Hosenka City, in all its beauty, was filled with no shy amount of darkness. Rania and Kenzo had spent a fair share of their time infiltrating secret gang locations and getting to the bottom of crime and murder, but it seemed that with all the mystery surrounding this place, there was still no end in sight. The two of them had spent the last day away from each other, mostly to take some time off work and have some privacy. Rania was usually outside of the inn during the day time, exploring the city and visiting the countless boutiques, shops and vendors that were located here, whereas Kenzo could be seen sneaking out during the nightly hours instead.

Rania wasn’t sure where the mercenary was headed to once the sun had disappeared and night befell the city, but she assumed that it probably included lots of alcohol and other suspicious things. Either way, it wasn’t like her to spy or judge him for whatever he did in his freetime, so she simply didn’t. They did have some things in common after all, and enjoying work and being kept on their toes was one of them. Because of this, Rania had decided to pick up a quest from the local mission board – one that required them to infiltrate a cartel, but yielded a decent reward. Apparently cartels were a thing here in Hosenka, and there were a multitude of them.

The people in power had their way with the law, and somehow no one here was ever in jail for long. It was still the early morning hours, but by now the mercenary should be used to this. She fully expected him to be still asleep when she turned up inside his room and of course, there he was, dozing away and looking about as charming and handsome as a swamp toad. The quest would lead them into yet another gambling den, so hopefully his angriness from being woken up so early would fade the moment he got those news. Rania pulled a chair next to his bedside and her eyes fell on the hole inside his torso. The blanket was unevenly spread across his body, leaving that part uncovered and while he still slept she couldn’t help but stare at it. Rania had gotten pretty good at sneaking up on him by now.

The healer had seen many mutilations and body deformities throughout the years of her practice, but what Kenzo had was entirely unique. Carefully, her fingers graced the outlines of the hole and she sent a pulse of magic through it to see if she could fix what had been taken from him. His skin was soft around the edges, and the hole itself unnaturally dark – pitch black even. If he was ticklish, he would have probably woken up by now.

Another day, another hangover. Though to be fair, this was going to be the hangover of his life. Kenzo had gone wild the previous night, accepting dubious offers from old ladies and such at the hotel’s bar. Feeling a little adventurous, the male had decided to take something known as a Kampo Pill. In other words, a world-shattering experience for the poor spectator. It was a drug so powerful that put most other narcotics and substances to shame. How he had found an innocent looking grandma sell him that stuff was beyond him, but the trip had been worth it. If only wildly unsettling, traumatizing and eye opening for him. As his mind tried to arrange the memories of last night, he was surprised by the imagination he still had. For all intents and purposes, Kenzo’s night had turned into a black out. Be it an after effect of the Kampo Pill or a blessing of heavens, the male couldn’t remember much of what he had lived the previous night. Maybe that was for the best, considering the surreal experience he had with the voidling called Nuala, some things were better forgotten.

As his subconscious rambled and debated the perks and cons of heavy drug usage, the two sides came to an agreement. ”That shit is too much for me” Instead, Kenzo would pour his self-loathing in the form of another less self-destructing but equally bad addiction: drinking. Yup. No more drugs for the Bellan kid, kids.

Either way, his body now rested in preparation for the hell of a hangover he was going to have that day. Considering he still had a job to do he was going to need all the energy he could. A couple of days ago, Kenzo had met a rather quirky individual from Hosenka. Inspector Weirdlock Jones was renowned throughout the lower districts of town as a talented inspector that hunted criminals for a living. After Kenzo met him while on a quest with Rania, the man had looked for the warrior separately. He had another job that needed to be taken care of, but he had judged it would be too dangerous for Rania. Instead, Kenzo had been secretly sneaking out to carry it out for him. After working his way up, a certain organization, the Blue Pegasus swordsman had finally infiltrated the Baishan yakuza family. He had to kick up some serious butt to get in, but he now had gained their trust. That day, he was assigned his first mission by the yakuza boss. One that he intended to complete to perfection in order to keep up appearances. However, what he didn’t count with was the sudden intromission by a certain someone early that morning. Someone that would be key for the mission’s success.

