A/N: An event practically unheard of, I've begun this tenth chapter immediately after finishing chapter 9. Dear me, it's almost exciting!
Humming a little diddy of his own creation, Dilandau stalked down the empty hall with confident, pleased strides. His precious pet had responded well to his actions, far better than he had anticipated, even. While he knew that Folken would be keeping a closer eye on her, and him, and he knew that Hitomi knew that something was up, he also knew how to go about his work properly. Sure, they could suspect something all they wished, but without solid proof there would be no argument. He wasn't about to just give anyone a reason to overreact any longer.
He would wait, he figured, until the most perfect time, and then rip her legs right out from under her.
Stalking into his throne room with no warning at all, he paused by one Slayer, Beo, if he remembered correctly, as he hurriedly straightened out his jacket. His fist swung out, catching the boy in the chin and sending him stumbling back, but nothing more; Dilandau was in a good mood, after all. Whatever Beo's reason was, Dilandau didn't care. If he was straightening out his jacket it left two possibilities, as far as Dilandau was concerned. First, Beo had been late, meaning he had slept in late, meaning he had rushed to get here; Second, Beo had been incompetent and messed up such a simple task as fastening buttons.
Both warranted a good punishment.
"As I'm sure you're aware," he began as he stalked up the steps to his throne and turning to eye the 14 soldiers before him, "General Adelphos will be rendezvousing with the Vione the day after tomorrow. This is an extended stay to monitor the state of the Vione, to investigate the state of our melefs and weapons, as well as take care of some other minor technicalities. This, in turn, means you must be on your best behavior. We will be the welcoming squadron, so make sure your uniforms are perfect and your swords sharp and clean." He dropped into his throne at that, leaning his cheek on his hand before smirking with a huff. "You know the drill; head to the training room and get to it. Gatti! I'm leaving you and Giffen in charge of overseeing the drills!" He barked, watching as the already straight bodies seemed to straighten even further, if possible.
The resounding "Yes, Sir!" filled the room, followed by the precise movements of his soldiers filing orderly from the room in pairs. The only two who remained, the two who stood stiffly by the sides of his throne, were stiff and blank, looking forward with well trained eyes.
"Tell me, Fargo," he began, looking to his left first, to the only Slayer competent enough in his abilities to be allowed in with glasses, "What's the best way you can think of to surprise a Lady?"
Oh, he knew he was going to get reprimanded again, or even severely punished for his plans, but it was just too good to pass up. Folken knew him well, but he still underestimated his drive; Hitomi was tough to crack if he left too many openings, but if he times things correctly he wouldn't have to worry about his precious pet.
"Sir? The best way…?"
"Yes." My, he was feeling quite in good spirits to let so much just get right by him.
"Well, I haven't had much experience in that area, but my Mother and cousins like getting flowers…"
"Flowers, hmm? And what about you, Devon?"
"Ah…I'd have to agree that flowers are a good way to surprise a lady…perhaps, if you were to find out her interests it would be easier to find a way to surprise her?"
Dilandau pondered this quietly, foot tapping softly against the floor in a matching pattern to the finger tapping on the throne's arm rest. If he could find out more of what she were interested in, he could not only use it against her, and therefore Van, but also figure the variable into his little game. He would appeal to the female if he could provide her with something that held her interest; even if she struggled, he would find a way to bend her.
"What kinds of flowers?" He pondered, shifting in his seat as the two males moved to stand at the foot of the slightly raised platform he sat on.
"It depends, really, on what kind of girl," Fargo began hesitantly, uncertain of whether he meant it to be answered. Motioning for him to continue, Dilandau thought a bit about it. "If she's more upper class, she's going to prefer the finer flowers, like roses…"
"Every girl likes roses," Devon added, "But girls who are simpler and less primped often find similar flowers more appealing…"
"Suppose she doesn't prefer flowers, what then?"
"You might try some kind of sweet? I think perfume would be a little too personal…"
"Hmm…your input has given me an idea," Dilandau muttered softly, "You're dismissed. Go ready yourselves, and make sure your barracks are clean; this is a full inspection."
"Yes, sir!"
Left alone in the room, Dilandau stretched almost catlike, content in his earlier victory and the ones that would be sure to follow. He knew Hitomi wouldn't go down without a fight, which was probably what thrilled him the best, however…he didn't have the time for a more involved plot against her. The more damage he got in before Adelphos got any ideas, the better. If he had any luck at all he'd be able to sway the female more towards his field within the next few days.
