The Moonlight Court walked through the guild hall, lesser members making way for the five of them. They made their way to the center of the room, and stopped. Alice cleared her throat.
"Yo, midgets, guess what? You're actually going to be useful for once. We got a job that we need some people for," she began. The guild members looked around at each other nervously. She continued: "As you well know, we stand out a lot, and we need inside people for this job, since we only get paid if we cause as little destruction and commotion as possible.
So, some of you are going to have to come with us. If no one volunteers, I will pick the most shrimpy looking ones and drag you with us by force. Got it? Good," she said with a smirk.
"Two or three of you should do," Jax called out encouragingly, his fear of overstepping Alice significantly lessened over the two years they had been together.
"But make sure you're in good shape," Sara smiled softly. "I wouldn't want any of you getting hurt."
Tentatively, two young men stepped forward, trying not to meet the eyes of the mighty ice daemon.
"Lovely," Liselle purred.
"Be ready to go in front of the station tomorrow at seven sharp," Veribex instructed, his eyes sweeping over the tributes, judging their usefulness.
They nodded, and the rest of the guild looked at them in pity. The last time the Court needed help, the help didn't return.
The Court was made up of the five strongest in the guild: Alice the Snow Emperor, Sara the Priestess, Jax the Beast Master, Veribex the Sheik, and Liselle the Succubus. Frankly, only Alice embraced her title. She was a complete drama queen at heart. They were famous among the Magic Council, coming close to capture many times.
Sara broke off from the Court and smiled at the volunteers. As she began explaining the mission with a smile, the same thought came across the rest of the guild for the millionth time: she was out of place here.
If this guild was the moon, she was the sun. She brought illumination to the guild. If she left, it would collapse. She kept order among the guild, discouraging bullying and demanding synergy. There was talk she should be the next master, not her more violent counterpart, Alice.
Negotiations finished, The court left the guild hall, heading towards their private quarters. They had to go to bed early in order to be able to drag some of their more laconic teammates out of bed at such an early hour.
A solid night's sleep, eight cups of tea, screaming, and much mindless violence later, Veribex and Jax had managed to get the ladies up and running with only minor cuts and bruises, which was considered a success with the morning temperaments of all three of the girls. Even the docile Sara had left a nasty bite mark along Jax's arm from when he had attempted to draw her out from under the covers.
They made it to the station right on time, and seeing that the other guild members - Sara didn't know their names yet - boarded the train, hunkering down for a long ride.
Sara sat next to Alice of course, being in the middle with Jax on her other side.
Veribex stoically sat with the newcomers with Liselle on his lap, still half asleep.
The two newcomers looked at the two nervously, but wisely decided not to say anything.
Alice laughed. "Relax! We need you for this mission. Were not going to bite you! Unless you try to wake Sara up in the morning. Then she might bite you," she joked.
Sara frowned. "I didn't bite that hard! Just a little!"
"You drew blood!" Jax pouted, holding up his arm for show. Sara frowned.
"So that's why my mouth tastes like copper," she mused. "Though I must admit, you have better tasting blood than others."
Everyone looked at her in alarm, even Alice. "Do you drink blood, or something?!" Alice asked, curious.
Sara shrugged. "Well, it was a while ago, before we met. I had to survive, remember?" Alice watched Sara carefully. She never did learn how Sara survived. She had gotten the impression that she wasn't allowed to ask.
As the train chugged along, the conversation kept a steady flow.
The two underlings, Eadwig Rojo, a tall, broad man with a handle bar mustache, and Jannick Aterberry, a small wiry fellow who looked humorously like a rat. Alice hadn't expected them to be pretty, or look like decent members of society. They were a dark guild, after all. But she needed them to look like stereotypical outliers of society, so that they could at least function properly within an environment.
This new job was tough. An employer was paying them an abhorrent amount of money to not only take out a high profile target, but find out who he even was. That was where the newcomers came in. They would be working at a bar (Eadwig), the favorite hangout of his underlings, and a bank (Jannick), where the mysterious target conducted all of his business through correspondence.
These were the only two places that had any link to their target, a human traffic tycoon in the Fiore underground whose rivals wanted him dead. They were also to use as little violence as necessary, as the city was an important port, and they didn't want any magic council soldiers there stopping business.
That would be the hardest part. If it weren't for that, the Moonlight Court could have just killed the entire city, allowing time for their employers and their underlings to leave, and have been done with it. The tycoon lived in the city, so he would be among the dead. Problem solved. But this port was an important part of the trade network, and it would mean massive revenue loss to have it destroyed.
The Court dropped off their help at their respective jobs, then proceed to rent out a tavern. The pay for this job would be enough to cover it and then some. Sara and Alice had paid, considering they were already filthy rich. They just did work for fun now.
