Crimson Flame
Skinner35
PlatinumSkink
It was a silent little bit of walking, but eventually the Jester and Akiko managed to trudge their way back towards the manor that housed the effervescent Eleonor and Lorelai. Akiko held within her hand the Red Relic that was swiped by Selene, and the two were standing back in front of the very house that Akiko slept in the night before. It was actually a little odd for her to be standing in front of such a manor alone again... well... alone metaphorically. In reality, she might've had the Jester beside her, but she was still walking up to the manor without anyone who belonged in it escorting her in. Odd, but nonetheless, Akiko knew what she came to do.
She walked slowly towards the front door, looking back at the Jester and curiously having a question to ask her. "Tell me, Jester, are you going to accompany me into here or are you going to vanish and reappear later? I must say, I am curious."
"That's an interesting question to ask. I think it's much more interesting to not answer it and let you see for yourself," the Jester said with an easy smile. Before Akiko could protest, she knocked on the front door to call forward the Lady of the manor. Immediately they'd be greeted by the maids and perhaps even Eleonor herself.
Although Eleonor wouldn't be the one answering the door, the maids wouldn't waste time in guiding their Mistress' guests into her presence. The redheaded magister waited for them in her study, reading an ancient tome of lore with her back turned to the door. Either she was completely confident in her abilities or totally careless to the point of ignoring the presence of others.
It was only after the maids close the door behind them that Eleonor turned around with a surprised look in her deep-red eyes. "Oh! I haven't noticed that you were back already," she said, looking at Akiko before turning her eyes to the one beside her, frowning if she were met with someone she wasn't expecting to see. "I see that you made some more acquaintances along the way," she added in a dry voice.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Lady Eleonor." If the Jester was put off by the blatant disdain, she didn't show it, raising her skirt on either side and slowly courtsing in front of Eleonor. "My name is Eris. You see, I stumbled upon Akiko in a time of need and it was through our efforts we obtained that which rightfully belongs to you. The Imperium weeps to hear their champion of justice crippled, but they'll weep no longer once they heard you've been restored to full strength." "Eris" nodded over to Akiko to reveal the treasure she'd discovered.
Akiko raised an eyebrow at 'Eris', but nonetheless presented the Red Relic to Eleonor. "It didn't exactly happen that way, but we did procure the Relic that you had wrongfully taken from you." Akiko smiled towards Eleonor, stepping closer to rightfully return the Relic to it's owner. "I believe this belongs to you?" she asked jokingly, offering the Relic up to Eleonor with an earnest smirk.
"Oh? So that's it? I have to say that this was very unexpected. Nevertheless, I'm thankful for your efforts. If there's anything I can offer as a reward, please, don't hesitate to ask," Eleonor said as she reached for the Relic, feeling its energy course through her veins once more as soon as she got a hold of it. "That said... you don't sound all that unknown to me. Have we ever met before?" she asked, looking at "Eris".
"Though, I suppose that you can answer that later, after we've taken care of your rewards," she said dismissing her doubts in the same careless way that she usually behaved when not in official business.
"Who knows? The world is smaller than we think, or so I'm told," was Eris' casual answer to Eleonor.
"Why was it unexpected, Lady Eleonor? You trusted me with a task that seemed to be of utmost importance, and I accomplished it to the T... with a little help, admittedly." She knew the Jester was up to some ruse, and decided to play along with the ruse. After all, it might just pay out in the long run. Nevertheless, Akiko got back to the topic at hand. "Did you not think I'd be successful in my efforts?"
"Well, the speed in which you did it was certainly unexpected," Eleonor said, finally putting away the book she had been reading until now. "I didn't think that the thief would be hiding right under my nose this whole time. Otherwise, how could you recover it so fast? In fact, I fully expected you to have to take a journey to Emilia and back before you found any traces of the Relic since the only one who would have any reason—or rather, the courage—to steal it would have to be the Doll Princess," she added as she took a seat at her chair and beckoned the two of them to a luxurious couch.
"It turned out that the thief was willing to make a trade, and it just so happened that I had something that interested them far more than the Relic did." Akiko stepped close to the couch before sitting down, straightening out the bottom of her dress as she sat as to continue an air of formality between Lady Eleonor and herself. "As for finding her, she was actually after that exact thing we traded for. It took a few guards, but after managing to spring a trap she was willing to talk for a trade. Unfortunately, she managed to get away after that trade through magic that I, personally, was unfamiliar with." Akiko explained the situation as her tail gently rested in her lap, her stroking it gently as she talked. "She... used a portal. To where, I'm not sure, but she should have no more reason to steal from Rivenwood anymore."
