Fantasy Moments in Time

[Katsuya]

- Minnie Von Ironheart -
"Jack of All Trades"​

Serena ducked as soon Seth told her to duck, grabbing the knife with the note on it and curled into a ball to minimize any chance of getting hit. "Be careful, Seth!" She whispered, pecking him a good luck kiss on the cheek before he blended in the rushing and panicked crowd.

Minnie stayed low in case anymore knives came at their way until Sen caught her attention with his hand on her hand. Her hardened eyes soften for a second before staying alert again and nodded. Crawling with him and making sure no one got hurt as they hid behind the table with Serena. The two will see Serena pale, eyes wide as she gaped at the now open note with dread.

"Serena? What does it say?"

The blonde simply turned over the note. It read: 'Death to all Tarot royals.'

Meanwhile, Seth will see a calm still figure in the midst of the crowd. This person wore a hooded cloak and looked over to his direction. The ninja twin can see a menacing smile stretching across his or her face before running deep in the crowded hallways. As Seth followed this person, despite people bumping into him, he was getting closer to this strange person; with just a reach of his arm he can grab-

A lady pushed him by accident and with that, the person who probably caused this mass hysteria is gone . . .

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

Wanting to kiss Serena back, but torn by the need to hunt down the vile villain that just tried to assassinate his precious brother, Seth bolted after the crook immediately. Momentarily surprised that he spotted him even though he thought he had blended well, and actually surprised that he noticed this guy through all the panic, he suddenly realized that this guy allowed him to see him. The confident goading crook! Well, that underestimation was going to be his downfall. No one can escape the fastest blitzkrieg courier of all of Mid --- "Ahh!"

A big lady accidentally pushed him to the side and Seth was sent tumbling right over the edge of the airship. "Dang it, lady! You panicked woman!" he yelled as he fell through the sky. Grumbling, he looked behind him and muttered "Air Hike." A spinning red spell circle the same color of his eyes appeared beneath him in mid-air and he landed on it as though it was a solid platform. It spun fast like a blur, and, tensing in a crouch, he rocketed forward, back on to the deck of the ship.

The man was gone.

Meanwhile, Sen was obediently following Minnie's instructions just as he always does during situations like these, and briefly chastised himself for not bringing his turret or any of his combat inventions at all to this endeavor. He had looked up when Serena read out the letter, and just let out a sigh of annoyance. "I was enjoying a kiss with Minnie. We better send word to the Order and the Tarot Kingdom, tell them there's a threat to this peace treaty. And search the airship too. Whoever did this is trapped with us."

This wasn't the first time someone tried to kill him. He looked to Minnie, the expert, now for instructions.

* * * *​

Seth was going to return much later, not after he's gone through every nook and cranny of the ship, helping the captain and crew search for the assassin. As for Sen, if they were going to return to their room, he was going to give the knife to Serena and ask her to keep the letter, asking her to ask Seth later if he could identify the knife. Being a huge fan and collector of daggers, he may be able to tell them where the dagger came from, and perhaps that can identify their assailant. He was then going to stick close to Minnie, and dismantle whatever he can dismantle so as to make a make-shift weapon.

Katsuya
The Story | Characters | OOC
​

 

[Katsuya]

- Minnie Von Ironheart -
"Jack of All Trades"​

Minnie instructed for Serena to bring her and Seth's stuff in their room so they can be together and stay on guard at night. Just in case. She asked Sen if he can enforce the room with traps and keep it safe while they slept. As for the gunner herself? She stared at the note and pondered about it.

Why aim it at Sen if it's about the Tarot royals? There's no way he's part of it, none of them knew the country existed until now. So . . . What's with this person's deal? Her teal blue eyes wondered over to Sen's figure, putting sun bullets in her elbow compartment and readying her gun arm. Just in case . . . Just in case . . .

Luckily, the crew within the ship managed to calm everyone down and instructed them to stay in their rooms earlier at night and to come out only for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Hopefully it doesn't give the crazy person any time to hurt someone.

Hopefully.

"Okay, I just sent an Owl to James and the Tarot kingdom. It should get to his office soon and hopefully the Spades princess will see it." Minnie perked up at the news.

"...A princess? What about her parents?"

Serena rubbed her head, sighing. "The King and Queen of Spades went to the peace treaty meeting with the other leaders ."

". . . So they left Princess Spades to watch over an entire kingdom?"

" Uhhh . . . No. From what I understand, she's not the only royal in this country. There's four royal families, one for each state of the country." Serena explained as she held the dagger tight in her hands.

"The Princess will only be watching over the State of Spades ?" With a nod from Serena, the gunner sighed and re-searched the room. Just in case.

"Okay . . . For now, I'm going to get food from the kitchen and sneak it in here in case we get hungry. I'll be back, Sen." Minnie kissed his cheek before she left the room to go to the kitchen. It wasn't until a few minutes later that she came back with a plate full of food, stacked up to be a mountain.

