Fantasy Assassin's Pledge: Whispers Of Myth

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

Inka let out a breath she never knew she was holding. It seemed that Lorraine didn't care about her circumstance and still was willing to shelter her, it was that or she just took pity on her. She felt the grip on her hand tighten as Lorraine tugged her forward to follow her. Not expecting that gesture, she tripped over her two feet slightly, but was able to catch herself before she fell on the floor, she maintained her hold on her hand. She finally walked side by side with Lorraine and was able to keep pace with her.

Being interrogated by those guards, she had forgotten that the city was still celebrating the festival. As much as she wanted to explore the city more, just outright leaving may cause Lorraine to panic, so she just decided against the idea, continuing to follow her to her clinic. Remembering back to her research on the flowers she saw earlier today, she wonder whether or not she could actually test them out, now that she was staying at Lorraine's clinic. Sure there probably would be the equipment she needed there, but would it be ethical to try and make poison in a clinic and would it even be legal at that. With all that thinking, Inka had now fallen into a walking pace behind Lorraine, just following her around the city, lost in her thoughts.

Inka's head snapped towards Lorraine, getting cut off from her thoughts, as she heard her start to speak. As she finished asking her question, Inka pondered on what she would answer for a bit before answering Lorraine's question. "Where did I learn about herbs? Well, to put is simply, it was what you said, a book. I picked up a book about the topic and just kept reading about them ever since. But my caretaker at the time, knew a bit about herbs and such, but most of my knowledge came from books in a library." Inka replied, with a slight smile on her face as she reminisced about the first times she had ever read about herbs and recipes. "Oh that reminds me, would it be alright if I tried out a few recipes of mine at your clinic?" She asked Lorraine hesitantly. I mean, a doctor letting someone make poison in their clinic, a slim chance of that happening. Testing out the recipes would also be a slight issue. Granted most of her recipes could be tested out on corpses, but corpses here weren't as easy to come by as they were back at her hometown, so she would need permission to either use the corpses at the clinic, if there even was any, or find some on her own.

GojiBean

 

[GojiBean]

Lorraine Xe' Almna

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​

Lorraine kept an eye over her shoulder on Inka as she spoke.

"That's quite impressive!" She chirped.

"I remember all of my countless hours of scouring my mother's personal library as a child and reading all of her medical books. I didn't understand most of what I read since the words were beyond my comprehension at the time. But I read them all the same." She said with a chuckle.

As Inka asked if she could try a few recipes at the clinic, Lorraine's eyes lit up.

"Of course! I'm always tinkering with new recipes myself in the Apothecary's testing room. Maybe we could trade recipes!"

kakemha

 

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

As Inka heard Lorraine called her impressive, she smiled to herself. No one had called her impressive before, even though her accomplishments were very impressive for her age. Creating recipes and concocting multiple lethal poisons, most people wold be too scared to do something like that or they would need years of experience to do so. She listened as Lorraine told her about the times she would read medical books. It wasn't quite the same for her, taking in information was something she would do all the time, but there were a few instances where she would need to ask for the meaning of a word or passage.

As they walked Lorraine expressed interest in Inka's recipes, her jaw opened slightly. "I thank you for letting me use your Apothecary room, and I don;t mind trading recipes, but do you really want my recipes?" Anyone could hear the astonishment and doubt in her voice. A doctor trying our poison recipes, no such thing has ever occurred, or at least no instance she was aware of. She just needed to make sure Lorraine was absolutely sure she wanted Inka's recipes, she could just be saying that out of kindness or something.

GojiBean

 

[GojiBean]

Lorraine Xe' Almna

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Lorraine smiled over her shoulder with a chuckle before suddenly stopping, spinning around, and gripping Inka's other hand and holding both of them up about chest-level between them.

"There are only two things separating poison from medicine, Inka. Dosage, and intent."

She lowered their hands to stomach-level and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Even if your primary recipes are harmful, some subtle adjustments on my end can make them medicinal. Or, vice versa."

She let go of one of Inka's hands and turned around to keep leading her down the road while letting another giggle escape her lips.

"Don't the possibilities for the trade excite you? I know I'm excited!" She chirped as she strode happily ahead.

kakemha

 

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

Inka listened to Lorraine's words as she spoke them. She thought them over, and ultimately she was right. If she changed the dosage of her recipes and maybe added some ingredients, they could be used for healing purposes, instead of their harmful intent. As Lorraine went on her little speech to Inka, she found herself being hooked onto her every word. She spoke in such a calm and gentle way, that was hard not to listen to her. She watched as Lorraine kept leading down the road towards her clinic, catching her little giggle. She followed suit behind her, having to quicken her pace a little to keep up with her. She heard Lorraine's question, although she could've meant it to be rhetorical, Inka would reply anyway. Sighing, Inka said, "You seem act pretty childish when it comes to recipes. As for me, I wouldn't say excited, I'd say curious." She mind started to think of all the different things she could make if she just tweaked Lorraine's medical recipes a bit. She could make something no one has ever made before, but to most people they would be excited to accomplish such an achievement, but Inka just grew more curious. But this could go horribly wrong, the poison not working properly, it having side effects for the maker / user, and so much more, plus there is the saying, curiosity killed the cat.

GojiBean

 

[GojiBean]

Lorraine Xe' Almna

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Lorraine's ear perked up at the word "childish," and she chuckled.

"Nothing wrong with hanging on to a bit of child-like innocence, my dear Inka. After all, children are the living incarnation of curiosity and creativity. Don't you think?" She giggled.

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​

Meanwhile...

Hunkered down on a 3rd story rooftop overlooking the gates of the Royal Palace, the Red-Eyed Demon watched carefully as guests and special petitioners alike were ushered beyond the guarded entrance in preparation for meeting the King and Queen.

"Tch."

He slunk back into the shadow of the chimney and turned back towards the city proper. No movement across rooftops that he could see... At least, none that seemed like they warranted his attention or interest. Just some fool he remembered seeing a short time ago whom he could swear was allowed through the gates to go see the King and Queen by the guards earlier.

"Where are you?"

He stood up. And slightly before his first step touched the shingled roofing beneath him a ghostly whisper swept through his mind. His boot faltered and he slipped on the smooth shingled surface slamming his shoulder into it and sliding down and off the edge of the roof into the open skies above the alley. At the last second his left hand grabbed the railing of a balcony on the 2nd floor and he felt one of his ribs crack as his body slammed into it from the momentum of the fall. Grimacing slightly, he turned to face the balcony and hoisted himself up and leaped back up to the rooftops just in time to avoid the occupant rushing out to investigate the disturbance.

He took a moment to catch his breath from the sudden adrenaline surge and felt his pulse in his neck.

His eyes narrowed and his lips tightened as he ripped his fingertips away from his neck and slapped the shingles beneath him.

"Gods be damned." He growled.

That ghostly voice slithered through his mind again as his eyes slid shut. Despite that, the light being emitted from his irises had increased in intensity to the point where it became visible through his eyelids. His jaw tightened, his hands clenched into fists, and his face contorted into the deepest of frowns as his lips pulled back baring his teeth in a growl before he suddenly lashed out and punched himself across the jaw.

The wispy voice dissipated to nothing and he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"... Fuck." He whispered.

