Liron River Pier

She leapt off of the small wooden skiff, before her white, feathery wings started to beat strongly. She held a larger black box with a silver lock nonchalantly with one hand, as the very tips of her toes felt the iciness of the water. She rose gently upwards and maintaining a distance of a few centimeters away from the surface of Liron River, she crossed the distance to the pier. There, she sat, swinging her legs off of the pier, into the dark blue water. She placed the box on her side, before ignoring it for the time being.

One hand lifted and started to play with the red blindfold that covered her eyes. In the past, some of her equals had asked her why she insisted on blinding herself, but after all, how could one remain aloof from everything and still be able to see them? See their pitiful faces, see their smiles, see their tears… sight was just a crutch after all.

Her feet felt the smooth touch of a fish that was swimming inside the pier, and with a quick flick of her ankles, it was sent flying into the air. There, another hand grabbed it, and with a quick twist of the head, killed the flopping animal. She threw it over her shoulder, before turning one head in the direction of the skiff. “You may leave,” she said, softly and melodically, but still, it possessed an aura of authority. As the skiff slowly drifted out of sight, she tapped her long fingers on the edge of the pier. Those Itex Lower Class members should have been here as soon as she arrived - but that didn’t matter, Judgement may have disciplined them somewhat.

She was supposed to be meeting three of their younger Masked members here, but it wouldn’t be surprising to her if only two showed up - and smelling of blood too. Judgement had no respect for life, he seemed not to realize how difficult it was to recruit them to their service. It took them weeks to replace them, and this was time they couldn’t waste. But despite his… liking towards removing all of their trustworthy subordinates for minor offenses, he was a helpful ally at the best of times. He listened to orders, at the very least. And unlike that irksome Fool, he could always be found and counted on.

She shot a slight frown at the box to her side. Inside was a tool that would come in handy if Torrings had done something and caused them to have any sort of opposition. It was not a weapon, or anything of that like, those things were so crude in the long run. She ran one hand through her hair, as she flicked another fish upwards, and killed it like the other one.

Maybe the Lower Level Itex should be punished. Her fingers were covered in gore and water, and she really had an itch in her fingers that wanted to destroy something. She placed her hands inside the river to wash them off, and while taking them out, she flicked silver droplets of water off their tips.

But that wouldn’t do in the long run. Itex would end up having to cover up the news of the deaths again, and mind you, they wouldn’t be very happy with her. She should give them a chance to explain why they were late, and then, she would use her impartiality and decide. Yes, that would be the best idea - and once again, she killed a fish and tossed it behind her.

Almost nonchalantly, she wondered why she was the one sitting here, delivering the package. Yes, the package was important and all, but they could have gotten someone who was lower down in the hierarchy. She had better things to do than lag around waiting for a few students to take their time and arrive. The corners of her pink lips curled down in disapproval, but she continued to sit there and wait. If they didn’t arrive in the next minute, there would be an excuse for her next actions… and what fun she would have then.

A minute ticked away. And still, she could not sense the thudding beat of a hurrying little students that should have been here. Neither could she sense that distinctive irony smell of blood. How interesting. Did Judgement lose it again and end up murdering the whole lot? Or maybe, just maybe, those children had gotten caught up in other affairs. It was just to be expected, but sparing them just because of their age was biased - and couldn’t do. She felt her side, before taking the slender box back in her grasp; it wouldn’t be any good for her if it got lost anyhow.

She sighed wearily, before getting on her feet. Her previous mirth at the idea of being able to remove a few of the complications in her way had darkened upon remembering the mountains of paperwork that she would need to remove. To make matters worse, there were a few True Masks in the mix - how annoying. She would have to regain ownership of those True Masks before the death of its owner, and dealing with the coercion would be such a bother. So was obtaining a few of the unMasked to take their places… logistics were always annoying.

Anyways, all of her underlings were too far away to aid in helping her - and she didn’t want to ruin the perfect silkiness of her one glove. The blindfolded woman frowned, and glanced downwards, annoyed at the feeling of cold, wet flesh touching the rough wood of the pier.

She glanced back upwards, her gaze snapping to the horizon. She could hear someone coming in her direction - a loud someone who must have been in a hurry. “Hello, I’m here to retrieve something. Judgement sent me.”

The voice was young and male. ‘So those Lower Level Itex have finally deigned to show up.’ She narrowed her eyes under her blindfold, deeply irritated, while the veins in her right hand became slightly more noticeable as she made a fist. The winged woman flapped her white feathery wings, churning up the air around her, and rose up a few feet into the air. She always liked to be taller than anyone that she had to deal with - especially when they were little better than the unMasked members of the Itex.

