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Lilia Willow

"My bite is stronger than my bark."

0 · 411 views · located in The Kingdom of Anstice

a character in “When the Music Plays”, originally authored by FaddedFox, as played by RolePlayGateway

So begins...

Lilia Willow's Story

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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Banshee

It was somewhat cool in this cell Banshee was in. The floor, ceiling and walls were made of stone and the bars of iron which she'd been unable to find a weakness in. There was no window to let in light, the only sources of illumination being the lanterns that were hung along the walls of the hallway. She was unsure exactly how long she'd been down here, but so far she'd been brought 42 simple meals and was able to conclude that - assuming she were to receive two meals a day - she'd been in that cell for about 3 weeks. During that time Banshee had maintained her daily schedule: stretch, work out and spar with an invisible opponent.

For the majority of the first week it had been extremely quiet, something that Banshee did not mind. She was used to cool, quiet, dark places and the quiet did not bother her. What bothered her, however, was the absolute silence. Typically she would have playing softly in her ear a gentle melody. It'd been a constant in her life and she'd never been without it for long periods of time. The only times where it had turned off was when it had been replaced by the "Bad" music - violent, clashing sounds that startled and infuriated her. But never in her life had she been without either. In this absolute silence she'd had a lot of time to think. She'd obviously not yet completed her mission, having failed to kill her target, but how could she have? He'd sat down and suddenly... suddenly the "Bad" music was "Good" again. What did that mean? Had her mission changed? Was she no longer meant to kill him? Or was it a trick? And why was there now only silence? Everything was so confusing and there was nothing she could do; a fact that make her uneasy, however she stuck to her schedule, certain that she could receive clarity soon.

And indeed, along came clarity in the form of a man. He had light brown hair that'd been pulled into a low ponytail and wore glasses as well as a casual suit. In his hand he held a note pad and pulled up a chair in front of her cell, though out of her reach. She'd ignored him at first, but he began speaking. She had no idea what he was saying of course, having never learned to speak herself, but it was evident that he was trying to communicate with her. Perhaps this was a new addition to her training, she'd thought, and she stood in front of him. This routine went on for almost three weeks and Banshee learned quickly. She was unable to read or write, nor was she adverse as she doctor who was teaching her, but she was now able to communicate with simple sentences. Her cell was no longer silent, practicing her speech while she practiced her fighting. All of this was almost enough to get the utter silence off of her mind, though she was still lost as to where it had gone (the doctor being unable to tell her either). In fact, aside from the lessons, he was unable to give her much information regarding where she was or what she was supposed to do. This did not help relieve her confusion, but she remained patient and passive, still content that clarity would come to her if she waited for it.

Banshee was in the middle of sparring with her invisible opponent when she heard footsteps coming down the long, stone corridor. There were four of them. She paused a moment; usually the doctor did not come to visit her for another hour or so and he never brought other people. She'd already received her morning meal so that wasn't it. Listening closer she could in fact hear the doctor's footsteps, quickly padding down the hallway. She also thought she recognized the pattern of one of the approaching subjects, a female, however the other two male patterns were unfamiliar to her. Walking over to the bars she tried to peer down the hallway but to no avail. "Hello," she called rather loudly (she was still working on her "inside" voice), sounding more curious than alarmed, "Who is there?"

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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A prince who, despite all common sense, strikes up smalltalk with an would-be assassin. He is naive, but very kind and almost alway willing to give another a second chance. He is also very curious and has taken in interest in Banshee, who seemingly stopped a perfect attempt on his life simply due to the music being played on the piano.

Has an unhealthy obsession with strawberries.


Today was the day he would be able to meet he very person who had failed an attempt on his life but mere weeks earlier, and boy was Slade excited. Odd as that may seem, from what he gathered, this woman must be more interesting than any normal prisoner they had received in his 20 years on this planet. And since that very day, Slade's life had been relatively boring and uninteresting, with the exception of an addition of a new bodyguard, at Julian's request. Hopefully, the man didn't blame himself too much that Slade was put in danger -- it was not as though he could be everywhere at once. If anything, Slade should've hired someone quite a while ago. Even augmented, one man can't do everything.

From what the prince gathered, this woman wasn't capable of holding a conversation from the point they brought her in. Rather, she knew one or two words that most people wouldn't enjoy hearing and that was it. Reading and writing appeared to be the same. However, he was also told that over the time of her stay in the dungeon they had started teaching her basic speech, and that was very good. He could've very well ask much of her if she couldn't answer, after all. But still, for someone to be made to kill a member of the royal family and not even know how to speak... He couldn't decide whether to think people were just that insane or if he was really unfit to lead his people. There had to be a reason for this, right? Hopefully, in the time to come he could get an answer from this... this girl.

Slade was, of course, walking down the steps to the dungeon with Julian, his new bodyguard, and the man who had been working with the prisoner in tow. As far as safety went, this was probably the best you could hope for, bar an entire army separating you from your foes. The prince had absolute confidence in his best friend, as he knew Julian put his duty above all else, even if it was fun to joke about certain improper tendencies the man had.

"Hello! Who is there?" a loud voice asked. One could only assume it belonged to the prisoner. Was her name... Banshee? Slade was sure they got some odd name from her, but he didn't want to remember it until he spoke to her himself.

As they reached the bottom of the steps, Slade couldn't entirely hide his excitement and pulled ahead of the others, stopping just in front of the cell holding his failed murderer.

She didn't look threatening, in the least.

Pale skin, small stature... she looked more like a beggar than an assassin. But maybe that was why she managed to get so close to Slade before being caught. Maybe that's why she COULD have succeeded, if it weren't for... well, whatever actually caused her to stop. Certainly, this girl was interesting! He knew it from the very moment he saw her, no, even before that. That very moment when she hesitated!

"I am Slade Arcadia, prince of Anstice. But I'm sure you already know who I am, yes? Yet, I don't know who you are. Could you tell me?" he asked, a smile despite what she was. Perhaps Julian and his new bodyguard would disapprove, but the first thing to do when meeting is introductions, wasn't it? And they were already halfway done.

