Emergency Meeting of the Council [Closed/Lagi/Jahan]

The council members from Reim filed into the room first, Roark El Nagi leading the group and looking imposing as he took his seat. Next came Cassandra, a bitter look on her face. Bringing up the rear of the group was Shylock, looking almost bored, but if one looked carefully, they could see the tension in his face. They all sat, chatting while they waited for the Kou council members, the King and this Nikator fellow to arrive.

“Roark, have you no control over your son at all? He is interfering with the economy of Reim without so much as a warning to us? He is treading dangerous ground.”

Roark simply grunted at Shylock, no more pleased with the situation than the tycoon. Cassandra tapped her fingernails on the table and shook her head.

“It was made quite clear that he had to clear everything through the council if he hoped to retain his seat! Allowing a guild to open, and funding it? With not a word to us? It is unacceptable. Does he want those Kou bastards putting someone from their home country on the throne? We are holding very few cards to keep their army out of our backyard. If they think we cannot manage your son, they will have no issue moving more troops here. The citizens are angry enough about Kou being here and your son is risking too much!”

Roark had had enough of the blathering of the other two officials and slammed his fists on the table, making it shake.

“Do not ever presume to think I in any way control the boy. There is a reason he was disowned. We will get this under control and quickly. Now stop bickering like children, unless you want the other council members to see us arguing amongst ourselves. Never show your enemy a weakness. Shut your mouths.”

The other two quieted, but neither looked like they had said their fill on the topic. The only thing keeping them silent was Roark’s glare and wise words about showing weakness to the country that now controlled them.


The three council members from Kou filed into the room shortly thereafter; Chuge Don, the Military Adviser from Kou. Ten Long, the Financial Adviser from Kou. Wei Tenji, the Foreign Adviser from Kou. The three of them all took seats at the table and shuffled some documents around while doing so. A careful study of these three from the room would gather a generally different feel from each of them; Frustration from Chuge Don, patient curiosity from Ten Long and indifference from Wei Tenji.

In the first meeting the council had, it was apparent that both Chuge Don and Ten Long were certainly attempting to block against the manipulations of laws and regulations that would make things difficult for Kou. Wei Tenji, on the other hand, showed a very open mind and embraced an overall freedom of the people in general, ensuring that there was a balance and that those from Reim were able to pass things from time to time that would maintain that balance.

Chuge spoke first, venting his frustrations. "King Lagi El Nagi..." He paused, thinking his next words carefully. "His agreement for ruling the land of Reim specifically states that he must pass decisions through the council. He has slighted everyone's authority in this room." The tone of the man's voice set an edge to the conversation. His eyes were narrowed as he looked to Roark. As he was about to look towards the other Reim advisers, Ten Long cleared his throat.

"This is not something irreparable." The man did not seem particularly upset, though there was a certain level of ulterior motive to the sound of what he was about to say. "He should simply apologize to that Mr. Nikator and explain that it doesn't have the empire's backing." The suggestion was less than reasonable, considering the fact that if King Lagi did such a thing it would publicly discredit his level of authority, while undermining the system as a whole. Ten Long was not yet finished, however, and continued to explain. "Of course, since he has already made a promise to fund it he should still fund it. But it will instead be out of his own pocket, rather than from the taxes."

While it was technically possible to simply kick Lagi El Nagi from his position, they did not want to go so far so soon. They had a trading agreement with Chief Asisiak, who had shown reservations about their agreement and how sincere Kou was with it. It would not do to betray the trust of the great warrior group from the north. A displacement of Lagi would only spell for troubling times ahead. As unfortunate as the circumstances were, they would very nearly be forced to support the current King until he had made a series of mistakes that they could reasonably use as an excuse.

With that being the views of the first two, Wei Tenji had next to no interest in the conversation at hand, and as such she refrained from adding to the conversation.

With everyone now present, Roark nodded to the guard at the door, who went to fetch King El Nagi and Jahan Nikator.

