a single damn one without continuously thinking of what had actually transpired back then. Ruby red eyes fixate on Cain once Veronica had gotten up to put them on equal footing in their ensuing conversation, not that Cain was tall enough to leave them at that although the young woman before him was somewhat flustered having to speak to one of her creators about such delicate matters, but not overly so since he not only walked in on the scene, but had experienced her memory for himself.

“Is he the Zephyr of legends? Of the Forgotten Four?” It might have been the least of her worries compared to his vision, or whatever Divine act he committed at the time, but the sorceress just had to know.

“What makes Zephyr different from others?” Studying Sylph in greater detail, however, had her ponder on a few other matters. Aside from being seen as underage, or something along those lines for there was no direct translation for it, there was obviously more to it than Veronica knew. “He tends to act like younger Fae tend to yet I doubt one of his powers and experience could be anything but old.” At least that seemed to make sense to her in the heat of their confrontation. “I’m aware he’s Sylph, but there are things about him I can’t explain at all like the matter of age you just explained, for example: How is he capable of drawing upon blessings? What is Zephyr, exactly? Is he a Water Elementalist or far more than that? Please tell me what you know.”

He’d probably know best and she was not about to dismiss that thought. “How did you two wind up working together in the first place? How come he’s suited to give you advice?” Working might not have been the proper way to put it, for Veronica figured that these tricks Zephyr mentioned might have plenty to do with meditation and not so much skimming through tomes and scriptures. At the same time she could hardly believe that the one to threaten her out of the blue ranked higher in the church than one of her creators. “Would you mind telling me what he is to you? He mentioned the word mentor, but went on to say that due to the nature of the Divine he doesn’t really teach you anything beyond easier means of channeling.”

The same thought practically carried over to the next considering recently witnessed events. “What did Zephyr mean by payment? Did you pay anything for his services?” She received a kiss, a first experience of romance and intimacy, presumably meant to hint at the greater picture as though Veronica was meant to view it again in her current state, but there were a few ways to view his proposal for help when the time came and quite a few would have had her flush bright red on the spot. Perhaps Meringue taught him water based magic, his talents in that regard seemed to be quite sophisticated, after all.

“Is he married, by any chance?” Not that Fae seemed to mind sexual contact with others throughout marriage unless feelings were involved, but then again Zephyr didn’t seem to be your typical Fae either. For the moment Veronica concluded her stream of thought as to allow Cain to answer some of her inquiries before moving on to others, but his final notion had her mull the matter over in the back of her mind.

“Hm .. Quite old.” She thought of it in the same way Fae might and figured that none amongst her travelling companions save for three came to mind. Two if one considered that Veronica and Gale didn’t have the greatest start and Gale wasn’t much of a soldier if capable in hand to hand combat whereas another didn’t quite fit the bill either. “It cannot be Abdul. To me he’s not a soldier in the conventional sense yet he’s the only one old enough other than perhaps ..”

Nicodemus made sense unless somebody else was to join them which was highly unlikely. They had it all planned out and the sole soldier in their ranks besides Roc had to be the one Veronica had fallen for. She averted her eyes for a moment, flicking across the ground in a thoughtful stare into the void, before finally honing back in on the man standing before her. “Do you believe old would be an apt description for Angels?”

She had been concerned of course if this were a member of the Forgotten Four or not though he kindly shook his head. “No, only the Paraelemental of Ice is Fae, though he is famous in his own right. Well known would be more like it I suppose though he has been coming about here and there for some time, as long as I can remember so he has to be quite old.

“He started has sown me a few things though.” Cain relaid. He had not seemed too concerned about the memory of the kiss for it was rather tame by Fae standards as it were.

“As far as the question of whom Zephyr is I have no real answers, just speculations and my own thoughts. True, he is old … older than I am … and while the young tend to be hot headed and impulsive so are those that are infused with great power where they think that no one can harm them … an ego, over confidence or just plan fact. In his case I believe it to be the later. Few Fae have innate Divine gifts and Sylph are no one of them.

“My best guess is that he is not Fae a all but simply posing as a rare species It goes to explain why he is away for long stretches of time. If not Fae it helps explain some of his personality. Where an older Fae may have been more diplomatic with you and try to stop you from training until they worked things out he jumped to conclusions not having seen you before, not concerned with your age something that Nymphs, Dryads, Satyrs and Nixies share but not Sylph … some ruses just don't make sense but he has always been beneficial.

“His motives are pure … I did not begin to suspect that he was anything but Fae for the longest time. Whatever he is it would have to be something long lived tat has a sense of entitlement to make up that impulsiveness. He is good with his magic whether water, air, earth or fire. His offensive magic is powerful but rare as far as I have been able to ascertain. Abjurations and Conjurations seem to be his stronger suit; healing magic falling into the realm of Conjuration, summoning positive energy to heal wounds and cure afflictions easier than even I could mend. Further, many of his Blessings he can just will without the need of any components or prayers.”

