[Jaeyi] Scavenger hunt. (Vignette)
Trusting herself to play it off well enough, Jaeyi slid open the top drawer of that big desk, her fingers lingering over the pen set in its velvet case that sat on top. She wasn't sure how quickly she could get the things back into the drawer, she wasn't sure how obvious it would be if she got caught with the case on her lap and the corked inkwell sitting in plain sight on the desk in front of her, but she was...
...well, she wanted to be confident that she could...
She exhaled.
It was evening, and she knew Esraval's schedule well enough to know that he was dining with his wife at the moment. She sometimes wanted to be a fly on that wall, to know what Isobel had to say to her husband. Did his wife suspect him the way his mistress did? Did she know how spoiled he was, how clutching and greedy? How his careful manners hid his avarice? Or was she only the pretty, trophy wife she was supposed to be, all ready to pop and give him the baby that would never stop reminding him that it was not his children but his brother's that would inherit Fort Hold?
As much as she wanted to ask her, as much as she wanted to be Isobel's friend and believe that she might have a kindred spirit in the other woman, Jaeyi had never brought herself to broach the subject. How did you ask someone already waddling with pregnancy if she thought her husband was a-- a-- a whatever it was that Esraval really was, deep down?
In the corridor outside, someone rattled by and Jaeyi, her hands feeling around for the compartment she knew was in this drawer, froze. Her eyes pinned to the gleaming brass handle, waiting for it to turn, but it didn't, and the steps continued until they were out of earshot, and she finally breathed out again.
Esraval was careful around her, yes; he certainly hadn't given her the grand tour of all his secret compartments, but she knew they were there somewhere. When you fuck a man enough times in his office, you're bound to catch him being careless once or twice, and she had seen where certain key elements were quick to disappear to whenever she came into the room. Esraval was the type of man who always put everything in its place, and-- assuming his pet was no more than a pretty featherhead, all breasts, no brains-- he had gotten steadily lss conscientious about hiding the secrets in his desk.
After Y'nolek had visited her, after she realized yet again that she was ashamed of what she had become, Jaeyi decided she was no longer content to simply let things happen to her. If Esraval was hiding something, she intended to know what it was and how it could prove what she already knew: that he was up to no good.
She pried the false bottom out of the drawer and found what she was after-- a small, leather-bound journal with a few loose pages tucked into the back cover. She had no interest in most of what was written in that journal, whether it was his personal musing on what a selfish prick he was or a maifesto for all his dastardly plans. What she wanted were the loose pages. They had been put in there some weeks ago, several of them, and she had a feeling that they weren't "active" information, something she could take without it being missed. At least, not right away. Trembling, she slid the pages out of the volume and had just closed the book when she heard a more distinct footfall.
Hastily, she shoved the false bottom back into the drawer, the inkwells, and was just sliding the pen-case back in when the door opened, and she looked up to confront Esraval's eyes. She could see, for a flash, that he was instantly worried and angry, looking across the room at her in his big desk chair, his drawer clearly open. She held his eyes for a moment, then turned her expression to a pout, leaning back into his chair with all the attitude of a child who's just had a toy taken away. "You're not supposed to be here yet," she simpered.
Trying to act more casual than he was feeling, he crossed the room to his own chair, closed the drawer with a slide of his fingers, and then cupped those same fingers under her chin, turning her face up to him. "But this is my office, my pet. I think perhaps what you meant to say is that /you/ are not supposed to be here?"
Jaeyi thanked her lucky stars she had worn something from the Esraval wardrobe, saw his eyes drop to the low neckline, felt his thumb start skating off her jaw and down the line of her neck. An amethyst pendant rested invitingly on the curve of her breasts, and his fingers found their way there like greedy little insects, inspecting the facets of it with slow strokes. But there was anger brewing, she could see, ready to flare if the next few moments didn't go well. "I can go if you want me to," she said coyly, slanting a look up at him through her lashes. "You've ruined my whole game anyway." As expected, he asked what 'game' she meant, and Jaeyi explained that she had a scavenger hunt all planned out for him. The first clue, see, was in his desk drawer, and it would lead to a second clue, which would lead to a third, which would eventually lead to her room, her bed, the last clue tucked into the garter of the stockings she was wearing at this exact moment.
