Stripes of Passion: Part 3

(7 minutes ago)

As you're getting ready to lie down for the night, someone knocks on your door. Who could it be? Your 'An Unexpected Visitor' Quality is now 1!

A Nocturnal Visitation

You are dimming your candles for the evening, finishing whatever work you still can tonight, and leaving the rest for another day. You take a deep breath as you wind down, and finally change into your sleeping clothes, ready to rest for a new day.

But whatever nightly rituals you were performing are interrupted by a knock on the door.

Answer the door
It doesn't seem like they're going to go away if you just leave them be.

A familiar visitor

When you open the door, you expect to see just about anything on the other side. A honey-mazed bohemian, someone asking for shelter or donations, an Urchin up to some mischief, a cat that decided that you were going to be the person they would annoy tonight, the Jovial Contrarian coming to finish an argument with you.

What you were not expecting was to see a large male tiger in a trenchcoat and fedora looking at you.

The Banded Sleuth has come to visit.

The Banded Sleuth, Returned

The large tiger stares at you for a couple seconds, "Good evening." he manages to say, before you two fall into an uncomfortable silence for a long time.

Eventually, he averts his gaze, and only manages a pathetic mewl: "May I come in?"

Allow him into your home
He's come here for a reason, and you want to hear it.

Silently close the door
He has hurt you, and whatever he wants right now, you're not ready to deal with it. He can come some other day.
Game Instructions: You will have to seek him out yourself later in order to continue or dismiss this storyline.

Speechless

He lets out a sigh of relief, before entering your home. Much like always, he cleans his paws as he enters, a small "Excuse me." escaping his lips. When you close the door behind him, he places his fedora on your coat rack, and takes the familiar path to your table.

When you sit opposite him, he's clearly having a silent panic attack. His eyes staring everywhere except at you, his whiskers refuse to stay still, and he keeps fidgeting with his paws.

The Banded Sleuth is in your parlor.

The Banded Sleuth, Returned

It has been months -- months! -- since you've last seen the Sleuth. At this point, you've been out of an affair with him for longer than you've been in it. And yet here he is, fidgeting with his paws in your parlor, clearly trying to find the correct words to say.

Yet his brilliant mind fails him now, and he stays completely silent. He looks almost as crestfallen and pathetic as the Love-Sickened Seneschal.

Break the ice
Strike a conversation. Ignore what happened for a moment. He'll be better able to talk when he's more comfortable.

Wait for him to start
You deserve an explanation. You refuse to humor him without one.

Undercurrent

You ask him about a case he's worked on recently. He sputters for a moment, but very quickly - and with a relieved expression - starts telling you his tales. They're short, and not quite as riveting as they usually are, and it seems like he runs out of stories faster than you expected him to. You tell some of your stories too, although you haven't been on as many cases as he has in the time since he's been away.

And while you talk, there's this obvious smile on his face, like he's finally relaxing, though his eyes always avert their gaze when he realizes that you're staring. He wears his shame on his sleeve, even though he tries his best to hide it. In his stories, it's impossible for him to gloss over how he's been quite literally one street away from you in several occasions - and in the same neighborhood several more. In yours, it's hard for you to not mention the time spent in places he frequents, or is at least closely familiar with, and not ever finding him.

And yet, the conversation continues. It does not come as easy as it used to, but it at least continues.

You can't ignore it forever.

The Banded Sleuth, Returned

The conversation first slows, then stops. You are feeling sleepy, and he clearly hasn't slept in at least a full day. The faint odor of Darkdrop Coffee lingers in the air around him, so you're at least sure he's not going to fall asleep anytime soon, but that does nothing to quieten the deafening silence between you.

He has come to your home for a reason. You both know it. There's no point in delaying it any longer.

Ask him plainly
You want to know why he disappeared. You will be as neutral in your tone as you possibly can.

Ask him, and make it clear that you are hurt
He hurt you. You deserve answers. And you deserve the catharsis of him knowing that.

