Genderbend fic.
I suddenly imagined twin sisters, Marbas and Lohenne.
Marbas sank into her chair, crossing one leg over the other. She balanced the saucer between thumb and forefinger, lifting the teacup to her lips to sip from it. Noble and genteel movements belied the way her eyes watched him across the room, calculating, predatory.
He kept his back to her, hands clasped just above his tailbone. Afternoon sunlight filtered into the room weakly through a partly overcast sky. He squared his shoulders before turning to look at her, working to maintain a leash on his inner turmoil.
"Don't bother trying to deny it," she said, "You thought yourself so clever. Thought you had covered your tracks. But you're a terrible secret keeper when you're drunk. Especially when the bartender is an associate of mine and gave him a bit of coin to pry free some tidbits the next time you were at his establishment."
His shoulders slumped and she knew she had him. She gestured to the teacup set on the table. "You should sit and have some tea, good sir. And we can negotiate."
"Blackmail? Is that what this is to come to?" he sighed as he sank into a chair across from her. "I don't have as much as you think."
"Drink your tea," she said.
He glared at her, but reached for the teacup, giving it a few spoonfuls of sugar and stirring it before lifting it to his lips to sip. Her eyes tracked how much he swallowed, the corners of her lips sliding up in a quiet smile.
"Good, now, negotiations."
He interrupted. "As I said, I don't have much money to give you and I will be damned if you're going to blackmail me into giving up any of my land. Even if Nora finds out about my dalliances and hangs me out to dry, our children will inherit--"
"You have nothing I want," she interrupted. Putting her teacup down, she shifted in her seat to lean forward.
He stared at her, brows furrowing. "Then what is the point of any of this?"
She glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. "Do you feel a little... warm?"
At the suggestion, he fit a forefinger beneath his collar to loosen it. "Now that you mention it, I do. But that's not answering my question. What do you want?"
"It won't last long. You'll begin losing feeling in your body next, starting with your extremities."
His eyes widened and he glanced at the teacup, most of its contents drained. "You... poison? But, why?"
She reached for the teapot, pouring herself another cup. "Oh, I don't want any of your money or your land. Greed just isn't my forte, unlike you. I'm looking at a bigger picture. Much bigger than you're imagining right now."
"Your sister..." he breathed. His face had turned a ghastly white. Marbas couldn't help but stare, marveling at how quickly the poison took effect.
"Now you've figured it out, you clever boy." She grinned over the rim of her tea, sipping it slowly as slowly sank deeper into his chair. "It's spreading isn't it. You can't get up now. Your body is molding into the chair. Is it getting difficult to breathe yet? It will soon."
She put her cup down and rose from her seat, brushing her skirts with a hand. Leaning over the prone body, she looked him straight in the eyes.
"There is a price to be paid when someone plots against my sister, good sir. And you are finding out what that is now. You'll serve as a warning for anyone else who thinks they can control her, or me."
He could only track her with his eyes at that point, though she swore she could hear something muffled coming from his throat. A strangled scream that couldn't escape. Gently she pressed a finger to his lip, hushing him sofly.
"Shhh, now go to sleep like a good boy. You can't breathe, you can't move. And soon your heart will slow... slow... and stop."