Fable - Ask There's Something About Nira

[Khari]

This was going so well.

Why had no one ever told her that Espionage was so easy? Ichika and Khari practically had these bozos eating out of the palm of their hands. At this rate they wouldn't just get an audience with the Damiyo, but they'd practically rule all of Nira!

Her confidence soaring, Khari pushed another bet into the middle of the table. She had no idea how much money it actually was, but she was past caring. "One more!"

The Daemonette shouted at a passing waitress, wondering if the poor woman was being paid well enough to deal with drunk people like her.

"Pigs and spices eh? Well that's interesting, makes sense why you'd come here all the way to Nira. There's quite a market for both those things."​

Khari looked over at Ichika, her face quickly flickering in what she thought was a subtle wink. A wide smile touched her features, and she shifted to play her fingers over the cards in her hand.

"Well, we're not just pretty faces." The Daemonette said with a flutter of her eyelashes.

"Oh I can see that, why don't we head upstairs to my suite? We can talk a little business there. The Card table is hardly a place for such a thing."​

Khari nearly choked on the drink against her lips.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika, or Peco, was feeling so good at this point that she downed the next drink in one large gulp at the same time that Khari, or Tara, gave he a huge and obvious wink.

They were being the absolute greatest spies, probably in the history of Dornoch. Their mark had even invited them up to his room.

Somewhere, in the more sober part of her mind, there would've been an alarm going off. A warning to let her know that accompanying a man she just met to his suite had certain connotations. But the unfun part of her mind was currently drowning in a sea of inebriation.

"That's a great idea, lead the way." Her words came flowing out before Khari could recover from her near-choking-hazard. Obviously they waited for Juba, one of the daimyo's son's entourage, to win the hand and take his earnings before abruptly standing.

With a snap of his fingers and a nod the daimyo's son signaled a barmaid before mouthing, "my tab." Ichika was fairly confident that meant his mother's tab but honestly as the night had progressed she could hardly recall why she and Khari were even here anymore.

Something about a spy? Information gathering? Drinking and partying were definitely pivotal. Those were the highest goals, Khari had pretty much confirmed it. But there was this nagging feeling that they were also supposed to do something else. With the daimyo's kid.

Ichika wrapped an arm around her daemonette pal and nearly yanked her from the table. "Let's go," she said with enthusiasm as the nobleson lead the two girls towards the steps of the hotel. Ichika didn't pay any attention as to whether or not he was bringing some of his guards with him.

 

[Khari]

"Wha-umm-okay." Khari agreed, still not entirely sure that this was a good idea.

"Now this, Ladies."​

The way that the man extenuated the word made Khari shiver, but not in a good way. She noticed that the Damiyling's hands had fallen to the small of her back, and likely mirrored the same position on Ichika.

Briefly in her drunken haze she considered grasping his hand and breaking his thumb, but something in the back of her mind told her that would not be proper etiquette. Quietly she wished she'd listened when her tutors had talked about 'the advances of men', but all she'd ever thought about during those lessons was how she'd never even been in the room with one the same age as her.

"Is called a LIFT!"​

The man said the words as doors were pulled open in front of them, presenting a small empty box just large enough for four people. "This is a very small room."

Khari said dryly, not quite understanding.

"No no no. It's a room that moves. Moves up and down!"​

"That's ridi-HICCUP-lus." Khari argued. "Is it magic?!"

Khari demanded, a small tinge of excitement in her voice.

"No no, just good old fashioned science. I had them install it last week."​

He said to Khari with a wink, urging both of the girls forward into the lift.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika felt the noble son’s grubby little hand rest at her back, his gesture mirrored on Khari. The physical touch sent a shiver up her spine that served as a sobering wake up call.

They were here to get to his mother. And, judging by his advances, they were both playing their part admirably.

She nearly let a laugh slip at Khari’s quip about the size of the room. Truthfully she’d never heard of a lift before either but figured that playing it cool would serve as a nice counter to her friend’s naivety.