Much much later, when Seth came back, he would have the news that the assassin is nowhere to be found. It was like he or she disappeared without a trace . . . Well except for the dagger and the ominous note left behind. The dagger itself is something he has seen before. It was a common throwing daggers. While the source of them came from near Kingsbury, anybody in Midgar can get them from a common weapons shop.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

" No lead on this blade . . ." huffed Seth, taking a close look at the dagger. "I almost caught the guy, but this lady just bulldozed past me and shoved me off the edge of the ship and I lost him!" he complained loudly to Serena. He didn't like losing.

Sen all the while had been concentrating on his task, working quickly with deft masterful hands as he hammered an iron bolt into a mechanism that consists of a stinky ink bomb, his shoe lace, the table that was now in pieces with its sturdier wooden parts in place by the window, and a bed spring as a sort of stinky spring trap if someone tried to force open the window even just a tiny bit after it's been locked.

Their little fireplace had been turned into a little forge where he was smelting bits of hair pins and table nails to turn them into finer pieces for his next trap, one that shot little needles that he was planning to have his brother coat with poison.

"Be careful." he said anxiously, squeezing Minnie's hand before he left. Seth went to help his brother, and by the time Minnie came back, they were done with most of the traps, and Seth was already trying to look for things he could use for poison, but there just wasn't enough to make a potent one. He can make one that could give someone constipation, so he just did that and saved that for later.

"Thanks, Minnie!" said the twins when they saw all the food. After the ladies got their share, the two wolfed down their meal quickly, not wanting to waste time eating, and wanting to get to work on this problem quickly.

"There's nothing left to do but search again and just wait then . . . I wonder if we're going to have to protect the princess and the other royals . . ." said Seth, looking very serious as he munched on a tortilla. I don't feel safe." he sat beside Serena. "Are we sleeping on the floor?" he asked her.

Sen looked to Minnie. "Are you alright?" he rubbed her back. "Thanks for saving my life again." he hugged her.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Serena Lock -
"Jack of All Trades"​

Minnie nodded and grabbed her share with Serena, silently munching as she sat down near Sen, stoically staring at the door. Gun arm ready.

". . ." Serena pondered for a moment and smiled playfully. "It's okay, Seth. Remember? Loser gets fed by another." She picked up a small loaf of bread and held it up to Seth so he can take a bite from it. Then she held his hand and squeezing comfortingly. "He got lucky today, but so did we: Minnie saved Sen. We'll catch him the next time he shows his ugly mug."

"A-and then-! We'll torture him with feathers and make him laugh out what we need to know-!" Serena grinned impishly. When she heard Seth ask his question, the blonde shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, I don't mind - there should be pillows and blankets in the closets. We can make a nest with them!" She searched in the small wooden closet, pulling out drawers and collecting blankets with pillows.

The gunner tensed up when she felt a hand on her back only to relax when it's followed by Sen's voice. She turned around and hugged back, rubbing her cheek on his. "Hmm~ you're welcome . . ." She sighed as she moved closer to his side and snuggled with him; not taking her eyes off the door.

"I haven't been this tense since . . . Jahara and the rebellion." She muttered. It's clear that Minnie is planning to stay up tonight, the way she's glaring holes at the door as if daring someone to open it; it's the same look she had when they were resting back in Jahara as they tried to escape to the port. When she had to recover and re-train without having her trigger arm.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

Seth mumbled, less grouchy now, as he munched on the loaf, facing Serena and holding her hand. He moved to sit side by side with her and leaned on her shoulder. "He's going to get more than feathers after what he tried to do to Sen." he said ominously.

"You ladies should have the bed, we can stay on the floor." said Sen, after Serena said they were going to make a nest.

"I want to be in a nest with Serena." objected Seth, now arranging some of the pillows and blankets and arranging them near the small fireplace.

"You don't want to sleep with me, brother?" said Sen, dramatically disappointed, as he placed the final touches on the needle trap.

"I'm sorry brother, but Serena is softer and smells better." said Seth, looking away poetically. The twins chuckled and grinned at each other. Seth pushed his plate away and fluffed pillows in place, giving Serena the biggest and fluffiest one.

Sen rubbed Minnie's back, giving his fiance a look that said my girlfriend is cool, as he watched her glaring eyes. "Let's take turns on watch."

"I'll take the second watch!" piped up Seth, now resuming his meal.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Serena Lock -
"Jack of All Trades"​

Minnie gave Sen a soft smile, blushing a bit as she leaned up to kiss his cheek before looking at Seth when he volunteered. She's glad the twins are feeling good enough to joke around with each other. Her teal blue eyes looked over at Serena, seeing her hug-tackle Seth into their nest of pillows and blankets.

Somehow . . . having the blonde around makes it easier to calm everyone down. Especially Seth.

After arranging who's staying up for what time (Serena opt to stay up after Sen's shift), the four talked a little more before going to bed. The light was turned off, only having the small fireplace to dimly light the room.

