Deep within the underbelly of Jayou laid the estates that ran the city’s crime. The major players were well known but not all of the minor ones were. The Desdemona family was a syndicate that were a source blood family from before Jayou had been called Jayou. They built their estate underground far from the major players and kept to themselves. This kept them out of much of the bigger conflicts and allowed for them to rally under a larger house to secure better profits.

Edrahil Desdemona was the current head of the house. He was a strict elven man with a temper to go with it. His hostility caused many to shake just from him walking by. But he did have a weakness. He had been forced to marry a human woman named Syviis from another neighboring family. She was wealthy and had a good head on her but he did not love her. No, his only weakness came in the form of a child born from the union.

It was unfortunate but Syviis had been unable to conceive another child after the birth of their daughter Loralei. A strong-willed girl who was as kind as her father was cruel. Unlike her parents, she seemed to have a mind of her own and often spent days letting her daydreams take hold. Far too delicate for the work of a crime family. She had been raised as Edrahil’s replacement but on the stipulation that she marry a man who could be the backbone she needed.

Most men did not want such a fair creature when it came to the underbelly. Still, Edrahil did not give up on his only child. Loralei was often his emotional support and his ear. She would give him suggestions for things that he could not do. Her gentle touch seemed to help in ways that he had not foreseen. Still, Loralei didn’t much care for taking over for the Desdemona family. Her head was too into the clouds and even once she reached her nineteenth birthday she was still distracted.

Edrahil sat up in his study and watched out the window. He could see Loralei picking the night blooms that grew in the underbelly. They glowed a soft blue since most of the time it was so dark. A sigh left his lips. What would he do with her? She was still young yet. Elves were long-lived after all and Loralei was showing all the signs of having inherited that trait.

“Ryker, can you go fetch me Loralei? Bring her up to the study. It’s almost time for me to once again try and teach her about the political aspects of Jayou… Hopefully, her head isn’t as in the clouds today as it was yesterday.” Only his most loyal guard would hear him laugh about Loralei. She was an odd child. With all the darkness and death around her, she was still soft and gentle.

There had been a time when Loralei wasn’t the healthiest child… He supposed that was why he was so gentle with her. Afraid of her being fragile still.

She was a fair beauty which was why Edrahil had thought it would be easy enough to find a husband to back her. However, it wasn’t an easy feat once they realized just how stubborn the girl was. Lora had pale blonde hair to the mid of her back with braids pulling her hair away from her face. Her skin while pale wasn’t completely absent of color. It was the girl’s eyes that seemed to offset people the most. Like her mother Syviis, she had one dark blue eye and one vivid purple eye. Lora was a small girl who was still growing, that much was true.

She was humming down in the garden as she sniped at some flowers to put in the vase in her room. She wasn’t dumb and knew that soon her father would call for her… Still, she wasn’t looking forward to it. There was so much to know and she knew he expected her to memorize most of it. A frown came to her lips for only a moment before she went back to humming and ignored the feeling. "Snip, snip." She called as she cut some more flowers as gently as she could.

Like in any other city, Jayou was no exception to having poverty tucked beneath its sights. Any prove needed of that could be seen in Ryker as he whittled at his dagger as his boss looked out the window. Standing in the corner, his amber watched carefully as he knew who Lord Desdemona was studying. It had been twelve years since he had been serving this family and its business. Before that, he had been on his own for as far as he could remember. An orphan and street urchin, he had worked hard to survive day by day, night by night. The young werepanther did whatever he could and eventually became good at thievery and before too long he schemed to steal from those that partook in the games of chance. It was then that he was easily caught taking the coin pouch of an elven man, but rather than to punish the boy, the man saw potential in him and took him under his wing. That man was the one he was employed by; the one that practically raised him from that day forward. Everything he had learned was from him and the business; starting from the bottom where he would run simple errands, to becoming a made-man, to his top enforcer, Ryker worked his tail off and worked his way through the ranks. His loyalty was unwavering and was completely given towards the Desdemonas.