Cain gave her question a little thought though not much before answering. He sought to keep the explanation as simple as possible. “Some time back, may many decades there was an epidemic here that I was hard pressed in curing. He showed up and assisted making it look so easy. He even taught me how to channel better and sought to increase my power so I could channel better At first it was just the healing arts then others. From time to time he checks up on me or delivers news as to what is going on in the church or is expected of the clergy. Threats that are on the horizon that need to be addressed and so on. But to answer your question he was sent here to help.”

He mulled over payment for a moment though. “Sexual of some sort though he has never been one to charge for his healing as long as I have known him so there has to be something further involved then simply channeling positive energy. He is not married as far as I am aware though the topic has never come up.”

He watched as she went through her thoughts ruling out this and that, coming up with her theories the silence after her last question. He had been considering the matter and had developed similar theories of his own.

“An Angel is timeless, immortal. It would be a fair description … Angels have innate Blessings and I have considered that possibility in the past as far as Zephyr's true identity but have come up with little evidence to support my theories so I've kept things to myself. After all it was not as if this was a disguised Devil or Demon at work so the mystery wasn't as important to solve.”

Sudden relief washed over her at the notion that Zephyr was not a member of the Forgotten Four and as it turned out he probably had greater power than any of them. All elements came together and made up but a small assortment of magic at his disposal for coupled with Divinations among others he possessed far more abilities than anyone Veronica had known. Sadly that did not exempt him from her suspicions and to demand such payment was somewhat bizarre, technically not for a Fae, but then again his very nature as a Sylph was called in question.

“True, there might be more to it than that. I just thought you might have an idea what he could want since you’ve dealt with him for quite some time.” She lacked insight and everyone knew. Anything Zephyr had become had taken a fair share of time for not even Cain happened to be that old or experienced, thus whatever payment he desired had to be something truly worthwhile or special to him unless the effort merely warranted such sacrifices from the voluptuous woman. She figured marriage itself could be one due to the fact that their kiss had been relatively tame, gentle and entirely without tongue, a curious observation if he deemed himself superior to the point of profound arrogance since he could have plainly taken whatever he wanted without warning her months, even years ahead of time that his services would be needed and they required payment in the first place.

On the other hand, sexual favors could go a long way for someone of his age. She could be another trophy which wound up in his collection of lovers in due time. Veronica had a certain measure of sex appeal and she was no stranger to being desired despite having been a virgin not too long ago. Perhaps he simply meant to gauge her reaction and demanded no fees by the end of it, but Veronica doubt that’d be a preferred outcome to him. If it meant saving Nicodemus, however, there was little more encouragement needed to persuade her into practically agreeing right off the bat.

Still, the two of them reached a few meaningful presumptions by deduction from facts they already had, but not quite enough to come to an answer. In essence he had to be more powerful than Nicodemus if he could not restore himself and Nicodemus himself was a Planetar. Supposedly each Angel healed better than the last and if Nicodemus was to require his services at any point in time, Veronica suspected that Zephyr might be a Solar since Cain described their abilities thusly.

She knew few things if any which were stronger than Angels and that seemed to make the most sense. He had to be fallen, too, considering his interest in the carnal pleasures of the flesh unless there were some workarounds the buxom sorceress hadn’t been privy to.

If there were some variations within the ranks of Angels themselves, one Archon being greater in terms of healing magic and such whereas the same happened to be deficient in another realm of magic, Veronica wouldn’t know, but that was probably too much thought being invested into a matter of such negligible importance. Sticking to the Angel idea might prove to be utterly fruitless in the end hence she decided to leave the matter open for another time, or someone with greater wisdom than her own. When the time truly came, Veronica would most certainly ask Zephyr himself.

“Would you care to share your theories with me? I’d like to hear them.” She was curious nonetheless and while unable to build on said theories, Veronica might gain some more insight at least. “Sadly I don’t believe we’ll ever know what he truly is unless we’ve got more to go on, but I’m confident that I know what he’s talking about in that memory of mine. That aside, you seem to trust that dealing with him has always been beneficial. If that’s the case, I do not fear striking an agreement to heal whomever he was referring to at the time.”

She smiled warmly upon Cain, pleased that these small adventures seemed to be helping a great deal already. “I thank you for showing me this one. What I’ve seen thus far gives me the feeling that I haven’t lost everything after all. Oh, but I probably should ask .. How much time do we have left before nightfall?” Surely Veronica was uncertain as to how much time actually passed and telling the current time of day in an underwater home proved more difficult at best.

Cain had not determined what that payment could be other than the obvious. It would not surprise him though if it was something that he did not consider. He was Fae so it would have been more mysterious in his mind if the payment did not deal with sex of some kind though that was more a cultural thing that had limited him in seeing beyond this aspect.

Still, Veronica seemed relieved that this was not the member of the Forgotten Four The name was a bit misleading though as no one truly “forgot” about them or perhaps it was just common knowledge among the Fae since it pertained to magic after all.