Feeling the traces of someone touching his body, Kenzo’s mind snapped out of the depths of slumber. His heart raced like a stallion, like when one finally wakes up from a nightmare. Disoriented, Kenzo was unsure where he was or how he’d gotten there, but as he felt the searing pain from a headache it became all the clearer. Seeing Rania at his side though, brought him comfort. ”Hey there…” He said with a groggy voice and a happy smile. He was truly glad to see her sneaking up her for once. ”Before you ask.. do you happen to have a spell that can heal a hangover?”

[570/2000]

“Good morning, sunshine,” the sorceress chirped and smiled at her friend. He looked like a mess, and by the grogginess of his voice and the disoriented look on his face she was able to make a simple guess: he was hungover. Kenzo confirmed this shortly after and of course Rania was happy to assist her guildmate. “Of course I do, just hold still.” She pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers until he squirmed and eventually relaxed, before placing her hands against his palms. Slowly, a faint pulse of magical energy would travel through his head and ease the pain and discomfort he was feeling. It was a simple thing for the Paladin, and it really didn’t require much effort. Once she’d finished the spell, she took her hands back into her lap and looked him over.

“No rest for the wicked, mh?” Rania had no clue where Kenzo went during the time they didn’t spend together, and while she didn’t exactly care, she couldn’t help but wonder sometimes. Hosenka at night was an entirely different world, she knew this, but Rania hadn’t had the time to explore it just yet. The Paladin had been occupied with spell training over the past few days and, much to her delight, she’d been rather successful! But Rania decided not to tell Kenzo about that, because she had plans on using him as her guinea pig once the time and moment presented itself. He’d be a fantastic match for her healing spells, but he would have to get hurt first. Ironically that hadn’t happened yet, since the warrior she worked with was quite skilled and capable, but patience was a virtue and Rania was rather saintly.

“I want to go on a job, would you like to come along?” She said and wiggled the quest flyer in front of Kenzo’s face. “Something about infiltrating a cartel? And spying on some bad guys?” She frowned and turned the flyer back around to have another look. Rania hadn’t perfectly memorized the information yet, but in hindsight it didn’t matter whether Kenzo even wanted to come along or not. She figured it was polite to ask, since they had been working together on a number of missions already. “If you don’t want to tag along that’s fine too. I’m sure I can do this on my own, considering how successful I have been at getting us into the gambling den the other day,” a hint of pride was audible in her voice, but she quickly shook it off. Besides, Kenzo looked like he needed another nap and she didn’t know if he was feeling well enough yet.

“So, what do you say?”

”Oh you’re a life saver.” The mercenary sighed in relief as he rubbed his temples. The headache was what got him. His head was killing him, throbbing with each second that passed. ”What the hell happened last night?” This was the only thought that crossed his mind. Of course, he remembered some bits from here and there, but most of his memory was blurred. Among the things that he remembered, was the fact that he’d seen Nuala. A rush of worry crossed through him, making a knot in his stomach as he wondered if something awkward or weird had happened between the two of them. He didn’t know why, but it was a feeling that he couldn’t shake off. Whatever it had been, Kenzo hoped it wasn’t too serious. He was fond of the Daeva Eye thief, so he made a mental note to go find her as soon as possible. She too was a night person, contrary to Rania, so he might as well do it that same night. Of course, it would have to wait until they had accomplished their mission.

Resting his back against the bed, Kenzo remained motionless as he felt Rania do her magic. This was the first time he had actually felt her mana flowing through her body, since it coincidentally was the first time that he’d been subjected to its healing properties. So far, he’d only been zapped by tiny balls of light and energy. However, the soothing sensation flowing through his body felt so much better. In an instant, he could feel the headache disappear, giving him back a bit of more clarity and comfort. He still didn’t remember much about last night, but he could now stand up without a problem at least.

”Pheew.. That feels way better than I expected” Kenzo said with a grin, chuckling at her remark. ”Yeah.. it was wicked awful.” Regardless, it seemed that Rania had been a heaven sent in more than one way. After he finally recovered, she wiggled a flyer for a job in front of him. From the description, it was actually the same job he was working on. The date on the flyer was from before he had accepted it, so it was possible that the flyer was just a leftover that the bounty person forgot to take out. ”Ooh.. that’s really a coincidence.” ”I’ve been actually working for that employer for a time now.” Kenzo paused for a second as he weighed the idea of inviting her to such a dangerous mission. This was way above the level of all the others the two of them had completed. However, she was more than capable of taking care of herself, so he figured it was best to tell her. ”I actually wanted to ask you exactly that. Will you come with me for the job? There’s something only you can do.”

