And I'm back, a little later than I would have liked but after dealing with all the curveballs life thrown my way, I have finally finished chapter 2 of this story as ready as it'll ever be. a lightly different take on the chapter in my previous story attempt but should still stand out.
Anyway guys and gals, you know the drill. If you enjoy this chapter and want to see more, don't forget to show your support by following and favouriting this story and leave a review of what you thought, what you liked, what could be improved etc. and most importantly, don't forget to recommend this to your fellow readers and writers, the more, the merrier.
"I don't get it", Carly sat stunned at her monitor, "I've looked at every possible location, and they're all a red herring".
The reporter slumped over her desk in defeat, turning her head slightly to see clock ever ticking closer into the afternoon.
"At this rate, I'll never find Beguiler's whereabouts", she felt close to pulling her hair out, more so upon hearing a notification on her monitor, an incoming call marked Angela.
As much as she hated the rival reporter, Carly knew it might be necessary. With slight hesitation, she accepted the call. On-screen appeared the woman, snarling smile and actively flaunting her long, blonde hair and pale red suit.
"How's the weather, Carmine?" Angela sarcastically asked.
"What do you want, Angela?" Carly enquired with slight annoyance.
"Heard you took a beating last night at the Night Market", Angela slyly smirked, "guess you didn't learn your lesson the first time around."
"You were the one to shove me", Carly began to tick with anger.
"oh please, the world of reporting is as cutthroat as dueling, you need to be ready for anything", Angela ignored her comment, "Besides, you expect yourself to interview someone like Jack Atlas yet you can't even deal with some nobody foreigner".
"Beguiler, isn't some nobody", the trifocal wearer burst in anger, almost a fury, "she's a talented person who I..."
Carly stopped mid-sentence, realising what she was about to say, her ticking anger slowly beginning to fade. Thankfully do her, Angela didn't seem to notice.
"I've heard the rumours, that whoever beats her gets what they want", Angela crossed her arms in seeming victory, "And those who lose must do their bidding, isn't that right Carmine?"
Carly felt herself fuming again but paused when a particular object caught her attention. The purple handkerchief Beguiler gave her the night before. An idea formed in her head, devious but maybe just enough.
"Do you realise how many people owe her big time..." the duelist smirked slyly.
Angela blinked for a moment, "from the rumours I heard, close to a few hundred citywide... Mostly commoners and business owners."
"And who do you think just gained access to a city-wide network of contacts" Carly confidently finished, bordering Arrogance
Angela blinked a couple more times, her face expressing anger upon the gears clicking and turning.
"That's not fair! I worked so much harder than you and you just..." The rival reporter fumed.
"Anyway, thanks for the friendly pep talk, but I must get going, and have a good evening Angela", Carly smirked, eyes lit behind her glasses.
"This isn't over Carmine. I'll get you for..." Angela's rant ceased with the call losing connection, temporarily blessing the room with a pleasant silence.
Carly relaxingly sighed, rocking back in her chair, "I can't believe I just did that", she pondered, "and with how good that felt, despite..."
The reporter paused momentarily, refocused on the handkerchief. She examined it, noticing a small stream of text stitched into the fabric's edges but didn't understand any of it.
"The Neck's favour will aid you in your search for me", Carly recalled the performer's words.
That moment sparked a thought in her. Beguiler is Scandinavian, and the Neck is most likely, well probably related in some way. Carly hastily typed on her computer, the search revealing that the Neck, or Nøkk as it was pronounced, refers to a Swedish folk tale of a water spirit who lured people to drown in streams. While indeed grim, a further search revealed that there were rumours and stories of an old abandoned cemetery by the coast facing satellite, a place supposedly haunted by the ghosts of those drowned during the Zero Reverse incident. While indeed a stretch, the reporter knew this was the best lead she has, the only problem that no one has officially been able to find the cemetery, from land or sea.
Carly peaked back to the stitched script in the handkerchief. Scandinavian wasn't exactly a language she was familiar with, or rather, it wasn't even a single language, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and probably others she'd missed were a family of languages that weren't her forte.
Opening up her translation program, the reporter proceeded to punch in the script and enabling the options for 'detect language' and 'translate to local'. What came, however, was an uncomfortable mix of gibberish and misplaced words. Mentally slapping herself for thinking it would be easy, Carly proceeded to try each of the languages that fell under the Scandinavian family tree. Each result again, a mix of gibberish and misplaced words.
The raven-haired woman looked over all of her previous results, noticing a few commonalities and mentions of the 'Neckar', "friendless' and 'fate'. Still, even then, there was no hope in hell she was going to get it right on a single language. Looking back over the stitched writing in the handkerchief, Carly felt herself growing desperate and individually checked each word in the translator to find out how it was pronounced and slapped each word into a Frankenstein of a sentence, having her computer play it through the speakers.
Much to her surprise, the handkerchief slightly vibrated in response to the computer-generated sentence but nothing else of note. Playing the mix of pronunciation again to confirm what she witnessed, the violet cloth piece repeated its vibration but again no other effects. Carly looked back to the handkerchief, dreading the possibility.