Serena muttered nonsense on Seth's soft hair, nuzzling her face in as she lightly squeezed her love in her arms. She tucked Seth and herself like a cocoon with the warm blanket, not wanting the twin to feel cold. Minnie stayed close to Sen in the bed, sitting up right and leaning on the wall. Her warm left hand combed through Sen's hair tenderly as she glared at the door and window from time to time. She payed close attention to any weird sounds.

She heard Serena's mutterings, Seth's snores, and Sen's slow breathing. Along with the winds outside. For a long while, Minnie didn't move much, only combing through Sen's hair and protectively watching over her family. Then just as she was about to wake Seth up for his turn, she heard it.

A strange noise . . .

The gunner tensed up, pausing her tender touches as she aimed her gun at the door. Eyes hardened, a creak . . . and then-!

Sen's trap activated!

'PEW!'

A sudden flash of light brightened up the room and the fifth unknown figure covered their face quickly, ripping their cloak off the trap before running away. Minnie quickly jumped off the bed and ran out the room, aiming at where she heard the fading footsteps to shoot another light bullet. The figure was gone again . . .

Shaken from the sudden brightness, Serena sat up straight and went over to a silently angry Minnie who continued to stare down at the dark hallway.

"Again?! What in the world is going on?!" The blonde exclaimed.

On the trap is a ripped piece of a red cloak, it had two arched gold lines leading upwards, blood trickled down on one of the needles. Next to the trap and on the floor is another dagger . . . and it was dripping an acid green liquid. The floor even sizzled a bit from the small droplets.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth & Sen Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

Seth had been curled up, hugging Serena's arm, after having a tickle fight with her when she tackled him into the covers. He fell asleep very quickly the moment she started to mutter into his hair when they tucked in for the night. It was cold, but the blanket, her softly breathing chest pressed on his back, and her arms hugging him tight kept him nice and warm, as the flames from the fireplace died down into dim embers.

On the bed, Sen's head was leaning next to Minnie's thigh. He stayed up long to finish securing the room, before having a quick shower and then joining her. His hair smelled like lavender from the complimentary hair potion in the bathroom, and was wearing pajamas that were the same as his brother's. Someone who didn't know them well wouldn't be able to tell who was who, had knowledge of who they were dating wasn't known to most of Midgard. From a glance the twins looked very much the same (except for their eyes and hair) , and it was only their loves who could tell the difference when the two decided to dye it the same color and drink potions of illusion that made their eyes black.

Minnie knew that Sen had slightly bigger shoulders from all the time spent lifting heavy metal parts when he was engineering his machines, and his hands were rougher from all the time hammering away at steel in his smithy back at their beach house. Serena knew Seth had a lither form, and his forearms had mismatched hair from all the time he'd drag the edge of his daggers on his skin to test their sharpness after he was done whetting them. The two sounded different to the ladies too. Seth had a friendlier tone, while Sen sounded more mature. And in their dealings with others Sen had a better way with words among merchants, while Seth's poetry just popped up at random moments for no reason at all sometimes.

Sen mumbled, "Choriso . . ." as he snuggled into Minnie's hand that had suddenly paused.

PEW!

Sen and Seth sat bolt upright --- and next thing Serena knew as she went over to Minnie, a blur went pass her, kunais out and rushing down the hallway after their attacker.

Sen, gritting his teeth followed his brother, but didn't go out the door. He snatched up the cloak and the blood, yelling at the top of his voice that there has been another attack, calling any patrolling crew members to come and help. If they came, he'd show them the cloak and tell them that their attacker was bleeding and probably had acid on them. He too asked Minnie if she saw who it was.

Meanwhile, Seth was following the trail of blood. This time, this time, he is not getting away!

Spoiler: Backpack

Seth:
235 G

Sen:
209 G

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Minnie von Ironheart & Serena Lock -
"Jack of all trades"​

The patrolling crew heard Sen's yells and scouted the area to find the perpetrator; Serena's sleeping gown billowed from the Seth-blur. The blood trail lead up to outside again at the bow of the ship however it stopped at the point, hinting that he might have jumped over the rails and into the sea. There was no splash sounds heard either . . .

The attacker slipped Seth's grasp once again.

Meanwhile Minnie shook her head, trembling as she tried her best to describe him. "I couldn't see his face. He wore a dark mask and a deep red cloak. I do know he's taller . . . I don't even know if he's a he either." Serena patted her back, trying to calm the gunner down. Her blue eyes looked at Sen, frowning.

Twice. This person attacked them twice in one day and was planning to harm them severely with acid on the second attempt. If this is how badly someone wants to stop the peace treaty movement . . . she wondered why. Everyone wants peace, Seth is right about that and yet this person is trying to harm them; the ones who are helping with said peace treaty.

For right now, Serena decided to help with the search around the ship. While Minnie stayed with Sen, not trusting any of the shadowy corners and in high alert for the entire night.

