Cleaning up the Joint [OPEN TASK]

Job Info:

Tessara Fantasio stretched lightly as she walked down the familiar streets of Black Heart City, pondering the job ahead of her. She'd lived in the city her entire life, but this area wasn't a place she frequented often. This was the bad side of town (if a place as evil and chaotic as Black Heart City could have such a place), a place where people spent less time buying and selling wares and more time robbing and mugging others. Tessara, for her part, wanted no such part in this debauchery. She'd accepted a job, however, and for the sake of the town she loved so much, she'd follow through.

The job was simple enough: Find a small-time gang that was running around here, and put an end to them. The person was offering to pay handsomely, so there was no way the electric demon could refuse; she was rather strapped for cash at the moment. Business wasn't great for a small-time tailor in a city full of fighters and warriors. In all honesty, she had been considering striking out, seeing the world beyond the city walls, and perhaps greener pastures where her talents could truly bloom. Perhaps this would be her romantic parting gift, giving back to the city that had given her so much.

Tessara idly did an elegant twirl, listening to the mechanical ticking of the gears in her headband as her eyes scanned for anything out of place. The client had mentioned that they had put up multiple ads, which meant that the girl might have partners that she didn't know about. She hoped they didn't surprise her; she would much rather have a willing partner than an electrocuted corpse. Some company for combat was always appreciated.

'What in the world are you doing here, Juliet?'

Her voice of reason continued to pester her, even when it knew that it was merely a distraction at this point. Yes, she would admit that coming to the heart of Umbros was probably not the best move to make right away, but Juliet was struggling. She needed to make it to Adaria, quickly, and that meant procuring a transport of some sort. So, naturally, walking into the centre of demon territory after arriving from the Mystic Kingdoms seemed like a wonderful plan! Fortunately, her corrupted elven blood disguised her here, or it's very possible she would have been killed already. "Seriously, dumbest idea in the world." She muttered in frustration, kicking her boot to the paved road.

The dark elf uncrumpled the wanted ad in her hand, glancing around the darkened streets. The meeting place was said to be here, and yet, Juliet didn't exactly see anyone waving her over. 'Natural, of course.' She thought to herself, tapping her rapier idly, causing it to shift at her side. Sighing, she walked in a random direction, hoping to have her way shown to her through divine intervention. It was actually quite laughable, just thinking about it. 'I feel like divine intervention is the last thing I need.'

Oh, how wrong she was.

Too distracted by her own thoughts and the poster in her hands, Juliet walked into someone almost immediately, a woman with white hair. Assuming the woman didn't dodge or move out of the way, Juliet would stumble past her, falling to her knees on the cold stone street. She would turn around to the woman, face red with anger and embarassment. "Hey! You should be careful where you're going!" She would shout, rather rudely, before beginning to pick herself up and brush the dirt off of her pants.

It was a wonderful feeling to be home, Natusko thought to herself as she walked through the streets of Black Heart City with a soft smile on her lips. Not often did she have an opportunity to return to her home with her busy schedule as of late and her new companion always keeping her occupied; But sacrifices had to occasionally be made if one were to succeed in life and Natsuko simply figured that her free-time would be one such sacrifice she had to make.

As she moved through the streets within her striking all-black military uniform and matching blade upon her hip, the demon would decide to take a stop inside of one of her more favorite establishments in the city - a local tavern that she personally believed served the best food and drink in all of Black Heart City, though admittedly she was somewhat biased due to having had a crush on the woman who tended the bar during her earlier years and even now felt a bit of a lump in her throat when speaking to the woman. Something that was uncommon for the confident and somewhat aggressive Natsuko whom she was known as while in her leadership role that she had been given some years ago and continued to serve in the capacity of a Reserve Commander to this day.

After a bit of admittedly awkward flirting and ordering herself a small meal, Natsuko's attention was drawn to a flyer that an individual had placed up while she was sitting in the tavern and upon finishing she would go up to read it:

"Anyone Wanted! Clear out the Gang that has been mucking up our streets and you will be rewarded! Please meet at-" She read the flyer with narrowed eyes, feeling herself become quite annoyed at the very idea that some group of idiots was attempting to defile the city she so lovingly called home - this may be something that was typically above her rank and file, but it was something that she personally felt was necessary to help accomplish for the good of Black Heart City.

