Completed A Mischief of Rats (Fubuki Kouri)

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Ninus smiled as he walked away and made his circuitous route through the alleyways. He trusted Cricet to follow the ghost, and to be honest he had a growing affection for Kouri. She seemed eager to learn, and seemed to be obedient. He still wasn't quite sure if she would obey him completely in the odd exchange, but it would benefit them both. He would get his gold and she would gain a few assassinations down the line. He had been a little surprised at the hug, but she looked like a little girl even if she wasn't. Cricet followed Kouri to the Bazaar, ambling affectionately behind her. He made his way to the Bazaar, entering from the far end. It was a busy day; farmers were bringing in their summer bounties. Fresh fruits, lettuce, peas, and other vegetables greeted his sight. He was sorely tempted at the sight of some peaches resting in the shade. Such poison settling in the sun...he cleared his throat and searched for the flower stand. He smiled when he saw the flowers blooming in the shade of the underground Bazaar, walking toward it. "Such beautiful flowers I have never seen before." he told Kouri, smiling to see Cricet settled in the back of the shop. "But the most exotic of blooms stands before me, ethereal and delicate. Fold me some of your sisters in paper, for I must take some tangible memory of this meeting with me. Though it may fade, I may yet come visit again and refresh myself at your feet." He settled silvers on the counter of the stand. Cricet perked up, flicking her ears forward. Ninus gave her a tiny shake of the head. Not yet, he would meet up with her later.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri Kouri arrived at the Great Bazaar, carefully clutching the delicate tiny bottle of doom near her chest. Her form phasing through the numerous sea of bodies, but she took the utmost care in not letting her right hand colliding with anything; it would break the delicate deadly nightshade she held. Kouri noticed the giant rodent that was with her was... skittering away from her, she cocked her right eyebrow in curiosity and looked to the direction Cricet was heading at and she found... her Prince. "Ah..." Kouri wanted to greet him, but he greeted her first. "Oh, you're not buying at... Madame Atta's place, I see" Kouri mentally slapped herself in the forehead, there was indeed more flower shops in Syliras than just Madame Atta's. The old woman's shop was located in the Nettle District, not in the Great Bazaar. Why didn't she realized that sooner? Kouri could just buy some flowers at other flower shops and acted as a flower girl from Atta's Flower Stand, she didn't need to bother the Prince with such help that should had been avoided. As the Prince continued with his purchase, Kouri took her position not far from the stall; observing him. She would wait for him to be ready, give her the flowers, and voice her apology. She looked around and couldn't find that colossal rat anymore, Kouri wondered on how could she miss such an oversized rodent.

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Ninus approached Kouri with the flowers, Cricet following at a distance. Ninus realized his mistake...apparently he had not gone to the right flower stall. But it mattered little, the flowers would look identical to a bouquet produced anywhere else. He had chosen something rather plain, but pretty. Nothing out of the ordinary. Kouri could still continue her deception, and run the flowers as if they had been purchased from her stall, but Ninus now resolved to give her something for her trouble. He looked at the ghost and smiled to her, kissing her on the cheek. "Dearest ethereal companion." he said. "The details of this venture matter not, yet I will give thee some coin to prevent thy mistress and employer from growing angry." he told her. "But for now, one must hide my gift inside such beauty that pales against the vision of thy countenance. Pray, take it quickly to Wess, that he may find himself inundated with the sight and wonder if the gods but bless him with two visions. I will see thy face again at Madame Atta's, if one will give me the location?" His eyes were light with amusement; she had forgotten to give him the right flower shop. It mattered little now, but he did want to pay her. Working for her when she had a grudge would have its advantages, and put bread on the table, but he was worried about her employer becoming angry with her.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri Kouri's eyes perked up and she faced Ninus when he approached her, carrying a bouquet of flower in his hands. He looked elegant with it, like a Prince who was about to woo the princess. "Ehehe~" She graciously accepted the flowers and immediately hid the poison bottle in it. "Eh?" Kouri gasped in light surprise when Ninus motioned his head to kiss her cheek, she smiled back in return and slowly shook her body from side to side in embarrassment "Ahaha, t-thank you..." "O-oh! I-it's okay, Prince. You don't have to pay me, it's alright" She definitely did not want to knowingly drag Atta into this dubious business, it would not do well with her reputation with the kind old woman "It's fine, u-uhm... please don't uuh... involve Madame Atta into this... I-I would prefer to see you in the Traveler's Row later instead, please?" Kouri gave Ninus a pleading look to drive her point. "So! Where exactly should I go to meet this... Wess?" Kouri tilted her head in curiosity, she would need directions. Sure, searching blindly with her ghostly abilities might work but it would surely attract attention; a ghost little girl flying around with a flower in her hands was interesting to see after all.