They were all lounging on random tables and chairs, the bartender nervously cleaning his glasses. They were all underage, so he wouldn't be serving them alcohol. They didn't mind, since Sara threatened to kill them if they drank. Alice already promised him death if he called the Council. Well, he was getting a lot of money from them.
"Hey, Sara," Jax suddenly said. Everyone was ignoring Liselle and Veribex's cuddling off to the side. "You, uh, wanna go for a walk, or something?" Alice looked up with a knowing smirk and Sara smiled brightly.
"Sure! Is it okay if I go, Alice?" Sara asked. Alice nodded, trying not to cackle madly.
"OTP," she whispered. Sara tilted her head in confusion before shrugging.
"Alright, let's go, Jax," she smiled. Jax nodded nervously, glancing back at Alice, who was giving him the 'if you do anything I don't like you'll die a slow painful death' look. They left the tavern, chatting quietly about work they had done together.
It was already dark out, so the streets were empty. This was the only time they could go on walks, because they were relatively infamous. Jax laughed at something Sara said, and his hand reflexively went to his white scarf. Sara smiled brightly at the action.
Sara stopped, tilting her head. Jax stopped as well, on guard. Since Sara knew next to none offensive magic, she had extensively studied sense and support magic. Sara always had to be on guard since she couldn't defend herself.
The wall next to them exploded, and Jax pulled Sara behind him. Her eyes were already calculating, ready for battle. They had wandered a good distance from the tavern, but Alice had heard the commotion with her oh so annoying 'Sara's in danger sense', so she would be there in about five minutes. If this was a threat, they'd have to hold out for that long.
A small boy dragging a stuffed bunny strolled out of the dust, a maniacal grin on his face. He had white hair, but the darkness prevented them from seeing much else. A small girl followed him with a scowl.
"Hinso, you didn't have to blow it up. The mission said stealth, not blowing shit up with your cupcake crap," the girl scolded. "Now the magic council will be all over this place, you little twerp!" Sara froze.
"Sorry, Sina," he giggled. "I just knew there was something cute over here!" Jax looked over the boy. He looked around fifteen, like they were, but he wore pink. Jax wrinkled his nose. He was ostentatiously pink.
The girl had long, dark brown hair. Her face seemed to be permanently set in a scowl. Jax stiffened. She looked a lot like Sara.
"Alright, where is it?" Sina asked. Hinso looked over to Jax and Sara. His eyes narrowed in agitation at Jax, but his face lit up when he saw Sara behind him.
"Her!" He pointed, giggling. "She's so cute! I want her!" Sina looked over, bored, and her eyes widened upon seeing Sara.
"Sara?" She asked, disbelieving. Sara pushed Jax aside and looked at Sina, face white with shock.
"Sina? Why are you here?" She was caught completely off guard. Jax didn't relax. Something about these two weren't right.
Sina suddenly laughed madly. "Oh, it's such a coincidence! Dear, dear, sister, who ran off with our family's treasure!" Jax whirled to look at Sara in surprise. Guilt was all over her face. "You were told to destroy it! But I can sense you still have it," Sina tilted her head.
"Oh, so can we keep her?" Hinso interrupted. He lifted his stuffed rabbit to his chest and hugged it tightly. "She would look nice in my dresses!"
"No," Sina said simply. "No, because she's going to die right here and now."
"Sina, please," Sara insisted. "Listen to me! I had to, I had no choice! This was how things ended up. We don't have to be enemies. We're all we have left!"
Jax pulled her back as she started to step forward. "Sara, I don't know what your past is with this girl, but she's serious about killing you. I don't want you to die, not to mention Alice would have my head. If you don't want to fight her, I get it. But don't go rushing in like that. It's unlike you."
Sara chuckled. "Jax, it's not unlike me at all. Sina, she's my sister. Older."
Sina tilted her head. "Are you two done? Because I'd like to hurry up and kill you now, Sara." Sara looked at her, tears threatening to fall. Jax glared at Sina. In all the time he's known Sara, she hadn't cried like this once. Sure, she tripped and cried, or she was worried for them when they took on a dangerous mission and her magic was almost not enough.
This was nothing like that.
Jax whistled, and a magic circle danced at his feet. Somewhere off in the distance, several howls resounded, approaching them. Sara sniffed, her eyes never leaving Sina.
"Sina," Hinso said seriously before his lips curled into another maniacal grin. "I don't want to kill her. She's soooo cute. Look at her tears. I thought she was cute before, but now," his grin darkened. "I wonder how she would look, tortured and begging for death? Don't kill her, no, I want to draw out her potential!"
