Charlie: I'm starting this chapter immediately after I posted the last one. So as of now, I have no clue how you guys reacted to the last one. Yar… Well, enjoy.
Chapter 34 – Evening, Day 4
Midnight Meetings #4
"Barkeep… hit me with another…." Jessica slurred slamming down an empty shot glass onto the counter.
Charlie, as well as Pent and Louise (who just happened to be at the bar as well) stared at Jessica. He shook his head and gathered Jessica's shot glasses, much to the tactician's displeasure.
"HEY! …I'mma talking to you!" Jessica slurred again, nearly falling off her chair when she tried to point an accusing finger at the innkeeper. "I want another!"
"I think you've had enough…do you think she's had enough Louise?" Charlie asked.
The sniper nodded. "I think she's had enough…do you think she's had enough my husband?"
"I think she's had enough."
"Right…" Charlie said. "Now Jessica, just go up to your room and get some sleep."
"NUU! NEVER!" Jessica screeched. "I WANT MY SAUCE!"
At this point, her screech attracted the attentions of two more people, namely Kiyoko, who was eating pocky a few seats over from Jessica, and Brian, who was checking Kiyoko's mind for any more signs of possession.
"What's wrong with her?" Kiyoko asked munching happily at her pocky.
"She's been here all evening… even after half the army went up stairs…drinking her ass off." Charlie answered. "And her tab just reached six digits."
"MORE BOOZE!" Jessica sang.
Louise took the opportunity to smack her, but not before Canas and Dorcas had joined them, as well as the three Silent Springs sisters. Louise sighed and pulled Jessica into a maternally hug, rocking her slightly. Her ministrations soon caused the tactician to relax, and fall into a light slumber.
"Oy, thanks Louise." Charlie sighed. "So, why are we all here?"
"Midnight meeting." Canas said. "Before Jessica came here to drink her heart out, she gave the rest of the army a nice little talking too… yeah."
"I didn't even know that she knew half the words she was saying." Pent said. "And I don't think it was appropriate, especially considering the ages of some in this army."
"Yeah, and then at dinner, she was obnoxiously loud, and obnoxiously rude." Lulu sighed. "Hell, she even said Fae's cooking sucked. Poor Fae broke down for about thirty minutes before Hector went back there and comforted her."
"Uhm…" Fae said blushing. "He…actually made things worse."
"Oh right." Lulu muttered. "LYN went back there, dragged Hector out by the ear, then went back and comforted Fae. Turns out Jessica was just spewing crap."
"Yeah, and after that, she came here and got wasted… so lovely…what do we do now?" Charlie asked.
"Don't you have anti-alcohol potions?" Brian asked.
"Oh right…" The innkeeper sheepishly dug into his robes for a vial of purplish liquid that smelled like petroleum covered lavender flowers. He walked over to where Jessica was snoozing in Louise's lap and asked the sniper to tilt the tactician's head. When Jessica's mouth was opened, Charlie braced himself and tipped the contents of the vial down her throat.
The effect was instantaneous. Jessica's eyes shot open and her reflexes kicked into gear. Charlie, being unfortunately the first person in front of her, received the blunt end of her punches.
"OW HEY QUIT IT!"
"DEAR LORD WHAT WAS THAT!"
"Alcohol antidote." Brian said calmly, glad he wasn't Charlie. "You were stoned."
Jessica glared at the innkeeper, who was holding his head from her blows. "Do you really have to make it taste so nasty!"
"Gee, what'd you expect? Ambrosia! Don't get drunk next time." Charlie groaned, picking himself from the floor. Moments later, Alan and Samantha joined the group. Jessica looked around and nodded in satisfaction.
"Okay, well, we're all here right?" She asked.
There was a general nodding consent. Since a few nights ago, Alan and Samantha were officially inducted into the meetings. Everyone held his or her breaths, knowing what Jessica was about to say next. She did not disappoint.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT THEY DID! OH MY GOD! NEVER IN MY LIFE! BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH!"
The shrieking continued as hands clapped over ears so nobody would go deaf from the tactician's loud reprimands. It was a minute before her breathing returned to normal and it was safe to hear again.
"Okay…you done?" Charlie asked.