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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Lilia was surprised by how easy it was to get close to the prince and her body guard Julian. Sure she went through the normal screening required by the position but considering the recent assassination attempt, she had thought they'd be more... cautious. She was a random female stranger that had suddenly arrived looking for a job after all and the assassin in question was a random female stranger. Lilia knew she looked strange as well and yet there had been no flags raised. She wasn't complaining of course. It made things easier for her. Being the prince's bodyguard came with a lot of perks like being close to her target. She could weasel her way into his graces and make friendly with his trusted guard all the while interacting with the assassin locked away in the basement. All in all, she was in the perfect position to see the goings on around the target and eventually kill him and get Banshee out of the predicament she was in now.

She found it quite annoying that the organization blamed her for Banshee's failure. It wasn't her fault that the music was disrupted! That was their poor planning that got them all into this mess. She was at the party and she had tried to hurry forward and complete their task but by the time she realized that the prince's piano playing had stopped Banshee, it was too late. Julian had gotten their first and taken her into custody and the party had gone into quite the uproar with the sudden arrest and near death experience for their crowned prince. She had been forced to turn away like the other guests least she be caught as well. Regardless, Lilia now had to work her way back up least she be on the chopping block when this was over.

Lilia's pale hair cascaded down her back from its high pony tail though a couple of loose strands now settled around her face no matter how she tried to tuck them away. She didn't let the light tickle bother her as she walked, back straight, beside Julian and behind the prince. Her black sun-glasses rested against her chest from around a simple threaded chain around her neck just in case she needed them. Unlike the dresses she loved to wear, Lilia sported worn and fitted black leather that protected her skin from the sun's glare and allowed her the flexibility of movement she would require in the field. A black holster belt adorned her hips and was home to the various knives and poison viles she always carried. She could fight up close and personal, but she loved using her throwing knives. Since she had accelerated speed and strength, her knives had an extra punch to them and they were silent which was another bonus. Her attire was much conducive to a killer of the shadows and the sharp contrast of her pale skin made her look more like a ghost than a body guard but appearances were deceiving.

The agent was a bit apprehensive of seeing Banshee though. Banshee didn't speak, couldn't write, and didn't understand speech. For now anyway. The prince was trying to teach her all of these things and Banshee could very easily implicate her as her accomplice. If she showed that she recognized her, the questioning would be turned to her and she'd find herself beside Banshee in another cell. She couldn't let that happen but how could she communicate this to Banshee? She wouldn't understand. She hoped beyond hope that the other girl didn't say or do anything to make the two men or the doctor, for that matter, suspicious of her.

Lilia didn't make any indication of surprise when she heard Banshee call out from her cell. She was already speaking? And she spoke surprisingly clearly for someone who was never allowed to speak or taught how to form words. That was incredible! This doctor they harbored was either amazingly talented or the experiments Banshee had gone through gave her some sort of learning edge. She had a shorter time limit than she thought. Lilia needed to get Banshee out of here before she said anything about the mission. How much did she really know about the whole operation anyway? Lilia crossed her arms over her chest and tapped a gloved hand against her arm as she waited.

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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Of all the reckless things Slade did and continued to do over the years despite Julian's warnings, visiting his would-be-assassins topped Julian's list of extremely suicidal things to do. True, he doubted that the girl would be able to kill him from behind bars with both himself and the new bodyguard at his side, but Julian did not like to tempt fate. At least, not when his best friend's life was on the line. His father would tell him that he was worrying over nothing, but despite their recent rapprochement, the man did not understand the mindset of a bodyguard and he doubted he cared to. He sighed inwardly to himself and allowed his friend to carry on the conversation with the assassin as he took in their situation.

Slade, at least, was standing far enough away from the girl so she couldn't lunge at him unexpectedly. The girl herself didn't look deadly at all, though looks were deceiving. He had spotted her exercises when they came in. She was good, he had to admit to himself. Very good. Not a movement or stance had been out of place. She was rather attractive, he notice: devilish curves, a reasonable chest, and small delicate features. She looked malnourished, though, as though she had been underfed. Interesting. He had been privately suspecting that she was someone else's weapon, moreso than most assassins. Why else would she not be able to speak or understand any language whatsoever save for a few words? But then, how would she know who to kill? Puzzle upon puzzle...

He glanced over at his new comrade, Lilia, he thought she was named. Now she was an interesting-looking women. She had all the signs of albinism, but she did not look sad or sickly. Far from it, in fact. She was lean and muscular, her black leather outfit doing wonders for her curves. He smiled slightly as he took note of her knives and poison. Poison and knives were not very sporting, but battle never was. He admired pragmatism in a woman.

"Nice..." he murmured, directing his gaze at her hip, though, from the angle of his eyes and the intonation in his words, it appeared he was admiring her very fine buttocks.

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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Banshee

"I am Slade Arcadia, prince of Anstice. But I'm sure you already know who I am, yes? Yet, I don't know who you are. Could you tell me?"

Banshee blinked. That was a lot of words, but she could tell that he had addressed himself.

"Slade Arcadia, Prince of Anstice." She said blankly as her eyes traveled the length of Slade's face and body, no aggression or hostility in her voice, sounding more like she was stating a fact rather than giving a title as she said, "Target." Banshee's silver eyes moved on to the silver-haired man. This person she's received a warning on: he protected the target but she'd been specifically instructed that he was no to be harmed. "Julian Dejoy. Guards the Target, is not the Target."

Banshee's eyes moved to the familiar face, and she recognized the red eyes and white hair combination. This was her normal sparring partner, though she wasn't wearing her normal gear. Perhaps if she was here then Banshee had been right; this was a new form or routine for training. Come to think of it, Banshee had never actually been given an identifying name for this woman; she's just kind of walked unto the training arena at the same time every day and they'd fought (Banshee loosing against her well over 70% of the time) before leaving. Never had the two exchanged anything aside from blows, so truly though this person was familiar - her combat partner - Banshee did not know the words to describe her, therefore she was: "Unknown."

