Letter to a Blind Girl

Letter to a Blind Girl
Date of Scene:	07 June 2013
Location:	Bevelle
Synopsis:	Temple Knight Faruja Senra of the Most Holy Church of Saint Ajora Glabados, Shield of the Faith, Executor of the Holy Office of Inquisition, etc., etc., sends a formal letter of challenge to Akari.
Cast of Characters:	Akari Seran, Aeschere Childs

---

Aeschere Childs has posed:
Out of the damnable sun at last! And into some reasonable clothes. Her principle companion might not pose a risk, but Aeschere has had quite enough of sacrificing modesty to avoid heatstroke. Bevelle's climate is far more forgiving, and the little lancer has already blown something like a third of her take on her wardrobe.

What else has she got to spend it on? Their lodging-- a small apartment near the root of the Highbridge-- is covered for a month yet, and she hasn't quite gotten the hang of this whole wine and riotous living thing.

It wasn't that she was going to insist that Akari sit here for weeks, but she was going mad having nowhere to leave her things. Now that things are settled, though, it'll be back to business; she recalled an offer of bounty work from a certain rat, and she also recalled, ummmmmm...

A letter of challenge that she was meant to have delivered. Blood and ash. "Akari, you around?" She dismantles her pack until she extracts the envelope, only slightly sandy, and wanders off in search of the blind demon.

Akari Seran has posed:
A noise that sounds like a cross between a curious hum and an exaggerated yawn emanates from the open doorway that leads to their shared living quarters. When Chera rounds the corner to peer into the bedroom she is greeted to the sight of the lanky delinquent stretched out haphazardly on the bed in a rather awkward fashion. Her upper body hangs over the edge of the mattress, her arm and lengthy red hair loosely draped across the floor. It almost looks like she fell out of the bed and didn't bother getting back up, a theory made all the more plausible by the mass of sheets wrapped about her legs in a tangled cocoon.

By now the small knight is likely used to such displays from her rather boorish and ill-mannered companion. Akari was quick to prove that she is quite well suited to both wine and riotous living once they arrived - well, after she managed to get her feet on solid ground long enough for her stomach to quit trying to pitch its contents back out like a cannon.

Except for a bit of excitement near the docks the previous day, however, her aversion to large crowds had left precious little ways for the girl to spend her time. She seemed content to nap the days away for now but the signs of restlessness were quickly beginning to surface once more.

Akari tilts her head towards the open doorway as Aeschere comes into 'view', giving her a placid smile whilest hanging upside-down from her lazy perch. "Oh, hey there. What's up, Aeschere?"

Aeschere Childs has posed:
"I have here this thing," Chera presents The Thing, sort of the way you might present the sparrow your cat left you, "that I was given before we left the Coast. From, he said he was a Temple Knight? I think?" Unwilling thus far to interrogate Akari about her sensorium, she tends to err on the side of caution and assumes some equivalent of sight. Hence the whole holding things up for the girl to look at. She recalls who she's dealing with after a moment, and crosses the room to her.

"He, um. He wants, ah," Aechere attempts to hand the letter to Akari, perhaps pointlessly, "to fight you." The little knight develops a mild case of giggles, which she attempts to stifle. "It's a challenge."

Akari Seran has posed:
"Wha?"

Akari's eloquent question escapes her lips with an incredulous tone. She's only been here like two weeks and already people are lining up to fight her? Damn, it's like her reputation came through that black portal with her. Not that she minds in particular; if someone wants to challenge her strength they're either really brave or really stupid. Hopefully, they're really strong too, she's kind of getting tired of smashing the gnats that keep coming around to pester her lately.

The girl attempts to roll out of bed but with her legs still entangled by the sheets, she just ends up flopping onto her face. Several seconds of frenzied flailing eventually leads to her freedom but the bed now lies completely denuded with its various coverings scattered around the room.

