Chapter 3: Awakening, Unexpected

Leena Tren’dimis looked curiously at the elf that had come to her door. He had just relieved her of her worry for her son. Little Jeaden was with Dusk, a woman who had Leena had come to be very close to; she had even named the lady a sister. So of course Jeaden was safe, and was probably having fun bugging his beloved “Auntie”. What troubled the elven maiden, though, was the fact that Jeaden had left in the middle of the night, without a word to anyone at all.

Her daughter, Karindala, who was ten years older than Jeaden, listened to the story with interest. She had been the one who found her little brother missing. The girl had gotten up a few hours after her brother had snuck out of his window. She was just about to go in, jump on the boy in middle of the night and scare the hell out of him. How surprised the girl had been when she jumped on an empty bed!

The elven warrior had told her why her son had left at such an hour, and this she believed. There was a rather large hole in the story, though. Some had seen the man Jeaden had taken to his aunt, and seen with them a third member of the odd party. The elves that had followed the party’s trail had no knowledge of a third member, though.

Leena had been wondering since hearing the story, just who belonged in the hole of the tale? Her brother, an elf by the name of Dareenfeil had been with the band that had went up the mountain, and even he knew nothing of a third member of that party. He, like every other elf who had gone to investigate, only knew of two; Jeaden and a human. The human, a man, had been injured, or was sick... none remembered for sure.

Leena sent the elven warrior home to his own children then. She sat in a soft chair, and wondered. There had been rumors of a strange dark elf wandering about the area, seeking Dusk. According to those rumors, he (for the drow was certainly a he) had caused no trouble, and was rather polite.

When she first heard those reports, Leena hadn’t worried in the least, thinking that the drow they spoke of was one she knew; one Drizzt Do’Urden. But, the physical description of the dark elf had not fit at all... the one who wandered the area now wore a very large hat and had shaved off all of his pure white hair. That was definitely not Drizzt.

The elven maiden was a bit worried, for her son and her dear friend. No one lived very close to Dusk, and she was unmarried. The only others relatively close to the lady’s home were the band of elves who kept watch over the mountain trails. If the drow elf who sought her were to attack the lady, would she be able to defeat him? While protecting Jeaden, and the injured (or sick) man the child had brought to her, as well, she might be vulnerable. (She was, as far as Leena knew, only human. A human with a few tricks up her sleeves, yes, though still only human.) Was the third person that others had seen traveling with the man in Dusk’s company now?

And, the most disturbing of the many questions Leena had; was that third person, if he was really there, the dark elf many had seen, only in a magical guise? Drow were capable of such disguises, Leena knew from her limited knowledge of her dark cousins.

The elven maiden made a decision then. She needed to see Dusk. Not only to make sure that the woman and her own son were safe, but to fill a few holes in the accounts of those warriors who had gone to find Jeaden. That they had spoken with the lady was certain. Perhaps she could fill those holes in the elves’ tale.

Leena went to the bedroom she shared with her husband, and prepared a small pack. As she left, she looked to her bow and her saber, wondering if she would need them. She doubted that she would, but picked them up anyhow... just in case.

Karindala poked her head in the room then, wondering what her mother was doing, just as Leena was strapping her bow onto her small pack.

“Mommy?” The girl said, questioning. “Are you going up to get Jeaden?”

Leena looked up at her daughter then. The look in the girl’s eyes was excited, pleading for her mother to let her come along. She was always happy to visit Dusk, even if only for a short time. The lady always had something interesting up her sleeve for her to do. Leena sighed, hating to turn away her daughter, especially when she wore that look. The elf woman thought herself being paranoid, then, and nearly allowed the little girl to tag along. But, if something did happen, and Karindala was hurt... there were just too many questions, too many possibilities.

“To get your brother, and to spend a few days with your aunt.” Leena replied with a sigh. Her daughter pooched out her lower lip. “Don’t look at me that way, sweetheart! I tell you what! Perhaps, and I need to ask her first, so don’t get too excited...” The woman reasoned with Karindala. “...Perhaps Dusky could ride back here when I come back with Jeaden, and stay the night. Then maybe, just maybe now, you could go back home with her the next day, and stay a bit. Sound all right?”

Karindala squeaked joyfully, and nodded ecstatically. Her mother reminded her once more that she still needed to ask Dusk, trying to calm the girl. It helped, but only very little. Leena kissed and hugged her daughter farewell, and sent her off to her chores. (Which, the girl did... skipping happily all over the place.)

The elven maiden went to her pantry, and took a few biscuits. It was not a terribly long ride, only little less than a full day, but she figured she might as well have something small to eat with her. She left the pantry, and into the den and plopped down into Alandane’s, her husband’s, lap.

“I am going to visit Dusk for a day or two.” Leena said to her husband. “She has no female company at all, and with both Jeaden and the man he brought there, I fear she’ll go mad.” The maiden laughed then. Dusk, for as lovely as she was, had few suitors (whom she always turned away), though many males did enjoy her company on the times they visited.

“And, you shall come home with Jeaden?” Alandane asked. He smiled an evil little grin, almost hoping that the boy might stay with Dusk for a bit longer than his wife.

Leena whacked his thigh then, laughing. “Why you wicked creature!” She said, jesting. The evil smile had spread to her face by that time. “The boy could go for a ride with his sister, perhaps, or take care of Taenil’s horses a bit longer than usual...” and kissed her husband, with a bit more force than she had intended.

The elf pulled away from her husband suddenly saying; “Ack, I need to get going! Hold the house ‘till I get back!” She jumped from his lap, and with a final ‘I love you’, ran out the door to the barn. Leena fed, watered and then saddled up her favorite horse, which was a small gray thing. Within twenty minutes, the elven maiden was off, running the horse off towards the mountain where Dusk lived. It was early yet, and so she met no one on the road to slow her progress.

 

* * * * * * * *

Artemis Entreri awoke with a start. He sat up in the soft bed, and looked around. For the first time in many, many days, the assassin found that he could sit up so quickly and not be overcome by dizziness. A dream? He thought to himself, wondering about the almost normal state he found himself in... but then remembered pieces of the night before. If he had been dreaming at all, it would have been then, and not now.

