Gaston Le' Gume, Alexander Katts and Isabella De' Fortesque
Present Day - Province
After having left the washroom, Katts treked the labyrinthian halls and passageways until finding himself in a vast circular room with a vaulted ceiling, each wall decorated with a stained window. Dark curtains parted midway at the panes, drawing in enough natural light to allow one vision, but otherwise casting a gloomy dim lighting on the room. In the center of the room was a tall
stone chalice, complete with an eternal blue flame licking at the air around it from the top of the chalice.
Katts stared into the blue fire for some time, as if trying to face it down. Blinking a few times he let out a small sigh before reaching into his coat, procuring a small drawstring bag of burlap that fit gently into the palm of his hand.
Reaching into the bag with only a few fingers, Katts produced a powder-like substance that resembled ash in appearance.
Holding his hand over the blue fire, Katts let the ashy powder fall from his palm into the blue flame. The instant the powder made contact, the flame turned bright purple and became more virulent, as though the powder itself revitalized it.
Shutting his eyes tightly, Katts cleansed his mind of all thought except for a single one:
Province...
Then, in an instant, he had disappeared from view entirely, the flame of the chalice dying down to its passive blue blaze once again...
Leaning forward ever so slightly she relaxed her dark brown eyes softening and her lips turning up in a slight smile as she reached out her hand pressing gently against the neck of the horse that she had owned as far back as she could remember her nails gently scratching against the thoroughbred's fur her expression dropping instantly as she heard the sound of a familiar yet slightly arrogant voice whining at her from somewhere behind causing her to look back at the man who was trying to get her attention, the French accents there though not very prominent while conversing amongst each other, "Isabella... Can't you slow down..? You wouldn't want to leave your King behind now would you..?"
Rolling her eyes she sat herself back up straight her hand slowly trailing back over Cyrano's mane before once more taking up the reigns her features once again expressionless as she focused on the path ahead of them, "We are making good time, Gaston. If we continue at this pace we shall be back at the castle in a matter of minutes, if we slow it will take us longer... Do you see why it appeals to me that we keep the speed we have?" Pouting at her answer to his question he flicked the reigns of his own horse urging it forward until he was riding right on her heels the large stag pelts bouncing lightly on the horses rear, "And why would I leave you behind? It would be such a shame if the great hunter got left behind and wasn't able to find his way back home from a hunting trip... Why did you insist on me coming along anyway, there was no need for me to do so. You are more than capable of taking down a stag or two on your own."
"Because..." Scrunching his face up childishly he pouted closing the gap between the two of them causing them to now ride side by side his body leaning away from his horse and closer to her his head tilting and dropping back as he continued to whine though now there seemed to be a hint of lust flitting through his eyes, "Well I had hopes of hunting something that wasn't deer... I can't say it isn't an animal though." Sitting up straight he steered his horse right up against hers his arm reaching out until he was able to tightly grip hold of her upper thigh showing her what he wanted and knowing full well that she wouldn't resist him when she had orders to escort him on this little trip of his, "I mean, you do get down on all fours and purr like a kitty for me when I touch you in all the right places..."
Narrowing her eyes slightly she kept her steely gaze on the path ahead as the two of them passed through the gates into the castle grounds she brought her hand back taking a tight hold of his before she removed it clicking her tongue twice the signal causing her horse to quicken the pace putting space between the two of them, "Gaston, you get what I choose to give to you and nothing mo-..." She froze quickly pulling back on the reigns as her eyes fell upon the bloodied corpses that were once the castle guards her actions causing Cyrano to protest slightly the creature turning on the spot showing it's agitation for being stopped so suddenly, "Gaston..."
Gritting his teeth his jaw clenched as he pulled on the reigns of his own horse coming to a stop beside Belle his own eyes surveying the scene before them before he swung his leg over stepping down off the horse, "Isabella! Come, now!" Sitting up straight as soon as she heard the tone of his voice change she nodded her own body slipping down off the saddle quickly adjusting her bow on her shoulder as she followed after him up the stairs and into the castle leaving the two horses to graze on the grounds, "My men are trained to keep people out, whoever did this is no ordinary person."
Lifting his hand up he gripped hold of his bow tightly pulling it from his shoulder holding it against his side as he wandered through the halls, "Do not worry your pretty little face my dear, once this is dealt with we can retire to my chambers and you can give me one of those massages I enjoy so much." Reaching up she followed his lead pulling her own bow down from her shoulder a slight laugh escaping her lips as she swung her arms back and forth at her sides the two of them turning the corner heading into the throne room where most unwanted guests tended to gather when they weren't around, "Heh. I'm sorry, I have other plans for the rest of my day, and they don't involve you or your body."