”Ahh, yes, I’ve only ever used a leeft once.”

With a nod she stepped into the elevator, faking a grin. ”This looks much fancier than the leeft I took back in the Allirian inner city. State of the art science stuff.” Ichika’s thoughts swam in the booze as her breathing quickened with anxiety.

“Yes, it cost me a pretty penny but it serves as an excellent status symbol.” The doors shut and the room began to move. A bracing half step forward on Ichika’s part was likely the only reason she didn’t fall on her face.

 

[Khari]

Khari clutched the side of the wall in an instant. Claw like fingernails dug into soft padded walls, threatening to tear at some of the cloth and reveal the goose feathers within. A quiet hiss escaped her throat as she felt an odd lurch in her stomach.

Bile pooled in her throat for a moment, a quick breath forcing it back down. She did not like this.

The Daimyo's son however seemed only amused, drawing his hand back away from Khari and taking half a step away as though she were about to puke. When she drew herself up with a frown a small chuckle escaped him and he quickly spoke.

"Not to worry! My mother's first time on a lift she practically threw herself to the floor!"​

A loud boisterous laugh escaped him, echoing a bit too much within the small room. "Ha....Ha...poor her."

Her voice was flat, forced. Finger still clutching the wall as they finally came to a stop.

The doors pulled open to reveal a large penthouse apartment, and Khari burst from the lift in an instant. Practically pouncing onto the solid marble floor in front of her.

 

[Ichika]

Eyelids blinked as fast as her heart raced when she saw the horned girl dart out of the lift and onto the lavish marble. It was the same pearlescent white as the casino’s floor had been but the suite’s floor seemed to shine with a luster fit for a royal. Was that how the daimyo and her offspring viewed themselves? As royals in waiting.

”Oh my, what a lovely suite,” the raven-haired woman remarked as she wobbled out of the lift herself. Why anyone would use such a contraption would remain a mystery to her.

The daimling smirked as he waltzed over to an ornate table. “It’s a bit more intimate, don’t you two think?” He raised an eyebrow at the pair while uncorking a large dark bottle. “Drink?” A crimson liquid flowed into a tulip glass.

From the smell that filled the room Ichika guessed it was an Obanese wine. Likely an expensive one.

The administrator inched closer to Khari and shot a questioning look her way. They had the man alone now. They didn’t need to pretend to be spoiled businesswomen any longer. Yet, it’d likely be easier to get to his mother through flattery than threats of violence.

One small problem persisted and it was made evident by the look in the man’s eyes. Ichika had seen that look before and she knew it meant one thing and one thing only.

”If we’re to talk business I think it best if we skip the wine.”

As soon as the words left her mouth the daimyo’s boy let a ‘tsk’ escape his own lips. “Please, what’s a good business relationship without a bit of fun first?” At that he made his way towards the two girls, glasses in hand and that same look in his eye.

 

[Khari]

Khari seemed to hesitate for a moment, her gaze flickering over towards Ichika.

There was still a heady daze of alcohol simmering over her mind. A buzz, most would have called it, but the ride in the lift had sobered her enough to know she did not want this man to come any closer than he had to. Lips thinned, and her fingers twitched.

His hand came up, offering the glass of wine to Khari.

She took it, purveying nothing but false confidence as she offered another smile beneath her mask. The Daimyo's son smiled back, his hand lingering against Khari's for just a second too long.

"And After all; little fun often leads to much better busi-"​

As he spoke, the man put those fingers on Khari's hip.

His touch drifted, floating back and lower. Her eyes shot open, and the red lines on her face suddenly sparked with light. The wine glass was instantly dropped, his hand grasped, twisted, and then his body sent sprawling to the floor.

There was a loud thud and a crack of marble as he landed, Khari standing over him still clutching his now half-backwards hand. Bending it to keep him in place.

 

[Ichika]

The party, the masks, the charade, and the free booze had all been delightful. Far more fun than Ichika would’ve ever admitted. However, seeing Khari fling that spoiled creep to the ground in one fluid motion (along with the satisfying thud) was even more delightful than everything that preceded it.