Entreri noticed a dull ache in his left wrist, then. He lifted it, realizing that it was bandaged and splinted, and wondered what had happened. The man did not remember breaking it in the fall from his horse, nor did he remember when the careful bandaging job had been done.

Though, the man did have a clear idea as to who had bandaged his wrist. The night before, there had been one lovely lady who had cared for him. Perhaps, had she not been only a facet of the odd dream he had dreamt, it was that lady who had done it.

She could not have been real. The man thought, ... and, if she were, I would in all likelihood have harmed her in my sleep. Yet, there is no sign of that anyplace... so where would she be now, if she ever truly was?

Entreri looked around the room he was in, and didn’t recognize any part of it. If the night before was all a crazed, fever induced dream, then where was he? And why was there no fever now? Certainly someone hadn’t come up with a cure for the plague he had overnight and given it to him… so what had happened?

The man then was forced to face the fact that everything that had gone on was truly real, that he had lived it all. Especially when he noticed the plate of fine food on the night table beside the bed. He moved cautiously over to the other side of the bed, picked up the plate and sniffed it. Satisfied that there was nothing that would kill him in it, he began to eat, at first quickly. He had not eaten in days, and his body desperately needed food.

Entreri soon realized that, because of his having eaten nothing in some time, he should eat much slower. He didn’t want to be losing that much needed meal a few moments later. And, he realized, too who had to have made the meal. Jarlaxle could cook, but certainly not like this. The man only knew of two other people in the house he was in now, and one was but a child, also incapable of preparing such a meal.

So where is the lady? And how could I not have noticed her getting up to set my wrist... or make this meal and put it on the table... she fell asleep right on my chest, and couldn’t have moved without waking me. Besides that, she was at least as exhausted as I...

A voice to the side took Entreri from his thoughts, and made him nearly choke on his food, as well.

“I am here, Master Artemis. Tis so very kind of you to think of me!” Said the very woman he had been wondering about, from the windowsill behind him.

Her green eyes laughed his way, as he started coughing. The man was not at all happy about being startled so, especially while he was eating. He managed a scowl through the cough.

“You should slow down a bit, my friend! Please, there is a drink beside you.” The lady motioned to the night table. And all of a sudden, there was a goblet there, waiting for the assassin.

The man took it, and tried to sniff that as well. Whatever was in the wrong place in his throat insisted that he drink quickly, though. He put it to his lips and took a rather large swallow. As the liquid burned down his throat, he turned back to the lady on the windowsill, who was now laughing heartily at him.

“What, might I ask, would be the amusement in my taking a drink?” Entreri asked her with an attempt at a growl. Oddly enough, the growling tone came out hoarsely. What was that infernal substance?! He thought, realizing that whatever it was had a great deal of alcohol in it.

“That ‘infernal substance’, my dear, was my very favorite drink! One of my own creation.” The lady smiled at him, seeing the shocked look on his face. “And my amusement was borne of the huge gulp of it you drank so quickly!” She chuckled, and said; “Not even I can do that, and still expect to walk straight for a little bit.”

Entreri was about to shoot back a threatening remark, but then realized something... the lady had just been reading his mind! His every thought she heard, every question of her whereabouts; and she had just repeated perfectly the phrase he had used to describe his drink. What amazed (and slightly appalled) him further was the fact that she had even mimicked the very tone in which he had thought the phrase.

He pushed away all of the rude comments and the many threats quickly. The man wondered if she had been able to pull them from his head, as well. It seemed as if, within her small frame, the woman held an awful lot of power. Entreri did not want that power turned upon him. As politely as he could in his angry mood, he spoke to her.

“Your pardon once again, my dear lady.” He said, fairly disgusted by the endeared title he was using upon her, knowing that he needed to be truly sincere. “I did not mean to be rude...” and looked up at her, “yet I find that I still am not being a gentleman. I have not even bothered to ask the name of the lovely lady to whom I owe my very life.”

The woman chuckled, wondering just how much the apology bothered the man. She had heard his earlier threats and curses, but ignored them for the time. The lady hopped down off the windowsill, and bowed to the man. (Then quickly grabbed for the windowsill once more, for she was still fairly tired from healing the man. She planned to go back to sleep once her business with Entreri was finished.)

“My name is Dusk, mighty assassin.” And the man looked at her strangely... had his fame spread so far, or did she just pick the title of “assassin” from his own mind? She explained with a grin, picking up on his confusion; “Jarlaxle, a friend to us both, has told me much of you. And the drow...” she said, for he then began to wonder about where the mercenary was. “...Is just outside, swimming in the lake with the Jeaden, be he where I left him.”

Entreri did something that was so incredibly unlike himself, then. (He would look back upon it later on that day and bang his head against a table in disbelief.) He stood, wobbling quite a bit from the potent liquid he had drank moments before, and walked to the window. He kneeled before Dusk, thinking it better not to fall upon her, and took her hand.

“My dear Dusk, then, I hate to be in anyone’s debt. Surely I am in yours, and quite a few times over. If there is anything I can do to repay you, do tell me quickly.” The assassin said, and, with a deep sigh, he softly kissed the lady’s hand. Dusk knew that this was not something the man wanted to do, and thought it rather sweet of him. She also knew that he probably wasn’t trying to be sweet, just careful to dissuade any anger she held. He did owe her his life, after all.

She grinned a secret sly grin, wondering what the man meant by “anything”... and mentally swatted herself once more. Ah, you handsome creature... Dusk thought, ... were I you, I would not have made such an offer. And she sighed. But, I must behave myself. Her thoughts were jarred when she pulled in another sigh. Handsome as Entreri might be, he was in terrible need of a bath!

Dusk stroked the man’s face and tilted his chin so that he could look at her from his kneeling position. I wonder if he can get up now... seeing how quickly he downed his drink. She thought with a slight grin, holding back laughter. It should make for quite a sight to see him try!