The theory of some Archons of the same type having some variance among themselves seemed logical. If they were all carbon copies of one another then there would be no fallen ones, unless the situation that caused them would cause any of them to fail. That and would it mean that each Planetar was exactly like Nicodemus? That just did not seem to make sense.

Cain nodded. He would share some of his insights with her as meager as they were. Though since she seemed to be more concerned with the time at present he addressed that first. “You are welcome. There are even more Thought Threads on the surface but most of those are simple training and learning exercises. Not much time has passed actually. The memories play out at about the same rate as the actual time that they play out so these are a poor choice for learning something quickly. There are other methods for that which I'd be happy to discuss with you when you have more time if you are interested.

“I planned on leaving you alone for a bit and letting you look to your heart's content then come back for you if hat is acceptable with you.” He got her response to that before moving on to his theories.

“There are few Fae that can use Blessings innately. There are Dryads but they have strong ties to nature spirits and worship them from a young age. Zephyr is not one of them and the list of things he could be is low.

“He tends to show up at just the right time too. It's his foresight as to future events. I asked him once about it and he confirmed that he is able to see possible futures … from what I've gathered he can continually scan for example he might see a coin coming up heads eight out of ten times and act on what is more likely though it does not always occur as he has foreseen. Still, I have never seen him surprised as if he sees all possibilities before hand and just concludes on the wrong path.

“Always he is here when something major happens … common knowledge or not … I first thought he was a seer chosen by a Deity with the gift of foresight but it is more then that. He is an accomplished healer and has taught me more than I have him. He is not barred from a particular element as an Arcane caster would be so I realized that his spell source was Divine pretty quick though he has no outward symbols of his faith.

“There is a spell, a bey powerful spell that Arcane and Divine casters can receive or learn. True Seeing that lets you see things as they really are. Illusions are revealed as are magically shape changed creatures. An odd thing happened though. I am unable to channel the spell in his presence as if the Gods themselves forbid me of knowing for certain. I took that as a hint and have not sought out any Arcane users of the spell.

“Chances are that since I can channel any other sort of spell I need around him that he does not sever my connection but my God does not wish me to know … either that or he can prevent me from connecting and about the only thing that could do so is a God and not just any God but only the one that I worship as is the case for anyone. Only there own Deity can cut them off though unlike Arcane casters we Divine ones have to channel he power of our Gods through us. If they do not wish for us to use a spell for whatever reason they can prevent it from functioning.

“So, either he's an agent of my Deity or my Deity himself. I've suspected the first though as to why he keeps coming around is a bit of a mystery and if I am right I do not know why the ruse. I have tried not to call to much attention to it and it does not seem that anyone has been suspicious about him given that he shows up all the time when most needed is seen as a boon though one could suspect that he was the cause for such hardships I can say that that is not the case.”

“I’d be happy to hear these methods when I return once more.” Alas, there was no time today, but at least she had an opportunity to skim through her own uncertain past. Such a wide selection of memories to choose from and experience, certainly Veronica was beyond thankful to have it made available to her and smiled in response to his offer to look through them herself for a while. Childhood memories, for example riding a unicorn, were more than enough to make the Thought Threads appealing even though thanks to both immortality and perpetual outer appearance, the whole experience made it difficult to portray them as some select few moments that occurred in the distant past. “Yeah, sure. You’ve already done plenty for me and I think I can work with these on my own now. Would you kindly let the others know I’ll be busy for a while?”

She got the gist of it and figured that applying some of them on her own wouldn’t be too much trouble. They already happened anyway and living through a few more would unlock greater amounts of memories. It was practically little more than revisiting the past unless Veronica intended to act for whatever reason and wound up altering their course which the red head didn’t plan on as to retain a certain degree of truthfulness beyond her observations.

Veronica went on to listen to his theories and responded accordingly. She thought of Zephyr as a curious man, but found herself far more surprised that none around here seemed to know his true nature and never truly suspected him of anything despite what Cain relayed to her at the time. His theories offered certain hints, but then again they were little more than that; theories. They could make up their minds, but never know for certain yet that didn’t prevent Veronica from asking a few more questions along the way.

“How would I go about learning such a powerful spell? Is there a scroll for True Seeing?” She doubted that any time for studies had been feasible in the short run yet wondered if such magic was found in scrolls, just like the ones Veronica and Roc acquired a little while back. Cain seemed convinced that the Gods offered him a hint, implying that he should stop trying to utilize it in Zephyr’s presence, but that didn’t mean the curious young woman would be taken aback by these tales. She never experienced it for herself and served no Deity in particular hence her own magic shouldn’t be impaired in much the same way.

In a sense any effort to learn of his true nature on her behalf could be entirely fruitless for he would foresee her attempts to discover any illusions that might conceal whatever laid beyond his facade, if there was anything to unravel in the first place, that is. If Cain was right in his assumption that he could see every feasible outcome of a given situation beforehand, then Zephyr might not even be within reach once their reunion was due which could be worsened by the prospect of meeting him under great duress.

