While his bodyguard seemed more rational, Lilith noted the temper in her charge.  That would certainly be interesting to deal with, and she had a feeling that Colden would need a few lessons in patience.  But impatience and stubbornness often went hand in hand, and it would be a hard lesson for the boy to learn.  But Colden would have to learn if he would have any chance of getting what he wanted.  "Oh, it's simple, really.  A foothold in the Rosen courts.  They're quite a powerful lot, as you know well.  And having you on the throne of one of those courts would be quite useful," Lilith explained.  That of course wasn't the entirety of the story… but it was certainly enough to get the ball rolling.

The reactions were absolutely priceless, and Lilith was highly amused.  Colden needed a bit of teaching, but with his looks and his father's blood, it wouldn't take too much.  And Lilith would make sure he was hungry to learn from her.  She was ancient, and knew more than a few useful tricks.  "Think about it.  You're of royal blood, and a male to boot.  That is quite precious to them.  It is certainly a means to an end," she said. Kingdoms had fallen because of similar things, and Lilith had seen it first hand.  This time would be nothing different.  Quite comfortable on his lap, Lilith saw no reason to move from where she was, though the conversation needed to continue.

Turning her eyes to Rayne again, she nodded.  That was good.  This place should be safe enough for the time being, even if Colden was going to be obstinate about it.  "Good, and I will help you with that task.  And I will make sure that you win, Colden.  I would suggest some manner of seclusion though.  It only takes one misstep before everything falls apart.  You never know who might accidentally cross your path.  Perhaps somewhere close to the markets?  There are some nice manors of the merchants there, and that is a prime place to listen and learn," Lilith suggested.  Somewhere they could watch, and not be watched, would be perfect.  Especially the market of Abed, where anything could be obtained for the right price.  And she would ensure that Colden had the coin the pay the price.

She nodded, and considered him.  This mission had been something of a reward for her, with little risk to Lilith in the whole affair.  And once they succeeded, things would only get better for her.  "It will take a few sessions, of course.  Perhaps we should find you better quarters first?  I do prefer having nice surroundings for my lessons," she said with a cheeky smile.  Tease, tempt, and only give a taste.  It was quite an effective tactic.

Everyone wanted power, especially the one promised to him. It was his birthright to become King, and as such, he would be willing to do nearly everything he could to obtain it. From the sound of it, both his father and Lilith wanted it, or at least that’s what he assumed at face value. But he would worry about any sort of details later on. Her words were admittingly sweet to his ears though; out of all this time, he had nearly forgotten how invaluable him being a male was to the courts.  He had already heard repeatedly throughout his life that a male born into the rosenites was like finding a well filled with naught but gold coins. It would give him one of few advantages but it was a nice one to carry with him.

“Rayne. Leave us.” He didn’t wish for her to be here at the moment and he wasn’t too worried about Lilith doing something. They needed him to be on the throne and so it would do no good to try anything against him, or at least he believed that to be the case. He looked to her, who was reluctant at first, but then nodded and took her spear with her and left out the door. She’s likely still be nearby just in case, meanwhile he would have his full attention on Lilith. He didn’t really care how they would get a nicer spot to scheme and plan, but he had to take her words with a grain of salt. He couldn’t allow for his temperament to get the best of him like he had when obtaining these quarters. “And I suppose that we will have to evict the owners quietly then?”, he asked, using some common sense for once. “I suppose that won’t be too challenging if we do it in the dead of night and then fool the rest to believe that they left for someplace and we brought it from them.” He had to agree that the markets would be the best place in town to extract information. These people would give it willing, or if necessary, be forced to do so. But all of it had to be done without drawing attention to themselves.  And if Lilith was a good a spy as she claimed, that would just make the work all the more easy.