“You are so very kind, dear man... though, I do have a favor to ask.” Said Dusk. Entreri cocked an eyebrow at her. “Tis only a small thing, really, and I hate to sound so awful... but would you be to terribly insulted to go and take a bath for me?”

No one living had ever so blatantly told Entreri that he needed a bath. He had no interest in fancy bathing habits, nor anything else fancy for that matter, but he had always made sure he smelled fine. But, the man was not insulted, for he knew it to be truth. The woman was so very brave, though. She had just told him, as politely as it could be said, that he smelled terrible. That he admired, and he chuckled a little.

“Of course, lady. I know what I must smell like. I don’t find it very pleasant myself. So, if you would please, point me to the nearest river.” Entreri said, standing and attempting another bow. This one nearly succeeded, but he fell over coming up. Luckily, Dusk caught him, and saved him the embarrassment of falling on his face.

“A river I cannot do for you at the moment, though there is a bathtub in...” The lady began, but Entreri was already shaking his head. It seemed that the man was not at all fond of bathtubs. A slight frown came upon his face as Dusk insisted upon it. She sighed, and bit back a laugh, standing him upright once more.

“As you wish, then. Go down the stairs and out the door. Once outside, walk east a little way. You shall find yourself a fine river there, beside a large lake.” The lady finished, shaking her head, and trying her best not to laugh out loud. If Entreri was set on bathing in the river, then so be it!

Ah well... I did mention earlier to him that the lake beside the river was occupied! Dusk thought as Entreri walked, carefully, out the door to the room. This should be amusing, indeed! Dusk laughed loudly, then, and walked to her own room. She opened up the doors to her balcony, which had a clear view overlooking the lake and the river. She snickered a bit, seeing Entreri walk out the back door towards the river a moment later.

The river he was going to bathe in had a huge waterfall coming down to it, flowing from the lake. Not only was it pretty, and brought warmer water down from the lake; it also completely blocked the lake from view of the river. Though, the river could be seen from the lake. And, as Dusk had suspected (and she had let Entreri in on her suspicions), Jarlaxle and Jeaden were still in the lake. Jarlaxle had gone swimming, and Jeaden, completely enamored with the mercenary, had insisted on joining him. He now crouched on the bank, preparing to jump on the drow.

Dusk, who was lying down on her balcony floor, watched Entreri approach the river’s edge. She wrapped her arms around her head, trying to stifle the sound of her snickering.

* * * * * * * *

Entreri bent down by the riverbank, and put his hand in the water. It was fairly warm for the fall season, and was not moving too fast. The man wondered how deep the water was, and how well he would be able to swim if it came above his head. It did look rather deep in some places. He wasn’t tall, though he could normally swim very well. But, the drink Dusk had given him was still hanging on, the alcohol coursing through his veins. He had not had as much trouble walking as he had anticipated... but swimming was a different matter!

The assassin stripped off his clothes, laying them near to the bank. Entreri laid his belt (with Charon’s Claw and his jeweled dagger amazingly still attached) underneath his clothes. He had been indeed surprised to find that Dusk had left his weapons belt on. The only thing missing was his gauntlet, and that he supposed, had needed to be removed in order for the lady to heal him at all.

Either the lady Dusk is more powerful than one could understand, or an incredible fool. The man thought. The fact that I still draw breath tells me that it was no fool who cured me... Which alarmed him more than a bit. A few other very powerful beings had tried to cure the man, and failed miserably. But this woman had pulled nothing short of a miracle... though she seemingly had nothing to gain from the man’s survival. Why, then, did he still live?

Entreri shook the disturbing thoughts away. He took a deep breath, hoping that the river wasn’t too deep, and dove in. (He dove shallow, though, just in case the water was not as deep as it seemed. He certainly did not wish to hit his already slightly spinning head.) The man came up a few moments later, relieved. The water just barely reached his waist where he had come up, and what swimming he had to do was fairly sturdy.

 

* * * * * * * *

Jeaden crouched down in the bushes near the lake’s edge. Jarlaxle’s turned back was all too tempting for the boy. The drow had his head cocked to the side, listening to a sound barely perceptible over the roar of the waterfall nearby. The little elven boy did not know this, and, as far as he could tell, Jarlaxle was inviting an attack! Jeaden covered his mouth to hide a giggle, thinking this all to perfect. He crouched down lower, moving closer to the water, and jumped at Jarlaxle.

The drow spun and caught the child at the last minute, tossing him up into the air, where he landed with a splash in the water. The boy came up again, laughing and splashing at Jarlaxle. The mercenary smiled back at Jeaden, who jumped onto his back and refused to get off.

Jarlaxle heard another sound, then, coming from the direction of the house. He looked to where the sound came from, and a wide smile cut across his black face. There, on her balcony, lay Dusk. She had been watching he and the elven child, so the mercenary had thought, and found the boy’s foolery to be a source of entertainment. She saw the drow looking at her, and let out a snort of muffled laughter.

“My sweet, do the child and I truly paint such an entertaining picture?” Jarlaxle projected the thought to her. The lady buried her head in her arms, trying to control her wild laughter. He raised an eyebrow at that. Was she trying to keep quiet, thinking that he had not seen her yet?

Dusk was able to concentrate just long enough to project back; “It would be an even better picture to paint, had you my vantage point!” Then she ran back into her room. From the way it sounded, the lady was laughing rather loudly, but had shoved her face into a pillow.

Jarlaxle stared at the woman when she came back out, carrying the pillow. He tried to ask what in the hell she had meant, but she shook her head and appeared to be grinning. Apparently, the lady would not let on to what she really found so funny. The drow pondered on that for a moment, and was interrupted by another tiny sound. This one came not from Dusk, but from outside, near to where he and Jeaden swam. The mercenary recognized the sound as the same one he had been listening to when the child jumped at him.

