Chapter 3: Shaky Charades and other Subterfuge
Calmasis and hir ensemble made their way over a number of small mountains. Perhaps more along the style of large hills. Size of geographical landforms regardless, the troupe began putting distance between themselves and their handiwork. The children were just getting started in a monstrous global rampage, however, it would not be long before they became recognized- disparaged as moral heathens, and scorned by society.
This ostracization however, was not meant to transpire just yet. There were far too many wicked deeds to put into action before they would allow themselves to be revealed as the clockwork mechanism inaugurating the savagery unleashed in the social order. There were in fact too many iniquitous irons resting the nefarious fires of the heinous ensemble's rota. One would be utterly aghast, if they attempted to count the innumerable quantity of wrought misdeeds. And this is the very purpose for which an incognito apparel had to be donned. An utterly advantageous and sweet veneer, to continue the marionette-like manipulation that they commanded.
It is crucial to remain silent when on the lam for slaughter. But this surreptitious crusade would not quell their intentions. Those who sussed them would be terminated, and mayhem would still follow in their footsteps. After all, one might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb. One might question why the narration contains a surplus of sheep idioms. Aside from the sheer enjoyment of such, the children were to pull the proverbial wool over the world's eyes. Become eleven devious wolves enshrouded cleverly in sheepskin. And if at all possible, perhaps they may well turn the world against itself so everyone would be found at fault instead of just the children. However their intentions have been far over-explained by this point, and the time to progress has arrived.
"Where is our next destination?" Kanry inquired with full confidence in their leader.
"I haven't a clue," was the only response Calmasis distributed. The other ten were aghast, and Altrix expressed everyone's silent sentiment.
"What do you mean? We have to have a plan, we can't simply just wander arou-"
"We'll go where we wind up." Nearing the rear of the moving troupe of peers, Larx began to rub his eyes. Fatigue was beginning to take hold of him, and sleep dragged his eyelids down. It was with any hope that the stimulation of rubbing them might win him enough moments more to trek on with his friends. After unleashing such a jolt of energy in such a massive quantity, he required rest above all else. Alas irritation was already beginning to set in.
"Well I sure as hell hope that we 'wind up' somewhere to rest, and quickly," Larx's comment was spat from his lips, and went unnoticed as a drowsy mutter to all but Calmasis. However, ze paid just as little attention to it as the others who hardly comprehended it.
The closest settlement was just over the next hill. A quaint little town which was called Regidom by its citizens. Regidom rested on the periphery of the country that its sovereigns ruled. Syrs Gnelph and the Monastery were just out of the reach of their control. Many had rumored that the good Queen Abeli was beginning to turn quite mad after the passing of her late husband. Whether these petty sayings passed along by the bored housewives and eavesdropping beggars held any stock was unsure. However, she was a powerful shrew, and one to be cautious of. As of late her reign seemed more tyrannical than benevolent. All of this aside, Calmasis insisted on resting in the town's inn for the night with no particular interest in meeting the niggling woman.
Night was just beginning to enforce its influence on the scenery, as lanthrones shone from a close distance. Nothing about the place was overtly remarkable. Relatively clean, but not pristinely so. Its tastes were clearly not to their leader's likings as ze scoffed at each new sight. Admittedly the architecture was bland and inconspicuous, as such it could not hold a match, much less a candle to the ostentatious seminary that had once been home to the children. Fortunately however, the tavern was not ridden with vermin as Calmasis had expected it to be.
This being said, zie did take notice of the more undesirable of patrons. Being as much of an inn as it was a bar, naturally a group of men done with their long day of labor celebrated the completion of another day intoxicated.
"Uncouth cur," ze hissed under hir breath before Kanry gave hir a slight nudge. Of the things required to transpire, a bar brawl was not on the register. Surely the inebriated bourgeoisie navvies were not the sort they wished to contend with. Instead zie turned to hir companions, and whispered.
"Do we have the plan understood," it was more of a taut reminder that failure would not be tolerated as opposed to an actual query to the successful encoding of their ruse.
Vimstrell and Selphentrine nodded subtly. The former was the eldest of the children by no more than a single year, but his maturity showed rather clearly. Selphentrine on the other hand, was the tallest of the female members, and thus made the most appropriate cohort for the mission. Zestfully, she latched onto his bicep with a malicious grin sprawled over her face. Even for her comrades, it was difficult to determine whether she was eager for the opportunity to delude, or simply get her hands on Vimstrell's muscles. This was a trifle matter, though, compared to the task at hand. And so the ten approached the inn's proprietor.