Now Banshee's eyes moved to the Doctor who looked both nervous and gleeful. "Doctor," Banshee said and a small smile grew upon her lips, one that bore great similarities to that of an accomplished child, "I speak." The doctor gave a strained laugh, obviously torn between being thrilled that his project was now able to speak / understand others but also extremely distressed that she'd just addressed the Prince as her 'Target'. "Y-Yes, good, now like Prince Slade asked..." he cleared his throat and gestured to her, "Who are you?"

Banshee understood that this shorted version of what the Prince had said and returned her gaze to Slade. "Hello," she repeated "My name is Banshee." And upon saying this (following a heavy gesture from the Doctor), Banshee gave a small uncomfortable bend at the waist, bowing herself slightly before the Prince. Truly she did not understand this, but the Doctor had insisted that this was how one greeted this particular Target. But now that formalities seemed to be over Banshee stood straight again, narrowing her eyes at Slade, though her were filled with a wary curiosity rather than hostility. "Music." she asked hesitatingly, her range of vocabulary too limited for her questions to make such sense, "How? You... the Good music. Where is the Music?"

The Doctor made a shushing sound, "Banshee, not now..." but her gaze was too fixated on Slade to heed the Doctor. She stepped forward, gripping the iron bars in her hands and pressing her body against them as she would somehow be able to phase through them. This was such a frustrating feeling. For the first time in her existence she was finally able to communicate through more than hand gestures or sounds, and she had so many questions to ask, but she was still unable to adequately voice any of them.

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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Lilia glanced over at her fellow guard when she heard him murmur something and arched an eyebrow. She thought he would be looking at the prisoner but was surprised to see the man staring... at her. A blush rose in her cheeks, her condition making it much more discernible than normal. Why was the man staring at her butt for? He had other matters to attend to! Damn pervert. She thought he was good looking to but you didn't see her ogling him. She cleared her throat to get his attention but that didn't seem to help much. She reached over then to lift his chin and by definition, his eyes, to her face.

"Eyes up, Casanova," she said sweetly before she folded her arms over her chest again and turned her gaze to Banshee. The doctor was talking to her and she was speaking. She knew quite a few words. Damn she was good. Had she known how to say some words before? She had never heard Banshee speak so she had assumed the girl was mute or something so to hear her now... it was astonishing. And it seemed like she was listing titles and what she knew about them, hence why she called the prince her target. It was obvious she knew Julian from the files and the explicit instruction that she not harm him. Now her palms were seating in their gloves. She would say something about her! She knew it! She was going to identify her as something that she knew and then all of this was going to be over. She had a couple of daggers on her that were already poisoned. If she said something, she could quickly pull them out and with her current angle she'd be able to stab the prince but with the orders not to harm Julian... she wasn't going to make it far.

"Unknown," was Banshee's response when she got to her. Lilia could have given a huge sigh of relief with that one word. Good. She wouldn't give her away. Lilia only then noticed she had been holding her breath. She slowly let the air out to keep up the pretense of normal breathing. There was no reason to be anxious in this situation after all. "Where is the Music?" Where was the music? She frowned. Was that why the doctors couldn't control her right now? Was she hearing the soft music? She asked where the music was so maybe she wasn't hearing any of the music? That was strange. There was always one chip working. Why had the scientists stopped it? Or maybe the doctor of this country had taken the chips out of her ears? Her questioning about the music would make these people wonder though and they'd ask her questions regarding what that meant. She'd have to find a way to get her to stop asking that and bringing it up.

She let out a small chuckle and looked over at the prince. "It looks like she liked your music, Your Highness."

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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A prince who, despite all common sense, strikes up smalltalk with an would-be assassin. He is naive, but very kind and almost alway willing to give another a second chance. He is also very curious and has taken in interest in Banshee, who seemingly stopped a perfect attempt on his life simply due to the music being played on the piano.

Has an unhealthy obsession with strawberries.

"Target."

In all honesty, that was the first time anyone had ever referred to him as a target. And for it to be so frankly put was actually quite laughable. In a weird, twisted way, Slade got the feeling that this girl was very, very innocent. Someone who almost murdered him, yes, but judging by how she acted, this was something programmed into her rather than an action she personally wanted. As of right now, he didn't feel like she wanted anything. This was very odd, wasn't it?

Slade watched silently but with a smile as she began to stare at Julian. Immediately, she addressed him by his full name and even mentioned how he wasn't the target. That much made sense, as nobody with an actual intention of completing such an assassination wouldn't know about the very man who guarded Slade. It sounded like whomever sent her was definitely no incompetent, at least knowing to gather basic information regarding the prince himself and who was near him. Slade wondered just what other information these people might have.

"Unknown." the girl continued, this time looking at his newest bodyguard, Lilia. Of course, he expected that much. She was not hired until after the failed assassination attempt. It would make no sense if she knew about this person. Slade was none-the-wiser and didn't have any reason to be suspicious of his bodyguard yet. He ended up being more interested when she turned to the doctor and proudly declared "I speak".

So even someone like her can be proud? Interesting!

Slade's smile grew as she then bowed down in a manner that suggested she had rehearsed the action, and introduced herself finally.

"Hello. My name is Banshee." she said.

"That's a unique name."

Slade wondered why she was referring to herself as Banshee. It was obviously some sort of codename, rather than a true name. Did whomever she work for not even care enough to give her a human's name? Or maybe she had one but wouldn't betray it to them. True, it could all just be some sort of act, but if it was, Slade was sure he could at least catch some glimpse of it but all her actions thus far seemed genuinely... unfamiliar to her. He realized that in a way he was looking down on her as if she were some small child, but that couldn't be helped in this situation. Hopefully at another time, she could forgive him.

Ah, but seeking forgiveness from a would-be assassin is quite odd, isn't it?

"Music." she suddenly stated. Slade was confused just a little bit because it was so sudden. "How? You... the Good music. Where is the Music?"Banshee asked, acting almost desperate as she pushed herself against the bars of the cell she was in.

