Words you shouldn't believe (Iphigenia)

[Rui]

The fragrance of food filled the forest. A stupid move for sure, certain to lure unwanted guests of beastly nature to its source, but their presence meant little to a certain idling servant if not just more food serving themselves up to the plate. Rui continued to fan at the flames. It has been over a month since Rui left the castle, sent to gather information of those seeking to court the princess. Why the minister was curious with the woman's love affairs was however nothing the jester found interest in. But more than that, the minister had begun to grow impatient with his informant's whereabouts. This was likely to be the seventh messenger pigeon the jester found herself roasting as a meal this month, and she was starting to become tired of poultry.

"Quick, the bird flew this way! Follow it!" It wouldn't be nearly possible to hear what appears to be men had shouted, but given the jester's impeccable sense of hearing, she heard it. Hasty footsteps, the clanks of armor and more orders to follow a bird, of all things. The minister had grown smart, she thought, if her hunches were accurate of course. But having an army follow a bird? Rui nearly burst out laughing at the imagery and what's left of these soldier's dignity, but she quickly placed a finger to her lips. Forget about her roast pigeon, Rui wasn't going to face the minister's private army of elites for the sake of a dead bird if she could avoid it. Letting out a sigh for having food gone to waste, she tossed dirt over the flame, a letter addressed to her buried along with it.

Time for a change of location. Rui took to the air instantly not about to wait until the army was in plain sight. She couldn't fly of course - humans don't fly, but she could jump. Regrettably the jester did not make it far once the army's bowman took center stage. He fired an arrow at Rui, barely missing the center of her head. It made a cut on the half-demon's face but otherwise missed, and that wasn't satisfactory. He made another shot.

"If you choose to resist arrest again, it'll be more than just your leg." The leading soldier stepped forward, yanking an injured jester up by the shoulder. The second arrow had shot right through her calf, causing her to fall from unimaginable heights. If she wasn't the target, Rui would've request an encore from the bowman, he was rather impressive and so was her employer. The man knew Rui's skills too well. The soldier began to drag her towards the rest of the army where a horse pulling a cage had been prepared. "Dear sir, I don't quite like the idea of being treated as a prisoner." The jester spoke politely, eyeing the cage and twitching her nose at the overbearing scent of the man. "Have I committed a crime I am not aware of?" She asked, feigning completely innocence to her possible charge.

"Failing to respond to the minister immediately warrants treason. You are but a lowly jester, be grateful you will not be dragged back by the horses." The soldier growled, not at all liking the manner of which the jester spoke. Rui was quite adamant about the cage regardless. "But I mentioned nothing of a horse. It is the cage that bothers me. Though, riding a horse would be nice too..." The jester mused, smiling despite her disabled leg the arrow still lodged within it. Ignoring her, the soldier yanked at Rui's shoulder even harder and push literally came to shove.

The rough treatment didn't sit well with the jester now. Yes, she had done wrong by ignoring the minister's messages, but she was never the type that had a strong sense of loyalty to their masters to really regret her decisions. To top it off, Rui was never that fond of her master either. Well, enough of playing. Reaching out at her captor's arm, she gripped it and smiled as ice began to form from beneath her hand consuming the soldier's arm from its core. He began to scream in confusion and fear, gathering the attention of his company. They stared ,bewildered, frozen in shock upon witnessing the frozen arm shatter and melt away while their leader screams as though insane, and the jester now free.

"I will report to the minister by daybreak tomorrow. Regretting to inform him that his infantry had... fallen prey to beasts. Or something along such lines." The jester smiled like she would before a performance, but certainly the forest would not be pleased with this disturbance today.

[iphigenia]

The air was crisp and the weather was far from terrible and so Iphie gave in to the wanderlust that was eating at her. The city was always so busy and there were always new things to be seen but that was far from peaceful and she rather wanted a break. So that morning she collected a few things and set out to enjoy the beauty of nature. This took a good deal longer than it should have because she couldn't decide on whether she should bring her shield with her or not since she didn't plan on getting into any fights. In the end she decided that it was better to have it and not need it rather than to need it and not have it so she strapped it on her back and left.

After exiting the city gates everything got a lot better. The sounds of the crowd faded and the crowded lanes opened up to the forest ahead. She took a deep breath of the cool air and began her walk, there was hope this time, after all, the chances of a repeat of her last walk were few and far between.

And so, with all the distractions of the city out of her mind, she could focus on the rather unpleasant future that lied ahead. The lessons were going well with Dusty, and she had met new people, but Iphie was still holding off on meeting with that odd demon for the library. There was something unpleasant about it all, but she couldn't be a bouncer for too long, and especially not with the fiasco that was the princess and her mission. A visit was due to see her progress and if she didn't show enough...well she didn't like where that thought trailed off to.

