Auguste found himself tied to a chair in a dark room, barely able to make anything out past his immediate surroundings. Which were suddenly occupied with a masked figure, clad in a hood and dark leathers. The person seemed to stare balefully down at the bound butler, their voice distorted by the mask as they spoke. 

[b]”Auguste Koscielny. I won’t beat around the bush. You manage Duke Rhinecliff’s estate. Therefore, you have something I’m very interested in, that I won’t hesitate to inflict a great deal of pain in acquiring. Give me what I want, and you’ll find yourself spared of all that suffering. Do we have an understanding, or do you intend to be [i]difficult[/i]?”[/b]

The young head-butler startled, but his body was too tightly bound to do much more than fling his head back, his eyes filled with a sense of dread, alarm, and…Well, the last time he was in a situation like this, he had paid for it. Voice-distorting mask aside. Still, despite his foppish nature and his general lack of experience, Auguste was almost about to loudly declare that he would [i]never[/i] betray the Duke, before biting his tongue.

Pain drove initial reactions away. Helped calm himself as well. He took in a deep breath, remembered the manual, and then nodded. He wasn’t going to be difficult. Didn’t want pain, after all. But there was another flash of hesitation flickering through his eyes as well.

Was he just going to do all this just so his death was painless? In which case…

“O-only if you swear upon the All-Force not to kill me after this! So I can’t give you my life…or my heart!”

[b]”I swear that I won’t physically harm you or traumatize you mentally in any way so long as you [i]cooperate fully[/i] and tell me the truth. Satisfied?”[/b] It was an easy oath to make, considering Safina’s Seed. Auguste wouldn’t remember a thing about any of this after he was done. 

[b]”Once we’re finished here, you’re going to wake up safe back in your bed on the morrow. So,”[/b] The masked figure leaned in. 

[b]”Your master’s vault. Where is it?”[/b]

“I don-”

Auguste caught himself before he damned himself, his brows furrowing in thought.

“Duke Rhinecliff has never given us any idea as to where his vault was,” he said instead, his words slowing down as he carefully thought it over. “When it comes to public projects in Odonfield, he’d send letters to banks or merchants’ guilds about it.”

So the dukedom’s [i]spending money[/i], at least, wasn’t to be found in the estate.

“But, there’s a couple of areas in the estate that never require cleaning or maintenance, so if you’re planning on stealing ‘treasure’, they might be there? Usually he likes to keep his study to himself, and there’s a section of the library room that’s off-limits to anyone but his Grace.”

Whatever the case was, it appeared that the head butler was either incredibly fearful for his life, incredibly disloyal, or had been instructed to not consider loyalty a merit to begin with.

This was ridiculous. Rhinecliff had to have money somewhere. Banks and merchants? Was he financing his public ventures on [i]credit[/i]??

The masked figure leaned in very closely. [b]”You’re making this easy. Suspiciously easy. I need you to think very carefully for a moment. What safeguards do you know of within the estate?”[/b]

Auguste tried to lean back, but his head was already pressed against the back of the chair.

“I mean, I’m not lying! And there’s nothing crazy for safeguards too, at least I don’t think? You know, normal amount of guards, some security magic, but nothing that’s like he’s hiding a whole army in the estate?” Except when the army comes in for an occasion. “And His Grace carries the only key to those private places, but, y’know?”

If he had his arms free, he’d probably make some empty gesticulation. “There’s no traps or anything I know of. I heard from the older servants that the estate had gone through renovations after the war, but back then, I wasn’t even working.”

After a moment, the masked figure relented, stepping back and pulling out a brooch with a black pearl embedded in its center. 

[b]”You’ve been very helpful.”[/b] Safina said as the Empty Gaze began to work its magics. [b]”Fret not, I’m keeping to my word. You won’t remember a word of this conversation once you wake, though all the evidence will point to a rather embarrassing night in for you.”[/b] After a few moments more, the Seed finished its work, and Safina proceeded to knock Auguste out with a chop to the back of the neck.

[b]”Oi, you lot. Get in here.”[/b] Safina called out to the rest of her team, the various assassins starting to filter in. [b]”Right, I want you and you,”[/b] She pointed towards two local Concord members from the Odonfield cell. [b]”Get this one home. Plant some evidence and make it look like he didn’t show up to work after a night of getting good and soused. The rest of you,”[/b] She looked to her assassins, removing the mask from her face.

[b]”We move on the estate tonight. The study and the library.”[/b]