the Fool.

[Rui]

Squatting by the corner was a commoner dressed down. He, or perhaps even a she, appeared a little out of place, so solemn amongst the brightest places of the City of Venus. But who was anyone to judge; Montnuit was filled with actors, or any other person with at least a certain degree of eccentricity. No one paid attention to this quiet soul. And for those who did, they tossed a coin or two in her way.

Of course, it was clearly a "her" - A woman. Her voice though not smooth and elegant like the ladies of the court, but rather rough by the edges like that of a prepubescent boy, it still revealed her gender. Her pitch was naturally higher than men, and with a faint accent of both her roots and age. "Why, thank you, miss." Bandaged fingers picked at the dirt for pieces of gold and silvers. A smirk crossed her face as she stood up to her full height, bouncing the money on her palm, a shadow casted over her face. "Thank you for being so obliviously kind."

She looked about, searching for something. The ice on the ground were beginning to melt away with only miserable amount of snow left, all gathered by the corners of buildings where the sun don't shine. The air was warm, but not too warm. It still warranted the need for scarfs and coats. And then there were people. People mingled, while a rare few chose to avoid. Such a bustling city Terre de Conte had.

"The Spring Equinox...? How timely."

"Rui, as I recall, you do not do well once Winter passes." The study, as small as it was, reeked of royalty. The furniture were of fine velvet and gold frames, and smelled strangely that of tobacco and wine from a certain year long passed. Rui stood in the middle of the room, a respectable distance from the man. A minister of some sort he was, perhaps an uncle of a cousin of an estranged princess. Royal relations were never something Rui took much interest in.

"That is true. Forgive me for my body is frail. I become terribly weak when the season changes as does the weather. The start of Spring however, is still tolerable. But I'm sure I was not called upon by my lord to be asked about my state of health. May I be of Service today?" Rui looked on from behind her curtain of a fringe, noticing how the man made casual conversation with her without so much as lifting his eyes away. Was she ever so interesting to look at? She wondered. She did know however that she was no friend to this man of reputable status and there must be a reason for her momentary presence.

"Ah, for a fool you are smart. I do indeed have a need of your assistance." He rose from his seat, an impressed smile on his blemished and aging face. He moved in front of his desk and leaned against it, lax as he organized his thoughts, making sure to pass on his instructions as clearly as possible to the young Jester.

"Oh, But I was not born the fool. I was made one." Rui smiled, but the man was not pleased. There were spite in her voice. Nevertheless, this was the Jester he had employed for the court, the woman he had chose to take responsibility for the moment he made her the offer. Perhaps the fool here was him, but his pride would not let him accept such ridicule.

"Rui." He became commanding, his tone alone informing the woman that this conversation will be taking a turn and there shall not be petty bantering involved. "I hope that you can assist me in fetching some information; Rumors or not, I would like to be aware of them all. With the city and our foreign friends coming together preparing for the approaching Spring, I am certain there will be some interesting words spreading among such a big crowd..."

"I understand. I shall accept the task of being my Lord's eyes and ears, then." They exchanged nods, mutual understanding now established. Rui was in no position to decline after all. She had worked as an informant more often than she had as a Jester. Sometimes she wondered why she was even playing the fool.

She had been dismissed from her duties for the day, and perhaps even for the coming weeks until the festivities are over. Rui was ordered (though not verbally) to not return until she had some substantial results from her task. But how substantial could picking out rumors amongst housewives be?! Simple commoners just weren't capable of conjuring plans which would put the kingdom at risk, at least a good majority of them weren't. They were more interested in farm life and little excitements, such as theatre and music.

"Have you heard any good tales as of late, mister?" Rui tossed the dusty coins she had picked from the ground at a fruit vendor, picking out the brightest apple she could from the crate and wiped it against her white linen tunic held together by an expensive leather belt. The elderly vendor looked at her and shook his head. Shouldn't this lass be asking the story tellers by the square and not a lowly fruit seller, was possibly his thoughts. Rui simply hummed in thought, bowed in thanks, and made her way towards the life of Montnuit. Her first step was obviously a mistake.

"Where there are storytellers, there are stories. And if stories were not from the fantastic imaginations of the mind, they were from somewhere." Rui reasoned with herself out loud, ignoring stares which were suspicious of her sanity. She bit into the apple and observed the performers, savoring the refreshing but slightly sour juices of the fruit. Rui may be a tale weaver of the lousiest calibre, but she understood people of her kind. Their animated movements, the overdramatic expressions. Their stories were merely stories, and tale weavers cared not if the basis to their tales were fact or otherwise. As long as it can grab the attention of their audience, whether they were to be perceived as truth or not mattered naught to them.