The immense throne room, usually holding an air of hushed veneration and awe now seemed quiet and empty. Scattered on the ground in every couple places were the remains of any guard who tried to stop the Assassin's approach. There was little in the way of injuries to be seen on the corpses: a slice to the throat, a stab wound between the armored plates, a fractured neck. There was precision to these injuries, a certain amount of care involved - experienced hands wielding an experienced blade.
At the back of the room, sitting atop the 'King's' own throne was Katts, a curious look across his usually neutral or grinning features as he twirled a bloodied dagger in his fingers, his movements demonstrating the same precision and dexterity used in the murder of the guards. Though there was blood gleaming off the blade, none could be seen on the Assassin; as though he took great care ensuring a clean kill.
"Maleficent sends her regards..." Katts said formally, his twirling motions of the dagger stopping as he instead held the blade firmly in his hand, an almost threatening position.
"What? No pie? Such a shame, what type of guest are you anyway..." Lifting his arms up slightly he shook his head his expression showing that he was truly hurt at the thought that someone could be so cruel as to not bring their host a gift, "Do you really not know the rules of etiquette, or are you just playing dumb? Cause if you're just playing dumb, then I might have to teach you some lessons..." Dropping his playful facade he tilted his head slightly showing no signs of emotion as he reached out pulling an arrow from his quiver being sure to notch it properly before he pulled back letting it fly in the direction of their so called guest.
Tilting his head to the side curiously with a half-smile, though no other readable emotion or expression on his features, Katts made no motion to move as Gaston notched and fired an arrow going straight towards him.
"If the Queen really want's to get it on with me, I'll be more than willing to give her a night she'll never forget... But she'll have to come personally. I don't like the idea of having sex via correspondence." Turning her head slightly her eyes flicked over to Gaston watching him for a moment before she once more returned her gaze back to the man who was sitting on the throne the young woman staying silent... For now... "You however, can leave. Unless you're hiding my sexy Queen somewhere in one of your coat pockets, you're not welcome here..."
As the arrow soared closer to reaching its mark, Katts' free hand shot straight out with lightning-fast reflexes, catching the arrow by the shaft mid-flight, just over six inches from reaching his head. The Assassin, ignoring Gaston's words for the time being instead chose to examine the arrow fired at him. "Sloppy, inaccurate. Did you mean to kill me with
this?" Katts asked, dropping the arrow onto the floor with a small
clatter.
"The Queen put you in your position, Gaston...I know you think that thing between your legs gives you some kind of special privilege, but Maleficent can take both your rule...and your manhood away if she so wishes." Katts added, keeping a calm and composed tone, as though he were rebuking a young child as opposed to lecturing a grown man who just tried to kill him.
Quietly watching as Gaston's arrow sloppily flew through the air towards the target that was the man sitting upon his throne she reached back behind her the action taking nothing more than a couple of seconds as she drew her own arrow letting it soar through the air as a warning shot the tip of it nipping against his ear before becoming embedded in the cushion that he rested against, "Your facts... Are ill aligned. The Queen indeed put someone into power, however it was his father, Clayton... The man was stupid and got himself killed for all we know, and it is due to that fact that Gaston is now in power. It is his right, not her choice."
Having been focused on talking to the 'King', Katts did not take in account the young woman in his company would have better aim than he did. As the arrow whizzed past, grazing his ear before embedding inches beside him, Katts stifled a hiss of pain, the only sign of him having been struck being a split-second wince that disappeared as quickly as it had come followed by Katts lifting his two first fingers up to dab at the blood that was forming around the cut.
Warning shots...an idiot's practice. A warning shot did absolutely nothing but give away one's intention, waste a perfect moment to kill and gave Katts a firsthand view of studying their posture, their method. Even now he was seeing how the young woman's fingers twitched, how her pose was stiff, vigilant, like a serpent ready to strike. Her gaze was fixed, cold, much like his own.
'So she is more than looks...hm...the best ones are.' Katts thought to himself with a slighty raised eyebrow, though no other change in expresion followed this thought.
As she began to speak, however, his mouth split into a wide grin, as though he was sincerely amused by them. "You do not understand, Mademoiselle.
Every choice is
her choice." Katts replied, using the hand that had been dabbing up blood to now cup his chin.
"Mmm, Isabella... Vous êtes tellement chaud quand vous obtenez ennuyé ..." Slipping his bow back over his shoulder he couldn't help the smirk that crossed over his lips his arms folding over his chest as he ignored whatever it was the Queens man was saying to him instead opting to let his eyes roam up and down her body letting them linger on her ass for a few moments before lifting them up to stare at her breasts, tensing her jaw she held up one of her hands to him silencing him before he spoke anymore the young woman not wanting to have to deal with his womanizing antics while helping him to keep what he believed was his more
prized possession, "Ne commencez pas avec moi pendant que vous êtes menacé crétin, avez-vous rien appris..."