Pulling herself together, Carly brought the cloth up to her screen. It was long, awkward and full of studders; she had to stop and start a couple of times again upon realising the error she made. Hoping the third time was the charm, the reporter willed herself to finish, hoping for a similar result.
Her hard work was rewarded with a heavier vibration and a flash of light, knocking Carly off her chair. A combination of shock, wonder and a hint of fear plastered her face as the handkerchief floated to the centre of the room, hovering in place. A few moments passed before the woman heard a light, playful laughter echo through the room.
"Huh? Who's there?" Carly questioned, looking frantically all over.
An invisible slurp to her face knocked off the reporter's trifocal glasses, forcing her to scramble for them. Carly managed to find and slot on her glasses. However, just when her day couldn't get any weirder, she noticed a blue, ghostly dog playfully licking and snuggling up to her, as well as a small feminine figure dressed in black and white robes, floating in the air, clutching the handkerchief.
"that's enough", the girl spoke softly but with a command, prompting the ghostly dog to step away from Carly, leaping up onto the desk.
Carly pulled herself onto her feet, locking eyes with the girl before her. The girl smiled, folding the handkerchief in her arms. The duelist went to speak, only to watch in horror as the girl tossed the folded cloth to the dog, gripping it with its jaws. The duo quickly bolted, disappearing through the wooden door.
"Hey get back here!" Carly panicked, grabbing her bag and deck before frantically running slamming through the door
The reporter chased the duo through the building, dangerously down a steep stairs flight and breaking into the outside world. She chased the little ghostly thieves through the district, the former too pre-occupied to notice a few watching people look over, wondering what had overcome the girl. They eventually shrugged and went back to their business.
Carly continued her pursuit of the ghostly duo across the commoner district. Chasing the little thieves across several streets big and small, down through the sewer, up into a shopping mall and only briefly questioning why she was doing this. Reaching the waterway just off the docks, the reporter gave herself one last burst of speed, and without a care in the world, she dove at the pair. Despite completely sliding through the ghostly girl and dog, Carly managed to snatch back the purple handkerchief. Still, with her stamina drained, she couldn't stop herself into colliding into a row of scaffolding, painfully stopping her plummet into the sea.
"Ouch...", The trifocal wearer groaned as she pulled herself up, not registering the screams of a falling worker, nor the splash they made into the water below.
Carly looked up to see both the girl and dog watching her closely, expressing a look of concern for the reporter, an expression not shared by her. She pulled herself up, slowly approaching the duo.
"what's the big idea making me chase you across the city?" Carly held up the handkerchief, "and why did you..."
The piece of cloth began to vibrate again. This time, however, Carly could have sworn she felt it tug away from her. She glanced over to see in the direction was an old set of wooden doors out of place between the nearby buildings. She watched as the girl gave a couple of light knocks upon the entry. A few moments passed before one of the doors opening inwards. Emerging from the door was an older man wearing white ceremonial robes. He smiled upon seeing the girl and dog, allowing them to pass on through. His attention soon turned to the nervous woman.
"Um... Hi", Carly managed to get out before showing the handkerchief to the man, "Beguiler gave me this, she said she wanted to meet me here."
The old man took and carefully examined the handkerchief, "state your name... " he inquired in a gruff voice.
"I'm... Carly sir, Carly Carmine", she nervously stated.
The older man glanced back to Carly, his bearded face expressing little emotion.
"You may enter", he stepped aside.
Carly slowly passed through the doorway, taking only a few steps before reaching the opening out into a cemetery, the coast-side cemetery mentioned in her research. The ground and its pebble paths were unkept, grave markers and small shrines made of wood and stone dotted the field, covered with yew and moss, all surrounding a large stone brick well in the centre. Opposite to the reporter was an old dock, fully equipped with a couple of small storehouses and a small fishing boat, both of which had seen better days,
Despite the spookiness of the area, there was an undeniable beauty to it. Upon walking down, the reporter noticed the same girl and dog next to well, speaking to a feminine figure in a violet shirt and sword peaking over you.
"My, aren't you quite the forward one", a voiced called out from above and behind.
Carly turned around searching for the voice, looking up an oak tree to see a very familiar woman. Laying upon a branch high up was the warmly flamboyant Beguiler.
"I'm sorry?" Carly unsurely enquired
Beguiler dangled a silvery pocket watch from her fingers, glancing at the time, "an hour earlier than expected. Other reporters would envy you. Or maybe..."
The hooded Illusionist trailed off, facing back to the reporter, "maybe you wanted to watch the sunset with me, enhancing its beauty."
Carly blushed slightly, not expecting the woman's statement.
"I... I didn't think I would arrive this early given I had to chase a pair of little thieves from my place", Carly emitted a light sigh.
"Sister and Dogwood tend to do that", Beguiler pocketed her watch, glancing at the confused reporter, "you met them when you spoke the phrase".
"About that..." The reporter had to know, "... What did I witness back there?"