Ask him, and make it clear that you are angry
He's been gone for months -- months! You are right to be angry.

Stay silent
He will use his words, and you will not make this any easier on him. He has to do it himself, and if he can't, then he doesn't deserve your to be here.

An admission of guilt

You wait; the minutes hand on your clock moves. You wait further, it moves seven times. You stare deeply into the Banded Sleuth's eyes - who still refuse to meet your gaze - as your clock chimes in for the hour.

Eventually, he takes a deep breath, "...It is obviously no secret at this point that I've been avoiding you." he starts, and you can't help but raise both your eyebrows. "I won't say that what I did was justified, but... If you would allow me to explain myself?"

You have not spoken a word yet. You are not about to start now. You simply gaze into him in a way that expresses your feelings clearly: Stop trying to buy time.

The Banded Sleuth flinches under your stare.

The Banded Sleuth, Returned

Somewhere in those minutes, the Sleuth manages to find his spine. "A couple of months ago, I was working on a case - standard stuff, I won't bore you with the details." he knows he's still trying to buy time, so he swallows before he keeps going, "But midway through my investigation, I happened to find some interesting information regarding a certain Master of the Bazaar."

"Mr. Cards."

Let him speak
He should, at least, be heard.

Interrupt him
You've heard more than enough.

Unexpected Revelation

"I had been idly wondering what the deal was with the 'long lost sibling' of the Masters." You see him reach for his pocket - in the same manner that he would grab a cigarette - but his paws come up empty; "I decided to investigate while I waited for another case to show up. I... intended to visit you that very evening, in fact."

"I happened to run into the Efficient Commissioner." a tilt of his head, he closes his eyes, "I greeted her, and she asked whether I was about to rope her into something troublesome." a small snort, though quickly suppressed. "I sarcastically asked her if she knew anything about the new Master. I didn't expect her to tell me anything useful; I didn't expect her to give me anything but the official response." he opens his eyes, now finally able to gaze into yours without looking away, "I suppose you can guess what she told me."

The Banded Sleuth has discovered something he shouldn't.
You might need to have some words. Several, in fact.

A Secret about a Master

The Banded Sleuth has discovered - through the words of the Efficient Commissioner - that you are Mr. Cards. Somewhere far away, deep into the chambers of the Bazaar, a woman revises one of the articles of the Tragedy Procedures, using newly created ink to inscribe new sigils of the Correspondence into fireproof paper, before filing it away as part of her daily duties. As she finishes, she remembers a conversation months ago, and allows herself a hearty chuckle before pulling another article from its filing cabinet.

But you are not there right now. You are here, in your parlor, with the Banded Sleuth gazing into your eyes and looking almost... betrayed.

Listen further
There is clearly more that he wishes to say.

End this
Whatever else he has to say can wait. You have some words to say to a certain someone.

Due dilligence

"I thought she was mocking me." he starts again, though his expression refuses change, "But... your reputation precedes you, doesn't it? With a keen ear, it's not hard to learn about the Marvellous - or its players." he returns to his neutral position, no longer flinching from your stare. "A game where you can stake your soul and win your Heart's Desire. I believe that is how it went."

"I figured I would spend that evening doing my due diligence to debunk her claim, I could visit you the evening after." lifts his chin a little, now looking at the ceiling, as if reminiscing. "Yet the more I found, the more certain puzzle pieces started to fall into place." he closes his eyes, "The timing certainly matched. Your ability and power in London certainly matched; and when I started looking into your enterprises, I found something odd." he puffs, as if he had a cigarette in his mouth.

"A certain orphanage, in a neighborhood not far from the Bazaar side streets, situated inside a handsome townhouse purchased via Penstock's Land Agency - under your name, of course." He frowns, "I investigated its finances. I told myself I would find nothing. I assured myself I would find nothing. I almost did."

A single donation, using the Bazaar's own resources rather than yours, so that you could maintain your orphanage for months and years to come without issue. A donation done through no less than two dozen intermediaries and fake businesses that existed for all of seven minutes. A single piece of paper, burned as soon as it was officiated. There was no proof left. There was no proof left.

