Quilliene sat at a small, darkly coloured vanity at the right of her room, gazing into the mirror attached to the wall in front of her. She stared at herself in thought, her brown eyes sparkling in the dim morning sun that shone through her purple curtains. Her hair was fixed at the ends from when she had cut it so tragically two weeks prior, and was pulled back by pins to reveal silver earring studs in her lobes. She picked up a tube of chapstick, pulling off the lid and leaning forward, watching herself as she ran it across her lips. Replacing the cap on, she put it down and scooted her stool back, standing up.
She was wearing a warm black sweater, V-cut to show a silver pendant she was wearing. Her skirt was black and yellow plaid, held up by a thin dark belt with a golden buckle. Underneath that were long black leggings that reached to her darkly coloured tennis shoes, tied neatly with white laces. She picked up a cropped black jacket from her bed, which was covered in purple sheets and comforters, and pulled it on over her arms, adjusting it. Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she frowned, sighing.
Is this really how commoners dress? She thought to herself. I'm really disliking this… I'm going to kill Neo if anyone comments when we leave.
Quilliene walked over to the door and grabbed the handle, opening it. She stepped out, Neo already waiting for her patiently. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and one foot over the other. When she appeared, he looked up and smiled, staring her up and down with a strange look on his face.
He was dressed in the same clothes - black linen pants, a white linen shirt with long sleeves, a red and black plaid flannel, white gloves, and dark steel toed boots. He made sure they were washed every night, since they were the only clothes that weren't affected by his abilities, but Quilliene still turned her nose up in disgust at them.
"Are you truly incapable of making a variety of clothes you can wear?" She inquired, closing the door behind her.
"I like these ones," Neo shrugged, uncrossing his arms and standing up fully, pushing his hands into his pockets. He scanned over her, raising an eyebrow and obviously holding back a laugh. "You look like one of those American school girls," He teased. "Except for the skirt - they make them shorter over there."
She scoffed at him, adjusting her jacket and ignoring his comment. "Anyone chat with you?"
"No," He responded, looking over his shoulder. "Why would they?"
"No reason," She mused, looking back at his taller figure. "I hope you are not going to complain much again, like last time."
The time she was referring to was when they met with a royal figure - different from Andrew - who saw Quilliene as a proper bride. Unfortunately, she let the man down - and she didn't do so softly, either. More of, tore his heart out and stomped on it, figuratively. Neo raised an eyebrow at her as he shifted his weight to his left foot.
"If I remember correctly," He responded slyly. "You weren't so patient last time, either."
"I had gotten ready before you," She sent a glare at him, letting her arms hang by her sides. "You were simply too busy creating fruitless things to worry about to even notice I had decided to decline him already. I don't know why you were so worried about me getting married, anyway."
Neo raised his shoulders in response, glancing down the hall in distraction when a maid left a room with cleaning supplies. She rolled her eyes at him, beginning to strut down the hall, hearing him hurry to follow her after a few seconds. Her eyes skirted around the castle as they walked.
The manor had changed drastically. The carpet that led down the stairs was a dark purple with golden trim, some old paintings had been removed to be replaced with newer ones, and the black curtains were a dim shade of violet. As they walked down the hallway, she hummed lightly, not looking to Neo as she spoke to him.
"Anything on your mind recently?" She questioned, tilting her head towards him slightly to signify she was speaking to him.
"A lot of things are always on my mind," He answered, glancing around - she was positive his eyes were incapable of stopping in motion. "But nothing specific has been. Why?"
"Nothing to be concerned of," She said in response, taking the golden rail when she reached the stairs and descending. "Guess you could say I'm simply making conversation." She glanced at the entrance, where the guards stood, and stopped. Quickly, she looked over her shoulder at him, her expression blank. "I feel I must remind you. Us going by ourselves - or rather, me going with just you, is going to raise a panic with a few of the guards. You are the only one who is not a demon who works for me. They are not usually the nicest of people when it comes to concern my health. Promise to not say anything too forward, will you?"
