lisa walked beside Queen lara.
Sir Galahad clanked along behind them, his armor making enough noise to wake the dead.
[Jesus, how am I supposed to do this with Tin Man back there watching our every move?] lisa thought, the tip of her tail twitching nervously.
The queen's perfu wafted through the air, a heady mix of exotic flowers that made lisa's nose twitch. She glanced sideways at the monarch, noting the slight flush still present on her cheeks.
[Horrible woman. I an, she literally just tried to commit regicide not too long ago just to fra . But, hey, she does sll great.]
"So, Your Majesty," lisa began, her voice low and smooth, "about this plague affecting my people..."
Queen lara's eyes darted to lisa, then away again.
"Yes, what about it? I assu you have so... insight to share?"
lisa nodded, her mind racing.
[Gotta ti this just right. Too soon and Sir Clank-a-lot might notice. Too late and I'll miss my window.]
"Indeed, Your Majesty. But it's rather... sensitive information. Perhaps we could find sowhere more private to discuss it?"
The queen's breath hitched slightly, her pupils dilating.
"I... I'm not sure that would be appropriate, nim."
They rounded a corner, and lisa's eyes lit up. Ahead was a large, ornate vase, big enough to hide behind.
[Perfect.]
lisa had spent many, many hours in her previous life watching random videos online filling her head with useless information. One piece of information stopped being useless at this precise mont.
[Pickpocketing 101: Use physical contact to pull soone's attention to one place while you do what you will with your other hand elsewhere.]
So, as they approached the vase, lisa pretended to stumble. She caught herself on the queen's arm, using the mont of contact to whisper:
"Pheromono desiderium proicere!"
She drew the spellsign as quickly as she possibly could, her spell-casting hand placed at the queen's abdon, hidden from view from the tin man behind her.
A tiny pink sphere shot from her fingertip, disappearing into the queen's side just as the vase hit the ground.
CRACK
"Hey!" The queen yelled. But, then, she stopped.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then Queen lara gasped, her eyes wide and unfocused. She stumbled, grabbing onto lisa for support.
"Your Majesty!" Sir Galahad exclaid, rushing forward. "Are you alright?"
The queen waved him off, her breathing heavy.
"I'm... I'm fine. Just a montary dizzy spell. Sir Galahad, you may leave us."
lisa blinked, surprised.
[Well, that was easier than expected.]
The knight hesitated.
"But Your Majesty, protocol dictates-"
"I said leave us!" the queen snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. "That's an order, Sir Galahad."
The knight bowed stiffly, his disapproval evident even through his helt.
"As you wish, Your Majesty." He turned and marched away, his armor clanking with each step.
As soon as he rounded the corner, Queen lara grabbed lisa's wrist. Her grip was like iron, her skin burning hot to the touch.
"You," she breathed, her eyes dark with... sothing lisa couldn't quite na. "Co with . Now."
Before lisa could respond, the queen was dragging her down the hall. They stopped in front of an ornate door, which the queen flung open, pulling lisa inside.
[Holy shit, are these her private chambers?] lisa thought, her eyes widening as she took in the luxurious room. Silk curtains, a massive bed, and enough random gold on the counter to make a dragon jealous.
The door slamd shut behind them, and lisa found herself pinned against it, the queen's face inches from her own.
"What have you done to , nim?" Queen lara hissed, her voice a mix of anger and... sothing else. "What magic is this?"
lisa swallowed hard, her heart pounding.
[Shit. Right, this isn't actual mind control. There's nothing stopping her from figuring out that I used magic on her. Okay, ti to think fast!]
"I... I don't know what you an, Your Majesty," lisa stamred, trying to look innocent. "I rely wanted to discuss the plight of my people in private."
The queen's eyes narrowed.
"Liar. I can feel it, this... this heat. This need. What have you done?"
lisa took a deep breath, steeling herself. This was it, the mont of truth. Either her plan would work, or she'd end up in the dungeon. Or worse.
"Your Majesty," she began, her voice soft but firm, "I've done nothing but reveal the truth. The truth of your own desires, perhaps, but nothing more."
Queen lara's grip on lisa's wrists tightened.
"My desires? What do you know of my desires, nim?"
lisa t the queen's gaze, her red eyes burning with determination.