As his heart rate returned to normal he stood up and did a quick check of his left arm, rotating it in a large circle to test its range after the fall. Despite his best effort he wasn't able to raise it all the way straight up and down without feeling intense pain shooting through his shoulder and traps at the base of the neck. Lowering his arm he growled and punched his shoulder before shaking his head and taking off across the rooftops towards the heart of the city.

"Where are you?"

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Meanwhile, Lorraine and Inka had finally reached the clinic. As Lorraine opened the door for her, a peppy young blonde with her hair tied in ponytails approached from behind the front desk.

"Greetings! How can we-"

Lorraine stepped through the door and the girl's face immediately lit up.

"Doctor! Welcome back! How did it go?"

Lorraine smiled sweetly, and everyone sitting around the lobby all looked her way with smiles and "ooh's."

"It went fine, Cheyanne. Thank you for asking. How's the clinic activity been?"

"It's been fairly busy, as usual. But I think everyone's okay so far."

"Good. Will you please excuse me? I'm taking our guest here, Inka, to the Apothecary testing room for a little while."

Cheyanne beamed as she looked at Inka.

"You dabble in medicine?!"

Lorraine put a hand up and Cheyanne immediately stood up straight and tightened her lips.

"It's something like that, Cheyanne. Thank you for the warm welcome. Please return to the desk. I think you have a customer who needs to speak to you."

"Oh!"

Cheyanne darted back to the desk to attend a customer who had indeed stood up from the nearest seated area of the lobby and was waiting for her. Meanwhile Lorraine chuckled and took Inka's hand once again.

"Please pardon her unending energy, Inka. This way."

As they walked through the lobby towards the doors on the right leading to the Apothecary, the people sitting all greeted Lorraine as she passed. With a smile, a few nods of her head, and a few "thank you" and "good morning" responses in return, she greeted them back and opened the door to the apothecary for Inka.

Inside was an entirely different world from the lobby, and the view of the building from the outside was quite deceptive and didn't make it seem like it had this much space. But there were five rows of linked tables running the length of the room which was a good twenty meters from end to end. Each linked table had potted herbs, shrubs, and all manner of flowers and flora meant for harvesting in-house to use in medicinal concoctions. On the walls in the back were dozens upon dozens of shelves with bottled liquids and pastes, each one neatly labeled and organized according to its effect and recommended dosage.

"Apologies if it's a bit emptier than usual. We've been having trouble receiving our shipments lately. I may have mentioned that earlier?... I can't remember. Tee hee."

Lorraine led her to the middle-rear of the room where a single door in the center of the shelves waited for them. Opening the door, Lorraine led Inka inside where a large circular table with a mortal and pestle, grindstone, water bucket, measuring cup, and various bottles and jars were all neatly arranged for creation and testing purposes. The walls around the room, similar to the main room of the apothecary, were lined with already completed concoctions along with their respective recipes hand-written by Lorraine herself tacked to the walls next to each one.

"Here we are." She stated as she closed the door behind them. "So! Where would you like to begin?"

kakemha

 

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

Finally after a long while of walking, they finally reached the clinic. She thought her legs might've given up on her if they walked a just a little bit more. But that feeling soon went away, first the clinic looked very lovely on the outside and that made Inka excited to see what would be trapped within its walls. Before she even got the chance to remark about it, or even look around, a blonde nurse appeared before them. Honestly, it spooked her a bit, to the point where she took in a sharp breath from surprise. But Inka relaxed a bit, hearing her cheerful voice talking to Lorraine, it seemed that Lorraine is quite friendly even with her staff. When Lorraine mentioned her name to the nurse, whose name she now knew was Cheyanne, she smiled slightly. Her face turned into nervousness a bit too quickly however, Cheyanne asked her if she dabbled in medicine. She know it would practically be suicide if she mentioned she made poisons in this clinic, or any clinic for that matter. But fortunately, Lorraine was able to get word in, before a stuttering mess or words came out of Inka's mouth. She sighed once Cheyanne dropped the matter. Lorraine had a sense of authority around this place, but it was obvious, she owned the place.

She took her hand, leading her to the apothecary room. "Oh, I really don't mind. Also thanks for speaking for me out there, I wouldn't have known what to say." She said to Lorraine as she followed her around the halls of the clinic. She wondered what all the rooms contained and contained. Before long, they had reached the Apothecary room. She entered the room after Lorraine and just stood in awe for a good few minutes. All the herbs and plants she could play with, there were ones she had seen in books but could never touch nor have. She browsed the rows of plants and herbs, amazed that they had this much even though Lorraine said they were having trouble with shipments. "This is just... wow!" Inka said, not being able to find the right words. "Ah, right let's begin!" She said, reaching for the book full of recipes in her satchel, excited to experiment. She reached over for a couple plants and grabbed some leaves and stems from them. She turned to Lorraine and asked "Do you have a mortar and pestle by any chance?"

GojiBean

 

[GojiBean]

Lorraine Xe' Almna

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Lorraine smiled and walked her to the table where a mortal and pestle, along with several beakers, measuring cups, and a small water boiler at the center were situated.

"Please, help yourself! I'm interested to see your process!"

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The Red-Eyed Demon

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Elsewhere...

...

CLANG!!

Sparks born of clashing metal seared the air before the blades were pulled away from each other in favor of a fist flying high towards the face of the Red-Eyed Demon. The blow glanced off his right cheekbone before a heavy blow to his enemy's stomach from his own fist lifted the man off the ground a few inches and set him back down as he gasped for breath and fell to his knees.

The demon's glowing red eyes flashed.

"An open challenge... Was it worth it?" He growled.

His opponent on his knees chuckled through his gasps for breath.

"Yes. It was."

He glanced up from below his bangs and spat at the demon's feet.

"For someone so strong, you're so easy to distract." The man wheezed.

The demon knelt down and looked the man dead in the eye.

"Explain." He snarled, holding his blade to the man's throat.

A widening smile was the man's only reply before his throat was opened and he coughed and choked on his own blood until it ran dry and his body went still. The blade was whipped through the air, instantly cleaning it of the crimson liquid which splattered across the rooftop before the shimmering green metal slid into its sheath at his hip.

"Lorraine." He whispered.

Looking off to the distance he could just barely see the reddish roof of her clinic from amongst the other gray and brown roofs around it. Has it not been for more movement, this time cued by the sounds of distant footfalls behind him, he would have already been sprinting towards the clinic. Glancing behind him momentarily he spied a second group of robed figures and his eyes widened slightly.

"... You never hunt in paired teams." He growled under his breath.

With one team behind him and rushing his position, and another team rushing Lorraine's, the decision was clear. The demon turned his back to the team behind and sprinted across the rooftops towards the clinic.

