The Cerulean Brigade, Chapter 2: I Think Faze Just Became the Main Character

[Astral Harmony]

In spite of the impressive first attack made by the mysterious ninja, Aishel and Chizuru didn't have any trouble handing this black-clad retard his own defeat.
"Yatta!" Chizuru cheered.
"We won." Aishel said, not sure what to think of their victory.
"I lost." The ninja said...and then came the overdramatic poses. "But don't think you won. You just got lucky is all-"

When one of his poses allowed him to look at the two girls he had attempted to kill, he could clearly see that they were trying very hard not to laugh. "Why are you laughing?!"
The girls couldn't contain the giggles anymore and soon their laughter could be heard outside.
"...Hi-...his voice..." Chizuru dropped her weapons in the water. "It's just too much!"
Aishel somehow managed to compose herself. "Seriously. My ribs haven't hurt this bad since that one time I was hit in the chest with a warhammer."

The ninja was, needless to say, furious. "Oh, you little bitches." He grumbled, and then came his proclaimation. "Now you're more than just some job! Now it's personal! You will regret this day you made fun of the great ninja master Juicy!"

And suddenly the laughter became uproarious. Even the women who had fled when Juicy first attacked had come back and they were having a good time, too. The "ninja" just stood there, letting the shame smash into him like a meteor storm. He put away his katana and pointed at Aishel. "I'll be back, so you better get ready. Things will be different next time!"

At least Juicy knew how to use a smoke bomb. Chizuru quickly looked around but turned up clueless. "If he comes back during a battle, the resulting laughter would make it hard to concentrate on the enemy."
Aishel smiled. "That is assuming that the enemy is immune to laughter themselves. Heck, if he brought his little performance to the frontlines, the Gillnor forces and whoever they're fighting might end up calling their war quits because the laughter took away all their fury."
Things were calming down, and now Aishel was washing Chizuru's back. "By the way, Chizuru. Is Juicy a-"
"No, that name isn't from where I come from." Chizuru interrupted. "But he certainly has a little skill when it comes to surprising people and escaping. Funny voice and name or whatever, we shouldn't underestimate him as much as we did this evening."
"Still, I wonder who would bother to have me assassinated in the first place? Sure, officers in the Roaring Chimera do make a lot of enemies, but I was expecting ambushes, not assassins, and especially not an assassin like that."
Chizuru didn't have anything to say about that and simply hoped that the situation would stay this easy for as long as possible.

[PhoenixFlame]

Originally Posted by Skyshot

[font=courier new]"Oh, ye meant was what day of the month it is. Not sure about that one, lass. Ask someone else.

Raine cackled sarcastically at Hunpher's response. He had a since of humor, a good trait for a man pretending to be older than he looks.

"Very well then." She grinned wryly, "I'll see you tonight also." and turned to leave the reception room, and the castle proper.

And so it came to pass that later that day, after tacking a sign on the door of her house reading "Gone for business. Go away.", that Raine was somewhat confident that anyone attempted to break into her former dwelling would simply run off with all her meager belongings.

Of course, it didn't matter. If she did come back, the king would have already given her a randsom of gold so ridiculously large that a new house would simply be loose change. Either that, or she'd get a new job hunting down the poor thieves who stole her stuff.

Either way, there was free food to be had. Killing bandits on an empty stomach was certainly agaisnt regulations.

Quite some measurable time before Sulme, Raine arrived at Pinchette's mansion, dressed in slightly better-kempt attire than she normally was. This jacket was a lustorous black, unblemished by unsightly claw marks, with a similarly matching hat. A pair of long gloves also adorned the half-fiend's hands, to make her appear more humanoid. Unaccustomed to noblefare mannerisms, Raine simply waited at the gates to be invited inside.

[PyrosNine]

Faze lay in his bath, pondering how the others were doing. He'd been pretty sure they'd be okay when he heard the loud "Yatta", but after awhile a roar of laughter followed which he puzzled him.