Which was an odd realization. Ichika wasn’t particularly sadistic but the action filled her with a sudden flurry of excitement.

“Wha-,” the nobleson started but his words flustered in his throat, “the hell, that fucking hurts!”

Slowly she moved in on the cornered animal that the daemonette held in place. Her short hair bobbed when she bent down and tilted her mask up, ”just a bit of fun before business,” her words cold as ice while her gaze came level with his.

His look had shifted from desire to anger, with a hint of fear. “Unhand me or I swear you’ll be,” Ichika pressed a finger on the man’s lips to silence him mid-sentence.

”You've been talking to the Ito and Watanabe lately, yes?” Her eyes narrowed while the daimyo’s helpless child wriggled against the hold Khari had on him.

“Wait, wait, we can talk. Just talk. I’m not involved in everything my mother does.” His voice waivered in a begging tone as it dawned on him just why these two had sought him out.

Ichika grinned, ”I thought you were a big shot, ready to talk business on your mother’s behalf.” The Tsuri heir gave a knowing nod to Khari as the brat continued to struggle, his exasperated breaths filling the penthouse.

 

[Khari]

A heeled boot came down on the man's neck, stabbing against his throat.

She had never dealt with a man like this, not in the way she had tonight. She was no socialite, no noble. The opportunity to attend a party like this had never been offered to her before. Yet this, all of this had opened her eyes to something she absolutely despised.

What would this boy have done with someone who couldn't push back? Who wouldn't? Who saw him as the second power within this great city?

How many women had he cornered, touched, smooth talked with an implication of reward that might never come? Anger flared within Khari, and before she knew it the tip of her heel was drawing the slightest hint of blood from the Noblesons throat. "Talk."

She hissed.

A hand came up, drawing away the mask that had been covering her face. The one that had ostensibly been the horns on her head.

"Because I have absolutely no problem ending men like you." A slight gasp escaped the man's throat, followed by a look of disgust, then rage, then absolute fear.

Everyone knew of the Dynast's pet, of the monster that she kept within a gilded cage. The Daimyo of Nira most certainly had heard of her, and thus her son had as well. Fear marked his features, and he began to stutter and answer.

"I-I-I...Yes. Me...no not me, my mother. They came to her with an offer...Marriage and..."​

He glanced towards the Desk.

"Th-just look in there! Please. Don't hurt me. Please! It was my mother, just my mother."​

 

[Ichika]

Ichika didn’t hesitate. She could see the anger on Khari’s face and as much as she understood it they couldn’t afford to linger here. Or to seriously harm the daimyo’s child, particularly before they’d had evidence of the obvious plot they were planning. Particularly while they were still present in Nira.


Like a cracking whip the short haired woman moved towards the noble’s desk. The first drawer she opened was filled with knickknacks, an ornate dagger, and a slim flask she assumed had more booze inside. The second drawer she yanked open held the prize they sought, laying at the top of a pile of documents.

”Huh,” she said whilst rubbing at her chin.

It was, as he had said, a marriage proposal. Between himself and Dynast’s youngest daughter. From the Dynast’s perspective it made sense, guaranteeing the troublesome city-state of Nira remained allied to Dornoch and the Erdeniin Empire. But why all of the conspiring with Ito? Why the murders? Why the whispers of an assassination attempt?

Ichika glanced at Khari with a scrunched nose, ”I don’t understand. It’s said he,” her gaze filled with disdain as it jerked to the pinned creep before darting back to her friend, ”he is to wed the Dynast’s third-born daughter.” What were they missing. The youngest sibling wouldn’t inherit anything.

Unless…

”Oh no.” A hand jerked up at her scalp and scratched a nonexistent itch. Her face contorted at the horrifying realization.

In a yelp the son of the daimyo spoke, “it wasn’t me, my mother, her plan. So just, let me up.”

