"This just isn't my day," said Usagi.
"Meep?" asked a wandering monster, wondering if she were talking to it.
"No, it's just been a really bad day," said Usagi. "First the scary lady shows up and tells me that 'he' will be gathering minions to do his evil work. Then, before she can tell me who 'he' is, she tells me I absolutely mustn't go to Falena."
"Meep," said the wandering monster, pointing out that this WAS Falena.
"I know, I know," said Usagi. "By the time I could point THAT out, she had already vanished again - saying something about cubes and crossing over and how she was not going to stand for it."
"Meep?" asked the wandering monster.
"Yeah, I don't think her oars quite reached the river," agreed Usagi. "However - my duty as a Maximillian Knight is clear! If there's a 'he' gathering 'evil minions' and turning people into sexslaves - I must stop him!"
"Meep?!" asked the wandering monster.
"Well, she was muttering under her breath," said Usagi. "She might have said ex-slaves. Though if this guy is freeing slaves I don't really see a big problem with that."
"Meep," sympathized the wandering monster.
"So I'll find this guy and challenge him to battle," declared Usagi. "Then I can discover if he's really an evil overlord or just misunderstood or something in combat! I swear it by my sword!" draw-shiff-clatter
"Meep?" asked the wandering monster, wondering if she really meant to draw her sword and drop it like that.
"URghhhhh!" declared another monster, rising out of the deep grasses with a sword piercing its head. THUMP!
"Meep!" said the very impressed wandering monster.
"Yeah, uh, I meant to do that," said Usagi, not sounding very convincing.
Lyon was unhappy. This was unusual in and of itself. "Why do I have to do this?"
"Because you're always with the Prince, so if you're playing guard to someone who's sick and bundling up, it has to be the Prince doesn't it?" asked Sialeeds.
"achoo," tried the bundled up individual.
"You okay in there?" asked Sialeeds.
"It's awfully warm for all this," said the figure inside the blankets.
"Just retire to your cabin after a few minutes," advised Sialeeds. "You just need to make occasional appearances with Lyon for the benefit of the crew."
"Because any of them might well be paid off for details by various nobles," murmurred the blanketed figure. "I don't like it though."
"Well, you can put your maid uniform back on after we rejoin with the Prince," said Sialeeds.
"Good," said Madoka Kugimiya.
"The Prince's bodyguards look to be a group of children and their teacher, however those children aren't quite as helpless as one might believe," said Bud.
"Like Abbott said," said Lou. "They isn't pushovers."
"Yes, they'll be quite formidable," said Bud. "We're gonna need extra for this."
"I see," said the masked Nether Gate member, looking rather like one of the faceless minions from 'Castle Cagliostro' despite sounding somewhat like Mikado Sanzennin. "How much extra are we talking about?"
"At least a couple of thousand potch," said Lou.
"Five thousand potch," said Bud. "After all, once we do this - we're not exactly going to be welcome in Falena any more. I hear the Island Kingdoms are nice this time of year."
"The rumor about your seeming idiocy concealing competence are apparently true. Very well, Mr. Abbott and Mr. Costello. Half now, half on completion of the job. Keep in mind though, if you cross Nether Gate - no place in the world will be safe for you to rest."
"How will we find you after we complete the job?" asked Lou.
"If you're going to the islands, there is only one port to depart from," pointed out the Nether Gate go-between. "We'll await news of your success."
"Kill some young kid?" asked the ruffian. "He sleep with someone's daughter or something?"
"Exactly, you grasp the situation quickly and decisively," said Euram Barows. "Something fatal and nasty has to happen to the boy before he reaches Stormfist."
"Ah," said the noble. "You can count on us."
One of the other thugs waited until the Barows kid was out of sight. "Boss? Killing kids?"
"It's one of those things with the nobles, they can't get their own hands dirty - they have to use a 'catspaw' I think they call it," said the ruffian. "So we kill some spoiled brat rich kid, or we just press-gang 'im and sell him to pirates. Either way, we get enough money to feed ourselves this winter and maybe avoid getting press-ganged ourselves with these nobles conscripting us for some war."
Euram Barows waited until he was well away from the meeting point before taking off the wig and bits of makeup that had been used to alter his appearance.
The clothing had to wait an additional few minutes to change, but once done 'Euram' was nowhere to be found. Just another peasant going about his business, unless you looked under his shirt at his back and saw a Nether Gate mark.
Another peasant fell in beside him after a few minutes. "Done?"
"Done. The fodder will weaken and tire the targets, then we move in."
Lun's eyes tracked over to the boy again. "He sure do look familiar, Pa."
"I been noticed that you been noticin' the boy," said Logg.
"He ain't no farmer, nor fisher, that's a'sure," said Lun. "Nice backside though. Purty nice frontside too."
Logg eyed his daughter for a few moments with a puzzled look. "Yer noticin' boys now?"
Lun took her pole from where she'd used it to push away from the shore, and gave her father an affectionate whack on the head with it.
"OW!"
"I been noticin' boys for a lot longer than just now, Pa," said Lun. "There's just somethin' off about that there boy. Somethin' that don't quite fit."
"His name be Frey," said Logg. "I done noticed. He's supposed to be a nobleman's son, but I figger he's born 'on the wrong side of the sheets' if so. Lookit how he moves when he's practicin' that fighting - tell me that he fits any of them blueblood types. Likely he's learned soldierin' and stuff."
"Maybe he's not a noble, de gozaru."
"Yeah," said Lun, blinking then and turning towards where she thought she'd heard a voice. Nope. Nobody there.
"The others are easier to place," said Logg. "I figger they're all with that noble fella's crowd. Konoe I think I heard."
"The 'Konoe' family?" asked Lun, a little distracted. "Well, hail, they's pretty good folks if a bit bookwormy. Hope ya didn't stiff 'em on the fees - we gots to keep good with people like'n that."
"Don't ya worry bout that," said Logg. "Though when we drop 'em off, I gotta idea for some REAL money we can make. Somethin' I heard about that'll make us richer than bacon."
"Just wish I knew where I'd seen cutey there before," absently said Lun, before she invoked her Rune to speed the boat along. "Somewhere..."
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(Posted Sun, 06 May 2007 00:46)
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