Jax glared. He had no idea what these two were capable of, and he had to do this without Sara. He didn't want her to have to fight Sina, considering how upset she was.
"Cupcake!" Hinso suddenly shouted. It grew darker before Sara realized they were shadowed by something. Her eyes widened and she dragged Jax away. A giant cupcake shook the earth as it landed, crushing the wolves that weren't clever enough to move. Jax's eyes were wide. It was a literal cupcake, icing slightly disturbed from the fall. Sara sighed and she reached into her back pocket for her chalice. She spun it once before beginning her magic.
"Orange, strengthen them," she muttered. Jax sighed in relief that she was thinking properly again. His wolves dripped with the orange liquid, snarling and barking at Sina and Hinso. Sina looked amused while Hinso looked disgusted.
"Not cute… Not cute at all! How could you?!" He demanded to know from Jax. The black haired boy was caught off guard. "Your fashion sense is not bad, but your magic! So not cute!"
Sara was tense, ready to fight again, but she suddenly stopped and grinned. Her sister frowned. "What so funny!?" She snarled. The wall of the building next to them crumbled, and Alice stepped through the rubble dramatically.
'There goes subtle on both ends,' Sara thought with a smile. 'What a drama queen.'
"Yo, who the fuck is messing with my bae?!" She snarled. Sara laughed with relief and Jax relaxed, calling off his wolves.
"Indeed, who is making such a ruckus?" A boy's voice asked. Sara stiffened. She didn't even sense him until now, and his magic was insanely high! "Sina, Hinso, what are you doing messing with these kids?"
Hinso and Sina stiffened and turned to face him, bowing low. "We are deeply sorry for our actions, Master Ren," Sina spoke.
He waved his hand casually, leaning against the wall. "Yeah, sure. We'll talk about this later. I apologize for my underling's arrogance. I hope this will not damage our relations, Insomniacs," he grinned. Alice narrowed her eyes.
"Sure, Shadow Melody. Let's hope," she answered. Ren gestured for Sina and Hinso to follow and they left quickly, hoping not to anger Ren more. Sara fell to the ground on her knees, the tears coming back. Alice's eyes widened and she rushed forward, pulling Sara into her arms.
"S, what's wrong? Who am I killing?" She asked, trying to wipe the tears away. Sara laughed and sobbed at the same time.
"No, I don't want her to die," she whispered. "Sina, she's my sister. I just - I didn't think she'd want to kill me," she sobbed. "I didn't think - I didn't mean for her to-" she buried her face into Alice's shoulder.
"Shh, it's okay," Alice promised as Sara continued to sob. "I'm here, I won't ever leave you. I'll always be by your side."
When they returned to the tavern, Liselle and Veribex were up in their room. Over the years, Veribex had grown. He used to be small and cute, but now - in Alice's words - he was 'sexy' and 'tall as fuck.' Alice was not used to looking up at someone. It was humbling, to say the least. Well, until she decided she wanted to cut his legs off. Luckily for him, it hadn't happened yet.
The rest of the mission went uncharacteristically smoothly, until they were about to assassinate their target. Alice had hopped a wall into his estate, and came face to face with Ren.
She smiled darkly. "My, what a coincidence. Guarding someone?" She asked. Ren smiled in return. Behind him stood Hinso and Sina.
"No, killing," he answered.
"That makes this easier," Alice said as Sara tumbled over the wall. She would've fallen roughly had Alice not caught her. Jax and Veribex landed soon after on their feet, and Liselle was caught bridal style by Veribex. Their help was staying at the tavern as payment for a job well done.
Sina hissed when she saw Sara, who simply looked away. Her face was blank. She was done crying. Hinso giggled happily when he saw the girl. Two more people popped out from the bushes behind them. No one introduced them, and the Insomniacs didn't feel like asking.
"Well then, I suppose we'll work together, then," Alice smiled. "Or, we could do all the work for you and you can just be on your way. I prefer the latter."
Ren's fingers twitched. "No, I must say, I've been aching for a kill recently." Alice chuckled.
"Well, so have I," she replied.
"I have a suggestion!" Sara popped in brightly. "How about, whoever finds him first gets to kill him?" The members of Shadow Melody nodded, finding this a much more entertaining option. They all assumed they had different employers. For a man like this, a lot of people must want him dead.
The Shadow Melody members split off to search, while the Insomniacs turned to Sara. She merely giggled and pointed to an underground escape route from the house. Alice smirked as she opened it and they all popped in. Sara guided them through the twists and turns before pushing open a wall, which turned out to be a bookcase. A man sat up in bed, watching them with fear.
"Target confirmed!" Liselle grinned. "Now, who gets to kill?" They all shrugged. Jax didn't really have a taste for killing, and neither did Veribex. Sara couldn't kill, and Alice and Liselle loved to. So it was really between Alice and Liselle.
