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       #Post#: 398813--------------------------------------------------
       Your Betrayal
       By: Haburi Shimofuri Date: November 25, 2015, 2:24 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       The snakes begin to crawl.
       It was about three months after the lunar eclipse Cei
       remembered gazing  up at the sky. Loud rockets perpetuating the
       constant noise that roared back at the large gathering of
       people. Despite the best efforts of the vibrant volumes of
       colors that begged for attention with flashes of gold and
       silver, the stars that night shined brighter than any fire. The
       docile man would remain silent, held in captivity by the beauty
       of those stars. SNAP. The clap of fingers in a bark of shifting
       skin caught Cei's attention. "Stop getting distracted, I need
       you on your best tonight." Looking to his right was the roar of
       a lion's mane, dangling from the shoulders of a man that glowed
       like a god. This man wore a clad of white and red, the nation's
       colors. Bearing the crest of the supreme house, Cei snapped out
       of it. The man in the lion's mane stood up fully, offering a
       hand to help him up. "Thanks." A moment's relapse of confusion
       caught Cei off guard as the man nearly pulled him up off the
       ground by himself. He released the bear like grip from his palms
       and motioned him to follow.
       "In case you forgot, let me remind you why we're here." They
       began to trudge through the inclines of the various hills they
       were set up in. "The citizens of the town are distracted
       currently by the festival. At this time we wi-" Cei with
       prideful nature cut off his own king. "We will take out those
       who resist us by cover of night and sound. I know my lord, I
       made the plan, or did you forget who your leading strategist
       was?" The king remained silent with a face showing a strong
       emotion being contained through sheer iron will. The king had
       then let out a heavy sigh with bated breath. "Then you know how
       quickly we must move. I want you on point, your abilities are
       undeniably strong, perhaps even as strong as I am, but with a
       keen mind to back it." "No problem my lord, you could wipe out
       this entire resistance within the flap of a hummingbirds wings,
       yet your safety demands my resolve." The tongues of men were
       hushed in the amount of a hundred troops standing behind the
       young Cei. Every one of them ready to take out one of their own,
       for the glory of the king.
       At the top of the cliff, Cei stood with eyes beading down and
       homing in on the individual estate where the resistance was
       rumored to be plotting their revolution from the glorified
       ruler. He looked frantically, but couldn't find a shred of
       activity, nor was there any lights on in the house. Nothing to
       hear as the sound of distant fireworks rang in the background
       and the lash of the waves that punched the cliff behind the
       house. "This is odd... There's absolutely nothing here."Out of
       the corner of his eye, Cei found the quick drop of metal coming
       close to his temple. With a resounding quickening of his bones,
       he moved his arm up with all his speed and might to block the
       hand just short of what appeared to be a needle aimed for his
       neck. "What is the meaning of thi-" In a strike of a secondary
       needle to the other side, the fluid was injected into his
       bloodstream. Haburi, his king had silenced the cocky strategist.
       "You cut me off, I cut you off. Completely." Cei now dropping to
       his knees, held up now only by the strength of Haburi's clutch
       on his arm began coughing loud dry bursts of hot hair, feeling
       hazy. "You can't fight back for another half an hour with that
       drug in your system. Too bad you won't last another five." With
       a tight grip of his fist, the ruler laid fists, elbows, knees,
       and heels into Ceis body, crushing his flesh and crippling his
       spirit. Some of the soldiers looked in terror and vomited from
       the loud snapping of the defenseless man's bones while he cried
       out in screams, muffled by the fireworks that boasted its volume
       far away. In crimson blood and nightly bruise, Cei laid in the
       grass, choking on his tears as his voice grew sour.
       Haburi in a final moment of disgust for the weak, spat on the
       lifeless ragdoll that was Ceis body, and kicked him with the
       force of his steel toed boot to his already broken side. The
       force carried him in a roll down the hill where the young man
       continued to get mouthfuls of rocks and dust in his eyes. His
       body was dropped off the edge and was consumed by the crashing
       waves. "Be gone, Cei. Rest well at the bottom of the sea."
       Cei looked up at the sky so blue. Clear and bright, burning with
       a passionate sun that guided the youthful onward.  He took in
       the clean outdoor air, letting it fill him fully with the
       insight he needed. Down he looked, regaining himself from his
       daydream. "The field is set." Before him laid stacks upon stacks
       of paper that were scattered like a madman trying to find a
       cure. Through the grass, something peeked it head out between
       the papers, trying to find its way out. Cei stood up, brushing
       the dirt off his clothes while grinning just a bit. The thing
       beneath the papers began to dart out, rushing across the grass
       in a back and forth slither.
       "And the Snakes begin to crawl..."