However, striking such agreements wasn’t the most displeasing thought should Nicodemus be saved as a result, but to be utterly ignorant of whomever happened to be offering such powerful healing, now that was a concern. She knew the name and his appearance, but could not be sure that both were an honest portrayal of whatever the unusual Fae truly was.

“What makes you so sure that he’s not the cause for such hardships?” She was merely curious. Of course showing up whenever held is needed would have made her suspicious, too, but whatever the point of such actions was despite fuelling his own popularity, Veronica did not know. The church sent him so his intentions, as Cain put it, might actually be pure, but it appeared to be fairly strange to the alleged human female nonetheless.

She remained somewhat quiet for a moment once he stopped speaking, pondering on whether asking such a question was in any way appropriate. “What would your Deity want with me anyway?” Or any Deity for that matter, assuming they spoke of the actual Deity and not one of its agents. Veronica was uncertain as to how that’d play out. She was given the hint of a kiss, but figured that someone with greater insight would have an idea or two that the young woman did not have.

“Can you tell me more about the Deity you serve?” She could not remember asking Cain about such details regarding his faith in the first place and figured that now might be the best time to do so. Veronica had to deal with an agent of his Deity or his Deity himself and as such the young sorceress figured a bit more insight before being left to her own devices and the Thought Threads might do her some good in the future.

Time was rarely an issue for the Fae. There was no thought as to not having tomorrow and while death could occur the though was so distant from their minds. Like any other creature they could be killed though if not for violent ends there was no telling how long they would live so they were deemed immortal. None had ever died from old age and there were those that had seemed to linger around for ages now.

“Certainly,” he would inform the others though he had wondered if he should transfer some of the earlier stuff down here too but decided against it She did not have the time on hand today and as he had relayed already those were more training and less untactful memories then he ones stored here.

He considered for a moment seeing that their power sources had been a bit different. He used Divine sources and she Arcane though as a Fae his knowledge about Arcane matters had been fairly good. “It is a Divination, probably one of the strongest. One of your skill level could learn it in about nine days assuming of course that you do no already know I.” He grinned knowing Abdul knew such magi she could have been taught it already but simply forgot.

“And yes, getting a scroll of it is possible. With it being a stronger spell though its tougher to find unless you know the right people. True Seeing is one of those practical spells so finding a scroll of it is far more easier than say something useful in a limited sphere such as something that can damage only Elementals or Dragons, useful but not in demand all the time.

“If you are interested though I could get one … I probably have one somewhere. I can scribe scrolls and often do a bunch of them that we sell for the church to generate revenue. I probably scribed one decades back and if it hasn't sold it will probably be there. Common sellers are curative scrolls though for mine you would have to be a Divine in nature so it would probably do you little good. But I know a fair share of Arcane casters too that may have one. I can ask about while you entertained or rather have Meringue ask while I entertain the others.

“With True Seeing though you could cast it on others in lieu of yourself. Such as my scroll if I have one. Someone else could trigger for you. Roc, perhaps? I am unsure if he has any Divine ability, probably not as it is rare to have access to more than a single power source and he is one of the Elementalists, I recognize him as I would the Princess. Only the Water Elemental Master I have no clue on oddly, though he is human I am told and humans pass far too quickly for me where I could easily miss a few generations.”

After a small moment he grinned as if realizing something. She had forgotten things and he had to back track just a bit just encase. “The way Divine scrolls operate is a bit different. The God of the user is used to grant the spell not the scriber … the prayer that is written is imbue with a small aspect of my faith and is essentially like a peep talk temporarily rallying someone to channel spells that they might not otherwise have access too, either their Deity normally denies them the use of that spell or I eludes them. They get motivated in the sense of seeing that another can do it or that something is possible. All this is short term however for that one casting but it allows them to do incredible things.” That was the quick and easy version of I seeing that they did not have the time to spare to get into the heart of the matter so to speak.

He had been asked about Zephyr and while a religious individual may have said something like faith or that God told him the Fae tended to be more practical. Perhaps the oldest amongst them reached a point where they became Gods living so long to harness every secret amassing so much power in their long lives that few were as old and remembered them in a weaker state and hat they had been so powerful by then that they appeared as Deities … perhaps there were stories though whatever the case Cain had been direct with her.

“While such a potent Divination like True Seeing was blocked a minor one that allows me to sense auras was not. It tells me essentially if something is good, evil or neither. Zephyr's aura is warm, though the Divination can be fooled his gentleness would be tough. He can be gruff but good natured. It is not easy for an evil being to disguise one's true nature for so long without something braking through. Nor do I know any that have access to such curative magic. No evil Deity has access to restorative magic and if he were evil no good Deity would grant him the ability. Even things not noted as being good or evil could only bestow such curative gifts to a degree that he easily superceeds so while I am curious about him I looks as if my Deity wishes me to wait for that reveal if it ever does come.” But it was not just blind faith that he had operated one, perhaps that was another mater where the Fae culture was different that humans. Of course there were few that actually got involved with a church but that was another matter entirely.

