RP:Sine Qua Non

Part of the Do You Believe In Magic? Arc

Summary: Hildegarde receives word that Khitti has gone missing and seeks out Dominic to see what aid she can provide, if any.

Frostmaw Tavern

Dominic sat at a table in the corner of the tavern. Well, it was not so much a table as it was a counter that jutted out from the wall, and he was not so much sitting as he was curled up over it, forehead and nose flat against the wood, arms raised by his ears and sprawled out ahead of him. He wasn’t quite sleeping, though one could understand why the casual onlooker might think that he was -- his breath was slow, shallow, and steady, and every so often a muscle twitched, or he groaned something unintelligible. Halfway between asleep and awake, he was; a still steaming cup of tea by his side provided ample evidence that he couldn’t possibly have been there too long.

Hildegarde had been informed about the notice in the tavern regarding Khitti’s disappearance. Hildegarde had put her absence down to a well deserved vacation from the war, to merely spending time with the love she had found during said war. She had never thought for a moment it had been something as dark as this. So it is with a determined stride that the Queen enters the tavern, having received quiet word from Drargon that Dominic was there, making her way directly to the man who drifted in and out of sleep. The Silver didn’t want to disturb him, but she also wanted to let him know that she was there to help him in his time of need. “Dominic,” she said quietly, hesitantly reaching out to gently clasp her hand against his shoulder to give him a gentle wiggle of ‘hey, wake up’. “Dominic,” she repeats, waiting for him to wake.

“Mmph,” grumbled Dominic, eloquent as ever. Blearily, he raised his gaze to Hildegarde’s breastplate, uttered another articulate, “bwuh?” and… then his eyes rose the rest of the way, to meet Hildegarde’s face. His expression changed rapidly from one of fatigue to mild alarm, as he staggered to his feet -- almost toppling over the cup of tea in the process -- and gave her an awkward bow. “Queen H-Hildegarde, I’m sorry, I didn’t--” He didn’t -what-? Gods, between the exhaustion and the unexpected company, his brain was about half a step above useless right now. “I… uh… hi.” Great. Good job. You did it. Masterful social skills, as always.

Hildegarde made a little ‘oh’ as Dominic near enough stumbled to his feet, her hand jerking out to try and safeguard the cup of tea that near toppled over. So distracted in her effort to help save the tea, she hasn’t the time to stop Dominic from awkwardly bowing before her. “You needn’t bow to me, Master Dominic,” she tells him, her hand moving to touch his arm as if to guide him into an upright position once again and really drive home the fact he needn’t bow to her. “I came here to tell you that I am here to help. I… I heard about Khitti,” her face falls for a moment, revealing the worry and sadness the dragon typically masked behind her courtesies and polite smiles. “I want to help.”

Dominic’s line of sight drifted downward and to the left. “O-oh. Right.” For a moment his countenance showed all of his weariness and all of his heartache before he closed his eyes and took a slow breath inward. When he opened them again, he was meeting Hildegarde’s eye with his hands subconsciously balled in fists at his sides. Keep it together, Dominic. “Right. I, uh, I thought about sending you a letter and I even drafted one up but then I wasn’t sure if you were too busy with all of the repairs going on here in Frostmaw and all of the duties of being a queen and, regardless of if she was in your war or not, Khitti is just one person and I just thought -- I thought --” He ran out of air and had to take another deep, shuddering breath. “I… didn’t want to bother you.” He looked away again. “Maybe that was stupid. Of course you care, I just didn’t think you’d have the time.”

Hildegarde waited for Dominic to finish. She understood his frustration. She had been just as frustrated when Josleen had been taken from her by Balgruuf and his cronies, by the foolish bravery of her and Kovl’s desire to do good for Frostmaw and the people who were most in need. “Dominic. Khitti is just one person and that is enough,” she said softly. “I know I am a busy woman, I know. But I care for her and I care for you, though I do not often get the chance to show it,” she cared for her citizens deeply. “I don’t know how exactly I can help, but I do wish to help. Please, do not think that you’re bothering me.”

A hand rose to slide slowly down Dominic’s face, and his eyes lost and regained focus a couple times before he fixed them back on her. “A-alright. It’s appreciated, Hildegarde, thank you.” He slid back into his chair and, with a gesture, invited Hildegarde to sit alongside him. “I’m afraid I don’t know what there is to be done, though. The mages have been disappearing from here, from Xalious, from Kelay… I’ve been to all of these places in the last few days and I have no leads. The only thing I know is that Khitti was -convinced- they were vanishing because of some dragon named Raiez. I don’t think she had any proof, but her conviction was… strong.” Finally remembering his tea, he reached for it and took a careful sip. “But even if she was right -- and again, no proof -- I don’t know how to find the Blue, or what I’d do when I -did- find her.” He sighed. “But it’s all I’ve got right now.”