"Ghost Sister and Spooky Dogwood. A curious yet playful duo", the zombie duelist dropped from the tree, landing with an acrobatic roll, "they're spirits who interact with the world if they so wish"
"how's that even possible?" Carly ponded over the idea.
"various tales depict folk being able to give life to the spirits", Beguiler explained, "Psychics, Shamans, Magicians, you name it"
"And which are you?" Carly asked innocently.
"I've never been too sure on that myself", Beguiler admitted, a nonchalant expression across her face, "though I have been called a Witch or She-Devil more than once".
"By who?" Carly raised an eyebrow.
"Folk afraid of the supernatural, or whose dates are incapacitated by my charm", Beguiler trailed into a light twirl, "now before we forget, you did agree to help me with this evening."
"Oh right", Carly rubbed the back of her head, a hint of embarrassment showing.
"And for our first act of the evening, a trancing tale of two winsome lasses against the clutter known only as The Storeroom", Beguiler half-circled Carly in her twirl, "after which... we'll see".
"That'd..." a speck of nervousness dripped from the reporter.
"Don't be nervous my lady", Beguiler gestured towards the rightmost storeroom, the one in better condition, "I'll protect you from any unwanted guests."
Carly couldn't help but exhibit curiosity towards Beguiler. The reporter knew she was here for multiple reasons, although she couldn't help but want to be around the mysterious performer, almost as much as she wanted to be around Jack Atlas.
'oh my goodness, I completely forgot about Jack', Carly realised, 'but why am I thinking of him now? Is it because of..."
"Is everything alright, dear?" Beguiler gave a concerned look.
Carly broke herself from her train of thought, reminding herself of the task at hand, "I'm fine, just a little exhausted", the reporter expressed.
"A city-wide marathon can take it out of someone, but a great way to build endurance", Beguiler gave a small smile.
"Yeah..." The reporter played along, wandered across the cemetery with the performer.
Upon passing the trio of Sister, Dogwood and the violet shirted woman, Beguiler gave a bow, earning a gentle wave from the trio. Carly glanced over at the spirit, noticing a lightly ghostly hue emitting from around her.
"So... Everyone who resides with you are spirits?" Carly pondered
"Of course. That there is Squire, you met Swordmaster at the gate", Beguiler briefly gestured to the spirits, "they're part of the Shiranui ghost clan. There are others but these few like being up before sun dusk".
"There are more?" Carly face lit in surprise.
"Many more. Most of whom are friendly", Beguiler finished.
A few finishing moments passed before arriving at the right-most storeroom. Beguiler gracefully opened the doors, revealing shelf-covered walls and stacks of dusty crates around the room.
However, Carly stood there amazed, "I can see why you needed my help", she could only wonder what rested inside.
"A lot of this stuff has been here since before I moved in", Beguiler replied, "I'm not even sure about half it's contents".
Beguiler turned to the raven-haired reporter, "now Carly if you happen to find any loot, incriminating documents or radioactive material in here, could you please me let me know."
Carly raised an eyebrow, "radioactive material?"
"Exceptionally valuable on the market. You wouldn't believe how potent it is for making superhumans..." the performer spun inside facing her guest, "and scientists with anger issues."
"and the other items" Carly carelessly asked.
Beguiler went to speak but immediately caught on, "could get someone in trouble, if it fell into the wrong hands", her smile exposed a shred of nervousness.
Given the sudden change in speech, Carly knew she wasn't going to get any further with her immediate questions, at least at the moment. So, without a further ado, the reporter braved into the relatively safe unknown.
They spent a short while sorting through the crates between the two women, uncovering old bits of jewellery, clothing, and other gear that if sold today would be worth a small fortune. Moving onto the boxes, Carly stumbled a few times only to be graciously caught at the last second by Beguiler, her grip unusually cold but comforting. Still, she uncovered a wide range of long-lasting food, old gadgets, tiny parts and books covering various topics, as well as a couple of sets of roller stakes.
"Wish I had known I had these", Beguiler carefully examined one of the sets, a lovely orange shade, "I might have considered a star-lit duet instead of a backstage setup."
"I... I'm not too good with inlay skates", Carly carefully set a box down.
"I'd be more than happy to show you the ropes", Beguiler spun from one shelf to the next, sliding the skates in.
Carly carefully pulled free an old, large box marked 'pieces'. She lowered the box, taking a peek inside, the contents surprising her. Organised rows of Duel monster cards... lots and lots of them.
The performer leaned over, peeking over her fellow duelist's shoulder, seeing several rows of various cards.
"Now that's a first", Beguiler spoke with a smile, "never found any cards in here".
"Hey, do you mind if I..." Carly began as she turned back, witnessing the Necro-Beguiler quickly assemble a makeshift table and seats from the crates.
The raven-haired reporter stared across as Beguiler gave a mock confused look, "what are you waiting for?" she quickly asked.
"But... Um, didn't you say that..." Carly uncertainly began
"This is far more important than a clean storeroom", Beguiler interrupted with a playful twirl and smile, sliding herself onto a crate, "Besides, I did say I would help you".
