Lorent stretched lazily as emeralds looked out at the subtle light of dawn that radiated upon the curtains. A warm smile pulled on his lips as he watched the light slowly graduate, a moment lost in that sight before he adjusted his clothing standing from his seat upon the bed.
"Mmm..." A look was cast back to soft and supple curves of the woman that still inhabited the bed as they roused. A waggle of fingers to the woman would garner a lighthearted chuckle. "Oh no, no more fingers..." The woman stated lazily as she stretched giving the hunter a fine view of her unhindered form.
"Oh' You are now trying to claim victim' As I remember you had more a beast in you than some mere timid rabbit last night....and this morning." The hunter gaffed at his own joke as he ducked the thrown pillow.
"That....it..." Another stretch before the woman moved to wrap herself in some of the sheet which had been so carelessly discarded, a blush burning bright upon her. "That was all your fault. Honestly, I had not even considered that one could do some of those things before." The baroness watched the hunter as he moved to draw the curtains, a lazy smile upon her shifting as she noted his much more dressed state. "Are you trying to sneak off?"
Lorent grinned wide at the comment. "Oh' You did seem rather open and able for one whom such ideas had never even been considered." He walked back to the woman now. "And if I were sneaking off you would never have caught me. Sneaking one of many things Lorent very good at." Leaning down he smothered the woman's giggle and her worries in a hot meeting of lips. "No, I was going to raid kitchen and ready house for our departure. Steal a few items, break a few objects....sell the lie as it were."
Marcia melted into that kiss leaning in towards the hunter. And when he pulled away she gave a mockingly hurt look to the man. She wanted to reach out, to grab him and pull him back to her yet those following words struck her like a wash of cold water. The mountain of worries, her station in life, her betrayal....they had all seemed as if a dream in the fevered passion of the night. Yet they were no such thing. The night had been a welcomed distraction, a heady reckless action but now she still had to face the collapse of her entire word.The baroness pulled into her self, those sheets drawn close as her fingers clung to that necklace that the hunter had given her that night as if it was somehow a comfort.
Seeing the woman's withdrawal only brought a chuckle to the hunter. "Come now, none of that Marcia. This is good thing. Marriage to one who wants you dead is bad thing. Trust me." He leaned to press a gentle kiss to the woman, fingers snaking to tickle along her side until she finally unwound giggling and batting him away. "Now you get dressed....sadly but public decency apparently demands such. Something simple if you have and pack yourself a light luggage, particularly with any and all of great worth. Better have coin to buy new life luxuries than try and take current ones with you. I will be back in a bit."
The woman made to protest but like a thief the man would steal away her complaints with one last passionate kiss before he stood up smiling gently. "Promise." With a wink and a grin he turned to stride out of the bedchamber, a pause taken to cast one last look to the woman as she stood now. Unable to help himself he made one last growl as he leered waggling his eyebrows which earned him another thrown pillow that was dodged as he skipped out the door laughing.
Closing the large wooden door behind the man would set off down the hall to loot and knock over objects as found his fancy. The goal was to make the place look like it was ransacked rather than intentionally trashed. Of course that didn't mean he couldn't have fun as he danced and pranced about in his little spree humming merry as he spread chaos. Moving downstairs he made his way for the kitchen in that happy-go-lucky state, form twirling past the parlor where stood a man of stately dress that stood aghast of the sight that they beheld.
The man was bristling as the hunter tossed the vase in his hands into a wall. "Who...! Guar...!" That rage ebbed slightly as Lorent twirled to a stop grinning like a maniac, a waggle of fingers offered to the gentleman. "You! Why are you here now!"
"Hello Baron Dandeneau." The hunter chirped merrily as he began to juggle a few ornaments idly. "Fancy seeing you here!"
The baron balled his fists angrily. "The same could be said for you! I thought I told you to...attend to business last night! So why are you..."
"It is mostly taken care of, just adding little touches, artistic sorts and such," A shrug as the hunter let the ornaments he was juggling fly to shatter upon the ground, that grin ever present upon his features. "But I am taking care of things if that is why you have come. You nobles and your worrying natures....that will drive you bald you know."
The baron grit his teeth as the ornaments crashed, that rage boiling upon his features. "Artistic touches! You imbecile, how hard is it to simply kidnap someone and hold them for ransom!" Your name came highly recommended, I expect..."