"You killed last time!" Alice pouted. Liselle shrugged. "And you took hours! We nearly got caught!"
"Yeah, well, I wanna kill more," Liselle grinned. "I have ideas for this one." The man was shivering, and Sara crinkled her nose when she realized he had pissed himself.
"I don't care who kills him, just do it quickly," she said seriously. "Shadow Melody is just down the hallway."
Alice walked forward, ice encasing her hand. She stopped at the foot of his bed and tilted her head. She reached out, as if to touch him, and he collapsed as she whispered: "Glacier Core." Blood leaked out of his mouth slowly.
Ren opened the door and pouted. "How did you get here so fast?!" Alice looked at him and smiled in return as she pointed at the secret passageway.
"Sometimes, it helps to look around the garden," she bragged. Sara tried not to roll her eyes. "Anyway, we shall take our leave now. Enjoy."
They decided not to waste time and head straight to the employer. As they discussed the payment with the employer, the Shadow Melody members walked in. The employer froze, beginning to sweat.
"Um, well, you see here-"
"You hired two guilds?" Sara asked, irritated. Now they had the payment to argue over!
"Well, it was a back up plan. Well, um, I know you are all very capable, but-"
"Shut the fuck up," Alice said darkly. "It doesn't matter. We killed him, we get the cash."
"Nope," Ren grinned. "I disagree. I get the cash."
"You didn't do shit!" Alice hissed. "Fuck off, the cash is ours!"
The employer watched the unfolding situation with fear. He shouldn't have hired two powerful dark guilds. He had done his research, so they had a treaty. They shouldn't attack each other here… Right?
"We actually bothered to do work, so it's ours," Sina piped up. "Oh, and, word of warning? Sara's a little traitor, so you might want to watch out for her," she grinned. Sara twitched.
"I betrayed no one," she said simply.
Sina's eyes narrowed. "You betrayed us with your inaction!"
The employer finally shouted, "Moonlight Insomniacs get the money!" He threw it at them and demanded they leave his house. They did, but they continued to glare at each other in the street.
"Hinso," Ren said simply. The white haired boy nodded with a smile as he walked off somewhere.
"Sara," Alice nodded to her. Sara sighed as she kept tabs on where Hinso was going. Her eyes widened as he reached the tavern their help was staying at. As the guilds argued, Sara tried to tell hers that something was wrong, but she was easily drowned out. Finally, Hinso returned with their help in his hands.
He was casually dragging them by their hair, a pout on his face. "They weren't cute at all," he said. He threw them towards the Insomniacs, and Veribex was the one to catch them. He glared at the rival guild. Eadwig and Jannick were dead.
Sara's lip quivered as she tried not to cry. They had become friends of hers, and their deaths weighed heavily on her. Alice glared darkly.
"Alice, not now," Sara said quickly. "Magic Council. Gotta go, now!"
"Alright, S," Alice reluctantly said. "This ain't over, fucktards. We're gonna string you up by your intestines, that's a fuckin' promise!"
They all fled from the scene, Hinso yelling to Sara that one day she'll try on his dresses. They left the corpses there, seeing as they couldn't carry them on a train. They gathered their stuff from the inn, and left a little extra for the owner to clean up the blood. Half an hour later, they were on their way.
When they returned to the guild without the help, Alice went straight for the guild master's office alone. The others decided to wait for her to come out.
"Master, Shadow Melody has completely trampled on our treaty. They killed two of our own!"
The master sighed. "I've already discussed this with their master." He smiled. "I'm selling the guild to them."
Alice's eye twitched. "So, the old geezer becomes fucking stupid!" She roared. "How could you do that?! How could you betray us like that!?"
The man stood up. "What would you do in my position? We're a dark guild, we can't do as we please."
Alice froze. "You are fucking stupid. We're a dark guild because we do whatever the fuck we want!"
The master shook his head. "It's not that simple." Alice laughed bitterly.
"Yeah, it is. From this moment on, Moonlight Insomniac is at war with Shadow Melody. Because I said so. And no, you don't have a say." The man went to protest before he literally froze. Alice flicked the statue and it shattered. "Bye bye, bitch. You sucked as a master, by the way."
Arts: Oh shit.
Eon: Yeeeesssssshhhhhhhhh. In case you were wondering, cuz i dont think we really explained this, I'm Alice, and Arts is Sara. We both created OCs and made an awesome ass story around them. And more OCs. So im pretty happy right now. My Alice bay just became a guild master. swag.
Arts: Get off my dick, Sina.
Eon: She likes your Dick
Arts: she is MY SISTER THIS ISNT OKAY WTF