But, he resisted the natural heroic urge to rush in and see if they were okay. Otherwise, he'd be the one who wasn't okay...

Faze figured at least he'd remove the temptation by getting out the baths and back to their room. He slipped out of the water and wrapped a towel about himself, and moseyed over to where he put his clothes.

It was just at this moment that a ninja bounded over the wall then ran through the bath until he slipped on a patch of water and crashed into Faze's tub, splashing water everywhere. Faze looked back at the poor sap as he lay there unconcious, shrugged, and proceeded to get dressed.

Of course, later he would probably figure that the ninja and the one who disturbed the ladies bath were one and the same, but Faze was one who didn't let anything disturb his bath routine.

[Astral Harmony]

Aishel and Chizuru retired to the room they shared.
The female knight plopped down on the bed and stretched her arms, legs, and stomach. "I expect the fighting to start as soon as early evening tomorrow. We should get to sleep as soon as we can. I want to be up and ready when Faze is."

Chizuru was a little weirded out. "You don't care about the assassin?"
"Why should I bother with it?" Aishel raised an index finger. "One, the guy...Juicy was clearly a moron. You should know this, you were in the fight with me."
Aishel's middle finger joined her index. "Two, we're performing a duty for the king of Gillnor. This leaves us no time to carry out personal investigations, even if it is an attempt on my life."
The ring finger then came up. "Three, it's not just us. Master Faze is here, and so is that weird person with the dogs. I mean, I don't want to put them in danger, but being in a threatening group like this will probably discourage these actions unless we separate from them."

Aishel pulled her body onto the bed completely and closed her eyes. "Lastly, I'm way too tired to go chasing someone who could very well be miles away by now. I haven't slept since the last leg of my journey to Gillnor and the waiting didn't do me any good. Good night, Chizuru."
Chizuru looked out the nearby window and then joined Aishel in the single bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Sweet dreams, Miss Aishel."

[Lumaes]

As Pinchette swept her first guest through the heavy oaken doorway and along the warm, chocolate brown flooring of the house towards the tearoom her eyes flicked speculatively over the young sorceress’s attire for the evening. The draconic companion was drawn along in the wake of the two ladies as the hostess completed her contemplation.

This girl really did have lovely taste. A definite idiosyncrasy was found in the beautiful golden bandings, a touch which instantly warmed the pale Sulme to Pinchette’s heart. Even at the best parties the young women never accomplished anything more than appearing as pale illustrations lifted straight from the pages of the latest fashion catalogues. They lacked the spark of originality. The fabrics were well chosen as well, the blue leant her the air of some stray sprite or nymph; innocent. Blue, after all, was a very spiritual colour. The hairnet had given Pinchette pause, she would never have guessed that the girl would be clued in enough to realise the styles of the time, let alone so competently.

The tearoom was a small, wood panelled space decorated rather blandly with a few, commonly produced prints of landscapes. The only interesting thing in the room was the tea-set itself. The peculiar pot was fashioned in the shape of a lazy-eyed toad in a waistcoat. The cups and saucers imitated similarly batrachian designs. The cups being hollow bellied salamanders in a variety of evening wear. The reason for the set’s strangeness was that this, unlike the house and furnishings, belonged to Pinchette herself. It had been a gift from a particularly enamoured lodger with a talent for pottery.

Lady Mauve rose quickly from her settee, abandoning the ‘thrilling’ conversation she had been enduring from the squat, beetle-like man who was crouched in the corner, tea and toast completely untouched on the table in front of him. True to her name the elderly woman was wearing a webbed and netted evening gown in that soft, ephemeral shade.
A thin winding tattoo coiled around the base of her neck, its shape obscured by the furrowed skin.
She and Pinchette shared a warm smile, a subtle wink passed between the two and the Lady reached out gently to take the pale visitor’s hand as Pinchette turned, having passed of the guest she returned to the pale light cast by the garden lanterns.
Reclined gently on a wrought iron bench she waited for the next guest to start up the path.