"I doubt I'll say anything at all," He replied with a crooked smile. "In fact, I promise not to talk unless someone says something to me, alright?"
"Happy to hear," She said flatly, turning and continuing down the steps. "I would hate to see you anger anyone and cause a rather horrible ruckus."
"I seem to cause that effect a lot with people no matter what," Neo sighed, following after her.
As they went on, Neo came to notice how much more cheerful Quilliene seemed to be. He was curious as to why, since they were about to embark on a rather harrowing journey. Afterall, they were headed after the one they believed to send the ghast of the wyvern.
As Quilliene reached the bottom of the stairs, Neo followed her on to the entrance. He couldn't see her face, but from the expression of the guards, she must have done something strange - it was only after they started coming forward that it became clear it was surprise they had across their faces, and he realised that the Queen was smiling for once. Quilliene looked at the four guards that had approached, a sigh escaping her.
"It's alright," She said, holding out her hands calmly. "I'll be fine. I have my bodyguard accompanying me. I simply have a small errand that I am going to be running on my own. I assure you all, everything will be fine."
"Ma'am," One of them glanced at Neo. "Are you sure you would rather go with one than with many?"
"Yes, I am absolutely positive," Quilliene's face seemed to mark a bit of hesitation, then turn up into a smile. "This is what bodyguards are for, yes?"
Looks of bewilderment and jaw dropping wonder hit every single one of the guards as they saw her standing there, grinning smoothly as if nothing was wrong. Neo stayed behind her, glancing at both of the guards outside the entrance and by the stairs at the end. His eyes rested on one of the four closest to the door on the left, who was looking back at the ordeal. No, the tall, ginger, green eyed figure was looking back at him, and he was glaring.
"Is there something wrong?"
Neo looked up at Quilliene, who had spoken her soothing tone to him. She tilted her head as the other guards went back to their usual place or patrol, and he glanced over her shoulder again back at the man. He was looking away, but that didn't matter - Neo had already recognised him for who he was, and a smirk crept across his face.
"Nothing," Neo mused, returning his gaze to Quilliene. "Nothing at all."
She narrowed her eyebrows at him, pursed her lips, but said nothing more as she turned around and started through the main door. Neo followed her down the steps, and they stopped halfway as she looked back at him again. He glanced away, adjusting his left sleeve to distract himself, but she had already noticed.
"What is that smile on your face for?" She purred, almost playful.
"Just reminded of a few memories," Was all he replied, and for once, he didn't find himself regretting taking his position at her side. "We should go. It's nearly past noon."
Quilliene squinted at him, her smile starting to fade. "Yes… We should." She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before turning her brown gaze back unto him. "Method of electronic transportation or should I assist in getting us there myself?"
"Your choice," Neo shrugged carelessly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm your bodyguard, not your supervisor."
She hummed curiously for a moment, then reached forward. "Magick is faster-" Then, she stopped herself, crossing her arms as she raised an eyebrow at him. "What was with that interaction between you and the other guard? Do you two… know each other?"
"Eh, yes, no, maybe," He answered, a strong feeling of nervousness rising in his chest. He wasn't sure why he felt it - he wasn't trying to hide anything from her.
"Ye shouldn't lie to yer queen, Nathan." The voice came from behind them, to the right of the entrance.
"Shut up, Raemith…" That time, Neo spoke through grit teeth.
Quilliene turned to the guard who had spoken, confusion on her face, and then looked at Neo. "Okay… what the hell has you two so riled up all of a sudden? And your name is Nathan now instead of Neo?"
"You mean to say ye don't know, yer majesty?" The guard answered, a smile forming on his pale face. He had a Scottish accent.
"It doesn't matter," Neo said hastily, obviously avoiding the question. "Really - it doesn't. Don't we have something we're supposed to be doing?" He refused to look at Quilliene, or anything in particular. His eyes were darting around, unfocused.
