The Tenth Circle

With deft fingers, Tali fixed the jeweled hoops to the curved silver tips of her horns. Blood Rubies dangled freely as she turned her head back and forth in front of the ornate mirror at her black wood vanity. She wore more wealth than most would ever see in a lifetime in her hair and horns alone, which did not take into account the over sized jeweled rings she wore on her small hands. The middle finger of her left hand bore a large, nearly black garnet, while the pointer finger of her right wore the Blood Ruby that matched those that hung from her horns. The ring finger of her right hand bore the signet ring of the House de la Fierna, a family heirloom that had to be altered to accommodate her tiny finger.

Pleasant music from the pipe organ below swelled throughout the estate. Despite the distance from her suite to the room that held the massive instrument, the music could be heard throughout The Tenth Circle when Ultio Ridet de la Fierna sat down to play. The corners of her lips pulled up in the smallest smile. Her twin's choice of music spoke volumes of his mood. Little touched Retaliation, but joy felt by one of her siblings was the closest to happiness she ever felt herself.

Rising from the velvet lined bench, she turned and walked out of her rooms, her long skirts and tail flowing behind her. Retaliation looked over the halls as she went, seeking out any final imperfections that would need to be seen to. They had purchased the largest estate on in the city of Lhesa and then had the insides gutted and redone, a project requiring sweat, blood, and magic. She descended the grand staircase and made her way to seek her brother. Every servant she passed bowed or her curtsied to her, whispers of, "Your Grace," trailing in her wake.

When finally she reached the music room, one wall of which was now engulfed in its entirety by the magically crafted organ, she moved quietly across the room until she stood behind her brother. She placed her hands gently on his shoulders, a rare offering of affection from the de la Fierna scion, and leaned her forehead softly against the back of his head. She remained like this until the song was finished, refusing to interrupt. When the music faded away at last, she said, "Lhesa agrees with you, then?"

His tail entwined with hers and she responded in kind. His hand settled against the back of her neck and she leaned closer, pressing her lips lightly to the curve where his neck met his shoulder. Her hands slid down to rest on his chest. The feel of the fabric was rich in texture, another sign of the wealth the family held with such ease.

"Does it?" she asked, in response to his statement that it suited her. Her breath was warm on his neck as she spoke. "I suppose it does." They had lived in so many places, over a century spent wandering, conquering, establishing new strongholds. But Lhesa did suit her fiery temperament far better than the frozen mountains of the North.

"If only we did not have to live under their, laws," she sighed. "I have yet to learn anything of the Rashmis. Have you heard anything I have not, darling brother?"

"Layla," Tali repeated. "Layla Rashmi. Layla and Edmund Rashmi." She rolled the sound of their names around on her tongue, tasting the way they sounded. "Husband and wife, do you think?" She stepped sideways, unwinding her tail enough from her brother's to be able to move to the front of the organ bench and sit down next to him. Once seated, her tail naturally curled around his again, as if the gesture was so familiar it occurred with no thought at all.

She was small enough to easily sit on the bench next to him while he played. The music washed over her, and her mind wandered as it did. No, they had not been able to claim Lhesa before the Rashmis. She had thought nothing of it until arriving and realizing how much of the city they had already laid claim to. A family with no title, no standing, no well known history that appeared from seemingly nowhere.

Yes, of course she could understand how a merchant family could build themselves up in a single human generation, but to have the kind of wealth necessary to finance not just expeditions but to lay claim to what was found... that would be nearly impossible to accomplish in just a few decades. "To amass such resources... what kind of merchants are they? Cardamom? Cloves?"  

She raised an eyebrow at him when he moved closer to her on the bench, the small spiked piercings running along her forehead rising as well. Spices. Well, if they were selling vanilla, perhaps... Saffron. Saffron would explain it, but it still seemed odd to her that she knew nothing of this family. Wealthy enough to send out expeditions, to seek lost treasure and forgotten lands, to set up an entire city's infrastructure and pay their salaries... That was the kind of things families like the Fiernas did. 

Her twin moved even closer, nearly toppling her off the bench. Her tail tightened around his at the same time she pushed the bench back with the force of her shadow cast across the organ. With one swift movement, she was seated firmly in her brother's lap, the bench far enough away from the keys that he would have to physically remove her to keep playing or unseat them both. Neither would really surprise her, and she would be prepared for whatever he did. While he often used his physical height to his advantage, Tali was willing to use her slight frame just as quickly. 

She slipped her arms around her brother's shoulders and looked at him seriously from where she sat perched in his lap, her ankles crossed politely where they hung down over his much longer legs. "Shall I pay this pair a visit? Introduce ourselves, and see what we can learn with them?"

Ultio pulled her closer, settling her more firmly on his lap. Long decades together had honed the ways in which they interacted, the affections they both bestowed and allowed the other. While Ultio often enjoyed the embrace of women that he had so easily seduced, Tali viewed such dalliances as nothing more than a distraction from the work that lay before her. On rare occasion, she had taken lovers, but the exchange never lasted longer than what was needed to satisfy her physical needs. Her emotional intimacies were shared only with her siblings, and none more than her brother.

Having shared their mother's womb, none could ever be closer to the other. It didn't matter who he bedded. He would never love anyone the way he loved her. It wasn't something she would ever question, because she simply didn't need to. Somethings were unchangeable, no matter the falling away of seasons.

She returned his kiss, her gaze focusing on him as he pulled gently away. "There are several dozen husbands who might disagree with your manner of talking to women, sweet twin. Remind me, when was the last time you were forced to save me from a man I turned into a cuckold? Hmmm? What was that, yes. Never. So glad we agree."

She laughed lightly, a rare sound from the most serious of the Fierna siblings. She pressed her nose gently to his cheek, speaking her words against his lips. "Still, you might do better than me. As long you stick to talking, Ultio."