Hey will and wendil :DThe air was crisp that morning as Akiko strolled back through Rivenwood. Most businesses had only barely opened up, though none of them had interested her at all. There was only one thing on her mind at the moment, and that was finding Eleonor's relic and getting it back to her safe and sound. There were multiple reasons for doing so, though there were two main ones. The first was to pay back the generosity that Eleonor and Lorelai had extended the day prior. The second was the prospect and hope for power. She already had Lorelai's card, but how about getting the entire Rivenwood Constabulary under her belt? That'd be quite the treat.
So, she wandered, a cloak obscuring her cat ears to help her blend in better as she wandered, and in pursuits of anyone who seemed similar to the thief that the group had narrowly missed the day before. With any luck, she'd find them. After that, it only became a matter of talking.
Stalking outside the same house as before; stealing from the same location just couldn't be justified in her mind. Though as luck would have it; she wouldn't have to. Watching her target take leave so early in the day and helplessly alone was going to make her quest a simple one.
"Anti-magic. Hold Person." Two primed, simple spells was enough to get Akiko off the streets, so long as she acted before the rush of the day.
It was a simple task to follow the girl from behind, even if the rogue couldn't figure out where she was ultimatly headed, but eventually she was close enough to act. Throwing her set of spiked bollas to deliver her two spells on the girl.
"Out of the way mistress!" shouted a random passerby from in the middle of the crowd, swiftly stepping forward to catch the spiked bolas on him instead of the target. Akiko turned around at the sound of a voice and smiled at the cloaked figure of Selene, pulling her hood off her head carefully to preserve her ears and look at the thief in full awareness.
"Hello, thief," she started, raising a hand to snap as multiple more disguised soldiers drew weapons, each one turning to form a circle around Selene. A trap this was, and a trap she fell into. Though, the catgirl watched carefully as everyone surrounded the thief, no actual townspeople being in the midst of this operation.
"Here's the situation - everything will be civil, so long as you don't attempt to fight, and as long as we talk things through. I would rather not see you hurt in any regard."Just as everything was setting in, Akiko's eye
glinted as she took a long look at Selene.
Visions of Selene's life would play for Akiko on fastforword. Visions clouded with a grey, dull fog filled with uncarring desire. As a man, signing away his life's earnings before murdering his twin brother. A small woman hidden in the shaddows; sharing a passionate kiss in the dark alleys of the night. An old hag in religious cloth; decending down the steps into a room full of religious artifacts. A black mist drifting into a mansion to find the only source of color in the whole insight; a red relic pulsating at Selene in her mind.
"Oh-ho? Have me surrounded do you." Selene remained motionless as she was surrounded. Everything about the rogue hidden beneath her shredded cloak. Her mask hiding her non-existant expression of feelings on the situation. [color=Silver] "If you want to talk, talk. But I'm sure I have something of value to you if you gone to all this trouble to capture me. I suppose it would be fair to say you have something I'd like as well. Who will get who's treasure is yet to be seen. And;
you're not going to hurt me in any regard."
Akiko’s eyebrow raised as she listened to Selene.
”I’m fairly sure you know what I’m looking for, and as for what you’d want from me, name a price. I’ll tell you if I have it, and if I don’t, I can tell you where to find it.” Akiko’s voice was smooth, carrying only the weight of her wanting to keep this encounter civil. The only issue is what sort of item Selene would be wanting in exchange for the Relic.
"Concidering where you spent your night yesterday, I can assume what you might be after. Though you might be disapointed to hear that I have no intention of giving away anything without payment rivaling 10x the price. You, on the other hand, should have a magical card on you, if you haddn't already lost it between my last scrying. Though any price other than free is too rich for me when I can just simply take it from you like I do everything else. Still think you can tell me the price?"”We’re both slices of the same brand, it seems,” Akiko said with a straight face. She took a step further and pulled out a card, showing the ornate back of the card to Selene.
”I do have a card, however it would very well not be worth your time trying to take mine. Smitten Kitten isn’t exactly the most cooperative,” Akiko put her card away into an undisclosed area before she continued talking.
”With that said, I do happen to know where you can make a better score. Before we continue, though, I wish to see the object that I’m looking for. Just so I know that I’m not arguing with a con artist.”The rogue still didn't move, though at her feet spawned the relic seemingly out of nowhere.
"Ah~ I suppose its safe to say that this is not the real relic. As you have me surrounded, its only right that I wouldn't keep somehting so valuable on me everytime I stuck my head out on a job. At the best, it'd only slow me down in a rush. The fake relic would fade out of view as Selene would continue to stand motionless.
"If I may be so bold, what say you to traveling with me closer to the relic to continue our deal? Alone, of course. No more of these guards surrounding us. I always prefer to discus these matters with a little more secrecy than the middle of town."”... see, I would like that, but how do I know you won’t try to swipe the card I have away as we walk?” she asked. She had the cards, and she didn’t want to lose them to this thief from the Tower... though, maybe allying with her wouldn’t be a bad idea? Watching out for each other wouldn’t be a bad idea in this place, after all.
"I suppose you don't. But if not, then we're done here." Selene would begin to glow with a firey aura. Heat radiating off her still form; growing more intense as magic thickened the air around her. A heat that could reach all the guards in the area and was no doubt surrounding Akiko.
"And I suppose you're not going to just let me go are you? Or must I cripple another one of your firends as I force my escape?Akiko raised her hands up in the air to each of her sides before she spoke next.