Turning on her heels, Natsuko left the tavern with a flowing of her cape behind her and made her way towards the location of where the flyer had directed her to go in order to meet with others who had decided to take on this task as well. She wondered, idly, if the others who were taking on this task if any were doing so for the sake of the city, or for themselves, and furthermore if there might be anyone worth recruiting to help her in the devious plan that her newfound yet still very close ally had devised during their encounter in Windaria.

Upon arriving at approximately the area in which she assumed to be the one indicated by the flyer, she would see two individuals - one with white hair and another with darker colored hair - bumping into one another, or rather the latter woman with her darker hair seemed to do so and immediately went on the offensive:

"Hot-headed." Natsuko noted to herself, as if making a mental picture of the woman's attitude before approaching the two with a soft clicking of her dress-shoes against the stone of the street and idly rested a hand upon the hilt of her blade, not yet speaking unless the situation would call for an intervention - After-all, she wanted to see how this played out and intervening in such a situation as this would be a waste of her time.

Weapon:

Appearance Reference:

As Tessara flowed down the pathway, her watchful eyes caught a glimpse of an unusual person. A woman, slightly shorter than Tessara, was wandering the streets. Her hair, brown with bizarre streaks of white, along with her more formal bearing, gave off a distinct feeling of somebody who didn't quite belong in Black Heart City, let alone the unsightly district they currently inhabited. Not that Tessara minded her appearance; it was a breath of fresh air, compared to the lowlifes and scumbags that filled the rest of the area. Her clothes simply screamed nobility, from her spectacular dark blue coat to her sleek grey pants to her pristine white shirt with an intricately woven insignia-

Tessara was so engrossed in her inspection that she didn't realize the reason she could see the insignia so clearly until the woman literally ran into her. Tessara stumbled to the side, somewhat shocked, as the woman tripped past her and fell to the ground. The shorter woman proceeded to stand back up and berate her for not watching where she was going. Tessara puffed her cheeks out, irritated, but quickly reverted back to a polite, closed mouth smile. She didn't want to cause a ruckus before even finding the gang, after all. "Terribly sorry," Tessara responded with her melodic voice, making an apologetic curtsy. "I was...sidetracked a bit, you could say. If it's any consolation, you look quite literally stunning in that outfit."

Her polite, tight-lipped smile remained as she walked over to help the woman, only to pause when she noticed the sheet of paper lying next to her, face up. At this point, Tessara's face lit up with recognition. "Oh, I see now." She would assist the woman in standing up while pondering what this meant. "Diana's knowledge must have orchestrated this encounter," she muttered under her breath, offering her thanks both to her own Goddess and to Pandora, the matron of her race. Before she could mention this to the other woman, though, the mutter of something drew her attention to a short distance away, where another woman was standing. She was holding yet another flier in her hand; could she be yet another person that took the job? Only one way to find out.

Tessara turned around and strode up to the woman whose clothes and hair were both black. She looked the girl up and down appraisingly before speaking. "First off, let me say that I adore the aesthetic you're aiming for," Tessara said enthusiastically. "Not everybody can pull off that look, but you do it exceptionally well." She held up her own flier for the job. "Second off, if I'm not mistaken, I believe you're looking at a flier for this job. If so, you're among friends." Tessara turned over to look at the regal-seeming woman. "This involves you as well, so you should come over."

Once all three were close together enough for Tessara's satisfaction, she smiled again. "I believe the three of us are all on the same job," she said happily. "Three heads are much better than one; I'm glad to have some backup for cleaning our wonderful city. Shall we introduce ourselves?" Tessara curtsied and continued, not even waiting to hear her new allies' responses. "I am Tessara Fantasio, enterprising seamstress and student of the blade." Her hand went to her wooden kendo blade on her hip. "If I may ask, who are you two?"

If there was one thing Juliet was not expecting to find in this city, it was someone who was polite. Hell, the politeness of this stranger bordered on unnerving, as the fashionably-dressed woman, a few inches taller than Juliet herself. After a polite curtsy and a gracious comment on her outfit, the stranger walked over to her smoothly, almost doll-like, and aided her to her feet. After the stranger mentioned Diana, the noble titled her head in curiousity, confused on what she meant. "Orchestrating? Orchestrating what?" She murmured, trying to recall the name from her studies. Diana, Diana... Goddess of... something...

Deep breath in, deep breath out. A training mechanism taught to her by her master, seeking to weed out unpleasant thoughts and emotions. Juliet ran her hand along the edge of her rapier, feeling the cool steel. 'Emotions are the enemy of the strong. Your powers are most potent when you are as cool as ice, but as strong as steel.' She thought to herself, repeating her master's words almost by verbatim. Diana knows how often she had repeated them during her training.