Akari pushes to her feet and stretches before wandering over to snatch the object out of Aeschere's hands. Her fingers brush over its surface for a moment or two before she realizes its a letter. Her good mood sours almost instantly, brows furrowing.

"What kind of a jerk writes a letter to a blind girl...?" She grumbles under her breath, looking annoyed and embarrassed for a moment before she hands the letter back. "Could you, uh... read it for me...?"

Aeschere Childs has posed:
No telltale pen impressions for this crew. Aeschere opens the wax seal-- carefully, it's a rather nice one-- and extracts a folded sheet of parchment. The letter of challenge is written in a professionally neat script, even the parts that Chera saw scribbled in front of her, and the language is frankly purple. Her composure already slipping, she does her best to wade through it. I mean, gosh, it's all she ever hoped and/or feared it to be.

---

Lady Akari Seran, ("oh god")

May this letter find thee well, and in good spirits, that the grace of the Divine Father and Heavenly Prophet Saint Ajora Glabados's Word guide thee in all thy acts.

My name is Temple Knight Faruja Senra of the Most Holy Church of Saint Ajora Glabados, Shield of the Faith, Executor of the Holy Office of Inquisition, etc., etc. ("Etcetera, et-- he actually wrote that") 'Tis come to my attention that ("how?"), despite thy age, thy talents and martial skill are highly developed and indeed lauded by those whom face it. I am currently searching for those of great talent and martial skill for the purposes of strengthening myself, my will, and my abilities in order to further serve the world at large.

For that very purpose, if you could find it within thyself to offer this humble servant of Holy Faram the exceeding honor of testing my skills against thy own in an honorable--

---

Here is Chera's breaking point, unfortunately placed; certainly she wouldn't suggest that Akari was not honorable. But there's only so much of this she can take. She begs pause, as she fights a losing battle with laughter.

Akari Seran has posed:
Akari settles in to listen to the dictation, her hand resting lightly on her hip as if fully expecting either vile insults or snobbish condescension to come rolling from those pages as soon as her friend begins to read.

Her eyebrow quirks upwards immediately at the 'lady' part. This would certainly be the first time anyone has ever called her that as a form of honorific. Even the diplomats in her family couldn't muster up the willpower to refer to her as anything less derogatory than 'hellion' or the like. Obviously this person didn't know very much about her.

The string of titles attached to the name makes her frown slowly deepen. Just another pompous windbag it would seem. Well atleast it was a polite windbag. Akari nods or grunts at the points where Chera stops to add her own comments. By the time she's overcome with the attempt to hold in her laughter, the geomancer is pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers.

"Aaah... well that was rather awkward. I'd almost feel better if he'd insulted me."

Aeschere Childs has posed:
Chera indicates agreement, vaguely, while she catches her breath. Whew. "He goes on. He, he wants a, a /proper/ duel, with all seconds and everything," she paraphrases, "I guess that perhaps it's more his reputation on the line? Maybe? I don't know? He... oh!" This next bit actually is both important and not totally ridiculous. You'll tell that she's reading here, again.

---

Furthermore, I have entrusted this letter to one Lady Childs ("*snrk* er, ahem"), whom I believe to be an acquaintance of thyself. The offer of potential employment, without extended contract or other obligations aside from individual tasks given by myself and other Agents of the Holy Church stands after the execution of our duel. Negotiations, pay, et cetera. may be arranged later, if such employment doth please thyself and thy companion.

---

"...which I was going to say potentially pleases me, yes. He had actually said when I spoke to him that it was bounty work, so for us it ought to be perfect."

Akari Seran has posed:
The girl rubs her chin thoughtfully at this. Money was one thing she wasn't really used to having to worry about. Despite her complete disdain for the snobbish rich kids that tended to populate Alexander Academy, her own family was quite powerful and wealthy, perhaps even more so than many of the people who so frequently looked down on her.