After the two of them got changed, they finally hit the streets. It was a nice morning, closing noon. ”There is this yakuza gang you see.” Kenzo told Rania as the two of them walked side by side. ”I was tasked with infiltrating it.. Much like with the Black Dragons. However, this new gang seems to be way more dangerous than them from what I’ve seen. They deal with everything regarding illegal weapons and magic artifacts. There is a shipment incoming, but there is still a dispute over which band will get the rights to distribute it in Hosenka.” Kenzo put both hands on his pockets, looking around to make sure there was no one eavesdropping. ”The gang that I’ve infiltrated, the Baishan, are one of the prime prospects. I was tasked by the oyabun to go and meet with the people bringing the merchandise to the city and securing a deal with them. Apparently, the enemy gang of the Shuilong are also trying to scurry favor with them, so it’s basically a race to see who get’s the deal first. We’ve got a reservation at one of the most exclusive restaurants today…” Kenzo stopped for a second as he started scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed look. ”Think you could dance for them? Y’know… Charm them and stuff..”

[1272/2000]

Rania smiled when she saw Kenzo sigh with relief; with the headaches gone, the warrior’s mood immediately brightened up. “I’m glad I could help,” said Rania and watched as he leaned back against the frame of his bed, immediately losing himself in his thoughts. He always had a lot on his mind and she’d noticed that for someone who appeared to be so straight-forward and so blunt, he was daydreaming a lot. Unfortunately the Paladin couldn’t recover memories and whatever Kenzo tried so hard to remember was lost. For now, Rania was more interested in the mission she had shown to him, and it seemed that the mercenary was immediately on board. He didn’t seem surprised at all, and when Kenzo admitted that he had been working for the same employer for some time now, Rania’s lips parted ever so slightly, but she chose not to say something.

I’m sure he has his reasons for not inviting me to join, she told herself, and shook those thoughts off with a smile. He seemed to have made up his mind as well and swiftly invited her to join him. “It’s settled then,” the Paladin said, crossing her arms as she arched a brow. There were a multitude of things that only Rania could do, especially in comparison to what Kenzo had to offer. The warrior was without magic, mostly known for his brute strength and quick reactions, although she had to admit he was quite smart as well. Kenzo picked up on things quickly, and she liked that about him. Unlike her, he was far less naive. Still, what he ended up needing from her was entirely unexpected, and Rania couldn’t help but laugh heartily at what he said to her.

After both left his room together, he proceeded to explain about the different types of gangs and who was involved with whom, and which gang wanted what and the rivals they dealt with, but most of that was lost on the Paladin. The names were a bit much to remember and she was glad to hear that his actual request for her was much simpler: dance a bit, and distract those simple-minded men. “You can count on me.” Rania’s giggles faded for a moment, but continued on the moment she expanded her current train of thoughts. She imagined for a second what Kenzo would do without her, and how it would look if he would have to be the one to perform a little dance to distract those gangsters and before she fully broke into laughter, Rania shook her head and stood up, heading further down the streets.

Nightfall was creeping up on Hosenka as the two got into proper attire and headed for the restaurant. The Paladin kept herself concealed for the time being and once they arrived at the restaurant (which was indeed very fancy), Rania slipped her cloak off and leaned over to Kenzo before they separated. “Remember not to stare, my charms don’t discriminate between friend and foe,” she whispered, and flashed him her most wicked smile yet before disappearing into some sort of backstage area, where she requested a desiertian piece from whoever managed the music.

The restaurant had live music, a variety of instrumentals and a female vocalist, with a deep and mesmerizing voice. The Paladin was scantily clad in a black costume that covered the bare necessities; with much naked skin to show and plenty of jewelry to accessorize with, Rania’s dance of choice was a mixture of oriental belly dance. It complimented her slim figure, beautifully highlighted her flexible body and was an overall seductive and charismatic piece of art – one that would grant Kenzo as much time as he needed, as all eyes were on her for as long as she continued to dance. Throughout the hours, Rania focused entirely on her performance and left the rest to the warrior. She knew she could count on her guild mate after all.

