An old guard, drunk but watchful

A suite of rooms that are as trashed as the library come into your view as the door swings open. The thick carpet under your feet makes moving silently easy even for Iola; its burgundy pattern is interwoven with gold and silver threads that glitter in the low lamplight. The carpet from the Eastern Lands is silk and clearly expensive. The overall impression of wealth and comfort is marred slightly by the coarse woolen tunic and dirty leggings that lie in abandoned carelessly on the carpet.

Above you the doomed ceiling is painted sky blue and a giant candelabra hangs from a gilded chain, the candelabra must hold at least five dozen candles and light the whole room easily when lit, but at the moment all of the empty sockets are dripping with cold wax. Windows on two sides of the room let just a hint of predawn light in through the plush curtains that are only half-way drawn and you see several trays piled high with the carcasses of roast fowl and crusts of bread sitting on a pair of low round tables near the center of the main room.

Through an archway you see where Orestes must sleep, a great bed draped with silk curtains sits in the center of the smaller chamber and you see more clothing scattered on the floor, another simple tunic - this one smaller and with a feminine cut hangs from the edge of the mattress.

"Is that Airlia's?" You ask pointing to the golden tunic.

"No her's was white, with blue embroidery." Iola tells you, and you wonder if that is good or bad news. Another step into the room lets you see more of the bed and you freeze, because sprawled across the great bed lay a naked man. His eyes meet yours calmly and you see at once that this is not your target. The man on the bed has grey hair like Orestes, but his is cropped short and mottled, not set into the perfect finger curls that Orestes favors. Even more impressive is this man's lean, muscled torso as he rolls onto his side; you can see not a bit of extra weight - this is clearly a fighting man not some fat slob like the Lord of this estate. A thin sheet is draped over the man's hips so you can't see if he is as well equipped as he looks but judging by his smile when he sees you and Iola you'd guess he has a pretty high opinion of himself.

"Have you two come to entertain an old man?" He chuckles "It's been a couple years since my last threesome but I've no doubt that I can get it up as often as I need with two pretty things like you to encourage me..." Perhaps he senses that you have other intentions because his voice tails off a little uncertainly and he looks across the room to where his sword belt hangs from a chair.

"Who are you?" You ask deliberately touching the knife strapped to your wrist under your sleeve, it is a subtle motion but his eyes sober instantly. "You're not Orestes, what are you doing in his bed?"

"Easy, easy, you pretty thing," He speaks softly as though you were a stray dog he met in a dark alley. "My name is Lykaios. I'm just one of the four sorry shits that Orestes left here to watch his household, while he slipped away like a weasel." He slowly sits up rubbing his eyes casually, but not as carelessly as he pretends you notice as he swings his legs off the side of the bed and straightens up even more.

"I'm guessing that you two had hoped to find this oyster abandoned so you could help yourself to any goodies lying around." He points to the tunic that lies crumpled near your feet. "You mind kicking that over here?" He chuckles "Either I'm under dressed or you two are wearing too much, and judging by your pretty little friend's shocked expression I'm guessing she's not likely to slip her tunic off and climb up here with me.

"Where's Orestes?" Demands Iola in a small but firm voice, finally finding her courage, "and where's my sister?" It might be your imagination but for a moment you see what could be compassion in the grey-haired warrior's eyes before they harden and take in Iola's slender figure and long legs under the shortened tunic.

"He's not here anymore, and he took his newest toy with him," he switches his gaze back to you, "but I can tell you how to find him for the right price."