"I know that deep down, you don't truly hate my people. I know that this 'plague' isn't what it seems. And I know that you, Your Majesty, are caught in the middle of sothing far bigger than either of us."
For a long mont, the queen said nothing. Then, slowly, her grip loosened. She stepped back, her face a mask of confusion and conflicting emotions.
"How... how do you know these things?" she whispered.
[Because I'm lying and saying whatever vague shit I can in hopes I hit a bullseye.]
Outwardly, lisa smiled.
"Because, Your Majesty, I've been paying attention. And now, I think it's ti we had an honest conversation about what's really going on in this kingdom."
lisa's mind raced as she faced the flustered queen.
The opulent room seed to close in around them, the air thick with tension and the lingering scent of the queen's exotic perfu.
[Okay, lisa, think. What would the detectives in those true cri docuntaries do?] lisa thought, desperately reaching for any scrap of useful information. [Right, no aggressive stuff. Gotta be all buddy-buddy.
Contrary to popular belief, it's when detectives pretend to be friends with the horrible monsters they're talking to that they get the most confessions, not when they're confrontational and combative.]
She nodded to herself.
[Ti to channel my inner Good Cop.]
She took a deep breath, softening her expression.
"Your Majesty, I can see you're troubled. Please, sit down. Let's talk about this calmly."
Queen lara hesitated, her eyes still wild with a mix of confusion and barely suppressed desire. After a mont, she sank into a plush armchair, her regal posture at odds with her flushed cheeks and rapid breathing.
lisa perched on the edge of a nearby chaise lounge, her tail curling around her legs. She leaned forward, her voice low and sympathetic.
"I know this must be overwhelming for you. The Shadow Mages... they have a way of manipulating people, don't they?"
The queen's head snapped up, her eyes narrowing.
"I don't know what you're talking about, nim. These accusations are-"
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"Please, Your Majesty," lisa interrupted gently. "I'm not here to accuse. I'm here to help." She paused, letting her words sink in.
[Co on, take the bait you genocidal bitch! Spill your guts out to ...]
Queen lara's lips thinned, but she remained silent. lisa pressed on, her voice dripping with false concern.
"I've seen how they operate. The way they twist people's fears and desires, using good, honest people as puppets for their dark sches. It must be terrifying, being caught in their web."
The queen's fingers tightened on the armrests of her chair.
"You know nothing of fear, nim. Nothing of the pressures of ruling a kingdom."
[Bingo. Now we're getting sowhere.] lisa leaned closer, her red eyes wide with manufactured innocence.
"Then tell , Your Majesty. Help understand. What pressures could drive a kind and just ruler to align with such darkness?"
Queen lara laughed bitterly.
"Darkness? Maybe it seems that way from where you're sitting... You know nothing of the sacrifices required to keep a kingdom safe. To keep it pure."
lisa's tail twitched with excitent, but she kept her face carefully neutral.
"Pure? Is that what the Shadow Mages promised you? A way to purify the kingdom?"
The queen's composure cracked further, her voice rising.
"No, of course not! They promised order!"
[Holy shit, she's actually falling for it!] lisa thought, struggling to keep the triumph off her face. Instead, she nodded sympathetically.
"And they told you my people were the source of that chaos, didn't they?"
Queen lara stood abruptly, pacing the room. Her silk gown rustled with each agitated step.
Queen lara's pacing suddenly stopped. She turned to lisa, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Oh, you poor, ignorant creature. You really have no idea, do you?"
"..."
lisa blinked.
[Wait, what?] She pulled back a little. [What the fuck is she on about now?]
"All we're doing is saving ourselves from you," the queen continued, her voice dripping with condescension.
lisa's brow furrowed.
"Saving yourselves? From us? What the hell are you talking about?"
The queen's smirk widened into a predatory grin.
"Oh, this is rich. You don't even know your own history, do you? How could you? We made sure of that."
[Okay, now I'm actually curious,] lisa thought, her irritation giving way to genuine interest.
"What history? What are you talking about?"
Queen lara sauntered closer, her hips swaying with each step. The air around her seed to crackle with tension and... sothing else. Sothing lisa couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Let enlighten you, little nim," the queen purred.
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