Chapter 6: 6: Prep

Lyrica left to her job at the crack of dawn, much to the annoyance of Deidre who had woken up in from the noise she made in the bath as she had gotten ready, and the knight had been unable to get back to sleep. She was sipping groggily on tea, scalding hot, in her nightgown when a dressed Leannan came in for breakfast.

"Morning, Deidre. Enjoy the sleepover with your old friend."

"Not particularly, nor would I consider Lyrica my friend right now."

"You called her that yesterday."

"Slip of the tongue then. Can't be friends with a stranger- I barely know her."

"That's not true."

"To you. She's... different. Even beyond the obvious. I don't feel like I know her. Ah, well, that's less of an issue than I'm making it out to be in my heart. Lara, back me up. Am I friends with Lyrica?"

"You can be if you try."

Leannan began making her own tea and placed some toast in the oven as she cooked some eggs and ham in a cast iron skillet, then some more when she heard Deidre's stomach growl. Deidre's Lyrica issues weren't her problem.

 "Ah, speaking of Lyrica, what's the plan today?"

"We drag everyone to the natives. Ask about the myths and legends, have Lara double check it, and then ask if we can explore the caves."

"I don't think any cave systems are around here." Leannan said stirring sugar into her tea.

"Gods don't need natural formations to have a cave."

"Yeah, I mean if someone was hiding keys to a prison like Tune Somnia they wouldn't bother to not pull out the stops. Speaking of that, what exactly do they look like?"

"If we knew, we'd have made copies."

Lara shook her head, "Deidre, if it was that easy, we wouldn't be here."

"Be good to know what they looked like regardless. What if we get past all the deadly booby traps and end up like grabbing a fake key?"

"How many keys would be guarded by booby traps?"

"Maybe there's two keys and one's fake."

Deidre shrugged.

The three stopped conversing until after their meals were done, and with some effort after Deidre got suited up, went down and out of the hotel. Deidre stood gazing up the hill towards the Auditorium, while Leannan was helping Lara walk, still worried about her ability to do so after she had faceplanted getting bread from the kitchen downstairs this morning.

"Well, I suppose we should head to the Auditorium, see if our guide is ready. You can let go of Lara now." 

"Sure, if she can walk."

"If she can't I could always give her a piggyback or princess carry her."

Leannan shook her head, "That would be way more embarrassing for her."

"I can walk." Lara said pushing Leannan away.

"Well then, shall we go?"

"Right, right."

"Yep, yep."

The two moved away from the hotel into the more active parts of the city, the smell that had been the fragrances that dominated the hotel was gone and they could breath air that wasn't lemon fresh. They were not aware of how heavy that scent was until getting a good few blocks from the place. The morning congregation spilled out from the church, the goers dressed in tight and stuffy clothing. Workers lazed on the wooden scaffolding next to it, repairing a statue of some knight that had long been resigned to a broken sword and a grubby green, brown color. The priest came to loudly complain about his congregation's complaints about how loud the noises from their construction casters were during the service which only result in him being mocked and sent huffing back into the haven of the Twin's Holy House.

A few birds jumped around on the ground, picking for seeds and dropped food crumbs as a few stray horse and carriages made their way slowly in the wide roads. The windows of buildings were open and the smell of bakers and butchers wafted in the air. The roars from the fights inside Kaga's came at almost scheduled intervals that were it not for the loudness of the crowd would have made one jump in fear at their ferocity. The offices to legal firms, printing companies, stores of books, cookware and anything non-industrial related or fresh food related hung signs beckoning to costumers while still waking up clerks and secretaries hoped that business for the day would be slow.

In the city it was easy to tell the three main class divides. The poor walked with their heads up, paying strict attention to their surroundings, quickly and deftly navigating even the most congested crowd- fear of losing their jobs spurring them onward like fish fighting against the stream. The middle class walked with the flow, patiently waiting for crowds to come and go- while still walking with a faster step when they had the chance- for even they needed to make sure they weren't too late for their occupations. The rich was the easiest to spot. They were slow, and just not for their ornate clothes, but in the way they moved. They were out for walks, shopping and so forth, and they crowded the streets with their caged dresses and carriages, stopping and talking in the worst places a human could talk in such a rush of people.

In time the two managed to navigate all that, and arrived at the last cafe before the climb upward,  and ordered a quick bite of sandwiches for everyone to steel their resolve to force Lyrica to help them ask the natives to let them fuck around in a cave they weren't even sure existed.

"She is going to do it right?" Leannan asked picking the pickles off her sandwich and handing them to Lara.

"She did promise me, right?"

"Yeah, but the issue is that she could just leave."

Lara shook her head, "No, she never lies about theater work. It was the one thing she liked doing in the capital."

"She any good?"

"Great. But she was best at lifting up the performances around her. She even got Deidre here to get her art credit one semester."

"My only art credit. Now that I think about it wasn't she playing a girl in that play?"

"Yeah, everyone was. Even I was and I was the narrator."

"Wasn't that also both of our first kisses."

"More like a shared headbutt." Replied Lara. "And technically, for you that's me for saving your dumbass from drowning that one time."