If Te'i Sai was here, and using a pair of three-man teams which was something they never did, then there had to be something far larger at play in this city than just targeting him and Lorraine. Much more.

kakemha

 

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

With all the equipment near her, she was ready to start. She planned on making two poisons in particular. Even if Lorraine's clinic didn't have certain dangerous ingredients that she needed, it was fine, she always carried some of them around. She took out two pouches from her satchel, one containing Adder Venom, the other containing Psilocybe Cyanescens. She grabbed a few more herbs to add to the two poisons. She was in the moment. Anyone watching could see that she there was no hesitation in her eyes nor her movements. It looked like she had years and years of experience. It only took her a few minutes to measure the ingredients, crush some them into a fine powder. She was ready to boil all the ingredients together. The first poison, the one with Adder Venom in it, would only take about a minute to become a full poison that could be used. Once that was done boiling, she put the other ingredients in and started to boil them. It may take longer that the previous one to boil, but it would only take a few minutes. "Oh, you probably want to know what I'm making." Inka said as she snapped out of her sort of trance. "This one, will make the skin flare it becoming itchy, painful, and it will feel like their skin is burning." She explains as she holds up the poison that came off of the boiler a few moments ago. "And that one boiling, is like the poison I used earlier but instead of them dying and their heart stopping. They see hallucinations. But are still paralysed regardless." She said, glancing at the boiling concoction, just to make sure that it hand't over boiled yet.

 

[GojiBean]

Lorraine Xe' Almna

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Lorraine was transfixed on Inka as she went about her poison making process. It was muscle memory and confidence at their finest. For one as young as Inka to be so adept at such a delicate, difficult, and specialized process as poison making from just having read books. It bordered on prodigious.

Lorraine felt a tickle in her stomach while watching. It was like when she was a child watching her mother put medicines together. That giddy feeling of seeing something come together which would have a visible effect on someone or something once used. And as Inka told her what was being concocted she nodded slowly.

"I see." She whispered.

It was so diametrically opposed to what she did and the concoctions she put together as medicine. Yet they shared so much in common. Pinches of this. A tablespoon of that. A few drops of this. Another half-cup of that. Mix well and heat just the right amount, and you have yourself a workable solution.

She leaned on her elbows watching the mixture entering its final stages.

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The Red-Eyed Demon

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So close...

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Too close...

Thud! THUD! THUD!

He reached ahead and grabbed the back of the robe of the first hooded figure and threw them backwards and off balance. Using that as a boost for his momentum he lurched forward and managed to grab both the others and do the same. They all went skidding to a halt behind him as he slid to a stop and turned around with both blades now drawn and shimmering in the sunlight in an X shape in front of himself.

The other three caught up and helped their compatriots to their feet, and the leader of each group removed their hood.

"... I remember you two."

"Of course you do." The one with red hair and missing his left eye growled.

"We remember you too, monster." The other with brown hair added.

A small smirk crossed his lips.

"Are you here for payback?"

"No. We're here for her." The red-head said while pointing to the clinic whose rooftop was but a single leap away across the street.

"Liar!"

The Demon lowered his stance slightly as a few passersby noticed him standing at the edge of the roof and pointed up in wonder.

"You're lucky they can't see your eyes, feral beast."

"You're lucky... I'm willing to let you leave alive if you turn around now."

The blades scraped against each other sending sparks into the air before they were pulled to the sides as he bladed his body to them.

"Hmph. You may be the best the Grandmaster trained. But you can't take six of us."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because if you could, you wouldn't have trouble raising your arm."

"And you would've attacked one or all of us already. But here you stand passively waiting for us to make the first move."

"... Didn't we already teach you that passivity is a losing strategy?"

"You've taught me nothing."

"Clearly. Though not for lack of trying. Once a bad student, always a bad student."

"Step aside, monster. She's dead one way or the other. Death by our blades is a mercy compared to what awaits her if you continue to stand in our way."

"She'd take her chances."

"And how would you know?"

His left eye twitched.

"Truly. What could a feral beast like you possibly know about a woman like her or what she'd want or what chances she would and would not take?"

"Who else are you here for?"

"Don't change the subject. Remove yourself from our path and let this happen. It's the greatest kindness you can do for her now."

The blades came in slightly closer to his body.

"Who. Else. Are. You. Here for?" He growled.

"... We've wasted enough time here. We'll handle him. You three grant the doctor her mercy."

The brown-haired one and his two compatriots split off to the left while the red-head and his two compatriots remained firm and drew their weapons.

His eyes darted to the three who'd run to the side as he slipped his right dagger into its sheath. Drawing a throwing knife in the same motion, he let fly into the back of the thigh of the brown-haired one specifically and rushed towards them with the red-head and his allies in toe. The two who were with brown-hair had stopped to try and assist against his wishes. And that little spat was just enough time for the Demon to reach them before they could respond with a proper defense. Leaping towards them and spinning rapidly, he extended his leg and slammed it across both of their jaws sending them off the second story roof and down onto their backs into the streets below. One of them immediately split their head open upon landing spilling brain matter and blood across the cobblestone.

A scream erupted from the passersby who observed the sudden carnage...

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Lorraine Xe' Almna

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The scream was muffled, but it was just loud enough to permeate the room before Lorraine could make any move to show Inka what her medicine crafting process was like.

The door to the crafting room was thrown open as Cheyanne burst through, panting deeply.

"Doctor! Two men... Just fell off the second story... Across the way!... One of them split his... His head on impact!"

Lorraine instantly pushed off the table and darted away, pausing at the door to look back at Inka.

"Stay inside!" She ordered before rushing through the Apothecary towards the front door.

When she reached the lobby the patrons all stood.

"Wait! Doctor! Don't go outside!" One woman yelled.

"It's the Demon! He's fighting several men on the rooftops!" An elderly man cried.

"Please stay here where it's safe!" Another man begged.

"Everyone, please let me through." She said calmly, but firmly.

The patrons all reluctantly allowed her to approach the door. And the moment she opened it she felt a pit in her stomach as the sight of the two who fell were the first thing she saw. She took a deep breath as the sounds of clashing metal caught her attention.

"Oh no..." She whispered.

It was him. Fighting. Four on one.

"No. No! NO!!" She cried.

The one who hadn't split his head open slowly pushed himself up onto all fours and took deep breaths. Coughing to clear his lungs, he felt a few broken ribs in the back. But that wouldn't stop him. Looking up his eyes fell on Lorraine who was transfixed on the action above.

"Urgh... How... Convenient." He panted.

Standing up shakily, he drew his blade, raised it above his head, and began approaching her as fast as his still somewhat shaky legs would take him.

kakemha

 

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

The scream caught Inka's attention as well. Before she could ask any question however, the nurse she saw earlier came crashing through the door, calling for Lorraine quickly. She couldn't even come through the door before Lorraine ordered her to stay inside. As if she would listen to that order. Her survival subconscious took over, the gears started turning in her head. Her eyes caught the poison on the burner, it was ready. Luckily the dagger that she used earlier was still with her, albeit still covered in blood. She knew what she had to do. Snatching both poisons, she was pretty ready.

She made her way out of the Apothecary room, immediately. Although the room may be crowded, she was small and was able to slip by people unnoticed. She was finally able to see the scene clearly. As the nurse said, there was a man who had is head slip open. One less person to kill, Inka thought. People would think this was out of character for Inka, but this was normal for her, when her subconscious took over, she could kill with barely any remorse and manipulate with ease, which was scary to most people.