“I was under the impression that there would be more of you arriving here. I vaguely remember Judgement saying there would be three,” she said melodiously. “Was there some kind of trouble perhaps? Did that dear Judgement of mine decide that some of you weren’t worthy to live?” Underneath that voice of silk was a steel - there was a reason why she had risen so high up in the hierarchy. Her nostrils flared when the only thing she could smell was fish, and just the slightest hint of blood. From the fish, of course, not the new little arrival. Which means Judgement might have actually held on to his scythe without painting it? She would have to congratulate him on his growth in self control.

“Please do explain,” she stated again. “I have to know whether or not I have to punish you, of course. As you’re quite a number of minutes late. Exactly three minutes, six seconds, if you were counting.” She always loved being able to tell the time no matter what - it was almost like a gift for her. “As I’m feeling particularly kind at the moment, you have thirteen seconds to get your excuse blurted.” Exactly enough time to blurt out a couple of sentences, especially from those loose lips of students, was it not?

“Please do hurry,” she reminded, allowing these few words to ride on the wind she was beating up. Maybe she had overestimated his speaking capabilities. Maybe instead of thirteen seconds, they would need twenty-three… No. There was no changing the verdict after all. She opened her lips again, hoping the child would realize what was going to happen to him if he didn’t hurry up. “The sweepers have already left for the week - it would be horrible to see that there is a new crimson stain.”

“Nineteen,” she started to count down. “Eighteen…”

What a pity. She had changed the verdict after all - even with the blindfold, she was unable to maintain her perfect balance and justice. How upsetting. But more importantly, the witness was continuing, and she, as the judge of the entire world, had to pay attention in order to make a verdict.

But still, her attention wavered. Listening to those few sentences spill out of the student’s mouth, she had caught a slight pattering of footsteps from another arrival - these soft steps could only belong to the owner of the Chariot. Judgement had said something about the Chariot.. but she couldn’t quite remember what. Once again, there was no more blood to be smelt, but there was still one member missing. But, that didn’t matter, of course.

So, in the end, this pause had been their fault. Not Judgement taking his sweet time in ordering them - as he was quite prone to… not paying attention to his duties as usual. She felt a smirk curl its way across her features, and she folded her white wings with a snap. She remained in the air for a split second, before the lack of support caused her to plummet through the air at a speed that would have injured her, if not broken something, had she hit the ground. Instead of fear, all she could feel was the exhilarating rush of adrenaline. She snapped both feathery wings open at the last second, and felt a burning pain in the small of her back. Her speed decreased, and as she snapped to a halt nearly a few millimeters from impact, landed on the pier lightly.

“Dessert, you say?” she murmured, mostly to herself. “He always did like apricots.” Raising her voice slightly - it was widely known in headquarters that the younger their subordinates were, the louder you had to talk, she continued. “Very well. Then, Itex Members. I fear that I have to fix Judgement’s overlooking of your… guilt.” One gloved hand lifted into the air, and the other tugged at the red ribbon there. “In that case, it has been decided that blame for this lack of punctuality lies solely in yourself.” The ribbon came free from the glove, and she entwined it on her two wrists, before continuing.

“As this is your first offense, and you are still unused to your duties and how you may do them, I see no point in spilling blood through this type of minor offense - for the first time only, of course. There will be no punishment, for the time being.” It was then that she remembered the little box that she was holding in her hand. “You…,” here she paused as she tried to guess who exactly the student in front of her was. He had earlier said something about the ‘Tower, Chariot, and myself.” That meant that he was the..

“Moon, you will be keeping this box for the time being.” It was always safer to put it in the hands of a male. In the case of them opening the box, it would be impossible for someone of that gender to stumble upon the surprise that Itex had spent so much time crafting. “Judgement will tell you when it will be needed. As you very well know, do not open or cause any damage to this package of ours. Bring it to the basement floor of Sagaro Mall this evening, before ten. There will be a car there, which you’ll know by the license plate number - JS-878. The trunk will be unlocked, so place the box inside. The car will be driving off exactly at ten, so please do hurry.”

“You, Chariot, have a different task. You will be searching for a certain mask. A golden half mask with a pattern of alternating black and golden diamonds on one half. Chariot, you will oversee the capture of both the mask and the owner - upon success, you will inform Judgement immediately. To contact him, inform the owner of Brio that you need a reservation for one of the back rooms, and Judgement will find you shortly. I’d suggest that you get all of your masked group of Itex to work towards this goal - it is of supreme importance to the Itex cause.”

She smiled again, before nodding her head slightly. “I do apologize for the amount of work you have to do. Although -,” she stopped talking with a start, before smiling once again. “Any inquiries?”

She didn’t think that they would have so many questions - but in a way, she was glad that they did. The active search for information showed that they were committed to the Itex cause… a good sign in all ways. “How long does it take to get to Sagaro Mall, and what’s the shortest route? Also, which floor parking will the car be on?” asked the Moon. This one - Judgement was the one who found him, and he was quite new to everything, and unfortunately, that seemed to extent to matters dealing with Throme as well.

