[i]"Oi oi....what 'ave we here? The drunken servant doth lie slothishly in her bed, eh Versetti? And after a wild night with her lady no less."[/i]

[i]"Ohohoho...too right, Pindel. Methinks this one was chuggin' the wine all night. She practically stinks of elderberries and liquor, oh and did ye hear? The Princess....was in her bed last night....HER bed!"[/i]

[i]"Ahaha...so Lady Knight is one of THOSE ladies, yeah? I knew she had that air about her. Loves to tip the velvet does she instead of takin' a tug on me sword?"[/i]

The insolent and snickering voices about her didn't seem to rile the woman much from her deep and almost comatose spell of sleep, a long and lingering rest brought upon by the mixed exhaustion of such a debaucherous and wonderful night of drinking, of merriment, and of the Opera, and not to mention the copious ounces of alcohol still ever present in the blood of her veins, and this very morning, or rather early noon, she would definitely bare the consequences of her rancorous attitude that very evening....oh how she would bare them indeed. Tumbling slowly in her bed, she muttered a few soft incoherences, her long locks of sapphire hair lying tousled and frayed obscuring her face, almost as the very sheets of Alegasian satin that clung to her slightly firm yet elegant figure, accentuating every curve and feature of her body, a body that, a little to her chagrin, most men seemed to desire deeply.....if only she fancied those men in that particular nature of thought. And in her deep and peaceful slumber, that had droned on for a bit too longer than she would've desired, Irina was not aware of the two sets of beady, deviously dazzling eyes that fell upon her with ill glee in their hearts as the two imbeciles in armor giggled giddy and whispered such insulting language behind the knight's back. [i]"Well Versetti, better not let her sleep too late now. She's got a job to do."[/i] Pindel grinned, his yellowed teeth so putrid with this morning's breakfast of poached duck eggs and rye toast with raspberry jam, even just the stench was more unbearable than the grim and grotesque sight. His lanky croney replied, a sinister face of his own diabolical expression, and clutched in his very hands....a cast iron pot and a wooden spoon, [i]"Right mate. Can't let our lady knight dally too long, now can we?"[/i] And thus what became next. With all his despicable might, the skinny bloke went to it banging wildly on the pot, the shattering rings resonating ever abrupt and ever violent in Irina's sensitive ears, that suddenly she darted upwards, wide eyed and very much alert and awake. "What in the name of the abyss are you sods doing in my room?!!" The woman barked ever vicious to the two, her blazing glare of such malice and unrelenting mange cast dreadfully upon them, a hand resting upon her heart, already daring to break free from the bone bars of her ribcage. "An explanation is in order!!" 

That would be when these two idiots decided to stop chortling and giggling with such impractical and annoying jests towards the woman, finally such had happened and it was the fat one to speak as always, [i]"Ah good morning to you, Lady Knight! Or better yet, good afternoon!"[/i] Wait a minute....did Pindel just say....AFTERNOON?!! [i]"We didn't want you to be late on the job, so me and me good bloke here Versetti, we decided to give ye a li'l wake up call. You're welcome!"[/i] No....they were lying. They had to be lying, another cruel and careless joke of theirs played upon their favorite victim, the ever easily flustered Knight, already growing red, so red in the face from her vengeful anger towards these numbskulls for her rude awakening.....and fearful....indeed fearful of having slipped ever so far from her appointed Royal duties....for this, quite literally, the King would have her head. "Dear Goddess!" She yelped, instantly away was she from her bed and crossing to the wardrobe, unwittingly tossing her nightgown and unexpectedly.....giving Pindel and Versetti....quite a view.... "Oh how foolish of me! I knew I should not have drunken so much last night! So sloppy am I!" Over and over the woman cursed herself and reprimanded sternly her own faults and misgivings, all while slipping on hastily her chainmail and surcoat, no time to affix her plate, save for maybe her gauntlets and her greaves. "You two bumbling buggers! Where be M'lady? Where be Princess Crystal?" Fiercely and ever hesitant she inquired of the guardsmen as she snatched up her longsword and tied it to the belt around her waist, then tying back her hair in a loose and rather sloppy ponytail. "Well?"

[i]"Oh right!"[/i] The plump Pindel fessed up, [i]"We forgot to tell you eh.....the Princess....has already gone on without ye to the city's shopping district. Better run while ye can catch her, yeah?"[/i] Irina didn't like the sound of that one bit, and she showed her displeasure such in a deep and grim huff of hot hair swiftly exhaled from her lungs as she darted from her room.....leaving behind those two idiots....one of them.....quite entranced by a past viewing of the lady knight...[i]unarmored[/i] so to speak. [i]"Ehehehe...certainly got her knickers in a twist, eh Versetti? Eh...Versetti? Oi! Oi numpty!"[/i] The lanky one's eyes were widened, almost as round as the sun and the moon, and upon the face of the enamored Versetti....quite the largest and most pleasant of grins. [i]"......I'm in love, Pindel....."[/i] He swooned ever deeply and ever romantic, and in that very swoon, down he came crashing to the ground before his friend, who could only give a sigh and roll his eyes in dismay, [i]"Oh bloody ho....."[/i]

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"Argo! Up lad! Up!" Within seconds of her departure, Irina was already to the stables, calling to her muscular and majestic steed, who just as his master was earlier, sound asleep without a care in this ever drastic and changing world. "Come on lad! We need to go now!" The brutish Clydesdale neighed gruff in his response to Irina's goading, giving a hearty shake of his auburn mane and trotting over to Irina's side, playful as ever bumping his wide nose into the woman's face. "Ach! Not now, lad. I'll play with you later. We have work to do." Irina returned to the horse, readying his saddle, making sure everything was fastened tight, every strap and buckle in place before she moved her feet to the stirrups and straddled her noble steed, unexpectedly having some company with her as she noticed the white ball of fluff spring unto Argo's back and land perfectly in Irina's lap. "I suppose you're going along too, huh Lily?" Eventhough she was in a haste, the knight couldn't help but smile at the Princess' large hare. "Right then. Ride Argo! Hya!" And with a swift kick of her foot to the side of the horse, Argo thundered away from the stables in a swift gallop, already far from the palace and bounding powerfully through the forest path. Hopefully nothing had befallen of her lady, but Irina didn't think so, what with Lord Varros seeming to be out of the picture....for now at least. [i]And I hope to the Goddess I never see that bastard again![/i]