[Bounty Collection] Crime and Punishment

[Amelia Lynsdaughter]

 

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Cryxatum 10, 15 PF

Amelia left the Lorka early in the morning, quoting the need to 'look for things' that would keep her busy until the next brightening. She left clear notes for her apprentice to find and cook himself some food, and then she left, fully geared for war.

It had only been the last brightening that she had taken it upon herself to capture the masked woman. It had been a stroke of good luck that nobody else had noticed that card before, and if there was any truth as to the statement implying spiritual presence, Amelia would be sure to get to bottom of this. In particular, she had taken a rather large jar and put it in her bag... just in case.

She was wearing her fur-lined cloak decorated with the fleur-de-lys that brightening, still feeling that spring had not come into full swing yet. Underneath that elegant, feminine sheen were more casual clothes designed for action - a blouse, trousers with a sword belt for a smallsword and a nasty-looking parrying dagger, leather boots. Of course, her spirit hat remained her most striking feature, the rose nestled on its wide brim being the only blot of sanguine color on a rather colorless figure.

A large leather bag flung over her shoulder, Amelia made her way to Sumire Avenue, in the same district where her shop was. Thankfully not many houses had blue tiles on the roof, much like the Otherworldly Ways' own red tint looked striking in comparison to its neighbors. She would quietly introduce herself to any soldiers or bodyguard as... "Amelia, daughter of Lyn, daughter of Adel. I have come to face the thief who may be showing up tonight. Is it possible to speak with the Lady Haido?" The apparent calm tone contrasted with the relatively high pitch of the voice behind it. Surprisingly enough, the bounty hunter had decided to wear some light makeup for this particular performance. One should always strive to look their best when fighting someone, after all.

[Vanderlou]

An old bald man with a squared jaw and a scar on his lips hailed Amelia with an open hand. This person who was dressed in loose fitting robes approached Amelia and immediately she would notice the katana hanging from the sash on his hip marking him as one of the guards of the small manor. "The bounty eh?" he looked at Amelia from head to toe, his expression somewhat skeptical.

"I suppose you'll do, follow me." he folded his hands into his robes and without even waiting for the adjurator to respond he started walking towards the main double doors of the manor at a brisk pace.

The guard would knock on the door twice and moments later it would open and he would usher the adjurator inside where in turn a maid, judging by her plain mud-colored uniform, would be waiting for her. From there on Amelia would be led through a long dark hallway and ultimately to the front of a tall rose-colored door that was slightly ajar.

"Please wait inside for the Mistress, she will be with you shortly." and with a slight bow the woman would scurry off back from the hallway they passed through disappearing from sight as she turned a corner.

If Amelia would step into the room she would find herself in a poorly lit chamber filled with the almost cloying smoke from hundreds and hundreds of lit incense, most of them extinguished. In the center of the chamber stood an altar with a glass box containing a small statue of a naked kemite woman crafted in gold. The statue was beautiful to behold indeed, though that wasn't the was most eye-catching thing about it, the real attraction was in the form of the rather large round crimson orb the statue was carrying. The stone was a perfectly round and faultless and it was unique in the way that it seemed to collect and trap all light around it instead of reflecting it out. If Amelia would stare into the orb it would almost be like she were watching a display of fireworks erupting from within.

While Amelia would most definitely be inspecting the statue and its gem in particular a soft and low voice would be heard from behind her. "I am Sachiko." the mistress as it turned out, was a young and pale girl probably about Amelia's age. The girl was clad in a black kimono trimmed in silver and her equally long black hair flowed all the way from her scalp to somewhere beneath her butt.

"Tell me gaijin, are you afraid of spirits?" and with that remark the woman would produce a fan from her sleeves to cover the rapidly growing smirk on her lips.

[Amelia Lynsdaughter]

Amelia was long accustomed to being quickly dismissed as inferior due to her being a foreigner and a woman in Zinn'Sunn, so she hardly paid any attention to it anymore. These people actually amused her for that - if they had to choose between believing their eyes or their traditions, they would pick their traditions without a second thought. This was, in part, what made them so fun to relieve of their money.

The girl just nodded and let the guard escort her around the place, which was indeed remarkable as far as mansions went. Of course, after seeing the Riishi residence and its grand splendor, one would be hard-pressed to find more magnificence outside the Royal Palace of Prime. It was still a very, very nice mansion and Amelia took in the details and good taste in decoration. These people had the shinies, this much was for sure. Not surprising that they had been targeted for a theft, though for the thief to be so self-confident as to announce herself so openly... even Amelia, a true daredevil, acted in secrecy. She was all bite and little bark.