When he heard his name called out, he ceased his action and came over towards the boss. With a quick glance, he saw Loralei tending to the flowers. Nothing unusual given how she was- it was how he had always known her to be since they were young. She was too pure, good-hearted to partake in this life. Head in the clouds, they would say of her, but she was his boss’ child and from the start, he had been rather protective her. No harm would come to her as long as he could help it. Even after all those years, not much had changed. His lordship was troubled as she would one day become the head or it was possible that through marriage, her future husband would take over. Hopefully, it would make for a better marriage than her parents’.

“Yes sir”, he replied before heading down and seeing Loralei continuing to cut flowers around the garden. A quick whistle was shot at her, his calling card so that she’d know who was coming from behind her. The much larger man sought through his dark locks with a pair of fingers, the other hand hung onto his side.

“Hey Lora, it’s time again.”

He peeked over to her little collection of flora and sighed. Such a tiny thing she was, it was hard to see her as becoming head any time soon. Ryker didn’t want to see blood on her hands, as much as he owed everything to her family. But it couldn’t be helped, and he tried to help her many times. But that damn stubbornness of hers…it was both admirable and annoying. “Your father wants to see you. Doubt I have to say anything about as to why…”

It was his whistle that caught her off guard. “Already?” Her bi-colored eyes turned and looked up at his eyes. “I guess I lost track of the time.” Maybe she was lying but it couldn’t be seen as she put the flowers into the basket with the shears and got herself off the ground. A gentle hand came up and moved her long hair over her shoulder now. “You should really do something with your hair Ryker…” There was a mischievous look on her face as she parted his hair. “It’s getting unruly again.”

Loralei tilted her head at him and nodded. “I know why. I just don’t know why.” If that made sense but it did to Loralei. She wasn’t fit for this sort of thing but she knew that she was the only one who could take over for her father. “All well. No use crying over spilled milk,” she spoke with stubbornness as she walked with Ryker back into the large house.

The little half-elf put the basket down on a stand by the entrance before they finished making their way upstairs. “Ah, my heart.” Edrahil hugged his daughter after the door closed. “Are you finally ready to stop goofing off?”

Loralei lulled her eyes back and forth in thought. “I mean… Maybe.” Her eyes looked up into her father’s. They were a vivid green. They reminded her of the leaves from an ash tree in spring. Her voice was shy but her eyes spoke worlds of how stubborn she could be. They spent the next few hours going over all of the families that mattered in Jayou… and for once Loralei appeared like she was absorbing it. Or had she just been playing dumb the entire time?

Even in the underbelly, it was easy to tell when it was close to night time. There was something about the night blossoms that changed once the sun was down in the outside world. That was the first time something went wrong in Loralei’s life.

Syviis who was a tall and slender woman almost slammed open the door in a panic. “It’s my father and brother. They were killed in a mine explosion when they were overlooking the workers.” Loralei’s eyes got big for a moment. She had heard that the males in her family were very… unfortunate. It was the reason why her mother had come all the way to Jayou to marry her father.

Edrahil stood and stared at his wife. “Calm down. You are scaring Loralei.” It was clear that it was frightening her just a bit. To lose both her uncle and her grandfather. They were the last remaining males of their family. Her mind couldn’t help but to turn to whether or not the curse or whatever it was on them was broken now.

“Ryker please take Loralei to her room now. Make sure she stays there. We absolutely must make sure nothing happens to her.” It was an odd request but Edrahil had always taken the misfortune that came with her mother’s family seriously.

“HER?! What about me?” Her mother yelled but Edrahil was quick to slap her. It scared Loralei but she understood why her father did it. Syviis was detached from Loralei and always had been.

“Enough, woman. Ryker, take Loralei now.” Loralei was quick to agree as she left with Ryker. After closing the door she looked up at Ryker.

“Do you think its true? That all the males are cursed in her family?” She couldn’t help but think about her own children someday. She had to have children, didn’t she? It was a grim thought.

He rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue at Loralei. “My hair is just fine, thank you very much”, he spoke but didn’t do anything when she messed with his hair. He’d only let her have her way with that because they knew each other for so long now. Even as children, she had a knack of being able to get his goat yet his temper never lashed out towards her. Part of it was out of respect and another was that they understood one another well. “It’s unfortunate, but you are the only one with the blood that can lead, Lora.” Ryker walked b her side as she prepared to see her father up in his office. He was silent all the way to the room and closed the door before heading back to his whittling. He would listen every now and then at the lessons she was given, mentally going over them in his head as they were some of the things he had absorbed back when he had to learn. It was like clockwork as he easily recalled the names of the other families in his mind. His eyes hit her every so often as it looked like she was getting it. She was a smart cookie, beneath that aloof demeanor of hers. He let out a ghost of a smile up until Syviis came in and ruined things.

Out of the three Desdemonas, she liked her the least but respected her nonetheless if nothing other than the fact that she was his boss’ wife. But even then, that seemed to hang on by a thread. He continued to sharpen his blade as she explained why she just blasted herself right in without warning. The tales of her family being cursed was known, but he thought of them as just being freak accidents. His boss, on the other hand, was convinced and he nodded as he escorted Loralei out of the room.

They weren’t halfway out of the room when her mother was slapped as a means for her to get a grip. Losing family was a painful thing, but it was something he hadn’t really experienced. A few members of this establishment had perished and they were the closest thing to family for him and yet he was able to control himself through it. This curse or whatever it was had to end sooner or later- there were no more males on that side of the family anymore.

He quickly led her out of that storm and turned to her. “Not too sure really. Your father certainly believes though. I’m not one to follow such superstition but there have been crazier things in this world that happened." As they made it to her room, he wondered if it was possible that this predicament would even reach them. There were no males born in their family, and Loralei was their sole child. Surely if it was real, then they would avoid it completely right? Or…when it was time for her to have children, would she be destined to continue it through any sons she would carry?

Ryker locked the door and was pressed up against it- her safety was priority number one for him. No matter what happened, her life was more important than even his own. Considering everything, he’d gladly give it up for her. “You shouldn’t mind her too much; she’s very emotional right now.” But still, she should have been worried over her daughter instead of herself. It was something that struck a nerve with him, which he didn’t show for his boss to see. Loralei, on the other hand, he expressed his frustrations towards. “How are you taking it?”

Loralei thought about it and nodded. “It’s just weird… I’m sure there is a reason for it though. I mean it is supposed to be only a male thing.” Hopefully.

Once back in the safety of her room she made her way over to a changing panel and switched into her nightgown. Ryker had always been with her so she wasn’t the shyest creature around him like she was everyone else. “She’s something…” Loralei gave him a sad look. “You know she doesn’t even look at me.” She hadn’t ever since Loralei was born.

The half-elf had been cared for by a wet nurse since she was born. Her mother Syviis either wasn’t capable of or wouldn’t feed her. Things only got worse as she grew up and the superstition that Syviis had… Well, that’s all there was to tell. She was scared of Loralei.

Sitting on the end of her bed now she looked up at Ryker with interest. “I didn’t know them very well. Am I supposed to feel sad over it?” Her eyes drifted over to the window. “It’s not like you or Father… I would be sad if either of you were gone. I suppose they are like Mother to me. Distant… Not really there.”

Her bi-colored eyes looked towards him once more. “Do you like being here Ryker? You don’t ever complain and yet you always ask me how I am. It doesn’t feel right complaining to you if you can’t do the same.” She could still hear the distant yelling of her parents. It was loud and clear.

"You always care more about her than you do for me!" Her mother was shrieking. It was obvious she was in frustrated tears over the whole thing.

"I said enough. You've always treated that girl like she was a burden to you from the moment she was born. That is on you NOT Loralei." Her father was as stern as ever.

Loralei groaned and fell back onto the bed so she could look up at the ceiling. "Man, you would think Mother was the heartless crime lord…" It was a jest as she chuckled.

