by David Petrie
“Awesome,” Berwyn rubbed his hands together, “and I assume you will be protecting Kira then?”
“I won’t be letting her out of my sight,” the Shield fired back with knowing grin, almost like she was issuing a warning.
“That’s certainly reasonable. Although, I do want to express that the safety of my guests is very important to me. So feel free to relax while you’re here. You’re in good hands. Bodyguards are always welcome, but not necessary.”
“Thanks, we’ll try our best to remember that.” Ginger gestured to Max to stand at ease. “I guess that leads to my next question. When would you like to sit down and talk shop? Alliances can be complicated, after all.”
Kira almost laughed at the Coin’s bluff, considering that there wasn’t really anything to talk about. House Lockheart was nothing more than a front.
“Oh, you just got here,” Berwyn brushed off the question. ”I don’t want to rush you into a meeting. And besides, I’m in the middle of a lot of things tonight. I’ll have someone show you upstairs to the guest suites? You can set one as your home point and just enjoy what the palace has to offer for a few days before we get down to business. I figure, if we’re going to be working together, you should get to experience the benefits first hand.”
“I’d like that.” Ginger touched his arm. “It would give us the chance to get to know you and the rest of your Serpents here as well. That would certainly make me feel more comfortable about working together.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Berwyn smiled as he began to walk backward. “I’ll catch up with you later.” He waved to a sullen looking faunus near the wall. “Aawil, do you mind showing our guests to one of the suites?”
The quiet woman had been standing around like she had nothing to do. From the exaggerated eye roll she gave, she would have preferred to continue doing so. Despite that, she obeyed like a good minion, greeting the party with a slight bow before walking off down the hall without saying a word.
The trek up to their suite took longer than one would expect with the sprawling nature of the floor plan. Aawil made little effort to fill the silence. Though, she did at least take the time to point out a few locations.
Compared to some of the other palaces in Noctem, it truly was a paradise. Everything a player could want in a luxury vacation spot was right at their fingertips. It was beginning to look like an alliance might actually be a good idea.
Berwyn had certainly chosen his capital well. It may have been inconvenient to get around, but it gave him plenty of ways to keep his snakes happy. After all, a happy snake was a loyal snake.
Dartmouth met them on the top floor, freeing Aawil of her duty. The silent Coin abandoned them almost immediately.
“Thank you for coming.” Dartmouth began walking down the hall. “I hope you like the palace. Lord Berwyn spared no expense to make it the paradise that you see now.” He gestured to a row of large, potted plants that lined the hallway, evenly spaced between each door. “The hibiscus flowers here, for example, were brought in from the Isle of Wane. We actually had to have the pots specially coded by Checkpoint to override the system clocks since the rest of the palace resets itself every night to repair any kind of damage. Otherwise, the flowers would never change, but with the override, they grow naturally.” He cupped one of the flowers in his hand. “Beautiful, aren’t they?“
“Sure.” Max touched one of the flowers, clearly humoring Dartmouth’s boasting as the prideful elf continued down the hall.
“The palace is full of details like these. I suggest you all stop by the beach downstairs. It’s one of our crowning achievements. You should have seen the pyramid before when we got here. It’s come a long way.” He stopped at a door near the middle of the hall and pushed it open. “This one is yours. I hope everything is to your liking.”
Ginger didn’t skip a beat, strutting into the room as if she owned the place.
“Holy crap.” Kira stopped short next to Farn, who staggered for an instant.
A large sitting area rested in the center of the room. A stone coffee table, holding a bowl of crystal blue water sat between a sofa and chairs. Roses floated on the liquid’s surface. Against one wall ran a small bar and desk. The other held two gold-encrusted doors made of dark wood.
Dartmouth bowed with a satisfied smile on his face. “I’ll leave you to get settled in then. Please feel free to explore once you’re ready.”
“I could get used to this.” Kira hopped into the space as soon as he was gone.
“It’s a palace. Did you expect less?” Ginger plopped herself on to a chaise lined with green velvet.