       #Post#: 399110--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Your Betrayal
       By: Colette Date: November 26, 2015, 6:05 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "Milady, please, it's time to get up." A meek voice spoke,
       gradually growing in desperation as it chided from behind the
       large, intricate door they talked through. The small servant had
       just been delivered some...frightening news by courier and her
       queen wouldn't even answer her! Her light, repetitive knocks
       grew in frequency until she felt her knuckles ache slightly from
       the constant rapping and on the other side sat the frightened
       queen. "Milady, do please forgive me for being so forward
       but...you can't just hide in there!" The red-haired servant, and
       one of the queen's closest friends, Aiko, huffed in frustration
       as it seemed even she couldn't pull the queen from her room this
       evening. The staff had been worried and had confided in her,
       explaining that she hadn't been seen in days; the food they left
       would remain untouched when they came to pick the plates back up
       and the piles of important papers just kept building...truth be
       told, the queen's worry and distress was affecting the entire
       castle and if she didn't come out and deal with things soon,
       it'd also affect the people. Sighing loudly, Aiko bent down and
       slipped the notice she'd been given right under the door and
       departed with her last few words. "Eri, you can't avoid this
       one."
       On the other end of the door, the newly crowned queen was biting
       her nails and pacing through her dark and depressive room she'd
       been hiding out in the past few days. The passing of her parents
       with the following coronation had left her no proper time to
       mourn and now she had the weight of an entire kingdom on her
       shoulders, it was already crushing her! Then, she'd been hearing
       words from her advisers and they'd tried to keep the news from
       her with their hushed tones and passive glances, but even she
       couldn't block out and disassociate from the massively growing
       problem at hand.
       It had all started with a distant kingdom's fall ringing through
       the nearby lands. At first, it wasn't too much of a worry...many
       kingdoms fell and became conquered, it certainly wasn't unheard
       of, but then the next one fell. Then the next. Then the next.
       Etc, etc. It was quickly becoming something that was being
       talked about through fearful meetings lined with tension and
       anxiety; when would the next land be taken? Several kingdoms
       later, the name of the assailant quickly became spread and his
       infamy rose among the frightened people; King Haburi. Even
       someone as new to ruling as Eri could tell that he wasn't
       stopping any time soon and even though her kingdom was luckily
       far away...it would only be a matter of time before he came for
       hers next. How could she deal with something like this? Her
       parents, her training, nothing had prepared her for something
       like this!! Even her advisers were at a loss and constantly
       crossing swords over what to do; do they simply give in when the
       time comes, or fight?
       Once she'd bit her cuticle and caused a small sting of pain to
       appear, Eri decided instead to bite at her lip as she approached
       the pale parchment on the ground. Holding the letter as if it
       threatened her life, she hesitantly opened it and was confronted
       with news she had already predicted; the Toru Kingdom had been
       conquered...between them and her own kingdom was around maybe 4
       more, pathetically small lands. Haburi was like a relentless
       storm consuming and destroying, taking everything for himself
       and she was right in his oncoming path...how could she prepare
       for this?!
       There were many decisions Eri was going to have to mull over now
       and they were slowly consuming her, putting her in a state of
       constant procrastination and anxiety that made her appetite wane
       into nothingness. It was only a matter of time before even the
       peaceful ignorance of her people would be broken and they'd come
       straight to her, the person who was supposed to be protecting
       them...
       There was now a timer on her kingdom and her people that she
       couldn't put off any longer and Eri had no idea how to go about
       protecting the peace and prosperity that she'd been given. To
       her, she genuinely felt...hopeless.
       #Post#: 399130--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Your Betrayal
       By: Haburi Shimofuri Date: November 28, 2015, 2:28 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "My lord, I've made the preparations you have asked for. Your
       horse is ready." The elongated shadow of a greenhorn soldier
       covered and protected Cei's sensitive eyes from the sun that was
       starting to burn bright. Cei turned his head full towards the
       man with one hand draped over his brow to shade his sight. "Ah,
       I guess the time for thinking things through and planning has
       passed. Very well servant." Briefly closing his eyes he stood up
       with an arm stiffed against the grass, taking the time to
       correct his collar and straighten out his outfit. Down he gazed
       upon the what seemed like endless provisions and plans that were
       mapped out in fine ink, recalculating each seperate one to
       quadriple check each one several times again and again in his
       mind within a moments glance. "May I ask that you collect my
       work, properly roll up the papers carefully?" With a smirk and a
       hand firmly patted onto the soliders shoulder, he had a pleasant
       chuckle about the hypocritical statement he had made. "Because I
       clearly shouldn't be kept in charge of handling them."
       Making his way up to his grey steed, he placed a foot and
       stepped up to his saddle. Now surveying the field before him, he
       looked over the distance at the Kingdom. Another one of his very
       limited army trotted on horseback up behind him. Cei looked down
       before the hill that seperated him from the target of his
       ambition. "They received the fake letter, correct?" "Yes my
       lord." His palms clenched onto the ropes of his saddle. "Very
       well, and our agents were able to succesfully make the nearby
       village in the east hoist the Shimofuri Family colors?" "Of
       course. The name of Haburi's family is power." Cei posed with a
       frown. "I wont lie." He kicked his feet inward and took off with
       the tremendous force of the horses gallop while his soldiers
       hurried up after him. "I'm not too fond of looking down hills
       with people behind me anymore..."