She had grown used to certain amenities over the last couple years as her parents had attempted to bribe her with excessive comforts in an effort to get her to accept being sent off to a school she had no interest in in the first place. It had ended up that while she was physically present at the Academy, very little learning actually took place, but she had been more than happy to spend the money that came her way every month on expensive booze and lascivious company.

Here, cut off from that source of wealth, her pockets were quickly growing empty. "Hmm. So if I'm understanding this right... he wants me to beat the snot out of him... and he's offering to pay me for the trouble?"

Aeschere Childs has posed:
"I... no, I don't think that is it exactly, no. He wants to fight you and then he wants to afterwards pay us to beat the snot out of other people, is what it sounded like. Whatever he wrote here." This letter is a work of art. Aeschere feels like she should frame it.

She's still not finished with the thing, though. "Just the last thing, he'd like to stage the battle in... ugh. The Figaro Desert, again. Your home turf, though. Or he's open to a change of venue I guess? He left a mogmail address."

Akari Seran has posed:
Akari snorts dismissively, immediately followed by a growl at the thought of crossing the ocean again. "We're not going back to the desert any time soon. He can come find me if he's so damn keen on getting his head bashed in."

She turns and stalks back over to the center of the room, digging around in the mess she made earlier til she finds her pants. A quick search of the pockets produces the small box of cigarettes she keeps around. She fishes one out quickly though it's obvious from the lack of definition to the plastic-wrapped surface that her supply is beginning to dwindle.

A snap of her fingers produces the requisite flame and in moments she filling the air with the heady aroma of the scented tobacco. Akari flops back on the mattress again, staring up at the ceiling while using her arm for a pillow.

"Dunno. Not sure I like the idea of workin' for someone who goes out of his way to write... how many freakin titles did the guy list again?" She shrugs and exhales a thick puff of grey smoke. "Whatever. Sounds fishy to me. Guess I could always fight em first. If the guy's an ass I'll at least get to grind him into the dirt before we tell him no."

Her head tilts upwards and she turns her gaze towards the other girl again suddenly. "What do you think? You met this guy, right?"

Aeschere Childs has posed:
"He's a rat," Aeschere answers immediately, wondering why cloves. "Er, I mean, literally, he's a, a rat-man. They have those here I guess. He seemed sincere. Even, he really talked like that, like he wrote." She certainly remembers that, as out of place as it was. "And look, anyways, already he's opening negotiations with an opportunity to flatten him."

While Akari acquires pants and smokes, Chera folds the letter back into its envelope and pockets it. "I don't doubt you will. And then does it matter how self-important he is? We have his number."

Akari Seran has posed:
The glowing embers at the tip of the cigarette flare with red hot fury as Akari frowns again and inhales deeply, turning half the slender white tube into ash in mere moments. A prodigious stream of smoke vents from each nostril as she makes another disgruntled noise, continuing to drift out in thin wispy vapors for the next several seconds.

"The monsters here talk, huh? Hmph." Akari sits up on the bed, seemingly unable to contain her restlessness as she fidgets back and forth. "Fine. Tell him to meet us in the forest to the north. I doubt anyone lives up that way but, whatever, we'll figure it out when we get there."

Aeschere Childs has posed:
"...I suppose it's your turf as long as it's turf." The tactical possibilities are already blossoming in Aeschere's mind. "Okay. We're decided, then. I'll let him know." Once she figures this mognet business out. The protocol is just similar enough to be totally maddening trying to use it. Whatever, it's too early for thinking, anyways.

"And then I'll find something out about breakfast, I guess." Look, whatever time it is-- she doesn't know, she hasn't looked outside yet-- if it's the first meal, it's breakfast. That's just how it is.

Akari Seran has posed:
Akari perks up a bit at the mention of food. She's been too lethargic to get anything to eat herself as well, having slept like a hibernating bear until midday and then lazed about in bed until the arrival of this strange news roused her.

"Hey... bring me something as well, eh?"

She flops back on the bed and stretches out. Nope, not ready to get up yet. It's just one of those days.