Katts' grin faded once again as he noted the interaction between Gaston and the young woman with him. Though he did not speak fluent French himself, the tones, inflections and facial expressions were telling him all he needed to know. The human body, such a pinnacle of biology could so easily reveal itself through action alone. Words were tedious more likely than not.
Everything was falling right into play, Gaston was ogling the young woman, completely ignoring Katts like the fool he was.
'Pathetic excuse for a hunter, no matter how many beasts he has to show for it...' Katts thought to himself before quickly executing a number of ideas in his head. Maleficent told him to put the Hunter back in his place but not to kill him.
Movelessly aiming the perfect spot to throw, Katts abruptly stood up, the dagger in his hand was held with much more grace as he sent it flying towards the hunter with a single sweeping motion of his arm.
The blade whizzed through the air, cutting the strap that held Gaston's quiver to his back, sending the pouch and its arrows to the ground; the dagger skidding to a fine halt on the immaculately polished floor.
Her expression remained cold as she pushed Gaston's voice into the background focusing more on the man who had managed to catch her attention with both his words and actions each calculating and disciplined something she tried to practice with her own movements, moving only a second after he had she shot her arm back gripping hold of three more of her own arrows the woman letting the arrows fly towards him each hitting their mark perfectly and each grazing against his body; the first nipping at his jaw, the second brushing against his rib-cage under the arm he had extended to throw the dagger, and the third brushing against his hip.
Katts made a quick evasive sidestep just as the arrows flew past, the arrows indeed making their mark but all but the one aimed at his jaw being blocked by his armored clothing. The pain was little, but
just noticeable to be irritating. Nonetheless, Katts grinned widely, clearly impressed...or amused.
Using the arrows as a distraction she quickly closed the gap between them her hand gripping the bow coming up to quickly do away with her cape letting it fall to the ground as she pulled her own dagger lifting it up and pressing it against his neck as she stood before him her expression showing that she couldn't care less though her tone (put on for the sake of Gaston) held a dangerous note, "Je voudrais regarder votre étape... I do not care what it is you do while you are here... But do not mess with my meal ticket... At least not while I can still get more from him..."
Katts raised an eyebrow as the mysterious woman closed the distance that separated them, dropping her cloak to reveal a rather revealing tight leather outfit.
'Hm...perhaps the Hunter's distraction was somewhat justified...' Katts thought to himself before the cold steel of the woman's dagger was pressed against his throat. Her expression, her eyes were all somewhat bored, though her tone
sounded dangerous....to Gaston. To Katts he could pick up the apathy, the disinterest. This woman was most likely amused by Katts' display, if anything, though he did not have any proof of this.
Not intrigued enough, however, to continue on with this display, Katts shot out his hand once again, latching tightly onto her wrist and twisting roughly in hopes of disarming her. In a split second he locked one of his legs with hers, pulling her in a stumble before his other hand pushed against her chest (dangerously close to her breasts) to send her hard to the ground, placing a single boot on her stomach, a twitch of his foot revealing a small knife blade that extended out the tip.
"You misunderstand me...I have no intentions of killing your...brute, yet. Merely show him who's in charge." Katts explained simply, procuring the Hatter's dagger from his coat and holding it aloft, just in case 'King' Gaston tried to play hero.
Gaston clenched his jaw tightly his eye twitching ever so slightly as he kept his gaze fixed on the scene that was playing out in front of him the young King not fussed by the fact that his arrows had been separated from him before clattering down to the ground behind where he stood, balling his hands into fists his arms crossed tighter over his chest his body tensing as he watched his best fighter fall to the ground at the assassins feet the one of many daggers that she had been using clattering to the ground moments before she had joined it but that wasn't what he had been focusing on. No. The fact that he so blatantly believed that it was okay for him to touch her in the first place, the fact that his hand had come into contact with her skin and even her clothes... The fact that he had been so close to touching the breasts that he himself had already claimed to be his and his alone.
"Vous osez toucher ma femme..!" Small snaps and cracks began to sound as his grip on his bow became too much in his anger eventually causing the strong but delicate wood to snap leaving it completely useless to him, "You dare to let your fingers even graze against her skin... Leave but a single mark upon my Isabella, and I promise you that you shall take your last breath standing here in this room."
Mouth twitching visibly at Gaston's words, Katts slowly turned his head towards the Hunter to look at him directly, keeping his boot firmly kept on the woman's stomach to hold her down.
"Your Majesty...I would
highly recommend you
think before speaking. You may have such luxuries with your normal enemies, but I will inform you, one cannot take back words...and I never forget. I will give you this one, but presume to threaten me again and I
will kill you and tell the Queen as such. Your expiration...will mean little in the grand scheme of things." Katts explained, his voice venomous and cold, though he didn't raise his voice, which was the worst part; speaking as though he controlled Gaston like a beaten hound.
