Ghulen watch Hassani let herself be tied to one of the ugly chairs decorating their apartment. The woman looked emotionally and physically exhausted; perfect. She was probably thinking about all that she'd gone through to get here and now it was ending this way. While forcing himself to remain placid externally, he practically boiled with excitement, ready to peel her open after so long in pursuit.

Goboro weeped and blubbered to himself where he leaned against the wall near the balcony archway. At first, he thought the battering the man had taken was the cause, but as he kept mouthing "I'm sorry" at Hassani. Tears of guilt at betraying his friend as much as pain, most likely. Pathetic.

"It's okay," she mouthed back. As if there were anything okay with their situation.

"It's okay," Ghulen parroted, drawing a fearful look from Goboro and a flat one from Hassani. He smiled at her.

She subtly tested the bonds Balmos had looped about her arms to tie her to an overstuffed chair. Like pretty much everything the man did, she'd probably find them loose, sloppy, and inadequate. The Venger slouched off to talk with the half-dozen other brutes filing into the room from the hallway, looking about as if trying to figure out if they could steal anything without getting caught. Hassani cast a subtle glance about to figure out where Ghulen had disappeared to and startled to find him dropping to a squat right behind her.

Another smile. "Can't have this, can we? I'm sure as a perfectionist like me, you despise poor work."

"Might have made an exception today," she muttered.

With the work of a minute, he'd retied the ropes in an effective, inescapable set of loops, knots, and twists fine enough that Hassani couldn't even change position in the chair. He'd barely even thought as he did it as he'd done it before. So many times.

That done, he pulled up another chair across from her, studying her intently for what he hoped stretched to an uncomfortable stretch of time. Balmos and the flunkies Kass had scrounged up quickly got bored. They turned to root around in the apartment. Kass was gone, hopefully doing what he'd sent her to do, not visiting a brothel or pub.

"If you're going to torture me, get started," she said, her voice more tired than aggressive. "Hope you don't mind me sleeping while you do it."

After a moment, he smiled. "It is such a pleasure to meet you. I can't tell you how much I've looked forward to this day."

"I'm sure," she said, studying him back subtly. Her body language and facial expressions revealed nothing, though the chair made it challenging to tell for sure. Regardless, she was exceptionally trained, controlled, and intentional. In spite of her situation, he smelled no hints of fear or anxiety on her sweat.

She wore Inviolate skirts and tunic so faded and worn from travel they'd lightened to a dark gray. The scent of smoke on her carried a hint of burnt meat and wood smoke which implied he'd been somewhere near a battleground. More than that, he smelled traces of god on her. He guessed she'd been to the Analis, but with the state of the Book now, he was sure a dozen verses could impart the same scent.

"Don't you start asking questions now?" Hassani said, glancing over as the hired thugs knocked over an expensive wardrobe probably just because they could. "I refuse to answer, you cut me, beat me, rape me, etcetera, etcetera until I give you any sort of answer I think will make it stop and then you kill me. Maybe we just jump towards the end and save ourselves the effort of all the middle bits?"

Again, a pause before a slow smile. "You know, others I think might say such things just to talk tough, but I think you, Hassani, might actually grit your teeth and shrug off torture. If I tortured you, that is."

"No, Ghulen, wait," she said, as the he slowly stood and walked towards Goboro. The scribe cowered and blubbered more as Ghulen casually strolled towards him, producing his long knife with an long, exaggerated draw from its sheath on his lower back.

"He's done nothing, Ghulen, knows nothing! What do you want to know?" Hassani spoke with forced calm; trying to avoid giving him anything. A hint of worry oozed from her pores. Maybe she'd give him an emotional display later, or at least the appearance of it, but not yet.

"Tell me of Earth, then," Ghulen said, stopping abruptly and turning.

"Earth?" Hassani stammered, taken aback. "It's a dead end. A verse on the forbidden list, twice. There was no 'nail for it at the Paths and Ways in Libriam, no Valeer knows where it is."

"Hm... I believe you," he said, nodding. Without looking, he swung his arm behind him and slashed Goboro. Turning, he saw he'd cut a shallow gash across head and face.

Hassani lurched in her chair, nearly tipping it over as Goboro screamed and clutched at his head, blood streaming between his fingers. "We told you what we know. That was the truth! Don't hurt him!"

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Ghulen turned towards him with a feigned look of surprise. "Oops. Looks like I cut your friend. Didn't hit an eye or cut his nose off so he'll be fine. Assuming he lives through today, that is."

Changing tacks, rapidly, Hassani laughed coarsely, surprising him. "By the dying gods, I never know you were so pathetic Goboro. Cut him again, Ghulen, see if he squeals again."

Gulen stared at the other Inviolate intently. Then again, without looking, he swung his knife at Goboro. This time, he felt the blade catch briefly as it cut through sleeve and into Goboro's arm. Goboro wailed again and lurched to his feet only for Ghulen to casually backhand him back down. "Don't go anywhere, friend. Not done yet."

Hassani laughed cruelly, rocking her chair with the force of her mirth. "Delightful. If I'd known you were this pathetic, I would have put you out of your misery and dumped you in some ruined part of the Annalis. Cut him again, Ghulen."