[Skyshot]

It had taken a while for him to convince Leandro he was serious, but Hunpher had managed to work out with him the essential details about the crazy rich lady -- her name, location, various rumors, et cetera.

And so he set off, all his gear save his cane stuffed in his bag. He arrived shortly after Raine and immediately looked for a corner to slink into, if in fact one could do such a thing at such a place.

[PyrosNine]

Faze slipped into bed. He'd wanted to take drink or two at the bar, but part of him knew that it wouldn't be a good idea, especially when travelling with two ladies. It just wouldn't do to travel the rest of the way to Relent with a massive hangover, or at least just wake up in the morning outside lying in his own vomit.

But going without a drink was a bitter pill to swallow, for Faze was stuck to the bottle like fish are stuck to water. After a day of being slapped, used, or hunted down like a dog, it felt good to unwind with some alcohol and forget all his troubles.

Especially the ones yet to come when was drunk...

Faze sighed and rolled over. He'd just have to get a bottle before he left in the morning. For now, sleep.

[mauve]

Curua trotted down the street, his human boy walking dejectedly beside him. Truth be told, Curua wasn't overly pleased to have the lad around either, but he didn't want to risk being mistaken as a stray dog... again... and show up at Pinchette's doorway out of breath and looking like a hurricane had picked him up and vomited him out.

"Why are you even going to this woman's house?" the boy pouted, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. "What's a dog supposed to do at a dinner party, anyway?"

"Well now, that's what I'm aiming to find out, isn't it?" the hound replied calmly. "I'm interested to see how our kind lady hostess will handle the novelty of a four-legged dinner guest."

The boy snorted and kicked a small rock.

"If she's so proper, won't she object to you inviting me along?" the lad countered sourly. He really didn't want to be here.

"That's why I'm not inviting you," Curua answered, the faintest hints of a smile crossing his canine features. "You can sit outside with the common servants until I'm finished. Or, of course, you could walk home in the cold... Up to you, really."

The boy, incredibly annoyed, stopped dead in his tracks. Curua chuckled wickedly and trotted through the gates of what he assumed was Pinchette's manor. His long head turned back to look at the lad.

"Well, aren't you going to announce my arrival?" he called mockingly.

"I'm going home," grumbled the child. Curua let out a bark of laughter and set off to find the party.

[Astral Harmony]

Chizuru wasn't quite asleep yet. There was an observation that was too funny not to make.
Before she joined the Kimonos long ago, she dreamed of a big house and a loving husband and lots of healthy and wonderful children and pets. Her desires to become a beautiful housewife and doting mother haven't changed a bit, not since she became a kunoichi under Lady Shizuka, not since the Kimonos fled their castle in the far east, and not since they met the queen of these lands, which put them where they all are now.

In spite of her dream, her direct contact with men has been very little to not at all.
"If I intend to one day be what I've always dreamt of being, why is it that I always wind up in bed with other women?"
Chizuru's humorous observation, one that made her want to laugh out loud. There was nothing sexual implied, except for that one time she had to rest near Rio.
"...Riven..."
Aishel stirred a little, which helped Chizuru calm herself. Once all this Gillnor/Duvashnia nonsense was over, she promised herself that she would make a real effort towards finding the one man she hasn't really been seeking up until now, though she also wondered why she cared so much now. She still thought of herself as just a kid, regardless of her current age and skills.