Her eyes was focused on the man in front of her. She was still unnoticed, well to her knowledge she was. She was standing behind the man threatening Lorraine. Inka found some skin exposed, this plan could work, if she timed it correctly. Running forward, she threw the poison with the Adder Venom at his face, since that was the place with the most exposed skin. His skin should feel the effects on impact. Now for the second part of her plan. Taking her dagger, she dipped it in the second poison. She used her strength to jump up on his back, she then stabbed him in his neck. And same as the the previous poison, the effects should be immediately, leaving him paralysed and seeing hallucinations.

Inka was breathing heavily, the aura she gave off felt different, the glint in her eyes was different, she just felt different. She glared at the man with murderous intent, she could kill him if she wanted to. This side of her, this murderous subconscious, was result of growing up in that place, growing up in Veilbrand. And it was finally showing after years of not coming out.

GojiBean

 

[NemuiTeru]

​

Subtle clues left behind by the men she was tracking led Mayumi to the rooftop of a building where she saw signs of an impending fight. There were six men dressed similarly, cloaked and the majority had their hoods up aside from two of them, on the rooftop of the building. Six of them surrounded a lone man dressed in an all black ensemble.

Grey eyes observed the lone man, and noticed his stance resembled one she knew. There was a high chance that there were circumstances though, so she couldn’t dismiss him just yet. She needed a closer look for confirmation. However, she could not allow him to die before she could confirm. Furthermore, those hooded figures were her enemies as well, so why not form a temporary alliance. Whether he needed help or not, Mayumi would cover him for now so that she could decide what to do later. Preferably in a calmer situation where she would not be forced to make a rash decision.

Mayumi sneaked closer, she climbed down the side of the building she had been on and leaped across from balcony to balcony. She proceeded to climb up the sides of the building the fight was taking place on. The archer was about to climb up when two of the hooded figures were knocked off the rooftop and caught himself on the ledge next to Mayumi. Fortunately, there was a pause and slight widening of his eyes when he took in her appearance. She took that momentary pause and stabbed him in the side of his neck so that he would make the least noise and simply fall to the ground with some gurgling. A civilian man stared at her through the window ledge they had been hanging on. Mayumi, not knowing what she could possibly say to him, opted for a nod in his direction and continued her climb up to the rooftop and hid behind the chimney some distance away from the action.

The grey eyed girl discarded the black haired wig and her cloak revealing an all black outfit consisting of a sleeveless cropped hoodie paired with fingerless long gloves, skorts and cloth sandal boots. She pulled the big hood over her head and took the bow into her hands. Peeking around the corner, she found a clear view of the fight, herself unnoticed for now. Grey eyes were solely focused on the lone man’s fighting style. Their fighting styles were rather similar too. It was truly too much of a coincidence.

Spotting one of the cloaked figures’ blades coming down upon the lone wolf. Silver eyes locked onto its target. Before any damage was done, he slumped to the ground with an arrow through his head. Looking past the now corpse and into the eyes of the all black clad man, she noticed the red hue in his eyes. Now that she was exposed, she might as well join in. Silver eyes stayed wary of the hooded figures as she joined the lone male.

Now that she thought about it, the fact that they had two teams out in the same place was a rare occurrence, does that mean they had more than one goal? She now knew one of them as one of the ladies in the building, who was the other? Was it the sole male she now stood with?

 

[GojiBean]

The Red-Eyed Demon

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As the blade of the red-head sliced through the fabric of his jacket at the shoulder and clipped his flesh, a harsh whisper seared through his head giving him an almost instant migraine.

BE SILENT! He screamed internally.

The momentary distraction saw enough time for a heavy fist to land in his lower right side above his hip, just off his kidney. The blow buckled him and the third Te'i Sai operative took advantage by kicking him in the lower back just above the line of his hips. He stumbled forward, nearly falling off the edge, but managed lurch backward and spin step away from the next incoming blow to position himself with all four of them in front of himself.

With one dagger raised, he saw an orichalcum-tipped arrow pierce the skull of the nearest which crumpled him into a heap.

The three remaining stopped and looked to where the arrow had come from...

In a blink he was straight in and slammed his dagger up into the stomach of the nearest enemy and punched skyward. The orichalcum material sliced clean through the bones in his ribs and he could feel the tip scraping the spinal cord on its way up and out his clavicle just off to the left side. With his torso split wide open his innards began spilling onto the roof and slipping down the slightly slanted roof into the streets below as the pain of what just happened started to sink in. Try as he might, he couldn't scream. His lungs wouldn't work, and he could draw no breath.

The others backed away a step as a silver-haired girl took up a position at his side. And in his peripherals he could see exactly who it was beside him.

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Lorraine Xe' Almna

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Lorraine's eyes widened as she saw the man split from stomach to collar bone and slump into a heap. Losing some of the color in her face, she barely noticed what had happened just beside her.

Inka's poison had splashed in his face causing near instant blindness from the sting which forced him to shut his eyes tight, followed by her leaping onto his back and stabbing his neck leading the second poison to paralyze him and sending him to the ground in agonizing pain and beginning to "see" things in his mind's eye as he writhed on the ground.

Several members of the crowd backed away from Inka, pointed, and cried out in fear.

"Enough! Please!!" Lorraine shouted at the top of her lungs above the crowd noise.

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The Red-Eyed Demon

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A pair of glowing red eyes slid towards Lorraine who pleadingly locked eyes with him and clasped her hands in front of her chest. His eyes narrowed and returned to those before him as he held his dagger over its sheath, but did not insert it.

"You said you were a mercy compared to what she faces. Explain yourselves." He growled.

Red-head and the brown-haired one both stood up straight and relaxed their posture, as did the last one standing beside them.

"It's Te'i Sai's business, Demon."

"You wouldn't speak to me if you weren't going to explain."

"What part of-"

A hand across his chest from red-head silenced the brown-haired one who put his hood back up and backed away a step.

"The Doctor is a meddler in Te'i Sai's affairs. You know this. We will never stop hunting her for what she's done. But we're not the only ones seeking to end her meddling now. There are others. And their methods are far less humane."

"Who?" He growled as his dagger was raised ever so slightly away from the sheath.

"We've yet to formally identify them. Seems they're just as fond of the shadows as we are. But we know they're here in the city now. And they've already made one attempt to prove to the Doctor that her time is fast running out."

"Hey! Why are we telling him this?!"

"Because-"

"Because he's smart."

The dagger was sheathed firmly and the Demon rolled his shoulders as he stood up straighter.

"... Because for today, we've already lost. Look around."

The now hooded brown-haired one looked at his fallen compatriots and to the crowd which was watching in horror as the conversation continued to unfold.

"... Dammit."

Red-head looked back to the Demon and put up his hood.

"We'll be back for the Doctor, Demon. Count on it."

"I'm not worried."

"You should be... Our ways are changing. And soon everything you thought you knew about us will be a distant memory. So, until next time."

With a wave of his hand Red-head and the others darted away across the rooftops. The Demon huffed a breath he'd been holding and glared down at the crowd letting his eyes flash brilliantly which caused them all to scream and scatter leaving only Lorraine, Inka, the corpses, and the last one still alive and writhing in pain on the ground.

The Demon's eyes slid to Mayumi and locked onto her face with a deep frown.

