Encounterlogs
Marias Odd Encounter Sr William 250416
In the quaint town of Haven, Maria, a self-proclaimed knight of exaggerated prowess, finds herself entangled in a web of clandestine dealings and supernatural challenges. Nestled within a luxuriously cozy apartment not her own, she recuperates from an injury that gnaws at her pride, forcing her into hiding rather than facing the public eye. Her days are spent oscillating between dreams of grandeur and the reality of her limitations. This delicate balance is disrupted when a member of The Golden Shadow, a notorious organization, arrives at her doorstep, bearing an offer that could either be a boon or a bane. This man presents her with an opportunity to acquire a powerful artifact rumored to hold enough might to stave off impending doom or wield as a formidable weapon. In exchange, The Golden Shadow asks for a favor to be named in the future, placing Maria in a predicament that tests her moral compass against her desperation for power.
Despite her initial skepticism and the knowledge that associating with The Golden Shadow could tarnish her knightly image, Maria's desperation leads her to entertain the offer. The conversation reveals her vulnerabilities and the pressure she faces from the monstrous entities that challenge her. The man from The Golden Shadow assures her of the artifact's authenticity, leveraging the reputation and influence of the Temple, the organization Maria leads in Haven. He convincingly argues that the risk of betrayal is minimal, as any deceit would invite the wrath of the global Templar organization. The promise of gaining an upper hand against the supernatural threats plaguing her and the town convinces Maria to accept the deal, forging an uneasy alliance with The Golden Shadow. This agreement marks a significant departure from her ideals, illustrating how desperation can lead even the most virtuous to make deals with proverbial devils.
(Maria's odd encounter(SRWilliam):SRWilliam)
[Tue Apr 15 2025]
In a cozy, candle-lit apartment adorned in sumptuous textures
The apartment feels intimate with a warm golden hue from various light sources illuminating the space and creating a cozy, lived-in ambiance. The room is surrounded in rich wood-stained panels, which stretch to the ceiling and provide a luxurious and sumptuous feel to the room. Impressionist artwork, and realistically painted scenes from around the world line the walls.
A large coppery-colored sofa serves as the focal point at one portion of the room, positioned against the west wall. While above it a framed post-expressionist painting of the French Quarter adds another layer of personality to the kitchen-adjacent living room.
A kitchen island serves as both a functional divider and casual dining spot, its dark wood base paired with a light stone countertop, where a couple of vintage cherry barstools are neatly tucked beneath. At the top a pendant light casts a soft amber glow. The kitchen itself is a hybrid of modern and vintage aesthetic with modern appliances hidden behind veneers of wood and sculpted dark metal.
It is morning, about 48F(8C) degrees, and the sky is covered by wispy white clouds.
(Your target and their allies are approached by a member of The Golden Shadow who offers them a deal. They have information about a powerful artifact that could help ward off the impending destruction, but they want something in return - a favor to be named later. The target and their allies must decide whether to trust The Golden Shadow and take the deal, or try to find another way to obtain the information.)
It's another early Tuesday morning in the town of Haven, and a peaceful one at that, while it's still as cold as it has been since the winter, or at least somewhere close enough. But luckily enough the water that has been striking the population one way or another during the last couple weeks is nowhere to be seen. The lingering moisture might be aiding the cold sensation of the wind, or the temperatures to stay lower than they would normally be, but at least, this morning, the sun shines above the residents of the town, offering a little comforting warmth when they avoid the more shadowy corners.
Only a couple weeks ago a sudden, out of nowhere, climatic anomaly hit the town, only to cause a massive flood that left not only some shops out of commission, but also underground spaces unable to even be inhabited. The clean up for that took almost an entire week. Draining the water from the basements, repainting stuff, changing messed up machinery - A lot of the residents of the town haven't even stopped dealing with the consequences even today, since all of these things take so long to arrange between calling insurance and budgeting things to replace. Not to mention how long it took for the town hall to clean things like the town sewers, or removing the fish that had been left stranded on the streets after the whole flood was drained.