“I’m not surprised, unfortunately.” Ryker still had trouble understanding why her own mother would be so cold, so distant. Curse or no curse, it had always bugged him to see how Loralei had been treated but there was nothing that could be said or done about it. Her father tried his best to get her to stop being so shallow and think about her child. But no, Syviis was nothing more than a total bitch and he didn’t see anything of her like changing anytime soon.

“The marriage had been arranged, from what I’ve understood, so I get that your parents aren’t really in love. But for her to treat you like this? She’s clearly selfish, plain and simple.”

He slid down to the floor, his back still up against the door with his eyes closed. Even now he could hear the voices starting to get louder and more hostile. More so from her mother’s side of things than her father’s. “Only difference is that they are literally distant from here. Your mother’s coldness is in a league of its own.” His blunt tone softened a bit and he sighed, “That merely means you care about people if you do. You aren’t like your mother in that regard. She’s cold while you have a warm heart. You’d thrive just about anywhere with that.” Perhaps except for Jayou, where one false move would mean certain foul play if one wasn’t careful. He really did believe that if anywhere else in the world, she’d be fine. But they were in a city of strong arms and cutthroats and he feared for her safety if anything happened to her father or himself.

“Can’t complain. Your father has done so much for me. I am indebted to you and him for as long as I live. Otherwise, I would still be in the streets, perhaps dead.” His eyes slithered slightly towards the direction of the growing screams. As usual, Syviis was throwing her own daughter at her husband’s face and he hoped that she would be smacked again. Maybe then some common sense would come to her for once. “He’s right. It is her problem, not yours, Lora.” And with that, Ryker rested his head on a hand. The thought of that crazy woman leading this house was enough to make him shudder with fear. He’d imagine it wouldn’t have been long before she undid the years of hard work and dedication Edrahil had put into. One of these days, she would learn to be a better mother or more so, she would die a fool as he thought.

“I pray that when you marry, you don’t get wound up with a fool; or I will do more than just slap him around”, he said with a tiny chuckle from his lips.

Ryker always made her feel better. He had been there almost from the start with her. They had been raised together though for different purposes. Played together when they were younger. Her father had always seen him as sort of a bodyguard for Lora. A constant friend and companion if she should need it. Lora tilted her head a bit. “Maybe I have a warm heart because I learned how not to be from dealing with her?”

Lora once more tilted her head to the other side. “You help me to Ry. You are practically the only one close to my age.” The thought of marrying someone remotely like her mother sent a shiver down her spine. “As long as you are around I’m sure that they wouldn’t put one foot out of line.” He had always stood up for her even if it was another family. After all, it was his job to protect her.

They closed out the night by saying their goodbyes. Ryker would remain close just because her mother was a tad more crazy than usual but in the morning something unusual happened. It wasn’t Loralei who was called but Ryker himself.

Edrahil sat at his desk looking out his window into the dark underbelly of Jayou’s city. “I have a question for you.” Once Ryker was settled in. “Please sit down where Lora normally sits.” The elder elf put his hands together on the desk as he turned towards the young shifter. “How do you feel about Lora? Do you think she is progressing well? Do you think any of the noblemen would be worthy of her in this city? The only one who currently is even remotely interested is Count Jae and he is ancient and on his sixth wife. I wouldn’t let Lora marry him even if my fortune counted on it.” He laughed a bit.

“I’m asking because I want you to take the Desdemona name.” His eyes deadlocked to Ryker. “I want you to marry Loralei instead of a stranger. Trust me I have my reasons for this request.”

He felt for her, he honestly did. Had ever since they were had met when they were adolescents. Ryker had still come to terms with being brought into the family and was rowdy as any street urchin could be while she was kind and gentle. It hadn’t taken long before he was both her protector and friend, making sure that she didn’t cross into harm. The only thing that she really had to deal with was her mother, who was less than such in his eyes. “I’d think some of it has to do with that”, he agreed.

Ryker watched her with a slight smile. She was about the only one other than her father who could see the side he simply hid from the rest of the world. He knew that any signs of weakness shown in Jayou meant it could be taken advantage of quickly. “It’s my duty and honor to make sure that you are safe, Lora. Don’t think anything of it.” Even he couldn’t be too sure if he would be able to protect her further once she was wedded. She would go to a new household and given his…reputation, it was highly doubtful that her future husband would take to another male, let alone him, being close to her. But if he could, he’d try his best to make sure she was well.