Morning's light peeked over the horizon and the waters below the ship glittered. For some reason, it felt like this terror wasn't over yet. Even if they believed the assassin did jump off to sea, tension ran high. The crew even had every passenger gather in one area to stay together in hopes to stop the attacks. To keep everyone safe and to keep the attacker at bay.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth & Sen Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

"Gah!" Serena could hear Seth's frustration again from the bow of the ship. Seth jumped down, stabbing his dagger on the side of the ship to keep him in place as he air hiked under and around, looking for the assassin. That's the second time. He was starting to suspect that the villain was after his brother, why won't he face Seth like a man? He growled when he couldn't find him, and climbed back up the deck and went on another search around the ship, looking for someone who was bleeding or for a passenger that had been seen wearing a red cloak.

When morning came, the twins had purple bags under their eyes. They hadn't slept. Sen just stayed in the room, resetting the traps and making another spring trap with a stinky ink bomb in front of the chimney; Seth trudged to Serena. "Serena, will you come with me to chase the villain? This is the second time I've lost him, I cannot do it by myself."

Spoiler: Backpack

Seth:
235 G

Sen:
209 G

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Serena Lock & Minnie von Ironheart -
"Jack of All Trades"​

"Of course, apple of my eye." Serena responded quietly, wrapping her arms around her beau as she guided him to bed. "For now, rest. You too, Sen, Minnie."

The blonde saw how tense the gunner got when she called out her name. How her sharp teal eyes practically slashed down the idea of making her rest on a very dangerous area. However the blonde woman didn't budge. Not intimidated in the slightest.

"Minnie, I know you're really scared, but Sen's safe. So is Seth and me." The gunner snorted, narrowing her eyes into slits. Serena sighed. "Come on! You haven't slept at all, Sen's been working non-stop by the fireplace and Seth's running around trying to catch this guy. You three need the rest. I'll stand in watch." With that, Minnie relaxed a bit, trusting Serena's capabilities, and started to walk over to the bed to sleep.

The violinist sighed again before looking at the tired twins. Silently asking them if they want to sleep too as she summoned her violin and played a short spicy tune. Her sleeping gown bursts in flames, wildly spiraling around her silhouetted figure into what one can describe as a music conductor version of her fiery summons and close friend, Foo. And just like Foo, the vibrant red roses on her clothes and pinned in her hair have embers sparking gently, heat eminating.

If the twins couldn't rest, Serena would play a soft tune to lull them to sleep before playing her shield spell. She sneaked in food so when they woke up, they can eat while she gave them the news. Luckily, no one else was attacked during the search. Bad news however is that no one could find this assassin or the cut. The crew has asked everyone to let them see any recently new cuts, but the few who have them were either scabbing already or it's too thin to even bleed that much. They couldn't find the acid on anybody either. The blonde believes it might be because the assassin has tossed it overboard to safeguard themselves.

The next two days went by rather peaceful enough . . . if it wasn't for the tension in the air. Serena played during breakfast and dinner to cheer everyone up, even used her illusions so the passengers don't feel so stressed out. Minnie stayed alert, making sure there were no strange movements from others or anymore knives being tossed at them again. The girls agreed to stay very close to the twins, their beaus, and each other. Just in case anything happens, they'd have back up.

* * * * * * * *

"Look! There it is!" Serena yelled out, holding onto the rails as she stared into the horizon where the silhouette of the Tarot became more clear the closer the airship got. Her azure blue eyes glimmered in glee, momentarily forgetting the tension, as she looked back at her family. "We're here!"

As the air ship landed in the ports and everyone got off, the group would notice a large carriage with a horse pulling it. Waiting in front of said carriage is a suited and tall man holding a sign that said 'New Order members!'

"Oh! Hi! Are you-"

"Yes, I'm assuming you are Serena Lock, Seth and Sen Pendragon, and Minnie von Ironheart?"

"Yes we are!"

"Wonderful! Welcome to the State of Spade, Tarot. I am Sebastian and I'll be your driver to the Princess of our state."

Sebastian helped put the group's luggage in the back where's it's firmly tucked away and he opened the door to let them in. Inside is soft maroon cushions to sit on and curtains should they ever want to cover the windows during their ride. Then the suited driver continued to tell the group that there's drinks and snacks in the hidden cabinets under their seats accompanied with blankets in case they are cold like a professional salesman showing off their company's products.

"It will be a long ride, Ladies and gentlemen." Sebastian said suavely, grabbing hold on the reins and gesturing the horses to pull the carriage.


Zer0

Spoiler: Backpack

Serena - 155G
Minnie - 222G

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth & Sen Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

"I don't wanna rest." muttered Seth, flopping his forehead on Serena's shoulder and snuggling into the crook of her neck; Sen too shook his head. He was paranoid, but when Minnie felt it was safe to sleep, he slept with her as well, giving her his back to hug, while he faced the door as a sort of shield.

"It's better you live to shoot him, instead of you dying first and then I'll follow because I'm not as good as fighting as you." said Sen to her.