”She intends to make herself a regent. Killing the Dynast and her two eldest daughters after this wedding occurs.” And if the youngest daughter gave birth to a girl they’d likely dispense with her as well. Every royalist in Erdeniin would be perfectly satisfied. The only problem that remained, however, was the lack of direct proof.

 

[Khari]

It all made perfect sense really.

As far as plans to usurp power went, it was a pretty good one. The Dynast likely saw this as Nira trying to make peace, trying themselves to the throne so that they could have more power of their own. While the actual truth was of course that they were trying to take it.

It would have been easier too, once the Daimyo's son had truly planted himself within the court at Dornoch. Her mother had many tasters, agile and vigilant retainers, but even they relaxed around family. A fact that the Daemonette had always found abhorrent.

She glanced down at the boy as he spoke, her head cocking to the side. Lips thinned for a brief moment.

"You were going to kill MY mother! Khari hissed, her fingers turning the man's wrist even more. A cry of pain escaped him, his neck shifting beneath her heel as he screeched in pain. A breath sucking into his lungs.

"Mother! Ha! You disgusting beast!"​

His voice cut like a knife, turned to fury from pain.

"Do you think she sees you as anything less than the monster you are? A creature she can us-"​

Before he could finish his sentence Khari lashed out, her hand balling into a fist and slamming into the nobleman's face without a second of hesitation. His head slammed back against the marble floor, his body going limp as he fell into barely breathing unconsciousness.

Without thinking she reached down, grabbing the rag doll of a man's lapels and pulling him off the ground.

Nothing but absolute rage painted across her face, the odd lines on her face pulsing bright red, her horns all but shrouded in a soft crimson glow. The violet in her eyes blazing with fury. "SHUTTUP!"

She shouted, seemingly unaware the man had lost consciousness.

 

[Ichika]

She froze.

Sure, Ichika had known that her horned friend did a certain kind of task for the Dynast and she certainly had a fiery attitude from time-to-time but seeing the sudden explosion of violence came as a shock. Doubly so because it was being carried out against a man they couldn’t legally touch. At least not yet.

Or, maybe, the world didn’t work the way she thought.

Perhaps Khari merely needed to perceive a reasonable threat to the Dynast and her family to take action. Maybe even to kill.

”Khari,” the Tsuri girl said meekly, ”he’s a glassjaw. Your first punch knocked him out.”

It really was a shame, they could’ve squeezed some more information out of him. Though maybe Khari had no intention of releasing him. For her part, Ichika truly didn’t wish to see a killing tonight.

”We need to get to the daimyo. To stop this, make it right.” A firm hand was placed on her friend’s shoulder. ”We’ll make sure nothing happens to your mother.”

She couldn’t help but wonder if the taunts the daimyo’s devil spawn hurled hadn’t opened up old wounds. If those same words hadn’t been thrown at Khari before with the same level of vitriol. One thing was certain though, there was no going back now. The two of them had to finish this by eliminating the daimyo. She’d never forgive the harlots who had roughed up her eldest son.

 

[Khari]

Khari froze as she felt Ichika's hand come to a rest on her shoulder, still effortlessly holding the Daimyo's son in her hands. Something within her seemed to shatter, a mask that had pulled over her features dropping within an instant.

The red lines upon her face faded into a dull shine, her horns seemed to flicker and torn to their ordinary ebony hue.

"I-I-I'm sorry." A meek apology slipped passed her lips, though whether she was speaking to the man she had rendered unconscious or Ichika was hard to tell. With an almost demure touch she leaned down, placing the nobleman onto the ground as though he might shatter. Her features shifting to a small form of panic.

"I just...he..." Khari turned to Ichika. There was dismay in her eye, fear. As though she expected something. "I lost control."

She said softly, expecting nothing less than a lash.

That was how she had been raised.

Khari saw herself as the daughter of the Dynast, and perhaps the woman on the throne saw her in the same way. Yet when she had made a mistake, when she'd stepped out of line, there had always been a punishment. That was why they were after all; because Khari was supposed to have been punished. "I'm sorry."

The Daemonette repeatedly quietly.