"Music?" Slade wondered, obviously not sure what exactly she meant by "good music" exactly. Did she like how he played the piano? One could only guess. But for her not to kill him just because of that... would be very odd indeed. Besides, he didn't think he was anything special when it came to playing the piano, to think that it saved his life...

"It looks like she liked your music, Your Highness." Lilia commented. Slade turned to his new bodyguard, an embarrassed smile on his face.

"You think? Aha, I'm not anything special though." he humbly dismissed the idea before turning back to Banshee. "I haven't any way to play music right now, but perhaps another time, okay?" he still wasn't entirely familiar with speaking to someone who couldn't actually speak. Hopefully, she would get even better and he would learn too.

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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Lilia glanced over at the other body guard and quirked an eyebrow. Checking her fitness? Top-notch? Madame?! She was not a madame! Out of everything he had just mentioned, and obviously flirting, that was the one word that struck out at her. Hold old did he think she was? did she look like a madame? She wanted to grab him by the collar and slam him into a wall. That however, was probably not wise. Maybe another time. She did find her a bit annoying though. How could he be thinking about these things when they were in a dungeon and staring at the would be assassin? No wonder Banshee was ale to get so close. He was probably staring at some girl's breasts while he was on duty. Were all men like this? The prince hadn't made any comments like that. She took a steadying breath then. She was over reacting, she knew. He hadn't said anything truly offensive after all.

"Do not call me madame," she said then. "I am not a madame. Just Lilia will suffice, Casanova." Casanova. Yes, that was a perfect nickname for this handsome body guard. Handsome? Great now he had her staring at his assets. She rolled her sunset colored eyes and brought her attention back to Banshee. The doctor said he could get her talking within the week. Impressive. She had read stories about people raised int he wilds that had taken years to learn any semblance of language and most never fully recovered a full vocabulary. Now she was intrigued by that prospect. She raised a hand to her chin in thought. If she learned speech this quickly, she would already be speaking well enough in just a day or two to spill all the secrets. She would need to find a way to come down her by herself and make sure that Banshee didn't say anything about their organization, her, the doctors, or who in fact sent them to kill the prince. She wasn't sure if Banshee knew who sent her but she didn't want to risk it. She spared a glance at Julian then. Did he know what his father was up to? Was he pretending to be the prince's best friend and confidant? He did stand to gain a throne if the prince died. She'd have to watch him more carefully to see if he was an ally in all of this.

"Programming? You say that as if she is a computer. She is human, isn't she? Maybe she just stopped because it was something soft and sweet. If she was kept from speaking, it is not too wild a guess that she was tortured as well and the music was something strange to her that made her question the sensation," she answered then. She didn't really want to talk about this or create more questions, but if she didn't offer up her own interpretations, they may wonder why she wasn't contributing.

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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A prince who, despite all common sense, strikes up smalltalk with an would-be assassin. He is naive, but very kind and almost alway willing to give another a second chance. He is also very curious and has taken in interest in Banshee, who seemingly stopped a perfect attempt on his life simply due to the music being played on the piano.

Has an unhealthy obsession with strawberries. Also apparently owns a guard dog now?

Did I say something wrong?

Slade wasn't exactly sure why she seemed almost frustrated at something, but if he had to guess then he would assume it was because something was lost in translation. He could only use the words she gave him and the experience that day a few weeks ago to go on, but it might be that he was incorrect. She must have meant something else by the music, good or bad. But what? It wasn't as though she could really tell him just yet. The barrier between them was still very strong and understanding was no easy task just yet.

"Doctor, teach the words - how to speak." she pleaded.

This of course was after shaving a few years off the doctor's life with a sudden action. Slade too was startled and took a step back, but had only watched because there wasn't anything he would be able to do if Banshee had the intentions of killing the man. Luckily for him, however, Banshee had a use for him. She seemed to have interest in learning to speak herself, which was good to see. If they could only talk, he could learn so much more about her! Naturally, everyone he had ever talked to up to this point had been able to talk back, so this predicament was a bit irritating to deal with since it truly made learning things close to impossible. Because of this, the doctor's promise to have her speaking clearly within but a mere week had given Slade new hope. He was very obviously ecstatic at the proposal.

"Do you really believe you can do this? Teach a person how to speak so quickly? If so, then you would make this prince a very happy man." Slade gave a smile that looked like he had complete confidence in this doctor's words. As he did, though, he heard Julian musing over the subject of music.

"Have you hear music before? What kind? When was it played?" he asked Banshee.

Slade looked over to Banshee for a moment before turning back to Julian. "I think this visit is only going to have us leaving with more questions rather than answers. We'll be better off waiting for the doctor to work his magic before asking anything more of her." he suggested. Though it wasn't like he was against Julian trying his hand, if he wanted.

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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Banshee

"Do you really believe you can do this? Teach a person how to speak so quickly? If so, then you would make this prince a very happy man." Slade said, looking at the doctor with delight and the doctor nodded quickly. "I shall with her every day from dawn until dusk. At the rate she's been picking up language, and how obviously eager she is, I have not doubt that she'll be able to adequately carry simple conversations by the end of the week."

"She did not understand language, but she understood what music was or attached enough importance to it that it is one of the few words she knows. Was she totally deprived of it so that your performance was her first example of it and interrupted her programming? Or is it part of her programming?" Julian said (more to herself than anyone else), and though Banshee was unable to understand all of what he had said she could tell that it was something in regards to her statement and felt a flare of hope. Maybe he could understand. As he turned to her she looked at him keenly. "Have you hear music before? What kind? When was it played?"