Jessica took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah… I'm done. God…they piss me off so much. Especially Serra! UGH!"
"Okay… do want to do anything about it that would actually be productive?" Canas asked.
"Now that you mention it…" Jessica said stroking her chin. "I remember her asking me for what was it… uhm… vassals once."
"Vassals?"
"Yeah…" The tactician smirked evilly. "I think I'm going to give her what she wants."
People looked confused.
"Uhm, how would that be a punishment?" Alan asked.
Jessica ignored the young archer and turned to Pent and Louise. "Think about it…who is uptight, stiff, a stickler for rules, and basically the complete opposite of Serra, but loyal enough to do whatever I ask of him?"
The couple, along with Canas and Dorcas exchanged brief glances before saying in unison: "Kent."
Jessica's smirk widened as realization dawned on the four. Meanwhile, upstairs, a red haired paladin sudden woke up with a violent sneeze.
Back in the lobby, Charlie was thoroughly confused, and he wasn't the only one.
"If you guys don't need us, can we go? I want to plan operation GAAKTFTB." The innkeeper said calmly. Immediately, half the group groaned.
"Opearation… GAAKTFTB?" Jessica asked.
Sonia threw up her arms. "THAT'S IT! AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN'T PRONOUNCE THAT GODFORSAKEN WORD!"
"What exactly is Operation GAAKTFTB?" Louise asked.
"Uhh… nothing important." Charlie said. "So… are we doing anything else?"
"Defintely." Jessica said. "Karel."
"What about Karel?" Kate asked. "Wasn't he the creepy guy who tried to kill that girl?"
"Yeah, that's him." Jessica seethed. "I need to do something to him…I don't know what though."
"Make him go with Kiyoko to find the Tear of Astharsa?" Brian suggested.
"Hey! That's a fun idea." Kate squealed.
"Wait…what?" Jessica asked.
Every year, at the Winter Ball, a king and queen of the dance are knighted with a special sword called the Tear of Astharsa (Or a regular old Iron Sword with the name 'Astharsa' carved into the hilt and only considered special because it's in a small shrine in the mountains.). Every year, Kiyoko and Alan are sent into the woods to collect firewood for the ball as well as the Tear of Astharsa. Once this was explained to Jessica, her eyes lit up like a pair of torch staves.
"That's perfect!" Jessica smiled. Kiyoko immediately shuddered. Shakingly, she reached into her cloak and pulled out a sword.
"But I already have it." The girl pleaded, holding out her blade. "See?"
"Uhm, Kiyo…" Charlie said. "That's not the Tear, that's an Iron Sword that has the name 'Astharsa' written on the hilt with a crayon. Besides, it won't be that bad."
"I have to agree with Kiyoko on this one." Alan said. "If that guy goes crazy again, we'll be dead."
"Ahh, but that's where my Genius comes in."
Everyone turned to look at the tactician.
"I'm going to have the Pegasus sisters and Sain go along with you two and Karel." Jessica explained. "Oh and Kiyo, keep a note of how many times Sain flirts with you or any of the girls."
"Mew? Okay…." Kiyoko said, slightly confused. "Why though?"
"Easy." Jessica said calmly. "Karel's job is to keep Sain from hitting on the girls. For every time Sain hits on a girl, Karel has to eat a pound of my pudding."
Immediately, Pent, Louise, Canas and Dorcas cringed, their faces twisted into a look between pity and disgust. The tactician just glared at the four. The Silent Springs residents, however, noticed the looks of pure revolt Jessica received, and decided that making Karel eat pudding might not be such a lame punishment.
"Oh, and can I use your kitchen Charlie?" The tactician added. "I need to make pudding. Oh and make sure you have these ingredients." She handed the innkeeper a list. Charlie took one look at the list of ingredients and flinched. He held back the urge to puke. Fae, being a curious chef, took the list from Charlie. As soon as she saw it though, she wished that she had kept her curiosity under check.
"Are you making pudding or fertilizer!" Fae asked incredulously. "Since when did anybody put charred pork fat into pudding!"
Jessica shrugged and took the list from the paling girl. She turned back to Charlie, waiting for his answer.