The next two days were indeed tense. If it wasn't for Serena, Seth would have been extra stressed out. He kept watch over her in the shadows as she played, feeling anxious all the while for his brother as well. He had shared his theories with the group, about how the assassin could possibly be after his brother. Sen said that there were little clues to entirely support that, but he didn't deny the possibility either. All in all the twins rarely had any sleep.

At last they came to the Tarot kingdom, but the twins were too busy looking over their shoulders and the people just freely getting down. The assassin could be one of those passengers and they're just getting off without any guards checking them over . . . the two were very uncertain. The carriage was so high profile. And they hadn't worn any disguises, but they got in.

"Let's make a stop to a weapon shop!" Sen said to Sebastian, nervously.

"And maybe go to the palace another way?" Seth whispered to the others, out of the butler's earshot. "We were so obvious and we're all grouped here. One good fireball can explode this carriage. It's like a moving death trap."

Spoiler: Backpack

Seth:
235 G

Sen:
209 G

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Serena Lock -
"Jack of all Trades"​

"Yes, of course, Sir." Sebastian replied suavely, pushing his thin-framed glasses up as they rode towards a weapons shop. He acted like he didn't notice Sen's nervousness. Meanwhile inside the carriage, Serena sighed. Azure eyes peered into Seth's auburn brown, pondering.

The musician knew of the gunner and the twins' uneasiness; Seth even theorized the assassin is after Sen. If that was true, the assassin would've tossed a knife at Seth as well since they are twins, she pointed out after hearing his theory. "I reeeeally doubt an assassin would be able to recognize your subtle differences, Seth." She reminded him of the note the knife had.

She told the paranoid trio that maybe the assassin wanted all of them to be in the same room, to scared them. "If their goal is to murder all of the Tarot royals, then the assassin would want to start with us first to hinder any sort of quick help for the Tarot royals and then . . . yea . . ." It's what she theorized, anyways.

Right now, she wished there was a way for the paranoid trio to not be as tense. All three of them barely slept and Serena had enough. The more days they didn't sleep, the easier for them to be in the hands of the assassin. All because of sleep deprivation.

Serena can already hear Renee's motherly lecture on them for not taking their health into consideration . . .

". . ." Minnie was dully staring outside and blinked as their carriage slowed down in front of a weapons shop called 'Maple and Meeto's Enchanted.'

" . . . Enchanted?" The gunner muttered as the driver opened the carriage door.

"Yes, this shop has a reputable taste of metals in their weaponry." He explained to Minnie as they went inside of the shop. The group would see a young woman no older then them, with crow black hair and golden yellow eyes as she cheerfully said "Welcome to Maple and Meeto's Enchanted! Please take a look and see what you might want, young ladies and gents!"

The shop itself was like any other weapons shop, but taking a closer look, Seth would see that the metals really are top-notch and Sen would find very odd contraptions. Minnie was looking into their bullets area with a keen glint in her tired eyes. The driver stood in front of the door, barely glancing behind him as he waited for the group to finish shopping their goods.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth & Sen Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

Sen immediately dashed in to look for a good weapon and to his dismay, he didn't find one as good as his turret, though there was an interesting time glass. Seth too didn't find knives better than those he currently had, but there was something for magical disguise. He bought that and gave it to Sen, knowing there will be times he'll need to blend in as a chair

As they were lining up to pay for their goods, Seth looked outside for a bit, before taking out the dagger and piece of torn cloak which he had asked from Serena earlier, and showed it to the shop keeper. "Hello, by any chance, do you know where this dagger comes from or who makes it? And this?" he showed her the torn piece of cloth. "Perhaps a place in the kingdom where weavers are known to sew this kind of pattern or use this kind of cloth?"

Sen, seeing what his brother was doing stepped up too asking if there were also people here who make acid that they can use to line weapons for battle, and where could they be found.

Spoiler: Backpack

Seth:
5 G = 235 G - 200 G Sand Glass - 30 Magical Disguise (Gave it to Sen)

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x2 Assassin's daggers
3. x1 Torn Cloth || Piece of assassin's cloak
4.


Sen:
9 G = 209 G - 200 G Sand Glass

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x1 Magical Disguise || Stack-able; can use it with another item. [C] +1Sneak
3.
4.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Serena Lock & Minnie von Ironheart -
"Jack of all Trades"​

The shopkeeper hummed as she looked at the dagger for a moment, observing all the tiny details about it before shaking her head. "This is a very common knife. Though I haven't seen many in these parts, I know other shops here can make one easily. It would be very hard to know who made this one specifically." She explained to the twins. Then she looked at the red cloth before freezing, her gold eyes looked at Seth with a wary gaze.

". . . Why and where did you get this cloth?" Serena perked up when she heard her guarded tone, tilting her head a bit. "Better yet, why are you looking for acid? Don't you know that stuff is illegal here? I know none of the shops here would supply acid - - - What's going on?"

"We can't tell you that, Miss Maple." Sebastian spoke up as he took out a pocket watch from his pocket to see the time. "It's dangerous."

