„Tell me again why we are doing this?“ Duncan stood behind her in the Queen’s Quarters in Anastacia’s home, both hands casually on her hips while staring at her giggling form in the mirror. She’s dressed into a simple travel suit she’d purchased just a day back – a beige blouse with a matching pair of pants and a lovely if a little non-descript brown hat that she pushed onto her face to cover it in jest.

„Because it will be fun and fun is good,“ the Priestess Queen chuckled lightly as she turned and planted a kiss on her lover’s lips, withdrawing before he got to recover from the sudden assault. They were the same height so he couldn’t glare down at the witch as he usually did to unruly wenches but it didn’t stop him from trying. The Purple Dusk jeweled Warlord Prince picked up his own hat, also gotten during that shopping spree and sighed. „My hat is old and weary, a hint, M’lady?“ Ana rolled her eyes as she made another swirl, unbuttoning the blouse and replacing with a nice flower-printed shirt along with a jacket. Content, the witch looked up and smiled at the man. „It is only to show the hat belongs to someone with great experience…,“ she said, unfazed by his snort, „and expertise on the field of treasure hunting.“

This was going to be so fun, she thought as she pulled the hat back again, feeling for the Black Widow’s web on it that would help disguise someone like a Black jeweled dual casted Queen into a simple Rose-jeweled Priestess. For the rest of the group that she’d intend to gather after a advertisment in the Maysorrow Guardian, she was Lady Mara Soft, a Priestess and a treasurehunter, a librarian and a historian. She’d had a good education for a Queen, as her parents always knew the Red Birthright would gain the witch the rulership of the icy territory and hence trained and tutored the girl with the experts of all fields. History had been one of Ana’s favorite classes and she always had told everyone that if she’d not become a ruler of Glacia, she would be a historian and a librarian. Duncan knew all this and understood that this adventure would not be for the treasure or riches but the childhood dream of the otherwise revered Queen.

„You know… Since I will be darker jeweled than you,“ the Warlord Prince smirked as he slipped his hand back onto her waist and nuzzled his face against her neck, his voice vibrating down her veins in the most intimate ways, bringing the witch’s antics to a halt and her attention fully and heavily on the male. „… I should be the expedition leader,“ he finished and smiled at the gasp of a response he received from his otherwise so reserved Queen. Purple Dusk was indeed a darker a jewel than the Rose she had requested for her disguise. But would the witch who was used to having everything her way or no way at all be able to take orders from the man? She closed her eyes, his attention shading her clear thinking, and sighed. „That is blackmail, Prince,“ Ana whispered and dropped the hat, forgetting about the adventure, the maps, the treasures, everything in the whole realm besides them two.

(Fade to black all properly)

A week later:

With a practiced motion, the witch pushed the hat off her face before she downed the shot of Glacian whiskey to the pleasure of all those around her. She’d become one of the attractions of the tavern that evening even with the somewhat snarly Warlord Prince accompanying the Priestess. She was to lead an expedition to find the Sapphire Queen’s treasure and that day was when they were signing up people for the journey. All had been arranged. A coach, some horses, the first few guest-house reservations towards their initial destination in the mountains, all was settled by the organizational freak of the Priestess. Lady Mara Soft, they’d introduced herself, a historian, librarian and a treasurehunter and only that made grown men want to follow her example and venture out into the wild in search of something that was probably non-existant anyway. The man had murmured his name from under his weather-beated hat – India Jones. Both respectable names, both looking confident and very enthusiastic about the trip ahead.

Looking at the pages in front of her on the table, Mara wrinkled her nose ever so slightly in a lady-like manner as she signed and pushed the paper to the somewhat concerned looking Warlord at the opposite of her. „Now, Lord Rigual, sign here and we’re off to a good start. It’s a simple contract, really. I promise to deliver you and your companion to Heiden Peak and lead a search for the Sapphire Queen’s treasure and you will in turn follow the lead of myself, Mara Soft, and that of my associate, Prince Jones. All your personal expenses will be covered by you and should we fail to do what we agreed upon, the costs will be halved between us.“ The Warlord nodded in daze and signed the contract before Mara pulled it to herself checking the readability of the signature and then adding it to her pile of contracts. „These will be stored while we are away, in the town library,“ the Priestess assured the man and then smiled over her shoulder at the Warlord Prince playing idly with his empty shot glass.

„We almost have the whole group now. A few more and we’re good to go.“ She knew the man wanted to get them both out of the crowded tavern room so there would be only him and her and noone would disturb their privacy. In secret, she yearned for some peace and quiet and his touch, as well. But the witch knew that the promised deadline of eight o’clock that had been advertised as the time until they were in the tavern signing up the group, had to be kept or people would not take them seriously.

Leaning back in her chair, she waved at the bartender for another round of shots.