       Charging down the hill, the young leader set his sights on the
       city with passion, the only emotion he seemed to outwardly show
       the past few months. The guards stationed at the front gates of
       the kingdom seemed to be on edge and distressed, because they
       looked like they were nervous from the sight of just a hundred
       men following Cei. A force not large enough to even take a small
       village. Cei yanking back on his ropes, commanded the massive
       stop of several horseback men, digging hoves that kicked up dirt
       with a loud stampede. "What brings you here?!" With a small hop
       off, he planted his feet evenly into the dirtied ground. Making
       his way straight for the two guards, he held up his hands and
       gave them a shrug. "We only request audience with your majesty."
       "As if she'd see you? She wont talk to anyone!" "I feel she'll
       have more than enough to say to me."
       Opening up the gates, the guards looked more than frustrated as
       they kept their heads down, stepping to the side. "Be our guest.
       Hearing anything for her majesty would be a miracle on its own."
       Cei nodding back at them with uninterested eyes passed them by
       with poise like that of a nobleman, leading the way for his few
       men that had just finished dismounting. Taking the center of the
       village square, Cei drew in a lot of attention with his troops
       as he climbed up halfway on the steps before being unable to
       take the whispers and clamour of the frightened much longer.
       "Hm. Allow me to introduce myself for all those who care enough
       about their Kingdom. Listen up! Let me keep this short and
       simple." Cei looked down on the gathering masses that became
       distracted from their stale lives. "I'll either be the envoy to
       your beginning." He slid his hands up in grand posture. "Or the
       envoy to your end."
       Finally turning away to the ever growing noise of the public, he
       pushed onward up those wide steps, looking onward to the grand
       double doors that hid the infamously indecisive Queen. His men
       formed a wide 'U' shaped formation that blocked off anyone from
       the palace and Cei, occasionally having to push off and kick a
       rowdy citizen that felt offended by the young lords choice of
       words. "Guess I could've made that a bit less dramatic but..."
       Cei glared at the doorman, who backed off quickly in his formal
       attire. His thin fingers wrapped around the door handles and
       ripped the massive doors open that gave out a long deep
       creeking. "Who am I kidding? I love a good scandal." Standing
       before the large open marble floor, he took strength in his
       composure, waiting for some kind of response.
       He stood tall in his lordship attire. He wore his traditional
       fuedal lord clothes that were a slight faded grey, yet had a few
       unconventional changes to the wardrobe. His left sleeve was
       completely cut off, and bared what looked like a faded tattoo
       that was simply burned off on his shoulder. Gloves cloaked his
       hands, the right one black the other white. Something seemed to
       make a bit of clanky noise from behind him whenever he moved a
       bit too suddenly, but it was hard to see its hanging shadow when
       facing Cei. "Lady Eri. Are you there? I think you should have an
       idea why someone like me might be here."
       #Post#: 399191--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Your Betrayal
       By: Colette Date: November 29, 2015, 2:48 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "Excuse me, sir." The red-haired maid held an expression of
       distaste after having heard the cacophony outside. Aiko didn't
       like guys like him, he seemed far too confident in himself...and
       that kind of confidence was something that could prove deadly to
       her queen who held quite little of it. Aiko knew Eri was never a
       leader type and if she encountered someone who held themselves
       like this, it could spell disaster for their kingdom if she
       blindly listened to what this stranger had to say...Sadly, it
       was not Aiko's job as a maid to make these types of observations
       and worrying her queen with what could just be mild paranoia was
       just as distasteful as assuming. "The Queen isn't taking any
       visitors."  She was wiping her dirty hands on her worn white
       apron as she approached the newcomer whose very aura made her
       uncomfortable, but she remained stiffly polite with her back
       held straight and her quieting hands clasped together in front
       of her. "If you'd made an appointment of some sort, she would
       have seen you...eventually."
       Behind the large doors she was living her current life, Eri
       could hear the faint mumbling of voices from outside and the
       hazy cries of her people; over what exactly, she didn't quite
       know. Wrapped up in the wrinkled sheet from her bed, wearing the
       cloth over her head and body, she curled up on the edge of her
       bed with her worried eyes examining the doors. The one voice she
       could hear clearly was a male's and he spoke of her 'knowing'
       why he was there. The only thing she 'knew' of lately was the
       letter she'd arrived not too earlier, so he was referring to
       that? As in he was the one who sent the letter? Oh, what did she
       know... Lamenting again on how awful she was at her job, Eri
       listened to the continuing rancorous crowds outside, her people
       she hadn't talked to in so long that she couldn't even remember
       the last interaction she'd had with them. It was...cruel of her,
       to say the least. Her people didn't ask to be in their position,
       just as much as she hadn't, but the cards had been dealt and she
       at least owed them enough to appear to them didn't she? All of
       these conflicting feelings were causing her to practically reel
       back with the ever-present realization that she couldn't just
       hide forever. Either her people would give up on her or her
       kingdom would be claimed eventually, and there would be nothing
       stopping either but a door with but one lock...