Charlie took a few deep breaths to clear the queasiness in his stomach before nodding. "Yeah… I have the stuff…. I don't group them together, and some of them are stored in biohazard, but I'll help you dig it up."
At this point, everyone else who didn't see the list or didn't already know about the young girl's pudding began to feel uneasy. Jessica however, just smiled and nodded.
"Okay, now that that's settled… tell me about this ball." Jessica's evil smirk tripled in size.
The Silent Springs residents gulped and exchanged weary glances. Nobody wanted to speak, in fear of what Jessica may plan. Finally, through a silent game of rock paper scissors played in the eyes, Lulu was chosen (or rather, she had lost) to explain.
The Silent Springs ball was a dance held every Christmas Eve, (which in this case gave Jessica three days to plot to her heart's content). The dance is open to all couples and single males over the age of 13. Nobody really knows why girls can't go alone, but it seems that the ancestors of Silent Springs felt that if a girl went alone, every free guy there would mob her.
Jessica's eyes continued to widen with glee as Lulu's explanation came to a close. By the end, the tactician was shaking with sinister laughter. Unfortunately for all those concerned, she wasn't quite ready to share what was making her so devilishly happy. So with a wink and a final maniacal laugh, Jessica bid everyone farewell and went her merry way up the stairs.
Pent looked at Jessica for a while, before turning to everyone else. "Okay, who's scared?"
All those present raised their hands.
"I think we should keep an eye on her…" Canas noted. "The booze, the anti-dote plus the blind fury she was feeling a while ago might be clouding her judgement."
"Yeah, I don't want anybody to get hurt." Louise agreed.
On that final note, everyone nodded and the residents bid their last farewell before setting off on the long path towards home.
The walk out of the main town was rather silent and subdued. Everyone had their own versions of what Jessica was plotting, from a innocent and rather cute version by fae, to a violent and possibly fatal one from Lulu, to a… mountain of pocky from Kiyoko.
When the group passed the temple, they shuddered once again, fearing what the place would look like after the dance. Just then, Charlie remembered something. He looked around cautiously, before remembering his two targets had no clue what Operation GAAKTFTB was.
"Hey, does anybody want to help with Operation GAAKT-"
"No Charlie." Sonia screeched, not wanting to hear the unholy word again.
"Operation…wha?" Alan asked.
"GAAKTFTB."
"What's that?"
Charlie sweated. "Err…nothing you need to know…so anyone want to help?"
"Remember what happened last year?" Sonia asked. "You got tossed off the cliff…TWICE."
"So? Come on, what do you say?"
Brian and Kate shrugged. "Eh, sure, we'll help with GAAKTFTB. At least it'll amuse us."
"Again, am I the ONLY one who can't pronounce GAAKTerf… GAAKTUFB…. Gaktosy lkwherlk gah, whatever the hell it is?"
"Yes Sonia." Lulu said. "Now be quiet. What do you want to do this year?"
"Think Jessica."
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
"Err…Jessica?" Samantha asked tentatively.
"Astharsa."
"What about Astharsa?" Kate asked. "You're not making sense."
Charlie glanced at Alan and Kiyoko. Alan was still hopelessly confused while the girl was walking along in pocky bliss. Charlie gritted his teeth and motioned towards the pair with his head.
"Astharsa…"
"I'm still not following you." Lulu said. "And yes, we know you think this is madness Sonia, shut up."
The eldest sister quickly shut her mouth, cursing herself to be predictable. Charlie on the other hand, kept grunting out Astharsa and motioning towards Alan and Kiyoko. Finally, Brian put two and two together.
"Oh gods… you're not…" He trailed off when Charlie gave him a devious smile.
"Okay, do you get it now? Because I'm still lost." Kate said. Lulu and Fae agreed while Samantha followed her brother's thoughts and had a shocked look plastered to her face.
"Yes." Brian said. "Think… Astharsa, B… Karel."
Slowly, the sisters and Kate understood. They looked at Charlie.
"Please tell us it won't be dangerous."
Charlie shrugged. "Eh, it shouldn't. But I'm thinking that if we tamper with the snow, the path and the signs a bit, we can separate certain parties."
"What are you guys talking about?" Alan cut in.
"Nothing!"
"Right…" Alan was still suspicious, but he knew that his friends wouldn't tell.