The stout man looked up from whatever he had been scrawling on a sheet of paper to glare at the children, clearly disappointed to be disrupted from evidently important business for such a trivial task. His teeth were crooked, and somewhat gnarled. Scattered individuals of the children gasped silently as he grit them tightly, for the fear that the pressure would likely shatter them.
"You kids can't be in here without an adult," he growled in a gruff tone. Children so rarely traveled by themselves, and even more often attempted to sneak a draught. Suspicious intent was an obvious motive for his reasoning. Vimstrell began to speak, but Selphentrine had cut him short of so much as a syllable.
"How positively charmin', don'tcha think, hon?" The persona she'd chosen for this assignment appeared to be of a more peasant dialect than her others. Surely it was to avoid sounding condescending to the already rather ratty keep… or perhaps for the sheer enjoyment of theatrics. Such was difficult to tell.
"Thinkin' that we was still kids." The very pain it brings to note such grammatical horror is admittedly somewhat exaggerated, but perseveres for the sake of realism.
"Oh my God, you're terrible," Alouette mumbled under her breath with a roll of her eyes.
"You respect your mum," she snapped back.
"This is why I wanted to be the mom…" She couldn't help but massage her temples, eyes luckily glancing away to evade the daggers that Calmasis' sent as ze twisted hir head around to glare. Alouette placed them dangerously close to exposure.
"Yes well you can't now can you? Maybe one'a your siblin's'll play house once we've got a room." Selphentrine redirected her gaze to the man whose jaw was already sagged from confusion. "Y'know how kids can be. What with their big mouths, an'-" Alouette was furious, and shot a fist for the insulting maternal figure. Selphentrine could but only laugh, as Belrous' sleeves grabbed the hand from midair.
"Tag," she snickered through face-concealing hair. At this, Vimstrell decided to push through with his own dialogue. Even though his voice was relatively low already, he insisted on deepening it slightly further.
"She's such a joy, isn't she? A lot of pep," he observed Alouette from the corner of his eye warily.
"Look, I ain't got time fer thi-"
"We want to purchase a night's stay in your inn," Calmasis jabbed in, tired of the charade hir incompetent companions just barely put on.
"Yes," Vimstrell was nearly trembling as a knot formed within his abdomen. "Precisely- my child." Yet another awkward delivery. He was intent of replying with my son, or my daughter, before reaching the frightened conclusion that he didn't know which title was the most applicable.
The tender was in utter bafflement at the queer display. He was not sure what to make of these folk, or even if he cared. His ultimate conclusion on the matter was that he in fact did not care whatsoever. The sooner he conceded to their simplistic wishes, the sooner they would leave him to his peace. As such, he dropped his business, and turned to search for the appropriate dormitory key.
It was just now that Selphentrine began to sniff madly at the air, seemingly having caught something in her waft. She narrowed her eyes, and her mouth became crooked with sensual perception. Slowly, just ever so visible by onlookers, Selphentrine crooked her spine to bent towards Altrix.
"Do you sense anything off-kilter?" She whispered softly. Altrix simply shook her head, but the keep was too quick for any response Altrix might have offered. His very intrusion on the query shocked both participants.
"You say somethin'?" He asked, having turned to face them.
"Oh no, thank ya. I was just askin' my daughter if she needed anythin'." The man shrugged and returned for his quest for the elusive key of room four. The other travelers, curious to the nature of Selphentrine's question, turned to her. The only explication for the inquiry required, was a simple tap on her oblong beak, which became a mere scratch as the man returned wielding the key.
"Here. Take it, and enjoy yer stay." He slammed the key upon the counter, much to Calmasis' irritation at his insolence. This is not to mention the fact that his tidings of a hopefully congenial visit were less than sincere. Ze instantly reached for hir wand, before being stopped by Kanry once more.
"Very well," Calmasis spat at the man. Gruffly, ze snatched Larx up by the wrist, and whisked him upstairs to the room for the rest he so desperately needed. Selphentrine, and Vimstrell followed suit, nearly forgetting their roles as the parents. Selphentrine attempted a few half-hearted chastisements to Calmasis for hir tone and actions.
"Come along, everyone," Kanry bade her "siblings."
"We want to scope out the town, if it's okay." Gaury explained, standing near to Martine.
