>Abris is about to make his way inside, before he stops, his face flushed and his expression the picture of embarrassment.
Oh! Sorry, I-Uh...That was a reflex. Too used to the Captain asking me to go to his office!
>He laughs nervously, a hand coming up to nervously tug at his collar. Smooth move, call the female crime boss a man, that'll work out for you. He continues his walk inside at a much faster pace, too embarrassed to maintain eye contact with her.
>>41183826 >There was a pause as she stops dead in her tracks >Sir. >Sir. >SIR. >Calm down Irya, you can't crush his spine. That wouldn't make for good relations with the cops.
...Right. That's fair. Well I can't blame you I guess.
>Damn everyone for looking at her like a man! Can't she be tough and still be a lady!? >No, now was not the time to think about that. She had things to discuss with this boy and now was not time to lament her apparent masculinity.
>and so they continue into the foyer, with all it's garnet tiles, fancy decorations, and other such noble trashy taste. But it was still clearly a guild hall as mercenaries busied themselves with whatever work was to be done around the hall and in the city. >Up the stairs they climb to the second floor where a large painting of three people was hung to greet them. A stern looking man, a lovely woman, and a young girl. All with pink hair. The girl looked pretty familiar to Abris as well.
>That...went okay? She at least didn't try to kill him. Good start. Don't do it again.
>He keeps his pace going forward, trying not to glower at whatever mercenaries he managed to meet eyes with...Not a lot of guys here, huh? Maybe it'd been converted from an all female mercenary guild.
>His eyes were definitely drawn to the portrait on the second floor. That was the dwarf impersonator he'd fought, definitely...Her dad looked like the standard noble with a stick up their ass that he'd expected...Her mother was pretty nice looking, both in terms of personality and ease on the eyes.
>He turns his head back to Irya, his expression still annoyed by the mere presence of mercenaries and nobles both in the same place.
>>41184052 Something like that, the Basilisks have been doing work for the Nepress family long enough to them to owe us a more then a few favours.
This is actually her family's former vacation home. Are base of operations use to be in the middle of our territory but ended up being compromised a long while back, bunch of punks that thought they could take us out. Well we ground them into dust but needed a better place to stay.
>She takes another puff of her long black cigarette as she continues to walk. Boy thinking about that party sure brought home how close a call it had actually been.
Lucky this place also happened to be free so I arranged a meeting with Ameya's old man and had this place become are new base. Reason it still looks nice is because Ameya decided to join the guild then and insisted we don't turn this place back into what our old home was like.
>Mercenaries don't make the best house keepers.
So, you wanna smoke?
>As the approach the office, she holds a box towards Abris that had a few of her black cigarettes inside.
No thanks, the smell sticks to your clothes and my dad'll kill me if I bring it into the kitchen.
>That was a little more in depth than he'd expected...Though any element that managed to take down a building was something impressive. Though buildings were easier to break than people. Irritating though it was to be given this place just through some connections, not having a place to lay your head's a sad situation.
>Was Ameya the name of that mage? Seemed like the sort of name she'd have, but he'd find out soon enough anyway...He eyed up the approach, hopefully the talk wouldn't take too long.
>>41184106 >Irya smiles as the officer declines the offer. It was good to see that the youth wanted to keep healthy and all that junk out of their lungs.
Fair enough.
>Respecting of family's wishes, yet a bold, headstrong, and energetic youth. My my how entertaining the future will be if those two continue to have spats~
>Making it to the door, Irya pushes it open and walks inside. >Continued
>>41184106 >>41184121 >The Office, now this placed looked like it belonged in a Guild Hall. Old and new copies of contracts cluttered up several cork boards hanging on the walls alongside weapon and armour racks, a flag hangs high above proudly displaying the Basilisks' emblem, and upon a desk in the middle of the room was a map of the city with all kinds of markings all over it. Probably had to do with keeping track of all the thugs and crime in their turf.
Though before we can really get into our talk, I believe someone owes you an apology for her part in all this.
>Aside Irya's big comfy red velvet and oak chair was a tiny chair with a little pink girl sitting on it. The girl had the most sour look on her face and dared not to look away from the spot on the floor before her feet.
. . .
>Taking the a seat in her big chair, Irya looks over to the sonic mage that had beaten up the officer.
Well Ameya? Say you're sorry to the nice officer.
>The way the Guild boss said it was with the tone of a mother making her child take responsibility for some wrong doing. And Ameya, acting very much the part of the scolded child grits her teeth and mumbles incoherently.
i'm sorry for attacking you.
