That's going to leave a mark - 6.11 Evening - Ren, Lanius, Lazarus

[Ren Shadowmere]

Ren Shadowmere worked hard to finally get to where he was standing today. He attended assassins when he was a kid, went against his mother’s wishes to not be part of The Shadow and became Lazarus lapdog calling him my lord and bowing his head to every order. Was all of that worth getting promoted to a Shadow Stalker? Was losing a second father worth the spot? His troubling thoughts were not related on why he got the spot but rather on the divide his family was living at the moment. He needed to solve this before he left for Solbra. There was no time. Today he was getting printed with ‘Lady of the Shadow’ tattoo on his chest, officially becoming a Shadow Stalker. I need to speak to Lanius.

Both brothers haven’t exchanged words since Ren’s arrival to Gora. Ren apologized to him but it seemed his younger brother still resented him. I shouldn’t have put all the blame on him. Ren’s pace was faster than usual causing a loud noise in the empty halls when the sole of his boots clashed with the floor. It seemed that Ren’s only alternative to talk with Lanius was if he was the one who printed him; on the other hand his brother could take the advantage and kill him on the spot, which lifted some doubts on Ren if he made the right decision. They had to speak before the ceremony, actually before the arrival of Lazarus. Knowing his brother he would be preparing all his utensils an hour earlier.

The front of his black cloak spread when his arms became exposed to open the great wooden doors that lead to one of the smaller halls of the Costayne’s residence. “Lanius?!” he heard his echo as he walked into the hall.

[Lanius Shadowmere]

His good needles had been left in Faeta, but they'd been able to make due with what was available here in Gora. The points weren't as sharp as he would have liked, however, so Lanius was taking the time to prepare them for the work that would follow. The dye and the rest of his instruments were all set out on a small table by his chair. To his right was a long bench where his brother would sit while Lanius marked him as one of the guild's new Shadow Stalkers.

He'd been fuming for a few days, deliberately staying out of the way of both his brother and his cousin Lazarus. Only at times like these, when he was immersed in his art, could he forget the grudge he was nursing from that last meeting on the docks. The hour before the other two arrived would have been spent in the pleasant thoughtlessness of his preparation routine, but to his surprise Lanius heard footsteps approach much earlier than he'd expected.

Raising his eyes from the needles, he gave his eldest brother a petulant glare. "Aren't assassins supposed to be quiet? I think they heard you coming all the way back in Faeta. You're early, by the way. I'm not ready and Lazarus won't be here for a while yet."

[Ren Shadowmere]

It was no surprise that his brother was there getting everything prepared for the so called ceremony. Lazarus offered several local tattoo artists, but Ren only trusted his brother; although at this moment he didn’t know if his Lanius’ emotions were going to get in the way of his work. “Right now I came as your brother rather than an assassin,” he responded with the same tone as Lanius. “You do remember I am your brother?”

From the way his brother received him it was obvious there were still some resentment from what happened on the docks. Ren circled his brother working station, checking if the instruments that were going to be used were in good condition, as if he was hunting for a new victim. “We need to talk about Athena,” he responded about his early arrival. “I am heading to Gora with Lazarus and I am afraid this will be the only moment will be alone to find a solution to this problem.”

Slowly, he got closer to Lanius. “Also, I needed to check if you planned to stab the needle while working on my chest.” His usual one-sided smile could be seen once he finished his terrible attempt at a joke.

[Lanius Shadowmere]

"I remember. Do you?" Lanius continued with his work, trying his best to ignore the pacing and the critical glances. He kept his eyes on the needles and sharpened the points with careful strokes.

"Well, stabbing is kind of the point. The ink doesn't get in through magic, Ren. But if you're afraid it's going to hurt, I can have one of the servants bring you a sweet and a nice blanket," he offered petulantly. The mention of their wayward sister had caught his attention, though, so he bit back the worst of what he'd intended to say. "What do you want to talk about? She's not going to get any less pregnant... Or married."

[Ren Shadowmere]

All of his assumptions were correct; Lanius did not resent his older brother but as a matter of fact Lanius was furious. Probably Ren hurt his ego when he lifted him up making Lanius pass as a fool in front of a girl he planned to bed that night. “Ah, someone did not like my joke.”

Ren kept walking in circles around Lanius, gazing every movement through the side of his eyes, noticing that his presence was unwelcoming and an annoyance to him. He waited when both of his sibling’s hands were free of any cutting tool to make his first approach. “Now listen to me,” abruptly he got closer to Lanius and grabbed one of his hands to get his attention, “I sincerely apologize for my reaction at the docks. If I embarrassed your manhood in front of some whore then deal with it, there are many more from where that one came from.” Although he talked in a peacefully, the frown on his face showed that he wasn’t joking.