"Ahh, well, it's not like it matters that much anymore. I'll just ask Yggdrasil to send some of his men after them. Police work isn't my duty," Eleonor said as she wrote a request for the Silvery Knight, pushing the work of investigation to the appropriate division. When the time came, she would be the one to judge the thief, and hand out an appropriate sentence, there was no reason to rush it and waste her own resources.
"Anyway, I haven't heard what you want as a reward. It would be highly inappropiate for me to not recognize the work you've done for the Imperium and for myself."
Akiko knew what she wanted, but as for articulating it... well... that was a bit tougher. "Well, there are actually two things that I want, but we can discuss one of them later. For right now, I would like to explain the first thing I would enjoy as a reward." Akiko said as she pulled out the Lorelai card, holding it in her hand and showing it to Eleonor, with the Lorelai side turned to face Akiko. "These cards are the kinds of magic that I can use, as opposed to the tomes that the people around here wield. With these cards, I can do feats that give me features such as these I have now." she explained the card's use as she pointed to her cat ears and tail. "I happen to have had two this morning, though I parted with one earlier to get your Relic back. That being said, I do know that you have the potential to give me another."
"Huh? That's not as usual as you make it sound like. Tomes can take all kinds of shapes, I've seen a few like this one you have in the past," Eleonor said when presented with the card. She'd seen her fair share of types of tomes and cards were a especially popular choice. "But, supposing that I believe your story... how is it that I can give you another one of these? I'm not a Tome artisan or the Librarian, so I can't just make appear from thin air," she added in a curious yet obviously incredulous tone.
"Oh that's easy."
As the two had their exchange, Eris remained silent in watch as the discussion of cards and Tomes were brought up. She looked at the book Eleonor had cast away and said, "My, my Lady Eleonor. For all the knowledge you seek, the simplest of manners evade you? Well, we can keep that little blunder just between us girls." Eris observed them both from her sights now. "I happen to have some experience in the matter of this. Transferring power and sharing the ability of one's Tome to another is a simple practice. All you need is the right push and consent from user to user after all. Do you trust Akiko with the power of your Red Relic, Lady Eleonor?" Once again Eris stared directly at Eleonor now.
Eleonor looked at the other red-eyed girl with suspicion in her eyes. She never heard of anything like that being possible, even for that wretched Librarian. Nevertheless, she allowed her curiosity to take the best of her and said, "Sure, why not? I want to see if this story of yours is true or not. As long as you don't use the Relic's powers against the Imperium, I have no reason not to do it."
Eris' smile widened an inch though it looked plastered all the same. Regardless she obliged the Crimson Guardian by first standing up and approaching her with no care for personal space. Nor did she warn her next motion, which was to snatch Eleonor's arm and point it at Akiko's held card. "Now concentrate deep and hard, Lady Eleonor. Allow your soul and will to be etched into the body of this card. Let it be known by your own eyes that it holds your heart now and forever." As she said this, Eleonor's hand glowed a dark red as streams of power strained out, flowing into the card.
"That's a little—wait! What's is even happening here?" Eleonor said as she allowed herself to be led by this Eris. After seeing the results of her proposal, she couldn't help but think that she fell into some sort of trap. What would happen to her now was beyond Eleonor' grasp, but the fact was that she probably shouldn't ever have trusted Eris' words. What kind of demon was she even dealing with?
"There's no need to fret," Eris said, letting the power siphon away from Eleonor's fingertips into the card. After a few seconds, she forcibly moved the woman's hand away as Akiko's card shined in a bloody red light that illuminated the room. Then the show died down and within Akiko's hand, burning hot with fresh power, was a picture of Eleonor herself, a new Serie Card granted. "Wasn't that fun," Eris mused.
"I suppose, if that's the word you want to use." Akiko said as she turned the card around to show Eleonor the new card she was in possession of. "Regardless, your powers are now in the form of another card. Lorelai was the other card I had this morning, and I still have her as well." Akiko showed the other card to Eleonor before putting both away, returning to the conversation at hand. "Now then, I'm sure you have questions, Lady Eleonor. I can try my personal best to explain to you my personal history and what exactly just happened."