"... Why are you here?" He growled.

kakemha NemuiTeru

 

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

Inka's gaze didn't even falter, through Lorraine's scream, through the crowd's footsteps, through their cries. The murderous gaze was still on the man, writhing on the ground. She didn't feel any remorse after killing the other man, she actually felt proud and surprised with herself. She wasn't a physical person at all, it was pretty evident from her bruises and scraps from her struggle in the alleyway. Yet, she had just on that man's back and stabbed in the neck, who knew she had that power. There was something that finally broke her gaze.

Noticing the area had gone quiet, Inka wondered why. They were crying out of fear, but they had gone quiet, even scattered and left the area. She finally looked up, and saw a man. He seemed familiar to her, but she didn't know why. For all she knew he could be another enemy, but he made no effort to make movements too. His aura was dangerous, Inka could tell, he could snap her like a twig, it honestly made her not scared, but more nervous, nervous to make the wrong move or say the wrong thing. However her nervousness faded slightly when she heard the man, writhing on the ground, make a noise.

'He is a bother' Inka though to herself. She kneeled down and grabbed her dagger out of the man's neck. And, with dagger in hand, walked over to the man on the ground. With a grunt, she plunged the dagger into his neck. Some of the blood splattered onto her face, it didn't really bother her, honestly she didn't even notice. She left the dagger in there for now, and stood up slowly. Although she didn't notice, anyone could see her covered or splattered with blood. It was on her clothes, limbs, and even face. But once again she found herself staring at the man.

GojiBean

 

[NemuiTeru]

​

Mayumi listened to the conversation before her play out, her stance never wavering until Te’i Sai left the area and the crowd dispersed.

The Demon's eyes slid to Mayumi and locked onto her face with a deep frown.

"... Why are you here?" He growled.

Though it sounded more like a grumble to her.

She turned to face him, grey eyes finally able to take in his appearance close up. She noted the familiar scars, some small ones done by her, the familiar eyes and the way he frowned. Tears fell from her eyes trailing down her cheeks in that fleeting moment of overwhelming relief at seeing him alive and.. sort of well for now.

“You look like shit.” She told him instead.

She had always wondered if she put a twig between his frown, would it hold? The thought helped her sober up from the rare influx of emotions flooding her. He definitely looked like he could get a lot more rest and patched up some. With her confirmation right before, many questions raced through the forefront of her mind but she chose only one to voice.

“Were you ever truly dead?” Curious eyes locked onto red hues.

 

[GojiBean]

--------------------------------------------------------------

The Red-Eyed Demon & Lorraine Xe' Almna

--------------------------------------------------------------​

“Were you ever truly dead?”

His eyes narrowed, his body turned towards her, and he leaned in staring a hole into her soul for several long moments before standing up straight and giving a huff through his nose.

"... Yes." He replied flatly.

His eyes turned towards Lorraine standing outside the clinic in the streets below. She'd since managed to calm herself a little, but was just now turning to see Inka covered in blood. If her face had any color left, it drained completely on taking in such a sight.

"Inka!!"

She darted to the girl and gripped both of her arms tightly.

"Are you all right?! Is any of this yours?!" She cried.

The Demon's eyes remained fixated on Lorraine for a moment before he caught sight of a group of people surrounding a horse drawn cart approaching the area. He took several steps back and away from the rooftop edge and knelt down so as to stay out of sight. Glancing up to Mayumi, he gave a small jerk of his head for her to join him.

As the strange newcomers approached, Lorraine's mother, Therease, was at the front and caught sight of Lorraine and the girl covered in blood and began to jog up to them.

For Inka and everyone watching, it would be like seeing an older double of Lorraine with the only major difference being the shoulder-length hair.

"Lorraine! What happened?!"

Lorraine's head snapped towards Therease.

"Mother! What are-"

"What?! Happened?!" Therease's voice came through sharp and strong.

"... Te'i Sai, mother." She said as she glanced to the two bodies in the street.

Therease's face lost a bit of its color as her breathing quickened. But she took a deep breath and stilled herself as she put a hand on Lorraine's shoulder.

"Relax, my love. It's okay now. They're gone, right?"

Lorraine took a deep breath and realized for the first time she was still holding Inka's arms rather tightly and released her grip.

"Apologies, Inka. I hope I didn't squeeze too hard." She panted, still trying to stabilize her breathing.

The cart with the homeless pulled up behind everyone, and Therease looked back to them.

"Please help your friends inside. The clinic staff should be ready to receive any new patients at any time."

Lorraine nodded slowly and returned her gaze to Inka, knowing full well in the back of her mind that Kyero and the girl would be out of sight at this point.

Speaking of...

On the rooftop, Kyero observed the events unfolding in the street and nodded to himself.

"So that's what he meant." He mumbled.

kakemha NemuiTeru

 

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

Luckily her gaze was broken once more, this time it was by Lorraine. She came running, yelling her name, and gripped her arms with surprising tightness. He concern for her was a bit unexpected, she thought that she would shy away from her like the patrons in the clinic did, but it seemed she had no intention of doing that. Hearing her question, all she did was shake her head and say, "N-no, none of the blood is mine." Another voice caught her ear, it sounded a bit like Lorraine's but older, or at least that was what she thought. Without moving her head, her eyes snuck a glance at the woman. It was Lorraine but older, it surprised her slightly, that they had that much of a resemblance. She stood there as they talked, for one she didn't have anything to add to the conversation and it felt rude to interrupt. Lorraine's grip on her arms were getting very sore, luckily Lorraine had noticed her hold on her and removed her hands. "It's all right" was Inka's reply to her apology. She heard something behind her, she quickly looked and found a cart full of homeless people. She quickly stepped aside from the cart's path, away from Lorraine and her mother. The thoughts of why they were here ran through her mind, it could be because of Te'i Sai, but she didn't know. All she did know was that she didn't intend to follow them inside the clinic and help. She didn't see a purpose for her back in there. She was covered in blood, she instilled fear into the patrons already inside, and she didn't know any medicine so it would do the clinic no good if she went back inside. Instead, she walked over to a wall near where she was and leaned against it.

GojiBean

 

[GojiBean]

--------------------------------------------------------------

The Red-Eyed Demon & Lorraine Xe' Almna

--------------------------------------------------------------​

Therease gave Lorraine an assuring smile as she stroked her daughter's cheek and walked inside to assist the vagrants. Once her mother and the rest were in, Lorraine looked towards the building Kyero and the girl had been standing on. The alleys around it didn't look like they had any ladders. But there had to be a way up there.

"Inka..." She began in a hushed tone while looking back to the blood-stained girl. "Stay close."

She jogged into the alley and walked around the perimeter of the building. Once in the back, she spied a metal stairway leading up to the roof and began her climb up.

Meanwhile, Kyero had already moved to the center of the roof and was standing straight looking at the spot where he knew Lorraine would be arriving. And as the sounds of her footsteps on metal grew louder, he took a breath. Her head appeared first, focused on her footing, before turning to meet his gaze. Using the railing she supported herself as she stepped off the stairwell and onto the rooftop proper.

Looking back to check on Inka, she then locked eyes with the Demon which lasted for several seconds. Her brows were oblique, her lips slightly parted, and her usually straight and proud posture was ever so slightly off as her head was tilted down just so. Her lips closed and her hands folded in front of her stomach as she took several steps forward, stopping about eight feet away from the Demon and keeping her eyes locked on his.

"... Kyero."

He nodded slowly.

