Aki threw a scathing look at the bunch of Knights who sat around a table playing cards. They had a sneer on their faces, which she didn't like. They whispered among themselves and their smirks widened as she walked towards them. She'd seen them around a lot, the administrative workers, the ones who were rather fond of their desk jobs, who pushed papers and agendas from behind the scenes. None of them had probably stepped into any battles or risky situations, but they got to choose who did. The bunch definitely had it in for Akira, a deep seated grudge... They knew of her darkness magic, that was probably the first thing in the pile of tools Aki had provided, with which they carved their dislike for her. They decided she was the one for a job she definitely didn't want and in fact was the worst person for. It involved gatecrashing a party, to gather information because the host was a suspected slaver. Maybe it was envy thanks to her sudden promotion. It wasn't even official yet, she was asked to go to Era for it, maybe this was a delaying tactic as well, since as a seated she'd be their superior.

Additionally, maybe word had spread, that she wasn't as shaken by the new king's ways as she should have been, maybe they knew of her deep rooted dislike for the status quo, her rebellious nature, both of which were much in sync with the emperor, who wasn't too popular among the Knights. They had suffered the maximum casualties from the attack after all, though the Grimoire Heart leader had tried his best to keep that to a minimum, there were always sacrifices, the Knights were sour about it being them. While she too, had been conflicted about her loyalty, Aki had made the mistake of being vocal about her agreement with the abolishing of the establishment of slavery and now she was being tested... Aki could speculate to pin point the reason for their hatred, but it wouldn't matter, what did matter, was that they had it in for her...

These people definitely had a part to play in the choice she made, to live in Batra's inn instead of the barracks provided to the Knights. She wasn't sure if she had it in her to fight them, or to give them the satisfaction of denying her duty and turning away from her beliefs when it came to the tough stuff. From the expectant look in their eyes, Aki gleaned, that is what they wanted and were hoping for as she approached the slackers. They wanted to see her idealism crumble under the weight of her own avoidance. She cleared her throat to gain their attention as they suddenly pretended to be rather engrossed in their game. They ignored her and she rolled her eyes as they forced her to verbally interrupt their gathering. 'Er... Excuse me...' she started.

'Oh you're excused, dear.' one piped up, in an annoyingly saccharine tone. She rolled her eyes and held up the paper that had the directives of the job. She sighed and swallowed her pride. 'It says here that I am assigned to this job alongside a certain Xandra Queen.' she simply went on. They had gone out of their way to press her buttons, she was sure there was malice in purposely assigning her with a stranger and without any of her teammates. It was common knowledge that Aki relied on Tsuru to deal with social interactions... 'So?' another Knight said, in a dull tone. Her meaning should have been plain, but alas, they wanted to prolong her agony. 'Where can I find her?' she asked sharply. Her tone betrayed impatience as did the tapping of her feet and the way her free hand found its place on her waist. 'If you can't handle even that much, I doubt you can do this job...' the first one said again, prompting the others to laugh. Thoroughly annoyed, she just turned and walked away, once out of their sight, and in the corridor, she slumped against the wall, sighing deeply. If only this Xandra woman would just appear... maybe her luck would turn... If she truly was assigned to the same task, maybe she too was looking for Akira?

The dark haired mage, stood slumped for a good few seconds, trying to recover from the helpless anguish she felt against the system. The paper she held in her hands, was rather crumpled now, as her fingers curled around it, her hands balled in fury, betraying all the frustration she had carried around for ages. Had she not hardened her heart, perhaps tears would have stung her eyes... Given enough time, maybe they would well-up after all. Just having her fate in the hands of people, who clearly didn't take their jobs seriously and were looking for opportunities to weigh her down, was taking its toll on her. Often, the girl only understood the gravity of the situation, when she got a chance to reflect on it, which meant, that she felt progressively worse after such a confrontation transpired...

She was stolen away from all the negativity brewing inside her pensive mind, when she heard the thuds of boots echoing in the corridor she'd just vacated. The footsteps grew closer till they scuffled to a stop. The conversation which followed was difficult to decipher word by word, as it echoed so much in the large halls, words were impossible to discern. What Akira did gather, was the general tone of the dialogue. It was as fuelled and layered by annoyance and disappointment as hers was. Were there others that the administrators sought to injure? Her eyebrows quirked and she found herself tiptoeing towards the corner she had just turned, to get a better look at the scene.

The blonde engaged in the swift but disconcerting conversation with the bunch of lazy Knights, possessed a rather domineering quality about her. Perhaps the clustered Knights sought to tear down anyone they deemed a threat. Watching the woman go through the same treatment she'd received not moments ago, only facilitated in accentuating the irk Aki felt. When her words, which were now audible, made it apparent that she was looking for Akira. It didn't take long for the sixteen year old to put two and two together, the woman had to be the Xandra she was looking for. The lunar mage, swiftly rushed away from the corner, padded foot. The last thing she wanted, was to be caught eavesdropping or something, some people were sensitive about things like that... She would be, given the sourness of the interaction. Her face was a little red with guilt already... Eavesdropping was definitely one of her vices, maybe it'd help them with their mission though...

At least they responded to Xandra... the use of her last name, set Aki's deductions in stone. She pointedly kept her gaze turned away from where Xandra was likely to approach no doubt, her cheeks still stained with the fading blush. The fellow mage, unlike Akira, did not bitterly swallow the words that were roused by the lazy Knights. She also didn't mince her words, but delivered them with a contained sense of simplicity. After giving the paper-pushers a piece of her mind, she finally rounded the corner to Akira. The Shimada was acutely aware of the woman's presence, yet waited to be called upon. She could perhaps keep up the pretence of not knowing what just transpired, but Aki was bad at hiding things...

'Yeah... Xandra right? Sorry, couldn't help hearing what happened... Stupid annoying litt-' she stopped herself from releasing a slew of curses and swallowed once again. At least they had that in common already. She looked up at the blonde woman and paused. The girl began chewing her lips nervously as she took a deep breath to compose herself and started over. 'Yes... I'm Akira, we're assigned on a mission together I believe...' she added morosely mumbling and holding out the paper towards the Queen. Her free hand rose to rearrange the silken strands of hair that stubbornly cloaked her vision. Aki went on to offer the blonde a half smile. 'I suppose we're going to have to gatecrash... Unless you have a better idea.' she added, her voice rather drab, the idea of squirming her way into a packed party, was not appealing in the least. Guiltily, she looked down at her rag-tag clothes 'Don't suppose I'd get anywhere like this...' she added glumly, her eyes downcast now as she waited for her new partner to offer her insight.


~~~

Perhaps, the Rune Knights didn't expect the ease with which the two girls would accomplish the task. Seeking inspiration from one another, the two Knight gussied up and headed to infiltrate the party. There was enough evidence strewn for them to collect, including accounts of witnesses, which became a task that seemed easier and easier as the night progressed. The party goers were rather loose tongued around the pretty girls... The job was a surprising piece of cake. Not to mention, the two girls who usually avoided crowds, blossomed quite well in the pool of strangers. Able to enjoy the perks of the party, devoid of awkward conversations and silly interaction. The administration had, in fact, offered Akira another frustrated Knight as a companion, seeking to change the system from within. Perhaps unbeknownst to them, the corrupt officials had just begun digging their own graves. Their plan, had surely backfired.

~Exit~