"Have no one come across no tales worth sharing in such a talent filled city?!" Rui cried out loud, gathering the attention of passers-by. They looked at her. They observed her humble attire mismatched with that pricey accessory around her waist. Her exaggerated dismay tugged at their lips and while there were only a handful who stopped to mentally mock her loud ethics, the crowd began to snowball thanks to a little something called curiosity. Rui will make sure to boast of her acting skills to her employer some day.

Rui looked at the crowd intently, evenly distributing her attention to each and every face directed towards her. Rather than idle and eavesdrop on conversations to get a slice of the pie (without permission), Rui thought to be straightforward. Maybe a little too much here, but who would take a clown seriously and question her questions? She expected her audience to either do or don't. Rui now hopes some easily-excited child would step up to share a story he has heard. Or perhaps even a paranoid scholar dedicated to the politics of the city. Who knows... Anything was better than waiting. Anything was better than having to pay actors to retell a tale, one they could so easily reweave.

"Well?"


((... No, I don't actually RP that long I swear. This is merely an introduction.))

[Dayita Luesali]

Dayita frowned at the dancing clown in the middle of the growing horde of people, a bottle of hangover antidote without labels in her hand and a jangle of gold and silver coins in her pocket. She was still unsettled, and a little giddy from her waking up. It had started out with a headache, and waking with a half naked man groaning next to her, in a bed.

A bad start, in her opinion, but it had improved once she’d had the foresight to go through his pack and found a treasure load of gold and silver coins. What kind of person traveled around with silver and gold coins? She’d wondered at first, and then wondered how heavily that type of person slept as she searched for her skirt.

What a time to have chosen a skirt, she thought angrily to herself as she pulled on the skirt and went back to the coins. I’ll have to run from here, surely, an' this godforsaken skirt ain't best option.

It had been a lovely skirt too, the only thing she hadn’t stored away…but she was losing her line of thought. Dayita poured most—she was feeling kindhearted—of the silver coins and all of the gold coins into her pocket, and those who wouldn’t fit went into the pack slung over her shoulder. She cracked her back, pulled on her skirt and walked out in his shiny boots after she had grabbed for Cat and the Birdies.

She wanted to get out as soon as possible. It smelt like alchohol and sex that almost was. Thank the gods it only was almost. The last thing she needed was anything like this to come back and bite her in the ass. Especially when she was working so hard to redeem her status.

The boots were too big for her feet, but they were too pretty for a boorish looking man's feet either way. She closed the door carefully behind her, though it creaked, clicked and nearly gave her an attack, she made it safely down to the entrance where an old, stooped man stood behind a fine desk.

“Greetings, sir,” she said, adjusting her cumbersome pack. Coins were heavy. “But…might ye be able t’ tell me where Ah am?”

He looked up at her with a cocked, posh eyebrow. “You, Madame"—she could tell, by the way he said it, that she was the last person he’d want to call Madame—“would be in the Tiger Lily Inn.” Dayita swore his narrow chest swelled with pride even as he said it, and she smiled back at him sweetly. “In, might I say, the absolute finest part of Rue Coupole.”

Except, there wasn’t the hustle and bustle she remembered from when she’d been shopping in Rue Coupole a few days ago. There weren’t the shouts of haggling or merchants yelling their fine, beautiful wares. There was, however, the hum of crowds, the swish of a story being told and music. Her hand went to the harp hanging from a leather belt on her skirt.

“Where in Rue Coupole?” she asked, glancing out the window. She, too, could speak Proper. “I see clowns, sir, and players.”

“Oh,” he said, deflated. “Well…We are near Rue Coupole at least.”

“Where are we…in all actuality?”

Dayita leaned in a bit closer, her arm on the table, and he shuffled back.

“Mont Nuit,” he said, voice full of shame.

“The center of culture?” she muttered. “I had hoped to be close to the castle when I woke up…Are we close?”

“Yes, madam,” he answered, “close enough, at the very least. It would take you hardly half a day to reach.”

“I had hoped for hardly half an hour,” she said.

The old man shrugged. “Will you be paying for your stay, madam?”

Dayita almost said yes, but then remembered the man she had left. Surely, he had a bit of coin hidden off somewhere else. No one, not even her, carried around all their money with them.