When it got late, he bid her farewell for the evening and retired into his own chambers. At the earliest, he was sure to be up and be near her room, but then he was summoned by his boss which confused him due to the timing but he headed off to meet with Edrahil. “My lord”, he greeted as he closed the door behind him. Ryker was concerned over the summons by kept his face in check as he sat where he was requested. When the subject of his daughter came up, the werepanther blinked before regaining his composure. “I think with some more time, she will be ready to take over when needed. She is still a bit young but she’s trying hard. As for any potential suitors…” He would have made a face about those that could have possibly been considered husband material in these parts. A great problem was that he hardly thought there was a man alive that deserved her. “I’d say that was a good call, my lord. Jae isn’t exactly a horse I would bet on. He could probably croak at any moment.”

He leaned back into his seat and wondered why he was being asked such things. But when the reason came out, to say that was he was dumbstruck was putting it very mildly. His face was red in both disbelief and something else. “Lord Edrahil…what you are speaking of is a great honor and I mean no disrespect, but surely you wouldn’t want her to marry someone of my liking…I’m not worthy of her or your family name.”

How would Loralei feel if she was here? He couldn’t help but think of that while stumbling with his words.

Edrahil laughed hard. “You flatter her too much. Lora is hardly trying and you know that. She always has her mind on candied clouds and beaches. Though when she puts her mind to it… She is a brilliant young woman.”

The man studied him for a good long while before nodding. “It’s true he could die. It’s also true he is way too old for Loralei for her to be happy. However, he’s the only one who's offered. The dowry he offered was quite the fortune too but I imagine its to get at my own.”

The man studied the young one for a long time after he began to stutter. “Can you answer me something Ryker?” he tilted her head much like his daughter when she was puzzled. “What would you do if her future husband were to hurt her? You are well aware of the dangers of being what we are correct? Do you know why Jae is on his next wife? He killed her for not giving him a son. What do you think would happen to Lora? That’s just how it is here. You would be dismissed from her probably immediately just because of how close you two are. There isn’t a lot I can do about it. That’s the way it is here and it’s why I haven’t married her off. Most daughters like Lora are married off far younger than she is.”

There was a sigh. “So I’ll offer it to you again. To not only protect Loralei but help her keep this fortune. You would take care of the empire I’ve built and you would take care of her. Worthy of her? In my eyes, you might be the only one I could trust her with. Plus her mother would hate it and that brings me great joy.” There was a bit of coldness to his voice but there was also a smile. “You understand her… and someone else might not and force her to change.”

There could be very little said about the subject; he knew she was trying her best but at the same time, her father was right. Perhaps she truly wasn’t made for the life that her father was preparing her for. But what other option was there for her? Ryker didn’t like Jae to begin with, having heard tales of his cruelty and surely Edrahil didn’t think of him as a good match, but he was the only one that offered to take her hand in marriage. But his boss was wise to that fool’s game.

That said, he couldn’t believe that his lord would actually consider making him Lora’s husband. He leaned forward in his chair, his brows brought together and his throating getting a tad drier. His hands, which had been on the resting handles, gripped harder as he was told what happened to Jae’s latest wife and certainly didn’t want to see that happen to his friend. Everything else, he was aware of, unfortunately. “You are right, and I’ve been aware of it. At the same time, what you propose is also a strange thing in our society.”

But there was little choice for an outcome for her to be happy aside from it. He had sworn to protect her to the best of his abilities and was this anything different? His grip loosened and he found himself sighing as he weighed his options. “After everything you have done for me, taking me in and bring me into the ranks, I owe you my life and then some. I’ll accept for you and your daughter, to protect what you have made and see that she is taken care of and happy.” He still wasn’t too sure of this, but Lora did deserve better than any other fate that could have bestowed her.

"When will she be informed of this?"