Heaven knew that in all that talking he had forgotten that she was still perched on top of him. As much as he wanted more, she made it clear that more would come after they found a nicer house to take over. That was when a thought came to his mind. One that had been knocking in the back of his mind for so long now since her arrival. “Lilith, where is my father?” The bastard couldn’t be too far from here, and his son wondered if he had been watching them like he had when he drowned that girl. He frowned and bit on his bottom lip a teeny bit. Perhaps he had known of his location from the start and sent her after them. That’s how they did it, wasn’t it? If so, then he truly couldn’t escape that shadow for as much as he could. Xunatar might have been deceptive, but he was equally good at covering his own tracks. 

[OOC: Gonna have Rayne leave this thread, will continue with Colden solo for now xD]

When he sent out his bodyguard, Lilith nodded to her.  It was a gesture to make it clear she would ensure nothing happened to Colden, and that she could rest her mind.  Perhaps she would go and make herself useful even, outside of clinging to his side.  But her master had warned her about that, and it bothered her little.  "Well, we could go about it one of two ways…  I did a little scouting before I came and found you.  There's a certain woman, freshly widowed.  Oh, not by my hand.  He was stupid and tried to cheat one of the city's officials.  They're leaving her be, she had no part in her husband's folly," Lilith explained.  It would have been foolish of her to not come without any sort of plan, and she had made sure of the possibilities.  "Either we could go in, kill her, and I could impersonate her for as long as need be.  Or you can manipulate her, use your charm and charisma to make a more flawless coup.  She is rather attractive," Lilith added, shifting her face for a moment.  The woman was nobleborn with a pretty face, so it wouldn't be that difficult for Colden.  And it would be a good test for him.

Nodding at the question, she had expected that to come sooner or later.  "He is around.  Not here, I can promise you that much.  You are in my care, as it where, and that is enough for him.  You'll see him when our plans are further along. He does tend to attract attention, so that could ruin things before they even really start," Lilith explained.  It was a simple enough reason.  And if any of the Rosen clans knew where the wayward son was, the additional presence of his father would only make them more cautious.  And more likely for their plans to not succeed.  So it was a matter of being subtle where it was needed, showing caution where it was warranted, and being bold when the time was right.

"So tell me something, Colden.  Just what do you intend to do with that throne once you have it?  Power isn't much fun unless you have a plan to use it," she asked.  His response would be interesting for certain.  And it would show just how deeply his father's blood ran through the boy's veins.  And perhaps he could be nudged in other directions as well, if his plans weren't the best. 

Lilith had a point, whether Colden really wanted to admit it or not- they had to be discreet about everything from here on out, or at least keep that option in mind. He continued to strum his fingers up and down her sides as he pondered which choice he would make as far as the widow went. While he didn’t mind slaughtering the woman and have Lilith portray herself as her, he found the second option to be more fun and also to serve as a test for himself. He had to use the weapons she spoke of earlier and to sharpen it just as if it was a sword. “Let’s see if I can’t persuade her to welcome us into her home then”, he said with a small grin. “She must be awfully lonely and frustrated in that house.”

Her answer in regards to his father didn’t surprise him; Xunatar could pop out from anywhere if he wanted and was likely up to some misdeeds of his own at this time. Given that Lilith was here in his absence, Colden assumed that her words were true. “I suppose that he’s tending to another part of the plan. Fortunately for him, I’m not too sure if any of our enemies know of him other than a few Black Roses. A very few at that. I do see why he might fancies you, given you two have some much in common. I can tell that much in our short time together.”

Reaching over for another apple, he took a huge bit out of it and chewed as he thought about his reign once he established control over the throne he never lost. “Acquire more power”, he spoke bluntly. “I’m not going to be satisfied with just the Black throne. Oh no, Lilith. I would have before, but since those witches took it right from underneath me and gave it to someone lesser, I’m going to slowly take their thrones, one by one and take everything they have. You see, my mother had the right idea, but she lacked imagination. You should have seen the mindless undead she summoned to fight for her. They were dangerous at times, but flawed. But I seek to improve on where she left off and truly have an army that can’t be defeated. And even after I learn such magic and take them down, I will seek to make sure that my rule is never challenged again.” Colden learned close to the woman’s ear, his lips barely touching it as he whispered very softly, yet with as much seriousness as he could muster, “I want the world to quiver on even remotely thinking of ursping me again.”