The room was gorgeous, but what really hammered things home was the view. One entire wall was simply missing. In its place were three wide archways that led out to a balcony. The city sparkled across the scene as the sea reached into the horizon. Kira ran to the railing and leaned out.
“Don’t get too comfortable. We’re not on vacation.” Max smirked, leaning against the side of one of the archways.
She ignored him and spun back to the room, exploring the other doors. One lead to a bright and sparkling washroom complete with floor to ceiling mirrors and the largest marble tubs she had ever seen. The other lead to a bedroom that boasted a king-sized canopy bed.
Kira scrunched up her nose at the piece of extravagant furniture as the others followed her into the room. Max took one look at the bed, then blushed. Farn cleared her throat, probably to break the silence.
“That’s a lot of pillows.”
Ginger made a point to bump into Max with her hip, shoving him towards the Shield. “Looks like the palace is equipped for all kinds of activities.”
Kira shrugged off the implications and did what any reasonable mage would do. She dove on to the mattress belly first, only to bounce back up on to her knees with laugh.
Max snorted, then jumped on to the opposite end of the bed with all of his weight. Kira fell, toppling into the pillows as Max rolled over on his back. Farn let out a laugh.
“I gotta say,” Ginger leaned against the bedpost, “considering how close you two are, I’m not surprised to see you end up in bed together.”
“Meh, I could do worse.” Max brushed off the comment, obviously trying to deny Ginger the satisfaction of making him uncomfortable. Kira took the opening to call his bluff and rolled back over to flop on his chest with mock adoration.
“You mean we can finally be true to our feelings?”
“Get off of me, you ass.” He shoved her away without much effort.
Her silver hair fell in her face, and she let out an annoyed huff to remove it. She proceeded to kick at him with her bare feet.
He shielded himself with a pillow. “Dude, keep your gross feet away from me.”
“Shut up. They’re dainty and cute,” Kira argued.
Ginger shook her head at the display, then leaped into the fray as if it was unavoidable. She landed on her knees next to Kira, continuously bouncing to keep her from being able to get her balance enough to fight back.
Farn smirked. “Now you guys are making it weird. ” She added a surprised, “Yurk!” as Ginger snagged her cape with one hand like she was stealing an item from a dungeon boss. The Shield fell directly on top of Max as he squirmed to get out of the way.
Ginger slapped a hand to her face and let out a disappointed sigh as he squandered the opportunity to be smooth. Eventually, when the stupidity faded, Kira and Ginger settled into the pillows at the head of the bed while Max and Farn sat at the foot. Ginger elbowed Kira.
“I’m pretty sure my honeypot idea is working. So you should probably get used to the bed here.”
Kira let out an elongated sigh and pulled a pillow over her face. “Could someone just hold this down for me?”
“Happy to.” Max reached out to assist with the request. Farn grabbed his collar and yanked him back before he could apply any pressure.
“Hey, no choking me,” Max coughed.
“What, I’m supposed to be
guarding her. So no, you can’t smother her right now.” Farn tugged again at his collar.
Kira tossed the pillow at him, then turned back to Ginger. “If you haven’t noticed, I don’t exactly have the same seduction capabilities as you do. So, I’m not sure how long it will take before he gets bored and kicks us out of here.”
Ginger smiled. “Don’t worry. Just be the same lovable goon that you always are. You’ll have him begging to keep us around to spend more time with you.” She tousled Kira’s hair, leaving her staring through a curtain of silver locks, her lips pouting with annoyance. Ginger snorted. “Yeah, you’ll do just fine.”
Kira grumbled and got up, padding her way back to the coffee table to set the room as her home point. That way, she could teleport the four of them back now that they had been registered as guests. As for Corvin and Kegan, they would have to fend for themselves.
That was when a system chime sounded in Kira’s ear.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Max slapped a hand to his face and sighed.
“Let go of the damn chair,” Ginger grunted, attempting to pry an uncooperative fairy off of the furniture.