       Needless to say, whether it was fear or hope that made her open
       the door, the lock firmly sounded out and interrupted whatever
       her trusted friend and maid had been about to say. The large
       wooden surface creaked open only slightly, allowing barely
       anything to be seen within the dark room just above besides the
       pale and thin hand that held onto the surface and a single eye
       squinting slightly at the light from the hallway that burned her
       retina. "You're the one who sent the letter..yes?" There was
       slight shuffling as she gathered the sheet tighter around
       herself while she spoke quietly and uncertainly. "Now
       isn't...really a good time. I'm not in shape to take counsel
       right now." As if becoming more aware of how dirty she really
       was seeing these two clean individuals in front of her, the
       small hand seemed to shrink further behind the door and she
       quietly gave her order to her maid. "Could you run a bath for me
       first, Aiko. And please see that our guest has some
       quarters...I'm not going to present myself like this." Directing
       her words to the man instead whose face she'd yet to even look
       at with her ever current downcast expression. "We can speak
       after I ready..I sense that time is currently of the essence
       but...it'd be very rude of me to meet you the way I am
       currently. Please follow her to your accommodations." With her
       heart pounding wildly in her chest at having spoken in such a
       long time directly to anyone, especially one being a stranger,
       her hand quickly disappeared and the door closed with a loud and
       solid thud, followed by the lock clicking after.
       A bit awestruck by having seen so little of her queen, which was
       ironically the most she'd seen in quite a while, Aiko didn't
       feel her fighting attitude appear. Instead, as if dazed, she
       stuttered lightly while trying to take it all in. "I...uh well.
       Um. I suppose if you'll follow me...we'll get you to your room.
       I'd like to be very quick about it, I have a bath to run." And
       so she turned her back and made her way with a swift pace
       towards the living quarter's, a slight smile growing on her
       face. It was...nice, to say the least, to see that she wasn't
       just talking to a ghost anymore.
       #Post#: 399230--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Your Betrayal
       By: Haburi Shimofuri Date: November 29, 2015, 9:54 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Being escorted into the building, he nodded to the two guards
       that quickly followed behind him, assuring them of their safety
       as if the guards needed protection rather from their master than
       anything else. Draped in clothes of grey abysmal matter, he
       armed himself with his confidence and peered around the
       corridors. Suddenly from between the large sturdy doors of royal
       oak came the faintest fall of an erupting squeak. Cei looked on
       towards the shriek and found himself amused in his own
       expectations. "Ah, that wasn't the door creaking open, it was
       her voice." he said to himself in a hushed tone.
       Clearing his throat before a fitting figure for a queen, he
       straightened his attire out for but a quick moment and returned
       in a calming tone. "Yes, I am the one responsible for the
       letter. I thought a woman of your stature would reasonably
       accept the call for concern." In his eyes, he felt no sexual
       desires for the woman, nor did he think selfishly to want her
       for his own. Yet in contrast, he did find himself attracted to
       the woman. Whether it was by universal alignment or simply how
       he saw her as a means to an end, he did not know, neither could
       he distinguish the two apart. "Very well, I understand as
       royalty formalities are a guiding principle that can't easily be
       brushed under the rug, despite the situation." With a
       pathetically small bow and close of his eyes, Cei turned as the
       door began to close in front of him. The shutter of the door
       rang in his ears as he then faced his own guards that looked
       terrified that they had to accompany Cei, yet alone stand so
       close to royalty as well. "Y-Your orders my lord?" Cei darted a
       threatening look that permenately engraved a call to demise if
       they made him look bad.
       There wasn't very much one could figure out from looking at Cei
       at first sight, though one thing was very apparent even to a
       nonbeliever in spiritualism. This confident man wasn't the
       Adonis of muscles or had apparent experience in murder. However,
       there was a daunting aura of tension that made even the most
       loyal of servants on paper become sickeningly ill and oppressed
       if he focused it towards someone. Not by fear did he lead his
       men, but by respect and common cause. "Let's follow the kind
       woman, gentlemen." Like puppets on strings, they turned in an
       acute 90 degree angle and lead the way, following the awestruck
       Aiko down the hallway. "You seem like you've seen a ghost, my
       lady."  he fished for a conversation whenever he could before
       muttering "My guards look like they've seen their own..."
       Holding his composure tall and impressionable, Cei walked
       through the very door Aiko had lead her through, with the guards
       staying in front of the doorway.
       In a leisurely quick flick of his wrists, the rattling of very
       worn prayer beads fell down his right arm that gripped his
       chair. Pulling it out, he took a seat before Aiko, wondering if
       there was any more insight he could share her before looking
       half scared himself. He scrambled to take the beads and roll
       them back up his arm till the long sleeve shrouded the old
       relics once more. "I ... Go please. Her majesty Eri shouldn't be
       left waiting. Her time is much more valuable than my own. I'll
       make myself at home. Cei sighed a long breath of hot air as if
       he felt embarrassed for the first time in his life, drooping his
       head down onto his fists at a fixed level to rest his jaw. "What
       a disgrace." His mood was immediately crushed by what seemed
       like his own personal omen. Closing his eyes, he tried to
       remember the last time he allowed someone to see his most
       personal item.
       "Master Onken, you truly were the man I admired the most. I'm so
       ashamed of what has come to be." With cold dried fingers, he
       slid his hand up his stealthed arm, gently touching the 32nd
       bead on the necklace. He knew it was the 32nd one because of the
       slight cross shaped dent that was left in the side from a
       previous fight. Cei continued to twirl it around his forearm
       constantly, as if each rotation around his arm drew him deeper
       in thought till he began to fall asleep; drifting into his own
       coil of oblivion.