The guard known as Raemith let out a soft chuckle. "Before I was issued here, yer majesty, I was keeping watch o'er Nathan in a high security prison." He paused, then added: "He had murdered thirty one people, thirteen of 'em while breaking into this very mansion."
Quilliene's eyes darted very quickly towards Neo. She examined him, and she knew all too well that he was horrible at hiding what he truly felt. She could tell he was nervous to the point of no return, and to be completely honest, he looked terrified. She didn't know why - no matter what he had done, there was no taking back her parents' last orders.
"Neo," She spoke carefully. "Is all of this true what he is saying? I can tell something is making you nervous, and I expect a quality answer…"
Neo sighed, looking nearly everywhere but at Quilliene. Why did he feel like that? He did not care in the slightest if she knew who he was, or what he had done. What was he so afraid of? He would not be sent back to the prison - Quilliene had said it herself that her parent's orders were their last, and he had to protect her for the rest of his life. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to answer the simple question, finding that he was fidgeting intensely with the ends of his flannel with his gloved fingers. The words were just stuck in his throat.
"It's in 'is records, yer majesty," Raemith said finally, a bit of delight in his voice as he broke the silence.
Quilliene hummed carefully. "I want you to get those records. He's going to be travelling with me, and I will get some answers there as well, so I expect them when I get back."
"O' course, yer majesty," Raemith said, glancing at Neo with a smirk.
"Good," She mused. "I'll see you when I return. I expect you to be here by the time I get back…" She turned to Neo. "As for you, we're going. Now."
Quilliene grabbed his arm tightly, dark wisps of purple light forming around them before Neo felt his breath rip away. He gasped lightly when the scenery changed, appearing as they were standing in the middle of nowhere in front of an abandoned looking warehouse. His eyes travelled up the building in front of them, then to Quilliene who still held his arm through the fabric of his flannel. He quietly slipped from her hold, still finding it hard to look at her.
"Seems welcoming," Neo said sarcastically, trying to lighten the silence between them.
"Unlikely," Quilliene responded darkly. "This is where our possible suspect killer may be lurking."
She walked for the door, brushing past a few crates and boxes before making her way through the eerie hell house. Neo followed her in, the twisting in his gut subsiding slightly. Quilliene didn't seem too serious, but the joy she held before had been tossed in a waste bin. He couldn't help but still feel anxious about the conversation that had taken place not one minute before, even though he tried to push it out of his mind. He had to focus and keep an eye out for absolutely anything.
Quilliene put a hand on the rusty unlatched door and pushed, walking forward as she heard a creak from the floor. She put her leg through and bent down, slipping into the warehouse from the small crack. How Neo was supposed to get through, he sighed not knowing, and simply just opened it further before entering. The darkness greeted them, and Neo wasn't even able to see when Quilliene lifted her palm up to cast violet wisps of light to brighten the area.
"You slip through a small space to avoid noise," Neo frowned. "And then shine purple light everywhere. Totally inconspicuous…"
"Just hush and keep quiet," Quilliene answered. "We have to act quickly if we want to get enough evidence and make it out of here without our tails between our legs. If this man is just as the newspapers say he is, then I am not too excited to see when he is angry."
"What do you expect to find?" Neo exasperated. "A giant sign with comical letters saying, Hey, I'm the England Ignitionist and I killed your pa-! Ah…"
Neo went immediately silent, even before the death glare Quilliene gave him. He sheepishly looked away, realising quickly he should have stopped a lot earlier. He remained quiet then, his eyes continuing to scan the area and staying about a metre's length from the queen.
Quilliene looked up after a bit of searching, a set of metal parts and an assortment of railings and balusters above them. She contemplated on how and what use they could have for being there after years of not being used before something alarming hit her. Something was there with them - no, someone.
"Flies invading my web, hm?" A higher pitched male voice called, playful in manner but deceiving. "Heh… you bugs are gullible enough to get yourselves trapped in a place so dangerous without a backup plan, are you?"
