"Setsuna will you please stop doing that?" Nekane asked looking up at her from the chair she was sitting in exasperatedly.
Setsuna didn't seem to hear her and kept on pacing the floor. They were in one of the rooms on the top floor of the palace. It was a guest bedroom.
"The weather seems to have gotten a little better at least," Al noted, peering out the curtains of the window in the room. Rain was pattering off the roof-tops, streaming down the windowpanes in rivers.
"Yes but the colosseum is destroyed and the robots," Nekane frowned.
"We can get Haruna to create a new arena," Al reassured her.
Setsuna paused in her pacing, lifting her head to look at Al, "Haruna's banned from creating anymore colosseums."
Haruna was their resident conjurer a type of bard that could create anything out of thin air except Haruna was unique. For one thing, Haruna used a quill and sketchbook that she could summon at will. Whatever she finished drawing came to life. She had a limit though according to how many things she could create at any given time. The last time she had unintentionally created a colosseum it had been a death-trap of mines, tar pits, quicksand and flamethrowers. They vowed never to ask her to do it again after they also found an imploding nuclear bomb buried in the quicksand that had materialized inside by itself after she'd finished drawing the colosseum.
"Well then I suppose-"
"And you swore you wouldn't help her after the debacle that had happened the last time you two worked together on building it," Setsuna continued.
"I only said I would stay away. Haruna was the one who sought out my help," Al countered with a cordial smile.
As Setsuna gave him a sullen look the door clicked open. Ayaka stepped inside looking disgruntled and closed the door behind her.
Brushing back her blonde hair with a graceful hand, she said, "The arena will probably take a few days to repair without Haruna's help. We could still make it on time for the opening next week if you three use your powers to help."
"Well that's settled then," Nekane said. "We'll start tomorrow."
"So none of you saw rose petals?" Setsuna asked, oblivious to anything else.
Sighing Nekane shook her head and said patiently, "No."
"I think you were just imagining things," Al said.
"I wasn't," Setsuna insisted. "There were rose petals flying through the air. They were right in front of me."
Nekane exchanged looks with Al. Setsuna stopped pacing the room.
"Setsuna…" Nekane began gently. "Maybe the girl's a young mage or sorceress. Some of them have the ability to cast minor illusions without even realizing it. She could just be a late bloomer."
Setsuna mulled her words over.
"Moreover, were you listening about repairing the robots and the colosseum?"
Setsuna nodded distractedly and muttered, "I'm sure there were rose petals."
Nekane and Al exchanged glances with one another. Nekane touched Setsuna's shoulder, "Why don't you sit down? We can ask Konoka all of this when she finishes taking her shower."
"Well…that's if she's staying," Ayaka said.
Setsuna looked at her, "What?"
"She probably has a home, family who's worried about her," Ayaka said, raising a brow at Setsuna, "Which she'll want to return to unless you intend to keep her here for the rest of her life."
Setsuna frowned at her, wrinkles appearing between her eyebrows as she knitted them together, "Don't exaggerate. You're the one who came seeking our help. You could've gone any time you wanted."
Ayaka looked slightly embarrassed then glanced over her shoulder at the closed door, "I'm just concerned about her. I don't…well I'm sure she has people who care about her. She looks like a gypsy to me. They always have family."
Setsuna didn't say anything. She knew what Ayaka meant. When the blonde had first came to the palace she had been starving and ridden with a bad case of the flu. It was so bad it had taken half a year for her to recover with everyone alternating shifts to take care of her. One time her body temperature had actually dropped down below zero degrees and her heart had stopped beating. Setsuna had thought she was dead when Al and Nekane managed to jumpstart her heart again using some high level gypsy magic that they'd told her was feeling her life force and making her heart beat again that way. They'd found out later that Ayaka had been been told in no uncertain terms that she was not welcome to stay with her family after she caused the garden to transform into a wall of thorny vines that swarmed over the entire estate. That was when she figured out she was an elemental mage. She could do anything with plants. She'd yet to cause earthquakes yet which was good. Setsuna didn't want to deal with an angry earth mage who was also her friend.
"Hey guys wassup?! I saw new meat come through here!"
All present save Al and Setsuna jumped-Setsuna snapped into attacking position while Al glanced sideways. A tanned-skinned man had popped next to them, laughing. His laughter filled the entire room.