At the end of a long hallway, Amelia was finally ushered into a poorly lit room that seemed like the place where she would meet with today's employer. As soon as her eyes got used to the dim light, she noticed the altar with the statue on it. A part of her immediately admired the item, though another part was surprised that she had been admitted into this room without so much as a single question. The statue sure was beautiful, and the orb even more so; but it would definitely look even more beautiful in Amelia's house, she knew. Still, she was the guard tonight, playing the other end of the game.

She turned upon hearing a voice behind her, the lady Sachiko Haido. "I am called Amelia," the witch said simply. "Everyone should be afraid of spirits, which means I am not." She looked around and took in the overwhelming smell of incense. "Not that incense will stop a spirit, only a ghost. I am actually quite surprised you let me into this room so easily. How do you know I am not your woman, or working for her?" She smiled a little. "But no worries, I am here to claim the bounty and see the job through, as always. I will hand her over to you and she will be able to speak, though I cannot make further guarantees on her state." The gaijin went silent, her expression calm but entirely serious.

[Vanderlou]

Now Amelia should have learned by now, that Kemites were a very methodological folk and manners played a critical if not all-important role in their culture and so, upon hearing the cold overconfidence in Amelia's voice Sachiko blinked for a few moments

"There is an eastern word for the way you conduct yourself... what was it again, ah. It escapes my tongue," Sachiko started walking circles around Amelia and hooked finger into her lips while fishing for the word from memory. "Ah yes, you Amelia are... fiesty." from the way the kemite said that it was difficult to tell if she was praising the adjurator or the opposite but nevertheless Sachiko smiled at the half-elf, she had a feeling Amelia would take it as a compliment.

"You are not that woman," the girl reached for the collar on her kimono pulling it lower until Amelia could see the thick bandaging wrapped firmly around her left chest. "I fought her myself and as you can see it was a spectacular failure on my part... I know when I am bested and the girl is beyond my skill, or those of my guards."

"She operates alone, that is for certain. The mere fact she has spirits instead of people working with her proves that she is far too greedy and arrogant to split the fruits of her labor."

"Make no mistake," Sachiko said, her voice becoming almost a hiss."I will expect you to fulfill your end of the bargain and if you fail to I will make sure every newspaper column in Zinn'Sunn hears about it." Sachiko's eyes narrowed momentarily and then without missing a beat her voice returned to its less hostile timbre. "Now, I believe that the introductions are over. If you have no questions I have business to attend to."

"I'll see you before dusk here then?" the question sounded more like a statement however.

[Amelia Lynsdaughter]

Feisty? Amelia did not move or flinch as the Kemite woman walked circles around her, despite the act being quite rude in her book. But still, one had to pity these prejudiced clanspeople and play their little games to make them happy. "I just think all people should believe in themselves - and nothing else if needbe," she said quietly as Sachiko scrutinized her from all directions. For all the Kemite pomp, this woman needed her. She had been bested and humiliated by the mysterious attacker, and now she needed Amelia.

"I do not take too well to threats, Sachiko," the girl smiled thinly, "but I am rather unconcerned either way - the only article to describe my defeat will be my obituary. I am serious about this." Amelia had no particular reason to risk everything on this job, but the witch just did not have a half-hearted mode. It was all or nothing to her, win or lose, rich or poor. She planned on winning, though; winning and showing a certain someone that one just did not practice Adjuration in Zinn'Sunn without working with or for Amelia.

"I am certain you are very busy," Amelia concluded, the tone politely suggesting that she did not mind Sachiko leaving in the least. She had heard more than enough, and from now on her employer's presence would be little more than a distraction. The witch looked forward to the coming darkening; this had all the makings of something fun.

[Vanderlou]

Dusk came and with it clouds, dark cloying cumulonimbus that stretched over and beyond the city of Zinn'Sunn. It seemed that the first rain of the season would come this brightening though judging by the clouds overhead the shower wouldn't be heavy enough to dissuade any burglars from the hunt, if anything it would provide ample cover and would serve to wipe out footprints if an avenue of escape through the back of the house was taken.