"Not in reality, no." his proud grin is only marred by his expression of a regret born of too much curiosity, "But in dreams, it could still be found."

Every Tiger can do Glasswork. The Banded Sleuth is no exception.
You will have to check in with your orphanage more thoroughly.

A Secret about a Master

"I suppose that's when it clicked for me." a hesitant pause, "That's when I knew what she said was true, but I refused to believe it. I kept investigating for months." The same months he was avoiding you, his misty eyes tell you, "I burned every favor I could find, used most of my resources to try and find any evidence that could point me in a different direction, exhausted every possible miniscule lead."

"I met with Virginia, I met with the Topsy-King, I met with the Bishop of St. Fiacre's - the Manager, His Amused Lordship, even a certain Cora Bagley came into my investigation." He looks regretful when he mentions her name, "The last straw was--" he swallows hard.

"--was when I met with the Boatman."

Allow him to finish
He has more than earned the right.

Admonish him
He died!? For this investigation?! Is he insane?!

Mortality

His breath slows, and his eyes glaze over for a second. "Maybe death is something you Londoners have gotten used to by now." he starts, though his eyes do not focus. "But I am from the Elder Continent. I was bathed in the Mountain's Light for a long time -- I am hardier than even most tigers you'll meet."

His head hangs low, "...I requested a boon of the Banded Prince, I needed to ensure that I would return quickly enough; he gave me a merciful sleep." a sigh, "...Death is so cold; so, so cold. It's like drowning -- like choking on the very air that you breathe, like--" he actually chokes, coughing violently as he desperately tries to cover his mouth with a paw. When he pulls back, there's only a tiny piece of brilliant metal in his paw, covered in his blood. Whatever the Banded Prince did to him, it left a mark.

He closes his paw around the metal, a sizzling sound as it melts back into his body. "...When I asked the Boatman, he was uncooperative at first." he looks to you again, "But eventually he acquiesced. You won the Marvellous. You took your Heart's Desire to turn into Mr. Cards. And now you were in charge of delivering his."

The Banded Sleuth has tasted death.
And it left its mark on him.

A Secret about a Master

He takes a deep breath. "I have more to say." he starts, his voice a little marred by the blood still stuck in his throat, "But first, I need you to tell me."

"I've ran a million scenarios in my head, tried to justify your actions in hundreds of ways." his voice grows frantic, "Many of them were reasonable. Many of them were not. Many I agreed with. Many I didn't want to agree with. But that's-- that's all they are. Thoughts; speculations."

"So I need you to tell me, to my face: Why did you not tell me? Why did you enter into an affair with me, when you were hiding an entire half of who you were?" his face is one of resignation.

It was not for him to know
It was just an affair. He didn't need to know every detail of your private life.

You didn't want to hurt him
The Masters are not well liked, and your current life is close to ending anyway. You didn't want to break his heart.

But you did
You warned him that it would not last forever. This was always what you meant.

Refuse
You don't need to explain yourself.

A heart of gold

You tell him that you wanted him to be well. He had enjoyed being with you, and you wanted to be with him. It was clearly good for both of you -- but revealing that you were a Master would've broken all of that. Staying with you, then, would've become yet another danger in his already deadly profession. He would've been forced to choose between staying safe, and staying with you - and that is not a choice anyone should make.

At least like this, you could've kept your lives separate. At least like this, you could have given him respite without worry. At least like this, you could have prevented him from getting too entangled in the other Masters' machinations. At least, you thought, you could avoid breaking his heart.

"Yet here we are, aren't we?" he snorts, "And I can't even blame you. I was the one who followed this line of inquiry to its end. I could have simply deluded myself, thinking that the Commissioner was mocking me all the while."

"But we can't stay away from answers, can we?" he flashes you a toothy smile. It is the saddest thing you have ever seen.