She also thought of Riven, the boy who has more or less been like a little brother to Aishel. Chizuru wasn't a good judge of character, but when several of the other girls easily pointed out that Riven was falling for Aishel big time, Chizuru knew it had to be the case.
"Come to think of it, Riven should have arrived at the castle early in the afternoon. I wonder if he's already started making the trip?"
"Go to sleep, Chizuru. We have a big day ahead of us."
Chizuru sat up and turned to Aishel, who still had her eyes closed. "You're not worried about him?"
Aishel's eyes opened slightly. "Of course I'm worried about him. But, like the assassin, what can we do about it? Master Faze and the others, not to mention the King of Gillnor, would be pretty confused if we just suddenly up and left to go see if he's okay."
Chizuru laid back down. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
-----
Riven knew that he had a major fault. He had a tendency to act out without really thinking on his instincts. He was exhausted, leaning on a tree to catch his breath in the dead of night.
"Aishel probably has a good earful for me when I find her. Either she'll reprimand me for abandoning any other tasks that my father might have for me, or she'll think I'm just plain deranged."
He was running on perseverance alone and he didn't even pack a lot of supplies and didn't bother to find a horse.
"Yeah, real smart, Riven. All you had to do was hear 'Aishel isn't here' and you instantly go out on a wild goose chase without so much as a shower."
He was ready to begin moving again. He took his first two steps when...something collided with him. Riven and the dark shape both fell down.
Before Riven could even voice the pain in his head, he heard an extremely...fruity voice.
"Hey, Little Handsome! Watch where you're going!"
"Oh, sorry!" Riven said quickly, and looking at the spot where the shape had fallen, Riven was surprised to find nothing there. Whoever that guy was, he was really fast. Riven was completely alone again. With a hand on his forehead to numb the pain of the collision, he started running again. Gillnor's capital city was still a long way away and if we wanted to get there by the day after tomorrow, he'd really have to hustle.

[Arhra]

Sulme had been ushered in by Pinchette, unclasping the silver clasp of her cloak and handed to the waiting Lun. The manservant neatly folded the deep blue fabric over one arm and bustled off to place it in the cloak room.

Dragon padded carefully behind, claws drawn in and walking lightly to avoid scarring the rich finish of the timber floor. He kept his wings tightly against his body, trying to avoid knocking into anything.

Sulme let the soothing rise and fall of Pinchette's voice flow over her as they walked. As she heard the sincerity of Pinchette's compliments and the welcoming tone, her lips twisted into a small smile. It was tentative and shy, but it was a smile nonetheless.

Reaching the tea room, Sulme's eyes eyes swept through the pair already there. Silver gaze passed right over the lord of the house, Lainsbury, but she lingered for a moment on the wrinkled face of Lady Mauve. There was some indomitable quality to her, hinting, like her tattoo did, that there was more to her than it appeared.

Pinchette departing, returning to the front door to await the other guests while the Lady rose from her seat and gently took Sulme's hand.

"My dear, how lovely you look." Lady Mauve said, "Please, take a seat. Would you care for some tea?" Sulme acquiesced, mumrering a yes as she folded into the soft embrace of the chair Lady Mauve indicated. Dragon moved to the corner behind her, turning once to safely tuck his tail away and then sitting on his haunches as neatly as an oversized housecat. He swung his neck out, looking at the odd tea set with some interest.

The Lady poured a cup of tea out of the teapot and, pausing to glance at Sulme with a guaging eye, added milk and three spoons of sugar. Sulme graciously accepted the cup on its little saucer, nestling it in her lap and taking in its unusual appearance. She turned the cup once widdershins as she stirred, looking at it from every side. Such objects spoke volumes of the one who owned them.

"Won't you introduce me to this guest?" Lainsbury lugubriously said, shifting in his heavy chair.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Lady Mauve said, "I haven't made any introductions." Her tone somehow suggested that she was displeased to be interrupted. "I am Lady Mauve and this fine gentleman," it was incredible how her words and her tone could mean two completely different things to the person she was talking to, "is Mr Lainsbury, who has so generously hosted this littlle dinner party here tonight."

Turning to face Lainsbury, she said, "This is Sulme, sorceress of the Tower Apparent," Sulme inclined her head regally in greeting, "and her protector." Dragon stopped his examination of the tea set and mimicked Sulme's action. Just at that moment, Hunpher entered, all eyes in the room turning to him.

OOC: I just thought I'd do a bit of cohesion there. Since Pinchette is greeting the guests, I assume she either didn't say anything of import or that Hunpher insisted on finding his own way in. Is it just me or is Pinchette ever so subtly ignoring/not noticing certain people lurking out in the shadows outside the gate?