Neo took his hands out from his pockets, clenching his fists as he tilted his head towards the sound of the tone. A dark figure stood above them, shadowed in the bannisters and barely visible. Not even the purple wisps of light could reach the supposed man. Quilliene eyed the spot carefully where the man stood, not daring to turn away and rip her eyes from him. She had a strange feeling in her chest, telling her that the person was at least related to the England Ignitionist.
"Ah," The man hummed, trotting along the ledge carefully. "I see no answer is going to be received on my end. Anywho," He tipped back on his heels, hands clenched behind his back. "I'm going to assume very, very strongly that you two are here to find me due to my recent, hm… murders." A soft chuckle, dark and deadly. "Well, let me ask you this, and I would so love to hear your darling voices answer. Would you kill if it were necessary, or to fulfil your utmost desire?"
"Sounds like you answered your own question," Neo retaliated, glaring up at the man.
"Perhaps," The figure started pacing the edge above them. "I mean, who says I am not having fun hearing the agonising screams from all my victims?" They couldn't see the figures' eyes, but it was obvious when he looked pointedly at Quilliene. "Who says I even need a purpose to kill? People do it all the time - I'm not the first, and definitely not the last. My legacy will continue… After all, I've already made a glorious title for myself!"
"So he seeks fame…" Neo mumbled, crossing his arms and talking mostly to Quilliene. "Fame, when no one knows his face, or name. When we are literally here to capture him for his fame. Seems like a crappy sort of fame, don't you think? I mean, he doesn't even have a good reason."
"I have a reason," The man mused. "A purpose… Just won't. Tell. You. Not yet… Not for a long while, my dear queen and… whatever you are." The man stopped pacing, lifting his head. "You smell exquisite, your majesty. Why is that? Just like your parents…"
Neo glanced at Quilliene, noticing her eyes go wide - with either fear or rage, he didn't know as he stepped out in front of her to face the man. "She is none of your concern."
A soft and dark chuckle escaped the male. "Oh, I am not afraid of you, dying man. I'm more interested in that creature behind you. You do so love protecting her, do you not? Why not simply hand her over? I can pay double…"
"Even if you paid double, you'd be paying nothing," Neo scoffed. "I protect her because it's my duty. If you want her, you have to get through me - and even if you did, she would kill you in seconds without even laying a hand on you."
A sharp cackle as the man leaned back, then forward over the banister. "I would love to see her try. However, I'm afraid I must take my leave now - new duties to attend to. Hopefully the door doesn't hit you too hard on the way out…"
The man made a popping sound before he simply vanished, disappearing into the shadows. Neo sighed, but Quilliene glared at the spot, scowling coldly as she pushed past her bodyguard. Startled, he watched as she ran under the ledge, looked around, then shone her light on a flight of stairs. She booked it for the steps, his cackle ringing in her thoughts like a terrible orchestra in her head.
"Liene!" Neo yelled after her, then chased the purple glow up the steps. "Gods dammit, woman!"
Quilliene looked back at him, scowling even more as she ignored him further. She continued on running, practically leaping up the stairs as she gripped the top of the railing and swerved about. She looked around, kicking past an assortment of unused tool boxes and paper files, making her way over to the overhead bar area. When she reached it, she caught sight of the shadow in the darkness, and knew it was him. He stood by a window, ready to leap from it, but she was desperate to get him to stay.
"Hey!" She screamed. "What is it?" She cried. "What is your goal? Why is it that you have to attack my people? What is it?!"
There was no answer. He simply turned his head slightly, the light flashing show of a white kitsune mask on his face. Another hum from him, before he slammed his hand on the wall. Something beeped, and he jumped from the window and disappeared. It took Quilliene too long to realise what that beep meant, and as she turned to see Neo behind her, only metres away, the look of shock appeared on her face.
"Liene?" He gasped, leaning on the railing.
"Neo-!" She yelled, before a deafening explosion filled the warehouse.