Chapter 20: Book 1-08.3: Dealings

It was just after lunch and the show wouldn’t start until a few hours later, but Krystal barged into her house and demanded access to Yuriko’s closet. Once again, Krystal found herself frustrated, frowning and growling as she went through Yuriko’s closet.

“Can’t I just wear my usual clothes?” Yuriko whined.

“No.”

“But why?”

“First, attending a theatrical performance is a formal affair. Second, didn’t uncle take you to a show previously?”

“That was years ago. Mom just came back and she was the one who picked my clothes.”

“And what did you wear?

“A dress.”

“None of the dresses that still fit you are appropriate for the occasion. And the ones that are appropriate won’t fit properly anymore.” Krystal studied each dress carefully. “I suppose you could wear tights underneath, but still. Hmmm. Well, these might work. And these. Oooh, this would look nice...”

Yuriko sighed. She wanted to meditate and work on her Animus control but Krystal kept interrupting her, poking her awake to use her as a dress-up doll.

“Good thing I borrowed some clothes from my elder sis. Maybe this will fit you…”

It took about an hour to get ready. Krystal dressed Yuriko in a long, dark blue sundress that ended a few inches below the knees. She also tied a couple of matching blue ribbons in Yuriko’s hair, mainly to keep the strands from getting into Yuriko’s face. She clipped a golden bangle on Yuriko’s left arm.

“Why aren’t your ears pierced? Ancestors, Yuri, why are you so naturally pretty? It's annoying.”

Yuriko wisely chose to remain silent.

Rami was still in the living room when the two girls walked down the staircase.

“You both look nice,” he said with a grin.

“Aw, you’re such a sweetie!” Krystal ruffled his hair.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine alone?” Yuriko asked.

“I said I’ll be with my friends.” Rami snorted. “Go on, go have fun.”

“See you later!”

“Are we taking the Circuit Tram?” Krystal asked.

“Why not walk? It’s less than a longstride away.”

“In this heat? Please.”

“Have it your way, then.”

Krystal wore a red sundress of a similar length to Yuriko’s. Matching berets and purses completed their attire. Krystal chose to wear kitten heels while Yuriko stuck with her flats--much more comfortable. The walk to Faron’s Square would be nothing to Yuriko but it would be uncomfortable for her friend. They caught a Circuit Tram and soon found themselves near the Assembly Hall where a crowd had formed near the entrance.

As they approached, they could see Orrin and Braden at the edge of the crowd. They saw the girls immediately and waved happily. Both boys wore striped blue dress shirts, grey slacks, and dark leather shoes. Orrin had on a red boater hat, while Braden wore a black one.

“Miss Davar and Miss Zorin. A pleasure to see you both,” Braden greeted.

“Thank you for accepting our invitation,” Orrin said a bit stiltedly.

“Thank you for inviting us, well, Yuri anyway.” Krystal grinned at the twins. Braden just shrugged while Orrin reddened. “Well, we’re only waiting for…oh there he is.”

They all turned to where Krystal was looking and Heron walked jauntily up to them. He was dressed similarly to the twins except he chose a white shirt and a black flat cap. He stared at the twins with a bit of hostility to which they gave flat looks in return.

“Hello, Heron. What brings you here?” Orrin asked.

“I was invited of course,” tilting his head in Yuriko’s direction. When the twins looked at her, she glanced at Krystal.

“Hee hee,” Krystal sniggered. “Well, shall we acquire tickets?”

“Oh, we already have them,” Braden said, flicking his hand and with a flourish, five tickets appeared. “Here, please take them.”

“My thanks. How much do I owe you?” Yuriko asked.

“No worries, Miss Davar. It is our pleasure.”

“I’ll pay for mine, of course,” Heron growled. He tossed the Braden a silver crown.

“This is too much, Heron,” Braden protested, “this is more than what we paid for all of the tickets.”

“Then I guess it is my treat. No, do not return it to me. If you don’t want it, leave it on the road. Ladies, shall we?”

Braden and Orrin spluttered while Krystal was shaking from suppressing her giggles. Yuriko gave her an exasperated look.

The Hall started allowing people to enter the premises and soon, they were ushered in by the attendants. They were given seats according to their tickets. For some reason, Yuriko was given a seat between the twins, Krystal was next to Braden, with Heron seated on Krystal’s other side. Heron’s somewhat smug look had turned to consternation as soon as he found out where he was seated.

Yuriko sighed and asked, “Braden, do you mind if we switched places?”

“Be my guest,” he answered easily.

Krystal whispered in her ear when they changed seats. “Why’d you do that? That was fine.”

“Why do you think?” she hissed.

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Half of the Assembly Hall was taken up by the stage. It was made of wood and mostly covered by red curtains. The seats were arranged such that those behind were on a higher step. After the theatre troupe moved on, the hall would be restored to its regular configuration. The five of them were near the center aisle, three rows from the front.

“Have any of you watched The Fall of Annise Delovine before?” Orrin asked them, while they waited for the performance to start.

“Not at all,” Krystal said, “though we’ve encountered part of her story in our history lessons. Most notably, she is the founder of the Delovine Plane that Rumiga is connected to.”

“I remember details about the varied wars involving that plane most,” Yuriko said slowly. “I must admit I really don’t remember much of her though. She was a member of the Imperial Clan, I believe.”

“Well, the play is more a work of fiction than a historical representation,” Orrin said. “But it details what presumably caused her to turn against her clan and the Empire.”