Still, the problem was glaringly obvious: Folken would be getting in the way even if Adelphos decided to give him permission to court her. Oh, he knew that little bit of information. He was insulted and yet, at the same time, relieved that Folken thought him a mindless brute whose only true knowledge was on the battlefield. Apparently the elder man didn't realize every aspect of life was a battlefield and, if nothing else, Dilandau prided himself on all forms of warfare. There were few battlefields he was incapable of defeating with ease and he would prove it.
'If I know the generals, they'll test Hitomi to gauge her worth before even thinking of the legal documents,' he pondered quietly, thinking things out quickly. 'Alright, I have a 5 day window to work with, from today. That leaves just over four days to pull this off, but not even two days to really get the most in. With Adelphos here I won't be able to engage her as often as I would like…I'll need to decide the most important aspects of my plan and get them rolling. After that, it'll take another week for the papers to be finalized…but chances she'll still be here on the Vione are slim…'
There was a chance, he knew, that once the papers are signed and all parties content Hitomi would leave with Adelphos. This would put her too far out of reach to properly continue; he didn't have much time to work with. However, should something unexpected happen…well, there was no guaranteeing she'd be pulled from the Vione. She was doing rather well here and, while the Vione was primarily a battleship, there were no fools powerful enough to truly cause problems for it. Folken was acting as her current guardian, was well respected and closely connected to the Emperor; he was also accredited with the guymelefs and stealth cloaks they used…
If, by some chance, Hitomi was capable of sharing knowledge of her planet's power…naturally, she would be near Folken to allow the man to work things out. All in all, a perfect deal; Dilandau would get plenty more time to sway his pet permanently and Zaibach would become even more powerful.
Grinning as his gloved fingers trailed his bottom lip, Dilandau stood, biting the appendage slightly before stalking towards the door. He was already under her skin…just a few more stabs and twists and he'd be under her muscles too.
Van Fanel may have been a young king, and a young king of a fallen country at that, but he knew better than to assume any action he committed in Asturia would be let off. Fanelia, he knew, was nowhere near the cultural hub that Palas was; Fanelia was a country landscape sort of place, almost hidden in the mountains and forests of the wild. The people were kind and hardworking, holding a special respect with the animals around…
Asturia, while it did have its fair share of country land, was more…how would one put it? Based on never content 'civilized' humans? Palas, a beautiful trading city on the ocean, was vibrant and full of life of a different sort. The atmosphere was something he was still unused to, even after the time he'd been there.
So, perhaps, that was why, when he went before the King on summons, he found himself kneeling with Allen Schezar, albeit with some difficulty with his wounds. Maybe, despite his royal upbringings, he felt outclassed by the man before him? Or, perhaps it was out of consideration for Allen and his wishes that he did this.
"Need I remind you of the severity of your crimes?" The king all but growled, keeping his temper well but the anger and, more importantly, the fear shown in his eyes. "This attack against Zaibach could endanger the treaty between Asturia and Zaibach! This is not something we wish to see happen!" The king was steadily turning a shade of red to rival Van's shirt and, while he was angry, he was panicking. Van could see the look in the man's eyes; his youngest daughter, the Princess, had been taken prisoner during a raid that the king hadn't known of. Of course the king would be frantic.
'Zaibach is probably sticking pins in his rear…' he thought humorlessly. "Your majesty," he began calmly, "The Princess will be safe…"
"Is that all you have to say?"
"No."
"Van," Allen bit out quietly, glaring at him from the side, "Keep yourself in check…"
"Your majesty, the danger Zaibach is presenting has grown, regardless of what actions we've taken. Asturia was in danger the moment myself and the Escaflowne entered this country, was it not? And yet you still chose to hide it from Zaibach. You could've easily allowed them to take it without so much of a fight."
"Van!" Allen hissed vehemently, yet a heavy sigh broke the blond knight from his train of thought.
"I see…so…you mean to say it's not unlike throwing a piece of paper into a raging wildfire?"
"Precisely," Van said softly, "Make no mistake, Millerna is safe and will remain so. Negotiations for her release will be handled well…and you can use the Escaflowne as a bargaining chip."
"At present time," the king finally began again, "It would be unwise for such a thing…I would ask that, prior to these negotiations, you leave the capital city and take refuge on the outskirts of our kingdom."
"Your majesty?" Allen questioned, eyes slightly wide at what he was hearing. "You mean to throw them off your trails?"
"As best as possible. Do not speak of where you go and do not make a scene. I do not wish to know where you go."
Sensing the dismissal, both men bowed before retreating from the room, tense but still…they felt a smidgeon of relief. Sure, getting both girls caught hadn't been the plan, but damn if this didn't work out well. As long as nothing happened to Hitomi during the negotiations, they would be fine.
"Do you believe Millerna got herself caught on purpose?" Van asked quietly as they retreated from the throne room.