       #Post#: 399234--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Your Betrayal
       By: Colette Date: November 29, 2015, 11:59 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Beneath her confusion was an underlying happiness that the Queen
       was finally coming out from her room. It was hard enough to keep
       her crew's morale up, but the civilians as well when there were
       no orders, no verdicts, not even simple encouraging words being
       given to them by their one ruler? Aiko mentally chided herself
       as they made it to the visitor's designated room; ever since
       they were younger, she'd known that the once upon a time
       princess would have never been able to take on the birth-given
       role she was doomed to take. It wasn't exactly Eri's fault that
       she reacted the way she did, but regardless...this was her
       position now and it even frustrated Aiko with the way she'd
       treated the entire situation like one big tantrum and none of
       them held the right to stop her. "Yes, here's your room, I'm
       sure you'll be contacted as soon as she's available." Hasty and
       rather rude with her treatment of straight up ignoring anything
       the guest had done or presented, Aiko rushed out of the room and
       into the queen's personal bathroom to prepare her bath.
       Hot water and a few mounds of bubbles, topped with the fragrance
       of lilac as she'd preferred her rather pompous baths, Aiko was
       standing at the doorway where she rapped her fingers on the
       hardwood. "Your bath is ready, Eri." For just a moment, Aiko
       worried as the silence dragged on between the touches of her
       knuckles on the door; had she changed her mind? Thankfully, the
       slow and almost cautious opening of the door signaled the end of
       her paranoia and Aiko couldn't help but beam as her rather
       raggedy queen appeared for the first time in forever. Eri stood
       at the threshold with worry creasing her features, her left arm
       holding to her right at her side as she slowly inched her way
       out in nothing but her nightgown. "Thanks..." Her departure was
       quick, as if she didn't want to be spotted by anyone else and
       even though it left Aiko a little injured with how distant she
       still seemed, it was a least...something. "Well...time to get
       her clothes then." The horrors that awaited Aiko on the other
       end of the door were simply too monumentous and she'd definitely
       need a few extra servants helping her clean up the mess the
       Queen had left behind. Sifting through junk and papers, she made
       her way to the closet where she was not surprised to find the
       queen's garments in pristine condition behind the wardrobe's
       doors.
       Inside the bathroom, Eri had quickly submerged herself in the
       steaming water and sighed forlornly. Even the relief of feeling
       fresh water met by the sweet smell of lilacs wasn't enough to
       bring back her peace of mind. Submersing her head beneath the
       water, she tried vainly to recall what it felt like to feel
       relaxed. Just like her room, Eri didn't want to leave the bath
       no matter how many times she'd proceeded to wash her hair and
       her body; the grime left her skin and her hair turned back to
       its lustrous sheen with every wash, but it didn't feel like it
       was enough and eventually it just ended with her sitting, her
       skin sensitive from the harsh rubbing and her scalp aching
       slightly while strands of her teal hair came off between her
       fingers with each wash. It was childish, but she wanted to hide
       away even more now; her vulnerability was ever-growing and she
       just wasn't ready for it yet.
       By the time the water had grown cold, she'd received a knock on
       the other end of the door and the voice of her worried friend
       called out. "Eri, I mean, your majesty...are you okay? I have
       your clothes ready and the visitor is still here awaiting
       counsel with you." Leaning back into the water, blowing bubbles
       into the hazy liquid, Eri took a moment before meekly calling
       back to her. "Yes...I mean, I'm okay. Yes. I'll..I'm done."
       Hearing the weakness and uncertainty even more vividly with this
       smaller door between them, Aiko sighed quietly and toyed
       nervously with the end of her apron. "Do you...need help?
       Anything at all, your majesty?" Met with an ever-growing
       silence, Aiko had almost turned to leave before Eri responded
       faintly. "No...thank you though." Leaving an air of uncertainty
       between them, Aiko departed and Eri left the tub, dripping water
       across the tiles that were cold against her bare feet. Drying
       off the water from her body, Eri caught glance of herself in the
       stand up mirror and frowning at the sight, she looked along her
       limbs that had gotten rather gaunt with her pitiful eating
       schedule; a meal...that would probably nice... Wrapping her hair
       up in her towel, she creaked open her bathroom door for just a
       moment to snag the clothes lying just outside and the sight of
       them brought a wave of sadness back over her.  A regal dress,
       pure black besides the white adornments about, along the tips of
       her biceps, the front where her petite chest lay, and the ends
       of her sleeves and dress hem were lined with fluffy, white
       feathers. Coupling the dress was a pair of long white stockings
       and black heels that still shone as if freshly polished; the
       final accessory making her chest ache as she remembered the
       vivid red, ceramic rose choker her mother had gifted her. The
       last time she'd even worn this outfit was when her parents were
       still alive...
       It was around twenty minutes later when Aiko came back to the
       door, both worried and frustrated with Eri's hiding away in the
       restroom. "Majesty, you've got to-," before she could answer any
       further, the door opened and Eri stood there pinning her hair in
       the lengthy pigtails she had worn long ago, but her gaze still
       seemed far away and withdrawn while refusing to meet Aiko's.