“As for what he would want from you I could not say. Though my Deity is Fae and Fae are curious creatures,” Cain shot her a grin. “It could be as simple as wanting to take a closer look. You are a unique being after all. A creation of life both similar and unlike any other.

She was curious as to his Deity and he had increased that through not mentioning who that was. Their were several, though belief in all of them were kept in high regard each species of Fae had their own Deities too. [color=#80BF80] “Interested? Well, why tell you when I could show you?” He pointed to the shelf of memories. “Some are my memories, some Meringue's. You may look at the orange liquid marked AWAKENED.”

There wee vials of three different colors so it was easy to know who's memories were who's. “Since you are busy though you can borrow that vial and look at I whenever before returning. It will give you a bit more time to look over your own memories while you are here. After all I am present and replacing that memory is relatively easy. Your old memories are tougher since it would take a bit of doing to retrieve your memories and you would have to be present for it. After all I remember mine so all that is necessary is recreating it.”

He would leave her to her devices though as to which memories she chose to look at while he would see to her friends. Of all her memories though there was one that stood out inscribed with a different hand than the others. It was her own she would realize, the memory of her own penmanship though she had not seen it in quite a bit I was something that had not been taken from her seeing as to how often she had used it and how familiar it was. The single word NEMESIS written on it.

Investing time into learning the spell, especially a whole nine days, would be far too time consuming for such negligible results. She lacked the time to deal with any uncertainties of the past and studying True Seeing in any great detail would be a wasteful effort to their current objective. A scroll, on the other hand, might actually come in handy further down the line.

“You’d do me a huge favor if you asked around for a scroll on my behalf. Of course I’d pay for it however I can.” She lacked the funds, but most certainly planned on earning some once this was all over. From defying a great evil to looking for work, Veronica could hardly picture the moment. “Roc introduced himself as a warrior monk, but I’m uncertain as to his Divine abilities. Something we could use in the Arcane realm might be better if the added effort of getting one doesn’t trouble you.”

Fae culture was strange to the Living Construct, sometimes quite simple and in other matters inexplicably complex, but at the time the individual mattered to her more than the whole. She didn’t exactly look forward to a future encounter with Zephyr under the circumstances he described, but from what Veronica gathered his intentions had to be pure lest a good Deity would never grant him a power he had shown off to Cain repeatedly. Such statements didn't go unnoticed and as such the charming red head felt more at ease with their impending confrontation.

Stratos was Sylph in nature, too. Somehow the theory of indulging in her physical makeup without any carnal dalliances to the whole affair seemed all the more reasonable, but Zephyr wasn’t your typical Sylph, let alone anything they happened to know for certain. She was unique, however, that much was true. Perhaps Cain’s view on the matter had been the more elegant solution to her troubles which made the young woman trust that troubling herself over uncertainty wasn’t the most prudent choice to begin with.

She hoped to find out more about his Deity regardless and had been pointed to the vials and the various colored liquids therein. Ruby eyes fell on the one he described. “Thank you again, Cain. I’ll let you know once I’ve seen enough or, if you were so kind, let me know when it’s time for us to leave. We’ve got about an hour long journey ahead of us.”

Cain then left Veronica to her own devices. Her steps nearly carried her over to the one labeled AWAKENED before a piece of the past flashed up in the corner of her peripheral vision. One of the great many vials had her hand writing on it and despite her suppressed memories there was no doubt as to the origin of its contents. Strangely enough the label indicated it wouldn’t be too much of a pleasant experience. Did Cain know? Anyone? She thought either of the two inhabitants might have checked it out at least once. She chose to do so as well.

Spurred on by curiosity the choice was made simple for the red haired sorceress. She deposited Cain’s sealed memory in the pocket beneath her overcoat where the innocence of a new born resided as well, but the two happened to be fairly distinguishable by contents alone for the first bottle was corked yet there was nothing inside hence Veronica figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to draw upon the orange liquid later on.

Soon exploring her own had been in order and the young woman made haste to utilize her time here to the fullest. Taking the one whose inscription had been reminiscent of her own handwriting before easing into her former seat once more, her fingers carefully wielded whatever wand he used before in order to use it for herself. She scooped out some of the substance and brought it up to her temple without wasting too much of a thought on why Veronica had chosen to preserve this particular memory.

In a sense it must have been childlike curiosity driving her on ward. She couldn’t determine how old her memory truly was and half expected to find that her alleged nemesis came down to little more than how children might view their respective archrival or just a very competitive friend of theirs whom might just be another youngster they hoped to outmatch. It could be anything, but her mind opened to the experience without hindrance.

There was no going back now as a field of white flashed before her vision, hinting at the dawn of a new memory Veronica had to explore.

Now Cain may not have any idea as to her financial situation and being her creator he had not instantly leapt to sexual favors as a form of payment as it was as if he had been dealing with his very own daughter her. As sexual as they were the Fae held a few taboos; one being that age thing, incest and necrophilia ranked highest among some of them in this realm.