>This of course wasn't going to cut it for Irya who had a bemused smile on her face as she takes another puff.
I don't think the officer heard you dear. Speak up and do it properly.
>Ameya flinched as her pride was being brought down a few notches in front of the commoner she defeated before. She sighs and decided to just get the suffering over with.
I'm sorry for attacking you Officer Phinn, I should have let you take me in and sorted out the situation peacefully.
>By the Flame that hurt to even say. >Now Irya was happy with that, and waits for Abris to either accept her second's apology or not.
>This was...Confusing. The high and mighty noblesse apologising for beating the crap out of him.
>Abris just kind of stares at the short mage, neither expecting the apology, or to actually see her being made to admit that she'd messed up...As much as he thought that she was a criminal, it's not like he could do anything now, they'd have circumstantial evidence at best, and he couldn't bring her up without a good reason...But the criminal could learn from their mistake. Abris turns his head away from her, looking annoyed, but not overly so.
...Just don't do it again.
>He wanted so badly to be smug. To rub it in her faced that the perfect little princess had made a mistake...But it'd be a pyrrhic victory at best. He couldn't brag about a loss, his pride wouldn't let him...Instead, next time he'd win.
You...hit pretty hard, for being a wimpy little noble...But I'm not planning on losing again.
>That was the closest thing to a compliment she'd be getting out of him. It was also a promise. A promise that he was NEVER going to give up until he beat her fair and square, criminal or no.
>And now, the rough bit. Abris tuts again, his face turning into one of annoyance as he averts his eyes from the mercenary boss. He knew about their 'arrangement' to be certain.
...Yeah. You manage the area of Kingsmeet too dangerous for the Guard to deal with. Make sure that the crime's kept at 'manageable' levels.
>He can't quite hide the scorn in his voice, the disappointment that they couldn't just deal with it like any other threat, that they just had to let the people there suffer in squalor. That's no life for anyone.
Irya Serphant!aLEJudith. 15 Dec 2015 3:42:45 PM No.41184952>>41184973
File: 1450212165624.png (316.58 KB, 500x470, tumblr_n90z3igQFZ1shlg3vo1_500…) >>41184871 >His disgust in the situation was pretty clear, and understandable. Any officer worth their salt would be upset at this arrangement. Working with the crooks rather then take them out? That defeated the purpose of their jobs. Of course, nothing is ever that simple.
Well, from your point of view it's flawed logic. Why is the guard allowing it? Why are mercenary guilds getting involved? Why not just get rid of the criminal scum and be done with it?
>As she talks she sets the remains of her cigarette in an ashtray.
Where it so easy it would have been done already, but it's not. This arrangement sets a status quo where a balance of power has been struck between our guild, the city guard, and the criminal elements of the city. It's simplest to say that this arrangement is a scaled down version of the peace treaty that Termina, Alaestus, and Astrolia all have in place now. But instead of a restriction on the mobilization of large military forces, we place a limitation on what crimes are turned a blind eye to and what ones are.... 'punished.'
These limitations were designed to keep the size of criminal groups small and their crimes small time. They can pull in money, but not enough to expand into a full blown criminal organization. Keeps the thugs from thinking too big, cause once they do all bets are off and anarchy reigns. Once they think big, they think "This city could be mine. No armies can stop me and I can pay or kill off any mercenaries that come our way. All that needs to go are the Guard, the Wolves, and the Basilisk."
>That almost happened already, it's reason she and her crew had to move out of the city to here.
And so, the 'agreement'. We don't start shit with them and they don't start shit with us. A pitiful thing to have to do yes, but there's not just us on the playing board here if a city wide war brakes out.
>Irya stares at the map of the city on the table, every few inches on the parchment represented a small slice of the land, and for all those small bits there was countless people who couldn't get away from the bad side of the city. The orphans, the homeless, the prostitutes... Each and every one of them could be caught in the cross fire of something that big.
Can't risk starting one cause we can't risk losing it either. Doing that means the hell's gonna wash over the whole city like a plague in the bodies of the elderly.
>That was...very complex. He'd joined the guard to beat up bad guys and help civilians, the idea of such a precarious arrangement was...hard to think about. He lived in a relatively nice neighbourhood, though somewhat poor...The idea of a criminal underbelly just waiting to burst forth without proper supervision was unnerving to think about.
>Abris could comprehend it. He could comprehend that idea. That to keep from anarchy, one must have a certain level of lawlessness...But comprehension and accepting were very different things, as he'd demonstrate by shaking his head.