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Ninus frowned slightly and nodded. "Alright, my dear little flower." he said. "Wess is above us, above the Bazaar in the sky as all cocoons dangle from some precipice. He settles in the residential district, far on the corner wall in a house rejected by both gods and men. You will find it by the loud cries of anger, the smashing of plates, and the crying of a child. There is nothing but anger in that house little one. Be careful when you find him, that one with hair as red as his hatred, and a soul as black as his boots. He cannot hurt thee, with thine ethereal form." He put his hand on her cheek. "But words are so fine a dagger that they can pierce one through, and no one knows this better than I. Go now, Cricet will protect thee, and make sure he pays in full." Cricet looked up at Kouri, twitching her whiskers. She hadn't known it was the wrong flowershop to be napping in either, she had simply gone to the first one she saw. She'd assumed it had been in the Bazaar. "The Bittern District, Cricet has been there before." he smiled. "Meet me back at Traveler's Row, dear ghost. Follow the rats."

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri "Ah.... uhm.... P-prince..." Kouri looked down and fidgeted very nervously with her hair ribbons, to her shame; she didn't understand what Ninus said at all. He spoke of something about a residential district above the Bazaar and a house? Kouri recalled there was absolutely no house at all in the Fortress City. It was all filled with apartments built into the walls, the only reminiscence of a house she ever saw in Syliras was the small huts the farmers built near the Syliran fields and that was outside the city walls. Kouri wanted to tell the Prince to tone down on his metaphors and figurative way of speech a bit, she liked artful words; but... she was rather ashamed to admit that her child-like mind could not process the complex words at Ninus' level, especially since she was not fluent in Common; she was fluent in her native Vani instead, being a pureblood Vantha in her life. "Ah uhm... eh, s-so he has red hair and uuuh... black soul?" Kouri very much tried to understand him, but she was obviously failing. "The Bittern District, Cricet has been there before." Ah! Finally! At last the Prince spoke in Common words that she understood perfectly. Kouri immediately shook away the awkwardness she created and bowed elegantly to the Prince. "Right away, Your Majesty! Ehehehahaha~" She giggled happily and was about to leave with Cricet following her. "Meet me back at Traveler's Row, dear ghost. Follow the rats." She winced a bit at the thought of following those rodents, but Ninus was the Prince of Rats; it was only natural that the rats would lead to him. She nodded in acknowledgement and proceeded to the Bittern District. 15 chimes later... "Eeeew...." The ghost girl finally arrived at the aforementioned Bittern District and it immediately became clear to her that this was the slum of Syliras, filthy, poor, and unsanitized. The corridors and apartments were obviously in poor condition, though sturdy. People with ragged clothes and sullen faces walked here and there, some of them looked at her hungrily as if she was a delicious prey and immediately went terrified or shocked when they realized she was a phantom, noted by her blood-stained dress, translucent form, and floating feet. "........." Kouri felt she needed to disguise herself to pass off as a human... or a Viper Dhani in human form at least. She landed on the ground, materialized herself, and focused; her bloodstains disappeared and she appeared much more solid and substantial. Kouri's materialization skill was high enough for her to almost flawlessly blend as a corporeal being indoors or under poor lightning condition, this district fitted both conditions; just perfect! Kouri looked down and gestured to Cricet that she was ready to go, she slowly walked around. Inching away from the various people walking and these suspicious men who were staring at her, did these men find her child-like body to be attractive? Kouri shook her head and shuddered at the thought. "Oh hey, Little Rich Missy! What are you doing here in the wonderful Bittern District?" A gruff-like voice spoke from her side, obviously sarcastic and not good in nature. Rich? Oh... must be my clothes... Kouri examined her own clothing, it was obvious the dress she wore reflected 'rich bitch' to these men. She decided to ignore the mocking thugs and kept walking. "You look really pale, I mean reaaaaally pale, are you a Dhani or something?" One of the thugs decided to bug her further. "........." Kouri stopped and jerked her head to the side to face the thugs, she narrowed her eyes like a serpent and hissed, deciding to humor them. "Yes... I'm a Dhani, disturb me further and I'll inject my venom into that babbling throat of yours..." "Ooooooooooo~ Scary!" The thugs held up their hands and mocked the 'Dhani' further, they admitted this little girl got some spunk. "We want to see you try, Mistress! Then we'll see how your little snaky head got cut off by the knights! HA HA HA HA HA!!" They laughed merrily, obviously understanding their superior standing as the human race compared to this 'Dhani' "Ahahahaha! We do admit, little missy, you got some guts. Run along now, and keep your fangs in check! Hahaha!" ".........." Kouri snorted in annoyance and disgust, she quickly walked away; not interested in being played around by those simpletons any longer. Now, Prince said it's the apartment at the corner... Kouri simply thought the 'house' Ninus said was in fact his metaphor for an apartment. She walked and walked until she reached a particular corner, the problem was now which apartment she was supposed to go t- "BITCH!" *CRASH!* "!?" The sounds of that profane word being spoke and glasses breaking brought Kouri's attention. It was coming from a dirty apartment at the corner. Oh... like Prince said, 'loud cries of anger, the smashing of plates...' She looked down at Cricet and hesitated for a moment, was she really going to visit that violent place? The giant rodent seemed to not mind. For the first time in her unlife, Kouri was actually comforted by the rat's presence. She nodded to Cricet as if saying 'let's do this together'. Kouri approached the apartment's door and focused her soulmist on her left hand. *Knock knock* She knocked the door, holding the flower bouquet with her right hand. Please let this be over quick... OOCI suppose, you will roleplay Wess next, right?