And shortly after that whole debacle, torrential rains covered the town that also messed up with some of the power systems supplying electricity to everybody, creating a lights out combined with another enormous downpour. At the very least, these incidents were stopping, if rains were still happening, just yesterday there was one on the afternoon, it wasn't as massive or brutal as the previous, leaving no consequences for the townsfolk to deal with, other than a grim reminder of the previous events, and maybe a colder ambiance than one would have hoped for.
But right now people cannot really appreciate those things, their mind is on other business. For most people, either work - It's after all, well into the morning, and people need to get working in order to be able to eat, bills don't pay themselves - college - For those few who have classes in the morning instead of the afternoon, and who aren't taking the executive choice to just skip them in order to get a couple hours more sleep - Or something maybe a tiny bit more concerning, that being, it's that time of the month already.
The time where the animals in the forest seem to start crawling out towards the night to cause some ruckus here and there in the properties that are close to the edge of town. Animal sightings have been more common lately, some weird occurrences here and there. But for those who have lived in Haven for a long time, this is almost a given, after all, living so close to the forest, animals are bound to cross that boundary every now and then, it'd be weird if it was otherwise. Some more superstitious people claim it has something to do with the moons, since it always seems to coincide with the full ones, but that is, at the end of the day, pure superstition, like those people who claim the level of the tide when you're born determines your personality, or how you should never walk under a ladder if you don't want a hot streak of bad luck coming your way.
Whatever the reason you might be taking your mind off things, or intently worried about what might happen to your little hut in the woods tonight, the reality is, that all by itself, this morning is pretty calm, at least for the normal bystander. Those who are a little more aware of the true nature of Haven, might really see it as a sign that something else is brewing under the surface. It's never way too long before anything new happens, either something big and serious, or just silly and mildly concerning but not worthy of worry. It's just the day to day of a small portion of the Havenite population.
Today, that portion of the population affected was a single individual. And while Maria simply lounges in her apartment for a while, there's a knock on her door, slow and deliberate but not pressing. She might have been waiting for someone, but, even if she wasn't, someone was certainly outside the door, requesting her attention.
She might, like most people in this situation would, be blind to whomever rests at the other side of the door, but if she, for some reason had any means to check before opening said door, she would see a tall man, at around six foot tall, not too muscled, not too thin, not too fat, somewhere right in the middle that could be defined as healthy. With some hints at facial hair having been shaved recently, but not enough, with some bits already having grown back, a natural brown that contrasts with the blonde hair on his head, probably dyed by the looks of things. Wearing a brown jacket, and some jeans, but the most noticeable part, or the one that might give out some information about the mysterious figure, if Maria can even spot him from her living room, would be the tattoo only partially visible on his neck - While the entire thing showcases some dark colored globe stabbed with a golden dagger, only half of it is visible, giving away some part of the golden bits and only a hint of the black colored circle. Maybe enough for her to get an idea, maybe not, depends on how much she recognizes the organizations that are normally up for trouble, this one in particular being a clear member of the Golden Shadow, for those knowledgeable.
But for now, the main remains by the door, knocking patiently, giving Maria the power to decide whatever action comes next. Will she simply miss the knocking? Will she answer her door normally? Maybe distrust someone presenting themselves unannounced and plot something of her own? Maybe she just wants to rest or decides to call a friend or two just in case? Whatever the choice, the ba
Maria was a knight, indeed. Strong, beautiful, and most virtuous. A single swing of her sword could smite away the villains, and her shield could keep the innocent protected... At least, so she claimed to everyone; truth of the matter was far more complicated however. And while publically, the knight ran her mouth with such loudness and contemptious glee, in practice her abilities were greatly exaggerated.
This was not her apartment, a she crashed there instead, only a few weeks ago she got injured severely. And so rather than show up in public, she hid away in shame; because when she recovers she will be able to tell everyone of how great and mighty the fight was, and how glorious her 'victory' was even in spite of the injury she received.
For now, however? She wanted to dream, indeed. For it is perhaps in the dreams she was as glorious, and no one objected to her claims of Arthurian legend. Eyes closed, she faded away back into what was more real to her.