But Cain delivered a smile. It seemed that she was uncertain to Roc's status and seeing how they both were aware that he had been infused in the Arcane arts it was unlikely he could use the Divine as well. Few had more than one power source and fewer had all three though it was to those that special things had be prophecized.

“You need not worry about it. There are still funds here for you, Abdul has not come by to retrieve them and there are other things as well ...” Cain had mentioned though it was doubtful that these things were very important or worth mentioning. The magical arts were expensive to learn and some magical items were expensive to get a hold of. The simple stuff she would need at the beginning of her training had been costly but affordable though the intermediary stuff got expensive. A t least when it came to things like purchasing scrolls, wands, magical rings and garments so since he was not around all the time Abdul had left enough resources to get what was needed and it would be from that which Cain would purchase the scroll.

“I will see what can be located for an Arcane one.”

He nodded at her request figuring it was likely that he would come to retrieve her figuring that she would get lost in things. She sat down and applied the memory. It could be anything though when it began it wasn't as she would have expected.

She was well dressed, though in such a way that her assets were on display. Her bust showing, her skirt a short one with a dapper man well dressed and bowing before her with a hand across his chest.

She had been out doors and there was a horse drawn carriage at the corner. Several other women in similar dress had been around, some paying attention to the scene, others engaged in conversation with men though from the looks of their attire they had not been anything special … middle classed was what her instincts told her.

“My Master wishes to hire you for the evening. He is interested in an escort for this evenings festivities ...”

If Cain hadn’t told her, Veronica might have continued thinking that her funds were about absolute zero, but an emergency cushion of sorts always helped. She wasn’t going to use it for much outside of its intended use, but nodded in response to it being spent on the desired scroll before plunging straight into the given memory.

Any expectations Veronica might have had as to the actual scene depicted in her memory were immediately stripped away and replaced with a far more mature scenario than what was on her mind originally. She was unsure how matters functioned in-depth, but the overall course of these initial few moments relayed that it might have been mother’s memory and not her own. Chloe worked on the streets, but if it happened to be Veronica’s memory nevertheless it might explain her profound sexual prowess.

Subtle winds skimmed over the generously exposed blessings of her ample breasts and left them tingling in the aftermath, each lungful of air heaving and dropping both hefty orbs as their delicate peaks dragged over the fine fabric of her evening wear. Succulent albeit somewhat athletic thighs graced her alluring stature and were evidently put on display for the crowd for the length of her skirt indicated just that and left little doubt as to what was happening here given the man before her and other women donning the very same dress. She was no whore in terms of attire, but not quite noble in overall appearance either.

She was an escort as the well-dressed man stated which relayed to her that she was indeed working here and was chosen for or by his Master himself. Scarlet eyes flickered to the carriage at the corner, thinking that he might reside on the inside thus seeing his face was unlikely, but in the end it didn’t truly matter as they settled back on the one in front of her, lush ruby lips turned to a warm smile in a heartbeat. Whatever festivities they attended hardly mattered, solely that someone took her along tonight and early enough to make sufficient profits.

“Of course, it’ll be my pleasure.” In the end funds mattered more than her clients’ looks and as such the remarkably well-endowed red head could not afford to be choosy. “Shall we discuss payment here or in private?”

A blunt response perhaps, but people came to her and the others for a reason and probably knew the terms of their arrangement beforehand. She didn’t know how much he could relay in his Master’s stead, but if they had to meet up with the greater of the three to commence, then so be it. “Does your Master have any wishes or preferences as to how I am to conduct myself over the course of the evening or does he wish to discuss these matters personally?”

Paid by the hour the young woman hoped to prolong matters as was naturally the case, being pleasant company was only one side of the whole arrangement after all. She sought to please and gathered information that might satisfy her client’s desires prior to their departure to the bedroom. Should Veronica speak plenty or not at all? Did he want her to be close to him at all times or merely there to laugh, eat and drink in his presence? Perhaps he wanted her to look pretty in public and little else before the two of them tended to the true matter of the evening. As far as the busty red head had been concerned, whatever the client desired would be the rule tonight.

It sounded as if there were going to be plenty of people around them, too. People would know what she was, where she came from. Pretending to be anything other than that appeared fruitless hence such questions might very well be pointless in itself, but perhaps such demeanor was the norm around here given the similarly dressed women nearby.

“The particular details are few from what I have been told Simply put you are to serve as eye candy making a brief appearance though if there are any other particulars that I am unaware of I have not been informed. Coin is no objection though your terms can be set with me. I have been given the authority to work that out with you as haggling over prices is beneath my Master. This way please.”

He gestured towards the carriage and assisted her inside before joining her. The Master had not been in attendance and it seemed as if this errand had been entirely left up to the servant though he may have been given certain criteria to look for.

They were on their way though as soon as they had been settled though the man had not dealt with names at least not yet though they could be unimportant in the grand scheme of things. It really did not matter to him as to the prices set though he preferred to settle on a flat rate for the night's work. As long as the sum did not seem outrageous he did not seek to negotiate it at all.