"I do," Allen replied bluntly, eyes trained forward and face set blank. "She may be foolish, but there are some things you just can't pull over her eyes. She knew Merle would sneak onto the ship; why else would we truly allow the feline on? She also knew that we would need a heavier bargaining chip than just a simple house cat…"
"Watch it," Van said halfheartedly; he would've defended Merle more, truly he would have, but he was so exhausted and Allen did have a point…
"Forgive me," Allen replied quietly, "I think this whole situation is proving to be quite taxing…more so than we imagined."
"I know…I feel so exhausted even though we've been doing nothing but rest." Van stopped, his posture slightly slumped, and ran a hand through his head. He shook his skull, trying to jumpstart his mind into something more than tired. "We can't think like this," he said forcefully, "Millerna and Merle might be on the Vione too, but Hitomi is still the one in the most danger! We don't know what they could be doing to her…"
"So…shall we start planning our next move somewhere more secluded?"
"I think it'd be best…" Van muttered, glancing back around them almost in paranoia. "Who knows who could be lurking about…"
She swore her heart would give her away in the massive hallway if her frantic lost appearance wouldn't. Heart pounding in her chest like a jackhammer that wouldn't slow, Hitomi cautiously stepped forward again, slinking along the wall barefoot, to peer around the corner. No one, still.
The next day, General Adelphos would be arriving which left the majority of the fortress running around scrubbing this, or practicing that. Dilandau had been kept busy but only at the cost of losing the constant protecting of Folken. All things considered, it wasn't too bad, really; she'd manage to sneak by the lazy guard he'd left by his door with no problem at all. The man had fallen asleep as soon as Folken had rounded the corner.
The biggest problem, however, was finding the holding cells Merle and Millerna had been placed in. With her pendant in hand she could probably find them easily, had the lack of a personal effect from either of them, as well as the paranoia and fear she was experiencing, not been interfering with the dowsing. With no personal item she would have to concentrate even more and keeping herself calm long enough to do that was becoming harder and harder.
'Please, heart…just calm down long enough for me to find them!' She silently begged, looking around the hall and ducking into a shadowed doorway. Pressing her ear tightly to it and plugging the other, she listened for any sign of life on the other side. Careful, tense moments slid by before she was assured there was nothing living within the room. Taking another deep breath and holding it, she strained her hearing for any signs of approaching footsteps. It took a few moments to calm her heart enough to let the breath out in a slow and controlled movement, but once she had settled enough into the thought that, for the moment, she was safe, she began dowsing.
Focusing on Merle was by far the easiest; she'd been around the little cat long enough to get a good enough feel of her vibration so the pendant, clutched tightly by the chain in her hand, didn't take long to begin a slow swaying. Striped tail, really short dress, fluffy pom-poms on her shoulders, ridiculous cat ears and bubblegum pink hair…that sly look on her face as she stole all the rest of Hitomi's snacks…
'Focus more on her being annoying out of care; like a little sister desperately wanting the attention of her older siblings,' she rectified herself. If she began thinking on the bad qualities that did more than just annoy her, Hitomi would lose sight of what was important.
Slowly swaying in her mind, and in her hand, Hitomi concentrated on the young feline's image in her mind. Swaying, back and forth and then around and around, the female jumped slightly when it pointed the other way. Peeking her eyes open and peering, she found she'd have to backtrack to the beginning and take the right, meaning she should've just skipped this hall altogether…
'Oh, well, at least I had a safe place to do this,' Hitomi said, steeling herself and hurrying down the hall again. Hurrying along with the quiet slapping of her feet on steel, Hitomi prayed that she'd be able to get to the two females with no problem. She wasn't sure what would happen to her, but she knew in her gut Dilandau would look for any excuse to punish her; sneaking out of Folken's room to speak to a prisoner didn't seem like such a big thing, but to him…well, she didn't want to dwell too long on those thoughts.
Once again with her back pressed to the wall, Hitomi peered cautiously down a dark hall, her pendant pointing to the inky darkness. Incapable of telling what was down that hall, Hitomi bit her lip and began forward. If Dilandau were hiding in the shadows she'd be doomed; if not, she might have a chance at succeeding in her mission and getting back to Folken's room unnoticed.
Fat chance, but she liked to dream.
The moment she reached the darkest part of the hall, Hitomi felt swallowed. Her heart rate spiked slightly, but stubbornly she held onto her controlled thoughts of the feline she was looking for. Eyes straining for only a moment, she decided to rely first and foremost on her hearing. She'd have to calm the slightly ragged breaths she'd just noticed she'd been taking, but she could do it; hand pressed to the wall, she continued, one step in front of the other.
'Just a little further…I can feel it; I'm almost there!'