“One. What information does Itex have on the half gold mask. Where has this mask been seen prior to this moment. Has anyone caught a glimpse of the wearer. What abilities it is known to have. How dangerous is it. How fast and strong is it. What’s it’s observance like,” quickly asked the Chariot, rattling off questions as though there was no tomorrow. She nodded slightly, the corners of her mouth twisting upwards. How quaint - how completely focused on physical battle.

“Moon,” she stated suddenly, “do you have any friends or acquaintances?” Untangling the ribbon from her ungloved hand, she allowed the end to trail on the ground, before continuing. “It’s across the river to the left. After you cross the river, it’s about thirty minutes to the left. You’ll be sure to recognize it by the loud noises coming from the crowds of students. That’s where most people - most sane people of your age group - spend their free time after all.” She paused, before continuing with her directions. “To cross the river, take Goatstone Bridge. It’s about ten minutes down the river, and be sure to bring something to pay the toll.” Her voice was wry as she remembered the strange thing that existed on the bridge…

As she was enjoying the mental image, her blindfold slipped a few millimeters down from exactly over her eyes - and she caught a glimpse of two high school-aged children, a boy with rebelliously colored hair and a girl with long black hair. She coughed in annoyance, before one hand reached up to place the blindfold back where it should have been. Her voice slightly tighter than usual, as it wouldn’t do in any way to become more lenient due to a glimpse of the party before her, she continued. “The car will be on the first basement level, Moon. Now, go, and do not tarry.”

Turning her memory towards the Chariot’s questions, she remembered the person that had the Emperor mask, in the past. That man. Of course, it would end up being that man who would end up causing so much trouble for Itex - and in extension of that, herself. When she spoke, her voice was calm, cold, and emotionless - well, as much so as she could make it. “Cenriel Academy - the owner will have some connection with your school. He - it’ll be a he - will turn your attacks against you. High in stamina, agility, and speed. A major tactician.” Despite her best intentions, there were images of that man running through her mind while smirking, frowning, and doing various different activities. But still, she tried to objectify him as much as possible. After all, he was now just a body, wasn’t he? “It’ll be dangerous.” she stated finally. “It has escaped Itex for far too long. Remedy that error, Chariot.”

Chariot. There was something that she had forgotten to do with the Chariot. Something vital… She, then, remembered the little tool that she had hidden somewhere. “Give me your mask,” she ordered. Her expression returning to a frown as she realized that the child may not be so quick to give her mask away - she, herself, didn’t enjoy doing it either. But this child possessed a False mask - a little mask churned out and given to a tool. But still, most were possessive of their masks, no matter how they obtained it. This kid would be much the same. Underneath the blindfold, her eyes narrowed, before she placed one hand in front of her, waiting for the mask. Her voice came out clipped, cold, and annoyed. “Now, Chariot. A gift given by Itex is a gift that Itex can take away. It is not yours, but ours, and it would do for you to remember that. This time - there will be no lasting harm to either you or your precious mask, if you do as I say.”

She waited in calmness until she realized that there was no quick acceptance of what she had to say. It was a while from the last time that someone had dared to disobey her orders. An almost petulant frown appeared on her face when she realized that she had to do something about it, or the Chariot would think that she could continue to place her own wants before those of Itex.

And that would be something that would bring problems in the future. With almost a weary sigh, she lifted the ribbon in front of her, a three-word phrase dancing at the forefront of her mind. It seemed as though there was nothing else to do but to resort to violence to get what she wanted. She, personally, hated to do this by herself. It was all the more fitting to give her subordinates something to do to cool down their hot heads. Anyways, Death would enjoy it a bit too much.

Her gloved head dropped with the crimson ribbon, falling about a meter and a half, before lifting up into a small, but ornate loop, before her ungloved right hand slipped neatly into the loop. All of this done in a total of a few seconds, as she focused all of her concentration upon a few words. ‘‘Edge…’

It was just then that a series of footsteps appeared on the pier, and she, with a start, lost concentration and the ribbon fell loosely downwards again, without the spell becoming complete. Who could this be? Itex had arranged for the pier to be completely vacant for this period. It couldn’t be some random pedestrian, could it? Her gloved hand once again started to sketch the same design in the air, in preparation for removing any witnesses of this meeting. How annoying.

“I was assigned to come here for a package for delivery. I am the Tower. What is the job?” Ah, good, if he was the Tower, then there would be need to do anything to him. But still... he was late, extremely late. Her eyes narrowed under the blindfold as her bearing became more erect, almost regal. It was disappointing that she had missed his approach from before, but if she needed an excuse, she was preoccupied with recent events dealing with the Chariot.