Then the knock came, the girl opens her eyes and sighs. Checking up on who it is. Her eyes widening as she notices the tatoo through the peephole, a hand reaching over to the knife in the hidden sheath of her clothing. "Who's there?" She asks, with a tone of someone who does not know the true alligeance of the man, but all the while should would give a predatory gaze, watching each and every move.
The man doesn't seem to move at first, an eyebrow quirking as the voice comes from the other side of the door but there's no motion to the gate between rooms. There's a tiny little pause to adjust to this speech through the barrier of the closed gate, but then, nevertheless, the man answers to Maria, with a voice a tad more gravely than one would have inferred from the visual impression.
"Maria of Camel-" There is just a tiny bit of a pause there, and, through the peephole, Maria can probably see how the man double checks on his phone to make sure to get it right, all while holding the syllable on his mouth, as if to try and make seamless something that, at this point, was stretching the name a little bit "-iard." But realizing that in correcting himself he didn't add a questioning tone, he repeats then, more inquiring "Maria of Cameliard? May I speak with you for a moment?"
There's a motion with his hand towards the door, as if signaling to it, whether to someone else, to himself, or to the very peeping Maria, that was unclear "Hopefully without this in the way" Likely the door he's referring at, that might have been the whole hand motion. Voice lowering a tad before muttering softly, closer to the gate "It's a bit of a delicate matter"
Maria was in a bit of a pickle now. She was still injured - although the injury was hidden, and she had to speak with the man, whom she recognized as the member of one of the most troublemaking organizations. How could she handle this? Well, she could handle this like a glorious knight, by bashing the door open, stunning him... And then delivering a righteous haymaker-
Nay, she thought. Rationality anchored her back to reality, she needed to be safe... She had an escape plan, multiple; if this is mere diplomacy, then she can risk it. "...Sure thing." She answers, opening the door with one hand, while the other was hidden behind her back, gripping onto the knife.
"Excellent" The man simply replies as he watches the door slowly open, paying little mind to the concealed arm that Maria was keeping from him, and instead simply crossing the boundary between corridor and room, allowing himself into the place and waiting for the knight to once more close the door before speaking once more.
"I do have a proposal for you- Or more accurately, for the Temple, which you currently lead, yes?" He expresses with a soft voice once there's no longer a worry of some outside bystander eavesdropping into the conversation, no longer at risk of breaching secrecy by talking about such topics. Slowly pacing towards the sofa in the room and lowering his butt onto it, letting gasped "Ah" the moment he sits down, there's a motion of his hand to a side and he comments towards Maria "We can skip the how did you find, or how did you... We all know everyone gets access to information in this town. I know the Golden Shadow..." A momentary pause to tug at the neck of his clothing, fully exposing the tattoo that was previously only partially visible, giving full sight of the golden dagger stumped through that dark globe "Doesn't have the best reputation. But let's be honest, half of the societies that Venice allows to exist don't even. We've all seen the Hand. So I was hoping the Temple would at least hear our offer out and then decide"
Maria stared as the man passed by, deciding to bring her other hand behind her back, to partially hide the dagger into the sheath as she listened to him talk. "I suppose, you have more tact than most groups Venice allows to exist." She allows that much, the proof of how vicious some of those societies can be was engraved onto her side, in form of almost missing chunk of flesh.
"Sure then, I would like to hear out your offer." The woman stared down at the man sitting on the sofa, she really couldn't complain - it's not where she lives, she might as well apologize to the people that allowed her to stay.
"Well, it's well known that Templars despise the supernatural and powers like arcanism even if wielded by naturals... But we also know they won't shy away from using those same powers as their weapons, that's why the whole Demolisher program exists after all" The man starts to build up, for some reason, whatever he was going to offer was enough for him to think some context would smooth the conversation out, or maybe aid his dealing.
