Snippet #2281120

Liesel Moringmer; Dullahan Library Underground Car Park

A set of footsteps.

And then another.

Her usual smile was on her face before she knew it – oh, it was anything but pleasant. Those familiar with a Moringmer knew that, like any beast, teeth were never a friendly sign. The grin grew wider at Cedric’s… explanation, which went unacknowledged as slowly approached the newly arrived pair.

“Well, well, look who’s finally here!” she exclaimed, stepping up to the deck the Joker had left scattered on the ground. Crouching down, she flicked her finger and flipped the cards over one by one. “The King,” flip, “and the Ace,” flip. The King of Hearts and Ace of Spades were clear against the concrete. She blew the dust away, sighing through gritted teeth, before straightening.

Damn it, she really needed that smoke right about then or she was going to throttle someone.

“And it’s only half-past late.” It was her own words that sent Liesel past the ‘pleasant’ stage of her rage. Grin dying into a grimace, the woman closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. “Damn it, when there is a set time, there is a fucking reason! No message, no warning… you might have been caught in traffic or you might have been caught by Itex. How the hell am I supposed to know?” Her glare was turned to the king, who had been her fellow ‘strategist’ for quite some time now. “And I think you of all people know just how impossible any mission is with even one damn missing link… so where is that goddamn royal pain…”

Of course, Liesel meant the Queen… but she’d deal with that one later.

Now, the woman could have easily gone on her tirade for the next week and a half, but fortunately for the present pair, there was no time for that. She’d have to make it brief. “We’re out of time, so change of plans.” ‘Again…’. “There’s been a tip off that a certain warehouse by the river, a short ways off the pier, has something valuable to Itex. I don’t think I have to say that what’s valuable to Itex is valuable to us, hm?” Right, and she had the delivery to make… how to go about doing this... Liesel pondered a solution as her hand drifted to the package in her pocket. “Crow. You’ll head over first. I’ll send over her majesty when she arrives.” To the King, she signaled for him to be quiet and wait. “But be on your guard. I can’t assure the… reliability of this source. At least, not yet.”

She waited until the Ace was gone before addressing Cedric. “Now, don’t say a word, this is Torrings’ decision, not mine. You’re not going to be sticking around with me anymore,” she sighed, closing her eyes, looking almost weary… almost. Not quite. Liesel was a woman who needed no rest. “So, apparently you’re not needed here,” she stated slowly, circling around, trying to find the best way to approach the topic. In the end, she chose the only way she knew how: the direct approach. “You’re needed out on the field.”

She only gave the younger man a glance, a cursory gauge of reaction, before pulling the box from her pocket. “And we both know that’s pretty damn well impossible without a mask,” she continued. “And frankly, I don’t know what Torrings is thinking, as per damn usual, and in all honesty I think he’s acting like a goddamn fool…” Rambling. She needed to get to the point. With another sigh, she thrust the slender box towards the King and recited the proper phrase: “But I don’t have a choice. As Liesel Moringmer, proxy for Arthur Torrings, I gift this mask to you.”

With that said, there was no turning back. What the hell was Torrings thinking. She never knew. Never. “In case you haven’t put two and two together, that’s the moron’s mask. His. It’s complete, but it’s not originally yours, so the personality will be overwhelming. Before you head on to help out Crow at the warehouse, give it a test run. I’ve gifted the mask, so you should be able to sense it – can you hear the words ringing in your head?”

Well, Liesel was going off second-hand information, but she hoped that her understanding of the masks was accurate enough to let the King transform.