Perhaps it was that that caused her voice to be so much tighter than usual. “You’re late,” she said, sharply. “That task has been given out already.” Once again, the air lacked the tangy scent of blood, so it must not have Judgement keeping him behind. He was supposed to have gone with the Moon to Sagaro Mall, but getting him to catch up to the Moon would end up being a waste of time. But there had to be a task that she could give him… some way that she could use this new student, the Tower, to the greatest of her ability. “But there is something for you to do, of course, Tower.” She didn’t realize that she would be lucky enough to get a subordinate so quickly to do her dirty work. And what fortunate timing too.

“I want Chariot’s mask. And I want it now,” she said quickly. It was up to the Tower how he wanted to deal with the mess, but she hoped that it wouldn’t be too much of a mess to clean up. Itex had already used one of their connections to claim this pitiful amount of time in which she could speak with them without attracting too much attention. Causing the entire pier to blow up would be so much of a bother to work with. “Whatever way that you want, just don’t make too much of a mess in the process.” Pitting Lower Level Itex against Lower Level Itex was something that was distasteful at best, but she would do whatever was needed to deal with this mess.

Then, of course, if there was too much of an emotional connection between the two, it could end up with them allying against her. But that wasn’t too much of a bother, as she completely believed that even if all of the Lower Itex attempted to take her down, they wouldn’t be able to scratch her. “Don’t damage her too greatly, Tower - Itex still has use for her, and we don’t have the time to wait for her to heal.” Without the healing idiot around, Itex could do little but to entrust her to the care of a doctor.

After giving her order, she beat her white wings, lifting her out of harm’s way, to the far side of the pier behind the Tower. Hopefully that should keep her out of the fight - she would hate to deal with fighting at this moment. While the two of her subordinates fought it out, she supposed that she ought to deal with the complications that might occur from the fighting masked Lower Level Itex. Fishing out a small cell phone from her pocket, she opened it, and dialed “1” on the speed dial. Of course she called her most loyal subordinate who would deal with this mess - and more importantly, the Itex member would do it without complaining. The atmosphere around her abruptly changed as both people must have transformed into their other state, as the transformations let out huge waves of energy.

The subordinate finally picked up after a ring. “Liron River Pier - we need to cover this up,” she ordered curtly. “You know what to do. Chariot decided that she didn’t want to cooperate with Itex - her and Tower are fighting it out… Yes, it was because of that. Tell him that his little protege needs to learn more obedience… Of course I want it done immediately.”

After a short pause, she gave a murmur of affirmation, before snapping the phone shut and turning her attention back to the battle. It irked her that the girl was still not injured or begging to give up her mask. That was more trouble than it was worth. The modification she wished to do was only for the girl’s benefit and still, she was there, causing more trouble. Would there be someone else that could do the task that they needed to have done? The Tower and Moon were both male - so they were out of the question. The Hermit was far too support-based to do something like this along, and only the Lower Class Itex were sufficient for this task.

Perhaps she could use that one skill of hers to deal with this problem. No, that wouldn’t work. It needed an agreement, and Itex still had very little that they could use to manipulate the girl. The softness of that darned superior of his - he wanted to keep her from as much pain as possible. But as soon as she did something on the shadier side of life, they would be able to control her easily. Most people were all so careful about their own reputations, and were willing to do anything to save them. Itex was lucky that the police turned a blind eye to everything that they wanted to hide, but would work on the side of justice if Itex asked them to.

The Tower was saying something, the speech unnerving her somewhat. It was true that the personality of masks differed between person and person, but this one was taking it too far. It appeared as though it brought madness and complete violence along with it. It was masks like those that made her disgusted, and she wished that she didn’t have to deal with him just now. But - right now, Itex needed ever mask that they could get their hands on. As soon as they finally succeed with their goal, his mask would be the first one that would be removed. Just as she was about to get even further away, as the battle could end up becoming extremely messy, the Tower made his move and did something.

This something resulted in quite a lot of destruction. For all that she knew, he used his weapons and destroyed the pier. Probably on purpose. Shards of wood flew this way and that, but much of the other wood rotted away and fell into Liron River. She grumbled under her breath - hadn’t she told him before to not make a big mess?

“Tower, what did I say?” she called out to him, mindless that she was distracting him in the middle of a battle. “If you’re not going to keep the pier intact, you will be the one that will be rebuilding it tomorrow.” It was unacceptable for him to disobey her commands, just as though she hadn’t said them in the first place. Maybe this was why the Chariot had been rebellious; it seemed as though the newly recruited ones didn’t always have enough fear of Itex. She made a mental note that she would have to do something about this eventually - she knew someone who would be perfectly pleased to do such a thing.