If Amelia would return to the manor she would once more be escorted back to the chamber where she had met Sachiko only a few candlemarks earlier. It seemed that in the time Amelia had been absent the woman had ordered for a table and two chairs to be placed in the room. Sitting in one was Sachiko, who was quietly sipping her tea "You're here." Sachiko's gaze flitted over Amelia's face and she motioned to the other vacant chair. "Come sit, join me."

"It will probably be a few candlemarks later before our guest arrives." she offered Amelia an empty cup and promptly filled it with a rose colored liquid that had a flowery fragrance to it. "I hope you don't mind kemite tea."

"Since we have nothing but time on our hands is there anything you'd like to talk about?"The woman it seemed, for all the calmness in her voice and the lack of emotion on her face was sweating and trembling. "And yes, I will be waiting here with you."

[Amelia Lynsdaughter]

The witch returned to the manor near dusk after getting fully stocked up at the Lorka. It was so very convenient, she reasoned, that the thief had given them an appointment instead of forcing Amelia to wait for her arrival. Would make everything a lot faster, assuming she even showed up. The half-Elf really hoped she would, and that this was not just some prank fueled by the statue owner's paranoid personality.

Amelia sat in front of Sachiko with a simple "Thank you," and helped herself to the tea. The girl was a huge fan of tea, and she found that blood had a magnificient flavor in the aftertaste of it. At the question on what she wanted to talk about, she paused and focused her blue eyes on Sachiko's figure, reading the signs of fear on her body. Mortals, born to be slaves of fear... how sad.

"We could swap ghost stories," she mused with a straight face. She excused herself and stood up for a moment. She reached into her bag, retrieving a neatly folded white hooded robe and putting it on in front of Sachiko. It was of a Kemite cut and embroidered with some kind of golden runes. Next, she picked up white gloves that were also embroidered, except these were decorated with red thread that looked very much like human hair. It formed circles and triangles on both sides of the glove, which Amelia also put on before sitting again in front of Sachiko, now fully decked out in her working garb. "More importantly, tell me about this statuette, if it can make you more at ease. Is this the first time someone attempts to steal it? Where does it come from?"

[Vanderlou]

Sachiko simply waved her hand in dismissal though she did watch Amelia as she slipped into a white dress of kemite make and matching white gloves. "Wouldn't a coat be less of a bother than a second layer of clothing? If it's that cold I could lend you one of mine." she said dryly, her index finger tracing the mouth of the cup as she slumped her head on the table.

"The statue," she glanced at the statue, then the gemstone and then finally her gaze returned Amelia's face once more. "Well, the statue in itself wouldn't fetch much but the gem would. That stone has been passed down my family for generations and its supposed to bring wealth, prosperity and..." she shook her head smiling, there was no need to say any more, not to this outsider. "To be honest I'm not yet certain if the stories surrounding the stone is true. Still, I don't want to take the risk of losing it and finding out."

"A few people tried stealing it before though my guards were able to take care of them easily enough. What we can't deal with however are-" and then a sound came from outside the windows. Pounding, numerous and strong reverberated against the four corners of the room and this continued on for a few moments before suddenly coming to a halt. If Amelia would take a glance at the windows she would see a fleeting after-image of a great blue hound with clouds of swirling white for eyes. "Are the things we cannot see."

"This is exactly like the last time." Sachiko stood up and lifted her skirt to pull a dagger free from the strap on her legs, she seemed anxious, tense. "The ghost stories, they start now."

And then without warning a big blue dog would leap through the very door Amelia came from. It seemed to be ethereal and Sachiko was straining her eyes to see the mutt, the thing was a creature of smoke and mist and proved to be difficult to see with the naked eye - though Amelia's being cursed would be able to see it as if it were solid water. Still, despite its form it would prove to be able to open the door from the inside with its paws and then it would turn to look at the adjurator and explode into mist.

With the door opening ajar a girl who looked to be in the prime of her youth, judging by her healthy slender for stepped inside the room. This newcomer was wearing a flattering purple dress that had been modified at the skirt, cut short at to allow for freedom of movement. On her head was a large purple hat with three long white feathers and on her lips was a smile that brimmed with pure confidence.

The rouge curtsied, taking off her hat in a sweeping gesture regarding the two women with a smug smile. "Good Darkening."

"I am Monetta Ignovess and I'm here to..." she stopped her spiel, noticing another person besides Sachiko, whom she had been expecting. "You... Do you honestly believe that you'll be able to stop me just because you hired some more muscle?" the grin spread from ear to ear and already she was drawing a weapon, a sleek and short rapier that was as opulent as it was shiny.