“No,” she said. “The man I was dragged in here with will.”

“Ah, the knight,” he said.

“Yes, him,” she replied, pushing herself from the counter, just as she patted down her skirt for the pockets in her leggings she’d sown in.

They were all there, and then she checked her back for her Birdies and the Cat. Yes, right, she was prepared, though she didn’t want to think on what would happen if Sapphis Castle didn’t allow for weapons.

They have to, she reasoned to herself as she spotted the theatrical clown. Their princess uses them, dunt she?

Dayita had pushed her way through the crowd to see what the commotion was about, only to see a small girl speaking to them, asking if anyone had stories. Dayita’s first thought was to leave, but the second thought made her stay, and the third urged her to answer the fool when she requested a story. Her mother always told Dayita to follow her instincts and first thoughts, but mother wasn’t there. So Dayita took the last swig of her elixir and shoved to the very front.

When the fool made her final plea, Dayita stepped forward, smoothly tossing her bottle aside and cleared her throat.

“I have come across many tales worth sharing.” She announced, remembering stories old Goodie Adotte had told her when Dayita worked in her troupe. “Great stories—night stories and stories of day. Ones that would stop your heart, and ones that would bring back nightmares long forgot. But ye’ll not be wantin’ none o’ dat, dis fine mornin’. Ye’ll want the kind what’ll start yer heart and bring sweet dreams from another time.”

Dayita was glancing at the crowd now, and mused on whether it might’ve been best to listen to her first thoughts (and her mother) instead, but it was too late now.

“There was a lady garbed in silver and crowned with precious jewels,” she told, pushing back the envy in her voice. What she could buy with those… “An ugly princess, but fine in body and soft of speech, she wanted a man. Needed one, this human princess did, for her dear ol’ father was on his deathbed, an’ her wicked stepmother would inherit the crown if Princess Sidonie did not.”

One thing Dayita had learned from her travels was that people loved to hate wicked and/or evil stepmothers.

She told her story, of how Sidonie tricked a man into marrying her by veiling her face with the dust stolen by rats—not really, but Dayita liked rats—from beneath faeren feet and made herself beautiful for that day. The lovely prince she had lusted after for many years was so impressed by her beauty that he claimed not to be able to live life without her and married her that day. Their marriage saw troubles once he saw her real face the next day, but it had been too late for him. She had already acquired the seeds she would need for an heir.

After her coronation, he grew fat and contented, wasting away his days with his growing harem of filthy, disease-ridden concubines. Once Sidonie’s father was cold in his grave, and the wicked stepmother’s in hers, Sidonie divorced him. She had her heir, a beautiful baby boy, and no longer needed the disgusting parasite. He died soon after...and, er, they lived happily ever after. (That was the children's favorite part.)

There more details, filled with Dayita’s embellishments of how pig-hideous the princess was, and how handsome and stupid the man had been. But, as soon as the words left her still drink-addled mind, she could not remember them and stumbled on.

It was, of course, an obscure, oddly moral-filled dark elfin tale. The only reason the prince was even a man was because no matter how much drow professors, doctors, and scientists tried, two women could not yet make a baby without a man.

At the end of the tale, she didn’t notice the two rats gathered at her feet, gazing up at her with admiration. The one that was climbing up her skirt, however, acquired her attention quickly.

"Morgana curse it," she hissed.

[Rui]

People spoke of creatures lurking the docks of New River, meaningless rumors of the castle which the jester knew better than to believe. Surely her employer would not be interested in a maid's screw-up, or the death of a stable horse. People spoke of heists frequenting the castle lately, and royal trysts which would cause quite the commotion if news ever reached the nobles' ears. Rumors after rumors reached Rui, all in the form of whispers and evasive murmurs, none ever mentioned with confidence. No one was sure of themselves.

"Wonderful." Sarcasm almost inaudible as she hid her feelings under an attentive smile. She was feeling restless now, frustrated. Rumors came from speculations of a tale. Royal rendezvous? Probably from a romantic drama between two blue bloods expressed by seasoned actors. Dead animals? Just because a precious beast of the castle shared the same name as that of a play didn't mean it had been abused and slaughtered during a siege, one which clearly had not existed. Rui questioned the capacity of these people's minds. She was not impressed.

The crowd no longer paid attention to the fool, engrossed in their own gossip and forgetting where they stood. It wouldn't have been such a bad idea to eavesdrop, but Rui had no interest in petty scandals. They were too mundane, too dull. Rui sighed as lightly as she could.