Again, these were phrases she did not know every word to but she was still able to understand. However the other two, Slade and Lilia (as she had seemed to have called herself) spoke up before she could formulate the words. Lilia addressed Julian, completely ignoring Banshee from the other side of the bars. "Programming? You say that as if she is a computer. She is human, isn't she? Maybe she just stopped because it was something soft and sweet. If she was kept from speaking, it is not too wild a guess that she was tortured as well and the music was something strange to her that made her question the sensation." As if adding to Lilia's comments, Slade spoke up."I think this visit is only going to have us leaving with more questions rather than answers. We'll be better off waiting for the doctor to work his magic before asking anything more of her." Slade said, making a move to leave and Banshee felt a surge of urgency. She desperately wanted answers, and if they left then she may never get them.

"Good Music. Happy. Calm." she stated with obvious urgency, and involuntarily her hand lifted itself and cupped her left ear in a listening gesture. Then as she spoke again (still urgent but a bit slower) her hand fell and the other hand moved to cup the opposing right ear. "And Bad Music. Anger. Hate."

"Targets, Bad Music." Banshee said with a scowl (purely for emphases of course), then brightened her expression as she added, "No Targets, Good Music."

Banshee raised her hand and pointed at the center of Slade's chest, though her eyes remained on Julian, and there was a tone of deep confusion in her voice. "Target; Good Music." Then her hands covered both of her ears as if she were shielding them from a loud sound, and her expression became that of concern and confusion. "Where is the Music?" After making this statement she dropped her hands to her sides again, her eyes locked with Julian's, seeking (even hoping) for answers. If she'd ever been introduced to a god, perhaps she even would have been praying.

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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A prince who, despite all common sense, strikes up smalltalk with an would-be assassin. He is naive, but very kind and almost alway willing to give another a second chance. He is also very curious and has taken in interest in Banshee, who seemingly stopped a perfect attempt on his life simply due to the music being played on the piano.

Has an unhealthy obsession with strawberries. He's probably the reason why Julian's hair is gray.

Having heard the Doctor's confident statement that he would get Banshee speaking within the week, Slade was satisfied and ready to leave. It helped that the would-be assassin seemed to want to learn as well, and the bit of progress she had shown already ensured that the prince would be able to hold an actual conversation with her by the time he returned. However, just as he had started to depart...

"Good Music. Happy. Calm." hearing Banshee suddenly speak caused Slade to turn around, raising his eyebrow as he did so. "And Bad Music. Anger. Hate." she went on to say, even gesturing to help them understand what she was trying to tell them. Slade begun to think about what she really meant. Good music was associated with being happy and calm? Bad music apparently was the opposite. Did that mean music was how she had been speaking until recently? His musings were answered immediately when she continued, still giving expressions to help in place of the words she couldn't yet speak. "Targets, Bad Music." Slade did not even have to hear the next part to realize what that meant, putting two and two together. For some reason, she would hear bad music whenever there was a 'target', which likely held true to when she was about to kill him.

Then that means...

"No Targets, Good Music."

Music replacing speech was something he had never heard of before, though he had learned before that some people expressed themselves in ways that would seem strange compared to the normal populace. Those people, however, were often artists and musicians who would write pieces or paintings with their true feelings attached to their work. Slade always felt like he was simply someone who could play a piano good, not excellent. With the sole exception of last time, he played someone else's tune, never once creating something from his own heart. What he did create was (he hoped) a tune that would remind people of a more peaceful time, yet he felt like his audience payed much more attention to the attempted assassination than the music he was playing.

"Target; Good Music. Where is the Music?" Banshee gave an oddly disturbing expression when she asked where the music was. Though if Slade suddenly found he was no longer able to speak, he felt he wouldn't be too happy either. Something must have gone wrong that day while he was playing the piano. This "music" she was hearing, good or bad, had been cut off for some reason and Slade couldn't figure out why. Julian, who had just as quickly figured out what was going on, did help the prince come to a conclusion though.

"If there was something in her ears when you apprehended her, then I don't doubt you might have destroyed it on accident. You aren't known for going soft on assassins, after all." Slade smiled at his friend, though he quickly turned back to Banshee while continuing to speak to Julian. "Of course I remember exactly what I played then. Didn't I tell you? I tried my hand at writing music. I'm still unsure if I should be happy that my music saved me, or upset that the first person to admire my work is an assassin." Slade shrugged. Truthfully, even if it were someone like Banshee, he was happy his music was good enough for someone. Despite his position as prince, he hated being in front of a huge audience and having the spotlight on him. If he were to mess up and ruin his image, it would hurt the family in its entirety, to have a fool of a prince. This was one of the reason he took his duties to the royal family so seriously, despite not being an entirely serious person to begin with.

"Just... Don't get any reckless ideas," Julian added.

Looking back towards his friend, pretending to be surprised at such an accusation. "What? Me, reckless? I'm completely appalled that you would even jest about that, Julian. Why, there's only one way I'll ever forgive you, you know? Since I'm a very kind and benevolent prince, all I ask is that you take this very girl who probably would've murdered me in cold blood if it weren't for... whatever happened, and escort the both of us to the piano so I can play a song for her. Sounds very reasonable, wouldn't you say?"

Then again, for all we know my music might switch her into some kill mode and we'll have to respond violently. That would be... unpreferable. Gambling like this is... definitely reckless.

Slade did his best impression of a puppy dog face. "Please?"

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At those words from his friend, Julian face vaulted. He literally fell to the floor in surprise and exasperation as he conveyed his intent. This, of course, was followed by Julian rising from the floor, fire practically burning in his eyes as he seized Slade by the collar and started shouting.

"Damn it Slade! Why do you always do this! It's as if you want to be killed or something! Do you have any idea how stupid this is! She can kill you and if she kills you, where does that leave me?! If you leave me in this world to become king, I swear to God, I will bring you back to life so I could kill you myself!"

Then, Slade had to give him the puppy face. He stepped back, crossed his arms, and stubbornly refused to look. They both knew he always gave in when Slade used "the face". For a full minute, he stood there, refusing to give in until, finally, he sighed and turned back to his friend.