“There has been a rather unfortunate accident and an injury left Lady Winthrop with a broken leg. It was all rather short notice and these social gatherings one does not just show up for alone. I was tasked with finding someone of certain qualities as far as physique … she is no for having rather sizable assets though few in this region would have seen her.

“Your role is a simple one. Make an appearance then make yourself scarce for the evening. I am unsure if you are required to dance any though there may be a simple meet and greet I am unsure of the particulars and for the specifics you will have to speak to him about.”

He would fill her in on what he could and obviously her nature would be in question for anything too complicated though it was unlikely that any of the upper-class would recognize her they should identify her type and there was the danger of the servants too, if this was a local matter some may be familiar with her so she could assume that this was in order or thought of at least. Perhaps the chances of failure had been low, perhaps not though she was just being asked to play a role for a short while and could only assume that whatever props she would need would be provided though she had the time now to address the man before they got to their destination.

The Master may not have entrusted him with every detail but enough of them to answer the little matters and deal with payment on his behalf.

“Certainly.” Income earned as plain and simple as he described had to be one of the more comfortable ways to go on throughout the night and to serve as little more than eye candy for a nobleman was enough to have her board the nearby carriage. Given how rare such opportunities truly were Veronica hardly felt bothered by the notion of being beneath negotiating matters with the Master himself. Some might even say it happened to be routine for someone in her position could not expect to be treated to ample measures of courtesy.

“My terms are as follows ..” She was testing the waters on how much was to be earned once they were underway. She had to make reasonable demands lest he caught onto her ambitions. Initial prospects of pay entailed twice the usual rate, but the servant hadn’t known that unless he were from around here or dealt with women like herself from time to time although it was unlikely to even leave a dent in his Master’s personal funds. Any ordinary man might have thought of it as a bit too much, but the upper class had the means and while he might have caught onto the ruse, Veronica hoped to shroud her proposal amid captivating eyelashes and even more beautiful crimson eyes, not to mention an abundance of charms clearly displayed within view.

Naturally going down in price had been an option although the voluptuous red head would insist on taking away more than the usual, that much the business oriented part of her mind determined to be feasible with ease. She had to take precautions, too. The event’s duration may be short lived hence demanding a greater sum in general made sense. She could be there all night or merely a few hours, potentially less than that. Besides, he pointed out to her that her physique mattered most and amongst the women nearby, none of them truly shared her downright exhilarating charms which offered plenty of room for negotiating a higher rate.

He went on to explain a few minor matters to the young woman once the two of them headed for their destination. She was meant to replace a certain Lady Winthrop and would receive further specifics later on which was more than enough for the woman to go on. There was no need to pester these people with too many pointless questions.

“Neither of these two matters will be much of an issue as long as I’m properly instructed. I assume fitting attire and cosmetics will be provided?” She could pretend just fine and if anyone asked for a curtsy or two to be part of her performance, they’d receive them. Surely whatever noblemen roamed the premises could make do without her afterwards and meddle in affairs of which the red head knew nothing and hadn’t cared to know in the first place. She had to sustain a living somehow and cared little about how much they actually appreciated commoners such as herself as long as they paid up.

She could turn her back on the festivities sometime during the night, no doubt, which offered the possibility of catching someone else’s attention should her services be required a second time. It’d be more of a bonus than usual and given the amount Veronica requested there was plenty of profit to be made in temporarily assuming a different identity than on most other occasions.

But while the Master saw to it that his escort had been properly prepared further down the line, Veronica hoped to get a few more matters out of the way beforehand. “Were you apprised of how many guests attend these festivities? I need opportunities to make myself scarce and too many guests might impair my progress, but their origins concern me far more than such a miniscule detail. Are they part of the local populace or do they travel from afar to attend?” She left him time to respond before moving on. “Where do they hire their servants? Does the host employ locals, by any chance?”

Upper class citizens tended to be the exception, but servants might know her face and recognize what the busty red head truly was, which might then be relayed to their respective Masters and Mistresses, leading to embarrassment and shame being brought down onto her own client. She might forget the faces of her clients, but some probably never forgot hers and she hoped he’d catch onto her line of thought. Such would be a truly dire affair and Veronica wished to be clear on these things before diving into the whole experience the least bit unprepared.

“That's all?” He obviously had no dealings with her kind or rates though such monetary funds seemed to be beneath him. Perhaps he had calculated being in a pinch for this and that there were few red heads with sizable chests and of a particular stature. It had not been as if he had time to shop around after all and the fact that she was being sent off after only after a brief appearance probably meant that their was little faith in her pulling off an actual ruse that she was of an upper class.

He seemed to debate something for a moment before turning his attention back to her once more. ”There will be some minor instructions and unfledged as to how to carry yourself and move though we will not have much time it should get you through such simple matters. I have been told hat there will be entertainment, a play where interacting will be limited to simple applause while others deal with whatever business they have to tend too. It is likely that there may be some dancing or a dinner afterward though I am not privy to such information.”