The king arrived in his royal garments that was utilized to present himself as the ruler. He threw a tough look on his face, but that was merely because he expected something foul to spawn from this. However, Lagi was not working to give in so suddenly, not without explaining his reason for his activities. “…” Lagi walked in the council room silently and didn’t even bother to establish eye contact with the other members. After that, Lagi took his usual seating position; there was no weakness in Lagi’s face. Perhaps anger, maybe even frustration was displayed in his carriage. “Let’s get started, shall we? I’ll be the one to utter first, Jahangir Nikator could explain after me if he so chooses to, or show up. “It was now time to begin another council meeting. “I acted without the consent of the council due to the fact that I was hasty towards the expected profits and the immediate visions that I received throughout the visit with Jahangir Nikator, and I sincerely apologize for not counseling you all beforehand. I suffered the full intention to hold responsibility for this by applying my own assorted currency that would be accorded to me inquiring. The city will not have to pay, for this gets in the way of the adjustment reform that I’m implemented to produce a sensation of symmetry. Once again, I have no problems at all for taking responsibility, but please hear me out as I explain my full intentions.”
Lagi cleared his throat as he determined to explain his aims. Irrespective of what anyone said or conceived of him, Lagi did not conceive of himself as a weak king. “ For starters, I was creating space within the community by finding probable cause of removing failing businesses that reside within Reim and their constructs. Jahangir asked something akin to a customary blacksmith and a number of recreational elements. Casual drinking can suffice to recreation, but there are then many successful bars and smithereens already accessible that others get less business or no job at all. Nevertheless, the complexes are an average size of a failed business and the place could be practiced for something else, like the construction of the schools or other things that are imperative to affirm and improve Reim. It was expected to be a clean job, for these businesses would be integrated within the guild that Jahangir was creating and receive much work and publicity as well for being a part of a guild, which is a chance that they can manipulate to increase their rates towards a more substantial result when it comes to the distribution of their wares. It would be within their best interest, and the compensation would be a co-existing relationship with a brand new guild, that brings attention to itself as a whole. Guilds that have more to offer have more to gain in terms of business; this move is profitable for them no matter how you see it. That was one of the causes, the integration of failed businesses towards a particularly newer and fresher source and location, while opening up space inside the area of Reim that could be better utilized within our residential area.

There was a lot more to say, and Lagi had to get through this. “Nevertheless, this movement was not without financial profit as well. The desegregation of local business allows guilds to be tax deductible now, which will be required for the completion of assignments by a fixed percentage following the new tax law. Nevertheless, this insures that a profitable amount of funds will give back to us in due time, because the increase of assignments on demand due to the popularity and completion of them will admit it. This also allows the other guilds to follow suit if they do not wish to fall behind the shuffle, integration of failed business, popular businesses if they are lucky. I simply believed that failing businesses had nothing to misplace in a sensation. The attachment between the mortals are up to them, which was expecting to receive a full review by the council, leaving us to sustain the last say. Strategic gimmicks are not below the everyday tycoon if they present a considerable measure of results inquired, along with having assignments and missions becoming tax deductible at the final stage, only keeping the percentage reasonable in respect towards the one-time tax free integrity that the guilds withheld. In add-on to all of this, the finalizing result was now having guilds be treated as a substitute force for Reim.

Lagi took a deep breath and rubbed his throat, he wasn’t even done yet. “Another reason why I prefer to acquire an interest in Jahangir was due to the fact that Fanalis was currently in a state of agitation due to Octavius’s demise. I figured that I would have him fetch out leads and even bring an end to the culprit to provide closure, the Fanalis are very much a part of Reim and I wanted them to know that I still thought of them if their freedom of slavery wasn’t enough. At the same time, they would get a new hero that looked upon as a spokesperson of the state, signaling new beginnings and promoting the recreation of the Fanalis corps. Why him, why now? He has likewise gained a powerful ally that I am also linked up with. Zadi Medmar, a powerful magician and king candidate of the Vassago dungeon that appeared in Reim a few months back is a piece of his social club. I can testify towards that since I am the person that helped him conquer the dungeon, as well as being a king candidate of my own in due time. Now that Typhon is a reserve force for Reim, my friendship with Zadi is not the sole motivator for his intended cooperation. The realness of the situation is being in control of two king candidates, Zadi and myself. My move was hasty, my ambitions got the better of me and I should have counseled all of you before finalizing any decisions. It won’t happen again, but please think about what I said and everything I presented to you.

Jahangir entered the council room after Lagi, he took a stand in his proper place, one that he noted was for commoners. There was a powerful vibe in the room, with so many powerful officials in the room he couldn't help but feel the intensity. Yet still the man had recently went beneath his own metamorphosis, from Caterpillar to butterfly Jahangir held no fear in his heart for the power of these men. Instead he was here listening for key information in order to act in a way that was favorable for his own people Typhon.