The baron stopped as Lorent made a mocking hand gesture obviously not taking his words seriously. "Yes, yes, I am very good at what do, thank you, thank you. But as I said, I have things taken care of. So just relax, get my payment read..."
The man snapped. "Relax!" How am I to relax when your still here!" Where even is the woman your suppose to be kidnapping anyway!?"
"Where" Upstairs of course. Packing." Lorent paused a moment as the baron went from bright red to ghost pale though he continued when the man made no move to interrupt. "See, much easier to kidnap someone when they are ready and willing to go with you. Clever" I know!" The hunter chortled merrily as he complimented himself. "So now ransacking house, stealing some of Baron Gelbert's things to make kidnapping much more plausible. Spoils of job I like to say."
The barons mood soured, a dark cloud settling over them as panic and rage swam about in equal measures."You stupid....just get out....get out of here."
The hunter quirked his head to the side still grinning. "What about the woman?"
The baron snapped. "FORGET ABOUT HER, JUST LEAVE!"
A quirk of brow was offered at that shouted command but it did little to shake the hunter. A shrug and that happy grin pulled upon his features once more. "Okay. So what about my payment?"
Dandeneau's brow twitched. "Payment?" Fingers moved to a pendant that hung upon his throat. "I'll show you payment you wretched incompetent cur....Ingolius!" That last word was shouted as the man ripped the pendant off of the chain with a viscous grin of their own. Casting it down he watched the glib hunter before him, malevolent ire burning on his features...
Lorent popped his neck mildly. "That was not the sort of payment I had agreed to. That was shouting." A nod as he corrected the baron.
And once more the color drained from the mans face as he watched the hunter. "Wh....how" Whe..."
The hunter pulled down the front of his shirt helpfully to show the baron the lack of his own matching pendant. "You mean that 'you must wear this for the job so I can tell you when the ransom is received and also so I can keep tabs on you to make sure you follow through, no necklace, no pay' necklace you gave me" Yeah, I had it taken off. Cost me a favor with a mage I know....real kinky fellow, charges coin or a fetish a favor....did not know I was into that..." A wistful look crossed the hunter. "Anyway, so that was a real piece of work that. Slipped it onto the woman you hired me to kidnap when I was....well, okay, used it to bind her first for a bit there....good chain that, and then later gave it to her proper yeah."
And now the baron looked absolutely mortified as the hunter babbled. "You....she was wearing it?" Lorent simply nodded his head enthusiastically like a bobble head. "Oh....Oh no..."
The hunter quirked his head now to the other side. "Oh no' But you wanted your wife dead anyway." The man gave Lorent a shocked look. "Oh come now, I am not dull. I figured out your game....I tell you, you noble types are a really elaborate sorts. Kidnap and ransom..." He scoffed before chuckling happily. "Well, an end result is an end result. I still require my payment now plus a 'employer plotted and tried to kill me' bonus."
The frank and friendly manner which the hunter spoke jarred the man as they blinked. "Pay you? Are you mad" You completely jacked...." The baron shook his head as he pinched at cusp of his brow. "Get out."
"I will be glad to leave once I have received my payment plus bonus." The hunter chirped joyously.
"I am not paying you you bumbling cretin, now get out of here NOW!"
"Oh, but I insist upon my pay." Lorent bounced happily though that grin had lost it's mirth now turning wolfish.
"YOU...!" The baron charged the bouncing dimwit drawing that blade upon their side. Closing distance the man deftly lunged thrusting that blade at the same time to run through the scoundrel. The attack was over in a flash, the baron with his blade fully extended....and the hunter face to face with him now as he grinned that dark grin. The man wheezed a sickly gurgle, free hand grasping at the hunters hand which held a silver letter opener firmly planted in their throat. Panic set in as he tried to pull away from the hunter and that malevolent smile though they had locked his arm with theirs, that hand holding the dagger powerful and firm in the face of the terrorized clawing.
Lorent for his part simply clucked his tongue. "You should never say you will not pay a professional killer their due. I mean, come on, I am the professional....you are simply murderer by poor luck." The man tried clawing at the hunters face only drawing a chuckle as he moved his head around to prevent the baron from finding purchase. "Alright, alright. Obstinate to the end."