The shop keeper, Maple, glared at their driver and growled. "My shop! I want to know why there's foreign people in my shop who have that cloth and want to know where to get acid! Now tell me - "

"Mind yur business, Maple." Said a gruff-sounding voice that came from the back of the curtains behind the counter. Maple gaped as she turned around and stomped her foot. "No-! I will not-! Not when I see a Hearts-made cloth in this shop!"

'Hearts-made cloth?' Serena thought to herself and Minnie, who was observing the whole scene, gazed dully at the tall and burly figure that came out from the curtains. The man looked rough and tough, scars littered his arms and face. He has a scruffy beard and short black hair that's just as dark as Maple's hair. His golden eyes are intense compared to Maple's softer and rounder ones. He laid a large hand on her small head and gently ruffled her hair as she pouted, her arms crossed.

"Forgiv' meh sistah. She's mighty nosey." He said to Seth and Sen. Maple muttered 'No, I'm not, Meeto!'

"Dat cloth righ' dere is from de State of Hearts. No one in de otha' States can mak' red cloth as vibrant as dere's. As fur de acid, only way tuh get some, is from de Underground market."

"Oh! Then how do we get to the Underground Market?" Serena asked.

"No one kno's fur sure. De Underground market dun stay in de same spot each night. It'd be rare to stumble in to it, dat's fur sure." Meeto explained. "Underground market sells in de night an' away from de guards 'ere. Safer dat way." Sebastian sighed quietly, shutting his pocket watch and strode forward.

"Here. It's for you. I must be off now." He passed a note to the burly man.

"Yur sure is up-tight as usual, Sebby." Meeto teased.

" . . . Don't call me that." The driver said darkly before walking out of the shop and closing the door behind him. As the group hears the carriage leaving, they would notice a rippling of magic washing over them. Meeto sighed as he read the letter and nodded.

"Maple, re'dy de horses."

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth & Sen Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

"Uhh, what's going on?" said Seth, taking out his daggers and moving protectively close to his brother when they felt magic washing over them.

Sen looked at Meeto curiously. "Are we going to the underground market? Or the hearts kingdom? You see, my friend here is Serena Lock, and she's going to have a concert here, which I'm sure you know. Er . . ." he looked out the window where Sebastian was driving away. "You guys just had an agreement, he was our ride to where we're staying ---- what do you mean ready the horses?" he moved close to Seth and Minnie.

Spoiler: Backpack

Seth:
5 G = 235 G - 200 G Sand Glass - 30 Magical Disguise (Gave it to Sen)

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x2 Assassin's daggers
3. x1 Torn Cloth || Piece of assassin's cloak
4.


Sen:
9 G = 209 G - 200 G Sand Glass

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x1 Magical Disguise || Stack-able; can use it with another item. [C] +1Sneak
3.
4.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Serena Lock & Minnie von Ironheart -
" Jack of all Trades "​

Maple frowned for a moment before solemnly nodding and went to the back.

"Peace, young'ins." Meeto said, showing that the note was actually an official order from the princess of Spades; her signature and blue wax stamp is at the bottom. The note itself explained about how someone in the group is a musician for the peace treaty movement and they needed to stay safe while arriving to the palace. It even explained about Sebastian's role to distract any dangerous people with the obnoxious carriage.

"I dun' kno' wat happened tuh ya four, but since it's de Princess' ordahs, I'll be yur guide to de palace." The gruff man passed the note to one of the twins, the blonde one since he seems reasonable enough to read.

"De horses 're fur de cart yus be ridin' on. Dun worry . . ." Meeto gave them a big grin. "Yus 're safe wit' meh." And he ruffled Minnie's hair, messing the ponytail and giving her a ruffled kitten look. The gunner dully glared at the man for messing with it.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth & Sen Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

Sen looked at Minnie as though she was a cute baby eastern blue, then chuckled, covering his mouth when she dully glared at Meeto. The note seemed to be good enough for Seth for now, but he kept his daggers unsheathed as they followed the man to where the horses were.

"So . . . you're friends with Sebastian, butler of the princess. I'm guessing you're not an ordinary shop keeper?" said Seth, as he pulled his cloak over his head and sat with his head in his arms, as though sleeping.

Sen offered a hand to Minnie and looked for a comfortable spot for her to sit and have a good shooting place.

Spoiler: Backpack

Seth:
5 G = 235 G - 200 G Sand Glass - 30 Magical Disguise (Gave it to Sen)

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x2 Assassin's daggers
3. x1 Torn Cloth || Piece of assassin's cloak
4.


Sen:
9 G = 209 G - 200 G Sand Glass

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x1 Magical Disguise || Stack-able; can use it with another item. [C] +1Sneak
3.
4.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Minnie von Ironheart -
"On the road~"
​

Minnie snapped her head over to Sen when he chuckled before looking away with a bright blush across her cheeks and ears; following the gruffy man to the horses with the others. In back is a small stable with three horses and a wooden cart, It already has two or three barrels inside with bundles of hay. When Serena got on and sat next to Seth, she heard the subtle rickety noise from the added weight. She wondered if she gained weight from the sweets or is the cart too old now to be carrying this much. She sat down nonetheless. The two horses looked healthy and strong though.