[Amelia Lynsdaughter]

The girl finished her tea flawlessly and listened casually to Sachiko's words. The main reason she had asked her that question was to keep the woman occupied on something she was familiar with, so that Amelia would not have to reassure her. Consoling people was not something she did routinely, or for everyone. Her line of work often involved meeting people in deep emotional pain, people who had suffered terrible losses. Amelia was, for the most part, compassionless and unsympathetic to such pain and fear. It was something she knew all too well, and as such her interest in it had long since run out.

Then, the apparitions began. Amelia followed the canine afterimages with her peripheral vision, and said nothing to Sachiko, too busy studying the situation to pay any attention to someone who had stayed of their own will while being aware of the risks involved. The mechanism of aggression became apparent as a ghostly hound invaded the room and then opened it from within, the guards obviously nowhere to be seen. But then, this was probably for the better. Amelia had the mark all to herself.

The woman's grand entrance was met by a blank stare as Amelia's head turned sideways a little and her blue eyes blinked. Everything about this woman was simply too much, too ostentatious. Some people should be banned from owning money, the girl reasoned. She put on her white hat and took off her robe, not wishing for it to be damaged in a swordfight. If this was the level of the entities this little slut commanded, Amelia had no need for the robe anyways.

"There is definitely a mistake," she said calmly. Maybe it was Amelia's inherent confrontational attitude, but she tended to take on opposite traits to those of her opponents, and she did so without thinking. When they were calm, she was wild. When they were flashy, she was unassuming. She stood up and pointed a gloved finger at some point behind Monetta's frame. "The Darkness Empire circus is that way."

And with that, the witch drew her own smallsword - a fine quality item, even though its only decoration was a coat of arms on the hilt, a little shield depicting a black raven on a golden field. She still had the dagger, but decided not to draw it for the time being. One hand versus one hand sounded good, and not out of any fairness on Amelia's part - the girl believed in achieving victory first, no matter how against whom. No, it was simply to bend her limits, and for the sheer fun that came with it.

[Vanderlou]

"Help me!" behind Amelia, Sachiko was flailing against the carpeted floor with her face contorted by an expression of pure panic. Apparently the kemite couldn't see what manner of creature was pinning her down though Amelia's cursed vision would see an oversized blue dog pressing down on the girl's shoulders with two large paws. "I can't get up!" she screamed, her voice shrill and piercing.

"Interesting," Monetta followed Amelia's gaze and a knowing smirk formed on her lips. "You can see them too, can't you?"

"I'm impressed, I didn't think Sachiko would be able to put two and two together, not that your intervention will prevent me from taking my prize." the rouge tucked her bangs behind her head and replaced her hat.

"En Garde!" Upon taking the first step, the rouge sprung forward, ninety centimeters of reinforced silver flashing as she leaned her shoulders forward to deliver an opening Coup-de-grace! It was ludicrious, for an El Viatre practitioner to want to end a fight immediately but there was no denying the fact that if Amelia couldn't evade the lunge then everything she had worked hard for would all be over in a heartbeat.

[Amelia Lynsdaughter]

It was sad that Sachiko had been put out of the fight right away, but Amelia truly couldn't care less. She turned towards the fallen Kemite for an instant and smiled at the woman. "Keep trying and do your best, Sachiko!" she said with a grin that should not have been there to begin with. Ah, sure, she could have distracted the dog with one of her Ambrosia cookies, but why take the trouble when the ghost seemed to be occupied as it was?

Now, the owner was far more interesting. It seemed that this Monetta had an audacity to her that was not unknown to Amelia, except it manifested in different forms. While Amelia's boldness had something animalistic to it behind a veneer of ice, this woman only managed to come across as a clown, and Amelia hated clowns for some reason. Even more surprisingly, she was trying to finish this with one blow, even though El Viatre 101 stated that opening with a coup de grace was both tasteless and dangerous.

But the thing about a coup-de-grace was that it required strength and accuracy, and the opportunities for feinting were very limited as, well, it had to hit there and not elsewhere. This made them the easiest to parry, a gentle backstep to reduce the relative speed of the incoming attack coupled with a soft attaque au fer - a 'beat' to knock the blade aside a little and send the delicate point out of line.