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Cricet walked faithfully beside Kouri, her ears up and doing the peculiar rat-gallop that made her kind so distinctive. She disliked getting her paws dirty in the Bittern district...she was a rather clean animal all things considered, and bathed when Ninus bathed. Other than that, the other rats groomed her as their alpha and queen, so she rarely had to deal with oily fur and dirty paws. But today it seemed was the day she got to step in filth and drag her tail through refuse. She watched Kouri deal with the men...Ninus with his flowery language usually confused such brutes into silence. She galloped along beside Kouri as she hurried to the correct house, Cricet recognized it by the angry screaming. She paused before the door...this meant that the children were home. The eldest daughter and younger son, with the rageful voice being their father. Ninus didn't discriminate in his clients, but he preferred to work with someone who had a legitimate grudge. This man didn't, he was scum from the lowest part of the Bittern district and wanted revenge on his wife for a slight Ninus didn't doubt was imagined. When Kouri knocked on the door the shouts died off for a moment and the door was ripped open. Wess stared at the girl, red hair hacked short, wearing a stained shirt and ripped trousers. He had a week's worth of stubble on his chin and a nasty grin on his face. "Well well, what the petch is this? Brothel sending them out early? Get in and shut up." he pointed inside the house. Cricet settled on her haunches and bared her fangs, making a loud hiss that pulled Wess' attention from the girl. He gave Cricet a look of disgust, and lifted his leg as if to kick her, then recognition dawned on his face. He frowned in confusion. "What the hell is this about?" he demanded, irritation replacing the smug grin.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri "!?" When the door opened up violently, Kouri took a half-step back in surprise. A suspicious and dirty-looking man with short messy red hair, unkempt stubble, and all around crude clothes emerged. Kouri didn't like the way this bastard was staring at her, he looked like he's staring at some kind of prostitute. "Well well, what the petch is this? Brothel sending them out early? Get in and shut up." She was right, he did think of her like some kind of whore. Kouri gritted her teeth and gripped the bouquet harder, she just didn't get why a grown man with children of his own was interested in a little girl; maybe some men were just too petched up and was willing stick their thing into anything that moves. Wait... don't tell me he's interested in his own daughter as well?! If that was the case, Kouri would tell Prince on how it's better to just poison this bastard instead. The sound of angry hissing that was not Kouri's own brought her attention to her rat companion as well, she smirked in delight knowing that at least she was not alone in facing this garbage of a human. Kouri stepped in front of Cricet to protect her when Wess motioned his dirty foot to kick Cricet, but thankfully he didn't do so. Her cover would be blown if he touched her and felt her chilling frost touch. "What the hell is this about?" Good, Kouri couldn't stand anymore chimes with this man. Kouri offered him the flower bouquet or rather, the nightshade bottle contained within, to the man. "I brought what you ordered... from the Prince of Rats, regarding your... wife. Now, pay up" She was blunt and rude, hospitality and politeness were the last thing on her mind right now.

