She made it all of ten steps before she realized that nobody was following her. Kaleissa paused, debating whether or not to just keep going, but ultimately decided against it; there would have been no point in arranging to meet up with them in the first place if she were just going to leave on her own again. With an exasperated sigh, the woman turned around, the expression on her face clearly one of annoyance. In Jaskreim, people like that "Gill" character wouldn't have lasted a week before somebody offed him for being an eyesore. At least, in the area she grew up in with its many orphanages, Black Lotus was quite well known for regularly purging scum from the streets. Letting trash like that roam around was not only aesthetically displeasing, it set a bad example for the children.<br/><br/>Having distanced herself from the scene, Kaleissa could no longer quite make out what was being said between the three people remaining. However, it was rather obvious that Jyuuzou had just challenged the "Seraph" to prove himself; Sabakujin typically didn't show steel unless they were planning to use it. As for his opponent though...the man looked like he was terrified beyond words, his face paler than the scales of the White Dragon. It really looked like the sword he was wearing at his hip was just for decoration, since he showed no indication of using it. If Ariana had not been supporting him...speaking of that, the girl said something else, her face revealing her displeasure, and let go of her quarry. As expected, he collapsed immediately, his eyes watching Ariana's retreating back as if his last lifeline were slipping away.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet"><span style="font-style: italic">'Well, that might not be fair...the fool <span style="font-weight: bold">is</span> outclassed after all. At least he's perceptive enough to realize that much.'</span></span><br/><br/>In the meantime, Jyuuzou had continued to stand there, watching dispassionately as Gill cowered on the ground before him like some small mammal in front of an alpha wolf. Ariana was still going on and on about something or other, her face a myriad of rapidly changing emotions: eagerness, irritation, disbelief, disgust. It seemed that whatever the younger woman was saying had surprised the crowd as well, as there was a brief lull in the tension in which even Gill seemed utterly shocked. At last, the girl trotted away, coming in her direction while leaving the two men behind with a reminder of "ALIVE. ONE PIECE." Kaleissa spared a glance at Ariana, who had come to stand beside her, before turning her attention back to the scene that the younger girl had just left. She heard quite a bit of muttering, something about mental images, but gave up making sense of what her companion was saying. Trying to keep up with Ariana was like trying to hit a cockroach with a pebble from 400 meters away: possible, in theory, just not for her. She had no grudge against the woman who now seemed to be cringing from some dark, personal memory, but Kaleissa had a feeling that they would get along perfectly fine without needing to understand each other<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>well.<br/><br/>Faced with Jyuuzou's unwavering stare, Gill seemed to finally find his voice, if not his ability to stand. Looking around desperately, he took in the twenty-odd spectators who had gathered in expectation of a fight, and decided the odds were good enough to fight. He pointed one quivering finger at the warrior calmly standing before him and shouted to the crowd.<br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"Mercenaries! Fight for the Seraph of Kanzem! Beat down this insolent fool!"</span><br/><br/>There was a bit of movement as some of the crowd shifted, but not a single person even drew his weapon. With an increasing panicked look on his face, the "Seraph" swept his gaze across the crowd, seeing a bit of interest, a bit of amusement, and a whole lot of scorn.<br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"W-what are you doing? Fight him!"</span><br/><br/>A dry laugh from an older Sabakujin male was the only response, followed by chuckles from many of the others. Three younger Sabakujin, probably teenagers, appeared ready to jump into the fray, but had been stopped by the older man who was looking at Gill with an almost pitying look in his eyes.<br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"Oh, so now the great Seraph of Kanzem deems us 'lowly Sabakujin' worthy of him?"</span>There were jeers from all around; the onlookers had not forgotten the slight against them.<span style="color: gray">"You want us to fight for you? To die for you? For free?"</span>The man's face was smiling, but his eyes were cold.<span style="color: gray">"Save your dreams for when you're sleeping, <span style="font-style: italic">Seraph</span>."</span><br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"Wait! I'll pay you! All of you!"</span>Clearly having no confidence in his own martial ability, Gill made his appeal with gold. Unfortunately, he didn't get the result he was hoping for.<br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"Payment up front."</span>The reply was instantaneous and utterly merciless.<span style="color: gray">"If you can afford us, that is, Guilford the Ruined. Does the fallen Rossenvülf family even have funds left?"</span><br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"That...I'm not...er…"</span>Fumbling for words, the man struggled to find some way to respond and came up empty. Scrambling to his feet, his face was distorted into an ugly visage even as he was backing away.<span style="color: gray">"Y-you, you bastards! Don't think this is the end!"</span>A chorus of laughter was all that he got for his lame attempt at a threat.<br/><br/>Snarling, he looked back over his shoulder at Jyuuzou, who up until this point had not even moved an inch.<span style="color: gray">"You!"</span>It was almost as if he had forgotten that his own attempts to flirt had landed him into this situation in the first place, instead laying all the blame onto the quietly waiting man. Glaring daggers at the man, Gill poured all the hate he could muster into his voice, even while running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.<span style="color: gray">"JUST YOU WAIT! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!"</span><br/><br/>Watching the Kanzemite's retreat, Kaleissa frowned. It would be rather troublesome if the fool actually dared to come back for revenge, regardless of the outcome. There had not even been any blood spilled, just a small deflating of the man's ego, but somehow, the woman didn't think that Gill would just let it go. Men and their pride, her mentor had mentioned something about this to her long ago...along with love and loyalty, it was the first of the three things a man would be willing to die for. Kaleissa honestly didn't quite understand it then, and she knew that she probably never would. Such a persistent annoyance would be irritating if it impacted their journey, it was better just to nip the problem in the bud.<br/><br/>Kaleissa took a deep breath, eyes closing for a moment. When she next opened them, her irises were tinged with red, her gaze focused intently on Gill's retreating back. She unslung the bow from her back, notching an arrow to the string and drawing it in a smooth motion. Without even a pause to adjust her aim, she released, sending a black arrow whistling after her prey.<br/><br/>A loud screech rent the air, the cry of a falcon on the hunt. Heads turned in surprise and curiosity as the arrow flashed past, calling for blood, to bury itself into the back of Gill's head, the look of terror now a permanent fixture on his face. About half of the arrows in Kaleissa's quiver were of the screaming variety, specially carved with grooves and channels to produce sound as they flew. While the effective range was reduced, the noise was great for intimidating the enemy, and she had taken a liking to them from the moment her mentor introduced them to her, back when she was first learning the bow.<br/><br/>Her target stumbled, losing control of his body, to crumple face first in the middle of the road. There were murmurs from the onlookers, but not much panic; in a border city like this one full of mercenaries, it was not that uncommon for a dead body to pop up from time to time, even if the city guards much preferred that the murdering be done outside the city walls. Confirming that her arrow struck home, Kaleissa nodded slightly in approval as she replaced the bow on her back and turned away, setting off once again in the direction of the eastern gate. Even if she didn't check the body, she was certain that if the blow didn't kill him, the poison would.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet">"Let's go. We've already wasted enough time.."</span><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">~ . - . ~</div><br/><br/>In an inn two blocks away, a well-dressed man sitting at a table enjoying his morning meal dropped his teacup with an audible crash, his face turning first white, then red.<span style="color: gray">""Young master?!""</span>Waving away the concerns of his two bodyguards, the man rose, shakily, his hands balling into fists. His left hand moved to grip his right forearm, the scar of an old injury hidden by his long sleeves.<br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"That sound...that shrieking...it's been six years, but I will never forget it. The day that my father and elder brother died…"</span>His expression hardened, his voice filled with rage.<span style="color: gray">"That bitch. That bitch is in Khalem-Dol."</span>