[color=#000080]"She will be bound and we will put her here as soon as we're done. Understand?"[color=#000080]

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Banshee

Banshee didn't fully understand what they were discussing right in front of her, but she could tell that Slade had said suggested something that Julian strongly disagreed with however after a significant look from Slade he'd begrudgingly consented. What exactly this agreement was in regards to she did not know, but the words "murder", "cold" and "blood" she recognized. Would they take her back to the lab and scientists she normally worked with? Would she complete her mission or had it been abandoned? However as he continued to speak (Slade liked to use a lot of words when he spoke, it seemed) she recognized "piano" as the thing that he had used to play the music as well as the word "song".

From what she'd gathered it was very possible that they would return her to the lab where she'd spent her life up to this point. I was also possible that she was going to be given the opportunity to execute her Target (though this was only, of course, if the Bad Music indicated that she was to kill him). However what Banshee thought was most likely to happen was that she would be removed from this cell and taken back to the room where the Prince had played the Good Music and drowned out the bad.

Deciding that this was the most favorable, and preferred, outcome Banshee started nodding excitedly. This was an obvious indicator for yes and she'd used it many times to respond to any simple "yes or no" questions, such as the ones occasionally directed at her back at the lab. "Music," she stated, excitement in her voice, "Please."

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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ImageLilia rolled her eyes when her fellow guardsman decided that Ma'am was her new nickname since she had settled on 'Casanova'. She did not like the nickname Ma'am one bit. It made it sound like she was...old. She was not a Ma'am but it seemed a bit pointless to argue about it now. They were supposed to be paying attention and observing the world in case someone tried to attack the prince so discussing silly things like nicknames was childish. She settled herself down and let her eyes scan the world around them. Julian was focusing on the prince and Banshee so the least she could do was make sure no one else suddenly appeared and while she did that, she could scout for additional ways in without alerting other guards. She would have to find a way in and out later after all. Now was the perfect time to scout since her wandering eyes would not be questioned in this context.

Then she heard Banshee as she continued to form her words and icy fingers slid down her back accompanied with the burn or anger. This little half-wit! She knew some words and of course she had to know the right words to go and spill everything! The prince and Julian now knew how the company was controlling her! How could she be stupid enough to go and blab all of this?! As soon as she learned how to form sentences, Lilia knew she would tell them everything! All these people needed to know now was who she was working for. Thank the heavens she didn't know that information. She was sure she'd tell them as soon as they asked. What was wrong with her? And here Lilia had thought she was smart because of her ability to learn so quickly. She was very, very wrong. In her opinion, the scientists needed just kill the little brat and let Lilia take over the mission. She was in a perfect position to kill the airhead of a prince anyway. She didn't see him or Julian as too much of a threat.

And to prove her point, the prince then asked them to bring Banshee out of the cell she was in so that he could play music for. He wanted to play music... for the person that tried to kill him. What was wrong with this prince? Julian was right, this boy did have a death wish or something. Or maybe he was just stupid. He acted more like a kid than a grown man anyway. Lilia took in a deep breath and let it out slowly to help herself calm her nerves. She realized she was just making herself angrier and getting frustrated at everything. If she let that continue, she may say or do something she regretted. She rolled her eyes when Jullian caved to the prince's puppy face. Was he a friend or a guard? A guard could not give in to his prince's 'puppy face' if he wished to protect him. She raised a gloved hand and rubbed her forehead and the bridge of her nose. The puppy face did not work on her in the slightest.

"This is not a good idea," she voiced then, "This is an assassin. She was trained to kill and she just admitted that music is involved it that process. This is too risky. If His Highness plays something that is 'bad' music, she may go into her killing mode. Yes he has me and you, Julian, but I do not think this is a wise decision." She hated that she had to say it. If Banshee could go into her killing mode, all the better since then the prince would be dead and Julian could kill Banshee and she'd be able to get the hell out of this place. However, she had to play her part well. "We do not know what 'good' or 'bad' music is for her. It is safer if we bring music down here and she stays locked up in the cell. This will prevent her from trying to run away, just in case. This could all be a trick. She is learning language at a remarkable speed. As far as I know, someone does not learn language that easily."

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Character Portrait: Julian Dejoy Character Portrait: Slade Arcadia Character Portrait: Banshee Character Portrait: Lilia Willow
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A prince who, despite all common sense, strikes up smalltalk with an would-be assassin. He is naive, but very kind and almost alway willing to give another a second chance. He is also very curious and has taken in interest in Banshee, who seemingly stopped a perfect attempt on his life simply due to the music being played on the piano.

Has an unhealthy obsession with strawberries. He can think about things very logically, though it is not all the time he acts on it.

Maybe Slade should feel a bit guilty for pulling out the puppy face since it hadn't failed him thus far, but he couldn't help himself. He was dead set on this idea and he needed his bodyguards with him if he wanted to try it out without losing his life. There was still a small chance he could die anyways, but he was confident that the two of them could bring one smaller girl down without much difficulty. Besides, his friend wasn't entirely a normal person, in a good way.

"Alright!" Slade didn't bother to hide his excitement, though for the sake of his friend's appearance in front of the other bodyguard, he refrained from giving the guy a big hug. Instead, he turned his eyes towards the prisoner, who looked pretty excited as well. It was possible she was just happy she was going to be given a good chance to kill him, but he liked to believe this girl actually wanted to hear his music instead.

"Music. Please."

Boy, how dumb would he feel if this girl could really speak and was just pretending. The answer was a resounding "pretty", but risking your life by ignoring logic was only one of the most important duties as a prince! He'd read books before and it wasn't like those fictional princes did anything too much better, in fact a lot of them died to a simple blade in the back. None of them ever could say, "Wow, I took a gamble and lost, that was my mistake!". No, instead it was a boring life filled with nothing but silly balls and stupid, generic prince things. Horrible life, really. Where was the excitement?

Oh yes, it was all in Slade's eyes.

"Let's get her out of there and g----"

"This is not a good idea," his new bodyguard, Lilia voiced. Slade had hoped Lilia would just roll with things or die to the puppy face, but that was just wishful thinking on the prince's part, wasn't it? "This is an assassin. She was trained to kill and she just admitted that music is involved it that process. This is too risky. If His Highness plays something that is 'bad' music, she may go into her killing mode. Yes he has me and you, Julian, but I do not think this is a wise decision."