[Ninus Aurellius]

The Prince of Rats Recognition dawned on Wess' face and he ducked into the house for a moment. He came back with a simple leather bag of coins, thrusting it at Kouri. "Right, there's your pay to take to that nasty master of yours. Tell him that petching bitch will be dead before nightfall." he smirked and reached out to take the bouquet. He grasped the base of it sharply, and felt something tiny crush in his fingers at the same time the thorns of the roses plunged into his hand. He swore and dropped the bouquet, staring at the wound. He blinked for a moment, and leant against the door. "What..." he looked at Kouri, and slowly slid down to sit, squeezing his eyes shut as if drunk and attempting to make the room stand straight. He made an effort to struggle to a standing position, but fell on his back inside the house. Wess began shuddering, shaking uncontrollably and curling up into a ball. Cricet nudged at Kouri's leg. They had to go. They had the payment, that Wess had poisoned himself was no fault of theirs. She bounded away a few steps and turned back to look at the vantha, cocking an ear. Wess' shudders had gone still, and a loud scream arose from what could only be his daughter. Cricet slapped the cobblestones with her tail. They had to leave now, before the knights came.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Fubuki Kouri Kouri focused the soulmist in her left palm and quickly grabbed the bag of coins, she didn't want to touch the man's skin even for a split second. Prince is not my master... my master is... Suddenly Kouri remembered about Cyrus Blackfire, the warrior-reimancer that became her master but suddenly disappeared without a trace a season ago; she shook her head, it's best to forget that part of her unlife. Cyrus promised that he would never leave her and yet, he broke it so soon after he said it. Kouri severed all connections with that man now. "...." She just kept silent and let go of the bouquet as Wess grabbed it roughly. Eh? Kouri tilted her head in curiosity, Wess seemed to accidentally injure himself when he wrenched the bouquet from her grasp. Not long after that, he started to act like a drunken hobo, churning left and right and finally falling down inside his house. "........" Kouri was completely confused on what happened, did this man had some kind of deadly disease and it decided to show up now? The loud scream from inside the dirty apartment broke Kouri out of her thoughts, it was time for she and Cricet to go. It would not bode well for a phantom little girl wearing an elaborate dress to be found in this slum next to a seemingly dead man. She unmaterialized herself, extended a tendril to grab the bouquet back... only to realize the bottle within was crushed and venom was dripping from the roses' thorns. Oh... so that's what happened, well... not my business It was purely Wess' fault for handling something so deadly and delicate with carelessness and brutality. Kouri also extended another tendril to hold both the bouquet and leather purse floating in the air, she then turn around and launched herself forward, heading to leave the District. As she passed Cricet, Kouri also extended a tendril and quickly grabbed the rodent. Cricet hissed in surprise and disapproval for a moment, but seemed to realize they could move much faster this way and went calm. Kouri increased her altitude so that the corporeal objects she was holding would not crash into other people. She kept flying through the district, exiting it, and immediately headed to the Traveler's Row. The Traveler's Row, in front of Ninus' Apartment "......" She was back in the Prince's domain, following the rats. Cricet was also visibly comforted that they were now in a safe location, Kouri gently put her down and used her right hand to knock at the door. "....." She didn't say anything, her mind was filled with the events that had just transpired. The would-be murdered ended up murdering himself, you couldn't see that everyday.