Duty Session 438: Obligatory Rat Maze

    On the eve of invasion, it can be downright hard to relax. Fortunately, the work in a castle is never done! Or a village, in this case. Apparently there is an issue with rats in one of the cellars.

    Sure, Wake could have delegated this away, but being restless as can be and feeling the need to hit something, she has decided to give it a go. But privately. It's not like the Baroness and her secretary can just go slogging through a quest and not raise eyebrows. So she's told nobody about it!

Ayame has a lantern in one hand, and her wand in the other, lilac and orange lights competing for space as she trots alongside Wake, letting the Baroness keep her hands free.

"I don't see them" She murmurs, her heeled boots tapping on the stone as she walks, looking around carefully and peering through her half-moon spectacles

    "Usually there's a.." Wake trails off, then catches a strange shadow behind a standing shelf. Without waiting, she pulls it to the right and reveals a long crack in the wall. It's a tight fit, and it's horribly dark inside.

    "You know, I remember when I used to see darkness and think I owned it." She looks to Ayame and laughs, "Now.. I just want everything to be appropriately illuminated."

    Regardless, she looks over the entrance and is quite ready to just plunge in. Considering the right clothes apparently consist of some light robes drawn around her (to make it appear that she intended to go to bed rather than hunt rats), she's not perfectly armored for this situation.

Ayame chuckles and looks Wake over "You might want to think about inventory changes" She suggests, looking at the crack. She holds the lantern to it, roughly measuring it, and nods "Or you may need to after" She teases lightly "Still, the fire should keep them off. I'll go first."

It's a tight squeeze. Very tight. Ayame needs to hold her breath as she wriggles through

    Wake grins at Ayame, "You don't realllly mean that, though, do you?" She follows closely. With difficulty. She has to maintain control of her robes to avoid something noteworthy being revealed. She makes a point of doing so at the very last moment. Her attempts to make Ayame blush continue!

    "So.. wow, nobody cleans anymore, do they?" She wrinkles her nose at the state of the room. "I suppose we better fix this situation swiftly, in any case. This hardly seems like the garden variety of rats."

"They really don't" Ayame says, nervously scooting around the edge of the wall as she keeps away from the gathering sounds of rats, which are stopping to stare at them "I wonder how long they've been gathering down here."

She glances around, and her wings flutter softly. She blinks, as she realises, and then gestures "There's a breeze from over here" She nods, pointing Wake on

    Wake follows Ayame's direction, leading to a spot on the floor. She pokes around at it with a toe before bending over and noting, "You've found a secret door, my dear." Considering how much dust is on the floor, it's particularly tricky to notice anything. Still, a careful prodding at just the right place and Wake is able to start tugging the door open.

    Once it's open she carelessly sticks her head down in to take a look. "It's not too deep!" she calls back, then unceremoniously drops herself through the trap door and down below.

Ayame shakes her head, brushing off the scuffs on her shirt and skirt, and sitting carefully to lower her lower half down before she drops through - after passing on the lantern

She takes a moment to recover, none of the fancy rolling acrobatics so common, and brushes her skirt off again, shaking her head "I blame my wings" She grins across, before looking around with interest "Huh. It's all fairly ... busy down here" As she lifts, standing on tiptoes to peer at writings on the wall

    Wake hums softly to herself and watches Ayame poke around for a time before bothering to inspect the area. She will make a few attempts to pick locks, but she's not terribly focused on it. The Baroness is more interested in seeing just what her secretary is up to.

    "It is not exactly a romantic date night, is it?" she says suddenly. She's simply not all that focused on this particular challenge.

Ayame just shakes her head, looking at Wake over her shoulder "You're awful" She tells the Baroness with a quiet laugh "I actually find this sort of thing pretty relaxing. I like thinking about things, and considering - ah, here" She nods, tapping a few symbols "Should be third on the right. Look there for another door?"

    Wake smiles innocently at Ayame and leans her back against the wall, raising her leg and knee to set her right foot on the wall as she shrugs. With lazy grace, she raises her right arm, then brings it back down to slam her elbow against the lock she was attempting to pick.

    Behind her, a door opens, revealing more tunnel to explore. Wake smiles sweetly.

    "I am.. totally innocent, Ayame. Would Baroness Wake ever do something inappropriate with her secretary in the middle of a dungeon like this?" That's a very specific set of limiters, after all.

Ayame glances down, and then up, blushing to her eartips "I am entire sure she would not" A pointed look "Elly, on the other hand ..." She chuckles a little, shaking her head, as she raises the lantern again, descending down the tunnel with a soft step, the lantern held before her and casting her silhouette for Wake to watch.

    "Guilty."
        "As."
            "Charged.."