Goboro's screams and the terrified look he shot from Hassani to Ghulen amused Ghulen, but more interesting was Hassani's wicked grin. Ghulen looked her in the face as he stabbed randomly in Goboro's direction, the blade slicing into Goboro's flabby peck. He repeated the motion several times, each time drawing blood but never cutting deep enough to risk killing the poor scribe outright.

Contrary to everything he'd assumed about her, Hassani's laughter became more uproarious with everyy wound he inflicted. Tears actually ran down her face as the scribe howled and screamed. Finally, she bit it off with a snarl. "He useless, just kill him."

"Interesting," Ghulen said, returning to squat before her and look her over. "I had no idea. Fascinating. You don't disappoint, my dear."

She stared at him hard, not even sparing a glance at the blubber, bleeding Goboro. Hate filled her eyes. "We've had our fun. You win. You've captured me, cut on a weakling, my daughter's dead, my husband's dead, the Book is on fire, my life is ruined. What more do you want?"

"How did you convince the Rogue Legion?" he said abruptly, hoping to catch her off balance.

"Convince it? Convince it to go rogue?" she paused. "I think the Ancients did that. Or the Chapters in general; only so much self-serving you can do before those who actually serve the people of the Book get fed up with it. I just gave Eonora a little nudge on my way out of Ziggurat."

Ghulen spoke the moment she was finished in the way people did when they weren't actually listening but just waiting to speak again to keep her off balance. If it seemed like he didn't really care about the information he was gathering, she might let a bit more slip. "And why would the Imminent want you to escape from Ziggurat? How long have you been working for them?"

"The Imminent?" Hassani said, with seemingly genuine surprised. "Since when did they want me to do anything? I don't think I've ever said more than a word or two in passing to one of them."

Both of them glanced over as Goboro fell over, whimpering and subbing as he clutched at his wounds. Hassani snorted and looked away as if it disgusted her. He wondered if she really was so callous or if she was putting on a masterful performance to convince him he had no value to her. Absolutely fascinating either way.

"If what you say is true, even more interesting," Ghulen said. Without the slightest hint of warning, he gently swiped with his knife and cut her cheek open just below the eye.

She didn't so much as flinch or wince, grinning as she licked at the blood spilling down her cheek and chin. "The fun starting for real now?"

He studied her intently, smelling deeply and peering into her eyes. Anger. Exhaustion. Focus. Discipline. No hint of fear, though a touch of...

They both glanced towards the door as a series of shuffling footsteps announced the arrival of Kass; hopefully with the prize he'd sent her off to find. She looked in, squinted at Hassani and Goboro, then looked flatly at Ghulen. That she wore the Aze Blade over her shoulder made Ghulen frown. He'd never told her to do that. "I found her."

"What a pleasant surprise you've delivered, my dear Kass," Ghulen said, practically purring as he rubbed his fingers on the bloody flat of his blade. He turned to Hassani. "You'll be delighted to know your daughter isn't dead after all."

He looked from the doorway to Hassani's as Kass turned and dragged precious Avani into sight. The girl was perhaps seven years old, her hair a curly, unkempt white. Her skin's hue practically glowed with whiteness. She wore a fine purple-traced gown of white silk which claimed her as Jaxe's. Considering how many of those with the Pale he was said to have collected, the Dynast surely wouldn't miss this one.

A strange glazed look filled her girl's eyes and she looked about the apartment without recognition, her eyes barely pausing on Hassani's tear- and blood-streaked face.

"No," Hassani whispered, the word half a prayer.

"Rega said she wanted you alive, but she never said anything about the rest of your family," Ghulen said, turning to her with a content smile. "I've only begun to learn your make and this should pry you right open; prying her right open will, to make my meaning plain."

"Don't! Just, please... there's no reason. You've won..." Hassani babbled, twisting side to side as the shock hit of Ghulen shattering her world. The deep satisfaction and thrill of such moments defied his ability to communicate it so he'd long ago ceased trying to. Everyone had a tipping point, no matter how strong they may seem. Ghulen sighed contentedly, half closing his eyes as he watched her wobble on the edge of her own personal chasm to despair and self-destruction.

"Delightful," Ghulen whispered, leaning close and smelling her deeply. "Ah. A taste of the real Hassani under those layers of discipline and training and duty. I see the first hints of the foundation upon which you've built them as they crack apart here. And we haven't even started the fun yet."

Ghulen turned and snapped at Kass before pointing beside him. "Bright the precious little Avani here."

"I don't think so," Kass said, putting her hand on one of the knives in her belt and stepping between Ghulen and Avani. Balmos and the other thugs lounging around the apartment sensed the tension and rose to their feet. In a smooth, practiced series of motions, Kass drew her bow stave, strung it, and knocked an arrow. She held it relaxed and low before her, but judging by how quickly she had just readied the weapon, she didn't doubt she could put two arrows in Ghulen before he covered the four strides it would take to reach her.

Judging by how everyone in the room froze, everyone else shared the assessment.