Why do you get to decide what crimes are to be turned a 'blind eye' to? Theft? Assault? Those are things that still have an effect on people. People get scared when they're stolen from, they might never feel safe again. The scars left by assault can last forever physically, and WILL last forever mentally.
>He stares up at her, his face no longer angry, but hard set and determined looking.
I get trying to regulate it so it doesn't go crazy...But I can't accept that some people have to suffer just to keep the status quo. It's my job to bring justice for those who suffer, and if I can't do that, then what was the point of joining?
Irya Serphant!aLEJudith. 16 Dec 2015 9:41:41 AM No.41185729>>41186023 File: 1450276900983.png (520.5 KB, 1024x576, najenda_by_lolnagisa-d954tqu.p…)
>>41184973 Guilds sit on the line between Lawful and Lawless, hence we become the middle man for both.
>But what he said was very true indeed. No matter how petty the crime may be it will always affect someone profoundly. >And that is why things must change.
But yes, why do we do what we do if there's no point to it? Well... it is pointless if you don't work towards a change. And a change is close at hand.
>She holds up her mechanical arm with the palm of her hand facing upwards.
With this arrangement in place, the denizens have grown careless thinking that they now have free pass to do as they please so long as it's "within the guidelines." They think that we made these terms for them in haste as we were too weak to stand up to them and knew fear...
No, we have bitten them and have waited. Let the venom of easy living take hold and watch as it dulls their edge into nothing.
>She closes her fingers into a fist.
Slowly coil around them in their daze unaware that our embrace will choke the life out of them.
>It took years to get into this position. Irya had all the cards she needed in her hand, all that was left to do was make the final play.
Now we shallow them whole, and cleanse the city of their filth.
>It was indulging in some light theatrics, but it explained the hidden meaning of what she was doing the whole time. This wasn't an treaty to keep the criminals at bay, this was the Basilisk's retaliation for daring to lash out at them and for harming the people. A slow and calculated strategy to wipe every last one of them out.
Though as much as it would please me to have the final blow be dealt with bloody battle on the enemy's front door, that front door still has lots of innocence around if they remained even slightly organized. But through our dealings we've learned about our enemy and the man at the top of the hidden chain of command. We deal with him first... and the rest of the pack will be too busy infighting to see the final blow coming.
>Wait, it was part of a long thing? Did the Guard know that? They hadn't given any indication that they did, just that it was a necessary evil they have to deal with. Maybe it was only a thing for the higher ups to know about.
>Still, he wasn't quite on board with that as a concept. It still required that a lot of people suffer in the mean time until the trap is sprung. The end justifies the means, huh? Seems like a rather dark viewpoint.
>But...There was something that he COULD do. Something that she'd said that caught his ear...If he only had to do that to speed up the end result...Then less people had to suffer.
>Abris grins, his face turning confident for the first time while he'd been there. Fighting was something he knew how to do.
If it's just one guy we have to deal with...I can do that. I might have lost to the midget, but there's no way I'll lose to anyone else!
>He pumps his fist, pride practically oozing from his body in a way that it really shouldn't, given that the main reason he's here is because he lost.
Irya Serphant!aLEJudith. 17 Dec 2015 9:16:14 AM No.41186575>>41186891 File: 1450361774235.gif (1.05 MB, 500x282, tumblr_nb6uwwhEVM1rr8y8mo1_500…)
>>41186023 >Ah youth, so eager to do what they will. Well, it fit to what had in mind anyway. >Withdrawing another cigarette from her pack and places it in her mouth, she takes out her lighter and sets the little stick aflame.
I like the sound of that, though I hope you don't mind a bit of company. Getting to our man's gonna take some doing so it's going to be a team effort.
>He probably already had some idea that the Guard wasn't being let in on the plans just yet, but now they were going to be along with the other great guild of this city.
I'm assembling a three person team, one person from each faction; the Guard, the Wolves, the Basilisks. They're going to infiltrate the target's residence and either take him out or take him in.
>Death would have been preferable, but she doubted the officer wanted to do that when he can make him answer for all his crimes with time in a cell.
I'm going to your superiors to fill them in and get their contribution to this task force. Was gonna pick someone out myself then... but it seems you've already made yourself a candidate. We'll see if your follow law enforcers will agree to it.
>She'll put a good word in for him all the same, not many go up against Ameya with nothing but a wooden sword and get close to beating her. An impressive feat in her eyes.