"Lina Inverse, thank you for arriving here on such short notice." The Eternal Queen said. "I have a task that I require you to perform, as the Cepheid Knight is predisposed at the moment with another matter."
Great, playing stand-in for Luna again. The sorceress thought to herself gloomily. The redhead merely folded her arms, and nodded her head in affirmation, not trusting herself to respond verbally without spouting off with one snide comment or another.
"The reason that I have requested for you to come alone is purely for security reasons you do understand."
Lina nodded once again in response to the Queen's question.
"Two members of my high council have been assassinated and no-one thus far has been able to provide me with even one legitimate suspect to be questioned in this case." The Eternal Queen continued.
Lina did her best to stifle a yawn while feigning interest in what the Queen had to say. Tell me something I haven't already figured out lady. She thought to herself, bored.
"In closing, I wish for you to head the investigation and get to the bottom of this situation." The Eternal Queen finished.
"I understand, and I'm assuming there aren't any living witnesses to any of this?" Lina asked. "Someone who may have caught at-least a fleeting glance of the assassin?"
"No one. Even the elite sentries guarding the quarters of the council members where slain without a struggle" The Queen added dejectedly.
Some elite sentries... jeez.
"And nothing was detected by the magical scrying devices around the grounds either?" The sorceress asked, trying her best to keep her dry, I've-already-figured-this-out-tone at bay.
The Matriarch simply shook her head in response.
"Alright, well, where are the bodies then? I may be able to get something to go on by taking a look at them." Lina added, after receiving a strange expression from the Queen.
"I'm sorry, but they were burned during the funeral ceremony as is the Zephilian custom." the Eternal Queen replied sheepishly.
You have GOT to be KIDDING me! No WONDER these guys aren't having any luck in their investigation of this incident! They're completely incompetent! The redhead fumed to herself silently.
"Fine, the bodies didn't just... get up, walk off, and prepare themselves for the funeral..." Lina began, unable to keep her sarcasm in check any longer.
"So can you have someone sent to talk to me who's gotten a good look at the bodies' at-least?" she finished, gritting her teeth with the effort of remaining somewhat polite.
"Yes, that can indeed be arranged." The dictator of Zephilia affirmed, seemingly completely oblivious of Lina's sarcasm. "Until this matter has been settled, I shall grant you full access to the castle and its facilities. Your quarters are being prepared as we speak." The Queen added.
Full access? Royal cuisine here I come!! Lina thought to herself, her grin showing a single fang.
"Well, I'd better get going on this whole investigation thing then, your highness!" Lina exclaimed hurriedly.
"Very well, Ms. Inverse.Oh, and Lina the Pink...?" the Zephilian dictator added.
Lina turned around, balking at the use of the unwanted title she'd acquired at the Sorcerers Guild so many years ago. "Yes your highness?" the redhead asked, grimacing slightly as she turned back around.
"Try your best not to... destroy anything too costly during your say here..."
"Eh, heh, heh... right." Lina replied blushing profusely before turning once again to make a B-line for the royal dining area.
Argh, couldn't the Sorcerers Guild have assigned me a less embarrassing color? Lina brooded to herself as she made her way out of the throne room.
Jeez, there's Tarim the Violet, Damia the Blue, Halcyform the White... and then me... Lina the Pink.
"Hoooownnn I hate that title!" the sorceress exclaimed out-loud to no-one in particular. "Oh well, I'm sure some free royal cuisine will make me feel better!" she added cheerfully.
Before long Lina was peering into one the castles many enormous kitchens and gesturing to the first chef she saw enthusiastically. "You guys wouldn't happen to have any dragon cuisine close to being ready within the next few days now would you?" the redhead asked the bewildered chef, a cat with the cream expression on her face.