    Wake does follow, taking the time to enjoy the lovely image ahead. Sadly, she has to eventually take notice of the not at all pleasant looking monster.

    Between the sharp teeth and the rather unpleasant look of it, Wake moves closer to Ayame than is strictly necessary. "So... I'd rather not.." You know, get bit by that thing!

"Oh, naturally" Ayame mutters. Her hands are rather full, with the lantern and the wand, but it takes a moment for her to focus on - some type of enormous rat! A monster!

Still, Wake is behind her, and with lantern in one hand, Ayame flicks her wand with the other, runes flashing to the stone before they bubble and soften - the massive monster sinking into the stone! Trapped!

    The Baroness relaxes with the best trapped. She adds some magic of her own. Not to do anything useful, but to make a little barrier of earth that keeps the thing out of sight.

    Getting away from the monster is a relief. Eventually, Wake is relaxed enough to let go of Ayame's arm. She doesn't actually let go, but she could if she wanted to!

    "I'm sure that has to be the worst of it!" she says confidently. And then a corner is turned and an army of rats surges forward.

    Is that a shriek? Who shrieks like that?

"Good grief, that hurts!" Ayame yelps. But more at the squeals than the proddings! She starts to swat them away with delicate little blasts of air, tumbling the ratlings away without scattering her skirts overly!

"Try to calm yourself down" She suggests, pulling back towards Wake to help cover her "Or at least tell them to run!"

    For some reason, rats are just not Wake's thing. Considering she's backstabbed and soloed Lich bosses and demon lords, this might seem a stretch. Regardless, she's clearly off her game with these little mongrels.

    "Enough! Enough! GET AWAY FROM US!!!"

"FEHU!"

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    And the rats just stop suddenly, looking around in confusion and then slipping away through a variety of cracks in the wall.

Ayame stares at Wake, shaking her head and finally nodding "That was ... impressive" She notes with a soft voice. "Very much so" She smiles. Simply basking a moment, before turning to continue on.

Then that dratted Kobald shows up.

Ayame just sighs, sets down the lantern, and finally unslings her shield - levelling it, before the Sentinel Shelter simply erupts in a swarm of fireflies, winding around and drowning the kobald and mount in light

    "Oh, well.. thank you. Sometimes it just comes over me, now. Ever since we built the dedication to The Beautiful One. I think it's a kind of divine blessing."

    For some reason, Wake blushes a little bit at the praise. Her attempts to conceal only make it more obvious. It's.. the rats! Obviously.

    "Okay, now we have to be.. oh, it's that Kobold and his spear.. umm.. Stink..?"

    It's hard to say if the Kobold understand that or not, but it sure seems angry! And then Ayame simply stops the charge. The Kobold kicks, growls, shouts, and gets nowhere at all.

    The Baroness, who seems to have her eyes closed(!), throws a dagger with all the force she can muster. She'll either put a hole in the wall or..

    Deliver a deadly dose of damage to the discomfited Kobold, who cries out in anger and then (along with his mount), bursts into pixels.

Ayame nods, moving to prod her foot through the various bits of loot, musing "I admit to being interested in how he used that rat, though. Think Uta will eventually get a slime of her own to ride?" She asks, faintly impish, and then, more seriously ...

"But I agree. It's a wonderful gift, and I'm proud to have seen it"

    Elly does her best to get back into her normal level of poise. Sure, she's looking around a LOT for rats, but other than that.

    "Oh my god something touched my foot!" she yips out, suddenly leaping on a shoddy table.

    Yeah, she's totally got it under control.

    "Erm, well. Thank you, dear. I appreciate that very much. And I imagine Uta will at some point have some kind of monster steed. Or have twelve of them pull her wagon through the sky, giving gifts for good little girls and boys."

    Wake looks down at the table, then back to Ayame. "I feel like I'm about to make a speech."

"I'm sure you could from up there!" Ayame grins, offering a hand to help Wake down "But it's a little weak, so perhaps you should come down and we can head on up. I don't think we'll have any more trouble from those fellows"

    The Baroness accepts the help getting down, adding a little hop at the end of playfully get way too close to Ayame again. "I think you are right, we should get away from this place. The.. creatures are dealt with. Thanks to you! Clearly you are a woman of many talents."

    She laughs gently and seizes hold of Ayame's hand. She's not exactly /sprinting/ out of the probably-still-rat-infested area, but she's definitely setting a brisk pace.

Ayame is forced to shimmy along to keep up! Snatching the lantern, stowing the shield, the secretarial sylph steps swiftly, stopping surruptiously to tuck the wand into her bun before hurrying on again "You're quite right. Out we go" She agrees

    There is a stop at the trap door, where Wake turns and offers her hands as a step for Ayame to ascend with. "The most beautiful go first," she explains.

