Ethirdir arrived at the Captain's abode not too long after he had made the decision to do so, managing to reach his own manor and procure his carriage in one would assume was record time. Throughout the rather uneventful journey, the Elf couldn't shake the sensation that something big was going down that night, and that it involved more than simply Doryn offering a cryptic message that seemed too intricately coded to properly decipher. There was always the distinct possibility that Ethirdir might not be as smart as he thought he was and wasn't able to understand Doryn's strange message, but what were the odds of that happening?<br/><br/>Regardless, once the carriage pulled out in front of the Captain's manor, Ethirdir didn't even wait for the coachman to step down and open the door for him, choosing to do that himself. The Elf hadn't even changed clothing for the occasion, figuring that this occasion did not warrant the propriety of a private dinner party. He crossed the brief distance from his coach to the front door, where the enormous double-doors opened to reveal a servant ready to greet him.<br/><br/>"Good evening, sir," said the young man, who looked about ten years older than the Captain and yet seemed to own far more wrinkles on his face than such an age would normally allow. "Welcome to the home of Captain Doryn Aelland. May I ask who I am welcoming?"<br/><br/>"You may," Ethirdir began, "I am Lord Ethirdir Talion, and I come at your master's..." A sudden realization struck the Elf. "Wait, did your master not inform you that I was to arrive at his home this evening?"<br/><br/>The servant, as professional and unshakable as he seemed at first glance, blinked in mild confusion for the briefest of moments at the question before immediately regaining his composure. "Forgive me, my Lord, but Captain Aelland made no mention of receiving any guests this evening. However, in his absence I am most capable of hosting his guests until his return, and..."<br/><br/>"Absence?" Ethirdir interjected. "The Captain isn't even here? Where is he?"<br/><br/>"The Captain doesn't share specifics with me about his work, my Lord," the servant replied, unfazed by the Elf's rude interruptions. "If I had to guess, I'd say he was performing a special mission tonight, as he mentioned he would be home late tonight...later than usual, in fact, though he did not specify why."<br/><br/>The Elf didn't interject again, his thoughts racing as he tried to comprehend what was going on. Doryn wasn't home, which meant that the Captain's riddle was either completely misinterpreted...or a blatant lie. But why would the Captain lie, asking Ethirdir to come to the man's mansion alone when Doryn wasn't even home...? Wait...alone? Did the Captain really want the Elf to come alone? Or was the message meant for more than one person? But the only other person who was with him was...<br/><br/>"Hani..."<br/><br/>Before the servant could inquire what was going on, Ethirdir turned around and raced back to his carriage, screaming instructions for the driver to take him back to the Dew Drop Inn. Somehow, though, he suspected he was already too late...<br/><br/><hr/><br/>As soon as Hani's fingers touched the leather binding of the book on the shelf, there was an immediate reaction. Without warning, the book cover and ancient-looking pages exploded into thousands of tiny particles as the blue light kept inside the book burst into a brilliant fire that launched itself directly off the shelf. The light latched onto Hani's hand and quickly spread up her arm, racing with the speed of a wildfire devouring a dry countryside. Every part of her body that it touched, the fire rendered immobile, unable to move as if the air around her had become stiff. Quickly the blue flame spread throughout her entire body, covering up her torso, her waist, her legs, her other arm, and even her head. In a matter of moments she was completely consumed by the flame, which rendered her as still as a statue while the flames lapped at her hungrily while burning nothing it touched.<br/><br/>Moments later, the flames disappeared, leaving only a pale blue light surrounding Hani's body, and yet she was still completely immobile, unable to move a muscle beyond the ones necessary to breath. She was forced to stand there in that position, frozen in the stance of of a thief trying to reach for something that wasn't hers. An eternity seemed to pass before the door to the study opened and a familiar figure stepped inside, his cane clacking against the floor louder than it seemed to before. A sinister, triumphant smile was spread across the Baron's weathered lips as his beady eyes stared gleefully at his prize. Behind him, a disgusting looking man followed closely, giggling like a maniac as he silently watched his boss approach the young female thief.<br/><br/>"So..." said the Baron, leaning down so that Hani could see his face directly in her frozen state. "You are the young thief who stole my jewel, aren't you? I figured that the thief operated in one of the local taverns that secreted supposed those wretched fencing networks, but I never suspected that it would be a lithe little thing like you. Still, you couldn't resist the little seeds I planted, could you? I don't care what seed brought you here, but the fact that you fell for my trap is all that matters."<br/><br/>He laughed as he firmly tapped Hani's leg with the tip of his cane. "I have to admit, I had my doubts about this trap. You see, Lotus Fire is a very finicky thing. It requires careful preparation beforehand and has to be handled in just the right way, or else it can easily backfire. But it looks like it worked perfectly. All I had to do was use a minor spell to cause that book to explode when someone other than me touched it, and the fire latched onto the closest living thing it could find, rendering you hapless. Perhaps a bit elaborate, but the perfect bait for someone like you, it seems."<br/><br/>The man behind the Baron laughed a little before speaking up. "So, Baron...what shall we do with here? Want me to gut her and feed her to the fishes?"<br/><br/>The Baron smirked at the suggestion, but shook his head. "No, not yet, Gregor. She knows where my Basilisk Heart is, and until I get that back, she is not to be harmed...too much. Perhaps we can start with a bit of anticipation, letting her imagination loosen her tongue a little. If she's still a little reluctant to talk...well, we have ways..."<br/><br/>Their conversation was interrupted when suddenly a voice called out from down the corridor outside the study. "Baron von Berenholdt! Baronn von Berenholdt!"<br/><br/>The aggravation in his face was immediately apparent, and the Baron snarled as he looked away from the hapless Hani. "Watch her," he instructed Gregor before stepping outside into the hallway.<br/><br/>Moments later, a servant came rushing up to the Baron. "What is it?" demanded Ludwig, the snarl on his face obvious even in the low light.<br/><br/>"Baron, my apologies, but...Captain Doryn Aelland is at our front door and requests your presence."<br/><br/>The Baron's look of aggravation quickly morphed into a look of surprise. Captain Doryn, that obnoxious braggart? Here? What was the man doing here, of all places? Had his little performance at that wretched in perhaps attracted the man's attention? Whatever the reason, the Baron couldn't let the Captain suspect something, not when he had the little thief who had stolen his precious Basilisk Heart. The interrogations would have to be postponed, apparently...but only postponed...<br/><br/>"Very well, see him in and take him to the Red Room," the Baron instructed the servant, who immediately bowed and hurried off to carry out the man's instructions. The Baron then returned to the study, where Hani was still entrapped by the glow of the Lotus Fire. "Gregor, it seems I have an unwelcome guest. I need some time to get rid of him. In the meantime, take our new guest down to the dungeons and chain her up before the effects of the Fire fade. You can put her in the same cell as our other guest, that stupid little traitor of a maid. And make sure you take the private passages so that our guest doesn't see you." The Baron then turned and hastily walked out of the study, heading to the Red Room to greet the Captain and hopefully get him out of the manor as quickly as possible.<br/><br/>"Will do, sir," Gregor said before turning to Hani, grinning maniacally. "All right, sweetheart," he said, reaching out and grabbing the poor girl roughly, lifting her into his arms and swinging her stiff body over his shoulder. "Let's get going." As he carried her out of the study, he added, "You got a nice tight little body, little girl. Maybe the boss will let me have fun with you when he's done with you..."