Jarlaxle shut his eyes for a moment, thinking he and the boy to be in some danger. An animal, a bear perhaps, had come along, wondering what food was doing delivering itself. The dark elf started walking towards the sound, and then looked back to Dusk, who did not meet his gaze. She had her face shoved in her pillow again, her entire body shaking with her muffled laughter.

“What?” He projected to her again, only to have her curl up into a little ball, laughing harder. The mercenary knew that the lady would alert him to any sort of danger... so what, then?

Jeaden asked Jarlaxle what was so funny, why his aunt was laughing so very hard. The mercenary gestured for the boy to stay quiet, and hold on to his back. The child did, and the drow moved slowly towards the sound of the waterfall. He zeroed in on a difference in sound, as if the water were hitting something that was not rock.

Dusk was laughing into her pillow again, lying on her back, watching intently. Jarlaxle found a solid rock to stand on in the middle of the falls, and looked over.

* * * * * * * *

Artemis Entreri stood under the waterfall that ran down from the lake, letting the water wash away the week or so of dirt upon his body. He ran his hands through his still black hair, washing that out. He shook his head, further spraying water all over. Entreri stood easily on the smooth rocks below the falls. The swirling water just reaching his waist let him find his balance, despite the considerable amount of alcohol still in his system.

The roar of the waterfall against the rocks (and perhaps a little bit of the alcohol) around him was what prevented him from hearing the giggles of a young boy. The always-alert man had heard not at thing, until someone yelled out his name. He spun about, moving out from the waterfall, into an even shallower part of the river.

He heard the laughing voice of Jarlaxle, then, and the giggling of the boy Jeaden. The two stood up above him, on top of the waterfall.

“My friend, if you truly desire to give someone a show, return to the house! I’m sure Dusk would appreciate it far better than we!” The mercenary smirked, and Jeaden nearly toppled the drow from their precarious perch with his giggles.

Entreri looked down to see just how low the water rode on his naked body. It sat just under his hips now, giving the two laughing elves all too well a look at the patch of hair that ran from his groin to his navel. That was much too low for his liking! He moved towards the bank for his clothes, and the deeper water.

Perhaps I shall pay the lady a visit. The man thought angrily, grabbing his pants and leaping out of the water. He pulled them on as quickly as he could, his back turned to Jarlaxle and Jeaden, who were having a giggle at his naked behind. Entreri heard other laughter, loud, musical, and uncontrolled, coming from the house. He looked in that direction, and saw Dusk rolling around on a balcony.

The angry and embarrassed man grabbed his belt. He forgot all about his shirt and boots, and ran towards the house. Why did the woman not tell him that Jarlaxle and Jeaden were so close by? And she had been watching all the while, knowing what would happen sooner or later!

“I would not move against her, assassin! Not without much planning and without an army in front of me! She may be weakened for the time, but is still quite able to injure you greatly with a snap of her fingers!”

Jarlaxle called out a warning to Entreri, quickly recovering from his gales of laughter. The drow saw clearly what the human was going to try from the growl on his lips as he had pulled on his belt. Obviously he was angry, and more at Dusk than at Jarlaxle’s teasing. No one still living, except for Dusk, had dared set the master killer up for such embarrassment! The man planned to hinder the lady’s currently healthy state. He would not kill her, he owed her that much, but he would be sure that the lady wouldn’t be laughing at him long.

 

* * * * * * *

Dusk sat calmly on her bed, awaiting Entreri. She had seen him run into the house looking rather upset. Now it seemed that he was quietly peering into every door he came upon, looking for her. He knew the general area, but not the exact door, or if the lady was still in the room off the balcony she’d watched from.

Not a few seconds later, the door to the next room was opened, and Dusk picked up her dagger, preparing to throw it. The lady did not fear the assassin, but respected him, wanted to avoid a fight with him if she could. She aimed for where Entreri’s belt level would be upon hearing the man come to her own door, which he quickly opened after finding it unlocked. He burst in, and the look on his face told Dusk that he was very surprised to find her sitting there, so composed... except for her right arm. It had all of a sudden jerked.

And all of a sudden, Entreri found that his belt was lying on the floor. He stopped and stood a few feet away from Dusk, just about to leap at her, wondering what had caused his belt to fall. The woman smiled at him, and motioned to the wall behind him.

The man looked, cautiously, and saw a dagger, stuck nearly half the blade’s length into the wall. It was a strange dagger, one that he had never seen the likes of. The long blade was covered with strange markings, and the crosspiece was sculpted into a bat, which seemed to glare at him with beady little eyes. The heavy looking rose shaped pommel waved back and forth, as if it had just been thrown.

Entreri looked around the room, his anger tempered a bit, for some unseen protector Dusk might have. Finding none, he looked to the grinning woman, sitting ever so calmly upon her bed. The man had figured out what had happened to his belt, at least. The lady had sat there waiting for him, and had cleanly cut the belt off, and all before he had completely opened the door. The jerk of her right arm had been the follow through of her amazing throw.

The assassin remembered his run to the house, then. Jarlaxle had warned him of the lady, and told him of the fact that she did not need to be fully rested to do considerable damage. Entreri had not believed the drow then, thinking Dusk’s power to be mostly in her magic, which she could not use as fully as she would have liked at the time.

He had never encountered magic like hers before, and so had not yet learned to defeat it, but the man had been quite confident that he could defeat her in a physical fight. But now, though knowing that he was still an able match for her, his confidence was tempered with his anger. The dagger she had thrown was obviously very heavy for throwing; yet the lady had done so, perfectly. Entreri looked to his unprotected skin, holding more respect for the woman still sitting so calm, coming to realize that she hadn’t even grazed him.

The throw had been perfect, the assassin knew. He was not even sure that he could have made such a throw... but so what? Dusk was very good with her dagger throws, but could she truly fight? Entreri’s anger returned to him, and he turned an awful gray glare upon the lady.

“Might I ask what possessed you to not let me know that I would not be alone when I went to bathe? I do not think it very wise...” Entreri began, but was cut off by Dusk.