Even after seeing Rania agree to take the job with him, Kenzo couldn’t help but feel a little restless. Judging from what he’d experienced so far after infiltrating the gang they were working for today, he knew these guys were dangerous. The warrior had come a long way since his days as a mercenary, but he still couldn’t forget the day he lost the people that he called family. Two years after, he had finally found somebody to care about again. Only the gods knew what would happen if she too was killed during a quest with the blue haired man. However, the male decided to brush those worries away, assuring himself that Rania would be okay. Furthermore, her part on today’s mission was far from the danger. She only had to distract the people from the other gang.

Nervous as to what her reaction to his request would be, Kenzo couldn’t help but join Rania in her laugh. She had done something like it before, so he knew that she wouldn’t refuse. But still, asking a guildmate to do that sort of thing felt... weird? Regardless, she jumped on board. Soon enough, they put their plan into motion. Once night came, the two of them made their ways to the restaurant where the negotiations where to take place. Kenzo was supposed to meet two other members of the gang he was working for at the place. Though he’d never met them, they were his seniors in the family’s ladder. Furthermore, the other party consisting of the weapon smugglers would have 3 people attending too. The only thing left for Kenzo was to make them enjoy themselves, drink up and finally agree to assign the distribution deals to them.

Through the whole way up to the restaurant, Rania wore a cloak that concealed her outfit. However, she took it off once they were at the entrance. Widening his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel surprised again after seeing her dancing attire. Widening a grin at her comment, Kenzo felt blood rushing through his body in excitement. ”Can’t promise anything with you looking like that” Returning her devilish smile, the male made his way inside as they parted ways.

The night proceeded according to plan. Kenzo’s superiors turned to be quite capable people, not hot-headed fellas like he’d expected most yakuza to be. The most senior of the two, had been with the Baishan for more than 10 years, and had become one of the oyabun’s most trusted men. Once they sat down with the other party, the feast begun. Food and drinks flowed freely as they exchanged jokes and laughs. Everything seemed to go ahead perfectly, but they still wouldn’t budge about the gang’s request. It was at this point that the restaurant’s lights dimmed in preparation to the show. Taking advantage of the moment, Kenzo cleared his throat before announcing something. ”*Ahem* If I might interrupt, I’ll take the opportunity to express our boss’s appreciation for your hard work. As such, we hope you enjoy the show we’ve prepared for you tonight” Motioning his hand towards the stage, dancers and musicians came out to begin their performance. The mood at the table instantly shifted, as the five men scanned the girls left and right. Once the music started and Rania started dancing though, all eyes stopped on her. Kenzo could notice the looks they gave her, swallowing whole as she danced. A slight hint of irritation creeped up him, making him feel uncomfortable. Why though? He didn’t know.

Wanting to take attention away from her for a second, the male once again proposed a toast. Succeeding in his plan for a second, they soon enough returned at watching her once they finished. The same would be true for the rest of the evening. Through the hours that they spent drinking, eating, and talking, the men at the table would always find the way to turn their heads and look at Rania. Not wanting to spend much more time that way, Kenzo finally pushed for the negotiation to end. To his surprise, it seemed that the woman’s charms managed to do the trick. Without thinking it, the head of the other party handed them the agreement seal. It was a golden token with the carved symbol of the gang. Their mission had been completed. Sighing in relief, Kenzo finally gave himself time to enjoy the show. Once his eyes were set on his guildmate, he couldn’t help but feel his heart skip a beat as he saw her entranced in her dance. He had noticed this before, but he now was witness to it. No matter how long she had been dancing, she seemed completely into it. Moving gracefully and gently, the male lost sense off the table to notice the impending doom.

