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The lights went out once more. Ayame giggled hopelessly in the dark. Momiji leaned against Shigure, feeling rather tired. Ren leaned forward slightly, not wanting to show that she was interested...The lights came up on a table and chairs. One of the chairs was already occupied, by a girl in a bright red dress. She had gorgeous long black hair, and the expression like she wanted to kill everything, starting with the blindfolded boy she had at knifepoint and moving on to everyone in the audience. Another girl dashed out of the wings, dressed sexily in black with a sword by her side. She halted when she saw the others.
"So, it is down to you, and it is down to me..." The girl in black took a few steps closer. "If you wish him dead, by all means keep moving forward." said Scarlet, laughing carelessly.
"Let me explain." said Sable, hands up, stepping even closer. She stopped when the boy gave a little cry, as Scarlet dug the blade in a little harder.
"There's nothing to explain. You're trying to kidnap what I have rightfully stolen." She glared hatefully at the intruder.
"Perhaps, an arrangement can be reached?" asked Sable, takng one more step closer.
"There will be no arrangement, and you're killing him..." The boy was shying away from the blade. Scarlet grabbed his hair, jerking him back to the position he had been in. Sable wisely stopped.
"Well if there can be no arrangement, then we are at an impasse." Sable said, crossing her arms.
"I'm afraid so. I can't compete with you physically and you're no match for my brains." said Scarlet snidely, flipping long black tresses.
"You're that smart?" asked Sable, eyebrows raised.
"Let me put it this way, have you ever heard of Plato? Aristotle? Socrates?"
"Yes."
"Morons." she snapped, riled that she wasn't getting more of a rise out of her.
"Really? In that case I challenge you to a Battle of Wits."
"For him? To the Death? I accept!" Scarlet snapped the blade back into it's scabbard, giving the boy another jerk of his hair, and gesturing Sable closer. Sable sat in the chair across from Scarlet, pulling out a small cylinder and uncorking it.
"Good. Then pour the wine. Inhale this, but do not touch." Scarlet gave it a deft sniff.
"Hmph. I smell nothing." She handed it back.
"What you do not smell is called Iocane powder. It is odorless, tasteless, dissolves instantly in liquid, and is among the more deadly poisons known to man." Sable suddenly snatched the goblets off the table. She held them behind her back. Nex thing, the goblets were back on the table, and she was tossing away the crushed cylinder.
"Alright, where is the poison? The Battle of Wits has begun. Its ends when you decide and we both drink and find out who is right, and who is dead." She sat back, arms crossed and smiled.
"But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: Are you the sort of girl who would put the poison into her own goblet or her enemies? Now, a clever girl would put the poison into her own goblet because she would know that only a great fool would reach for what she was given. I am not a great fool so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool--you would have counted on it--so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me!" Scarlet tossed her hair, then pulled the boy a little closer by the roots of his hair.
"You've made your decision then?" asked Sable, still smiling a small, superior smile.
"Oh not remotely! Because Iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows, and Australia is entirely peopled with criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them as you are nottrusted by me so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you." Sable nodded generously.
"Truly, you have a dizzying intellect."
"Wait 'till I get going! Where was I?"
"Australia." prompted Sable. Scarlet leaped on it.
"Yes, Australia! And you must have suspected I would've know the powder's origin so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me."
"You're just stalling now." said Sable, shaking her head.
"You'd like to think that wouldn't you?!? You've beaten my giant which means you're exceptionally strong, so you could've put the poison in your own goblet trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you've also bested my Spaniard, which means you must've studied--and in studying you must've learned that man is mortal, so you would've put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me." Scarlet continued, her eyes glowing.
"You're trying to trick into giving away something. It won't work." laughed Sable.
"It has worked! You've given everything away! I know where the poison is!" declared Scarlet, becoming angry.
"Then make your choice!" snarled Sable.
"I will. And I choose--What in the world can that be?!?" Scarlet pointed off somewhere over the audience's head. Momiji and Hiro both looked.
"What? Where? I don't see anything." said Sable, peering off into the blackness of the room. Scarlet deftly switched the glasses while her back was turned. Shigure smiled, nodding knowingly. Sable turned back, eyes glowering dangerously.
"Oh well I... I could've sworn I saw something..uhhhh, no matter." Scarlet began to giggle, putting up her hand to hid the grin.
"What's so funny?" demanded Sable.
"I-I'll tell ya in a minute. First, let's drink. Me from my glass and you from yours." They lifted their glasses and drained them.
"You guessed wrong." said Sable, her goblet hitting the table with a resounding ring.
"You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Haha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! AHAHAHAHAHAhaha! aHahahahaha! aHahaha--!" Scarlet suddenly stopped laughing. With the ear-splitting grin still on her face, she toppled over.
Sable got up and walked over to the boy. She gently took his blindfold off. He looked at the fallen Scarlet, then back at his rescuer.
"The poison was in your goblet the entire time..." He said, his voice full of adorement.
"It was in both. I've spent the last few years developing an immunity to iocane powder." said Sable, helping him up.
"I love you." he said. Sable laughed, picked him up and carried him offstage.
Everyone laughed, as it was such a ironic play on the regular Princess-Rescue genre.
"That was nice, wasn't it Kisa?" said Hiro, taking Kisa's hand.
"Yes..." said Kisa, smiling. "I wish...Onee-Chan...could have seen it..."
"Does she think about her twenty-four-seven?" yelled Hiro in his head, while gently sniling at Kisa. Shigure turned to see Ren smiling.
"Ohhhh...Ren is smiling!" he said. "Is Haru...?" He winked. Ren gave him a dirty look.
"If you cannot see, Haru is seated across from me." she said, gesturing. "A small pond separates these two tables." Shigure nodded, still smiling.
"Ready?' whispered Laurel excitedly, grabbing Corry's hand. He nodded...the lights went out...a purple/blue wash covered the stage...Corry lead Laurel out into the shadowy world...