He looked at the council calmly and confidently, waiting for Lagi as he finished his speech, He had picked up on Key words and information underneath that time frame, and he began understanding what he wanted to do. He opened his eyes in a calculating way after Lagi finished his speech and calmly waited for the council to address him. He was of coarse of lower status then those in the room and he didn't want to rush anything as well. He had a plan of action now he just had to execute it properly.

Roark listened to his son ramble on at length without so much as allowing the Council to comment or offering the proper respect to the members. As Lagi’s speech grew longer, Roark’s face became angrier. When the long-winded words finally stopped, Roark held up a hand as another member was about to speak and rose in his seat, his voice carrying a hard edge of anger.

“King El Nagi, if you are quite done, you will sit down and restrain your tongue. Greeting Mister Nikator, I appreciate your patience and respect, something my son has yet to learn. Now, I believe Councilor Shylock has a few words to say.”

With that he waved to the businessman and merchant, who rose, his face neutral.

“Lagi El Nagi, to address your supposed increase of profits… The guilds already pay a tax to us, and they are segregated for a reason, to ensure that each guild serves the best interest of its members to the fullest extent. By authorizing Mr. Nikator to open a guild with combined objectives, you have taken members from the other guilds, such as Metal Smithing, Merchants, and Ale. They have lost a member of their guild to be offered to another guild that serves multiple, unclear purposes.

Regarding the “reserve forces” being forced on guilds, that is completely unnecessary and unwelcome to both the guilds and the military. Guilds best serve Reim, doing what they do best. If you wanted to start a Volunteer Citizens Corp, that could have been discussed. Instead, you made all of these decisions with zero consultation to the individuals most educated to make these decisions. You have no idea how to handle the economy of Reim yet; that is why we are here to advise you. We are here for your benefit, and for the benefit of the country. If you cannot utilize your tools correctly, you are likely to chop off your own foot. Now, I believe the Kou half would like to speak on a few matters.”

Shylock took his seat before waving to the Kou Council members.

Chuge Don was boiling as Lagi spoke, but held himself back. When Roark had addressed his son, and Shylock turned the floor over to the Kou Councilors, Chuge reserved the opportunity to speak first. "King Candi-" He stopped suddenly, grunting; beneath the table, he had been kicked by Ten Long. His anger slightly subsiding, Chuge Don realized what mistake he was about to commit. Had he spoken any further, he would have made it apparent that nobody knew what a King Candidate was, nor did they know that there was a connection to this and the capturing of a Dungeon.

Now, however, Lagi had let slip a valuable piece of information that was, up until now, jealously guarded by those who held the title of King Candidate. Connecting the dots, those in the room who knew enough of King Lagi El Nagi would also know that he was able to transform and equip a set of armor that granted him incredible power. This, in tandem with Lagi's discussion of how this 'Zadi' fellow had conquered a dungeon and was, therefore, a King Candidate as well, gave them a great piece of information to share with Kou; dungeons not only had riches, but great power for those who could conquer one.

Previously their focus had been on conquering land, but with this new knowledge perhaps they should focus on obtaining these dungeons? The additional fire power would naturally allow them to obtain more land without as much effort.

All of these thoughts passed the Kou ambassador Chuge Don and Ten Long's minds in a matter of seconds. Wei Tenji understood the implications, but cared little of them.

Chuge Don continued to speak after clearing his throat. This time, there was nearly no anger in his voice. The knowledge they had just gained made King Lagi's problems pale in comparison with what they had just gained. "Anyways, the main issue at hand is that your actions could potentially cause an issue with authority. The Council is depreciated by such actions, when you can make Reim decisions without consulting us. You've already acknowledged your wrong doing, which slightly concerns me; while we explained that this would be in regards to Mr. Nikator's guild, we never spoke of reprimanding you for it. Does this mean that you knew that what you were doing was wrong, yet did it anyways?"

Wei Tenji interrupted Chuge Don and spoke, perhaps the only voice who was supportive of Lagi El Nagi. A strange thought, considering she was from Kou. "That's enough. He is still young, and learning. That's exactly why we are here, to help him with problems he comes across. He's acknowledged his mistake, and is willing to shoulder the burden for it. We all make mistakes, so lets overlook this one, just this one time."

Wei Tenji turned to Lagi and began speaking again. "King Lagi, I approve of your willingness to listen to the troubles of your people. There are other routes in place, though, for those who are interested in starting a business and getting funding. If I may suggest, instead, that you listen to concerns brought up in your court and determine whether a policy needs to be made so that you may bring it to the council to discuss, instead of deciding on the spot? Just if it changes any of Reim's laws, or if it causes a large impact on businesses and the cities. Simple things, such as advice or discussing contracting jobs for issues that need to be taken care of are mostly to your discretion."