After storing the golden seal inside his suit, Kenzo’s superior stood up from the table, making a sign at one of the waiters. In a flash, the hall was invaded by a dozen of people wearing hoods and sporting lacrima guns. Happening in an instant, the blue haired mercenary barely had time to react to see his boss pulling out a gun from his suit and shooting his other partner in the head. Blood splattered all across the table as a barrage of bullets flew from the newcomer’s guns. The three people representing the smuggling gang were killed instantly, and soon enough the bullets reached Kenzo too. However, he didn’t go down without a fight. Summoning his equipment, Kenzo sprung into action and avoided as many shots as he could. ”Execution!” With a shout, Masamune grew in length as he swung it with all his might. The golden blade had become 10 meters in length and tore through everything in the room. Cleaving around 6 men in half before collapsing to his knee, Kenzo struggled to remain awake due to the blood loss. His mind was simply focused on the dancer’s stage. Scanning through the multitude running in despair, he desperately looked for the black-haired paladin. Choking out blood, he felt his senses growing dull. He had received at least 7 hits from bullets all over his body. After he finally found the girl, a wave of relief flew through the male. With a weak smile, he tried to stand up once again. However, he was cut short by his double-crossing boss. Walking slowly, he stopped in front of Kenzo as he aimed his gun at the male’s chest. ”Nothing personal kid, it's only business. The Shuilong send their regards.”

*BAAAAAM* a bullet pierced straight through Kenzo’s chest. It had barely avoided his heart, but it certainly hit a dangerous spot. Tumbling to the ground, the mercenary struggled to move his right arm towards the girl, trying to reach at her. After the massacre was done, all of the hitmen escaped the scene. His sight grew darker with the second, before passing out. The only thing the male could say was a single word. ”R-Rania…”

Fade to black…

-EXIT-
[2437/2000]

Rania danced the night away, like she had done so many times before in the past. Even though it had been years since the young woman had done this for a living, every moment and every step felt natural – something like this could never be forgotten, no matter how long she decided to stand still. The Paladin listened to the music and memories of her former life came flooding in and while she danced; she forgot about her environment, the people surrounding her and even her friend Kenzo. The memories brought her back to Desierto, and even as a slave without any freedom there were times during which she felt genuine happiness and satisfaction.

Rania had always been a simple girl, easy to please and grateful for the small things. She hadn’t changed much since then and it seemed that her personality had only developed further ever since she’d been let out of the castle and granted freedom for the first time in her life. Perhaps there was always that thought in the back of her mind that told her that life had more in store for her – her magical potential was after all not a secret. She hid it well during her years in Desierto, but the moment she had stepped out of that desert and into her new life, things came together naturally and her affinity to light blossomed into something beautiful and powerful.

And it was a good thing, because Rania soon realized how precious her magic was – and how desperately she needed it to take care of the people around her. The hours passed by and things went smoothly. Rania’s dance was effortless, exotic and mesmerizing, capturing the attention of every man and woman in the room. For a little while it was almost peaceful inside the restaurant. Things changed rapidly when the place was invaded and chaos broke out; she could hear the sounds of gunshots, magic spells being cast and the nimble dancer swiftly slipped into a safe spot, always keeping her eyes on the only person in that room she cared about: Kenzo.

At this point a massive fight had broken out, and amidst the chaos Rania was overcome by an unsettling calmness. Instead of panicking, she kept a level-headed attitude and focused on her guild mate: aiming two fingers at Kenzo, the Paladin fired a small bullet of light at the man, which would pierce through him and heal him immediately. It pained her to see him injured, but she knew that she had to wait it out until she could get to him. What felt like an eternity only lasted for a few minutes and when the massacre finally subsided Rania was immediately at Kenzo’s side, catching the man before he could fall to the ground.

”Don’t worry, I’m here now,” she whispered and gently lowered his body to the ground. He was bleeding profoundly, but it was nothing the healer couldn’t fix. “You will be fine, I’ll take care of you.” Rania placed her hands against his chest and slowly but steadily began closing up the wounds and patching him up, one bullet hole after another. It had gotten awfully quiet around them, and there were bodies lying on the ground everywhere, but Rania didn’t care about that. Once she’d healed his wounds and mended his broken bones and torn flesh back together, she put his head into her lap and pressed her forehead against his.

She really didn’t care about a single person in the room except for the one she was holding right now. He would live, and that was really all that mattered.