Hildegarde took the invitation and sat down, gently clearing her throat before lapsing into silence to listen to what Dominic had to say. Raiez. Hildegarde recalled Khitti’s emotional moment in the tavern and the mysterious dragon that had been there. “A Blue,” the Silver repeated gently. “Blues are predominantly found in the ocean or in watery lairs, but… well. To come so far inland to take mages? I doubt she would have the time to safely return to the sea with a mage in her claws. Mages are more trouble than a man in a metal suit,” she informed Dominic, imparting her dragon wisdom. “Raiez would therefore have to pick a lair that is near these three places… but there’s many places that could serve as an adequate lair. I suspect she might want some water, though, for the sake of her own comfort and further isolation for her captives.” The knight paused, realising her words might not be having the reassuring effect she would like! “If you found Raiez, I suspect she’d try to kill you. Dragons do not take kindly to anyone coming across their hoard or their treasures. But… well. Khitti is a vampire. The blood of the dragon is toxic to her. If I were kidnapping a mage who happened to be a vampire, I’d be sure to keep them under me so if I am wounded then they would be too.” The Silver sighed and idly scratched at the mottled flesh of her left cheek. “It is difficult for a mortal man to kill a dragon.”

Dominic took her words in as attentively as he could manage in his state. He’d surely want to write it down later, before he could forget, but he hadn’t yet gained the speed with a pen required to keep up with anyone’s speech. He murmured the key points after her, instead, to help commit them to memory. When the Silver finished, he stared into his tea for a moment, putting all the pieces together in his head. “Well…” he said at length, “you’re right, I don’t think I could kill her. Brand, maybe --” Dominic stopped abruptly and blinked up at Hildegarde. He still hadn’t explained to her who and what Brand truly -was-. Hmm. She’d earned the truth, hadn’t she? ...Perhaps another time. “But, uh, I don’t know. There has to be another way. Khitti -has- to still be alive. She must be.” Dominic refused to believe anything else. “So if Raiez isn’t -killing- mages, then… I’d thought about being bait, at one point. Pilar wants to do it, and I’m sure she’d have the backup of the Mage’s Guild if she tried, but…” he trailed off with a shrug. Everything seemed like the pointless thoughts and actions of a desperate man. What could he really do against a dragon, assuming it even -was- Raiez? What if it wasn’t, and he had even less of a lead than he thought he did?

Hildegarde grunted thoughtfully. She never liked to condone the slaughter of her own kind, unless it was absolutely necessary. It was a difficult situation. “If Raiez isn’t killing mages, you have to ask what *is* she doing with them. Why gather mages? To what end? And yes, bait seems smart until someone gets hurt or someone *does* get taken and the trap goes wrong. Bait seems smart until you give Raiez the last mage that she needs for whatever it is she might be planning,” the Silver cautions. “We can perhaps lure Raiez out. We can lure her out with a mage but leave a dragon waiting to take her down. But if we take her down, you’ll have a hard time finding her lair. If you give her bait, there is nothing to say she won’t cover her tracks.”

“Ugh. You’re right. I hadn’t even thought that far ahead about it.” Dominic closed his eyes and dropped his head back down to the countertop with a dull thunk. “I’m… so tired, Hildegarde. I’m exhausted and yet I can’t sleep, because I dream of her. I dream of every awful thing I could imagine her going through in captivity, and I don’t know if the reality is better or somehow even worse than that.” The man tilted his head towards the Silver just enough to peer at her with the closer eye. “And it’s the not knowing that’s driving me out of my mind, beyond everything else. Life feels… abstract, without her. Meaningless. I’m a ship with no sails or rudder.”

Hildegarde reached out to settle her hand upon Dominic’s shoulder, as if it might lend him a little comfort. “And what would Khitti say if she saw you now? She would tell you to rest. She would tell you that if you don’t rest, you won’t have the strength to help or to think. You’re not the only one looking for Khitti,” she promised him. “I’ll have Kenway do a sweep of Xalious and Kelay from the air, see if he can spot anything amiss. Get some rest, Dominic, and know that you are not alone in this quest. If worse had happened to Khitti, you’d know,” she told him, her hand briefly touching the centre of her breastplate.

Dominic squinted curiously and sat up again. “You think so? ...I don’t know. Maybe you’re right.” He managed a grim chuckle. “But no, if it was someone else she’d probably go tell me to rest and then do exactly what I’m doing, herself.” He shook his head, gaze distant, lost in some memory or other. “She’d probably try to shoulder all the burden, and to hell with whatever it did to her…” He covered his face with his hands again, still lightly shaking his head. “...Alright. You’re right. I can’t promise I’ll actually be -able- to sleep, but if you insist, I can at least try.”

Hildegarde smiled at Dominic, “Consider it a royal decree. Go get some rest. We’ll find Khitti. I’m on your side,” she reassured him.

Dominic managed a weak smile. "I know. And... thank you, Hildegarde. Even if nothing comes of it, thank you for putting in the time and the effort. It means more than I can say."