       "Yes I'm..sorry. The strings were confusing, it's been a
       while..." Fumbling with her right side, Aiko sighed lightly and
       assertively, but gently moved Eri's hands away to do the job
       herself, she had always done so anyways. "Do you wish for me to
       tell the visitor you're ready now?" A light nod followed the
       question and Aiko finished redoing the shoddy work Eri had to
       her hair and the sight was pleasantly breathtaking. Having not
       seen her in so long, it was easy to forget that Eri was
       pitifully pretty in her own way; any woman with know-how to her
       looks could have taken advantage of such natural gifts. Yet Eri
       had always seemed too innocent and too breakable, even when she
       was happier there was an underlying sense of...ignorance to her
       appearance. Too helpless, too innocent, too pure, something that
       could be easily broken. Aiko pushed the thoughts from her head
       and clasped her hands together in front of her chest, sighing
       happily at the welcome sight of her queen finally back from the
       realm of self-pity she'd been living in. "You look lovely, my
       lady. I'll go inform the visitor."
       When Aiko rapped on Cei's door, she was in a visibly more
       pleased mood and even greeted the man with a smile. "Our Queen
       is ready to see you now." It took a small bit of prodding from
       Aiko, but slowly Eri moved her way from the wall by the door and
       took her place at her servant's side, which was rather ironic.
       Looking as ever-presently uncertain as before, Eri tried hard to
       remember what she was supposed to do in these situations and
       found that she could only nervously dig her fingers into the
       front of her dress's skirt repeatedly. "Ah..um, welcome to my
       kingdom. It was..um, very un..unprecedented of me to have kept
       you waiting. You sent the notice about..." Her expression
       shifted into one of immense worry, the anxiety showing as she
       cleared her throat quietly. "About Lord Haburi's latest
       conquest?"
       #Post#: 399241--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Your Betrayal
       By: Haburi Shimofuri Date: November 30, 2015, 1:16 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "Come on sport, be a man and drink your poison, okay?" Cei felt
       the darkness creeping from the edges of the wall that seemed to
       leak cobwebs. Nothing was very visible to the eyes that saw all
       different types of vivid auras and hues. Fog and heavy air
       rolled in, making  your eyes scream for help as they felt as if
       a stranger was constantly blowing cigarette smoke in your face.
       Cei closed his eyes, involuntarily unleashing coursing tears
       that had no cease down his face. His dry lips gasped with hot
       air, clinging with hard rock like lips around a dusty dirtied
       glass rim. This tasted fucking awful. The brew had an acidity
       that was like drinking your own stomach acid with a smell that
       dominated the air with potent fumes that smelled similar to
       mulch.
       Cei stumbled backwards, slipping one shoulder of his body inward
       to leave some extra fabric to grab on the end of his sleeve to
       furiously wipe at his limps that felt two levels off of the
       deepest pit of hell. "Hot! Hot! What was that!?" The curious
       stranger looked closer and closer at Cei, with a look of
       impending satisfaction. He smiled a crooked grin and held his
       hands out in suspenseful recognition of Ceis undertaking. "Don't
       tell me you didn't taste it..." "Taste what?! This tasted like
       the same fucking garbage you've been feeding me for three ye-"
       Cei began to vehemently spit and choke out redish yellow saliva
       all over the unswept concrete  floors. "Was that fucking Orange
       flavoring?!" "Oh good it worked!" After finally waiting all that
       time, the hooded stranger with long red hair snapped back to his
       station in the corner and resumed a heavy flurry of work with
       his chemicals.
       "Did you just make me drink that shit just to see if it tasted
       like Oranges?!" The hooded one looked almost completely
       distracted by his work until he finally paused half a moment to
       speak. "By the way, remind me to have a chat with your father
       about your swearing problem. It's not right for a 13 year old to
       be talking like that." Cei lost his control, beginning to knock
       over everything that looked fragile and important, causing a
       loud symphony of loud breaking glass and the start of a small
       fire. The hooded one didn't do anything. The young teenager
       finally cried out in a violent rage, cocking his hand back ready
       to backhand what he was working on off the table. The hooded one
       stood up. His hand caught the kids wrist and held it still. "I
       know you're upset Cei, but what we do is right. Progress is
       progress no matter how small. Consider yourself a martyr, a
       savior, a god, no... Even more than that." The hooded one
       crouched down to his knees to face Cei eye to eye. "You are
       man."
       
       Reaching his hand over to a decaying corpse of a skeleton that
       was blatantly shoved under his desk, the man flipped Ceis hand
       over in a receiving fashion. "Take this." With his hands snaking
       around in the ribcage of the deceased pour soul, he yanked and
       ripped with a strong hand, collapsing bone for a sudden rattle.
       Now placing a long set of melancholy colored prayer beads in
       Ceis hand he lightly forced his hand to close around the
       necklace. "This man was a priest, a man who followed god before
       he died. Since I wrestled with his God's will we fought for his
       soul. I won, therefore I am his God now." He gave the fist a
       little extra squeeze. "Hold onto this till one day you can grow
       strong enough to kill me." "B-But why would I w-anna kill you?!"