Then, the crowd went silent, or at least, Rui could hear her own thoughts now, but small commentaries on the abrupt change in events still leaked into her head. She looked up from the pebbles, seemingly having found them more exciting than the increasing prices of fish today. The sea of people still looked the same to her - faceless, and very much like clones. Though before she could return to begin making conversation with rocks out of sheer insanity and boredom, the sea began to part and someone came walking through.

Said someone stood out from the crowd, quite literally. A woman with dark skin uncommon to Rui, and an accent. She couldn't quite pinpoint where from, sadly. But the moment the woman spoke, Rui was intrigued. It didn't even matter if this story teller looked nothing like one, with the weapons equipped and how she wasn't quite as flamboyantly dressed compared to the clown just a foot away. The way she began her tale was enough.

Rui straightened up and looked on eagerly, interest and curiosity glowing in her eyes. She had heard many a tale of love-struck princesses, dying kings and evil step-mothers. She had however, never heard of an ugly princess, only sleeping ones. Nor had she come across divorces, only wives casted aside never to be touched again. As much as Rui knew, fat princes were clearly taboo to the city's maidens as their ideal image of Prince Charming on an elegant white horse wavered.

Alas a "happily ever after" was all the crowd needed, a cue for them to show some appreciation whether they actually had any or not. They clapped, despite being confused by the stumbling storyteller. It was like an obligation they didn't think should be questioned. And Rui did just about the same, except her claps rather slow and distracted.

"A worthy tale indeed." Rui perked up, her somewhat elvish ears twitching as she stepped forward towards the dark-skinned woman. People began to disperse now, having a common hunch that the young jester was no longer in need of them. She stopped in her steps before she ended up with rat for soles, a dreadful and disgusting thought to have. She did not question the woman's lack of reaction towards the rodents either, though she did know that any other lass would've screamed their lungs out just having filthy creatures like these within a mile of their comfort zone.

Rui tilted her head, then her lips curved slightly.

"A non conforming tale, very interesting." She saved on greetings, finding it needless. Rui look down at the rats, amused."Perhaps another tale, kind miss? You do claim to know of many." She spoke with flattery, and without hesitation made a bold but passing request from a person she hardly knew. She was not expecting an agreement, so it wouldn't hurt to try.

Her employer wouldn't give a damn for fairy tales like these, but Rui didn't care. She had all the time to do her task anyway. Right now, she wanted to hear more, wanted to know what other fabrications this woman had, what other bizarre archetype twist there could be.

Then a lie, almost. Rui's eyes barely flinched as she spoke falsely.

"I fear that my heart was not the least started, as refreshing as your tale had been."

[Dayita Luesali]

At first, Dayita had smirked with vanity when the small, elvish-esque girl had walked up to her with flattery heavy on the tongue. She had even cradled the rat on her skirt and stroked its grimy, lack luster coat, pleased with the honey words and the echoes of applause from the crowd.

She saw the coins she had picked off people who’d been confident enough to praise her up close as nothing but a little something extra. There were no sharp words to her rats, because she ate up flattery, but then the elf said the line that made her smug smile turn bewildered.

Her heart had not started…not even in the least?

Dayita dusted dirt from off her skirt and frowned, puzzled, down at the rat in her arms. It was a familiar rat, a part of the horde that had followed her all the way from Luskar to her voyage to Terra De Conte. A faithful rodent, with a long snout and beady, suspicious eyes, its name was Levon named after a Conqueror ever since it had stolen her sister Orla’s jewelry for Dayita to trade with local merchants, half-priced. It was more to spite Orla then gain profit, anyways.

That was the only reason she didn’t drop it then. She looked down at the other girl.

“Yer heart dinnit stop, ye say?” Dayita asked.

The fool's words had held something more than simple insult for her. A challenge had been laced inside, and if there was one thing her siblings and cousins had thought her as a young child, it was to never back down from a challenge—that is, as long as it wouldn’t kill you.

She had watched the young fool look at her, but remembered that it had lacked the enchantment needed to have a heart jumpin’ and dancin’ in the wearer’s chest. That just would not do.

“Ah ‘ave many a story for yer kin’,” she explained, hands on her hips, taking on the stance that made her seem taller, bigger. “Mayhap if’n yer heart won’t start after dis one, Ah can try an’ make yer heart stop.”