Pressing both hands together in what almost would be a clap, if it hadn't been slow enough not to cause any noise at all, the member of the Golden Shadow simply continues "Our group has recently gotten in possession of a magical artifact, that is said to contain power enough to slow down the impending doom, or to be wielded as a weapon. We really do not really care the purpose towards which it is destined..." He allows with a shrug of a single shoulder, and parting both hands once more, palms facing upwards as he explains "We do believe the Temple would probably take interest in something like that, given how active and popular the Haven Hand branch has been getting, too many monsters roaming around, sometimes one needs just the strength to be able to fight them..."
Perhaps Maria didn't want to tell the man that she was much more different than most Temple members, not only from the fact that Magic was really nothing new to her and not something she feared, to the fact that she was desperate enough to want any edge she could get over the monsters. Yes, path to Corruption is paved with good intentions. But it is better that she possesses the artifact, than the likes of the Hand, or those mighty monsters that harrass her daily for daring to stand up for those considered 'weak'.
"...Yes, yes... You are making sense." She attempts to be non-chalant about it though. "...But?" She asks, a much more rational side compared to that dreaming side of a virtuous knight starting to take over. "There is a catch, is there not?"
"There's not really a catch. It is a deal, and as such, both sides have to come out winning something" The man counters to Maria while shaking his head lightly to the sides for just a brief couple seconds, putting both hands to rest on his lap as if to try and keep himself from emoting too much with them "The Golden Shadow offers an ancient artifact, that the Temple could use as straight up weapon, or for political leverage considering its rumored ties with the doom..."
And just a moment later, he breaks that non emotion gesture from before, and shrugs both of his shoulders, rising both hands upwards palms up, almost in the fashion of a scale "The issue would be... Well, the Temple hasn't been in the best spot for a while. Random assaults on people during December and January. Gradual disappearance of members for a reason or another. A long period of time without leadership. The current condition of the Haven branch leaves to be desired, so there isn't something the Golden Shadow wants from the Temple right now. Instead, since we trust these things are simply periodical, and that at some point everything will get back in form, we want the Temple to extend us a blank check. A favor in the future, at a time of our choosing. We do not have anything to request right now, but we know there will be in the near future"
Had anyone else been in the room, they would know what Maria would answer. A solid no, after all. Helping the Golden Shadow was evil, something that a knight with deep ties to morality would never accept, but yet again, truth of the matter is far more complicated.
She spent the last month in less than good mental state, constant attacks, harrassment, and how powerless she felt during all that. All the laughter and the thinly veiled threats from people leagues powerful than her, and any attempt to save her friends - also monsters, failed miserably as she recently found out that monsters are incredibly resistant to change, she tried everything. So why not take the desperate measures?
"...That sounds acceptable, yet - how should I know that the artifact does work? That it's powers are real, and that you are not, well... Selling me snake oil?" She crosses her hands.
"Well, the Temple is no small society like any of the others. The Haven branch might look laughable right now, but there's a reason why it is often referred to as part of the Big Three" The man argues to Maria, shaking his head in dismissal before putting the hands back down on his lap "Attacks or insults occurring locally is normally and expected, but when making bigger deals like this? The Golden Shadow wouldn't dare trick something as big and influential as the Temple"
"What happens to us after we've successfully tricked you? The global organization comes stomp us down?" Then, lifting a single index finger, the man points out "Besides, they payment you give is future- You aren't delivering anything on the spot, if upon receiving your part, you see it's a scam, you simply won't follow through on the blank check part of the deal, correct?"
Maria nods her head at the man. "Yeah, that makes sense." He was correct - the Big Three, Temple was a huge organization, even if Haven branch was lacking, they had bigger operations going all around the world. And compared to the rest of the world - they looked like a joke, she needed that power.
Ignoring the implications, and perhaps similar thought pattern to the very monsters she's hunting, the woman nods her head, extending her hand. "I'm expecting to be in posession of the artifact, and you will have your... Carte blanche as they say."
Slowly standing up from the sofa, the man extends his arm as well, taking Maria's hand and shaking it slowly while saying "Excellent. I will have it so that my superiors are informed, and will begin the delivery as soon as it is possible" And with that said, the handshake is broken after a couple seconds, and the member of the Golden Shadow trails slowly back towards the door.