"Hello Jack," Setsuna sighed, relaxing.
Jack was one of their managers. He was a behemoth of a man with muscles that were so huge the jacket he was wearing seemed to be close to bursting at the seams. He was triple the height of Setsuna, a towering giant but he was nice enough. A little perverted but nice all the less.
"Yo," Jack grinned at her, casting demonic golden eyes on her. "So who's the girl?"
"Konoka," Al said.
Setsuna strode over to the window as Al explained the situation to him, looking out through the rain-streaked glass which was distorted. The skies were grey, storm clouds gathering. Rain poured down from the skies cloaking the ground, robots and debris of the Colosseum in the beginnings of a thick vapour. Setsuna had no doubt there'd be fog in the morning. She could still see nets of white lightning flashing against the clouds and her ears, enhanced by demonic hearing, could hear the faint sound of thunder rolling through the air. It sounded angry which made no sense. Turning away from the window she leaned back against the windowsill, her eyes falling on Jack. He was in as good a mood as ever, laughing as he listened to Al. Sometimes when she watched him Setsuna could almost believe he wasn't what he really was.
"So the gypsy princess caused some trouble eh?" Jack said. "Where is the little missy?"
"She's showering Jack," Setsuna said, lifting her gaze so she met his eyes.
"Showering eh?" A slow grin spread across his face.
"Don't you dare," Setsuna warned as he conjured a pair of reading glasses out of thin air and put them on, rolling his shoulders and flexing his arms.
"Don't worry Setsuna I'll tell you all the details," Jack glanced back over his shoulder winking at her.
"Jack!" Setsuna raised her voice, standing up. When he didn't stop Setsuna summoned her sword Yuunagi in a blaze of red flames and threw it point-tip at him with a powerful over-arm strike, "I said don't."
The sword screamed through the air directly past his ear, lodging itself into the cedar oak door with a crunch of wood. Stomping over Setsuna yanked the sword out by the hilt, glaring up at Jack who was still grinning down at her, amused. A very long time ago Setsuna would've felt scared. Jack was built like a wrestler on steroids. Setsuna had seen this man crush a military airship to a tin can with his bare hands and withstand the explosion of a contained super-powered magically augmented hydrogen bomb that was meant for him and him only. But that was before. Since then she realized that death wasn't the worst thing to be scared of. There were things that were far, far worse.
"Really? Then what're you gonna do about it?" Jack chuckled, cracking his knuckles.
Setsuna gripped the hilt of Yuunagi tighter, feeling the tassels tied around the hilt brush her skin. It was a comforting feeling.
"I'll-ow!" Setsuna yelped as the door hit the back of her head making her stumble forwards.
Jack vanished, reappearing near Al. Half in the shadows he stroked his chin in thought, only the whites of his teeth showing.
"Oops sorry Setsuna," Konoka said, looking at her in surprise, "But you shouldn't have been near the door."
Her head throbbing with pain Setsuna muttered under her breath, shooting a dirty look at Jack, "I was trying to stop unwanted attention."
"Oh you're hurt. I must've opened the door harder than I thought," Konoka's face creased into a sympathetic look. Leaning closer to Setsuna she reached up and kissed her on the back of the head, blowing on it and stroked it with gentle fingers, "Is that better?"
Setsuna shot about ten feet into the air, alarmed. Leaping away and hitting the dressing table noisily with the back of her legs Setsuna swallowed looking at her warily, "Please don't ever do that again."
Confused Konoka asked with wide eyes, "Why what's wrong?"
"Setsuna's sensitive," Al said smoothly.
Great, Setsuna thought as Konoka slowly looked from Al to her uncertainly. She probably thought Setsuna was a freak.
"Oh," Konoka said. She looked at each one of them, her face sincere and pushed her fingers together nervously, "I'm sorry about destroying your arena. I'll stay and help you to fix it if you'll have me."
In her fluffy cotton white bath-robe, her hair in damp tousled waves all around her she looked like she'd just stepped out of a spa.
"Why'd you have to give her that robe?" Setsuna whispered to Ayaka as she shifted, exposing part of her chest. She had nothing underneath.
"I only have those kinds of robes," Ayaka whispered back.