Dayita offered a sincere grin and began a more local tale she had heard from an ogre companion of hers. She glanced off to the side, staring off into space to recall all the details, half anxious at the thought that the fool wouldn’t be frightened by her half-menacing words.

“There was a wolf, see? A handsome an’ witty thing what woul’ kill more an’ anyone had e’er seen any other wolf kill. He was strong, fast, an’ had the strongest lungs in de West, ne’er min’ dem puny Eastern countries. One day, de wolf got hungry for some pig.”

It was a common story, full of tragedy and three awful, scheming boars. The valiant creature, even after he had huffed and puffed and threatened to blow their houses down, would end up killed in a most pathetic show—by his own prey. If Dayita had been a more sentimental person, she would’ve cried. Instead, she only rubbed away the tears welling in her eyes, refusing to look at her audience of one person.

"Can't e'er say Dayita Luesali can't tell a good tale," she said, glorifying herself.

[Rui]

To see the woman smirk, Rui's smile widened and her eyes narrowed. She must have said something right, and to gain favors was something the jester enjoyed doing. Most people reserved flattery, but the jester was a made boot-licker. She had no qualms about flattering the most unappealing person in the City, but only if she seek something in return. Towards this foreign woman, Rui would not pay lip service so generously, at least not yet.

"Yes, it is as I've said, my heart alas remains still. Perhaps the vivid imaginations of a hideous princess distracted me." Rui looked up to meet the woman's eyes, appearing a little taken aback by the woman's height. While she wasn't the least intimidated by this stance, she was exhilarated.

The jester found twisted satisfaction in this. She simply felt compelled to constantly play the opposition until she either feel bored or pity. Now, Rui wondered if the woman would really make her heart stop were she to endlessly deny that she was even the slightest moved. It would've been quite spot on to say that this young woman had no fear, or to be even more accurate, too insane to feel it.

"My kind, eh? I once recall my kind to be quite the stoic type. Heart of Ice, they say. Nothing melts us." It was a little difficult, but gradually the jester began to pick up on the woman's accent. At first she simply pretended to understand, what pride she had left forbidding her to be embarrassed by the linguistic barrier they had. She continued with boastful and provoking tones, not deliberately though... okay, maybe a little. But she was not out to offend, simply wanting to get the best out of the woman.

Rui silenced herself the moment the woman began her second tale. She listened attentively, making sure that her active imagination does not distract her a second time.

"Puny?" Rui thought, eyebrows arching ever so slightly. She recalled certain countries in the east to be unnecessarily large. Definitely there were some small islands scattered about the continent, but puny!? How rude. Rui quickly dismissed of such an offending claim.

Turning her head aside, the jester chuckled with a hand over her mouth. The tale ended uneventfully, and Rui found it very much that of a children's bedtime story, just darker than usual. The woman's tears were a good touch though, but she simply could not take a story of animals seriously. Especially not when there were pigs. Rui found the thought of fat squealing pigs scheming to be too adorable- Ah... There she goes again, being distracted by her mind. Her expression quickly flattened as she tried to show some sort of sympathy towards the demise of the wolf.

"I dare not say otherwise to- " Rui pauses, taking note of the woman's name which she had so proudly announced. She then smiled fondly. "-Miss Luesali's fantastic tales. Perhaps I did feel my heart tighten ever so slightly, softly but surely... Or perhaps not." There's that provocation again, Rui was just pushing it. "It is so difficult to tell sometimes."

The jester sighed, hiding a smirk. A sudden suicidal thought had just came to her.

"That aside for now, if I may so boldly ask, were my heart to never start... How else can it be stopped?"

[Dayita Luesali]

Dayita frowned, and then she hid the mortification behind it.

Gods damn it...I said my name, she thought. I said my name an’ I’m supposed to be Resi, no Dayita, Resi. Gods curse it. Well…it’s not like this will…unless this is a court jester. Are fools good at keeping secrets? I doubt it.

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, grimacing. Taking on this challenge was beginning to seem like a mistake as she looked up at the sky. It looked to be creaking into noon, and she had hoped to arrive at the castle before night had come. If she kept trying to melt this jester’s heart, she might be there for days and still never see it warm up even a bit.

“Ah always thought ye fools were a warmer sort,” she mumbled. “It’s hard to tell your heart tightened?”