"Ay. Sebby 'nd I go way back. We be part of a larg' gang when we 'ere kids." Meeto said as he sat in the front and holding the reins, waiting for the group to settle themselves in the cart. "Caused a lot of trouble fur de royals, paintin' walls and trickin' de guards of de palace tuh fall ovah."

". . . Why did you guys stop?" Minnie asked as she pulled the hair-string out of her hair and letting it cascade over her shoulders as she tried to straighten it. Meeto peeked over his shoulder and raised a brow. " . . . Hmm . . .Might want to pull a hoodie ovah yus littl' head."

Minnie blinked, confusion written across her face from that comment as the man answered her question; she pulled over her dark hood and leaned on Sen as they settled down. "We stopped because of de princess. Let's just say we owe our lives tuh her. Now I'm a shop keeper wit' meh littl' sister and Sebby gets tuh watch ovah her - - - she'd be spunky."

"Okay! Ready to go, Meeto?"

"Yep. Hang on everyone."

The cart jolted, Maple passed the group a box filled with snacks to munch on with water before they go any faster, and off they go into the short fields.

Meeto and the group drove into a forest with blue long vines and leaves that look soft to touch. The almost black-brown tree trunks were thick and knotty while the branches reached out wide - - - the blue color wasn't from the shade either. It's a vibrant blue with hints of indigo. The grass underneath are more green-blue. Birds are chirping and squirrels are scurrying away to hide their collection of nuts and berries.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth & Sen Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

"Oh, that sounds fun." said twins nostalgically. They exchanged mischievous looks. But then Seth hesitated, glancing at Serena for a moment, before turning back to his brother. "Not worth the jail time." said Seth. Sen nodded in agreement.

"Spunky . . ." repeated Sen, putting his arm around Minnie's shoulders. He looked at his brother again. "We already like her." he grinned, wondering if they're going to have a new playmate instead of a goody goody noble.

As the cart creaked along, Seth, reached out to touch the low hanging leaves and bark, and felt a poem coming up.

"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream"
​

He turned romantically to Serena, hand on his heart.

"I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam
And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream"​

Spoiler: Backpack

Seth:
5 G = 235 G - 200 G Sand Glass - 30 Magical Disguise (Gave it to Sen)

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x2 Assassin's daggers
3. x1 Torn Cloth || Piece of assassin's cloak
4.


Sen:
9 G = 209 G - 200 G Sand Glass

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x1 Magical Disguise || Stack-able; can use it with another item. [C] +1Sneak
3.
4.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Serena Lock & Minnie von Ironheart -
"On the road~"​

Minnie nuzzled her face into Sen's shoulder, nodding. "She sounds like fun . . ." The gunner didn't mind to have another semi-crazy person in their little circle of friends. What's one more?

'Probably drive me crazy too . . .' She thought to herself, sighing. Opening her teal-blue eyes as Seth recited poetry, Minnie's lips quirked up at Serena's reaction.

The blonde was looking at the blue leaves, pondering how it these plants become so blue in color when her ears heard Seth's words. She turned to Seth and froze in her spot, her cheeks turning red. His words . . . Ohh~ his words, his wonderful lyrics . . .

Serena, red-faced and smiling silly, melted; leaning heavily on the cart's wall as she reached out to gently touch his hand on his heart. She stayed quiet for a moment.

"I love you .
Truly, I do .
As I dream of you, it feels like clouds are under my feet,
But once I wake up and see you next to me . . .
How my dreams are nothing but a shameful replica.
The real you is like the ambrosia from the Gods with a side of bliss~"
​

The violinist then pulled her hood down to hide her reddening face, holding Seth's hand with hers. He can see her happy-silly smile under that red hood of hers.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth & Sen Pendragon -
" Jack of All Trades "​

Seth grinned at Serena and squeezed her hand. He stayed with her like that, talking to Meeto and asking him about what the princess of Spades is like.

Sen was just caressing Minnie's hair, as she nuzzled into his shoulder, making himself as comfortable a pillow as he could. As he listened to the others, he started to ponder. Meeto and Sebastian . . . part of a gang and who owe the princess their lives, maybe they could be good allies. Not to mention they knew the underground market, they could probably find a lead on the assassin if they can sneak into the shops of acid poison merchants and ask if someone from the Hearts kingdom bought some of their goods lately . . . then again, those criminal circles don't like snooping questions . . . The assassin though could have a reputation in the underground that they can find out . . . someone who throws knives, and Minnie saw how tall he or she was, pretty expensive tastes if his cloak is as fine as Meeto says. Though this would probably mean the group would have to separate if they tried to go for that lead, Seth was surely going to stay with Serena, even though he was better at sneaking about.

"Minnie," he whispered, "what do you think about making Meeto our ally? We tell him what's been going on, maybe they can help us? We don't know this kingdom and its underbelly, but Meeto surely knows something about it. We can look for information in the black market."