He pauses there for a good couple seconds to think, not making the same mistake that he did back in the doorstep and carefully correcting the name inside his head before speaking aloud, delivering "It's a pleasure to make business with you, Maria of Cameliard. We will be in contact, if not with me directly, with someone from my organization" And with that, little less is left to say, the man turns around, opens the door and makes his way back into the corridors, door closing behind him, and leaving Maria back alone in the apartment
Despite her initial skepticism and the knowledge that associating with The Golden Shadow could tarnish her knightly image, Maria's desperation leads her to entertain the offer. The conversation reveals her vulnerabilities and the pressure she faces from the monstrous entities that challenge her. The man from The Golden Shadow assures her of the artifact's authenticity, leveraging the reputation and influence of the Temple, the organization Maria leads in Haven. He convincingly argues that the risk of betrayal is minimal, as any deceit would invite the wrath of the global Templar organization. The promise of gaining an upper hand against the supernatural threats plaguing her and the town convinces Maria to accept the deal, forging an uneasy alliance with The Golden Shadow. This agreement marks a significant departure from her ideals, illustrating how desperation can lead even the most virtuous to make deals with proverbial devils.
(Maria's odd encounter(SRWilliam):SRWilliam)
[Tue Apr 15 2025]
In a cozy, candle-lit apartment adorned in sumptuous textures
The apartment feels intimate with a warm golden hue from various light sources illuminating the space and creating a cozy, lived-in ambiance. The room is surrounded in rich wood-stained panels, which stretch to the ceiling and provide a luxurious and sumptuous feel to the room. Impressionist artwork, and realistically painted scenes from around the world line the walls.
A large coppery-colored sofa serves as the focal point at one portion of the room, positioned against the west wall. While above it a framed post-expressionist painting of the French Quarter adds another layer of personality to the kitchen-adjacent living room.
A kitchen island serves as both a functional divider and casual dining spot, its dark wood base paired with a light stone countertop, where a couple of vintage cherry barstools are neatly tucked beneath. At the top a pendant light casts a soft amber glow. The kitchen itself is a hybrid of modern and vintage aesthetic with modern appliances hidden behind veneers of wood and sculpted dark metal.
It is morning, about 48F(8C) degrees, and the sky is covered by wispy white clouds.
(Your target and their allies are approached by a member of The Golden Shadow who offers them a deal. They have information about a powerful artifact that could help ward off the impending destruction, but they want something in return - a favor to be named later. The target and their allies must decide whether to trust The Golden Shadow and take the deal, or try to find another way to obtain the information.)
It's another early Tuesday morning in the town of Haven, and a peaceful one at that, while it's still as cold as it has been since the winter, or at least somewhere close enough. But luckily enough the water that has been striking the population one way or another during the last couple weeks is nowhere to be seen. The lingering moisture might be aiding the cold sensation of the wind, or the temperatures to stay lower than they would normally be, but at least, this morning, the sun shines above the residents of the town, offering a little comforting warmth when they avoid the more shadowy corners.
Only a couple weeks ago a sudden, out of nowhere, climatic anomaly hit the town, only to cause a massive flood that left not only some shops out of commission, but also underground spaces unable to even be inhabited. The clean up for that took almost an entire week. Draining the water from the basements, repainting stuff, changing messed up machinery - A lot of the residents of the town haven't even stopped dealing with the consequences even today, since all of these things take so long to arrange between calling insurance and budgeting things to replace. Not to mention how long it took for the town hall to clean things like the town sewers, or removing the fish that had been left stranded on the streets after the whole flood was drained.
And shortly after that whole debacle, torrential rains covered the town that also messed up with some of the power systems supplying electricity to everybody, creating a lights out combined with another enormous downpour. At the very least, these incidents were stopping, if rains were still happening, just yesterday there was one on the afternoon, it wasn't as massive or brutal as the previous, leaving no consequences for the townsfolk to deal with, other than a grim reminder of the previous events, and maybe a colder ambiance than one would have hoped for.