Inside, she was screaming curses. Dayita liked challenges, of course, but only when she won quickly and easily. She remembered the way the fool’s face had changed when Dayita had mentioned the Eastern countries being puny, and pondered on a different course of action. Sentimentality hadn’t worked with this one, but perhaps the flames of rage would do the trick…?

You shouldna do dat, mistress, a voice said, and Dayita glowered down at Levon. Twould nah be wise.

Oh? she thought, cocking an eyebrow down at it.

Yes, it replied, not backing down. Dis maid smell like the court.

How would you know?

I’s been places you ain’t, mistress. It grew sheepish, and it looked away.

Dayita blinked, and made to rub her eyes until she remembered just where her hands had been. She decided that the beer she drank last night must’ve been bad, but still took Levon’s advice to heart. If the cursed wretch in front of her was court stuff, she didn’t want to get on her bad side…Dayita then made a point to look down her nose right into the sapphire eyes looking up at her, mocking her.

“How else?” she replied to the odd statement made by the jester after the last offence. “I plan on it being the permanent, up close and personally kind. You?”

[Rui]

Rui's smile never once faltered, like a mask permanently worn on her face. She observed the woman carefully, almost like a dog unmoving and waiting for something to happen. But despite this naive appearance, Rui was thinking.

"Ah... Perhaps my colleagues might be the sort, a friendly affectionate bunch they are." But then again they were all actors, they could show any emotion at command. Rui was not the acting fool, but she had just as much ability to hide herself like one. "And yes, it is hard, when the heart's no longer in use. A little rusty I suppose, like gears in an ol' machine."

It was true, Rui was always the pretentious sort, ever since she began work for the court. She had never used her own heart to view the world, always manipulating the false ones she had created to patronize her audience. Her employer had often found it sad, but Rui found it a blessing to be blissfully oblivious.

She wondered how far she would take this antagonizing stance before she became bored, though that was the least of her worries. Was the woman, in some way, communicating with the rat? Rui's eyebrows twitched slightly as she watched this interesting event take place. She had not known of many who could understand animals, at least not in ways that seemed as if an actual conversation was taking place. She can't helped but wonder what they spoke of.

"Up close?" Rui looked up once more, pulling away from her fascination with the rat. She wasn't the least fazed but nevertheless took a cautious step back, deciding to let the woman have an upper hand, for now.

"Me?" She never had any reason to make hearts stop, but maybe jumping in front of her audience from time to time without warning may have done just that. She recalled a man falling in her past acts, "Heart attack", her employer said.

"Frozen in time, if I had to choose." Rui thought for a bit. To be alive but trapped, unable to scream for help, unable to move. A form of torture that the jester's darker side was fond of. But that was a time long past and subdued. "Permanence is not quite my style."

[Dayita Luesali]

“It’s my favorite style…” Dayita murmured, looking thoughtfully at the fool, and suppressed the mixtures of admiration and envy churning inside of her. She worked hard to reach her sadistic nature, and this one seemed to do it naturally.

Lucky bitch.

“Can we get this show on the road, or is this spot important?”

She had places to go and two ogres to see, and already, the noon sky was dimming into afternoon. With her free hand, she adjusted her thick cloak and then with the other, placed Levon onto her shoulder. He was light, having lost weight from the lean months they spent away from Luskar just as she had, and unlike many other times, her shoulder didn’t sag under him.

Easy there, mistress, he murmured and Dayita ignored him but for a small snort on her part.

“I dunt mean t’ keep ye,” she said, unconsciously trying for manners, “but if we’re t' continue this, I have certain things to take care of…”

Dayita pushed a stray piece of hair in front of her face, eying the fool’s smile with a brief air of weak suspicion—a gut feeling—before it was quickly forgotten by a sudden realization. She didn’t know the jester’s name, but the jester knew hers. A frown stretched across her face, and for a short moment, she looked away from the pale girl to curse underneath her breath.

“What’s yer name?” she asked her. “Ye know me name, but I dunt know yer’s. That ain’t a good thing. Whether ye stay ‘ere, or walk wi’ me, I’ll be needin’ yer name.”

[Rui]

Rui looked around her and it seemed that people whom once surrounded them had all gone, as if there were a barrier around them. She then pouted and side stepped away from the spot she had stood for ages. Her mind didn't quite dwell on the topic of homicide preferences the moment the woman asked a different question. Rui often just 'flowed with it'. Seeing that she's no longer at the same spot, she looked up and shook her head.