Carly flabbergasted at the Scandinavian's sudden change of attitude. However, recalling Beguiler's words, she mildly shrugged, bringing the box of cards, releasing them onto the makeshift table. Within seconds both duelists scramble between the cards, sorting them out into piles.
"Standard cards, Synchros, Fusions, even Rituals are in here", Carly exclaimed slinging through the cards.
"Many of these cards are rare, some of them I've never seen before", Beguiler contemplated, a few cards in hand.
Among the cards, Carly latched onto one card in that she could not take her eyes off. The card was a synchro monster, baring a sorcerer's image wearing white and blue robes with orange underclothing. The reporter glanced over the seemingly low stats for a level 7 synchro but yet she felt as though there was a more profound power hidden within.
"Hey, Beguiler..." Carly yanked the performer's attention, "something feels weird about this card".
The hooded performer glanced over, taking the card, rubbing her gloved hand along the side, "Arcanite Magician. Like all magicians, her power can get stronger with the right energy".
The Necro-Beguiler felt a tug on the edge of her fingers, the card falling free on the third and landing in front of Carly.
"... And she seems to have taken an interest in you", she pointed out.
"This... is all confusing for me", Carly felt close to breaking down, "I always suspected that some things were not what they seemed, but even I never expected... "
"Expected what?" The zombie duelist enquired.
"All I wanted was to be the first to get an exclusive with Jack Atlas. Instead, I discover that the world is more bizarre than it seemed. Spirits, magic... all of this", Carly finished, glancing back down at the Arcanite Magician card.
"I know that feeling all too well. Reminds me of how I reacted when I first uncovered such madness, such potential", Beguiler trailed off to the side with her comment, soon refocusing on Carly, "so how about we take a break from sorting and try something more mundane yet more fun... such as deck building".
Carly looked dumbfounded at the flamboyant woman, "Deck Building? Like right now?"
"We've just uncovered a large collection of duel monsters cards", Beguiler casually reasoned, "we have an excellent opportunity to improve our decks, as well as ourselves".
Carly began to feel flabbergasted, "this is so much, so fast", sighing as she slumped onto the table, "I barely thought I had worked you out Beguiler, but now I don't know anymore".
Beguiler gave a light chuckle, pulling her deck free from her holster, slipping it onto the makeshift table, "not many do Glad Kolibri", she playfully said.
"Kolibri?" Carly looked up from the table of crates, unsure what it was about the name, but deep down, part of her liked the sound of it.
"Joyful Hummingbird", Beguiler locked her eyes with Carly's, "small yet agile, a bringer of love, good luck and happiness, a symbol of eternity who teaches us to embrace the moment, treasure it with a happy heart".
The reporter blushed deeply at Beguiler's compliment, not sure why. Carly knew how most people felt about herself and countless times she silently agreed with them, but here she was being told that she was many things that only a select few would say to her, that she wished would say to her.
"come on, let's enjoy ourselves."
The trifocal wearer hesitated for only a brief moment longer before seemingly succumbing to the Scandinavian's pleading words. The two women began going through the cards, their respective decks now deconstructed in front of them. Almost immediately, Carly noticed that Beguiler's deck structure was wacky with its mix of zombie and miscellaneous cards. The reporter did recognise two of the archetypes as 'Zombie World' and 'Shiranui'. Still, unlike most duelists' who run one or more archetypes and have almost every available card, the Mistress of Illusion's deck was designed to chain off either opposing cards or each other, almost weaponised. The longer she thought on it, the more she wasn't sure if Beguiler was toiling with her last night or if she was just that lucky to last more than 3 turns.
"your deck is quite... well designed", Carly managed to let out.
"It took me a while to assemble this deck. Not as good as it could be, but it got me through most of my performances."
"Also, I've meant to ask", Carly yanked Beguiler's attention, "I noticed that you frequently make references to performances and thespian arts, is there a reason for that?"
"When you spend enough time on stage, and with travelling gypsies, you tend to think as though everything is an act", the Scandinavian glanced across, seeing her guest's cards. "I can see you fancy your Fortune Fairies quite a bit, even some fantastic combos to go with but..."
"but what?"
"your deck is more for causal play", Beguiler tried to be as gentle as possible with her guest, "don't get me wrong. Your Fortune Fairies are good, but three of every fortune fairy card is a bit excessive."
"what's wrong with that?"
"First, you can't normally have more than one Miracle Stone active. Second, I'm surprised you didn't draw into any duplicates during our duel. With twenty-seven cards out of your deck taking up space, it's breathtakingly difficult to believe that you got the cards needed to pull a trio of reversals on me."
"I.. I'm sorry", Carly frowned, tipping her head down to the table.
"sh... I didn't mean it like that", Beguiler realised her mistake, assuming a softer tone, "We all have room for improvement, no matter how big or small the task."
"Easy for you to say, you skillfully outplayed me at every step during our duel, you literally could do anything you wanted", Carly kept her head down, "I'm a clumsy, low-life who doesn't deserve to call herself a reporter. I couldn't even get the one thing I wanted and..."