“Now without any threats or side comments, can me be mature adults and deal with this Athena controversy?” he let free his brother’s hand alongside an exhausting sigh.

[Lanius Shadowmere]

"Then someone else ought to learn to make jokes that are actually funny," Lanius snapped right back.

When Ren swooped in to grab his hand, the other man drew back. "Let go of me, you twit! I thought you'd know by now that I don't care for being manhandled every time you want to get your point across. The others already thing I'm half useless anyway. Picking me up and tossing me around certainly didn't help that at all." He tried to shove Ren's hands back, but the grip was stronger than he could manage. "So if you really don't know, that's what I'm angry about. You and the whole fucking Shadow think that you can do whatever you damn well please with the rest of us... I'm not your whipping boy, Ren."

Lanius set his jaw and crossed his arms. "Fine. If you want to talk, let's talk. But sit your ass down and stop circling me like some fucking cat. It's weird."

[Ren Shadowmere]

Ren crossed his arms and glanced at his brother with a surprised look, or it seemed that way. “With that feisty behavior I highly doubt anyone from the Shadow will be tempted to whip you around,” his tone went more serious and humorless than before. “And I highly doubt they have the courage to mess with you… since you are my brother.” He showed his brotherly love by placing his hand on Lanius’ shoulder; if you squinted enough you could see Ren smiling with his teeth.

Even though his brother complained about Ren circling him like a lion does to his prey, he didn’t appease his commands and kept doing it while he undid the not that kept that cloak on him. Underneath it there was a simple white cotton shirt, which he also took off, finally baring his chest where his body was going to do his work of art. “In case you still have wishes to kill me,” he pointed to the left side of his chest, “Here is where the human heart is located, so try to aim properly.”

“We are wasting time with this banter. Lazarus will arrive very shortly and we still haven’t discussed our plan of action with Athena,” he laid on the wooden. “We should try to manipulate our sister how this sinful union of hers is a bad for her, for our family’s reputation and most importantly how it will ruin our father’s name.” He wiggled himself on the chair making himself comfortable. “Was this the best you could find for me to rest while you stick a needle inside of me?”

[Lanius Shadowmere]

If his brother's words were meant as reassurances, they weren't working very well. "Oh, so now I'm some baby bird that needs your protection? Great, I'll keep that in mind while you're retching down my throat."

Of course, since Lanius was not their cousin, Ren took his own sweet time settling down. When he finally did and spouted some nonsense about hearts, Lanius narrowed his gaze. "Wonderful. Maybe if I give you a poke, you'll finally stop patronizing me. I know where a fucking heart is, Ren. Stop being an ass."

He picked up his needles again and sharpened them with a renewed fervor. Gritting his teeth, he tried to focus his anger into the work, so that he could respond without throwing something at his brother's big, stupid head. The trick almost worked, but again Lanius felt sharp words boiling over within him. "We? You're the one who won't stop acting like I'm four years old. You stop first. You started it." At his brother's suggestion, he turned his head and raised his eyebrows. "Manipulate? She's our sister, not a toy. You sound as bad as Lazarus. And give your whining a rest, alright. A chair's a fucking chair."

[Ren Shadowmere]

This conversation was not going anywhere with their childlike behaviors. It was like when they were kids and they fought on who had a bigger sword, who played better the violin or who got mother’s attention the most; they were children’s play but what they were facing right now was real life. Ren started feeling frustrated, so he closed his eyes and started rubbing his temples. This kid is giving me a migraine; he breathed heavily trying to find a way to communicate with Lanius. He had a sarcastic comeback but he refrained himself on using it.

“Brother,” he spoke softly and sincere, “I meant my apologies and I do regret my actions at the docks.” Ren greens were looking straight at his younger brother’s. “If I get your forgiveness, I will be grateful. If that is not the case, then I hope we can work together for the sake of our sister. I know that deep down you feel the same as I do about her marriage with Arryk Mercado.”

The room was filled with silence as Ren waited for Lanius response. This was his last attempt in trying to communicate with his brother before Lazarus arrival. If speaking from the heart as Ren the older brother rather than Ren the newly appointed Shadow Stalker didn’t work, then he felt this was a lost cause and hopefully the gods will have mercy in the fate of their family.

[Lanius Shadowmere]

Lanius didn't answer the request for forgiveness. He was still too angry and the insult too fresh. His feelings would cool, in time, but just like the dripping hot Glodhetian summer, it seemed likely that the heat would linger for longer than it should. He simply shrugged; a non-committal gesture that said nothing at all. He didn't want to talk about this anymore, especially if his brother was going to be a stubborn ass about it.