"But-"

"We do not know what 'good' or 'bad' music is for her. It is safer if we bring music down here and she stays locked up in the cell. This will prevent her from trying to run away, just in case. This could all be a trick. She is learning language at a remarkable speed. As far as I know, someone does not learn language that easily."

Lilia had a point. And she was very right to voice her concern, as it was literally her job to look out and to protect Slade from danger. It was also true that Slade playing music again might trigger a bad response and cause complications with Banshee, and that someone could get hurt or killed. Yes, there was nothing but logic in Lilia's reasoning, and for all intents and purposes, Slade had no reason to be dragging a highly dangerous target around and playing a show for it. Except, well...

Slade was someone who would prefer to live a fun life than a logical one.

"Lilia, I am glad that you're able to not only see the obvious dangers of my plans, but are brave enough as a person and a guard to voice them. Even if it is to protect their life, there are quite a few who wouldn't dare to speak against a prince's decision for fear of some consequences. This is something I really dislike and was worried about, because what good is a guard whom cannot do their sole task? Continue to do this in the future."

Yes, Slade was just an old-looking child at heart, wasn't he?

"Though I must apologize because there are going to be times when I seemingly needlessly make your job a bit tougher than it needs to be. This, of course, is one of those times." he smiled very innocently, despite basically just saying "Yeah, I hear you and all but oh well". Slade started towards the stairs and turned to face his guards. "At least I'll stay well away from her while we walk, I hope that's enough."

Besides, who wants to drag a piano all the way down there? It could get scratched!

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For his part, Julian could not help but laugh as Slade deftly acknowledged Lilia's concerns before brushing them off as he normally did. It was nice for other people to have to deal with Slade's recklessness for once. He stepped forward and patted Lilia on the back in a completely non-sexual way, he'd tell you. He grinned at her.

"Well, gorgeous, take a deep breath and center yourself. As long as you're here with us, you're going to have to get used to Slade tempting fate. At least until he marries a poor girl and sires an heir. Then, with the kingdom secured, we can let him get himself killed. What do you say, Slade? As long as you're treating this assassin like a normal girl, you might as well try to court her. I'd have to stand guard by your marriage bed, of course. We can't have her killing you then."

Julian tended to fall back on sarcasm and slight perversion when he was frustrated, earning him a reputation as a dissolute pervert in some circles. People tended to whisper that the only reason Slade had him as bodyguard was because they were childhood friends who frequented brothels together, which was decidedly not true. That happened only once and the night entailed a barrel of rum, a ship of pirates, and Julian pulling Slade back home by the ear and telling him that, no, they were not going to spend the rest of the night at the docks.

He clapped his hands, gaining the attention of a couple nearby guards.

"Alright, you heard the prince. Let's try not to let him get killed, shall we? We need her hands and feet bound if we're going to take her out of her cell despite all common sense. It's a fetish, I know, but it's Prince Slade's private business so don't let rumors start flying around, he announced.

He looked over at his friend and smirked at him. If they were going to do this, he was going to have fun teasing his friend while doing it. By nightfall, the female servants would be giggling about Slade's "tastes". He'd have to invest in leather before the day was out.

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Banshee

Now this was interesting to watch. Slade seemed intent on bringing Banshee to the source of the music, and Julian had disagreed - for what reason Banshee genuinely could not imagine. She would never harm the Good Music! It was only if the Bad Music played that she's kill him. But for now though there was a terrifying absence of any music and she did not yet know what this indicated. Regardless, though Julian now seemed disgruntled, he had given in to Slade's desire.

Lilia however seemed more firmly opposed, talking about danger and bad music and "killing mode". Banshee was unsure how to feel about this female. Naturally she was more inclined to prefer her company, simply because she'd known Lilia since her first mission (she'd been the one to escort Banshee to a mission and take her back to the lab afterwards) and had been training with her since before then. Why Lilia did not look at her, and did not seem keen on her coming out to hear the music, was beyond Banshee's understanding.

"Alright, you heard the prince. Let's try not to let him get killed, shall we? We need her hands and feet bound if we're going to take her out of her cell despite all common sense. It's a fetish, I know, but it's Prince Slade's private business so don't let rumors start flying around," Julian say, sounding a little bit annoyed, though this was covered by a jovial tone, and clapped his hands once. Two guards approached, bearing a rope, and Banshee blinked at them.

"D-Do be careful!" the Doctor said as the guards keys jingled in the lock of the door, "I don't know if brutality will trigger a violent response." The guards nodded, entering the cell and surrounding Banshee, who stood there calmly (though her silver eyes were flicking between the three men). "Hey little lady..." one of the guards murmured softly as if he were talking to an anxious stray dog rather than a person, "S'okay. We ain't gonna hurt ya." Banshee's eyes remained trained on this man and she remained still as he gently reached out and took her hands, crossing her wrists and slowly tying them together. "Atta girl," he said, continuing to speak in a comforting, and Banshee remained passive as another guard tied the knotted rope around her ankles (significantly less gently though her attention was trained on the speaking guard).

Banshee tested the ropes a little. They were thick and strong, but they wouldn't hold her should she attempt to escaped, so she allowed herself to remain tied. As the guards stepped back the one who'd not-so-gently tied the ropes around her ankles looked at the one who'd been speaking soothingly to her and scoffed. "The hell was that Davidson? Taking to her like she's four? This is an assassin for gods sake!" Davidson shook his head slightly. "Sorry Johnson. It's just... look at 'er. She looks like a puppy man, all confused and scared in a cage, not a cold blooded killer like she's said to be." Johnson scoffed again, gruffly shaking his head. "Yer a madman. This ain't some innocent puppy - she's a murder." Davidson cast a glance in Banshee's direction, seeing the simple innocence and confusion in her silver eyes, and looked away again with a frown, saying nothing more.

Johnson nodded at his silence, then turned to the Prince. "She's ready to go your Highness."