Chuge Don interjected, at that point. "Just be ready to shoulder the blame if you contract work out to somebody shady without discussing their position with the council. I am willing to overlook the matter, if you are willing to shoulder that burden." He was referring to the monetary burden of King Lagi El Nagi's promise of funds to Jahangir Nikator's guild.

What more could Lagi say at this moment, should it be a secret to all, that those who have power are the same ones who merit a place on the throne? Lagi believes that Zadi should be king someday on his own accord, and that he will assist him someday. Such ambitions should not be low; it should be well known to others what gains that one desire, because those same desires could cause an influence upon everybody else. The force for this was the icing on the cake to increase Reim’s war efforts, more firepower under the belt of Reim in order to handle most situations for the sake of his masses. The voice of Lagi’s father was booming and intimidating, Lagi knew that he was furious with him. His head lowered a bit slightly when he discovered his father’s voice that way, a result of the previous childhood where everything Lagi ever did wasn’t good enough, that his difference from the other dominance users was something he should be punished for. Chuge Don was ripping Lagi a new one, all of the intentions to beat a dead buck. The only good thing about this was the fact that Wei Tenji on the other hand didn’t look too mad about this. Lagi knows what he did wrong, but he was just attempting to do what’s right. “Jahangir Nikator will receive the cash in hand in my expense if he so wishes it, 100,000 upon the agreed terms, with no responsibility to look to the bond in return. For the sake of Octavius and such a heritage that Nikator holds, do I not provide a reasonable showing of compassion towards our fellow Reim natives? The overlooked Fanalis who we paid no mind until now? In exchange for much money, I asked for closure, clarity, and a service to the nation. Cause I done such wrong? Where every move I have made, no matter how flawed, was for the sake of Reim. Define me as you will, as this honest heart of mine holds forth my word as strong as a legal bond, a fated pact as fate would deliver it. Attend upon your bond and go away with such Jahangir, too much of the council’s pleasure a caged king I am, as love remains the culprit of my infractions, a love to the nation I solely belong. ”
Lagi was silent for a second before he went on. “ A king's word holds true no matter what, such promises will never be realized if I lacked the intent to carry out. I view this not as a punishment, but in support for the sake of my friendship and the backing of a new guild with a bright future, that my pockets remain less weighted without regret. “ Lagi spoke compassionately as honestly as he always had, that was the one thing that never changed about him.

It was now Jahangir's time to speak on the subject and after listening to both of the sides squabble he had an accurate opinion of the situation. These guys were all incompetent, some more than others but it seemed like Reim's government was failing as a unit. Lagi himself had done nothing more but rant on and on and the council seemed to acknowledge this only by scolding the man, scolding "The King" at that. If this is what it meant to be king then Jahan was starting to have second thoughts on rather or not he wanted to sit on the throne.

The thought was soon dismissed, he had gone too far to quit now, and if he was the king he'd never allow such disrespect. Likewise if he was the king he would try not to forget some of his own policies. Whatever the case may be Jahangir found that this would be the best time to un align himself with king lagi, whom was being made a fool of.

"Typhon would love to receive the same funding as agreed upon. I am still offering to pay back the money in full, as the Typhon building has already been opened and business has already started. I am not looking forward to the King leaving me in financial debt. However I strongly disagree with you forcing us to register as a "reserve force" as Lagi has put it. While we are a paramilitary organization, and we do catch the occasional criminal and whatnot, we are not a public militia. Not every member of Typhon is suitable for combat and more importantly we are your citizens, not your army. It is bad enough that the guild and many other individuals from around Reim have had to solve crimes the authorities should be taking care of, but now we have to possibly fight your wars? No we have zero interest in war, While I and Typhon as a whole do stand for Reim, us like any other businessman would like to stay in complete control of my guild."


Jahangir paused to take notice of any reactions within the room, he waited for his words to sink in before finishing his statement.
"Now regarding Octavius, I am still up for investigating the mans death as you asked me, it is a much more reasonable task. However as the councilmen has clearly stated, your council does not know me, he has even went as far as to call me "shady" so before I even begin to investigate, do you still believe I am the one to complete this task? I am in no way complaining, but I'd rather you and the council discuss the terms of this than for me to simply but into government affairs, I'd rather not have to come here again."

Jahangir was finished and simply waited patiently, hoping the council wouldnt chew his head off.