“I’ve changed my mind. You can go without me.” Kira gripped the arm of the sofa, its legs inching across the floor at a steady pace.
Is this really my life now? Max asked himself just as a sound drew his attention to the balcony.
Behind him, Corvin rested in a cat-like crouch on the railing. Kegan dropped down beside him a moment later. The elf landed silently, then hopped into the room.
“Sorry we’re late. This guy was taking his sweet time getting online.” He gestured at the reynard behind him.
Corvin bowed his head. “Sorry, I got a call from my parents right before I got on.”
Kegan slapped him in the shoulder. “Shoulda just told them you have a heist to perpetrate.”
“Like that would have gone over well,” Corvin muttered.
“Anyway, I was hoping all of you welcomed guests here could run interference for us as we sneak down to the vault…” Kegan trailed off, his vision settling on the tug-of-war going on in the sitting area. “Ah, what’s going on in here?”
Max rested his hands on his hips as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. “Berwyn sent Kira a direct message inviting her to a movie in the theater downstairs. She’s freaking out a little.”
“I see. Well, we don’t have all night,” the Leaf said.
“True enough.” Max started walking as he stuck a finger in his mouth, slipping it in Kira’s ear a second later. The fairy slapped her hands to her head for protection.
“Ha!” Ginger claimed victory as her prey came loose.
“Ack.” Kira rubbed at her ear. “Not fair.”
“I know, but we have things to do. And you have a date to get to.” Max wiped his finger on his pants.
She folded her arms in a huff. “Fine, but Ginger’s coming with me. I’m gonna need a buffer to keep things PG.”
“I can do that.” Ginger nodded.
“And you’ll need your bodyguard too.” Farn stepped forward. “Can’t let you out of my sight.”
“Okay great. Now get moving.” Max began shooing them to the door. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.” The others fell in line behind him.
The upper floors proved easy to navigate with most of the palace guests spending their time down on the ground level. The automated guard patrols were still there, but Max had little trouble keeping his uninvited companions hidden.
It wasn’t until they reached the first floor that the situation got hairy. Somehow, it had gotten even busier, like the entire House of Serpents,, plus several parties worth of guests were wondering around at once.
Makes sense, Max thought as he scanned the hall. Several open doors lead to the inside of the pyramid and its private beach. Not to mention there was a theater, a tavern, and even a tiki-bar over near the beach.
Sneaking the guys through was going to be difficult. Too bad the stairs didn’t lead all the way down to the vault floor below ground. Max chewed his lip. At least the stairs provided a place for them to hide.
“Any ideas?” Kegan asked, peeking out from behind the crystal obelisk that stood at the center of the stairwell. Corvin’s ears poked out below him.
“Maybe.” Max tried to look inconspicuous. “It looks like there’s a smaller stairway a few hundred feet down the hall. There are no guards on it. That’s probably your way in.”
“Great. And how do we get there without being spotted?” The Leaf questioned.
Max leaned against the obelisk. “There’s a little shop close to us, but most of the players around seem more interested in the beach. Ginger, can you scout it out to see if it’s empty?
“On it.” The Coin got moving, ducking into the shop a moment later. “Good call, just an NPC behind the counter,” she reported over the house line.
Max smiled. “Okay, Kira, Farn, stay close. We’ll walk down there together. Kegan and Corvin, you guys just stay between us and the wall. Hop into the shop as soon as we get there. Got it?”
“Yup.”
“Yes”
“Gotcha.”
“Aye aye, my captain.”
Max rubbed the bridge of his nose for a second. “Okay, let’s go.” He pushed off the obelisk, the others taking their positions alongside him. He held his breath.
To his surprise, no one so much as looked at them. Other than Berwyn and a handful of his higher ranked housemates, the rest of the Serpents just did their own thing. Max exhaled as Corvin and Kegan passed through the shop’s door. He backed through it as well, bumping into Kira as soon as he was inside.
“Hey, don’t stop in front of the…” Max spun around. “Oh” That was when it occurred to him to that he should have read the sign outside the small shop.