"I don't like it," he said on the subject of their sister's marriage. "I'd hoped there wouldn't be too much disagreement that it was a bad idea. So what do you propose we do, hm? What exactly did you mean by 'manipulate', anyway? You never answered my question."

[Ren Shadowmere]

He let out a surprise quick hum when his brother took what it seemed the first step of cooperation. As expected, he wasn’t forgiven from what happened on the docks but just like any other sibling rivalry it was going to pass with time. Maybe when I get back we could go to one of the bars over at the docks or I could bring him a wench from Solbra… at least over there they have all their teeth unlike the ones in Faeta.

“You were right a while ago, using the word manipulate was not the correct one,” he corrected himself. “Now that makes two of us who are not fond of this marriage of hers,” he slightly bit the tip of the nail from his right thumb, “our brothers most like will side with us. The only person that worries me that might take her side is Belle due to the whole female-sisterly bond.”

Ren was thinking as two different entities; one of them as the protective older brother and the other as a fearful member of the Shade. Both ways of thinking always conflicted with each other. He looked up at Lanius, showing him a devilish smirk implying that they should kill Arryk but just the thought of having his sister in pain made that face wash away. “If we must we could have a family intervention,” he shrugged. “Explain to her how rumors have spread where people mock our father’s name. If she truly loves what is left of our father then she will consent to our request in disbanding her marriage.”

[Lanius Shadowmere]

Lanius didn't have to think very hard about what his twin would say to all of this. "Belle doesn't like him either, but I think she'd care about Athena's feeling more than anything else. We should be thinking about those feelings, too." He turned in his chair, setting the needles aside for a moment. "What good is having them divorce now? If it's shame you're worried about, a divorce will shame her even more, especially since she'll still be burdened with his child. And how do you think she'll thank us for this request? I want her back in Faeta just as much as you do, but it won't do any good if she never talks to either of us again. She'd hate it and she'd take that all out on us. No, we can't tell her to divorce him. Besides, Costayne granted the cradle-robbing tick a title and one of those Jin cities. Lazarus will have both of our heads if we fuck with his alliances."

[Ren Shadowmere]

His brother was right and Ren couldn’t help but just release a sigh in frustration. “If we decide to kill the guy our sister ends up hurt, if we decide to talk to her she gets hurt, if we tie her on a fucking chair and lock her in a tower,” he paused to look at his brother and rolled his eyes as he continued. “Take a wild guess. Yes, our sister gets hurt.” With his heavy boot he sort of kicked the bottom part of the wooden chair which caused a rusty sound to come out of it. “Great now this fucking rotten thing is going to break?”

He rested his chin on the palm of his left arm, which was resting on the arm support of the chair, and started contemplating Lanius freakishly clean needles. “I might have been joking before but by all means I rather dying on your clean hands than in a filthy dungeon of this castle,” he talked with his mouth between his fingers. “As absurd as this may sound, the kid was the least of my worries if it survives. We could lock her up and the babe would pass as any of our bastards.” Another sigh came from his mouth while he laid, once again, his whole body on the chair hoping it wouldn’t fall into pieces.

“We could hire a courtesan to tempt this new lord into her bed,” he started speaking unreasonably while his sight got lost in mid-air. “A man may love his woman but we are weak when temptation calls us. Athena catches them and ends up heartbroken with no other choice than asking a divorce. Then the rest will leave it to the fates.” He shook his head pulling himself together.

[Lanius Shadowmere]

Lanius shook his head. Divorce... It was a tricky business. Even if Costayne had changed the laws already, it wasn't the province lord they had to worry about, it was their own flesh and blood. "Lazarus will never allow her to do it, not if there's something to be gained by keeping her there. You're starting to sound a lot like him, you know? Not caring how much other people, your own sister even, might get hurt from your actions." He gave Ren a serious look. "You can't be serious about taking her--... That's her child, Ren. What if one of us was taken from Mother? I told you before, she'll grow to hate us. I don't want my sister resenting me until the day one of us dies, thank you very much."

He made a low, frustrated noise. "Ah, I don't know what to do! This is stupid. She should have never messed up like this in the first place. But now... We should keep her close, at least. She has no business going of to that shithole of a Jin hovel, away from her family. No, we should make sure she comes back to Faeta with us, married or not."

[Ren Shadowmere]

“And you keep saying that,” he sighed from frustration when his brother pointed out for the second time that he sounded like Lazarus. “Does it ever come up to you that the reason I sound like him is because I am always on his back, sniffing his ass like lap dog?”