"Carly..." Beguiler's hands left her cards, a sombre look on her face, "you might not see yourself as an excellent reporter, but you are a wonderful person. You have displayed initiative when others would rather bend over and wait for their opportunity. You seized the moment, and despite the setbacks, you always managed to pull through".
The reporter paused a moment at the performer's thoughts, unsure of what to think.
"For the longest time, even when I discovered my talents and abilities, I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to be", Beguiler gently but firmly poured, "I spent countless days in my own dark night of the soul, unsure of the answer."
Carly slowly began to raise her head, soaking all the words she was hearing.
"At the end of the day, I enjoyed everything I did as a performer and struggled on. I eventually took a leap of faith, incorporating my dueling and performance skills and was rewarded for my persistence. One thing led to another, and now I have an entire network of contacts, possibly too many fans and one inspirational but lengthy monologue", Beguiler lightly jested, a sweet and comforting smile on full display.
"You make it sound so easy", the reporter trailed.
"we'd both be out of a job if they were easy", The Mistress of Illusions gave a cheeky wink, "but as someone who had stepped to the dance before, I'm more than willing to help an admirable lass such as yourself achieve your dream."
Lightly blushing, it gave Carly a moment to think. She enjoyed the lifestyle of a reporter, despite the problems that came with it and interviewing men of mystery. Angela also struggled and failed to interview Jack Atlas, and she was willing to play underhanded. It didn't take a genius for the raven-haired reporter to recognise that conventual means were out of the question. There was only one kind of person who had any hope of getting close to the Turbo King and maybe, just maybe, succeed.
"There aren't many reporters out there who could do more than aspire to get close to Jack",
Beguiler smiled with an eyebrow raised, eager to hear the reporter's words.
"yet a duelist with serious recognition would easily get his attention."
"an interesting idea. Such a feat would take months, if not years, to accomplish for someone just starting out. If only we knew someone who had the contacts needed to speed things along", the illusionist played along.
Getting the hint, Carly continued, "if you are interested Beguiler, I would like your help getting close to Jack Atlas, and constructing the deck needed."
"I'd be honoured to aid you Lady Kolibri", Beguiler playfully got up, giving a bow to the reporter.
Carly blushed lightly, glancing back at the cards in front of her, shifting back and forth between them and her deconstructed deck, ready to make something of herself.
Half an hour passed since the two women began rebuilding the reporter's deck. It took a few back-and-forth shuffles before they agreed on the cards that would become Carly's deck. Confident that she was ready, the Raven-haired duelist stepped out into the cemetery, the sun only having just vanished beneath the shoreline. A few of the zombie-type duel spirits turned to face her from amongst the gravestones. Despite the feeling of intimidation lurking in the back of her mind, Carly stood her ground.
"you ready?" Beguiler joined her, a leather satchel over her shoulder.
"ready as I'll ever be", her companion responded.
The Mistress of illusions took a few steps forward, putting two fingers to her lips, giving a whistle. A cloud of silvery mist swirled into existence on the far side of the seaside cemetery, emerging from it came a large, cut-out pumpkin carriage pulled by the fiendish form of Nightmare Horse, dashing at a ridiculous speed. Approaching the gathered spirits, the hooded driver pulled back on the reins, the horse and carriage screeching to a halt, stopping just in front of Carly and Beguiler, the former more spooked than confident.
The purple-robed driver turned to the pair, removing their hood to reveal a skull with glowing red eyes, although expressing a humble face.
"Good Evening Mistress, may I ask what business you have this lonely night?" Spirit reaper asked in a classy voice
"Just taking my friend here to the Hall of Façades."
'Friend?' Carly couldn't help but wonder.
The Skeleton turned his attention to the nervous reporter, eyeing her, "so you're the girl who I've heard about on the Mistress' return? I dare say she chose quite well" he glanced over Carly, "the name's Spirit Reaper."
"I... I'm Carly."
"well miss Carly, as long as the mistress is with you, I'm happy to take you wherever you need."
"well, we should get a move on then", Beguiler interjected, strolling up to the pumpkin carriage, "No actor likes being late to their own show."
The performer wrapped her gloved hands around the handle, opening the door in a swift motion, "after you M'lady", she faced Carly, gesturing inside.
Carly stepped up, climbing up into the warm interior of the carriage. Beguiler followed suite, closing the door behind her.
"The Hall of Facades? I can only wonder who you're meeting with" Spirit Reaper quandaries to no one in particular.
Turning his attention back to the front, he pulled free a rugged but ever so stylish top hat. With a quick flick of the reins, nightmare horse began pulling the carriage through the spirit-filled cemetery, up the hill and out the opened gates, the severe form of Shiranui Swordmaster giving a slight nod before closing the gates, leaving the carriage to carry on through the streets of Neo Domino.
"so, what exactly is the Hall of Facades?" Carly enquired of her companion.
"A lovely place where misfits and wanderers gather to share stories and favours. I've been a few times and turned in six favours already, before tonight anyway."