((OOC: Yes, the disguised Lady Mara Soft is actually Anastacia Campbell and „India Jones“ is Duncan. But with the Black Widow’s web they are both disguised – Ana as a Rose jeweled Priestess and Duncan… well, just his looks are slightly changed. This is the starting thread of the treasure hunt plot. Everyone is welcome now and to add along the way.))

She'd heard about the Treasure Hunt and had been far too excited for her own liking. She wasn't even sure what had lured her into wanting to go. Strangely enough, thoughm, once the idea had settled into her brain, she simply couldn't help but feel a desperate need to be there. It wasn't as if she actually knew a thing about treasure hunting, it more a sensation of being drawn to it, and the excitement was most definitely welcome. Always. Eveline Romero welcomed excitement beyond all things. Well, beyond all things other than a really lush pelt.

So she had set to work designing her slimbing gear. She knew there was something about the mountains, and she knew full-well how freakishly cold they could get, and so warmth was the first priority. Followed very closely by fashion. There was no sense in her going and airing her wares if they didn't look and feel good, and the extras she was taking along would be most welcome if people got really cold. She'd smirked the whole way through the design process. Yes, if there truly was treasure, she would be able to finally expand into the colder regions outside of Glacia, and perhaps even branch out into summer clothes.

As Evelina packed her small case, she pondered the idea of treasure. She wasn't even sure what kind of treasure it was going to be. She'd be content with a small stash of something she could sell on, or useful items, or even rare skins and fur from whatever creatures were hidden up there. It was a fascinating idea, being able to land herself some rarity or another, and use it in the store. Her eyes glistened at the possibilities. It was very exciting indeed. She also wouln't have minded finding herself a bit of man while she was up there. After all, the best way to keep warm... No. She wouldn't get distracted now. She had to get dressed.

As she eyed herself in the mirror several minutes later, she smiled heartily at the fur boots, and the deerskin trousers. The white shirt looked good, but the fur body warmer in soft golden brown made all the difference. And then, of course, she had the deep browny-red bearskin coat, that was lined with soft red satin. It wasn't an all-weather coat, by any means, but it looked good, and it felt delicious. All was set, and as she winked at her reflection, Evelina grabbed her case and headed toward the tavern in town where the sign-up had begun.

***

"Evelina Romero," she smiled, unusually, at the blonde woman. "I'd like to sign up, please." She glanced at the clock in the bar. Almost eight. She'd made it, just. She was somewhat out of breath, and she decided, then, that she needed to compose herself somewhat. Her cheeks were a warm pink, and the tip of her nose was icy and glowing. It was the mother of all cold nights out there, and she'd not felt it at all until she'd walked into the warm, almost sticky interior.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Soft." Another grin, so out of character, crossed her face as she extended a hand to shake it, removing and vanishing the bearskin with her free hand. "I'm very excited, even if it has taken weeks for the day to finally arrive." She was babbling, she knew that. But a couple of shots of something would soon clear that out. She glanced over at the barman and asked for a double double of malt. As she swallowed half of it, she smiled and looked around the group. "So, when do we get the party started?"

Just as the clock had hit eight for the first time, Duncan had stood up, ready to leave the tavern behind and even Ana... well, Mara Soft was collecting the last registration sheets and contracts they'd made with the group of adventurers who were all eager to go and find the Sapphire Queen's treasure. So when the Opal-jeweled witch stopped at the table and announced her desire to sign up as well, it was unexpected to say the least but not unwelcome. The gray eyes of Lady Soft lit up happily as she handed the woman their last registration sheet and a copy of the contract they had made for all of those the two would lead through the cold province into the unknown. "Welcome, Lady Romero," the Rose-jeweled Priestess said, taking the offered hand for a strong shake, and promptly introduced herself as the expedition leader and Prince Jones as their guide. The Warlord Prince gave the witch a frowning look over his shoulder and murmured something that could have been a greeting but could have also been a curse. Knowing the man, Mara wasn't sure which.

But she let it slide easily enough as she encouraged the witch to read the contract while outlining their idea of where the search would take the group. The Priestess found the last arrival's style most extravagant if a little out of place, however it was pleasant to view while the other was occupied with reading. "Heiden Peak is where we know the Eyrien saw the marker with the clue to the whereabouts of the treasure," she spoke lightly, fluently. The speech she knew by heart now and in no way was she going to let herself be pushed from the path she'd taken up now. And while she wasn't quite sure what the people of their expedition would think of her should she be discovered as the Queen of Glacia, Ana wasn't concerned at all. Which couldn't be said about Duncan. Ana knew him well enough to feel the discontent wavering just under the surface of the Warlord Prince.