Curling her hand around the liberated pages from his journal, hiding them in the folds of her skirt, Jaeyi was relieved to see arousal rather than anger sparkle in his eyes, and she knew she had him. He opened the drawer, saw the little slip of hide she had left there with the first "clue," and smirked down at her. Needless to say, she never needed the rest of the clues, the hunt ended before it had even started, and he left her suite a few hours later, none the wiser about the liberated pages.
...well, she wanted to be confident that she could...
She exhaled.
It was evening, and she knew Esraval's schedule well enough to know that he was dining with his wife at the moment. She sometimes wanted to be a fly on that wall, to know what Isobel had to say to her husband. Did his wife suspect him the way his mistress did? Did she know how spoiled he was, how clutching and greedy? How his careful manners hid his avarice? Or was she only the pretty, trophy wife she was supposed to be, all ready to pop and give him the baby that would never stop reminding him that it was not his children but his brother's that would inherit Fort Hold?
As much as she wanted to ask her, as much as she wanted to be Isobel's friend and believe that she might have a kindred spirit in the other woman, Jaeyi had never brought herself to broach the subject. How did you ask someone already waddling with pregnancy if she thought her husband was a-- a-- a whatever it was that Esraval really was, deep down?
In the corridor outside, someone rattled by and Jaeyi, her hands feeling around for the compartment she knew was in this drawer, froze. Her eyes pinned to the gleaming brass handle, waiting for it to turn, but it didn't, and the steps continued until they were out of earshot, and she finally breathed out again.
Esraval was careful around her, yes; he certainly hadn't given her the grand tour of all his secret compartments, but she knew they were there somewhere. When you fuck a man enough times in his office, you're bound to catch him being careless once or twice, and she had seen where certain key elements were quick to disappear to whenever she came into the room. Esraval was the type of man who always put everything in its place, and-- assuming his pet was no more than a pretty featherhead, all breasts, no brains-- he had gotten steadily lss conscientious about hiding the secrets in his desk.
After Y'nolek had visited her, after she realized yet again that she was ashamed of what she had become, Jaeyi decided she was no longer content to simply let things happen to her. If Esraval was hiding something, she intended to know what it was and how it could prove what she already knew: that he was up to no good.
She pried the false bottom out of the drawer and found what she was after-- a small, leather-bound journal with a few loose pages tucked into the back cover. She had no interest in most of what was written in that journal, whether it was his personal musing on what a selfish prick he was or a maifesto for all his dastardly plans. What she wanted were the loose pages. They had been put in there some weeks ago, several of them, and she had a feeling that they weren't "active" information, something she could take without it being missed. At least, not right away. Trembling, she slid the pages out of the volume and had just closed the book when she heard a more distinct footfall.
Hastily, she shoved the false bottom back into the drawer, the inkwells, and was just sliding the pen-case back in when the door opened, and she looked up to confront Esraval's eyes. She could see, for a flash, that he was instantly worried and angry, looking across the room at her in his big desk chair, his drawer clearly open. She held his eyes for a moment, then turned her expression to a pout, leaning back into his chair with all the attitude of a child who's just had a toy taken away. "You're not supposed to be here yet," she simpered.
Trying to act more casual than he was feeling, he crossed the room to his own chair, closed the drawer with a slide of his fingers, and then cupped those same fingers under her chin, turning her face up to him. "But this is my office, my pet. I think perhaps what you meant to say is that /you/ are not supposed to be here?"
Jaeyi thanked her lucky stars she had worn something from the Esraval wardrobe, saw his eyes drop to the low neckline, felt his thumb start skating off her jaw and down the line of her neck. An amethyst pendant rested invitingly on the curve of her breasts, and his fingers found their way there like greedy little insects, inspecting the facets of it with slow strokes. But there was anger brewing, she could see, ready to flare if the next few moments didn't go well. "I can go if you want me to," she said coyly, slanting a look up at him through her lashes. "You've ruined my whole game anyway." As expected, he asked what 'game' she meant, and Jaeyi explained that she had a scavenger hunt all planned out for him. The first clue, see, was in his desk drawer, and it would lead to a second clue, which would lead to a third, which would eventually lead to her room, her bed, the last clue tucked into the garter of the stockings she was wearing at this exact moment.
Curling her hand around the liberated pages from his journal, hiding them in the folds of her skirt, Jaeyi was relieved to see arousal rather than anger sparkle in his eyes, and she knew she had him. He opened the drawer, saw the little slip of hide she had left there with the first "clue," and smirked down at her. Needless to say, she never needed the rest of the clues, the hunt ended before it had even started, and he left her suite a few hours later, none the wiser about the liberated pages.