Spoiler: Backpack

Seth:
5 G = 235 G - 200 G Sand Glass - 30 Magical Disguise (Gave it to Sen)

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x2 Assassin's daggers
3. x1 Torn Cloth || Piece of assassin's cloak
4.


Sen:
9 G = 209 G - 200 G Sand Glass

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x1 Magical Disguise || Stack-able; can use it with another item. [C] +1Sneak
3.
4.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Serena Lock & Minnie von Ironheart -
"On the road~"
​

Meeto chatted with Seth about the princess, how she tended to be more hands-on instead of prim-prepping like the other princesses of Tarot. "She will get intah people's business as if it was her own. I suppose dat's why we admire her in dis state; she takes her people's pain as her own." Serena smiled.

"She sounds very similar to a friend of mine." The princess of Spades sounded similar to Mia when it comes to their citizens; Mia isn't afraid of getting down to business and passing a tissue when needed.

Minnie looked up from her spot on his shoulder, listening to Sen's suggestion and pondered herself. "It's a good idea . . . and since he's loyal to the princess, he'd eventually figure it out by Sebastian telling him - - - maybe."

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Seth & Sen Pendragon -
"On the road~ "​

"Okay. " said Sen. "After confirming secretly with Serena and Seth too if they were alright with making Meeto one of their confidants, the twin thought carefully about what to say, as he didn't want his sister involved in this.

"Meeto, the public will probably know by the end of today, but while we were traveling, two assassination attempts were made on us. One on my brother during lunch, another when we were sleeping, but the crook got away, that's why we were asking about the dagger and the cloth. I'm worried for our safety, and what's going to happen to this peace treaty, so we want to find out who was trying to hurt us and why. Can I have the note the assassin left, Serena?"

If she passed it to him, he'd show it to Meeto. "Do you know anyone who'd be against the treaty? And could you tell us how to get to the black market tonight?"

Spoiler: Backpack

Seth:
5 G = 235 G - 200 G Sand Glass - 30 Magical Disguise (Gave it to Sen)

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x2 Assassin's daggers
3. x1 Torn Cloth || Piece of assassin's cloak
4.


Sen:
9 G = 209 G - 200 G Sand Glass

[E]
[E]
1. x2 Sand Glass || Only can be used once per character's turn in event. [C] Roll 1x for a second chance in a skill
2. x1 Magical Disguise || Stack-able; can use it with another item. [C] +1Sneak
3.
4.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Serena Lock -
"Jack of all Trades"​

After they secretly talked and agreed, Serena and Minnie let Seth talk to Meeto who silently sat and listened. The violinist passed Seth the note and with that, the burly man peeked at the note and sharpened his golden eyes. He seemed annoyed at the news and huffed as he continued to face forward.

"I can giv' ye a suspect. Dere's a smol group aftah de royals' lives." Serena's brows furrowed at his annoyed, frowning when she heard a hint of sadness. She held her breath at what he said next. "Da group came wen Tarot started tuh recovah from the dragon's war yers ago . . . 'nd den States of Hearts closed dere doors - - - I can't talk mor' here. De princess kno's more den I."

". . . So no one can visit the State of Hearts in these days?" Minnie suddenly asked and Meeto shook his head.

"Nah unless ya somehow sneak in dere or hav' a connection wit' the Underground Market." He said. Then he peeked over his shoulder with a brow raised. "Ya wanna go in de Underground Market? Tonight? I told ye, it's hard to track it-"

"But-! Can you do it?" Serena pressed on with wide blue eyes. Meeto looked away.

" . . ."

"I bet you can-! I bet you have a connection with the Underground Market!" She pressed some more. Meeto hunched his shoulders.

" . . ." He grumbled and Serena grinned. "I believe you can do it, Meeto-!"

"Ahhhhh-! Enough wit' ya! I'll see wut I can do-"

"Whoo-hooo~!" Serena cheered, raising her hands up like an excited little kid.

The ride went on, with Serena animatedly to Seth and a silent Meeto and Minnie quietly snuggling with Sen. The group can see a large pastal blue castle in the horizon and coming closer. Though they didn't go through the front; the cart went to the back where the stables are. The soldiers and guards saw his papers and after letting them pass through the back door to the kitchen, large hallways with standing armor, and several doors; Meeto lead them to a grand door.

"MILK! MILK TEA!!! YUR SPECIAL GUEST 'RE 'ERE!" The group can hear a loud random gibberish followed by loud footsteps and then the doors open-

"MEETO! YOU GOT HERE SAFELY!!!" Serena froze with wide eyes and looked at Minnie. Then she looked at Milk who's hugged Meeto and looked back at Minnie . . . who's brows are raised high.

"Hello! My name's Milk Tea, Princess of State of Spades. It's nice to meet you - !" Said the Princess then she blinked her teal blue eyes at Minnie. "Hey! You look like me!"

That's right . . . Princess Milk and Minnie look exactly the same . . .

Zer0