"Have you done this kind of a thing before?" Mara slid up a pen so Evelina could sign the contract for them and was left sitting at the table with her chin supported by her free hand and her enthusiastic gaze traveling from the witch to the Warlord Prince and back onto the pile of contracts. If even half of the brave ones that had come there would show up the day they would be leaving, she would be incredibly surprised and pleased! Wondering if the witch would ask about how the two - one a Purple Dusk jeweled and the other wearing the Rose - were going to see the signs of the Sapphire Queen who was so obviously above their jewel of strength level, the Priestess had the expectant look of someone who was selling something and wanted to hear the magic words out of the one they had been buttering up.

*I'll take care of the bill,* Duncan sent her on their very private physic thread and Mara sent the male a bright smile of gratitude. To explain it to Evelina, she added outwardly:"You got here just in the nick of time. We were about to leave."

Evelina drank quickly, probably too quickly considering how her heart was pounding from excitement, and the rush to get here. They were almost in a rhythm, her heart and her gulps. drink, beat, drink, beat, and it was a toss up for the witch to either slow down and stay sober long enough to make a good impression, or stop worrying and enjoy her body's music. Maybe beet to slow down. For now.

As the Priestess shook her hand, Evelina felt another babble of senseless conversation rear its head, but rhetorically somehow quashed it. Who knew how long she'd be out with these people, how boring they might turn out to be - she'd need something to talk about then! She nodded, half listening as she scanned the page in her hands. None of it made sense, the fresh malt and excitement simmering away cast out any rational thought for the time being.

A slow reader on her brightest of days, Evelina shook her head, and glad of an excuse to stop, placed the paper aside and looked at the Rose Jewelled Priestess. "No, not really," she admitted, a little ashamed, "I generally only go in search of my own treasure." She patted the furry body warmer for emphasis.

She couldn't help feel she was ever so slightly under some sort of curious inspection. It didn't feel invasive, more intrigued, and it prompted her to take another drink. She seemed to be missing something, but the warmth in her belly from the whisky, and the warmth of the tavern muted her awareness a little and she didn't much want to puzzle over it.

"So, how do you know about all this, the treasure? There's gossip galore on the streets of Maysorrow, even in the shop." She grinned, again so out of character, and eyed the stack of papers idly. Where they all recruits? This could get really exciting! Her mind wandered. "See, I own a clothes store in town," Off she went again. "and I make all the items. If you ever need anything--" She trailed off as the quiet male suddenly spoke and headed toward the bar.

She leaned in and cocked an eyebrow, keeping her gaze on the man. She whispered to the Priestess, "He could be cute, but he ain't much of a talker," she smiled devilishly, her voice jesting. "He ain't here for the warmth, is he?"

The witch seemed overly excited or maybe a little strained after a jog to the tavern. From the way she dressed, Mara could hardly imagine them running for anything. But she guessed the famous treasure hunt was good enough a reason for anyone to step outside their characters so she let it go.

When the woman pointed to the hand warmer, the Priestess managed not to cringe. For someone who spent a lot of time among the most dangerous furry creatures in the realms that she knew were also getting hunted for their lovely fur, the witch seemed to be handling herself quite well. With her face darkening just a notch, Mara showed with nothing else how she felt about the thing. The simple truth was, sometimes hunting was necessary and even the animal-lover like her understood it. So she gave a level nod and a non-committal smile as she invited them to buy any clothes they were making. "Thank you for the offer," she said neutrally and moved onto the next topic at hand.

"We read the book about all the findings to confirm the existence of the treasure and then it was merely a matter of discussing our action plan with a conveniently dark jeweled Black Widow to manage the traps for us," she spoke lightly, leaning her elbow on the tabletop while watching the witch with an idle smile. "We've just about cracked this thing open, now all there is left to do is decipher the clues and all will be revealed." There was no sign of hesitation in the Priestess, no doubt that they would find the treasure despite the sudden swarm of other hunters gone after it. Instead the Priestess was calmly self-assure in her own abilities to find the hoard.

Arching an eyebrow as Evelina commented on Duncan, Mara almost chuckled but grinned instead, glancing over her shoulder at the man standing at the bar. "He can be warm when he wants to," she spilled with an undertone of heat in her words though she didn't go any further into detail about the whole thing. "Prince Jones is the best guide we could ever ask for. He knows Maysorrow's mountains like the back of his hand," was added in continuation though the slight rise in temperature was painting the Priestess's cheeks in a nice soft pink shade. It was quite obvious she wasn't the type to discuss stuff like that with perfect strangers nor would Duncan entertain the witch though... who knew? Maybe given enough drinks...?

"We're set to leave in ten days. Meeting place is on the border of the town by the coach station." With that, the Priestess drew out of the mometary daze her lover had unwittingly put her in.