       "Please one day kill me, so that I may die knowing man conquered
       God." Cei dropped to the floor on his knees, and the tall man
       named Onken hooped the necklace over his neck. "Now wake up
       before that fire makes it a short match."
       Cei zipped his head upright with hazy eyes, trying to figure out
       what he was staring at. The figure looked to be like an Angel or
       something divine before him, draped in black and white. "God..?"
       His fingers eagerly worked at his eyes in quick succession as he
       stood up, trying to push the chair off to the side. "Oh yes..."
       He looked distraught over the simple mention of the word.
       "Haburi Shimofuri." The young lord fully made his way up to Eri,
       engaging in an eyelock that was locked in stony gaze, giving off
       a feeling in the room that no one else was even alive, yet alone
       existed in the room. "You've fallen into fates hands on this day
       your majesty. Lord Haburi is planning an attack on your very
       Kingdom a day from now from the village in the east." Cei tried
       his best to fully articulate to the fullest extent with his
       gloved hands. "I suggest we launch a preemptive attack tomorrow,
       the day before they strike to catch them off guard." With one
       final cross of his hands, he spoke with a different tone from
       his urgent voice with calming words instead. "Lady Eri. Leave
       your forces to me, surrender from that restraint and allow me to
       make your problems vanish."
       #Post#: 399242--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Your Betrayal
       By: Colette Date: November 30, 2015, 1:42 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Eri could only describe the feeling this man gave her as
       discomfort. It was easy to say that Eri wasn't particularly good
       at anything; her schooling was moderate, her attitude left much
       to be desired, she wasn't strong nor fast...but the one thing
       she did possess was a surprisingly good intuition. Intuition
       like hers had caused her to become an incredibly anxious and
       nervous type over the years and she'd never understood why, just
       the way a lot of things made her feel tended to go hand in hand
       with making her feel scared. There was so much to fear in this
       world...
       Looking into the man's deadened gaze despite not wanting to, she
       could only frown as warning bells went off in her head. This
       man...he reminded her of something. Thinking hard on it, it came
       to her quite suddenly; he was like those angel's that hung above
       her parent's mausoleum. Stony faces with premade expressions
       that were ironically expressionless; they didn't mourn her
       parents, they held no remorse or sadness, they just simply wore
       the expression because it fit...and this man seemed very similar
       to her. His 'sincerity' combined with that dangerously deceitful
       look in her eye...Eri wasn't comfortable being around him one
       bit.
       At the end of his grand charade, silence met and the girl's
       never idle fingers continued to move as she seemed to mull over
       his words before speaking. "Mm...not to be rude to you,
       but...no." Her forces, as small as they may have become through
       her absence, were still her precious people. Even though Eri
       certainly hadn't shown it, her concern and care for the people
       she'd grown up with for years was definitely there and was
       constantly a factor in her ever-present worries; sending her men
       into battle so soon and in the hands of a man she just couldn't
       be comfortable around nonetheless seemed like a horrible idea.
       Clearing her throat again lightly, the red rose increasing the
       painfully bright glow of the palor on her neck, she looked to
       Aiko instead. "Aiko, I'm rather hungry...do you think we could
       have a meal?" Aiko seemed both surprised in a gleeful and
       horrified manner; seeing Eri turn down this man so quickly was
       rather funny...but the fact that she disregarded his offer on
       such a serious matter was horrendously frightening. Eri just
       couldn't decline going to war, that certainly wouldn't stop
       Haburi! Yet again, it was not Aiko's place to call out these
       assumptions and she simply cleared her throat as well into her
       ruby-red sleeve, nodding quietly in affirmation as she
       disappeared from Eri's side.
       Being more awake, clean, and finally around the presence of
       people was a big shock to her and she could feel the constant
       presence of fear pulsing through her veins, but Eri had gained a
       slight shock when the strange man had made his request. She'd
       actually thought about her people's well-being for more than a
       few seconds, enough to even make a slight order on her
       part...that was something refreshing that she hadn't done in
       quite some time. With the thoughts of her people and her army on
       her mind, she seemed to awkwardly idle herself back into the
       threshold of the door as if about to leave, only stopping as she
       realized how rude it would seem. Turning her head over her
       shoulder, strands of slightly damp hair sticking to her cheek,
       her mouse-like gaze set back on him just slightly, the obvious
       apprehension there. "You haven't given me your name and you wish
       to lead my army, my people into possible death? I think that's a
       very...cruel way of handling my kingdom, my people are not
       pawns." Gathering the ends of her dress in her hands, she calmly
       began walking away despite that only being a false surface of
       her inner turmoil; could she really speak so carelessly and
       brashly like this to a visitor? Would her mother and father had
       done the same?
       Again, Eri stopped, only on a second thought and she turned
       lightly on her heel once more. "Oh...Aiko will be cooking what I
       believe to be a big meal. Well...not her, but the chef. Perhaps
       you should come and eat with me? That way we could discuss
       this...maybe." And she was off with the quiet clicking of her
       heel against the marbled floors.
