"Mmmh. Indeed it isn't. But as I said. If you come to the point of being exterminated one-sidedly. That simply means you've been too complacent." Vizelle grins, ready to jump back into her own reality. Until Varrick paused, causing her grin to widen as he spoke. "My, my. Are you already yearning for me?" She asked in a teasing tone, trailing her hand along her curves to emphasize her body. "I won't mind either way." She hummed, giving him a wink to see whether he'd send her back, or accept her teasing.
As she examines the helmet, trying to find some trace of emotion, Vizelle feels herself being spat out back into the real world.
“And then... you don't remember? I see...” Eanne nodded. “What can you tell me about your friend, Miriam? Or about this Lady Ahn?” She inquired, before adding. “Especially the lady, since she is a potential assassination target...” Or is involved in the assassination attempt...
"Mmh. A shy man, almost as if he was a virgin before he met me." Vizelle hummed as she's brought back to reality. Taking a deep breath, she decides to rush back to the palace. Now, I wonder how I should go about this? She thought to herself as she made her way toward the emperor's triumph, assuming he was still there. Pointing fingers is one thing, but I'll still need proof. And storming Marcus' base might cause me to lose the chance to recruit some capable men. Hmm. Well, for now, I'll see how his Majesty is doing. It would be odd if I didn't check on the explosion. She added, still pondering how she'd go about destroyint the Cold Moon, while reaping all the rewards.
"Miri?" Julqe shrugs. "Miri's a maid, a real one, I mean. She's been a friend of mine for a little while, since her boss came here a month or two ago. Lovely girl, really nice, though a little shy. And Lady Ahn? Well, she's been a regular of mine for a while now." She sighs. "No idea why she needs a working girl, she's stunning, but I'm not complaining. You know the type, I assume? Rich, very private. She's always been great to me, generous as all hell, but she doesn't talk about herself a lot. Unlike my other regular." She adds, chuckling. "You think someone might assassinate Lady Ahn?" Her eyes widen in surprise. "You don't think that I might have already...?" She gulps. "Like I said, I don't know her business, but I noticed some people she was involved with. There was this rich guy, a baron, or a duke, and there were some other people... Shady, you know, always wearing masks. They gave her this artifact thing, and ever since they kept coming around. It was really nice, that artifact, really pretty." Trying her best to be useful, Julqe's mouth is running, saying anything she can think of that might be relevant, and perhaps things that aren't.
Heading to the parade ground, she sees that the tall podium atop which Carius would have made his speech has toppled to the ground, supports blown to pieces. In the air, fighters swoop over the area, diving down to make attack runs on the panicked crowd, as loyal fighters move in to try and stop them. Vizelle fails to see the emperor himself, among the chaos.
"Hm? What the?" Vizelle's eyes widen as she failed to spot the emperor, No, they may just have taken him to some place safe. She thought to herself, deciding to enter the palace to look for him.
“I think I know who the rich guy is,” Duke Chernobog, most likely. “Anything you can recall about the masked people? Or about the pretty artifact you mentioned?” Both sounded important.
Heading to the palace, Vizelle fails to find Carius, but sees that Hersillia, the empress dowager, has taken command.
"Oh?" Vizelle raises an eyebrow as she spot who was in charge, My, my. For someone in the council not long ago, she sure has made her way to the top. She thought to herself as she approached. "Empress, might I ask as to where his Majesty is?" She asked in a stern tone, doing a polite bow along the way.
"About the masked guys, not much. Their voices were muffled by their masks. I think they were just messengers for someone else, though. They called him, like, master? Creepy guys, honestly." Julqe's expression changes slightly as she thinks about the artifact. "Well... It wouldn't sound like much if I just described it. A sphere, made of silver, but there was something about it that was just so beautiful." She bites her lip. "The lady loved it, she said it was her most treasured possession."
Hersillia grunts angrily, barking commands at the courtiers and military figures in the command room. "Oh, gee, I wonder?" She scowls. "It's not like we're in crisis mode trying to answer that question ourselves." She glares at Vizelle for a few moments, before sighing. "Sorry, I shouldn't lash out. He went missing after the attack. We're trying to find out where he is. Sister Elena was tracking down a lead, I think, but in the meantime, I'm trying to keep the chaos contained, so Carius doesn't find a city in ruins when he gets back."
“I see...” Eanne nodded, her expression thoughtful. Something about that artifact sounds off... “Thank you, Julqe. Despite some of your memories missing you have been very helpful. Is there anything else you can recall? If not, you should get some rest – you've had a long day, even if you don't remember it.”
"Sorry, I can't think of anything." She shakes her head. "And sorry, I really would never have tried to hurt you normally. I don't understand why I would do that."
"I... see. The situation if more dire than I thought." Vizelle frowned as she heard the emperor was indeed missing. And to think this wasn't Varrick's true plan. Fufu, how terrifying. She thought to herself before bowing, "Very well, I understand your concern. I will, head out as well to find his Majesty's whereabouts." The sorceress then turns around, and walks out of the palace. She then heads to Lorena's brothel to see how she reacted to the attacks.
“It's not your fault,” Eanne smiled at the maid reassuringly, “someone controlled you and made you do it, then erased your memories to make sure you can't give them away. Don't blame yourself for things that were out of your control. And thank you again for your help.” She then looked at madam Dubernay. “I doubt we will be able to learn anything more here. I guess I should try speaking with this Lady Ahn, see if she knows anything... or if anything has happened to her.”
Heading back through the chaos, where the fighters are being shot down by loyal interceptors, and then through empty streets, Vizelle finds Lorena's brothel packed to capacity. A woman at the door leads Vizelle upstairs to the pleasure rooms, where Lorena is currently engaged in business. "Mmmh, ah, Vizelle." She pulls away from the man, smiling at the sorceress. "Would you mind leaving us for a moment, darling?" The man reluctantly pulls on his clothes, leaving the two women in privacy.
"I was thinking the same thing. I can't leave, due to business, but I can send some men with you, if you'd like." She shrugs. "This noble may be dangerous, from what we've heard.'
(The image is broken, it just shows Sankaku complex.) Once she's alone with Lorena, Vizelle puts up a sound proofing barrier around them. "So, I was unlucky and unable to meet with Jetts. And while I could simply go ahead and keep trying, a wonderful opportunity has come to me." The sorceress grins, "You see, there's been an attempt against the Emperor's life. And I am at a position to point at who attacked his Majesty." She cooed, "Of course, this means I will be destroying Marcus' operation without even using my own forces. But before that. I want to make sure I don't lose any skillful individual that would be a waste to kill off." Vizelle licks her lips, "So, I want you to call Jett. Tell him there's someone in your brothel with an offer he simply can't refuse."
“Thank you, but I think it is best if you keep your men here, in case you need them. There could be a second attempt to get rid of you after this one failed.” Eanne pointed out. “I will bring my own men when going to confront her. Of course, first I need to find out where she is...” She could be home, she could be with the Duke, or she could be some place else entirely...