There was a difference to this Priestess that Evelina Romero was having trouble trying to decipher. She supposed it was simply the caste itself, having never really spent very much time around Priestesses and Black Widows and such. Hell, other than people that bimbled into the store, Evelina didn't really meet anyone, so it stood to reason that she no doubt thought something was different about Mara. Evelina hadn't really followed the path of learning Protocol and all that, and as such, really had a very vague idea of what it was the Priestesses did - she knew there had been a couple milling around the Dark Alter when she'd gone to make her Offering, so she assumed they were something to do with that. Maybe she would ask Mara when they had set off.

She noticed the darkening in the woman's eyes but brushed over it. The very same darkness quickly replaced by a warm glow that gave Evelina a hint as to the witch's feelings about Prince Jones. Maybe there would be some drama within the group on their travels if these two had a thing going on. But then again, Prince Jones looked a little... oblivious? He could have been a good actor she supposed, but still, Evelina hadn't noticed any longing gazes or shifty glances between the two. SHe would have to keep an open eye from now on. She did so love drama. Of course, this trip already promised a fair whack of the stuff, but she was sure that besides the actual treasure hunting part, at some point the group would begin to unravel and such.

When the Priestess told her they would be leaving in ten days, Evelina frowned. SHe'd really gotten all of her stuff ready to leave tonight, for them to only be leaving in ten days? She'd already arranged impromptu cover for the foreseeable future at the store, and was now being handed with ten days of waiting. WHat the hell was she supposed to do? She smiled at the Priestess, "Ten days is an awfully long way off," she took a sip of her drink, "I thought we'd be leaving as soon as possible." She laughed softly, more at herself than anything, confessing herself, with a slightly rosy blush colouring her own cheeks much like the woman opposite. "I got everything packed right before I came here."

With a shrug, and throwing back the last of her liquor, Evelina grinned and put her glass down heavily on the table. "Meeting place on the border of town it is, then, Lady Soft." An uncharacteristic happiness had definitely settled over the little witch, and as she scanned the faces of the tavern-goers, she took a deep breath and began, right there and then, to wait for her adventure to begin.

This was going to be awe-inspiring, profitable, dangerous, and terrifying experience, and above all things, Evelina, after working long hours, and spending so much time alone, yearned for it with everything she had. Now, she simply had to bide her time.

With a frown, the Opal witch realised that was probably going to be the most challenging aspect of the whole trip.

Nodding softly, the Priestess acknowledged the Opal-jeweled witch’s complaint about the day of heading out being a while away. She, too, seemed excited in her own composed way and despite what it looked like, Duncan or rather India was more than ready and willing for the adventure. He had grumbled and complained about just how dangerous it could be but in his eyes, there had been that glint Ana knew so well. He’d been sucked into the idea from the moment the witch had presented it to him! Now it was simply a matter of gathering their stuff and starting off for the summit of the mountain mentioned.

„It’ll be sooner than you think,“ she spoke without letting out anything of what she was thinking. Comfortable for the time being, the Priestess seemed to have no problems with waiting for her time when she could start unveiling the secrets of the Sapphire Queen and finding the treasures! While Duncan had had his doubts, the Queen was absolutely certain they would be able to succeed and add their share of the loot to what Anastacia had already donated for the people of Glacia and their effort in rebuilding. „Just make sure you’re ready. We’re going to be climbing and walking a lot.“

For Anastacia, the biggest problem wouldn’t have been the climbing, running, possible physical exertion, the danger or uncomfortable circumstances, it was being separated from her little sunshine, beautiful half-breed Eyrien daughter. She was nearly four years old now and would be able to be apart from her mother just fine, staying under the strict protection of Garathe and Dawleas but it was the emotional bond the two shared that wouldn’t be severed. Perhaps it was time to stop babying her like Duncan had put it, and give her some space but Darkness, what space?! The little batling had been flying in the rafters for a while now, making everyone’s already short lives grow shorter with every fright she gave them! They’d be alright but Ana would definitely miss the girl greatly.

Stealthily, the Warlord Prince had returned and placed a hand on her shoulder to signal his desire to very much get the Hell out of there. He gave the witch sitting across from Mara a curious look, for the first time actually concentrating on her and his lips curled into a small, almost –almost- mocking smile as he nodded towards her:“Hope you won’t be wearing those high heels during the trip, ma’am. I’d hate to send you back because you develop a limp and nobody will carry you.“ There was humor in both his eyes and his voice, something that probably escaped Evelina like it did most witches interacting with the brute.

Raising to her feet again, Mara grinned at the Opal-jeweled witch and said:“I look forward to seeing you there, I’m sure as Hell going to get that treasure. And don’t mind India, he’s a bit cranky at so many ladies joining the hunt. He thinks they are no good at traveling the wilderness.“ Rolling her eyes at that, the Priestess nodded and gave a wave and turned to leave the tavern. „Until then, Miss Romero!“ she called before they left the place.