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ImageThe prince... the prince had simply disregarded all of her concerns. He acknowledged each warning she had given and noted that they were good observations and he was proud of her voicing them, even with the fact that she had gone against him. There was still that subtle warning beneath his polite words and then... nothing. He shoved all of her worries out the window in a childish 'I wanna do it my way,'. Were all royalty and people in a position of power like this? She felt like everyone who was 'above' her did things their way even if it wasn't logical or rational. How the hell were these people in charge of peoples' fates? They were making stupid decisions and putting themselves and others in danger! In her opinion, this soon-to-be-dead-prince was foolish. Maybe that was why their employer wanted him dead and off the throne. Julian did seem to be a little more logical in his reasoning at least. Even he had spotted the dangers of the situation even if he did give in to the spoiled prince.

When Julian patted her on the back, she immediately straightened and visibly bristled. What the hell was the man doing touching her back? She turned to him and gripped his arm a bit tighter than she had intended. Sometimes, she forgot her own strength. Her eyes were narrowed on the guard as she listened to his words and examined his facial expressions. His words didn't make her feel any better. He really was a pervert wasn't he? What exactly was he trying to get at with his contact? She was not some feather-brained twit who would just fall into his arms the moment he touched her. Thus far, Julian was not making a very good job of wooing her. Where was the romance? Where was the charm? Okay, scratch all of that. She would have probably punched him in the face if he tried to offer her flowers, but that was beside the point. She wanted this lover-boy to know she wasn't just some pretty Betty he could roll over. It would take a lot more than this get her attention and she wasn't interested in any sexual escapades currently.

"I would appreciate it if kept your hands to yourself, Lover Boy." There. Now he had nickname number 2.

She let go of his arm then and crossed her own over her chest once more. She moved to stand a little closer to the prince's other side and get some distance from Mr. Roaming Hands. Maybe she was over reacting but she was still peeved. And she couldn't even understand why she was so angry that the prince wasn't listening to her. She wanted him dead. Shouldn't she be happy and rejoicing that he was making her real job that much easier? If the prince was this reckless all the time, which it seemed like he was, then it would be so easy to stage some sort of accident. It was always like her to open her big mouth however and spill her thoughts. Ah well. At least she was playing the part of guard well enough it seemed. She gave an exasperated sigh and turned her attention back to Banshee and watched as the prison guards tied her up. She made a note of how both of them treated her. One was rough and angry and the other soft and gentle. Upon explanation, Lilia found herself intrigued. It looked like the scientists who made Lilia the way she was now were successful in making her seem the innocent victim.

"Are you ready to go, my prince?" she asked once the guards were done getting Banshee prepared.

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A prince who, despite all common sense, strikes up smalltalk with an would-be assassin. He is naive, but very kind and almost alway willing to give another a second chance. He is also very curious and has taken in interest in Banshee, who seemingly stopped a perfect attempt on his life simply due to the music being played on the piano.

Has an unhealthy obsession with strawberries.

Slade couldn't help but to chuckle to himself as he watched the exchange between the guards and Banshee. It was rather entertaining to see that the guards shared the same thoughts about the girl as he did. While she indeed was an assassin who was after his own life, she did not appear that way. Aesthetically, she appeared to be nothing more than a small girl lacking any obvious wealth and by no means did she come off as the "assassin-y type". But that's exactly why she was able to get so close to him, he assumed. He couldn't blame Julian for wanting to step up the security around him now that the enemy could try something like that again.

If only they knew who the enemy was, then it would be much easier to root them out and destroy them.

Oh well, all will be learned in due time, hopefully.

At least for this prisoner, Slade had a reason to be learning about them. This time, it was a lack of the ability to communicate rather than sheer determination to not betray their employer that they hadn't learned much from this particular assassin. It would be a very great day were they to extract vital information from her, willingly, and be able to deduce just who exactly wanted him dead this time. One could only hope. So, maybe he shouldn't be taking this task so lightly, but he couldn't help but also be interested in the assassin as a person and not just as someone with vital information. What made her tick? What was her story? How'd she come to be one of the very few people that actually got so close to killing him? That feat was not easy to accomplish, Julian made sure of it. So just what were they dealing with?

"Very well." Slade answered to the guards after they had finished restraining Banshee. As he was no expert on the matter, the restraints seemed sound enough to him, so instead he turned and begun up the stairs and out of the dungeon, motioning for the rest to follow him as he did so.

After a decent walk, they eventually reached the prince's own room, which was where his personal piano resided. Despite being a bedroom, it was rather large and were it repurposed, it could easily serve as a living room of sorts. It wasn't until he started venturing outside that he even realized such a thing was not the norm, but who can blame him for being spoiled as a prince? Besides, his parent's room was even greater in size. The piano sat in the furthest corner of the room, accompanied by a small bench for him to sit on. He wasted very little time moving over to it after confirming everyone, including the prisoner, had entered.

"Please do enjoy my show, though forgive me if I mess up a few notes. I really haven't had the time to play in the past few weeks." he spoke before sitting down, placing his hands on the piano and beginning the familiar melody.

That's not actually the melody, I just am not sure what I want it to sound like yet.

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Julian couldn't help but roll his eyes at his fellow bodyguard's words. Really, where did she get off misconstruing friendly, platonic teasing as flirting or general perversion? Still, he couldn't help but be impressed by her strength. Not many people could grip his arm hard enough to make it physically hurt.

"Of course. I'd need to wine and dine you first, correct?" He asked her with a smirk. As the guards argued, he made a mental note to talk to them later. They couldn't allow themselves to be distracted in this manner in the future. Girl or not, this girl was dangerous and he had really wished that Slade would've been taken aback my his words, but then, his friend was remarkably good at ignoring people once he got what he wanted.

He sighed as he followed close behind the assassin, his sword at the ready should she try anything. He was starting to doubt he'd need it, however. At least, not when she was without "the music". He'd have to see how she reacted when the prince began playing a tune. If she attacked, he would cut her down, Slade's protests be damned.