The Banded Sleuth has heard your answer.

A Secret about a Master

"Thank you for your honesty." his voice is sincere, "And... for whatever it is worth, I apologize, for leaving you in the dark like this for so long." he sighs.

He reaches out a paw across the table, tentatively. "...Now that it's all in the open," his eyes glimmer a little, though his expression already belies a negative expectation. "are you still interested in this affair?"

Yes.
Regardless of the dangers. It made you happy to be with him.

No.
Perhaps you still feel bitter over the months of no contact. Perhaps you think it's way too dangerous. Perhaps your reasons don't matter.

Sentimental

When you say the words, he flinches in surprise. He blinks several times, as if trying to discern whether what he just heard was real, so you repeat yourself: Yes.

You can see an invisible weight be lifted from his shoulders. He lets out all of the accumulated air in his lungs, and for the first time in this entire conversation, he looks to have finally, truly relaxed.

"Thank you." he mewls. Tiny clear droplets fall onto your table, as he quickly cleans his eyes with his fur.

You are now in an affair with the Banded Sleuth.

Exhaustion

At this point, you are both completely drained. The Darkdrop Coffee is quickly losing its effect on his system, and you are running on pure willpower. Still, as you hold his paw across the table, he squeezes you lovingly, with a level of affection that you wouldn't have expected before.

You're not sure when it happened, and you don't think even he knows, but he has definitely fallen for you hard. Whether this whole thing started as a flight of fancy, a way to get pleasant evenings, or something else, it has morphed and changed within his heart into sincere and genuine affection - love. Raw and pure and visceral and destructive in that way that only love can be. Bringer of infinite joys and infinite sorrows.

Which only makes the fact that you can now see a small hint of glinting metal inside his trench coat all the more suspicious.

Ask about it
He's been padding that part of his coat all evening. It's usually where he keeps his cigarettes. What could he put there that's so important?

Let it go.
If he won't bring it up, then you won't. You're utterly beat at this point.

Bonds When you ask about it, he looks surprised. He pads at it again, almost in reflex, and then sighs. He spends a long time considering something, before he pulls something out from his coat pocket, and places it on the table.

On it, you see two necklaces - a matching set. Both made of heavily polished gold, and chains that seem to be made of some gold alloy, shining as brightly as a diamond. At the very center, a tiny gem - which you recognize as shards of the Mountain of Light, too small to make a real impact, yet the sunlight trapped in them, alongside the light of the south, make them shine like the brightest stars.

The only difference between each of them - one has a tiger's pawprint inlaid around the gem, the other has the shape of a bat.

When the Banded Sleuth looks you in the eyes, his gaze is sheepish, "...I spent a lot of resources having these made. The shards were gifts from the Prince." he smiles a little more, "It was wishful thinking on my part, but..."

The Banded Sleuth hesitates.

Matrimony

The Banded Sleuth knows how this looks like; gone for months, investigating your private life and finances behind your back, with not even the slightest inkling of contact. Going to dangerous extremes and exhausting all of his resources just to find things about you that you wished to keep hidden. On top of that, he knows what it would mean if you were to accept: a tremendous amount of danger - not only would your enemies become his, but his enemies would become yours. A prolific and successful sleuth like him has many enemies; a Master of the Bazaar, even more.

And in only a few years, there would be no proof of any of this. You would die, disappear from public life, and only be able to turn back donning a cloak that hid your features from all peering eyes. Life between you two would grow significantly more complicated, and visits would have to become sporadic at best; downright impossible at worst.

And yet, he squeezes your hand with his free paw. "I won't begrudge you if you don't accept." he lets out, "It might even be the wise choice." despite the heaviness of his voice, you see the tiniest smile creep into his expression. "But I've thought long and hard about this; why did I even get so invested in finding out the truth at all? Why this of all things?"

"Maybe it was your kindness. Maybe it was your cunning. Maybe you just left that big of a mark on me when you asked that I destroy you." he can't help but let out a chuckle, "But being with you, it gives me feelings that I haven't had before."