Looking to the side she saw the Te'i Sai member he'd split and immediately looked away from the grisly sight.

"I presume..." She cleared her throat. "... That you have something to tell me, don't you?" She asked.

"You're hunted."

She took a deep breath.

"Why?"

"Te'i Sai found out that you're the one who helped me. But there's others hunting you too. I don't know who they are. But they tried to go after your mother today."

Lorraine's right hand rose until her fingertips touched her lower lip.

"... So they're hunting Mother too?"

"No. They tried to get to you through her. It was meant to be a warning."

"And you stopped them?"

"No."

"I-... Then how do you know?"

"They knew. They must have been tracking these other people and saw it happen."

"Did they stop them?"

"I doubt it. It's not their fight."

Lorraine glanced to Mayumi momentarily, and then back to see if Inka was still with her.

"I suppose they're going to come after Inka now too, aren't they?"

"She killed one of them. So yes. They'll be after her now."

Lorraine ushered Inka to come a bit closer.

"What do we do?" She asked while looking back at Kyero.

He stared at Inka in silence for a long moment.

"This one has a killer's instinct."

"Kyero!"

He walked forward and leaned in to get a closer look. His irises, gleaming red at their core and glowing with an otherworldly light, carried an almost liquid-like appearance with the various shades of red churning and mixing with one another like paint in a swirling bucket. And the intensity of the light in his eyes seemed to synchronize with his breathing the longer he looked at her.

Suddenly, Kyero was shoved backward by Lorraine who stepped partly in front of Inka.

"That's enough, Kyero. Don't be creepy."

He blinked and huffed through his nose before taking a step back and tilting his neck to the side getting a nice loud crack out of it.

"I need to find out who these people are."

"What do we need to do?"

"Either come with me so I can keep an eye on you, or find somewhere to lay low. If your mother has any distant family that not many people know about, have her spend time there. These people know she's in the city right now. So she's not safe here."

"... Mother will never leave this city."

"Then that's on her."

Lorraine's heart sunk as she lowered her head.

kakemha NemuiTeru

 

[NemuiTeru]

​

With one question answered many more appeared. She would not ask though. Since he was alive, and she was at a stand still in her quest of vengeance, she would work alongside him.. for now. She did not know his current situation, but neither did he know hers. The past years he was absent, she had grown more indifferent to the world. She experienced many things, grew guileful and learned a thing too many. She knew things many would kill to know.

"Inka!!"

A woman cried.

Mayumi peered over the roof’s edge, watching as an older lady fussed over a young girl. She could see why a townsfolk, albeit not a normal one, was surprised to see the girl covered in blood but why was she acting like the girl was injured when she clearly wasn’t? Even the girl in question appeared surprised at the concern of the older lady. Mayumi could not even begin to comprehend the situation before her, thus the little perplexed frown that marred her flawless pale face.

The archer noticed Kyero looking at the doctor for a while before his attention was drawn towards a carriage that she also turned to look at. They were the same people the knight had been following earlier. She joined the demon at the jerk of his head and slid back before crouching down beside him.

She watched the events unfold alongside Kyero and got a grasp of the situation. These people were raking in more trouble than they could handle.. if they could handle any at all.

Mayumi went to retrieve her forgotten arrow and signaled Sora to scout the surrounding forest out of human sight. After she did so, she took to leaning against a nearby wall at the sound of footsteps finally arriving at their current spot.

Staring with a discerning gaze on the two ladies, she listened to the conversation and took in their appearance. Taking note of the momentary glances on herself.

'What a mess.' Was her only thought.

She briefly wondered if this was why she saved Kyero judging by how he was protecting her, though it felt like there were more elements to the story than she could possibly guess. Thus the conjecture drifted off. Presumptions were dangerous after all.

 

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

She followed Lorraine closely, making sure not to lose sight of her, she had told her to stay close and she wasn't really familiar with this part of the city. They climbed up to the rooftop, and they were greeted with the man from earlier, she tried her best not stare like earlier, but she was still looking at both him and Lorraine. She listened in on their conversation, but didn't say anything. She did learn new information, Lorraine was being hunted by Te'i Sai, the man's name was Kyero, and they would be after her as well. Why couldn't she be left alone for like a couple minutes, she had already killed 3 people today. All she wanted to do was sit in a cozy spot and read a book or make recipes. But that world apparently didn't want her to rest, she stood there covered in grown men's blood. However, she heard something from the man that caught her interest. He said she had a killer's instinct, and he wasn't wrong. What happened next however, was something that Inka did not expect him to do. He was staring right at her. Most peopple would expect her to look away, yet there she was keeping eye contact and not moving an inch. She noticed the glow in his red eyes, how his breathing was. This lasted for a long moment until their eye contact was broken when Lorraine had pushed Kyero away from Inka. Anyone could see slight confusion in her eyes, why had he looked at her for so long, she assumed he would just spare her a glance and nothing more. Her thoughts were running through her mind, what did she think of him, why did he do that, and what perplexed her most, why did she feel like she gravitated towards him? As she heard his plan to protect Lorraine, she genuinely agreed. It wasn't really safe here. They could probably find her at he clinic whenever they wanted. She found herself agreeing with the Red-Eyed Demon wholeheartedly.

GojiBean

 

[GojiBean]

--------------------------------------------------------------

The Red-Eyed Demon & Lorraine Xe' Almna

--------------------------------------------------------------​

Lorraine fought back tears of frustration by rolling her lips in, closing her eyes, and taking in a deep breath through her nose. Her hands went flat and palm up, fingertips touching in front of her stomach, and were raised as she breathed in and turned palm down and lowered as she breathed out through her mouth. Letting her hands fall to her sides and opened her eyes.

"I need to convince my mother of the danger before I do anything else."

"Want me to do it?"

Lorraine's mouth opened and then shut rapidly as her eyes opened wide.

"I-... I don't think that's a good idea, Kyero. I appreciate the thought, though."

She turned to Inka.

"Please, wait with Kyero. I'll be back in a bit."

Lorraine glanced back at him and all of his stone-faced stoicism before walking to the stairwell and disappearing down its expanses into the alley below. When Kyero's ears detected that she wasn't stepping on metal anymore, he glanced at Inka and Mayumi and jerked his head towards the stairs as he started towards them. Peering over the side, he waited for Lorraine to round the corner before slowly and quietly stepping onto the metal stairwell and walking down one step at a time. Despite his dense and heavy leather boots and his 6' 2" muscular frame, he stepped remarkably quietly with barely a creak from the leather in the boots being audible as he descended.

Lorraine stopped in front of the clinic's front door and took a deep breath before entering. Her mother was standing with Cheyanne at the front desk while the rest of the vagrants sat in the lobby waiting for the news on what their friends would have to deal with and how long they'd have to stay to get better.

"Mother, may I speak to you a moment?"

Therease started, and glanced back to Lorraine.

"Oh! Sorry my love. I didn't hear you come in. Of course we can talk!" She said pleasantly with a smile.

Lorraine remained still for a moment.

I've never seen mother so jumpy before. She thought.

She led her mother behind the front desk and into her personal office in the back of the lobby. Once the door was closed and locked, Therease sat down in the client's chair while Lorraine sat in her chair behind the desk just by the window.

"What's on your mind, my love?"