But right now people cannot really appreciate those things, their mind is on other business. For most people, either work - It's after all, well into the morning, and people need to get working in order to be able to eat, bills don't pay themselves - college - For those few who have classes in the morning instead of the afternoon, and who aren't taking the executive choice to just skip them in order to get a couple hours more sleep - Or something maybe a tiny bit more concerning, that being, it's that time of the month already.
The time where the animals in the forest seem to start crawling out towards the night to cause some ruckus here and there in the properties that are close to the edge of town. Animal sightings have been more common lately, some weird occurrences here and there. But for those who have lived in Haven for a long time, this is almost a given, after all, living so close to the forest, animals are bound to cross that boundary every now and then, it'd be weird if it was otherwise. Some more superstitious people claim it has something to do with the moons, since it always seems to coincide with the full ones, but that is, at the end of the day, pure superstition, like those people who claim the level of the tide when you're born determines your personality, or how you should never walk under a ladder if you don't want a hot streak of bad luck coming your way.
Whatever the reason you might be taking your mind off things, or intently worried about what might happen to your little hut in the woods tonight, the reality is, that all by itself, this morning is pretty calm, at least for the normal bystander. Those who are a little more aware of the true nature of Haven, might really see it as a sign that something else is brewing under the surface. It's never way too long before anything new happens, either something big and serious, or just silly and mildly concerning but not worthy of worry. It's just the day to day of a small portion of the Havenite population.
Today, that portion of the population affected was a single individual. And while Maria simply lounges in her apartment for a while, there's a knock on her door, slow and deliberate but not pressing. She might have been waiting for someone, but, even if she wasn't, someone was certainly outside the door, requesting her attention.
She might, like most people in this situation would, be blind to whomever rests at the other side of the door, but if she, for some reason had any means to check before opening said door, she would see a tall man, at around six foot tall, not too muscled, not too thin, not too fat, somewhere right in the middle that could be defined as healthy. With some hints at facial hair having been shaved recently, but not enough, with some bits already having grown back, a natural brown that contrasts with the blonde hair on his head, probably dyed by the looks of things. Wearing a brown jacket, and some jeans, but the most noticeable part, or the one that might give out some information about the mysterious figure, if Maria can even spot him from her living room, would be the tattoo only partially visible on his neck - While the entire thing showcases some dark colored globe stabbed with a golden dagger, only half of it is visible, giving away some part of the golden bits and only a hint of the black colored circle. Maybe enough for her to get an idea, maybe not, depends on how much she recognizes the organizations that are normally up for trouble, this one in particular being a clear member of the Golden Shadow, for those knowledgeable.
But for now, the main remains by the door, knocking patiently, giving Maria the power to decide whatever action comes next. Will she simply miss the knocking? Will she answer her door normally? Maybe distrust someone presenting themselves unannounced and plot something of her own? Maybe she just wants to rest or decides to call a friend or two just in case? Whatever the choice, the ba
Maria was a knight, indeed. Strong, beautiful, and most virtuous. A single swing of her sword could smite away the villains, and her shield could keep the innocent protected... At least, so she claimed to everyone; truth of the matter was far more complicated however. And while publically, the knight ran her mouth with such loudness and contemptious glee, in practice her abilities were greatly exaggerated.
This was not her apartment, a she crashed there instead, only a few weeks ago she got injured severely. And so rather than show up in public, she hid away in shame; because when she recovers she will be able to tell everyone of how great and mighty the fight was, and how glorious her 'victory' was even in spite of the injury she received.
For now, however? She wanted to dream, indeed. For it is perhaps in the dreams she was as glorious, and no one objected to her claims of Arthurian legend. Eyes closed, she faded away back into what was more real to her.
Then the knock came, the girl opens her eyes and sighs. Checking up on who it is. Her eyes widening as she notices the tatoo through the peephole, a hand reaching over to the knife in the hidden sheath of her clothing. "Who's there?" She asks, with a tone of someone who does not know the true alligeance of the man, but all the while should would give a predatory gaze, watching each and every move.