 

[Ichika]

The Tsuri girl became disarmed immediately after Khari turned and stared at her with a look that screamed fear. Whatever response the daemon had expected was clearly an unpleasant one and Ichika couldn’t quite put her finger on what her friend thought was going to happen next.

Maybe the noble’s words really had injured her pride.

Maybe she’d realized some truth behind them.

Or perhaps she was worried about Ichika’s reaction to her sudden outburst.

”It’s ok,” her words were soft as she placed both hands on her friend’s shoulders. Consoling others wasn’t a strength of hers by any metric. Her mother’s home had prided itself on strength and building the strong didn’t involve coddling the weak. But she’d been there when her younger siblings had been upset. When a retainer had slipped up.

She tried the same tactics she hadn’t used since childhood on Khari, drawing the horned girl into a full hug and gently embraced her. ”It’s fine. He was an ass anyway.” Ichika’s hand went flat against Khari’s back, in between her shoulder blades, and she gave her a single comforting squeeze.

It brought back memories of the time Narumi had scraped her knee when they were girls. Or when one of the maids dropped a platter and broke down in tears. Sometimes all people needed was a bit of encouragement.

”You didn’t do anything wrong.”

That bit wasn’t exactly true but, well, the lie didn’t hurt anything. And they could still get to the daimyo without her hellspawn of a kid. Maybe it’d be harder now, or maybe they’d have to do something reckless, but the two of them were resourceful enough to figure something new out.

 

[Khari]

She had expected a slap to the face. A loud rebuke. The lash of a whip.

Something to punish her for what she had done.

The last thing, the very last thing that Khari had thought she would receive was an embrace. As Ichika wrapped her arms around Khari The Daemonette felt her breath catch within her throat. It seemed to hold there, lungs burning as the words of her friend slipped into her ears.

She seemed stunned, utterly frozen.

Arms hung at her side, a shake rushing through the entirety of her body as adrenaline and endorphins rushed through the whole of her. A thousand thoughts rushed through her mind. Fear, anger, despair, joy, love.

It was almost inconceivable to Khari that something like this would happen. That someone would forgive an act like this.

The breath in her throat released, spilling free as tears welled from her eyes and slipped down her cheeks. Her arms reached out, wrapping around her friends back. She squeezed Ichika tight. "T-tha-Thank you."

She whispered quietly.

The thought that Ichika might have lied to comfort her never even occurred. All that Khari cared about was that no whip was coming her way, no punishment would land upon her. That instead of punishing her, someone had simply offered comfort.

Slowly she pulled away from Ichika, drawing free of her arms and immediately reaching up to wipe away the tears from her face. She rubbed at her eyes, smearing the makeup they had applied before leaving.

"I-" A breath filled her lungs. "We should confront the Daimyo."

Khari tried not to dwell, tried to push the moment away from her weakness. Her fear. "We have enough even without him."[/color[

 

[Ichika]

Ichika resisted the urge to reach out and brush away the tears. Or to try and correct her friend’s makeup. Instead she issued a warm smile before pulling her mask over her face.

Nearly as quickly as it had come the tender moment between the pair had passed. Probably for the best, it wouldn’t do them any good to linger with an unconscious noble.

They’d need to be long gone once he awoke.

”Let’s find a cheap hostel to sleep off the booze,” turning towards the lift she considered for a moment before heading to the front door instead. The stairs would do just fine. ”We’ll stake out the daimyo’s place in the morning.”

She’d learned that tactic from the daemonette and their little adventure at the manor in Dornoch.

Although, now that the brat had seen their faces they’d need new disguises… and Ichika assumed Nira’s secret police, or possibly even the rank-and-file guards, would be looking for them in the morning. It’s not like they were in a hurry though, let the daimyo sweat.

She stopped dead in her tracks and posed the question to Khari, ”or maybe we head straight there now. End it fast.” Maybe the liquid courage would be an asset, not a detriment.

 

[Khari]

Khari glanced around for a moment as Ichika burst into action.