    Elly is getting more calm by this point. After all, there weren't any rats on the other side of this. Well, not many rats, anyway. And she's made a bunch of noise that will encourage them to get out of sight. Probably.

"That leaves one of the goddesses, but as I assume she's already up there ..." Ayame grins faintly, nodding and ascending, wings fluttering once she steps to Wake's hands, anything to reduce the weight! She grabs the edge of the trapdoor, pulling herself up, and then lays flat, offering her hands down "Now you!" She calls back down

    While she is a noble, Wake is also quite strong. She handles the weight of her secretary with ease. She is, unfortunately, rather heavy,considering her frame. She'll do her best not to strain her secretary, but the Baroness has no wings.

    "Thank you, dear! That was.. actually a lot of fun," she decides. It's easier now that the shrieking is behind her. The shrieking rats, of course. Because Wake does not shriek.

    "We should really do this more often. I mean.. maybe without the rats. But, maybe they are okay, too. it gives me a reason to cling to you." She can't help herself!

Ayame just shakes her head, laughing "It was an experience" She smiles at Wake "But you should certainly consider something simple to change into a fight is expected! I'm just glad I could keep you out of harm's way, my lady" She nods, standing and brushing herself down

    "True, this isn't terribly practical, but I have never tried the damsel in distress outfit before," explains Wake. "I rather enjoyed it, to be honest. It felt.. good to have you protecting me like that."

    She shakes her head and resumes her noble posture quite suddenly. "Which is to say, your performance was exemplary this evening, Lady Ayame. I commend your efforts and feel ever more at ease placing myself in your care."

One hand lifts to cover her eyes, and she lets out a theatrical groan "There are many things I will suffer in your service, Baroness, but I will not allow myself to be ennobled or it hinted or suggested!" But Ayame laughs, and smiles nonetheless "But thank you. It is, as ever, a delight to assist" She says warmly, helping Wake adjust her robe and then offering her arm, gesturing up "Shall we?"

    Elly accepts Ayame's arm with a warm smile, saying quite close to her escort. "It is not a title that makes you noble, it is the beauty in your heart, my dear. Were I the Empress of Yamato, nothing I could do would be able to elevate you any higher than you already are."

    She falls quiet as she walks, her mind drifting to other, related preoccupations. Suddenly, she asks, "What is your favorite flower?"

"My sister is Kuroyuri. She's fond of the black lily" Ayame smiles a touch, walking arm in arm, slow and thoughtful "I'm partial to blossom, when I see it. I didn't often have the chance" She leans across slightly, sighing "You? I assume the rose?" A little, perhaps, teasing

    The response gets a thoughtful nod of acknolwedgement. There's something turning gears in the woman's head, that's certain. Eventually, though, she registers that she's got a question to answer.

    "I... I like giving flowers away, rather than receiving them. And things that grow I tend to appreciate in many forms. Fruit tree blossoms are among my favorites. And wild flowers in the mountains. They bring beauty where it isn't expected. They remind me that beauty is more than some physical ideal that we can turn into a formula."

"I understand that. Beauty is often just ..." Ayame lets out a breath, and pauses, looking away. And her stance shifts a little, before she speaks again, her voice quieter

"I remember, once, we were walking somewhere. It was a shrine, I think. It was quiet, and the air was damp from rain. On the other side of some railings, there we a peacock. It saw us looking, and it just ... shook out those tail feathers, strutting and showing off. No other birds around. That's what I think of" She takes a breath "Beauty is for yourself, first and foremost. How you feel about you."

    Elly listens to Ayame speak and as she does, her expression grows more and more complicated. It is hard to tell if she's happy or not, or something else entirely.

    "You are right, it is your own view of yourself that matters most. I would add, with ardent devotion, the hope that my affection and admiration for you contributes to how you feel about yourself. You are special to me, and.."

    The Baroness struggles to express it exactly. Or she doubts the wisdom of saying what she feels. Emotional integrity wins the day, though.

    "I wish I could have known you out there, as well. I.. wish it very much. Still, what I feel for you is not reduced by some lack. I think it is more fair to say that I want to know all sides of you and have you know all the sides of me."

Ayame just smiles a touch, and strokes Wake's arm "In time, perhaps" She says quietly "I don't know what would happen if we did return. My sister ... would not wish to. And I put her choices above my own" She gives a small smile "But I am happy enough as things are, I think."

Her arm squeezes Wake's gently

    "If it is all in or all out, I will remain, as well," the Baroness replies softly.

    With those words, a gentle rain begins to fall over the quiet village, bringing a soft hush over the evening.