The man doesn't seem to move at first, an eyebrow quirking as the voice comes from the other side of the door but there's no motion to the gate between rooms. There's a tiny little pause to adjust to this speech through the barrier of the closed gate, but then, nevertheless, the man answers to Maria, with a voice a tad more gravely than one would have inferred from the visual impression.
"Maria of Camel-" There is just a tiny bit of a pause there, and, through the peephole, Maria can probably see how the man double checks on his phone to make sure to get it right, all while holding the syllable on his mouth, as if to try and make seamless something that, at this point, was stretching the name a little bit "-iard." But realizing that in correcting himself he didn't add a questioning tone, he repeats then, more inquiring "Maria of Cameliard? May I speak with you for a moment?"
There's a motion with his hand towards the door, as if signaling to it, whether to someone else, to himself, or to the very peeping Maria, that was unclear "Hopefully without this in the way" Likely the door he's referring at, that might have been the whole hand motion. Voice lowering a tad before muttering softly, closer to the gate "It's a bit of a delicate matter"
Maria was in a bit of a pickle now. She was still injured - although the injury was hidden, and she had to speak with the man, whom she recognized as the member of one of the most troublemaking organizations. How could she handle this? Well, she could handle this like a glorious knight, by bashing the door open, stunning him... And then delivering a righteous haymaker-
Nay, she thought. Rationality anchored her back to reality, she needed to be safe... She had an escape plan, multiple; if this is mere diplomacy, then she can risk it. "...Sure thing." She answers, opening the door with one hand, while the other was hidden behind her back, gripping onto the knife.
"Excellent" The man simply replies as he watches the door slowly open, paying little mind to the concealed arm that Maria was keeping from him, and instead simply crossing the boundary between corridor and room, allowing himself into the place and waiting for the knight to once more close the door before speaking once more.
"I do have a proposal for you- Or more accurately, for the Temple, which you currently lead, yes?" He expresses with a soft voice once there's no longer a worry of some outside bystander eavesdropping into the conversation, no longer at risk of breaching secrecy by talking about such topics. Slowly pacing towards the sofa in the room and lowering his butt onto it, letting gasped "Ah" the moment he sits down, there's a motion of his hand to a side and he comments towards Maria "We can skip the how did you find, or how did you... We all know everyone gets access to information in this town. I know the Golden Shadow..." A momentary pause to tug at the neck of his clothing, fully exposing the tattoo that was previously only partially visible, giving full sight of the golden dagger stumped through that dark globe "Doesn't have the best reputation. But let's be honest, half of the societies that Venice allows to exist don't even. We've all seen the Hand. So I was hoping the Temple would at least hear our offer out and then decide"
Maria stared as the man passed by, deciding to bring her other hand behind her back, to partially hide the dagger into the sheath as she listened to him talk. "I suppose, you have more tact than most groups Venice allows to exist." She allows that much, the proof of how vicious some of those societies can be was engraved onto her side, in form of almost missing chunk of flesh.
"Sure then, I would like to hear out your offer." The woman stared down at the man sitting on the sofa, she really couldn't complain - it's not where she lives, she might as well apologize to the people that allowed her to stay.
"Well, it's well known that Templars despise the supernatural and powers like arcanism even if wielded by naturals... But we also know they won't shy away from using those same powers as their weapons, that's why the whole Demolisher program exists after all" The man starts to build up, for some reason, whatever he was going to offer was enough for him to think some context would smooth the conversation out, or maybe aid his dealing.
Pressing both hands together in what almost would be a clap, if it hadn't been slow enough not to cause any noise at all, the member of the Golden Shadow simply continues "Our group has recently gotten in possession of a magical artifact, that is said to contain power enough to slow down the impending doom, or to be wielded as a weapon. We really do not really care the purpose towards which it is destined..." He allows with a shrug of a single shoulder, and parting both hands once more, palms facing upwards as he explains "We do believe the Temple would probably take interest in something like that, given how active and popular the Haven Hand branch has been getting, too many monsters roaming around, sometimes one needs just the strength to be able to fight them..."