       #Post#: 399243--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Your Betrayal
       By: Haburi Shimofuri Date: November 30, 2015, 2:28 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       As Cei waited constantly for the dullest seconds of his life to
       pass, he almost began to grew impatient for once in his life.
       Vengeance, vengeance overflowing like a baptism of blood spewing
       out from the head of a six horned beast to cleanse and absolve
       Cei of all this mockery of a life hes lived so far. The only
       thing that stood in the way were these dull four seconds. He
       looked at her, scoughing in quelling dire that couldn't be sated
       from a mere insult yet rapidly in his head he thought of a
       million as his scattered brain always does. In his mind he
       thought silently the fiercest storm of words to vomit and
       explode from his parched lips like a fiery volcano of hatred
       that couldn't be stopped even by Gods hand himself.
       "Just say no already you fucking pawn." he thought to himself.
       "Better yet just leave the keys to your kingdom under the
       doormat and fucking drown in your pathetic bubble baths. I hope
       y-" No she said. No she left like a silent bomb as she click
       clacked away like the perfect doll she was. "About fucking time
       you said no, I've been waiting for you to say that since I woke
       up." He grumbled in hot distate before his guard started wailing
       in pain. "SIRE! Agh!" the guard threw himself away from Cei,
       tripping under his own feet while holding his shoulder. Cei
       snapped out of it. In his hand his fingers had become exposed,
       clutching a handful of scrap and flesh. "Oh, that would explain
       it." The other guard had already retreated from his lordships
       side to rejoin the others at the bottom of the steps, Cei didn't
       allow that to happen. Grabbing carefully with his other hand
       that still had a glove, he took the soldier by the collar and
       threw him inside his room while the halls were still empty from
       Eri's absence.
       Into the room they went, one bleeding out quickly, sitting with
       his back up in the tub as it filled with blood from his missing
       flesh. Cei looked down at the terrified soldier that he had
       thrown inside. "He's making too much noise and his armor is
       compromised, take care of him. "But Sire we don't have any med-"
       "I think you know very well that's not what I meant. And with
       cold eyes and a monstrous aura, he spilt his oppressive force in
       the shape of a death threat. The tired and scared guard pulled
       out his sword with a sharp yank, and held the blade above his
       head. Dropping a downward spike, the bleeding soldier was
       murdered still and silent in a tub filled with his own blood,
       ceasing from the screams. "T-There, now I had nothing to do with
       this!" Cei nodded his head, allowing the knight to share a small
       worried smile before being pushed back into the tub ontop of his
       fallen comrade with a knife wedged deep into his stomach. "Your
       contribution to the glory of my undertaking has been dully
       noted." and in a flash of instantaneous grey light behind closed
       doors, there was no trace of anything.
       "Hm. I can't believe I allowed myself to engage in a
       conversation without my gloves on. I was careless to fall
       asleep." Cei then made his way down the halls back and forth in
       a steady pace, trying to remember the last time something like
       that happened. "It is certainly a curse." Cei whispered to
       himself. "To have such strong emotions while I'm in contact with
       someone. Perhaps I should treat myself to some tighter gloves
       that won't fall off in my sleep. The young lord walked away from
       the room cleaned of blood and flesh, but not of the memories of
       deeds that transpired there.  "I guess I should find a good seat
       at the table." Cei after wandering around a bit because the
       servants forgot to show their guest where the dining room was,
       finally found the longest table full of well crafted foods after
       trying a few doors. "Looks quite fine, your Majesty." Fixing up
       his color with an appropriate smile, he took his seat as  a
       servant pulled out a chair for him.
       "Now my Lady, truly I am sorry." He spoke. "My name is Cei,
       former right hand man of Haburi Shimofuri himself."
       #Post#: 399245--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Your Betrayal
       By: Colette Date: November 30, 2015, 2:19 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Sitting at the table were a series of chairs, but at each
       opposing end was a grand and posh chair that clearly were meant
       for the King and the Queen, but now they simply sat there with
       no sign of their prior owners there taking their place. Eri sat
       at one of the regular chairs nearest to the abandoned chair at
       the left end of the table and she picked at her food like an
       indecisive child. There were bites taken here and there, but
       nothing was devoured and she had been stirring her spoon through
       a bowl of white soup when Cei had arrived. Looking up from the
       spoon dripping with the creamy liquid, she placed barely a
       spoonful in her mouth when he took his seat and refilled the air
       with the uncomfortable aura she got from him.
       Pulling the empty spoon from her lips, Eri's brow visibly
       furrowed as he spoke and the mention of being Haburi's former
       right hand made her immensely distrustful, as if she already
       wasn't. "Former?...What happened to make you former?" Again and
       again she stirred at the soup that was slowly growing cold and
       she never looked up from her peckish plate, only looking towards
       the servants that occasionally came by to fill her glass only to
       see it still practically full. As if chewing something over, Eri
       slowly looked up, but didn't entirely meet his gaze. "For
       someone like Lord Haburi to no longer have you as their right
       hand anymore, seems like something drastic must have happened.
       Even more so that you'd come to a kingdom like mine in an
       attempt to openly oppose them with my army..."
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