"Do you think it'll work?" Brian asked once the archer got out of their business.
"I'm hoping it'll work." Charlie said. "I'll go tamper with the signs."
"Alright." Kate said. "Well be lookouts. Hope this time it actually works."
"Yeah…" Charlie groaned as he remembered his teacher. "It better."
Suddenly, Kiyoko's pocky was stashed. Two glinting daggers cut through the air and embedded themselves into the snow near a moving hedge.
"You know mister…" Kiyoko said ominously. "You really don't have to stalk us if you want to walk Sammy home."
"Well, sorry." Matthew said. "Could you be less threatening next time?"
Kiyoko gathered her daggers and went back into pocky bliss, ignoring the thief. Samantha, much to Brian's dismay, quickly took his arm and leaned against him happily. The rest of the walk was made in silence, but it didn't take a moron to sense the seething suspicion Brian had for the man who was currently the object of his sister's affections, nor did it take a genius to figure out that the rest of the group (sans the little girl who was in pocky heaven) felt a great unease, fearing that violence may break out in any moment.
Finally, after what seemed like eons, the group finally reached their little cul-de-sac. Alan bade everyone farewell and walked further down the street to his little community. Matthew on the other hand, gave Samantha a brief peck and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Brian to protectively herd his sister into the house. And finally, to nobody's surprise, Kiyoko followed Charlie into his house, and proceeded to take over everything from the heater to the bed.
In the middle of the night, Sonia was suddenly woken up by a loud screech. Thinking it was her imagination, she rolled over, and tried to sleep again, until another loud yell pierced the air. This time, it woke her sisters too.
"What was that?" Fae asked.
"Sounded like it came from Charlie's house." Lulu said. "Lets go check it out."
The sisters crawled out of bed, finding Kate on the doorstep of the innkeeper as well.
"You girls hear it too?" Kate asked.
The sisters nodded grimly. Together, the four girls entered the house, and found everything to be in a rather pristine and neat fashion (for a guy at least). Confused, the girls searched the house, and found nothing to be out of order, broken, destroyed, on fire, or covered in blood. Then, just when they were about to leave, Kate called from the bedroom.
In the bedroom was one of the cutest sights the girls have ever seen. Kiyoko was bundled up in the bed, while Charlie was in a chair by the bed, hunched over and asleep. Her hand was grasped tightly in his. Not wanting to ruin the moment, the girls snuck away. However, their cursory glance failed to catch the hypodermic needle that Charlie's other hand clutched, nor did it catch the nasty welt forming on the innkeeper's forehead.
From the balcony though, a sandy haired thief snuck away, chortling at the scene he just saw.
"Oy, that was interesting." Matthew said smiling. In his hand, he held one of Samantha's magical cubes, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within to be exact. Samantha had taught him how to record with it, and Matthew knew that he had just done the world a great service by recording over the horrible torturous movie, with scenes from Charlie's attempt to tranquilize Kiyoko.
As Matthew walked back to the inn, one thought plagued his mind. He knew that Charlie was up to something, and it most likely involved his tactician, Karel, and the upcoming winter ball, but Matthew, for the life of him, could not get what "Operation GAAKTFTB" was… nor could he pronounce the blasted word as fluently as the innkeeper could.
Shrugging, he decided to just sit back and watch. It was sure to be interesting. As these thoughts danced through his head, Matthew entered the in and climbed the stairs to his room. Once there, he thought of nothing but a good night's sleep.
Unfortunately for him, Jaffar had locked and barricaded the door.
"…Ahh…great." Matthew groaned. He went downstairs and looked at the couch, feeling the bite of the cold weather. It had begun to snow outside.
'It's going to be one interesting night.'
Just as he drifted off to dreamland, a certain tactician cackled evilly in her sleep.
Matthew had no idea how interesting things were about to become.
Charlie: Wow, I can't believe I actually finished. Uhm anyways, I don't think writing this while listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack is good... eh, oh well. Okay, I'm gonna be a tad busy with a research project, then I have a trip to Yosemite. So I might get another update out by next week… then it'll be another two weeks. Sorry, but I just don't have internet up in Yosemite (nor will I have a computer.)
So yar, until later.