"I've never seen you this scared before, mother."

"Am I?"

"You never jump like that when someone calls you. Ever. Not even when I was young. You've always been unshakable until today."

"I-... Ah." Her voice faded.

Therease slumped in her chair momentarily before adjusting her position and giving Lorraine another, albeit much weaker, smile.

"Apologies, Lorraine. I had a... Um. A run-in, let's say, with some trouble earlier this morning. A kind-hearted Knight who communicated through written words on parchment saved my life and drove the attackers away."

Therease bit her lower lip.

"I've never been targeted like that before." She said quietly while her thumbs began dancing in slow circles around one another in her lap. "It was frightening. I did all I could to hold it together in front of the vagrant group because I knew they were lost and needed someone's help. But still. My heart was racing the whole time. And then this business with murders taking place right outside your clinic. And you were targeted as well. If that girl hadn't acted you could have been seriously hurt or-..."

Therease covered her mouth with her hand and closed her eyes tight as tears began to gather around their corners. Lorraine stood from her chair and walked quickly around the desk and leaned down to wrap her arms around her mother who returned the embrace and cried softly into Lorraine's shoulder. Lorraine fought to hold herself together, but failed. Together they wept quietly for several minutes before releasing the hug. Lorraine sniffled back a sob and stood up to sit on the edge of her desk.

"Apologies, love."

Lorraine shook her head with a smile.

"Mother, please listen to me." She whispered. "This city isn't safe for either of us now."

"What do you mean, love? I mean it-. It was just a random attack, right?"

Lorraine shook her head.

"Those men outside the clinic were here for me. The ones who went after you were trying to harm or kill you to get to me as well. I don't know why. But I have it on good authority that this is what's happening. And I-"

"Whoa, whoa, love. Slow down. "Good authority?" What does that mean? Who's authority?"

"Mine."

Kyero had picked the lock on the window from the outside while they had cried together before, and had also managed to open it without them noticing. He walked into view and hopped up on the windowsill before stepping inside and motioning for Mayumi and Inka to come in as well. Meanwhile, Lorraine's face paled as she witnessed exactly what she'd hoped to avoid this entire time now unfolding before her.

Therease was speechless. Staring up and into a pair of eyes which looked like they were ripped straight from the bowels of Hell, she couldn't move.

"Relax, Lorraine's mom. I'm not here to kill anyone."

Therease blinked several times before glancing to Lorraine and back to Kyero.

"You mean you two know-"

"Lorraine's a target. Both by Te'i Sai, and another group I've yet to identify. But I will. And when I do, I'll-"

"NO!!"

Kyero glanced to her, as did Therease, as Lorraine stomped up to him and put both hands in fists squarely against his chest. And with each word spoken, she gave his chest a small double-hammerfist.

"You. Will. Not. Say things like that. In front of my mother. Whatever it was. Keep it. To. Yourself." She growled.

Kyero blinked.

"... I was going to say-"

"I. Don't. Care." She said, again with the double-hammerfist with each word. "Keep it to yourself. I don't want to know what you'll do. And neither does my mother. So shut it!" She barked.

Therease watched this in awe. Her daughter hitting, even if very gently, the Red-Eyed Demon who was unable to counter her when she chastised him and told him to keep things to himself. What world had she woken up to this morning? And yet... Despite the furrowed brow and the seemingly permanent "angry" expression on his face, she observed several small details which told her...

Lorraine and Kyero were both caught off guard by the sound of Therease chuckling behind them. And as Lorraine looked to her mother in confusion, Therease had closed her eyes and had a calm smile on her face as she sat prim and proper like she always did.

"I see. So, it's his word that you accept for truth." She said warmly while opening her eyes, still holding her smile. "Well Lorraine, you've always been a good judge of character. So I'll trust him as well." She stood from her chair and walked forward keeping her eyes on Lorraine, and then looking to Kyero.

"You say it's not safe here, correct?"

He nodded, to which she nodded slowly in return.

"Thank you for coming to us with this warning. But mostly I thank you for bringing it to my daughter's attention. Her safety and happiness mean more to me than anything. And it brings me no end of joy to know that someone so capable is looking out for her, even if I don't understand why or even how it's possible that you of all people could or would be doing this."

"I'm not with Te'i Sai anymore."

Therease's words were caught for a moment, but she managed to get them out.

"I see. Well, that explains a lot then." She said while thinking about how the reports of his murders had dwindled to nothing and how victims who fit his kill pattern seemed to have shifted from civilians to perpetrators over the last few years.

Therease looked to Lorraine and cupped a hand to her cheek.

"My love, you want me to leave the city don't you?" She asked, to which Lorraine replied simply with a slow nod. Therease chuckled and used her thumb to brush Lorraine's cheek. "Then I will. I have a few old friends I can stay with near the-"

"Don't say it out loud."

"... Ah, yes." She looked back at Kyero. "How long must I be away?"

"Not sure yet."

Therease nodded and looked to Inka and Mayumi. The girl covered in blood, and the girl with a bow and a look reminiscent of the Demon's own in her eye.

She looked back to Lorraine. "Interesting company you keep, my love."

Lorraine chuckled with a nod. "You have no idea."

Both women laughed as Therease walked towards the door to the lobby, but paused as she gripped the door knob and looked back over her shoulder at Lorraine first, then Inka and Mayumi, then Kyero.

"... Please, take good care of my daughter."

Kyero nodded.

She looked to Lorraine.

"And you take good care of him, my love. He seems more than a little accident prone." She laughed, which got a chuckle out of Lorraine.

"You have no idea, mother. And I will. It's my job, after all."

Therease shook her head. "That's not what I meant, my love."

Lorraine blinked in confusion, and Therease chuckled. "You'll understand eventually. Take care, my love. I'll see you again when this is over and we're both safe to come home."

Lorraine nodded, and Therease carefully left the room ensuring that she used her body to block the view for anyone trying to get a look inside before closing it. Lorraine walked over and locked it and leaned with her back against the door as she heaved a sigh and looked between the three people standing before her.

"So, Kyero... What do we do?"

"I'm taking the three of you to a safe place. You and Killer-Girl here," he said while gesturing to Inka, "-can do whatever you want so long as you stay close to the place. I'll take Mayumi and track down the ones who were hunting you."

Lorraine looked at him with a mixture of sadness, irritation, and finally acceptance as she nodded her head.

"Her name's Inka. Not 'Killer-Girl.'"

"Whatever."

Lorraine's eyes snapped open and she gave him a firm glare.

"Not 'whatever,' Kyero. Inka... Say it."

Kyero's eyes narrowed, but Lorraine stood firm.

"Say it."

"Fine. Inker."

Lorraine's hand came to rest on her forehead and dragged slowly down her face.

"Ink-A. Kyero. Inka."

"Inka. Happy?"

Lorraine nodded, but inside she was shaking her head.