"No, I believe not." Rui shrugged. She had no clue where this show will be taken to, but she doesn't seem to be uninvited. Or, either she failed to sense hostility from the woman, or was stupidly dense. She did however feel a tingle of spite in the air. It was but a twitch in her expression as she smirked. "Apologies should be mine, I had not known you were due for something else..."

She bowed slightly, sincerely even.

"...Oh, I'm honored that my name is of any importance!" The jester quickly exclaimed with a wide grin and jumped to the side of this woman, the woman she had come to know as Dayita Luesali. She planned on following this here woman for a bit, even if she probably jumped into the wrong direction of her destination. Rui's curiosity streak got the better of her and she wouldn't just let it walk away. Oh no, she was determined to know a little more about this dark-skinned individual who spoke to rats.

"For my name, I will have to burden you on your journey just the slightest." She made it a deal, one that only she had a say in. Rui may be a jester, but many, often enough, paid no interest to what she was called. No one knew of a court servant by the name of Rui, but everyone knew the clown who resembled the harsh winters of the eastern continents. Honestly, this concealed identity wasn't so much of a problem to her.

Rui's expression faded a little, only the corner of her lips curved. She did not bother waiting for Dayita's approval, then again, she had never made a request.

"I promise to be good," Rui continued, sounding many years younger and effectively innocent.

"My name is Rui."

[Dayita Luesali]

“Burden? Ah know burdens, Rui, an’ yer not e’en close,” Dayita said, waving it away. Then, she added as a second thought, “Well, may haps, a smidge close.”

“Ah plan on seein’ da city for wha’ it is,” she said, thoughtfully.

Yes, that would do—a good improvisation. The plan had been to head straight for Sapphis Castle as soon as possible, scope out the terrain and then disappear from Terra De Conte as quickly and smoothly as could be done. Dayita saw it this way: the castle would be too preoccupied by the guests to notice so the gods must’ve been on her side! Hopefully, these princesses would have heads with nothing between the ears but romance and pretty dresses—though Dayita doubted she’d be so lucky—and would be too taken with a lovely suitor to notice. The servants would be busy with chores along with the rest of the staff in their race to please their guests.

The Queen and King?—she’d never had much respect for Kings, but as far as she could tell, neither they nor any of their court would be counting the coin. However, a minister would, but that could be taken care of. The guards would be taken care of. It would all be taken care of. Dayita was confident of that and smiled a secret smile to herself as she walked side by side with the clown called Rui. Rui. Rue. Dayita liked the sound of it. It reminded her of lines from old dramas, where the villain would scream at the heroine or hero.

You’ll rue the day…!

“Ah’ve danced at New River, bartered for fine clothes fit for a queen”—or so she hoped, prayed—“at Rue Coupole, an’ been to Mont Nuit, an’ yet…An’ yet Ah ‘ave procrastinated from wha’ Ah shoul’ do, nay! Wha’ Ah mus' do,” she added. “How coul’ any self-respectin’ daughter o’ chaos do such a thing?—travel to a city an’ neglect da playhouses? Da brothels? Da ta’erns, e’en!” She shook her head, near mournful. “Affer we stop at Rosae Crucis. We shall go to Nights Doorstep.”

Honestly, she hadn’t even been sure where she’d been going at the start of that little speech, but now she saw it. To Rosae Crucis where the magic users were—where she could find a thing to give her a leg up, if only for a day or a night, but that was all she would need.

[Rui]

"Close, huh?" Rui added a rhetorical question and grinned. She was somewhat proud of being a bother. What for, she probably couldn't give you a reason for that either. Perhaps something about being a deliberate nuisance simply excited the eccentric jester.

While most jesters shed their masks once the job is done, Rui seems to wear hers constantly. She was all smiles and seemingly a lack of social etiquette and common sense as she followed the stranger without question. For all she know she could be sold off at Nights Doorstep once Dayita grows tired of her... although, that does sound quite thrilling. Rui weighed the pros and cons and somewhere in her mind, she contemplated the prospects of such a possibility, of all things.

"The City of Venus is a wonderful place, I've been told. But I've never seen it, not on its own..." Rui trailed as she explained to no one in particular. She wasn't even sure if the dark-skinned elven lady cared if she spoke, so she directed her words to the air. Rui shrugged. "I've seen her people though, fools even more foolish than I. Anyhow, exploring the city is a splendid idea!"

True, Rui knew the City's people well. She knew who owed who money, and who were to be feared. She knew of kind tavern owners who ran gambling dens after dark, and she knew of knights who would bring the court shame. If you were to ask Rui about the best place for fun and play though, there'll be quite the challenge.