As Jahan stood and began talking, Roark’s face filled with even more anger, if possible. While they had tolerated Lagi’s outburst and lack of respect, he was the king. This man was nothing more than a commoner with a loud mouth. The clan leader stood and interrupted Jahan before he had gotten more than a full sentence out.

“Sir, you will sit and wait for us to call on you for input. While we had leniency with the King, he certainly holds more sway in this council room than you do. While in this room, you will remain respectful and wait to be called upon for comment.”

Roark would then look to Cassandra, who would rise and address King Lagi and the Kou councilors.

“In light of King Lagi’s attrition in the matter, and profuse apologies for his actions, we feel he understands the errors of rushing to such decision making. Mister Nikator, you are instructed to return all funds to King Lagi and disband your guild. At this time, there are simply too many economic ramifications to handle with your current set up. There are no defined parameters to exactly what specialization your guild offers that others do not. If, at a future date, you wish to try and reconstruct your guild, you are welcome to do so by following the same guidelines as everyone else. There are applications available at City Hall regarding guilds. King Lagi, we appreciate you taking responsibility for your rashness and feel you have been appropriately chastised in this matter. Consider the matter settled once Mister Nikator returns your funds. While you are here, though, I feel Shylock would like to address a matter with you, as well as updated from the Kou councilors.”

The snide woman took her seat and before the council moved on with their other bits of business, Ten Long spoke to Jahangir Nikator. "With that in mind, you are now dismissed. The papers for the dissolution of your guild will be formally delivered within a business week of this date. The terms of paying the King back will be included with that. You are free to negotiate different payment methods down the line, and the fact that your guild is being dissolved will be taken into account when determining the grace period of your payment methods."

Shylock stood and addressed the King.

“King Lagi, you should know there has been some civil discontent regarding your manner of putting down a rebellion. While you did heal one of the men responsible for the uprising, you left several other, less fortunate, individuals with the burns you yourself inflicted on them. This has made many question where your loyalties lie, as the man you healed was a nobleman. This is not an effort to chastise you, rather an update from your public relations department. Aside from that, I believe there are updates regarding your education and workforce reform programs…”

Shylock would wave to the Kou councilors before taking his seat, all of the Reim councilors ready for this meeting to be done with. It was past lunch time and Shylock found himself famished.

"Onto the matters of the Workforce Program and the Education Program. The Education Program is being led by three individuals who are well known in the circles of education. Artemis Callum, the Director of Education for Remano and the two Headmistresses of the two most prestigious schools in Remano; Catalina Stium and Trinity Harpus. Two buildings in the lower end districts are being refurbished to suit the needs of teaching. One building is for use in teaching younger children, while the use of the second building is to be reserved for the older children looking to learn skills that are more relevant to their current needs." The program wasn't far into its stages, as could be witnessed by the woman's description; there were staff who ran the program, and two schools were being refurbished and nearly at completion. This was about the extent of the program as it were.

She shuffled some papers and brought to the front the Workforce Program. "The Workforce Program has taken off right from the start; a building within Remano houses the primary operations of the program, lead directly by Marquis Azix Niraj. They have aligned with several employers, though the employers are mostly those who work hard labor at this time. With the building of Portsmouth, the demand for hard labor has increased. This ends my report on those two programs." Wei Tenji was finished with what she wanted to bring to the council as well. The development of the Education system was about what she expected, but the development of the Workforce program took root much quicker than she had anticipated.

Roark stood and thanked Wei Tenji for the updates.

“I believe that is all our business for this session, unless there is something you would like to bring up, King Lagi?”

If Lagi had more to speak about, they would listen, if not, the meeting would be dismissed.

Just one thing, there was an individual by the name of Lance Knight hunter that asked to build a church of some sort. It would be safe to assume that the religion that he’s trying to promote is based off of slavery and orphans, along with the dislike that he has for them. In addition to that, he would even want to free slaves in a sense. That would be more of a forced promotion of our policies that I would ask him to turn down a notch, due to the fact that slavery is still legal in other countries. However, with the added benefits that most of the attendees of his church would be either people who believe in the policies that I set for freedom, as well as the people that I freed personally, with the fact that this religion would be promoting thus said policy in the process, discouraging slavery. At the same time, this man is trying to host the slaves and the orphans that he liberated himself, is there anything we can do for him?“

Lagi would say slightly as he started to think about something else that he wanted to do. “ I would have to make a visit to the public and calm their anger then. They were causing a commotion to other shops, disrupting businesses and destroying wares. How could they question my loyalty if I was protecting the people that they attacked, Reim people, people who didn’t agree with their motions towards vendetta and carnage? How bad do you want a revolution if you are willing to hurt the people you are trying to get on your side? Of course, it sounds like a skeptical thing to say due to the fact that I hurt them, but they attacked the king. I had no choice but to defend myself rightfully….” Lagi would say with confidence as he would hold his ground, people were always looking for an excuse to chastise him.