"and who exactly are we going to meet?"
"A roguish man by the name of Chunta Echoweave" Beguiler explained, lounging back in the leather seat, "He's the one we need to talk to get the show started"
"What kind of man is he?" her fellow passenger wondered.
"He's a tribal from out west, good with 'outsiders', a trickster at heart but maintains a confident expression around people. Like myself, he has some level of mystical power. Fancies himself a divinator, watching everyone like a swarm of vultures". The illusionist glanced out the window, passing by the docks, "If he doesn't know we're coming, I don't know who would"
"Is there anything else I should expect?", Carly enquired in her soft voice.
"He runs the Hall of Façade as his own masquerade party. He won't dare let you approach him unless you play the part", Beguiler spread her arms out along her seat, eyeing the reporter, "Mingle with the guests, enjoy some cake, hit it up on the dance floor."
"dance floor?" Carly express a hint of nervousness
"You like to dance?"
"A little. I went to a dance school years ago but... no one would dance with me", the reporter hung her head.
"that's just terrible", the Mistress of illusions showed a caring frown, "I can only imagine how jealous your classmates would be once you proved your skills better than theirs."
Carly emitted a blush, a mixture of embarrassment and delight, hearing those words. It had been a while, and she lacked practice but felt she'd be able to do it.
"Which reminds me. You'll need an attire appropriate. Don't want to stand out of place", Beguiler reached underneath her seat, pulling free a large bag, pushing it over to her companion, "I think this is more your size."
Carly rested the bag at her feet, peaking inside, blushing upon seeing the contents, "Beguiler, I can't possibly wear this."
"sure, you can. You'd be a dead drop gorgeous and no one, not even Chunta, would be sure if it were you" the performer gave puppy dog eyes, "if not for your endeavour, for me?"
Carly wanted to protest further, but no words came out. Admittedly a rather bold move given the clothing she discovered and if by some chance someone she knew (and possibly didn't like), they wouldn't recognise her. On a side note, the evening wasn't over yet, and Beguiler could quickly remind the trifocal wearer of their deal.
Seeing her companion fully pull out the outfit, Beguiler let out a smile of delight. She briefly peered out the window, catching sight of a falcon flying alongside the carriage. Shaking her head in disappointment, the performer banged above the window seal twice, curtains drawing across all windows in the pumpkin carriage.
The falcon let out an upsetting cowl, or at least it did before smashing headfirst into a glass door, splatting wide upon the transparent pane before comically slumping down to the ground, the carriage vanishing from sight.
The moon shined high above the sky, competing with the building lights for illuminating the streets. The carriage pulled by Nightmare Horse trended along the streets, slowly going from well looked after to have seen better days. The horse and pumpkin carriage slowed down on Spirit Reaper's command, pulling up in front of a large, dilapidated yet unassuming building.
The top hat and robed skeleton leapt down, opening the carriage door facing the building. First out was the flamboyant, warm coloured figure of the Necro-Beguiler, a smile plastered on her white makeup face. She turned back to the carriage opening, "we're here, Carly."
Carly nervously called from the carriage, "I'm still not entirely sure about this outfit. It's rather..."
"I know you have stage fright right now, but I can assure you you're..."
Beguiler stopped midsentence, seeing her companion step out. Carly's stepped out wearing a set of Violet robes with orange stripes which left her midriff exposed, a matching short cape and miniskirt and a matching set of fingerless gloves and boots which hugged her limbs. A hood had been drawn over her head, and her signature trifocal glasses had been replaced with contacts.
Both Beguiler and the present form of Spirit Reaper were lost for words, the latter so surprised that his jaw slid loose, dropping to the ground. Carly couldn't help but cover her mouth, suppressing a chuckle with both hands. The carriage driver quickly picked up his jaw, lodging it back into place.
"anyway", the top hat reaper turned to Beguiler, "will you need me to stick around mistress?"
"hang about nearby; I'll call you if we need to make an earlier stage left", the Mistress of illusions reached to her waist, pulling free her deck.
"If there's nothing else, enjoy your evening ladies", Reaper climbed back onto the driver's seat, tipping his hat before commanding Nightmare Horse to trundle along, pulling the carriage off into the night.
"Is this all really necessary?" Carly held out her arms
"like I said. Chunta won't let us approach him unless we play the part", Beguiler went through her cards, earning a hint of confusion from the reporter.
"what are you doing?"
"picking out tonight's costume", the performer pulled free a card of Necroworld Banshee.
Beguiler's hands and cyan facial marks began glowing along with the card with the flick of the wrist. Carly watched in amazement as the Scandinavian's flamboyant attire warped into a loose white dress, her fuzzy orange hair seemingly growing long, flowing and a silvery purple with a few rogue strands of orange on the inside. The white makeup seemed to dissolve away, leaving behind the curved cyan markings.
Carly's cheeks lit up red, warming at the sight of her companion in the ghostly attire. Now the reporter wasn't going to deny how beautiful the Scandinavian woman was in her ghostly girl attire, but she already had a crush on someone else.