Setsuna spun around on her heel as Konoka dropped the straps of her robe revealing her lack of clothing underneath.
"Eh hehe oops sorry slip of my fingers," Konoka said with a sheepish laugh.
Setsuna snuck a look over her shoulder and she was glad to see Konoka cover up.
"Konoka is it?" Jack boomed.
Konoka's head snapped upwards in sheer terror. Setsuna pinched the skin between her eyebrows, counting silently in her head as Jack stepped out of the shadows, a conjured beer bottle of Bourbon in his hand.
"Y-Yes," Konoka stuttered. "Who are-?"
"You can call me Jack," He chuckled. "So you're willing to help huh?"
Konoka already looked like she was half-regretting it. Not waiting for an answer Jack laughed, "Get up bright and early tomorrow in the morning kid and follow these guys out. We'll see what you can do."
He swigged the Bourbon with one gulp and threw the bottle aside where it broke apart into pieces as it hit the wall. The pieces faded away before they touched the floor.
"How did you do that?" Konoka asked, watching the glass vanish with amazement.
"Magic," Jack said with a boisterous laugh. "Wanna see my swords?"
"Oh here we go again," Ayaka said rolling her eyes and crinkling her nose.
"Ayaka doesn't like this kind of stuff," Setsuna told Konoka, biting back a smile as the blonde gave a distasteful look towards Jack.
"That's because unlike you people I am graceful, elegant and-" Ayaka said, drawing herself up to her full height.
"Hey Miss Graceful and Elegant, stand back," Jack called.
He was rolling his shoulders, cracking his neck experimentally with a devilish grin. Ayaka moved to the side, grumbling. Konoka seemed to notice Setsuna's sword.
"It was my father's," Setsuna said to her. "I can summon it using gypsy magic."
"And she's something with it ain't ya Setsuna?" Jack laughed.
He clapped his hands together, emitting a sonic boom that overturned the dressing table. Konoka jumped as the windows exploded out from behind her.
Setsuna looked towards the now broken window which had a hole in it now, exasperated and said, "Can you not possibly not do that? You're scaring Konoka."
"I'm not scared," Konoka said unconvincingly, her voice breaking halfway.
Setsuna gave her a look.
"O…okay maybe a little," Konoka said nervously, eyeing Jack.
Something was appearing in front of his hands. It was a wide, broad steel sword. It grew bigger and bigger until the hilt and tip of the blade just scraped the ceiling and floor. The hilt had bandages around it which were torn along the side for some reason like it'd been nibbled on.
"I'll show ya a little trick," Jack said, taking the sword by the hilt and giving it a mighty experimental swing.
Setsuna noticed Al move back. Discretely, Setsuna hooked her fingers around Konoka's and did the same thing. Seeming to think for a minute he threw the sword up and balanced the tip of the sword on his nose. Konoka made to move forwards but Setsuna held her back, shaking her head.
"It's ok he does this all the time," Setsuna said.
The blade of the sword had gone straight through the roof down to the hilt. Jack grinned at Konoka, showing shining white teeth.
"What's he going to-?" Konoka started, getting nervous.
Jack suddenly inhaled and boomed, swiping the sword and swinging it, "Rakan Fever!"
Setsuna hit the ground taking Konoka with her as a nova explosion of energy surged forth from Jack and the sword, elimating the carpet and windows. Konoka yelped as she felt something sharp scrape her skin. Five smaller swords had come out from the original sword and gone through the wall in a shower of splintered wood and glass fragments that rained around them.
"Hmm," Jack said, scratching his head. "That should've worked better."
"Were you planning to take out the entire wall then?" Al said.
"Something like that," Jack said.
Setsuna got up, helping Konoka and looked at the giant hole in the wall.
"Was that the trick?" Konoka asked.
"Nope," Jack laughed.
"Watch," Setsuna told her.
The broken wood and glass zoomed back into place bit by bit like a jigsaw puzzle. Within seconds it'd reformed leaving it whole and normal again.
"That was the trick?" Konoka asked.
"Magic ain't it?" Jack chuckled.
"How did you do that?"
"Like I said magic," Jack made the sword disappear, crossing his arms and glanced up, "You know Al you should up the game for the matches. It's getting boring."
"If we did that then no one would be able to win," Al chided.