"Very well, I'll make sure they know." Kanry was more referring to Calmasis specifically, rather than the others. It was thought for their best interest that their names be used as scarcely as possible, to avoid acquiring a notorious reputation. Kanry swept upstairs afterwards with Uric, and Altrix leaving only Alouette and Belrous left. Gaury and Martine had already exited to begin their traipse about the streets of Regidom. Meanwhile, the manager cleared his throat to Alouette who was brought back to reality by his gesture. She could but scoff.
"Pig," she hushed his way, tempted to backhand the licentious man, before he put his hand out awaiting its filling of money. An embarrassed "oh" escaped her lips. Irritated at the thought of losing her money, she turned to Belrous who simply chuckled. In a swift, singular motion she flicked her pockets inside-out, revealing that she had no money to speak of. Alouette's brow furrowed in further frustration.
At once, she prepared her voice to serenade her party into a free stay, but he was too hasty to give her a chance, clearing his throat in an almost sickening fashion. Defeated (this time), she begrudgingly shot her slender fingers into the coin purse on her hip and held her fist above the counter. Clattering ensued as the coins dripped from betwixt her fingers, spilling over onto the floor. Alouette proceeded to stamp off to join the others. Belrous added a tiny rib bone from a fish to the disbursement. Her boots clomped as she too departed, petting the rat skull that hang from her neck with her sleeve.
Martine and Gaury explored the surrounding area. Up and down the many twisting streets they roamed aimlessly, but for the sheer sense of adventuring. Still, there was nothing exceptionally notable about the place. It was not bland, but yet it had no atmosphere that suggested anything else. Even the pedestrians going about their late-evening business were plain.
Only once they had arrived to the plaza outside of Queen Abeli's courtyard did things begin to take a turn for something even remotely interesting or capable of attracting one's fancy. Directly in the centre of the precinct was not only a gallows, but a cutting block. A rusty, ill-kept ax leaned against it. Several groundskeepers were mopping away at the cobblestone that, despite their best efforts remained coated with the stain of blood.
It was nearly a curious sight. The blood spilt on the ground was copious. It would appear that her royal noblewoman Queen Abeli had been exceptionally proactive at keeping the peace in her kingdom from rogues and other such miscreants. Or, on a slightly more cynical note, and were the children ever known to be cynical, whomever she deemed needful of terminal retribution.
Looking upward from the workers and their futile attempts to purify the stone (which would likely result in the Queen's fury, if assumptions were correct, and later be their own blood for kin of their profession to inherit the position of scouring.) stood the monumental palace of the questionably good queen. It would appear that she had owned everything by the making of the castle. It held an ornate baroque apparel to it. Through what one could see through the gates, several topiary stood at attention to the entrant, joined in salute by statues scattered about the lawn.
Why the moon itself seemed to belong to the queen as it was positioned as a grand jewel of a scepter 'pon one of her castle's many towers. The pallid heavenly body illuminated her estate. If anything, the wan light only added the eerie aura emanating from the castle, which was a ridiculous notion anyway. There was nothing off about it, it was only a castle after all. The only intimidating feature that it truly possessed was the knowledge of the noble creatures who presided its vestibules, and lurked within its shadowy concourses. This is, of course, omitting the bloodstained square and statues depicting gargoyles and other such monsters. Such effigies did not deter the children of sin, though. The gargoyles were famous for warding away evil, but the two simply stuck their tongues out to the statues in jest. It appeared that one of the stone monsters' eyes glinted in response.
Bored of the spectacle, Gaury and Martine continued about their twilight stroll. The friends reminisced about their time together cheerfully in the ever dying light. Such was its ultimate destiny. Darkness would eventually prevail as it was fated to. These words rarely lasted in these two particular youths' minds though. Thoughts of Fate's grand scheme belonged namely to Miss Kanry who abided strictly by what was bound to happen as opposed to what she wished to happen.
Still, they laughed and enjoyed each others' company until they collided with another civilian. They had been running, sprinting as quickly as their legs would permit them. The impact caused for both parties to topple backwards. Martine and Gaury still in shock of the events, were too perplexed to properly examine the other immediately. It was now clear that the person was a beggar. This obvious through the rags that they were draped with. Even this person's face was concealed behind a layer of cloth covering their mouth, and a hood which had just fallen over their eyes.
The two attempted to apologise, but directly following the split moment that the beggar had also been in a stupor, they rose to their feet, mouth twitching nervously. Perhaps some sort of tic? Somewhat giggling, the beggar turned and dashed away once more. Any attempt to follow them was fruitless, as Martine and Gaury had trailed them as far as an alley. But reaching the surface that created the third wall of the lane, it was proven to be a dead end, and the beggar successful in their elusive absconding.