"Then let's go. We've wasted enough time as it is." He said as he turned towards the window.

kakemha NemuiTeru

 

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

Inka didn't mind Lorraine's order of staying with Kyero, although she knew he probably wouldn't stay still for long. And her prediction was granted when he began desending down the stairs, honestly she was amazed at how quiet he was. She didn't make much noise cause she wasn't as heavy and she was never one to stomp or make loud noises. But him, a 6'2 man with leather boots on, was barely making any noise. They finally reached their supposed destination, the window near where Lorraine was talking with her mom. She watched him pick the lock, and was pretty surprised, it wasn't the fact that he knew how to pick a lock, she had seen that a hundred times over, it was how fast he picked it. Even born and raised in Veilbrand, she had never seen someone pick a lock that quickly. That besides the point, he easily slipped in and signaled for her and the silver-haired girl to follow him inside.

She followed the order, and was quietly thankful that the blood on her had already mostly dried and it didn't get on the windowsill. She stood there listening in on their conversation and taking in the information. They weren't even there for that long when Inka saw a sight that she never thought she'd see, Lorraine hitting someone. She wondered what their relationship was like. But then she heard something that peaked her interest, they were going somewhere, what about those guards from earlier today, she had told them that she would be here at Lorraine's clinic. She would have to ask about that. As Lorraine's mom left the room, the group started talking, or rather, Kyero and Lorraine started talking. She watched the two argue over her name, he was mispronouncing it. She really didn't mind, but it was quite funny seeing the two argue. He finally said it correctly, at that point Inka couldn't hold it in anymore.

She started laughing, it amused her. This went on for a moment before her laughter quieted down. "Right, you said we were going somewhere, but I do have something to say and something to ask before we go." She said, mostly directed towards Kyero. "Something I wanted to say was that, earlier I had a run in with some city guards for, well killing someone." She paused for a bit after saying that statement. "And the thing I wanted to ask was, could I possibly change before we leave?" She asked in a joking manner and a slight smile as she motioned to her clothes and face, since they were still covered in blood.

GojiBean NemuiTeru

 

[NemuiTeru]

​

As they relocated downstairs, Mayumi went to retrieve her cloak & wig behind the chimney. Silver hair was, safe to say, not a common hair color and would stand out too much if she wanted to stay out in the open. So she donned them before trailing along behind the two but sat outside the clinic when they proceeded inside. A room full of targets was bound to spell trouble.

An old lady who passed by her gave her a piece of candy; albeit the black outfit she wore (currently hidden by her cloak), she looked like an adolescent teen with her small frame. She hesitantly accepted it, but the moment the old lady turned around she chucked it to an actual kid begging on the street to eat. The kid’s eyes glittered at the candy and he immediately popped it into his mouth wrapping and all still on it. Mayumi only looked at him and left when he started spitting out bits and pieces of the wrappings.

Instead of waiting outside the clinic, Mayumi left a message stating that she’d be waiting by the city gates, pinned to the wooden door with a nail. She needed a refill of supplies, it’d been a while since she last passed through a city. Being on the road all her life taught her to over prepare as it was only a matter of time before they would need it. Since going solo from the time Kyero ‘died’ she had experienced multiple forms of ambushes and torture which left injuries she was still recovering from though they no longer hindered her movements. She touched the scars on her neck, carved into her skin by the man responsible for those hooded creatures. How would he react to the news of Kyero being alive again? It should be reaching his ears very soon. The young gifted smirked as she imagined the panic that would mar that detestable face.

Mayumi finished restocking her supplies quickly, swiping a few items here and there replacing some with coins enough to cover their actual cost while others she left twigs and dried leaves in their place. She couldn’t be bothered to haggle with them rip-offs. Once done, she made her way to the city gates and hopped over the city walls from the nearby rooftops, she had no citizen pass thus could not use the entrance like a normal being.

Boredom creeped up on her as she waited atop a low thick branch among the treeline of the forest. Recalling the conversation between Kyero and the Te’i Sai redhead.. The idea of an assassin organization that rivalled Te’i Sai intrigued her. A chance to earn intel on them was not lost to her.

Sora swooped down and landed on the branch next to the lazing archer upon spotting her. It tapped the branch with its beak, relaying information only Mayumi and him understood.

 

[GojiBean]

--------------------------------------------------------------

The Red-Eyed Demon & Lorraine Xe' Almna

--------------------------------------------------------------
​

Kyero paused and glanced over his shoulder at Inka after her question about changing clothes.

"It's fine. Let's g-"

"Nope!!"

Lorraine put her hands on Inka's shoulders.

"You are coming with me to get washed and changed. You, Kyero, can wait outside on the roof as per usual. We'll meet you up there in a bit."

Kyero's eyes narrowed and he huffed through his nose before disappearing outside as Lorraine slowly shook her head.

"Sorry about him, Inka. Come on."

She led Inka out of the main office and to the residence quarters which was located behind the Apothecary. When they entered, it opened into a break room complete with a kitchen space, dining table, two large couches and a nice patterned throw rug in the center. To the left just past the kitchen was a hallway leading to several rooms lining the rear of the building where the "live-in" staff, like Cheyanne from the front desk, as evidenced by her personally decorated name-plate on one door, would reside.

"Luckily you and I are the same height. So, there should be a few extra items here in the wardrobe." She said as she walked over to a wardrobe cupboard at the back of the break room area near one of the windows.

Opening the doors and fingering through a few clothing items hanging inside, she picked out an outfit which vaguely resembled Inka's original garb. A small black waist-length cloak with no hood, a beige/off-white button up shirt, and a black knee-length skirt.

"Here you are, dear. My room's at the very end of the hall on the right." She said, handing her the key. "Take your time to change. There's a recessed bathing space on the left when you first walk in. So feel free to either bathe or shower to wash all that blood and dirt from your hair and body and get changed. A clean body is a healthy body, as I always say." She chuckled.

Meanwhile...

Kyero had made it to the rooftop to wait for the girls and began contemplating how to proceed with Mayumi. He'd noticed one or two things about her during their brief meeting earlier that gave him pause.

kakemha NemuiTeru

 

[kakemha]

Inka Ve' Lie​

Date: Year 754, 14th Day, 1st Laetal Moon

Inka was about to accept the fact that she wouldn't be able to change, but she heard Lorraine refuse Kyero's refusal for her to change. Thank god to that, all the blood was starting to dry, it was getting pretty uncomfortable. "It's fine really." She said in reply to Lorraine's apology for Kyero. With Lorraine's hands on her shoulders, she walked with her to, what she assumed, was a resident area. It had a lot of room, she wondered just how many people lived here. Lorraine led her to a cabinet at the back of the room. She took the clothes from Lorraine, it looked similar to the outfit she was already wearing, which was nice since she wore clothes similar to this all the time. She listened to Lorraine's instructions and thanked her. "Ah, alright. Thanks you!" She said to Lorraine as she started walking to Lorraine's room, with the instructions given to her. She pretty excited to wash off all this blood. Luckily, she shouldn't hold up the group from leaving too much, she was generally fast at changing and washing up, and her short hair made it so that it was quite quick to dry. As she stood under the flowing stream of water, she scrubbed harder than she usually would, some of the blood was a bit harder to get out that she anticipated. Some her her skin would start to burn slightly from all the friction, but it wasn't anything that wouldn't go away later. After a few minutes all the blood and dirt was all off, it felt so much better, so much cleaner. She quickly put on the clothes that Lorraine gave her and headed out. They made their way up to the roof and met up Kyero. She was curious on where they were going to go, she probably have made more batches of poisons, but she can deal with that later.

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