"That's a horrible idea," Ayaka said disapprovingly. The blonde crawled out from underneath the bed she'd been hiding under, getting up and brushing herself off. She glared at Jack, "Those matches are already bad enough. Your idea will just make them worse."
Setsuna made Yuunagi disappear in a wreath of flames and said, "It's a way for fighters to test their strengths Ayaka. No one would come if they didn't want to."
Ayaka just gave a noise of annoyance.
"She detests the cage matches don't you?" Al said with a light smile.
Ayaka wrinkled her nose, "It's uncultured, silly and violent. Honestly I don't know how some of you can find entertainment in watching those things."
"So what were you running from Konoka?" Nekane asked.
Konoka's eyes flicked downwards. Setsuna saw them flicker then her expression brightened, "Well I'm a gypsy but I ran away from my clan when I was very young."
"A rogue gypsy?" Al looked at her, interested, "That's rare."
"So what were you running from?" Setsuna asked.
"A wolf I'd made friends with along my travels recently," Konoka said. Her eyes grew sad, "He hasn't been well lately. He was acting strange and he tried to attack me so I had to flee."
One known fact of gypsies was that they were animal whisperers. Some possessed the skill to speak with any animal of the wild. Out of those who could do that some could also tame them if they wanted to kill them. Al and Nekane were two such ones. Setsuna could speak and communicate but so far she hadn't really had luck taming. The skill wasn't uncommon but it wasn't ordinary either. Al was looking at Konoka thoughtfully, his expression serene. Setsuna had known him long enough to be able to tell that he didn't believe her.
"You seemed unconcerned for someone who had just lost a friend," Al said.
Konoka's eyes watered, her lips trembling.
"Al!" Nekane scolded. She crossed over to Konoka, taking in a warm reassuring hug. Glancing over her shoulder at Al she said, "Be nicer to her."
Al bowed his head curtly, straightening and said, "My apologies Miss Konoe. I trust you won't think badly of me. You came under suspicious circumstances so you understand if I did feel cautious about you."
"It's ok," Konoka sniffed.
Setsuna looked over at Al darkly. She couldn't believe Al had been so rude to her. Setsuna couldn't see anything wrong with Konoka's story. Although…Konoka didn't seem like the type to leave her clan and go solo. Setsuna felt a tiny spike of doubt gnaw at her insides. She ignored it. Nekane let go of her and Setsuna saw that she was really crying. Jack was looking at her with a strange grin on his face. He looked like he had figured out the secret to life. Setsuna wondered if Jack had figured out something about Konoka that the rest of them hadn't.
Rolling one of his shoulders and cracking it experimentally he laughed, "Weeeeeeell since that's sorted out I'm gonna go down to the bar. Later."
"There's a spare room on the floor beneath this one where you can stay for the time being," Setsuna said to Konoka as Jack headed towards the door. "I'll show you where it is."
"Avveruncus' room eh?" Jack chuckled.
"Who?" Konoka asked.
"No one you should be concerned about," Setsuna said, shooting Jack a look.
"Tell me if the girlie's gonna stay I got an idea for her," Jack just laughed.
Setsuna usually didn't trust Jack especially when it came to ideas for what people could do. It either ended up being something humiliating or too dangerous for the person involved. This was one of those times.
"Relax Setsuna huh," Jack said heading for the door.
Konoka started to tie the strap to the bath-robe, beaming, "So what time are you guys going to fix the Colosseum tomorrow?"
"You don't have to help," Setsuna told her.
"Oh I think she does," Al said. "She is partly responsible for breaking it after all."
As Setsuna was about to argue Jack walked straight through the door. Konoka's fingers fumbled on the straps of the bath-robe, her face paling.
"How did he-?" Konoka asked.
There was a pause as Setsuna, Al and Nekane exchanged glances with one another. Ayaka paid him no attention.
"Konoka there is something you have to know about this place. It's…different. There are a lot of people here, special people and Jack is one of them," Setsuna said. "You see…Jack is a ghost."
A.N: Whoa this chapter turned out longer than I thought. Read, enjoy and remember to click that shiny review button everyone ;). Til next time Blue out-
NegimaFan: Cheers I hope you like fantasy :D. I'm glad you're liking this ^^.