[Rui]

Stories would tell of brave soldiers, courageous enough to venture into danger and quickwitted in assuring their escape. But stories were like lies she would spurn infront of the nobles. Look at these soldiers now, screaming like little women at the sight of deaths. Rui would've pitied them, sympathized at their cowardice, but she was not a demon with unnecessary compassion.

A mild stretch of where the jester stood had changed. No longer green with life, it was cold and unfeeling, pale like winter. But it was unintentional. Her only targets were the fleeing soldiers, their innocence meant little to her and her only apologies went to the faultless forest dwellers caught in the chaos.

Rui grabbed at a soldier making his escape, as though possessed by bloodlust. She was rather determined to leave none from the troupe alive as even a breath of her crime would've jeopardized her life. The minister was not a kind man in anyway, and Rui would be hunted like a deer even if she flees the city. Even if she had her power and her demonic blood, dealing with hunters would not prove to be a breeze.

The jester made her kills simple but not necessarily bloodless. Many soldiers were either incapacitated or frozen to the core waiting to melt away in its entirety. She wasn't a neat killer to say, not when handling a group, but Rui had not expected anyone to stumble upon this scene in the middle of a forest. If luck played on her side, she would've left the massacre to someone's imagination, or place fault on vicious beasts which lurks the forest's depths. But as an "ill-fated" jester, luck was not something she was on terrific terms with.

[iphigenia]

Iphie's thoughts were interrupted by the odd sounds coming out from somewhere in the woods. She couldn't tell what they were and it wasn't as if she had anything else to do. So in the end she decided to follow the sound to see what it was, or at least what was causing it.

It didn't take her long to arrive, tangles and brambles might slow other folk but Iphie was never bothered by them. When she did arrive at the scene, she wished she had thought to pull the shield from her back where it hung like a turtle shell. She had forgotten about it in her curiosity.

As her eyes flew over all the figures, corpses, and debris lying in view, she formed a mental picture of something unpleasant. Still, never let it be said that she didn't give fair warning. "What's all this then?" She called with a rather out of place authority to her tone.

[Rui]

The last of the pack went down. Knees first, torso second, and what's left rolling away from the scene. A manner of fear grotesquely mixed with shock etched on his face. Rui would be done soon, then she could get on with her idling and other jester like merry. If only she had the time to turn this massacre into a frozen hell, allowing all evidence and the existence that her crime ever took place vanish away with the melting ice. But she hadn't such luxury.

Hearing the voice of an authoritative figure, instinct lead her to pounce at the shadows, holding it hostage to serve as a refuge keeping her safe from recognize. Rui could've ran and deserted all responsibilities that she was ever involved in this mass display of corpses. But she wasn't sure how much this unknown person had seen or heard, and she must know.

"And who might you be?" She asked, her tone smooth rather than betraying her sense of threat by the presence of someone who appeared to be holding authority. Very much laid with a type of charm she would use to entice the little princess in the castle. It was no pretense that she was curious.

[iphigenia]

Iphie was a bit nervous, well no, she was incredibly nervous. Whoever it was looked human, but so had that other woman. Worse still, she was being nice. Unpleasant people tended to act really nice before striking out at those weaker than themselves. "I am Iphigenia Carrow." Her distress thickened her accent, turning her last name to crow. "I ask again. What is all this? Who are you?" She wanted the protection of her shield, but reaching for it might be a bad idea. It was probably better to keep it strapped to her back until the last second.

It bothered her that she couldn't see the figure clearly. Nothing seemed clear. She had left behind incidents looking a lot like this, but this wasn't a place of quick death. This looked more like what came about when she was angry or afraid. Iphie had a sudden urge to run and a wish that she hadn't left the city walls.

[Rui]

Rui dropped to a crouch much like an animal observing the woman from afar. She did not seem like much of a threat, but no one could be judged in this land. It could very well be a fatal mistake on her end, and her potential demise. Rui would not strike unless absolutely necessary.

"What is... what, Miss Carrow?" Like she had been paying utmost attention all this while, Rui managed to speak the woman's name politely and correctly. She turned the question around as though the scene that separated them could be that easily ignored. The forest had been painted red and the stench only grew thicker and more repulsive. She begins to pace about in the shadows. "I would surely be a fool to introduce myself in a situation like such. Are you certain you would like to know? I've heard how curiosity kills." There was a smile in her voice, which easily made things more unsettling than if Rui had been more harsh and demanding with her words.

[iphigenia]

"Curiosity kills cats and fools madam, and I am neither." Iphie called back, hiding the fear far behind the words. "What is it that these men did to deserve the fate you've dealt them? Just or unjust, where they fall places you as well." Iphie did not like this stand off. She knew she did not have the upper hand. Still, she would hold her ground and defend herself, or whomever needed it should this woman turn out to be dangerous and evil.

Iphie kept her eyes on the shadow and began stepping around the massacre. Maybe from a different angle she would be able to see this possible adversary better. She tried to keep the movement subtle but there wasn't much she could do about the snapping twigs and the fact that she was in plain view.