Ginger stood in the middle of the space with her arms held out wide like a model on the Price is Right, showing Max what he’d won. He let out a sigh as a display of women swimsuits confronted him.
An NPC wearing a one piece with a sarong wrapped around her waist stood patiently behind the counter. “Please let me know if anything interests you.”
“I’m thinking this one.” Kegan held the skimpiest one he could find out to Kira.
“Har har.” She proceeded to slap it out of his hands, then continued to swat at him.
“Alright, alright,” he pleaded, not that there was much she could do to him anyway. As soon as she stopped, he pointed beside her. “Hey, check it out, chainmail bikini.” This time Farn slapped him.
That one probably hurt.
Ginger browsed the selection. “In all seriousness though, we are going to need bathing suits if we’re going to be hanging around here. It would be suspicious if we didn’t.”
Kira groaned. “Fine, who cares. All of you saw me naked last year anyways. Do your worst Ginger.”
The Coin grinned. “I will. But not now. These are nice and all, but I wonder if Larkin can hook us up again. After the stellar job he did with our gowns, we’d be stupid not to ask him.”
“I’m okay with that.” The fairy nodded. “He has good taste.”
“But what I do want is this.” Ginger pointed to a bracelet hanging by the checkout counter. She touched her forehead. She whispered the words, “Five Finger Discount.” The NPC suddenly turned around to organize a shelf as if she had been compelled to. Ginger swiped the accessory off the rack and grinned, just as the NPC shook her head and returned to the counter.
“Did you just shoplift?” Max gave the Coin a sideways look.
“Kind of. I do it all the time. Why do you think I have a near endless supply of bombs? They’re basically free if the skill works. It makes the clerk turnaround.” She twirled the bracelet around her finger. “Common items are fair game as long as you don’t go overboard.”
“And what if you do go overboard?” Max asked.
Ginger gave him a wink. “It would explain why I’m banned from a number of shops in Lucem
.”
“Glad to know I’ve brought the right player for this mission.” Max grabbed the bracelet from her hand. “What did you want with this if it’s just a common?”
She snatched it back and held it up to show a charm dangling from the chain. “It’s a pyramid, like the palace. And it’s not for me. It’s for Kira.”
“Ah, thanks, I guess.” The fairy held out her wrist.
Ginger ignored her outstretched arm and crouched down to fasten the item around Kira’s ankle. “Don’t thank me too much. I’m trying to give Berwyn a feeling of ownership.”
“Kind of like subliminally marking her as his belonging.” Corvin scratched his chin.
“That’s messed up.” Farn frowned and crossed her arms.
“Yeah, well, men are pretty messed up creatures.” Ginger stood back to admire her handiwork. “They like to own things.”
“I resent that.” Max snorted.
“So do I,” Kira furrowed her brow, ”and I resent being referred to as a 'thing' too.”
“I calls 'em like I sees 'em.” Ginger turned her palms up and shrugged.
Max brushed off the comment. “Well, personal feelings aside. Let’s go scout ahead, see if there’s anywhere else for these guys to hide on the way to the stairs.”
Ginger followed as he turned back to the door.
Panic gripped him the instant he set foot into the hall. Berwyn was standing right there. Dartmouth stood at his side.
“Ahh, hello.” Max’s mouth went slack as Ginger bumped into his back.
“Hey, don’t just stop in front of the door…” She took a sharp breath. “Oh, Berwyn! We were just coming to see you. As long as you don’t mind us tagging along to the movie.”
Berwyn hesitated but smiled a second later. “Of course not. I’d be glad to have you join us. I was just heading over there now.” He gestured to Dartmouth. “You can handle things from here without me, right?”
“Of course, sir.” The Archmage of Serpents bowed and continued down the hall.
Berwyn watched him go for a moment, then gestured to the sign next to the door. “Were you doing some shopping?”
Ginger nodded. “Oh yes, Kira had wanted to stop in for a souvenir. It’s her first time in a palace.”