Letting go of the letter opener the hunter spun away leaving the man free to his own devices. Grasping at that knife the baron gave it a yank....which loosed the blood from the pierced artery into the path leading down his trachea.
"Drowning, a terrible way to go am I right?" The question posed merrily as primal fear and panic washed over the baron. Their hands fumbled trying to remedy their situation, racking coughs doubling the man over as he tried to cough out his own blood which he was now drowning upon. The hunter watched with amusement as the man's flailing movements slowed and lost coordination, as those convulsions and involuntary movements lessened until finally they were still. The hunter gave the fallen noble a curious look as he approached the man dead in a pool of his own blood, a jackals grin upon his features as he patted the dead baron down of material wealth.
"Your wife gave that to me. Said has been in her family for generations....imagine, a letter opener in a family for generations! Strange lot you all are. Wanted me to leave this on your desk when I robbed you.....took a second job from her, hope you do not mind." A pause for a retort that never came save for the barking laughter of the hunter at his own joke. "So yeah. Not quite your desk but I think you got the message nonetheless. I will collect the rest of my fee from your estate so do not you worry, you are not dieing in debt!"
And now the hunter turned happy as a clam as he continued his looting of the mansion....and since he had already started he continued his reign of chaos as well. His travels carried him to the kitchen where he took it upon himself to have a light breakfast before he headed up once more for that bedchamber. The acrid smell of burnt flesh assaulted the man as he opened that door though it was not enough to dissuade him from entering to collect his payment from the late baroness. Emeralds caught sight of the purse that had been filled with jewelry, coins, and valuable metals which the woman had been in the process of gathering. A look was cast to where the baroness' body lay now dressed in riding pants and coat though the coat was scorched from where the enchanted necklace had burned. The woman's face burned as it was still had a look of terrorized shock upon it though the head which it was worn upon had rolled a fair distance away from the body it was once attached to.
Lorent for his part shook his head sadly as he clucked his tongue. "I did return.....thought truly it is a tragedy for a beauty as you to have been killed. Well, at least we had fun eh?" The man blew a kiss to the corpse before he turned, merrily skipping out of the room now with that bag of plunder in hand.
It wasn't until mid morning that the hunter walked out the front door whistling merrily as he carted a few pieces of luggage packed brimming with assorted loot. He made his way over towards the stables to snag a horse or perhaps a couch to carry his ill begotten gains when he caught sight of some movement in the gardens away from the manor. A quirk of head to the side would give way to a broad smile as recognition took hold of the hunter. "Donald!" Lorent waved excitedly towards the man as he approached.
For the gardeners part they gave the grinning man approaching them a rather weary look until recognition of their own set it. "Uh....Lorent?" The man paled. "Wh...what are you doing here!" Setting down his shovel he motioned for the hunter to hurry up as he looked about nervously.
Lorent looked pleased with himself as he approached. "So that job you wanted to hire me for, to kill your employers" Did not mean for this to happen, especially for such low pay mind you, but it is your lucky day my friend! They are both totally dead now, is that not great or what!"
And now horror found it's way upon the gardeners face as Lorent spoke jovially and loudly about the deed just done. "Wha...I thought you didn't...how..."
"Oh I know I did not explicitly take your offer but it sort of worked out. So they are both dead now in the manor there."
And now dumbstruck joined the horror. "In the manor!" I...I thought it would be elsewhere.....I thought..."
The man nearly jumped out of his skin as Lorent slapped him on the shoulder. "No, no, this is better! Made it look like domestic spat, you will never even catch a whiff of bacon for this! Trust me, this is like golden goose eggs sort of lucky, you should definitely consider going to a gambling house today....after you pay me of course!"
"What....wait. Pay you!" No...no, no, no, no, no....I....I didn't hire you for this. I don't know you....I....I got to get out of here." The man broke out into a cold sweat as he pushed past the hunter, stumbling dumbfound for the gardeners shed along the far corner of the lot.
Lorent watched the man with those emerald eyes, that grin broad upon him even as he clucked his tongue. "You should never say you will not pay a professional killer their due..." The hunter sighed as he shook his head. "I mean really, that is just common sense." A shrug, a smile, and then that hand dropped to draw an arrow from his hip quiver as he pulled that bow from off his back. "I am a professional..."