Her head wasn't fuzzy anymore, at least she felt like it wasn't. The outburst had burned away any sort of 'fun' she'd had from the night, and peering around the room with sober eyes she was glad for it. Lips thinned as her friend spoke of sleeping the night off, head tilting in a nod...and then cutting off.

"I..." For a second she wasn't sure.

She let her eyes wander to the boy's unconscious form.

The wounds were not too bad. They might have been, had Ichika not stopped her, but he would be out cold for at least a few hours. The longer they waited, the more difficult their mission would be. As much as she hated it, hiding her horns for long was not an option.

All they needed was one guard to tell her to remove a hat, take off a mask. There was a reason why she was an assassin and not a spy. "Tonight."

She agreed with a curt nod.

"We need to tie him up first." Khari said, pointing to the nobleman. "See if there's anything here, or on him, that will make it easier to get into the Palace."

Then...well then she wasn't entirely sure what they would do. The Daimyo was a problem, but Khari still wasn't sure that just killing her would be the end of the problem. Especially now.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika nodded, ”right, tie him up,” this was why Khari was typically taking the lead on stuff like this. The Tsuri administration spotted a tassel on the daimyo’s hellspawn’s extravagant bed.

The golden threaded rope came undone easily enough as she handed it off to the demoness.

Without wanting to delay, she searched the unconscious kid’s pockets, finding a watch, some parchment with markings, and some scrap coins. Nothing that’d help them with entry. Perhaps his signet ring would do? No, then they’d just be viewed as kidnappers.

”Nothing unless you want to pretend like we’re ransoming him.”

Her lips scrunched and curled in a befuddled ‘S’ as she flipped the parchment over. The scrawlings were an odd type of doodle. They almost looked like a map. ”Can you make sense of this?”

She passed the paper to Khari, while grabbing a second pair of golden rope so she could bind the noble’s ankles tightly.

 

[Khari]

Khari took the paper, frowning at it.

There was something...familiar about it. Her brow furrowed as she looked at it, turning it slightly before she let out a gasp. "This..."

Oh no.

"This is a map of the Palace." The Palace. The one back home. The one that she had been raised in, the one where her mother still lived. How had they gotten this? It was supposed to be a secret. Dozens of tunnels, halls. The Palace was a maze, Particularly around her mothers chambers. "The lines...they're route to my moth-To the Dynast's chambers."

Khari said in correction of herself. "Here, this is a tunnel from outside the wall. I use it to get out of the tunnel...but..."

How the hell did they know about it?

 

[Ichika]

”They have a pathway into the Dynast’s chambers?”

The incredulity in Ichika’s voice shone through despite her best efforts to stop it. If they had that level of access it pointed to someone on the inside. Or even worse, the Ito clan had been spying on the Dynast far longer than initially believed. Every alarm bell was ringing in her head and she assumed Khari was experiencing the same sensation.

Although, perhaps, there was one small silver lining in this discovery. ”We need to escalate things here and then get back to Dornoch as swiftly as we can,” the mildly panic-struck Ichika said, ”however, this discovery should be more than enough evidence to prove your innocence. And explain our arrest of the daimyo.”

Of course she glanced over the reality neither of them had yet admitted, arresting the daimyo likely wouldn’t be possible. Plus, after this little discovery it was likely that her horned friend would settle for anything less than the death of the daimyo to keep her adopted mother safe.

”Also, once this is done, we’ll need to address how they discovered those pathways…”

But that could be settled once the threat to the Dynast’s life was off the playing board.

 

[Khari]

Khari hadn't even thought of that, yet the moment Ichika said it The Daemonette knew exactly what she meant. Someone had betrayed the Dynast. Someone close to her. It was the only way that something like this could have gotten out.

Her heart sank, and her lips thinned.

A thousand names instantly ran through her head. Ministers, servants, even trusted retainers. Everyone and anyone who knew about the passage. Her lips thinned, and then her head slowly shook. "Yeah...we..."

She had to get her head in the game.