“I did tell you, but perhaps you were not listening. Or perhaps your sickness still holds your mind a little bit, and that hindered your memory of my telling you... but the fact remains, my dear, I did tell you.” The lady retorted calmly, expecting Entreri’s angry threat. “And even if I had not, I insisted that you bathe inside. But, you did not listen, which was your own choice.”

The assassin thought back to his earlier conversation with the woman. Indeed she had told him that Jarlaxle and Jeaden were in the lake, and had insisted that he stay inside to bathe. There he was wrong, he knew, and knew that he would have slapped her away had she tried to stop him from leaving the house. She knew it too, and so she had let him go. But why had she laughed at him, then?

“True enough...” Entreri spat. “But why sit upon your balcony, watching and laughing? Surely there was some way you could have told me...”

“I could have told you, quite true. But if you had heeded my words in the first place, you never would have found yourself in such a predicament. You see, people have a habit of not listening to the things I say, and I do so hate that... so I teach them otherwise.” Dusk replied, with an equal amount of venom suddenly in her voice. The lady looked over him, shaking her head. Her tone changed again, became lighthearted and mildly cheeky.

“And, Artemis...” she called to him as he started walking out of the room, “... have you any idea as to how long it has been since I last saw a naked man? Especially one as fine as yourself...” The lady threw Entreri a wink, and laughed slyly.

The man turned quickly, and drew his jeweled dagger. In the same movement, he tackled the woman, knocking her off the other side of the bed. He pinned her to the ground with little effort, stabbing his dagger into the floor, merely an inch from her head. Entreri took in a rattling breath then, steadying himself.

”I do not truly wish to harm you, my lady. I am still greatly in your debt, and it would be tragic for eyes as beautiful as yours to be forever closed.” Entreri growled, so very close to Dusk’s face.

A wry smile began to spread across the lady’s face, and she sized up just how close the assassin’s dagger had come to her head.

The smile was gone quicker than it had come. In looking at the dagger, Dusk had seen that Entreri had cut through a piece of her hair. The man, still scowling at her, had no idea what he had just done.

”Bastard!!!” Dusk hissed into his face.

Incredibly fast, nearly faster than Entreri could register, the lady head-butted him. With the assassin momentarily dazed, she freed her arms from his iron grip. Holding him just under his arms, the woman brought her legs under the man, and slammed him into the nearest wall.

Removing the dagger from the floor and standing up, the lady surveyed the damage done to her hair. Entreri hadn’t cut off a very large piece, but it had been cleanly sliced at her shoulder level. She cursed. The considerable difference in length could be hidden, for it came from the underneath of her mass of hair, but such a long lock of it... a lock such as that Entreri had cut off meant something very special to one of Dusk’s race.

Entreri had just unknowingly claimed the lady for his own, without her prior knowledge or permission. This was indeed a great insult upon her.

Though, the woman knew that such had definitely not been his intent. That was what had made her so angry! She had only ever allowed one other to take a piece of her hair, and that one was long dead. The lady sighed, shook her head, and picked the long lock of her hair up off the floor. She figured that she should save it, and perhaps later on let the man know the foolish thing he did. Having no intentions of holding to the unwillingly made promise, the lady sighed again, wondering what should be done with the piece after that.

Entreri stirred on the floor, then. Dusk had hit him hard into the wall, knocked him unconscious, and had almost forgotten about him lying there. She chuckled gently. The man was spitting out a long stream of curses, rubbing his head and back. He tried to get up, and winced at the pain in his wrist when he put his weight on it. Dusk chuckled a little more at the sight. She decided to leave the matter of her hair to be settled later on.

”You see what you have caused me to do? You were nearly fully mended, silly man, and now it seems that you need to be healed a little more.” Said the lady, who began to mumble softly to herself.

The assassin began a grumpy retort. (Though, it sounded much less angry than when he had first come in.) With a wave of her hand, Dusk cut him off, lifting the man from the ground and floating him out of the room behind her. She brought him to the room beside hers, one with tile instead of soft carpeting a large bathtub in the middle of the floor. With another wave, she let Entreri down, and shut the door behind them. He looked at her, uncomfortable with being floated around.

“I could have walked here, you know.” The assassin said, his tone dry.

“Ah, but would you have? You do not trust me in the least, that would be easy to see, even if I could not get into your head...” She paused. “...And that bothers you, too. I shall keep out of your thoughts then, from now on... unless you tell me otherwise.” The lady promised, one that she would keep, Entreri hoped.

“Anyhow, if you wish to finish your bath undisturbed, then I will leave you. Though, you look at me as if you’ve had a bad experience with bathtubs... why is this?” Dusk asked. The man looked at her, brow furrowed.

Why would she care? Entreri thought, and to his relief, Dusk did not answer. She just stared at him, her green eyes sparkling at him. He had to laugh at her then. The expression woman had on looked like that of a little girl begging for a story.

“The last time I was in one...” The man began, hardly believing himself. Perhaps the woman’s eyes held some magic, as well, for he could not resist their expression. She had just knocked the hell out of him, and yet, he found himself unable to find any anger left within himself. “...It fell through the floor, almost with me in it. The moment I stepped onto its edge, it just...” He continued, watching the smile that had begun to form on Dusk’s face. “...The floor just gave way.

”And if I got into this one, something similar would probably happen, and you would laugh at my misfortune, as you are trying so very hard not to do now.”

The lady was doing a fairly good job at holding in her mounting giggles, until Entreri said, “Oh, be my guest! Go ahead and laugh all you wish. I know I certainly did when I saw the face of the woman on the floor below me, when the thing nearly fell on top of her!”

Artemis put on his best mimic of the woman he’d described (which did not fit well on his face in the least), and Dusk could no longer contain herself. She burst out laughing, and decided it better to sit down upon the floor rather than to fall down. This was the opportunity Entreri had been waiting for.

He scooped up the lady as she bent down, throwing her over his shoulder. She giggled something unintelligible, probably wondering what he was doing. Not worrying about what she was saying, he walked across the room to the bathtub.