"Oh pour l'amour de dieux..." Unable to help the annoyed and frustrated words from escaping her lips as Gaston's angered words floated across the room towards her she gritted her teeth her arms shooting up to hold tightly onto Katts' leg her stomach muscles tensing under the weight of his foot as she got ready for what she had to do, pulling herself up against his leg she scrunched up her face pain shooting through her body as she felt the blade slip into her stomach something that she would need to deal with but that could wait till later, right now she had to get out from under him. Pushing one of her feet into the ground she threw her leg up into the air the other quick to follow the young woman using what flexibility she had as she wrapped them tightly around the leg that he was using to keep her down and against the ground.
Closing her eyes she lowered her back down to the floor trying her best to ignore the pain and blood that was now gracing her body both stemming from the wound she had inflicted upon herself by her own actions moments before, her shoulder blades arching as she pushed her lower body up twisting it around at what looked like an uncomfortable angle before she quickly bent her legs pulling them into her chest, her voice coming out as more of a grunt as she held the position hoping that it would throw him off guard enough so that it would give her some sort of opening to get back up to her feet, "You truly believe that he'll learn to think before he speaks? Heh... You obviously haven't spent enough time down here in Province..."
Stumbling slightly but never losing balance, Katts nevertheless had to step off her, giving her ample time to stand to her feet. His eyes shot down to the bloodied blade sticking out of his boot, knowing she tested her own luck trying to escape.
"Hm...brave. A kind word for stupidity. You injured yourself to escape when you could have potentially reached the same conclusion without wound." Katts stated coolly, eyes glancing down at the bleeding hole in her belly.
"The blade wasn't meant to kill, merely cause injury, distraction. Superficial at best, poisoned at worst." Katts commented, making a cryptic allusion to the possibility he had coated such a blade in poison.
"I suppose the next few hours will determine as such." He added lastly with a small half-smirk.
Twisting her body slightly she lifted herself back up onto her feet her eyebrow raising slightly as she tilted her head looking over at Katts holding her gaze for a few moments before she turned her attention back away from him, lowering her hand she pressed her palm gently against the wound on her stomach for a couple of moments before she lifted it back up her eyes examining the blood that was covering it causing the corner of her lip to twitch slightly, "If I've been poisoned, I can handle it. It doesn't take much to learn what has been used, nor to find what to use to reverse the effects. It will not take me long to do."
"I would expect naught less from one who displays the body language of a huntress. Your stance, the way you carry yourself, the piercing look in your eyes. You are a trained killer...for a different prey, perhaps, but a killer nonetheless." Katts replied before turning his attention over to Gaston,
"Despite this pretentious show you intended to play for me, my reasoning and purpose still stand. You will shape up, you will lead a better nation. The consequences of disobeying will be...extremely painful; for you."
"Vous avez endommagé mon Isabella..!" Throwing his broken bow to the side he narrowed his eyes glaring at the Queen's man his anger clear in his words and in his actions though he knew better than to act upon it when his life was on the line, going after him for inflicting pain on Belle (even if it had been her own fault) was going to get him nowhere but into an early grave, something he wasn't planning on until after he had lived a long and comfortable life with her at his side, "I will be sure to keep things running here, and to prove it I will have my girl start on improving production. Now get out of my sight! You have done enough damage here!"
Smirking softly Belle turned to face Katts her bloodied hand reaching out to press against his cheek as she passed him by her fingers sliding down until she gripped hold of his chin between her thumb and forefinger, "I beg to differ... I think you should stick around. I could use some company with intelligence rather than having to put up with the so called 'brute' over there..." Chuckling softly she pushed his head away as she dropped her hand back by her side ignoring the blood dripping down her stomach as she moved off to the side of the room heading for a table covered in fruit and jugs so she could get herself some water.
Katts kept a blank expression as her hand ran down his face, leaving a sticky trail of blood in its wake. The woman was an enigma, and even one as perceptive as Katts was unable to pinpoint her true loyalty, her true feelings. The body says many things, as do the eyes and lips...but what lies in a person's heart is the most protected.
"You intrigue me, Huntress. But I will respectfully decline your offer." Katts replied, breaking the small silence as he verbally ignoring Gaston, though he made his way towards the front doors.
Stopping by the same food-laden table as she had, Katts let a single deft hand procure a green apple from the bowl.
Mouth twitching slightly as he could see his bloodied face in the shined silver of the pitcher, Katts quickly procured one of the many neatly folded napkins that were dotted across the table, dipping a single corner into the water pitcher before meticulously running it down the side of his face, leaving only small droplets of water behind.
Letting the napkin fall back onto the table, Katts gave the Huntress one more nod of farewell, though his eyes still held that same sort of piqued curiosity in them. Before he could say or do anything more, however, he turned around, headed towards the front door, being sure to recover the blade he had severed Gaston's quiver with before doing so.
With one more look behind him, Katts exited the castle, the large front door closing with a resounding
thud.
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