Perhaps Maria didn't want to tell the man that she was much more different than most Temple members, not only from the fact that Magic was really nothing new to her and not something she feared, to the fact that she was desperate enough to want any edge she could get over the monsters. Yes, path to Corruption is paved with good intentions. But it is better that she possesses the artifact, than the likes of the Hand, or those mighty monsters that harrass her daily for daring to stand up for those considered 'weak'.
"...Yes, yes... You are making sense." She attempts to be non-chalant about it though. "...But?" She asks, a much more rational side compared to that dreaming side of a virtuous knight starting to take over. "There is a catch, is there not?"
"There's not really a catch. It is a deal, and as such, both sides have to come out winning something" The man counters to Maria while shaking his head lightly to the sides for just a brief couple seconds, putting both hands to rest on his lap as if to try and keep himself from emoting too much with them "The Golden Shadow offers an ancient artifact, that the Temple could use as straight up weapon, or for political leverage considering its rumored ties with the doom..."
And just a moment later, he breaks that non emotion gesture from before, and shrugs both of his shoulders, rising both hands upwards palms up, almost in the fashion of a scale "The issue would be... Well, the Temple hasn't been in the best spot for a while. Random assaults on people during December and January. Gradual disappearance of members for a reason or another. A long period of time without leadership. The current condition of the Haven branch leaves to be desired, so there isn't something the Golden Shadow wants from the Temple right now. Instead, since we trust these things are simply periodical, and that at some point everything will get back in form, we want the Temple to extend us a blank check. A favor in the future, at a time of our choosing. We do not have anything to request right now, but we know there will be in the near future"
Had anyone else been in the room, they would know what Maria would answer. A solid no, after all. Helping the Golden Shadow was evil, something that a knight with deep ties to morality would never accept, but yet again, truth of the matter is far more complicated.
She spent the last month in less than good mental state, constant attacks, harrassment, and how powerless she felt during all that. All the laughter and the thinly veiled threats from people leagues powerful than her, and any attempt to save her friends - also monsters, failed miserably as she recently found out that monsters are incredibly resistant to change, she tried everything. So why not take the desperate measures?
"...That sounds acceptable, yet - how should I know that the artifact does work? That it's powers are real, and that you are not, well... Selling me snake oil?" She crosses her hands.
"Well, the Temple is no small society like any of the others. The Haven branch might look laughable right now, but there's a reason why it is often referred to as part of the Big Three" The man argues to Maria, shaking his head in dismissal before putting the hands back down on his lap "Attacks or insults occurring locally is normally and expected, but when making bigger deals like this? The Golden Shadow wouldn't dare trick something as big and influential as the Temple"
"What happens to us after we've successfully tricked you? The global organization comes stomp us down?" Then, lifting a single index finger, the man points out "Besides, they payment you give is future- You aren't delivering anything on the spot, if upon receiving your part, you see it's a scam, you simply won't follow through on the blank check part of the deal, correct?"
Maria nods her head at the man. "Yeah, that makes sense." He was correct - the Big Three, Temple was a huge organization, even if Haven branch was lacking, they had bigger operations going all around the world. And compared to the rest of the world - they looked like a joke, she needed that power.
Ignoring the implications, and perhaps similar thought pattern to the very monsters she's hunting, the woman nods her head, extending her hand. "I'm expecting to be in posession of the artifact, and you will have your... Carte blanche as they say."
Slowly standing up from the sofa, the man extends his arm as well, taking Maria's hand and shaking it slowly while saying "Excellent. I will have it so that my superiors are informed, and will begin the delivery as soon as it is possible" And with that said, the handshake is broken after a couple seconds, and the member of the Golden Shadow trails slowly back towards the door.
He pauses there for a good couple seconds to think, not making the same mistake that he did back in the doorstep and carefully correcting the name inside his head before speaking aloud, delivering "It's a pleasure to make business with you, Maria of Cameliard. We will be in contact, if not with me directly, with someone from my organization" And with that, little less is left to say, the man turns around, opens the door and makes his way back into the corridors, door closing behind him, and leaving Maria back alone in the apartment