Pulling Dusk off his shoulder, he brought her face close to his, and whispered; “You try it first.” And then dropped her into the tub, completely dressed. She put on her best scowl, and stared hard at Entreri.

“You see lady, it isn’t very wise to try and be cheeky with a man like me, especially if he is one who could cut out your lovely green eyes faster than you could bat them. You are very lovely, and I am still sorely indebted to you, but…” The assassin paused.

So intent was he on judging Dusk’s reaction that he didn’t see her begin to move her arms beneath her body. She watched the assassin carefully, trying to seem angered by his words. In truth, sitting in the water in all of her clothes didn’t bother her too much. Her boots might suffer some, but would not be damaged beyond repair. The dress she wore was used to the treatment, and wouldn't be harmed either. The lady found being dumped into the water fairly funny, but did well not to let Artemis know that.

Entreri began to say something else, though Dusk had other plans for him. In the blink (or bat... :) of an eye, she shot her lower body out of the water, wrapping her muscled legs around his stomach. The woman pulled down on him, and spun herself over, slamming the man into the water. She sat upon his chest, low enough so that his head was above the water level. (Which was much shallower by then, from the two big splashes they had made.)

“And so, Artemis Entreri, what have we learned today? I should temper my nature, perhaps? Though, perhaps today’s lesson is for you. For one, don’t think that you know me, for you certainly do not. Two, don’t you ever threaten me again; I really do not wish to kill you.

”And, finally, dear assassin, do not tell me what kind of man I can and cannot be cheeky with. I know you have little interest in women in general, but believe me... I could wear down your every defense if I so chose. I am no stranger to males who would perceive me as a detriment to them, and know how to change such thinking.” Dusk said.

She expected some fight from him, and was surprised that she had gotten none. The lady had Entreri pinned into the tub well, and would not have let him attack anyway, but still, she had expected to be fought. Perhaps she had gained a bit more respect from the man in her quick maneuver and her earlier beating.

Dusk jumped up then, and flipped over the back of the bathtub. She walked towards the door, dripping wet, and left Entreri to his bath. Just before she shut the door, she did turn and look at the man once more. He had pulled himself to a sitting position, and stared back at her. The lady wore her usual smirk once more, and her eyes flared at him.

“In fact, darling Artemis, men like you are the best kind to be cheeky with. You are a troublesome lot, though, for some reason that I cannot find, I actually prefer men like you.” She said to the assassin, and closed the door.

Entreri sat still, watching where Dusk had been standing. He resisted the urge to call her back, and put a hand to his chin. The man stroked his overgrown goatee, pondering what the lady had just said. His thoughts dwelled on her last sentence. Why had she told him that? To put him off balance, perhaps? He was not sure whether to be flattered or upset.

And, the assassin wondered, how many men like him had Dusk known? They were rare, he had thought. Most men were weak in general, and this he was not. So, the lady could not truly have any clue as to what she was talking about. She appeared to be far too young. But yet, somehow, she knew his type well; and had shown this to him without doubt. Entreri thought for a moment longer, until he was hit by a slightly disturbing revelation.

He had been thinking back to everything he remembered the strange woman saying, anything that could give him some clue. The image of the familiar kiss Jarlaxle had given her stood out in his mind. Entreri wondered; how much time had the drow spent on the surface, here with Dusk, to know her well enough for her to allow him such a kiss?

As far as the assassin knew, Jarlaxle had spent all of his life in the underdark. He was on the surface now, but had not been for very long... barely a few years. The man was sure that Jarlaxle had been on the surface before, but only for short periods. Artemis could never be sure of the mercenary, but something within him told him that the drow had been truthful in telling him such.

The answer to how Dusk knew Entreri’s nature so very well hit him then.

If she spent a while in Menzoberrenzan, then she would have known a million other ruthless assassins, also masters of their work, but with no sense of honor whatsoever. They were drow, after all. That would also explain how she had come to so closely befriend Jarlaxle. He was an honorable creature, if he so chose. Perhaps the lady had met up with other drow like him... the band of mercenaries Jarlaxle had led? That would put her at an incredible age for her youthful appearance. The most powerful human mage, wizard, cleric… any human magic user would generally look far closer to their true age.

Entreri though a while longer on this, knowing that he had caught onto something. He would have to inquire of Dusk about her heritage, (and had some strange feeling that he already had, but dismissed it) for no entire band of drow would accept a human female well enough for her to know what was in their hearts.

So, the lady must not be human, nor could she be something the drow consider lesser... which is nearly every other race. And, she has too much kindness in her to be drow... The assassin thought, which was so very true. The man had angered Dusk, and he knew that for sure. Yet he still lived, which let Entreri rule out her being drow.

He sat in the bath a while longer, thinking to ask the lady about her heritage later on. The assassin needed to find out one way or another, to learn how to defeat her magic, and learn of her weaknesses... and figure out why she had gotten so terribly ired when he had hacked off a piece of her hair.

* * * * * * * *

Dusk leaned on the staircase banister, watching Jeaden and Jarlaxle come in the back door. The dark elf motioned for the little boy to stay where he was, and started cautiously walking towards the stairs. Dusk smiled. She leaned out further on the banister, gathering up her soaking wet dress in her hands. The lady waited there, absolutely still, until Jarlaxle was directly beneath her... then squeezed a large amount of water from the dress on top of his bald head. The drow snapped his head up, and furrowed his brow at her. He took one look at her soaking form.

“Please tell me you did not drown the man.” Jarlaxle said, speaking of Entreri. He tentatively levitated up to the top landing, wondering if it would let out before he got there. It didn’t, to his surprise, and the mercenary was soon standing beside Dusk, who chuckled at him.

“No...” the lady answered cryptically. Jarlaxle started to shake his head. Entreri had been foolish to come up after her, but still... Dusk smiled at the drow, and chuckled again. “He is alive. But I think there is something wrong with him. He did something incredibly stupid. And later on made a silly face at me, you know... and then threw me in the bathtub.”