Quickly snapping out of her trance, the violet robed woman glanced past to the large but seemingly rundown building, "so... this is the place you mentioned",
"doesn't look like much from out here, but neither does the duo Beguiler and Kolibri", the performer gave a wink, approaching the double wooden doors.
The ghostly-dressed illusionist produced a small forked key engraved in silver, slotting it into a lock hidden by the boards seemingly nailed to the frame. As the doors opened inwards, a bright silvery light began creeping out upon the floor in front of them.
Once Carly managed to get a peek inside, she began to swear her eyes were ready to bulge out.
Unlike the building's outer walls, the inside was huge and extravagant the floors, walls and balconies adorned in colours, patterns, and textures that would make even an aristocrat jealous. The music of a victorian orchestra echoed throughout the area. What caught Carly's attention was the varying contrasts in Old-fashioned and exotic clothing styles,
Some wore suits and dresses three centuries old. Others wore a mixture of furs and exotic garments that suggested a more nomadic or tribal linage. Other than everyone being well-dressed, the one similarity between everyone being they had a mask, hood or another facial feature making it challenging to discern who was underneath.
"Welcome to the Hall of Facades" Beguiler stepped inside, gesturing for Carly to do the same.
"Just when I thought my life couldn't get any weirder", The reporter muttered under her breath, following the ghostly woman inside.
Upon stepping inside, the doors closed behind them, a muffled click reaching their ears.
"So where are we supposed to find Chunta in here?"
"he won't step on stage until we play our part. Until then, let's enjoy ourselves" Beguiler gently reminded her, "and maybe keep direct dialogue to a minimum."
Understanding what needed to be done, Carly gave a slight nod. The two women strolled further into the room, intermingling with a few of the crowds. The reporter often had to interact with individuals or small groups as part of her job, but that was to get information. Her curious side got the better of her, and she began asking some general questions to a couple of the Victorian folk at received glances and deflections. Much to her relief, Beguiler stepped in a few moments after each attempt, smoothly talking with them to the point they forgot about Carly.
A good fifteen or so minutes passed with no success and Carly wandered over to buffet table, hoping some food and drink would help improve her mood, especially as she sort of skipped dinner again.
"This really isn't how I hoped things would be going" Carly pours herself a cup of steaming hot tea just as her companion re-joins her.
"it's a new stage for you. It takes time and practice to get used to" Beguiler reassured the reporter.
"But I didn't think I'd screw up as bad as I did."
"I know how curious you are, the spark that every good reporter has, but sometimes, you should consider the feelings of others before your own"
Carly took a deft sip of her tea, "how so?"
Beguiler leaned back against the table, gazing upon the crowds of people going about their business, "Most folks are either suspicious or selfish, but will gladly jabber their lips once they're relaxed."
"so just talk to them? "
"talk with folk, watch their tone and manners, listen to their problems. Even if you don't get what you want, karma is your ally."
A trio of bells echoes through the hall, catching the attention of everyone. A few couples amongst the crowds began approaching the dance floor in the centre of the room.
"sounds like the dance is about to begin" Beguiler gently pushed herself from the table, turning to Carly, "and I'd be delighted if you could join me, Glad Kolibri."
Carly's face turned red at the suggestion, "I... I'm not sure, I mean we're... "
"In a place like this, it's not unusually for two friends to share a dance... Besides", Beguiler leaned in a whisper, "I have confidence in you, Kolibri."
If they didn't have a reason for taking part in the dancing, Carly would have been too embarrassed to try. It was a long time since Dance School, and she was lucky to get what she could with little to no support. There was no way the reporter trusted herself to keep together, but the Mistress of Illusions did, she must have given she called her a friend. She couldn't explain it, but the Carly felt she could do this.
Hesitating for just a moment, Carly held out her hand, trying to play the part, "I'd... be honoured if you shared this dance... with me."
A plastered but genuine smile stared back at the violet robed duelist, "It would be my pleasure", Beguiler graciously takes Carly's hand.
To Carly, her companion's hand felt chilling but not uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if Beguiler was actually cold or if the illusionist's current ghostly costume made her think so. Regardless, Carly strolled with Beguiler over to the dance floor, the taller woman having gently wrapped her arm around her companion's the hands still holding. While the two did receive an odd glance from the occasional partygoer, it was only for a brief moment.
As the various couples began dancing, Beguiler slid her free hand underneath Carly's arm, clutching her upper back, offering a gentle smile. Despite the surprise, the reporter slid her free arm across, resting on the performer's shoulder, as she fixed up her own posture. Noting the calm pace the gathered crowd was current at, the pair begin stepping to the slow beat.
It was somewhat comforting for Carly. She did misstep a couple of times, but that was due to lack of practice rather than her own clumsiness, and with Beguiler helping her whenever she slipped up, the hooded reporter felt happy in one of these rare moments. Although, the only thing that really bothered Carly was that she wasn't doing it with Jack, then again, would he even be able to dance this slowly?
The tempo began to pick up, and each couple slowly became more energetic in their movements. The ghostly performer pulled Carly into a spin, twirling her with refined elegance.