"Do I dare to ask what that's about?"

"I may have slipped and conked myself in the fountain in my backyard."

Leannan swallowed the last of her sandwich. "I really regret not being around to watch you mess up when you were younger. The blackmail Lara and Lyrica must have on you..."

Deidre glared at her friend, "Come on, that's enough wasting time." The trio stood up and made their way up that hill.

The rows up to the auditorium were mostly stores that catered to the rich and royal, with some high class restaurants and the single weaponsmith that specialized in the caster arms that upper class knights like Deidre were so found of. The persons which they past seemed to be annoyed by Lyrica and her clearly lower class clothing she had tossed on since they were quick to do so, but with the blades at Deidre's side as a deterrent no one dared to speak to them. The three walked in silence, thoughts in their brains focused on things to distract them from what they would do, must do, might do.

The Auditorium grew close, and the sound of music appeared, muffled and distant- though only to Leannan who was assured by both of Deidre and Lara they couldn't hear it. The two only heard it as they went into the open doors of the theater, greeted by an orchestra blaring at full volume. The three navigated to the back stage area, helped in their navigation by the signs and watched as actors practiced their movements to the music, while they stayed silent. Lyrica was talking to an older man, who was shaking his head at the actors.

"Too slow. Too damn slow."

"The music or the dancers?" 

"Hard to say, what would it be like with lyrics do you think?."

"Well the music and dancing and movements would suggest a ballad, and that is what my lyrics here intend. But you are right, the movements are slow, though the stiffness is the problem. Look at Arin, he looks like he's tripping over his own feet when he spins Tyra. And Tyra herself is having trouble with the movements before hand. She looks like an automaton not a ballerina."

"Perhaps more lessons for them would be in order before you send in the final rough draft of the lyrics?"

"Perhaps, Cavendish."

"And whom are those three?" The man pointed at Leannan, Deidre and Lara.

"Ah, those are my... customers, I guess. Guiding them around the tribes. Basic stuff."

"Ah, well then a good day to you. And see you soon." Cavendish bowed and went over to drag his actors into a room offstage for some immediate dance classes.

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Lyrica jogged over after telling the orchestra to take lunch since Cavendish would be a while if history was any indicator. "Ah, good noon to you, Leannan, Deidre, and Lara." She winked at Lara who rolled her eyes.

"Oh, writing plays now are we?"

"It's a sequel to my mom's most successful role." She glanced over at the other two. "By the way what is my cousin's official job title in the mission statement outside being a nerd?"

"She's our double checker and another body for the traps." Deidre explained.

"You're making it sound like we plan to use her as a body to activate the traps that will kill her." Leannan complained.

"Well, I mean if she activates a trap and dies that's on her for being slow."

"Can we not talk about me dying? Besides, it's not like I'll be the one activating them, leadfoot. Also who says the cave will even have any?"

Lyrica grinned, "Oh, I assume whatever cave you want has a few booby traps . There's like five of them with some around here."

"Five!" Yelled Lara face draining. "Why the fuck."

"Ah, well I hope we don't need to test each one, Lord Galahad will kill me if you actually die. Leannan can runes revive the dead?"

"I am not a goddess, so no."

"But I remember reading about necromancy in school."

"You remember something from school?" A shocked Lyrica asked.

"It was part of a battle. I would love to fight a corpse army. Sounds fun."

"Well, swim across the ocean, that's only something in the old world."

"Awe, guess I should make sure no one dies then."

Lyrica stretched, "Well, should we get going? It's a few hour walk to the camps."

"Lead the way." Deidre said.

And the four, formerly three, marched out and towards the lands of those the land belonged to.

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Mors cursed as she lost the Bloody Knight, the girl and the Rune User in the crowd. Fat pigs, move! Why did people have idle conversation in a main street? Do it nearer buildings and in alleys if they must do it outside. 

"Mors, my lady, perhaps we should go back and pay?"

"Once you dash after dining, they'll never accept our money without us being thrown in the jail. Besides I give up good breakfast to when see them walking by, and if I cannot find the two I will be mad."

"Well, if they are leaving to somewhere it would stand to reason they are going to first go to back to the Hotel to get supplies before they leave?"

"Ah, smart. You deserve praise. Though if you stayed watching limper, we would not have the need to be hurrying."

"Yes, now let's cut through the alleyways. I think I can trust my memory of the map."

The two began to scoot through a maze of tight spaces, trying to avoid stepping in animal droppings and trash that was beginning to stink in their wait for the trash collection. A few wild animals ran scared at the loud sounds they made as they knocked over plants, brooms, basically any object that could have caught them, they seemed to bump into. A few times they lead themselves into dead ends, or ends with gates that if open would have made it possible to pass but since they were locked and climbing it would have taken just as much time, they elected instead to find another path, again and again. Eventually they arrived at the hotel, well after Lara, Deidre and Leannan had stood up from the cafe.

"I do not see sight of them." Mors stated.

"Perhaps they went to their room?" Asked Rabo.

"I am doubting of that. Look, cleaners in the room." She pointed upward to where a few maids were going in and out of the room Rabo had checked out earlier in the day. There was nothing inside, much to his annoyance- minus a diary of Lara that was an entertaining read at least.