"Calm down. We can compromise on this, no? Let's cool this situation down." Akiko spoke as calm as ever, despite the overwhelming heat definitely challenging her composure.
"I'll come with you to where you've stored the loot, just me and no guards. However, I don't want to walk in front of you, and I would prefer to always have line of sight on your hands, just so I know you don't try anything. Fair?"The heat disapeared, traces of magic gone from the surrounding air as the rogue moved. Raising her arm to point at another, real Selene off at the other end of the alley before the image dissapeard from in front of Akiko. The Selene in the alley opened a side door and showed her hands, gestering to Akiko to walk in when she was ready.
"... you sly... everyone, weapons away and stay nearby. If I need you, I will let you know. Otherwise, Commander Lorelai will be informed of your good work." Akiko addressed her troupe of soldiers, each one dispersing towards their own ways. Akiko waited for a second before walking towards the alleyway, opening the side door and walking into where Selene was laying low. No guards followed, and if any noted that it'd be there where Selene set up shop, any who attempt to gain entry would be met with a quick summon of Lorelai.
"Why is it that you want this relic? Drawn to its power like everyone else?" Though as a show of good faith in her target, there in the middle of the table where Selene sat, was the red relic she was after.
"I believe you have information for me? Or have you something more to offer? The rogue sat back, leaning on the back legs of the chair as her boots rested on the table's corner. Mask staring blankly, watching Akiko's every move.
"... I'm assuming that you speaking freely is a sign I can do so too." Akiko said as she pulled out what would be the Smitten Kitten card, placing it face-up on the table to reveal it's featureless front.
"Smitten Kitten's no more. I accidentally absorbed her permanently into myself last night, and I found that out this morning when I noticed a girl grabbing my tail." Akiko explained, watching Selene all the while.
"We're both not from this tower, but we both know these cards can be fairly good in the hands of users. The other two girls I was with, I know one of them has a card. Though, I do have some information regarding how she got hers. Information that'll get you a card possibly better than Smitten Kitten ever would be to you.""Oh? And this friend of your's with the card. Have they absorbed their's too?" Selene offered Akiko a chair, though she didn't have any refreshments to truely be a good host.
"Naturally, I'll want this information as well. But.... I suppose.... If you can help me get my own card with this information of your's, I'll gladly hand over the relic to you. Whatever your reasons."Akiko sat down, holding her tail in her lap as she answered.
"The two girls did not come with me to see Lorelai and Eleonor. It was only me who joined the two for lunch. That being said, both might have cards now, and I can point you in the direction of where one of them went, though I can't do much other than that." She paused to remember before speaking up once again.
"My friend received a blank card after our first encounter with this tower. There was the tavernkeep, Cait, who exchanged her blank card with a brand new one. I'm not exactly sure what card she got, but since I don't have any use of this blank card, I was considering using it myself whenever I left this part of the Tower to move to the next.""I'm willing to trade you. This blank card, able to be redeemed by Cait to obtain another usable card, and the direction which my friends must have gone to, in exchange for the Relic you received out of a dirty deed." Akiko held up the blank card in her hands, inspecting it herself one last time before she added onto the deal.
"It's a mutual gain. I can get the guards off your ass here, you get a card with potential, and I get the Relic in my own hands.""Except... I have a way out of this mess already. And with you so trustingly enter this shack by yourself I could just take that card myself and flee as I always do. I'm used to keeping myself out of sight from the guard; and you already gave me a name: Cait." Selene stared Akiko down in silence for a few moments before sitting up straight.
"Deal." Holding out her hand to recieve the card; she pushed the relic forward in offering.
Akiko raised an eyebrow.
"Is this the real Relic?" she asked as she held the card in her hand.
"If I said yes, would you believe me? And conversely, how would I know this card was truely Smitten Kittens? What if as soon as I take it, you lose the part of her you absorbed?""I haven't been here long enough to make duplicate cards, and I guess we won't know until we make the trade." Akiko said as she placed a hand on the relic, placing the blank Smitten card in Selene's hand, but not letting go.
"If these relics are real, I should feel the power, no?" Akiko questioned as she tried to feel the power within the relic she had her hand on.
Selene let go of the relic as she slipped the card out of Akiko's grasp. The relic was real, though Selene only had a few more seconds to safely get away and continue on her journey. Slipping a pair of cuffs around Akiko's wrists, she was locked to the table and the shack was surrounded by a wall of force.
"Enjoy yourself, may we never meet again. I doubt the cuffs will hold you, though the wall will only last a few minutes tops." A portal opening up behind Selene as she calmly steps through, closing on her leave.
"... sayonara." Akiko calmly said as she stopped using the relic. There was a sharp sting, but the pain quickly subsided. It was the real thing, and exactly what Eleonor was after. The only issue now was she had to get out of this shack and get back to the manor. The first step in doing so had Akiko place the relic away in a safe place, before she drew her shortsword and looked down at the cuffs of the table. She took a breath, then swung at the chain keeping her to the table. No dice at first, but with a few more swings, the chain gave way and Akiko's hand was freed from the restriction. She stepped out of the shack a minute after, the wall dispelled. In her hands, she held the relic that Eleonor was looking for. She had it, and the only thing left to do was return it. It had a pleasant shine as Akiko held it up to the light of whatever sun this was.
"Alright Eleonor, I've got the Relic you were after. Let's see if you'd be willing to part with your knight~."With relic in hand, Akiko walked back towards the manor where Lorelai and Eleonor awaited her return.
TheWendil