"So it's true," Amelia would point out if her maneuver was successful, "you practice Adjuration in this city without my permission. You leave me with no choice but to physically take your skill away from you." What Amelia meant was probably a bit unclear, but it might become more obvious in time. She was being passive for the time being, waiting for Monetta to show her something else, hopefully something more entertaining.

[Vanderlou]

Annoyed Sachiko could only grunt against the invisible weight on her shoulders, it seemed that Monetta didn't have any plans to kill the lady of the house but the same couldn't be said for Amelia.

Amelia's attaque au fer, while marginally successful in sending Monetta off-course wasn't enough to put the woman in a dangerous position, she was able to quickly leap away from the adjurator's range and this time the rouge was staring at Amelia with cold sharp eyes. So the adjurator did have some skill with the blade, that was unexpected but having measured the danger Amelia presented the rouge wouldn't take the adjurator lightly anymore. It was time to get serious.

"You mean you want to kill me?" the rouge flashed Amelia a grin as she gracefully retreated a couple of paces away from the adjurator to lure her into charging first so that she could calculate her range. "I don't believe I need your permission. Really girl, I don't understand you. It's not like I'm getting in the way of your business. I didn't even practice my trade here if only to acknowledge your presence and yet here you are..." she slowly started moving, making carefully calculated steps around Amelia with the point of her blade hovering towards Amelia's neck. "...getting in the way of my bounty."

If Amelia would take a moment to look around her it would immediately be clear who had the upper hand in this duel. Dogs, all wispy and plae blue of every size and breed surrounded the pair and they were all looking at Amelia none of them were growling however, instead they were standing at attention, almost as if they were waiting for something.

"I'll give you one more chance to retreat, if you do I'll overlook this entire affair, but if you dont," Monetta hand went to her neck where a pendant shaped oddly like a whistle swayed. "I'm sure you can imagine what happens next."

[Amelia Lynsdaughter]

Now, Amelia had no intention to kill the redhead. She wanted her crowns, and death would not be a shocking enough punishment for encroaching on the witch's territory. No, definitely not death. This did not mean Amelia could not have her fun with this clownish rogue. On the contrary, this would make it all the more fun for her. The witch had been taught that competition may be a good thing for the customer, but it never was for the seller - and within Adjuration circles, the most effective market move consisted of terminating the competitor.

It appeared that Monetta had brought a host of ghostly dogs, which explained why she had been able to enter the mansion undisturbed. Amelia could have shielded the room beforehand, but she had wanted to test the rumors with her own eyes, and it seemed that they were entirely true. Using animals alone was the mark of someone who couldn't get even the dumbest person to work for them.

"Yes," she nodded, "it goes more or less like this." With a sudden motion of her hand, she unsheathed her main gauche dagger and threw it at Monetta. This dagger was not balanced for throwing, but that mattered little - the sight of a blade spinning towards you would be a cause of immediate concern for most people. Using this as a distraction, the witch sprang forward at full speed - she really needed some kind of projectiles in the future. Maybe these shuriken things the Kemites were so fond of.

She attacked right away, feinting an attack to the torso, but actually twisting her wrist at the last moment to intercept the necklace and remove it from the woman's neck. While Amelia's Adjuration gloves had been able to physically touch the supernatural in the past, a boxing match with these dogs was not high on her list at the moment. But as long as she kept Monetta busy, her opponent would not be able to easily blow that whistle.

[Vanderlou]

The flying dagger was definitely a cause for concern but Monetta expertly evaded it, of course in doing so she opened herself up to attack in which she had only moments to respond and respond she did. The rouge hopped back, landing in a perfect Lado Favorecido stance from where she sent her rapier shooting forward, intercepting the forte of Amelia's blade with her own and with a powerful but rapid sweeping motion of the arm she beat Amelia's smallsword to another non-threatening line.

"You really are dangerous," she hissed, retreating with her blade still hovering at Amelia's own. "But two can play at that game."

The rouge quickly pressed the small whistle between her lips and all the dogs came to life. They started moving, padding around the two adjurators in an ever shrinking circle. If Amelia didn't do anything she would be trapped without nowhere else to go.

"I'm really sorry about this girl, if I had a choice I would avoid a confrontation between the two of us. However..." her eyes shone with desperation, and for a moment there was none of the arrogance of courage she displayed in her eyes. Instead there was a sad, almost heartbreaking look that was quickly washed away by a surge of determination. "Someone's life depends on me getting that stone."