He swallows, "Death may be cold; but for me, a life without you is colder still."

Accept
You thought he would never ask.

Make him promise to not disappear again
You are not accepting or refusing yet. You just need him to promise first before you make your decision.

Stick with an affair
You want to have him, but there are way too many reasons why marriage would be a bad idea; or perhaps you just don't like that level of commitment.

Nope!
After everything, he has the gall to ask your hand in marriage? This was a terrible idea.

A promise, forged

You can see it in his eyes that there's a lot that he wants to promise; to never hurt you again, to give you the world and all its happiness, to love you unconditionally and through any hardship. But he also understands that he can guarantee none of that. Love can fade, or it can change, or it can be broken. Circumstances may shift, and your job as Mr. Cards certainly makes that likely.

He wants to promise you everything, but that is not a promise he can keep.

So he only makes the promises he can: "I promise to not disappear without word again." he lets out, "If anything happens to me, I promise that you'll be the first to know. And if I ever have to go dark, I will leave you enough of a trail that you can find me."

It will have to be enough.

Matrimony

The Banded Sleuth awaits your answer with bated breath.

Accept
You thought he would never ask.

Stick with an affair
You want to have him, but there are way too many reasons why marriage would be a bad idea; or perhaps you just don't like that level of commitment.

Nope!
After everything, he has the gall to ask your hand in marriage? This was a terrible idea.

A Mistake, Forged into a Triumph

He practically leaps out of his chair when you respond. Whatever semblance of dignity and decorum he had is gone in an instant as he hugs you, holding on as if you were the only thing left in the world - and right now, in his heart, you are.

The Sleuth spends the evening at your lodgings, resting peacefully and purring against your ear as you drift quietly to sleep. When you awake, there's a part of you that almost expects it all to be a dream, yet he is still there in your arms when you open your eyes; placing a tender kiss against your head.

But when the high of the evening finally fades, reality crashes into both of you like a destructive wave. The Banded Sleuth has many clients to attend to; as well as duties out side of his sleuthing work. He is briefly called back to the Elder Continent to fulfill part of a bargain, and when he returns, he finds that a lot of doors have suddenly closed to him.

You too, are a busy person. Every day you spend mired in paperwork, or chasing some lead or some secret, or doing your own research, and that's when the Great Hellbound Railway doesn't have a scheduled meeting, or when you need to check on your Parabolan Pavillon, or your spy network on the Khanate; or you are working as Mr. Cards.

Ultimately, no ceremony is held for your marriage. You invite no one, and no one officiates your marriage; the only thing proving its existence is a single sheet of paper, kept locked deep within the Bazaar's vaults, inside a filing cabinet locked by seven keys - six of which have been destroyed.

You also have to revisit your will, to ensure that not a single comma is out of place in regards to your new life; that everything you leave behind when your current life ends will go to the right places, and the right people, and that nothing can be traced back to your second identity.

But there are moments. When you meet the Banded Sleuth on the streets, you stand next to him closer than most would consider polite. Words exchanged feel more meaningful now, like each syllable carries the weight of a thousand dynasties; when he visits, there is a new feeling in the air, even though you still spend evenings the same as you always did. Though your marriage must remain a secret, your love refuses to be.

The other Masters' questions start within a week; the rumors start within two; the assassination attempts start within three; a veiled threat from the Minister of Enigmas within four. By the seventh week, the amount of trouble this decision has brought you is already incalculable, and it only seems like it will get worse.

But when you are sitting opposite him, listening to him talk of cases present and past, there is a flutter in your stomach that refuses to let your gaze wonder from him. Unconsciously, you reach for your golden necklace, thumbing through the etching of a tiger's paw print as you see him smile in your direction. His paw reaches for you, and you know that neither of you have a single regret.

You are now married to the Banded Sleuth; may not even death do you part. (You now have 1 x The Banded Sleuth)

Your Scandal has increased to 4 - Shocking!