"Right. Perhaps... hmmm." Rabo thought on it for a moment. "Well, any ideas, Mors?"

"Ideas? No. At this rate walking around seems more likely to catch them."

"Well, let's go walk. Where to?"

"I heard many good things about the theater here, we would be dumb for forgetting to be checking it out."

The two began a walk the same way as had went the other three, but unlike them before, the rich and powerful glared at them and their clothes- clothes that had been picked to blend in to a more common crowd than the patrons lining the streets up to the theater represented. Mors and Rabo for their parts, ignored the looks and walked at the same pace as always, making idle and inane chitchat, that only made the looks worse until they began up the hill.

As they reached to open doors of the theater they heard a laugh from inside. Hiding quickly behind an empty reception counter, they watched as out came Leannan, Lara, Deidre and another woman. The newcomer glanced over at the reception, mentioning she needed to drop a letter off first. The two spies scrunched under the counter trying hard not to breathe and be seen as the woman placed an envelope in the basket. 

"Hurry up, we don't have all day."

"The tribes around here aren't nomadic, Deidei." The new one said as the four left.

Mors and Rabo waited a minute or two to make sure none of them had forgotten anything before standing up. Mors walked over to the basket and looked at the envelope.

"What are you doing?"

"My job." Mors said opening the letter. She read the contents a few time, brow furrowing. Then she returned it to the basket. "Ah, it was nothing important to the mission."

"You thought it would be?"

"A good spy should be covering all of her bases, no?"

"Perhaps, but one doesn't need to be so thorough. What did it say out of curiosity?"

"Oh! It said, um, well it was quite boring and remembering it I didn't feel important."

"See?" Rabo shook his head. "Anyway, you heard them. To the tribes it is."

"Yep, let us be going."

And the two set off towards where they presumed their quarry to be going as well.

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A new figure slid back into town, watching as four left as they entered, then nodding knowingly as two more followed. The girl in the duo looked at the hooded figure, a thought almost forming before she was dragged off towards the exit by her companion. The figure shook their head. No time to play with Morsdea now, perhaps later. It was sad that they had to do things like this but, they knew better that to let others decide their fates.

The figure walked towards the inn, no one paying much mind to them but to clear the path when they came near, even the rich seceded the road to them- the aura they gave off humbling even their pig brains. They walked into the inn and went up to the room that had housed the four and still held the luggage of Leannan and Deidre. They place a gloved hand on the handle, waited and pulled the door open. Once inside they moved towards the chest that held the items that Deidre had brought, hands opening and moving things with a practiced ease, easily finding the secret compartment. They pulled out a dagger and a caster bomb from it and pocketed them, then moved over to the chest of Leannan and placed a piece of cloth between some of her clothes. Then with one last check, left the room and chests in the same condition as they had found it. 

They then began to walk towards the apartments, the streets empty but for a few old people in rockers and on steps, retired and unable to care enough to go out, who said nothing as the figure passed in silence. They soon approached an odd, double blue apartment with the name Protothea painted on the mailbox and went to the wall, hit it a few times until the ladder shook loose from the force and slammed down. A few of the neighbors gave a look before returning to ignoring the figure as they began to climb. They looked around before grabbing a small planter and dumping out the plant inside to produce a purse full of cash which they brushed off and added to their belongings. They then slid down the ladder and with one heavy push, returned the ladder to where it had originally been, the lock falling into place to keep it up there. 

The figure then went to the door and opened it, because the last people out had forgotten to. They seemed to swear under their breath as they locked the door behind them. They went over the workshop and fumbled around for a few minutes before producing three stones with the same three runes on them, which they then brought over to a box with many indents into which they placed and removed the stones until a click was hear and from the box the figure procured two disk shaped bronze objects. Then they left the workshop climbing the still down ladder. 

Once on the house level, they went into the book room and from the closet produced a large canister of raw magic and a device to which they added the disks and attached the jug of magic to. A few twists and the figure ran out the room and slammed the door as the device began to coat the library with the contents of the jug. While they waited they moved over to the vacant room and slid back out to the balcony where they took a deep breath before returning inside and re-entering the book room. They quickly put the device back into the closet and removed the disks and near empty canister. Slowly growing blue they rushed out again locking the door behind them.

Below the garbage carriage slowly rolled, two piles already on the cart. As it stopped in front of the double blue apartment, a large glass jug and two metal disks landed with a thump and a clang. The driver paid no mind that the jug was still leaking magic as he continued onward. The figure closed the empty room's doors and went back to Lyrica's bedroom, looked around and then grabbed two small glass orbs etched with runes. They pocketed one and held the other in their hand as they returned down the ladder to the main floor. The orb left them somewhere in the floorboards rolling until it was barely out of arm's reach, a glimmer among the dust and pipe. 

The figure climbed back down and shook their head. They felt a bit annoyed that they had to do this all with how on the surface things seemed to be going. Then again, their friend was expecting them to be elsewhere, so when they saw the fake's body it would be quite a funny farce. They laughed and shook thier head, before whistling as they walked away.

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