Jarlaxle slapped a hand to his forehead. Either Entreri was still not himself or he had no idea of who he was toying with. The mercenary thought the latter was more correct. Entreri knew that Dusk was fairly powerful, would have to know from the way she cured and healed him. But he seemed to think that, physically at least, she was no match for him. Jarlaxle knew that Dusk was, at the least, as good in a fight as the assassin. Perhaps she had taught him such.

“He... just threw you in?” The dark elf asked, rubbing his temples. The lady nodded, and grinned. “And, knowing you, you pulled him right in with you... didn’t you?” Again Dusk nodded, her grin widening. Jarlaxle continued.

“So, if I went in to tell him how foolish he is acting, I would find either a very disturbed or very happy Artemis Entreri sitting in that tub...” He mumbled something, and looked at the lady, who was holding a laugh. “...In soaking wet clothes, just like yourself?” The drow finished, honestly wondering about the answer to his last questioning statement.

Dusk bit her lip, and looked at her friend. His eyes had gone wide, and he was starting at her, pleading for her to give a positive response to his question. Jarlaxle knew Entreri fairly well, and knew that he normally wouldn’t let any woman get too near to him. But he also knew Dusk, though never knew her to be so promiscuous with a complete stranger. She didn’t even know the man, after all. The lady thumped Jarlaxle lightly in the chest.

“You are so adorable when you worry!” She said, her grin not diminished in the least. “You shall find the beautiful assassin sitting as you described...” she let the mercenary hang on her words for a moment. “...In his soaking wet clothes. I will need to find some others for him soon, that is, unless he doesn’t mind walking around without any.” Followed by an evil little grin, letting Jarlaxle know that she wouldn’t mind a naked assassin walking around at all.

”And you should not look at me so! You know me far better, and know to trust me more than your expression shows.” The lady finished with a chuckle. “But he will need a bit more time to heal…” She trailed off, still grinning.

Jarlaxle stared at the lovely woman, a grin grown on his face as well. He had not seen this side of his dear friend in at least fifty years. The drow laughed at her, and kissed her cheek.

“I fear for Entreri. You shall end up killing him one of these days, you know. Though finding out how will prove intriguing.” Jarlaxle said, with a small chuckle. Dusk looked back at him and smiled.

“You have said something similar in the past, my dear, and you were wrong then. Perhaps, as things seem to happen these days, history will repeat itself.” The lady said. “Though I do admit... I had a better start then.” She laughed, remembering the scene earlier. The image of Jarlaxle and Jeaden creeping up on an unsuspecting Entreri would forever stay in her mind.

“Oh dear...” Dusk breathed. That image of the two elves jogged another memory, one that put Jeaden right at the bottom of the stairs. She peered over the banister, hoping that the boy had not just heard their entire conversation. It seemed that the lady had been lucky, for the little one was lying on the floor, fast asleep. (The child had hardly slept the night before, had instead stayed up bothering Jarlaxle and checking on his aunt.)

The lady smiled... how she did love children. Dusk pulled Jarlaxle over to look at the sleeping child, then hugged the drow, and walked down to the boy. She picked him up, levitating back up to the landing, and down the hall to where Jeaden usually slept. There she laid him on the bed, pulled a light blanket over him, and softly kissed his forehead.

Jarlaxle walked in behind her. He tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her now drying dress, having little success. At this Dusk giggled softly, and bade the mercenary to follow her to her own room. He did follow, and shut the door behind them. The drow tried to help the lady out of her still clinging dress, but she would not allow him. She managed to wriggle out of it, and proceeded to snap it at her would be helper.

The mercenary leapt back from the impromptu weapon, knowing that a snap from Dusk would sting for hours. She was only fooling with him, though, and he knew that as well. Seeing that her ploy had been discovered, the lady ran and leapt at Jarlaxle, nearly knocking him to the floor.

“Beautiful, my sweet... just perfect!” Said the laughing black elf. “Now there are three of us soaking wet, and at least two of us, though I cannot say which, are in need of a harem!”

“Then I suppose it would be we two, since your friend seems to be more interested in killing things than in any female...” Dusk laughed. Jarlaxle cocked and eyebrow and put on a sly grin. “...But I must go! Much to my dismay, your lovely Entreri shall need something else to wear, and has nothing with him but what he has on; and his pants at least, are in the bathtub with him!” Jarlaxle’s grin turned to a slight pout, which Dusk kissed lightly.

The lady let go of him, and practically dove into her closet, looking for something to put on. A moment later, she came out, and looked around the place for her belt. That she found; somehow it had been put in her bed. Dusk grabbed a brush, and with some effort got her wet hair untangled. It hadn’t been very messy, but she just had so much hair that it took a moment to brush through. And, hiding the piece that was so much shorter than the rest from Jarlaxle’s watchful eye was not easy, either.

Walking up to Jarlaxle, she patted his chest, bidding him a farewell.

“I shall soon return, with some clothes for Artemis... and something else that he could drink.” And she giggled, remembering the man staggering around her room earlier that morning.

She looked to Jarlaxle and asked if he needed anything; to which he answered something dirty in reply. To that, Dusk laughed and hugged him one final time. She told him to watch over Jeaden, and tell the boy of her business if he awoke before she returned. The drow would do as she asked, the lady knew.

Passing a hand over the left side of her face, she hid her tattoo. She pulled a hand through her hair, changing its color to a slightly less noticeable blonde. (The lady did not want the entire town to know she was about, not wanting to be delayed by the hordes of kids who would want to say hello.) And so with that, she left the room (and the house, and the very mountain) in a fine cloud of mist.

Jarlaxle stood for a minute, looking where Dusk had been. She left me with a little elf boy and a sopping wet, constantly grumpy assassin... rapture!

* * * * * * * * *

Artemis Entreri stepped out of the bathtub, looking around for something to dry off his pants with. He spotted a large towel on a table across the room. He walked over, picked up the towel and attempted to squeeze the water from his pants, and he noticed something else on the table. There sat some of the contents of his pack. It seemed that someone (most likely Dusk, he thought) had gone through the pack before he had awoken that morning, and picked out his razor and small mirror. He chuckled at this.