Ren nodded as he heard Lanius deep words and how he came to his senses, saying it directly out loud than through sarcastic side comments, how their sister has to stay with them. Thinking back at some of the words that both of them have exchanged on how even though this marriage was a shame, Lazarus still wanted Athena to be with Mercado since this was beneficial to Lord Costayne’s grand master plan. Suddenly Sven Shadowmere’s oldest son came up with an idea, thinking for the first time as a brother rather than as Lazarus lap dog.

“I think it is safe to assume that Jaeryth really doesn’t care about our sister well being,” he looked up at Lanius, “He wants this slave to be happy granting him the permission to marry her, giving him a title and a city because probably of his last name. Having an alliance with a family from Tocken on Forsilvra’s darkest hour is kind of brilliant. Having said that, this alliance must mean that our dear Lord Mercado will be out of Glodhet most of them time leaving our very pregnant sister most of the time. If he loves her as much as she claims and knowing Athena, she will request her husband to be in Faeta during his absence so she could be surrounded by family and love. Dear brother, I hope you understand where I am going with this?” He narrowed his eyes hoping his brother would pick up what Ren was trying to say.

[Lanius Shadowmere]

Lanius made a face. "That sounds like a personal problem. Might want to look into that."

He listened to Ren talk, but by the end he felt himself shaking his head. "Um... Not really? If she's back in Faeta, isn't that what we want? We can keep an eye on her there and she can have her baby with the maester that's known her all her life. It'll be better that way, won't it?"

[Ren Shadowmere]

“You know nothing, Lanius Shadowmere.” His older brother blurted out in frustration because his brother didn’t see the point. Ren wondered where Romeo or Tulio were. Probably since they were part of the guild, they would understand what Ren was trying to insinuate with his words and tone of voice. He kicked back to relax on the rooting chair releasing a sigh.

“Listen,” he clenched his teeth as he stared directly to Lanius. “She will be in Faeta surrounded by her family. If we try to be all negative about her marriage with Mercado, the only thing she will want is to leave and return to whatever infested former Jin town they are moving to. But if we are all positive, show our love and support during his absence. Once he returns, she will be away from us… starting to feel the loss of her family by not being constantly surrounded by us. A husband and a child can only fill so little of such void.”

[Lanius Shadowmere]

His annoyance returned in full force and Lanius stuck out his jaw petulantly. "Maybe you're just not very good at explaining things, Ren Shadowmere. I told you to stop patronizing me, didn't I? Cut the crap or I'll find better things to do until Lazarus gets here."

With a frustrated groan that nearly had him pulling out his own hair, Lanius threw his head back and slumped his shoulders. The stupid Shadow and its idiotic rules. Couldn't anyone ever just say what they meant? "So I have to pretend to like the asshole when he's not around? Fuck that. I'll hold my tongue if she asks, but I'm not going to lie about how much I'd rather see the bastard rotting."

[Lazarus Shadowmere]

Lazarus could take a few guesses as to which bastard they were talking about. Though, he wouldn’t be surprised if he was wrong. His cousins had taken to hating quite a few people these days. He really was hard pressed to keep track. “I apologize for my tardiness,” he said, making his presence known. “I had a few matters that took longer than originally anticipated. But that is hardly an excuse. I should not have kept you waiting. Or you,” he said to Lanius. “But I trust we are prepared?”

[Ren Shadowmere]

“Oh dear brother, you still do not see that showing that negative attitude about Athena’s husband, you will only push her away from us.” He tried once more to find a comfortable position on the wooden chair, knowing that his brother was going to make sure that he suffered a lot of pain. “If that is the case,” he chanted in a mocking tone, “Do not come complaining to me why Athena left.”

His gaze went to the door when Lazarus made his silent entry to the room. Ren was not surprised that his cousin sneaked in going unnoticed. How much of our conversation did he hear?. “No apologies should be given,” he replied as he didn’t care if they were heard or not, “I decided to come earlier and bond with my brother before our voyage.” Once again he rested his head on the wooden chair and closed his eyes to proceed and get over with this ceremony. “I would be careful the way you talk to Lanius, he keeps complaining how we keep patronizing him and the last thing I need is a raging brother with a sharp instrument close to my heart.”

[Lanius Shadowmere]

Lanius glared at Ren, but replied to Lazarus. "I'm ready," he said, brandishing the needles. "It's been a while since I've done this pattern, but it's not hard to forget. It's on every damn thing we own..."

He sighed, wanting to massage away the tension that was building in his neck. "Let's just get this over with. I'm ready when you both are."