Diana! Of course! It had been sitting right in front of her the entire time. Diana, Goddess of Knowledge, considered neutral in your typical alignment chart. This woman must be some form of follower, as to Juliet's knowledge, very few people praised Diana regularly, outsider of her worshippers. She was shaken from her thoughts by the emergence of another woman, black of hair and black of cloth, who her new... acquaintance seemed to address, pointing to her flier. Juliet looked down at her flier, matching it to the newcomer's, and gave a sigh of relief. She wouldn't be going at it alone, if this new information was anything to go off of.

After being summoned to the stranger, the white-haired one, she straightened her shoulders and approached, attempting to cast an aura of authority, but not exactly succeeding. Instead, she simply looked like a scrunched up twig, considering her dark coat and pants. "Hmm. So we are to be allies in this venture." She repeated, looking at the two strangers. While they were both... odd-looking, they also seemed capable. They would have to do. After being asked for an introduction, Juliet opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the other woman's hasty introduction. She closed her mouth again, pinching her lips together to form a thin line. Rather rude.

After the woman introduced herself as Tessara Fantasio, Juliet nodded in response, before motioning to the other woman, the one in the dark clothing, to follow. Whether the woman accepted the gesture or not, afterwards, Juliet would straighten up again, her left hand resting on the hilt of her sword and her right extended in front of her in a formal greeting. It was odd, that she wielded her sword with her right hand despite being traditionally left-handed, but Juliet had trained to wield in her off-hand, allowing her to access the full magicks that lied within the left hand.

"Well, it is quite good to meet the two of you." She replied coolly. "First, an apology. I did not mean to appear rude earlier, Miss Tessara, I was merely nervous about spending a lengthy amount of time in this city. I am quite new, and so I am sorry." She explained, giving a bow of apology. It wasn't the most traditionally feminine thing to do, but Juliet was not the most feminine woman. "With that said, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Juliet Leliana Maudell, heiress to the Maudell throne and a newcomer to the continent. I am only mildly trained with a blade, instead prefer to focus on the studies of... Diplomacy." Her thin mouth curved upwards into a wry smile at her wit. She wasn't exactly eager to reveal all the tricks up her sleeve quite yet, not until she was sure both of these women were on her side.

A smile formed upon the demon's lips at the words from the elegantly dressed seamstress who introduced herself as Tessara Fantasio and whose name she would dedicate to memory as best she could while also listening to the other woman speaking up in an apology before introducing herself with what seemed to be a royal title, judging by the use of the entirety of her name rather than simply a first or last name - as many did not even have middle names to her knowledge, they seemed to be a sign of royalty as far as Natsuko was concerned.

Juliet Maudell, she would have to dedicate that to her memory as well, Natsuko noted to herself before then giving a little tip of her military cap with one hand and speaking up finally in her own greeting towards the two women:

"And I myself am Natsuko Nonomura, Reserve Commander of the third regiment in Pandora's Army." She would say simply, before then adding with an idle brushing aside of a few strands of hair from beneath her cape that had fallen in-front of her face. "Known as the Red Death to many Humans for my own abilities with the sword." She said, although not stating this in such a way that she would seem arrogant about this fact; She spoke these words as if they were simply facts that could not be denied.

She paused momentarily after saying this before then turning her attention fully onto Tessara and giving the woman a warm smile as she spoke to her in a gentle, even tone of voice:

"I do truly thank you for your kind words, as well - I must say, your attire is quite appealing as well." She would say towards the seamstress, "I must visit your shop at some time." She then concluded, before turning her attention onto Juliet and giving the woman a decidedly less friendly gaze, although she would not seem outright hostile even as she would keep a hand rested upon her own blade's hilt while speaking towards the royal-seeming woman.

"Ah, we are in the presence of royalty." She would say, giving a mock bow towards the woman before then adding with a grin. "Feel free to stand behind me if this all becomes too much for you, Majesty." She would finish speaking towards Juliet and turn her attention back onto Tessara.

"Shall we begin? We needn't waste time with further pleasantries for the time being, such can wait until after we complete the task at hand." She would say, waiting for the seamstress to respond and either begin moving, or to say otherwise.

If Tessara decided to move along her way, she would follow along without question - although if she chose to wait, she would do so albeit with a slight impatience about her as she would rather take care of these idiots before they got the idea of simply leaving the city, at which point it would be rather pointless to go after them.