"Well, that wasn't what I was expecting. For a moment, I thought you were plotting something sinist—What do you mean by Lorelai being in the other? If you did anything to her, I'll be sure to give you the worst sentence possible," Eleonor said as she recovered from her early disorientation and glared at both of them.
"No no no! She's fine! I'm not one for being violent!" Akiko quickly explained as she showed the card again. "I got the Lorelai card last night through peaceful means. Completely peaceful means. Your Lorelai is completely fine, if not a little more confused by me having cat ears and a tail." Akiko quickly explained away the situation. "I have a copy of a Lorelai card and I have a copy of an Eleonor card. I can summon either person as someone loyal to me, or I can use a card to obtain powers or items similar to what you guys have. So... I could potentially have a Red Relic of my own while you still have yours here." Akiko put away the Lorelai card and pulled out the Eleonor card as she spoke.
"You'll have to forgive her, Lady Eleonor."
By Eris' expression, she almost looked on the verge of a giggle but it was hard to tell; either way, the subject was the regurgitation of words Akiko was spilling out to the denizen of this world who wouldn't understand much of this, even with their nuclear knowledge of Tomes. "What she's trying to say, my Lady, is that she merely copied a piece of your power and may use it freely as she likes. The same has been done for your precious Lorelai; in fact, you'll find her still sleeping in her bedroom, oblivious of this talk." Eris stood herself up and gave Akiko a passing smirk, though it spoke volumes of how she wasn't going to intervene further if Akiko chose the wrong words.
"Alas, I must bid you farewell my friends. It seems I'm running rather late for a meeting with a friend of mine. She also lives in a manor you know, though one much bigger than this one." Eris bowed once more to Eleonor before taking her leave, patting Akiko on the shoulder once as she passed. Then she stepped out the room to leave the two as they were.
Akiko was silent for a moment until Eris left, sighing before responding. "What she said was correct. I-I'd like to say I'm knowledgeable on these cards but I'm still new to this all."
"Yes, and..." Eleonor took a step away as she thought about what she heard. "... now that that you have what you want, I suppose that you are satisfied, right? If that's the case, I might as well go look at how Lorelai is with my own eyes," she said, crossing her arms under her chest and looking at Akiko warily.
"She was in there this morning, so I wouldn't be surprised if she was still there. That being said, I did want one other thing, though I'm not sure if you would be keen on helping with that after this whole situation with Eris." Akiko twiddled her thumbs as she stood up. "And... I would also like to see Lorelai too. If that's alright."
"Hmm... and this other thing would be?" Eleonor said as she looked down on Akiko.
"I wanted to try and find the other people I came here with." she asked calmly. "As stupid as they were to walk away from this whole meeting, I'd feel a lot safer traveling with them since I'm still somewhat of a stranger to this region."
"Asgard."
The voice came from the walls. A figure emerged from just beside where Akiko sat, the Jester revealing himself before the two. The masked man passed through the solid material as if he were a ghost, uncaring for the couch passing through him as he only emerged half-way. He passed one glance at Akiko before turning back to Eleonor. "The Princess of Warovia has been spotted along the border of Rivenwood and Exilia. Given your prior history with her, I felt this might be enticing information for you to ponder as she has remained unpunished by the Imperium for her crimes. Witnesses claim she was last spotted in the possession of a slave convoy. Interestingly, one of the captured sported blue hair."
"Well, I think that you have the answer you sought right here. The guards at the Orello outpost reported earlier this morning, saying that the people who came with you were spotted leaving the Imperium's borders toward Exilia," Eleonor said to Akiko, after listening to the report from the Jester, not even bothering to inquire where the Imperator's Advisor even came from. "You are lucky, though. If they are with that Princess, I'll actually help you along to find them. Bear in mind that, if they chose to become her allies, I'll not spare them any mercy. Now, go get yourself ready, we are leaving," Eleonor as she left her office to get her own preparations done.
"I'll go get Lorelai. No doubt she'll also want to come along, if you're intending to find this woman that you're after." Akiko looked to the door before she turned to face the Jester. As soon as Eleonor was out of the way, she spoke to him. "... so... Eris, huh?" she raised an eyebrow towards him as she stepped away from the couch and to the door.