"Enjoying yourselves, ladies?" a gravelly voice enquired.
Both costumed duelists turned mid-dance, locking eyes with an unusual looking man dancing with a just as wily woman. The man wore a rough, sleeveless fur coat with many belts and pouches around his waist. An array of tattoos and tribal warpaint marked his tanned arms, and a hood rested atop his head, the natural shadows blocking the upper half of his smiling face. Dancing with him was a fair-skinned woman in a clinging velvet red corset with a brushy tail poking out the back, bushy brown hair with what looked like bunny ears poking out the top and wearing a woven rabbit facemask.
"we're... doing fine thanks", Carly slid her feet across a step-in tune.
The bunny girl briefly looked over the hooded reporter before glancing over to ghostly performer, "So... New Girlfriend, Beguiler?" she enquired with a sassy tone.
Emitting a barely noticeable blush, Beguiler looked over to the hooded man before back to the bunny girl, "new boyfriend... Samantha?" she smirked in her mimic, earning an embarrassed look.
"Now now ladies, they'll be time for catfighting later" the Tribal man interjected, twirling Samantha in dance, "but I am curious about your friend here if she'd be inclined to introduce herself."
Carly went to speak but hesitated momentarily. Given the man's choice of garments and mannerisms, she had a reasonably good guess this man was Chunta. Even though it looked like she played the part, the reporter couldn't help but think there was more to it.
"I'm Lady Kolibri. I don't believe we've met mister...?"
"oh, I think you already know that", the man turned from Carly to Beguiler, "And given who taught her, I must say she did well for her first time."
"Kolibri did the work. I just gave her the nudge."
"And you were right", he turns back to Carly, "when you both entered, I had to rescan to make sure."
"so, you knew we're coming... and what was said?" the purple-robed reporter inquired, her suspicions certain.
"My Chunta isn't a divinator for nothing", Samantha chimed in, twirling in step.
"you wish..." the tribal man snarked just as the tempo began to slow down, the dancers around the four matching its speed, "perhaps after this dance you ladies can join in my office to discuss business."
"I think I would like that", Carly slowly spins in her companion's arms, "and I'm nearing my limit for dancing."
"could've fooled me", Samantha looked over the reporter, "given how considerate your girlfriend is, looked like you were enjoying it."
Carly's face deepened red, almost squealing to the bunny girl, "Beguiler's not my girlfriend", she barely kept her voice down.
Carly didn't see this, but the performer's face expressed a slight hint of disheartenment upon hearing the statement, stopping their dancing. In contrast, Samantha adopted a smirk, almost sadistic, grin upon seeing Beguiler's face.
"that's enough Samantha", the bunny girl's face instantly dropped upon hearing Chunta's disapproving voice, he immediately let's go of her, "while I tolerate you rivalry, this is no way to act around a new guest, a potential business partner."
After some hesitation, Samantha looked like she was going to apologise but seemed too embarrassed for any words to escape her lips.
Turning back to Carly, Chunta calmly spoke, "would you prefer to join me privately now, give you some time to vent?"
"i..."
"don't worry about me", Beguiler softly spoke to her partner, "I'm sure we'll finish our dance at a later date."
Giving a light nod, Carly let go of the Scandinavian performer, facing the tribal man, "lead the way."
Chunta's smile remained present from underneath the shadowy hood, signalling the reporter to follow. The two disappeared up a set of stairs and into a set of double doors encrusted with silver and diamonds, leaving the dancers and the two apparent rivals to bicker.
In case anyone wondered, I took elements from both chapter 2 and 3 of my previous story, rewrote and added some parts and managed to produce this. There were several things I wanted to put in thanks to the increased word count I have given myself but quickly discovered how little room I actually had to work with.
I mostly did away with the inquisition trio given I felt they didn't really add much to the plot but kept Chunta and Samantha as I felt they at least worked for their roles, Chunta willing to conduct business and Samantha insisting on being a pain in the arse. as for the location, it's still a secret society, and I felt it was more fitting if Chunta was the one running the show.'
As for Beguiler, I initially thought I was pushing it by letting Beguiler loosely copy Necroworld Banshee's appearance but then reasoned it's not far fetched for an illusionist who mostly used duel monster cards to be able to duplicate and apply appearances upon themselves.
In retrospect for Carly, given they were attending what is effectively a mascarade, I thought to have Beguiler give her companion a rather outlandish costume, at least by Carly's standards, which I envisioned as her Dark signer outfit but a purple bordering violet instead of black while retaining the orange lining.
I acknowledge the pacing might appear a bit off but given out poor girl's track record, her whole life is a series of downs and occasional ups, and for once things seem to be relatively going well. Don't get me wrong, this won't be a walk in the park for her, she will struggle and triumph? you'll have to stick around for more
This is definitely a bit late but wanted to thank SmallFountainLily for the advice she gave me for this chapter, some of which I implemented, I really appreciate it despite us not getting off on the best foot the first time around.
thanks for reading and I'll see you later all on the net.