After Mr. Nikator was removed from the room and the king had spoken about the church, the Reim councilors would look amongst themselves. This was a matter that was purely in their court, as the Kou councilors stayed out of discussions relating to any type of religion. Cassandra would clear her throat and stand to speak, her tone more civil than before.

“King El Nagi, I feel it prudent to remind you that, as a country, Reim does not support any religion. Why we would certainly not forbid such an establishment, we cannot, in good conscience, give any money toward that end. While the efforts put forth by this ‘church’ seem quite honorable, we do not give money towards religious establishments. We do, however, encourage you to speak with some of the local charities around the country to see if they would have an interest in helping out this Lance Knighthunter fellow. Our funds are already going into the Workforce program and the new Education Reform Acts. These alone will assist those that are facing financial difficulties. It simply would not be proper for us to divert funding to a church.”

She took her seat, Roark looking to each councilor in turn, waiting for each of them to confirm all matters had been discussed before he rose and addressed his son.

“If there is nothing else, King Lagi, you are dismissed. We appreciate your hasty response to our summons and the apologies issued. You may leave.”

Roark would then walk from the room, not even waiting to see if his son was, in fact, done. The meeting had dragged on far too long as it was. Cassandra would follow him, and two of the Kou councilors would also take their leave. Shylock, however, remained behind with Ten Long, the two talking quietly and discussing options for a quick lunch.

((Lagi may make an exit post))

Lagi sucked his teeth as he made his exit. He couldn’t believe how screwed up everything turned out, even though he promised lance that he would talk to the council about the options ahead. However talking to them at least made it look like lagi put out the effort in order to help lance and his orphaned children that he has taken in as comrades. “Before I even break the news to him, the first thing that I have to do is clear up this conspiracy nonsense of me only caring about the rich nobles. “ LAgi still had a bad tasted in his mouth from being neglected by his father. He was a little angry, but had more to focus on.

Shylock and Ten Long wandered out of the council building, chatting about the meeting as they moved fluidly through the throngs of people.

“Well, it went better than I thought. Our young King seems to be learning. Slowly, but at least he understands our concerns this time.”

“Ah, but he is much too impulsive, still. In time, that may calm, I suppose.”

Neither noticed the small girl flouncing after them. It was not unusual to see small children in the business district, running errands or messages from one person to another. Even with the recent end to slavery, most of the children had simply become pages instead and their presence was rarely noted.

The two merchants sat down at a small café with outdoor seating and placed an order, continuing their conversation about the economic state of the country and ways to improve it and their own pocketbooks at the same time. Never let it be said that they would allow the economy to drop, for that would mean a drop in their own profits. No, these two ensured the economy of Reim would only strengthen, even as they began plans to convert the country from gold to Huang.

When their food arrived, they ate as they talked, their attention solely on each other and not on the pink-haired girl flitting between tables innocuously. She loved that no one ever paid her any mind, it made her job much easier. When Shylock began choking on a piece of bread, she ran up out of seeming concern.

“Mister, are you okay? Do you want to play with me?”

She appeared to be trying to push on the man’s stomach to dislodge the piece of bread from his throat, but only those that could see beneath the table would notice that with every shove she gave to his stomach, blood poured forth. When Ten Long stood and tried to come to his fellow councilman’s aid, he unknowingly blocked the little girl from the view of people on the street. When he leaned over to find a pulse on Shylock, her blade slid into his stomach and up until it hit his breastbone. Ten Long looked down at the girl, surprise and confusion on his face, he tried to form words but found himself speechless. The pain of his injury had not struck him yet but he did seem short of breath and he fell forward to catch himself on the table.

As Ten Long tried to catch himself, his weight caused the table to flip, drawing stares from the people moving around and the other diners. One rushed up to check if he was okay, not noticing an innocent looking girl with blood on her cloak skipping towards an alley. It did not take long for a crowd to form as the blood of the council member’s was discovered, a woman screaming out for help. The bright-eyed girl watched from the alley with a grin on her face before disappearing into the shadows with a hum and a skip.

[exit]