Eyes glanced down at the nobleman now tied up on the floor.

"We need to get going." She said with a nod. Folding the map quickly and tucking it into one of her pockets. "Grab his ring."

"I have a plan for how to get us into the palace, but..." Khari trailed off as she looked at Ichika.

A frown touched her face. "It's...bold."

 

[Ichika]

The Tsuri family was rather prominent within the Erdeniin Empire but especially so within Dornoch. They'd been long and loyal allies to the Dynast's line since long before Ichika was born. Still, she'd only been to the palace a few times herself and her mother a handful more than she. The names of those who could be guilty of helping this little plot could number a dozen or one hundred, Khari was probably running through them all right now.

"I like bold."

Ichika's words were more confident than usual as she nicked the signet ring off the unconscious man's finger. She cracked a smile towards her daemonette friend and showed the ring off. "Want to give me a rundown on this plan?"

It'd be best to get her mind off the potential life-ending threat that the Dynast faced. That hypothetical was clearly weighing on Khari so focusing on the here and now suited them far better.

To add to that the raven-haired woman suggested, "if we can pull it off cleanly maybe we'll still have time to grab one of Nira's famous crab cakes."

 

[Khari]

"Well..." Khari wasn't entirely sure they would have time for crab cakes, particularly if they pulled it off.

She hesitated for a moment.

"You know how earlier you suggested we kidnap him?" The Daemonette jerked her head towards the Nobleman's unconscious form. "What if we...did."

A smile touched her features. "I mean not us, but someone who 'hired' us."

She quoted the air.

"We use the ring as proof, walk up to the Palace and say that someone sent us to talk with the Dynasts about her son." If she had read the man right, there was not a chance in seven hells that he would ever part with his ring. That alone would be proof enough to buy an audience, and after that...well they would just have to do their best.

"We get an audience with the Daimyo." Khari continued. "Then take her as we speak."

It was bold, dangerous, and also the best play they had. At least by her measure.

 

[Ichika]

If they played their cards right, they absolutely would have time for crab cakes.

"That is," Ichika hesitated for a fraction of a second as she downed the saliva hanging in her throat, "it's definitely bold."

That was an understatement. This plan was irrational and crazy. It was needlessly dangerous. There was almost a guarantee that masquerading as hired goons who kidnapped the daimyo's eldest son would result in extra security being posted in the daimyo's throne room. How on Arethil would the pair ever manage to take down all of that security to arrest the daimyo? Or kill the daimyo if that was Khari's prerogative? The entire idea made so little sense that Ichika couldn't help but, "let's do it."

Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was knowing that her friend was feeling troubled by the threat to her mother's life. Either way, Ichika wasn't going to hesitate here. They'd finish this tonight.

She made her way to a decorated portion of the kid's wall and plucked a purple katana off it's hooks. "I'll need this," plus it'd help sell their story they had captured the brat. "Not sure if you need anything else here."

Khari seemed like she could kill someone with her bare hands. For her part, Ichika's only combat training was very precise, a sword dancing method that wasn't great against crowds but was extraordinarily effective in single combat. She'd need the blade to be of any use if this whole thing devolved into a fight.

 

[Khari]

Khari shook her head slowly.

She was tempted to take some sort of weapon, but her magics would be enough for her. They would have to push quite heard to get to the Daimyo, and Ichika bringing the sword would be enough of a gamble for the both of them.

"We'll pretend to be messengers for the real kidnappers." The Daemonette explained as she walked over towards the nobleman and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. With a quick tug she pulled him towards a large wardrobe in the corner.

The door was pulled open, and unceremoniously she dumped him into the contraption of wood.

"We say we have demands." She explained. "Then demand to see the Daimyo."

The ring and sword would be their proof. From there? Well from there it would be difficult. "Well insist on you hanging on to both, and once we're in the same room with her..."

Khari trailed off as she closed the door to the Wardrobe.

They would either have to kill the woman, or get her to surrender, and that wasn't even accounting for all of her retainers.

"Ready?" She asked her friend with a smile.