Rui looked up again, her eyebrows knitted together. She tried to make out a word Dayita was saying. 'Damn elf speak too fast', and she mentally twitched. But thankfully "Rosae Crucis" wasn't a name that could be easily conquered by accents. Immediately the jester perked up, her fist clenched open and closed and she picked up her pace.

"Rosae Crucis! Where magic is abundant, or so I've heard." She efficiently ignored the earlier part of Dayita's speech. "Are you a magic user, Miss Luesali?" Rui asked, like a young school girl full of curiosity. She had not met many magicians in her journey; simply a handful of pretenders and more than enough creatures of elemental advantages. She wasn't particularly familiar with how magicians worked either, but it nevertheless made her eager to know more.

[Dayita Luesali]

“Very close,” Dayita replied, grinning. She looked down at the grinning fool and made a bemused face as she pushed her hands into her pockets.

They’d have to make a stop at her place before they stepped foot in Rosae Crucis because she didn’t have her weapons on. Last night…well, she couldn’t remember what happened last night, but it was a miracle she was still alive and she knew it. She’d have to reload on bladed cautionary tools, besides changing her rumpled outfit.

“Ah honestly can’t imagine anyone playin’ da fool better than ye,” she said, “an’ Ah’m ar from a magic user.” She cocked an eyebrow at Rui’s theatrical expression and rolled her eyes with a smile. Jesters—what could you do?

“Wha’ Ah’m lookin’ for any chump coul’ use, believe me.”

Somethin’ small to mean da worl’, and somethin’ simple to end it…She smiled at the memory of an old nursery rhyme, looking up at the skyline.

“Ah hope dis city knows how it’s done,” she murmured, smirking.

Don't get your hopes up, mistress, Levon warned, but she snorted and ignored him.

[Rui]

Rui grinned, once more feeling pride over the strangest of comments. She felt her mood completely lifted. While most would perhaps wonder if being the best fool is a compliment or otherwise, either way, Rui accepted it positively.

"Then you must not have met many fools in the City of Venus, Miss. There are many of us - them. And a handful quite the literal ones even." Rui frowned, disapproving of such silly and gullible citizens of the land. If anyone was a better fool than the young jester, if would be them. Surely there's a limit to how stupid one can act before they become what they pretend to be. To think clowns had a psychological side to them.

Something anyone could use? It must not be very impressive then, Rui thought, disappointed. She was hoping for something big and colorful, shot lasers, and ridiculous stunts as such. Maybe a sceptre of some sort. But she kept this opinion to herself. Cocking her head to a side, she couldn't quite fathom what Dayita was implying.

"Something "any chump coul' use"?" Rui mimicked the woman's accent purely out of fun, finally giving in to her never-ending curiosity and asked. She didn't even try to make guesses. "What are you looking for?"

[Dayita Luesali]

Dayita frowned when the clown mocked her and flicked the smaller woman on her forehead quickly.

"Ye talk too much," she commented dryly.

Must we take the short one with us? Levon inquired and she raised her eyebrows as if to say, 'Of course. She amuses me.'

And the fool did, a lot. It was like having a grown child to dance around her and tell jokes. Her frown turned to a smile and she flicked Levon on the head, harder than she had Rui because she knew he could take it. The rat hissed at her, baring his yellow fangs, but she ignored it.

"Dunt git too excited," she told Rui. "Our stop d'ere gonna be quick. Ah need to be at Nights Doorstep more than I do Rosae."

[Rui]

Rui's hands immediately shot up to the flicked spot on her forehead.

"Well you don't see mute jesters around much, do you? Unless they're depre- Oh never mind." The fool's hands remained on her head, least Dayita chose to flick it again and who knows if it'd be twice as hard as before, or worse! Rui pouted, a loud "pffft" being her last words.

The woman still hasn't answered her question though, but Rui wasn't going to ask again. If she spoke too much, fine then, she wouldn't speak again, for now. If she knew the rat called her short though... There's no doubt Rui would break the silence with a fit.

The fool slowly began to drop her hands, her face discontent and eyes twitching as she can't help but feel a soft tingle on the spot she was flicked. If her actions could speak, they would be very noisy right now.

They were approaching Rosae Crusis fast, and a street sign was coming up in the distance. Being the stubborn one, Rui decided to let Dayita notice that for herself rather than excitedly announce it like she usually would.