”You somehow knew that I would end up in here one way or another, didn’t you lady? If it was in fact you who went through my things, I shall have to speak with you.” Entreri said quietly, somewhat expecting Dusk to be in hearing range.

“I suppose that you imply my need to shave?” The man said a little louder. He had heard the creak of a floorboard not a moment ago, and had thought the lady to be about. Artemis looked around the room, seeing no one and hearing nothing more.

“It would have been good of you to leave my gauntlet here as well. But then I might be able to pick up some of your magic, and know your whereabouts before you startled me. Perhaps you would like to watch me begin to shave and then appear out of nowhere. Wouldn’t you find something funny in my nearly cutting off half of my face!” Entreri continued, mumbling dryly. He still thought the lady to be somewhere near, but could not be sure.

Entreri did hear a light chuckle behind him then. Though, it was far too deeply toned to be Dusk, who he had been expecting. He turned again to see Jarlaxle standing in the doorway.

“I do not think she would find such a scene too amusing. You see, the lady likes your face, and would hate to see it maimed so.” The drow mercenary said casually. Entreri was not sure he wanted to know just how long Jarlaxle had been listening to the goings on of the room, unnoticed. The dark elf continued on.

“Actually, Dusk is not here at all. She went down into town to find something for you to wear. The dear woman, she did not want you walking about in wet clothes, even after the way you have so far reacted to her kindness.

“And, upon that note, it was not her intention to startle you this morning while you were trying to eat, nor did she know that you would so react to the drink she put beside you. The lady had originally planned on your bathing in here, but you insisted otherwise! Then you stalk in here, planning to at least put her in a lot of pain, angry at her for something that was your own fault.” Jarlaxle spat at the man, not happy with him at all. “And, on top of all of that, you decide to throw her into the very bath she had prepared for you. Such ways to show gratitude you have! Please do tell me, where did you learn it?”

Jarlaxle bored his stare into the assassin, his hands moving now and then towards his hidden daggers. Apparently, he was waiting for some sort of explanation from Entreri. The man watched the uncharacteristic anger on his companion’s face, sighing.

“The woman baffles me. I have known her, and been coherent in what I have known for only a short time and she frustrates me to no end. The lady insists upon calling me ‘darling’ and the like, which I cannot stand, and she is one of the very few who have ever truly caught me unawares. That she has exploited as much as possible.” Entreri paused.

”My every misfortune is incredibly funny to her, and as the trend has gone in these few short hours that I have known her, she has caused those misfortunes. I cannot begin to even attempt to understand what goes on in her head, and yet, your sweet Dusk, though she insists that she will not, seems to be reading my every thought.

“And, as far as I can tell, there is no reason for her not to have killed me yet. Apparently the lady has some plan for me, and refuses to let me in on it.” Entreri said, finally touching upon what really bothered him about the woman. “It seems that, for all my experience, I can find no way around her magic. I can find no way to defeat the strange spell she has put upon me. If she were any other, she would be long dead... but I do owe her my very life, and that bothers me more than a little. I believe that I should fear whatever she might ask in return.” He whispered, puzzling over the thought.

Jarlaxle watched the assassin, his uncharacteristic burst of anger gone. The man sat down in the chair beside the table holding his things. The mercenary smiled, remembering back many, may years ago. Dusk had this sort of effect on others before Entreri, Jarlaxle remembered, some century or so ago.

”You continue to draw breath because Dusk likes you, and because she understands you.” Jarlaxle said to Entreri, calmer now.

“She frustrates you so because you cannot control her... and she has cast no spell on you other than those that healed you yesterday. Her nature is strange, I’ll agree to that, and you don’t like it in the least. But I tell you something, my friend. That strange, green-eyed beauty will grow on you like a fungus. Soon enough, you will forget any anger towards her, and learn to enjoy her odd nature.”

”Then we should be leaving sooner.” Entreri mumbled to himself, stroking his overgrown goatee.

Jarlaxle sorted through his mumbling, and chuckled at the assassin once again. The man looked up at him, and snorted at the knowing look on the drow’s face. Artemis shook his head.

”If I have been able to stand the likes of you for this long, I should learn to deal with your Dusk... though if she calls me something anything close to ‘darling’ again, I’m not quite sure what I shall do. And she bit me...” Entreri continued.

Apparently he remembered Dusk’s way of keeping him awake, and did not appreciate it much. The man looked back at Jarlaxle, hoping that the mercenary could explain why the lady had chosen to bite him, instead of slapping him or the like.

“Yes, the lady Dusk does bite fairly hard when she wants your attention.” The drow replied, offering no explanation. He snickered a bit, walked towards the door, and turned to regard Entreri.

”You know, you really should shave, or at least trim your beard. You are in the company, or will be when she returns, of a refined lady. And, at the time, you look more like a wild barbarian than a controlled assassin, who should be under there someplace.” With that Jarlaxle nodded, grinned, and left the room.

Entreri sat for a minute, ever amazed at the dark elf’s mannerism. He turned upon the chair he sat in, and took up his mirror. Regarding his ragged appearance, he made a disgusted sound, and shook his head. Indeed, the drow had been correct in assessing what he looked like at the time.

The assassin picked up his mirror from the table once more, dragged the chair over next to the bathtub. He began to shave the sides of his handsome face, trying to maneuver around his overgrown goatee and sideburns. This was tough work, and took some time, so grown out was the hair on his face. But he managed, and then took up a pair of scissors Dusk had left for him, and trimmed his goatee a bit.

Moments later, Artemis Entreri was looking much more like himself. He searched around the room for the shirt he had been wearing (not remembering that he had left it outside), finding it nowhere. Though, he did find another towel, and began once more to try and dry out his pants. Then an idea came to him. The man had seen a big fluffy couch on his way up to the second floor, in a small den. He decided that he would go back downstairs and plop himself down, soaking pants and all, onto that couch. If Dusk wished to toy with him, perhaps he would toy back.

Entreri went down the stairs, wearing a wry grin.