“Shush, it’s starting!” Heron muttered.

The lights dimmed and music started to play from the orchestra pit. It was an upbeat piece and, after a while, Yuriko noticed that her heartbeat had sped up to match the music. It led to a sense of anticipation and she sat closer to the edge of her seat.

When the curtains rose, there stood a young-looking woman in a modest student’s uniform. She had midnight black hair and her cheeks had a rosy glow. She started singing when she looked over the audience, her voice creating phantoms of light around her.

The woman was the titular character, Annise Delovine, and from what Yuriko remembered, she was the daughter of one of the monarchs in the Imperial family. The little bit she knew of history spoke of the stringent rules that surrounded any Imperial heir--that they generally had their entire life planned out.

Yuriko was puzzled though. Duty was what kept the Empire alive and flourishing. That Annise, who was born to a powerful family and who enjoyed the fruits of their labour, complained of such duty and restraint seemed quite ungrateful to her.

A glance at her friend showed Krystal engrossed with the tale. Heron was expressionless but he was nodding to the rhythm. The twins were frowning and their eyes were glued to the phantoms of light that enhanced the storytelling.

She perked up when the story moved to Annise running away from home. Travelling to discover new places had always been a draw for Yuriko especially since she had never left Faron’s Crossing and its immediate surroundings her entire life.

Annise encountered bandits, travelling merchants, wild beasts, and Wyldlings in her travels. She dealt with them with the might of her Animus, her martial skills, or her wits as the situation dictated.

At first, the battle sequences caught Yuriko’s interest but she quickly realized that most of the movements were done to look good rather than to be effective. For one thing, there was hardly any need to spin around before landing a blow with the sword and the reason there was an edge was to cut, not to batter. Their footwork was nice though, she decided. The elaborate dodging and acrobatics had its own appeal and it took practised skill to perform. In fact, some of the acrobatics, such as Annise running on top of blades of grass without bending or breaking them, were Animus techniques that Yuriko wanted to learn.

Eventually, Annise entered into the Chaos Sea to escape her pursuers. From what Yuriko understood, though Annise’s family didn’t send anyone to return her to the clan, others who sought to gain the Imperial Family’s favour were trying to capture Annise and return her for a reward.

It was actually this part of her story that Yuriko remembered the most. Annise had encountered a Telurian Duke, a Wyldling grown old and powerful enough that they became sapient.

“You have come to my place of power, child. What is it that you seek?”

“I seek nothing from you except safe passage.”

“Surely you want more than that? I can see your kind coming closer, their weapons bared, thirsting for your blood.”

“No, I seek no bargain with you, Chaos Lord.”

“But you do, child. You do. Without my guidance, you will forever wander in the Depths of Chaos, always running until you expire. Choose, girl, choose my aid, and you will live.”

“At what cost?”

“Nothing you need to pay now. I will lead you to glory and such power that none of your kind will ever force you to do their bidding. Is that not your goal? True freedom?”

“What do you want from me? No one gives and asks for nothing in return. Any cost deferred would be greater than what I am willing to pay.”

“Come, come. I will lead you to power, to freedom. Take my hand and with it, you will live.”

“No, I refuse.”

Annise ran from the Telurian and she ran from her own kind. She fled and fought when cornered. But eventually, she could fight no more. The Duke appeared again, with the same offer, hand extended for her to take. Left with no choice, Annise took his hand.

The two of them suddenly glowed with an inner light: Annise in green while the Duke in crimson. The crimson light slowly crept from the man’s hand and into Annise, invading and corroding. Almost at once, Annise cut off the Duke’s hand and fled, but a bit of the crimson light remained even as everything else faded away.

Yuriko released the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. That moment when Annise gave in to temptation was when she was set on a path she couldn’t step away from. Eventually, Annise escaped the Deep Chaos and found an uninhabited plane and settled there.

She slowly built a nation of runaways, refugees, and the exiled. But every now and then, the crimson light reappeared in her hand and what followed were calamities. After a few years, the plane was discovered by the Empire and she was branded a rebel and a traitor. A war was fought and Annise eventually lost her life protecting her country.

As Annise lay dying on the battlefield, an armoured figure, the one that had struck the fatal blow asked her, “Why did you do this? You could have lived your life in luxury, your every desire answered.”

“But it would be a life I didn’t choose to live,” Annise coughed, blood dripping from her lips. “I would rather die free than live in a cage.”

“A worthy sentiment. Very well, in honour of your valiant efforts, I will have you be remembered. This plane you found, I shall have it named after you. Delovine.”

The curtains closed.

Thunderous applause greeted the players' bows when they returned on stage. Yuriko and the others stood and clapped until their palms were red and sore.

When they left the Hall, night had fallen.

“Dinner?” Yuriko asked.

“I’m starving!” Krystal exclaimed. “Come on!”

“We have reservations in the Outpost Inn,” Braden announced. “Let’s go!”

Yuriko was silent throughout most of their dinner while she replayed the play’s melodies in her mind. Tragic as it was, The Fall of Annise Delovine told a tale of consequences, good and bad. She mused over them until dinner was done.

She wasn’t the only one in a blue mood. Heron and Orrin seemed equally affected, though Krystal and Braden seemed none the worse for wear. Yuriko shook her dark mood away, especially when dessert came.

“Tomorrow is the start of training camp,” Heron said. “I hope you’re all ready.”

Yuriko and the others nodded. The last bits of their childhood had come to an end. Tomorrow, they would begin to take on the duties expected of them.

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