He nodded hen. “What you need will be provided for you. I only ask that while you are there that you do not ply your craft.” He doubted that this was going to be an issue since she was already with one client and to be with another would cost extra or so he believed but he wasn't sure himself as to how it all worked.

He pondered her questions carefully. “Twenty-four in totally plus the host and the servants there. Twelve quests and each with a plus one invite. Master said something about the hands of a clock once before and eluded to twelve of them … the place in question is distant, I'll let the Master explain all that so I can conclude that the servants are not locals either being closer to home so to speak.”[/color]

Of course he realized why that question had been asked though that had already been taken into consideration it seemed. He rubbed his chin as if in thought here now that this simple matter was taken care of and the bigger questions could be asked to his Master, those he did not know especially the small details that she might find important.

“Did you wish to earn twice the agreed upon rate for the evening?” He asked as he glanced toward her.

Somehow Veronica expected her rates to be considered fairly low overall, but a measure of surprise came over her at his own nevertheless. She could have probably asked for more and would’ve gotten away with it, but such opportunities were not to be trifled with to the extreme. The festivities were explained to her in somewhat obscure detail, but were enough to go on when it came to planning a few matters beforehand.

“Anything that pleases the client will be done, of course.” She could hardly work for his Master and another who meant to partake of her charms considering how much could go wrong over the course of the evening if any offers from men were to be accepted. Her absence would be suspicious, not to mention the risk of getting caught could be quite high given the locale and the great many people that’d reside on the scene. Besides, rich folk had the means to be absolutely vicious in their dealings without doing the dirty work themselves and with that in mind portraying Lady Winthrop poorly had been one of the farthest things in her stream of thought.

She nodded at the notion of attendants and their origins. “Should be simple enough. I feared some of their servants might recognize me which should end our scheme fairly quickly if they relayed the matter to their respective Master or Mistress. It’ll make things easier in the long run.” It was a relief to find that her fears were unfounded, but being a great distance from home or whatever could be considered such left another matter unanswered. “May I ask if your Master plans to bring me back here upon concluding our arrangement?”

Left by herself in the night, heading back to where they once started with full pockets meant a risk of getting caught by the more unlawful populace. She hoped such matters had been considered somewhere along the way.

Veronica smiled in contentment once the offered rates for her pleasant company rose fourfold though the means of earning them had not been spoken out loud the curvaceous red haired temptress established that one of two things were likely to be desired for there was little else her performance for the evening could offer. She had the profession and the body to regress men’s thoughts into more carnal oriented themes and being alone with her, underway to a distant place, could be quite stimulating to the senses. Perhaps he figured by spending few coin on her services initially, twice the agreed upon rate wouldn’t make much of a difference to his Master since the claim of her wares being that high priced might very well be true.

She cared little for what he wanted out of the whole deal although it was a guess on her part nonetheless. Payment for four regular nights earned in just one was more than enough encouragement for the attractive young woman to give in and seek out whatever it was he truly wanted. A finger of hers playfully intertwined with these shiny crimson locks whilst her own stunning red eyes dip to the floor briefly, then back up to calmly lock with his in their most ravishing nature.

“Why yes, I do, but ..” It’d come as no surprise should he have followed her gaze downward once her tender leg swept against his own in a soft and tender fashion, teasing him with the prospect of what could be had whereupon her hand slipped free of those scarlet lengths of hair and traced over her ample cleavage instead. The touch left her skin tingling while her own heart beat accelerated, her free hand lightly digging into the comforts of her seat as the two travelled onward. “How would I go about earning such generous rates?”

“Oh, most certainly. He will have you back in this Shadow later this evening or early tomorrow morning at the latest. From start to finish your task will be only twenty-four hours and this includes the time spent in quick instruction.

“You only need to deceive for a short while I'm assuming. Once back I can transport you back to where I collected you earlier or any other local spot.” She seemed relaxed in knowing that the servants were unlikely to know her as clientele. The basics of what had been expected had been spelled out for her enough where she got the gist of what was expected of her. So getting back with her earned gains had not been much of an issue it would seem she had an escort in that regard who could prevent her from being robbed at least short term while he was around.

Her leg was soft and warm against his own and he gazed upon her seeing her hand entwine in her hair then dash against an ample breast. The negotiated rate had not been with his money but he had been authorized to take care of the matter so his Master already showed hat he did no care about such rates. Why not benefit as well? It wasn't hurting his coffers any and everyone would be happy after all, though he could have secured cheaper rates a happy servant served well after all.

He followed her gaze back then regarded Veronica for a moment before a hand joined her own settling over it as he held her gaze. “Officially your job with the Master begins once we arrive at the estate. But until then ...”

He gave her hand a brief squeeze before flowing about the curve of her breast. His other hand brushed down her side down to her hip then back up. “For starters though I'd like to see those tits ...” He pressed in then pressing warm lips briefly to her neck then shoulder before drawing back just a little so she could comply.