==========> Introduce the Prophetic Ten

Euphraxia just smiled.

Traveling hadn't gotten much easier, but at the least, the strange addition caused an unsettling quiet amongst everyone.

"Trust me. We need you in our group." She replied. "Please, come with us as soon as possible."

"Why me?" she asked again. "My father is more than capable. I'm merely a girl."

"Your father isn't you." Euphraxia said simply. "It has to be you. They said it themselves. It has to be you, Mariette."

Sighing, she shrugged.

"Fine. But if anyone touches my stuff, I will poison all of you. Are we clear?"

Euphraxia laughed softly, though it was obvious she had taken the statement seriously.

"Of course."

"Alright then," she replied, crossing her arms and pouting.

Tef bowed politely.

"Welcome to the group."

-x-

((Defender is next))

Leatrix Pantherpaw was on the prowl for suckers. All of the people in this side of town deserved it, too; the rich side of town was full of stupid cretins who deserved to be stolen from and humiliated. Aside from that, they were the most fun to humiliate. They took it the worst, and their cries of pain were always the best.

Yes, Leatrix loved this side of town.

There was a group coming towards here. Most of the people there looked like they'd be fun to steal from...She stalked them like she'd stalk any prey, waiting until she was close enough before she attempted to pickpocket one of the richer looking ones; a pink haired woman. Or man? No, woman. She didn't care, she just wanted his money.

Tef turned around immediately, glaring.

"Do you need something, girl?" he said with only the slightest trace of irritation. If there was something Tef was good at, it was definitely sounding polite when his thoughts were anything but.

Mariette frowned, placing her hands on her hips.

"It would've been so entertaining had she picked your pockets...though not half as entertaining as if she'd picked mine..." She sighed dreamily.

Ooh, that really sucked. She had been so close, too. Stupid trained royalty. This part of town wasn't supposed to have these types in it.

Euphraxia gestured to Leatrix. "That's her."

Upon hearing those words, Leatrix ran. If they knew who she was, they probably wanted to kill her. Or worse. Either way, she wasn't going to stick around to find out.

Unfortunately, she only get about a foot away before she was hoisted off the ground by a rather tall and strong man.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bane asked her, chuckling. "You tried to steal from my friends, and then you try to run. You're so silly."

Euphraxia was relieved; foot chases were not her strong suit. "Thank you, Bane. Leatrix, we need you."

Leatrix just gave her a look that said everything.

The Seer was unimpressed. "You have a royal summons to come with us to save the princess. If you refuse, we'll take you by force."

Leatrix looked at her as if she spoke a different language. "What? For me? Are you kidding? Those royal jackasses actually know who I am?" She snorted. "You're lying."

Seer held up the official paperwork. Leatrix, who couldn't read very well, just turned up her nose. "Ha. Like that would convince me. Looks fake."

Euphraxia glared at her, but Isare cut in at this point.

"If she refuses to come with us...can I take her by force~?" He wasn't serious, but he knew it would creep her out. And it did creep Leatrix out. Quite a bit, actually.

"Fine, fine!" She snapped angrily. "I'll come with you fuckers. Just tell this tall shit to let me down!"

Bane let her down, but didn't let her go. He didn't want her running again. She pulled away her clothes, glaring at him. "Let's just go."

Harley gave her a wary look, very surprised by the whole pick-pocket situation.

"Stealing isn't good, you know," she warned, frowning. "It's a sin. That's what Ma says."

Tef rolled his eyes.

"The sinful nature of stealing aside, it's lowly. Nonetheless, I hate conflict--I suppose we're lucky to have a large brute on our side." He cast Bane a condescending glance, waiting for him to get angry.

Meanwhile, Mariette scooted closer to Isare.

"Do you often 'take people by force'?" she asked, sounding almost curious.

Leatrix laughed sharply. "You're mother was a stupid bitch. When you're as poor as I am, if you don't steal, you starve to death. Besides, these rich ninnies don't even miss it. They've got plenty to sustain themselves with."

Meanwhile, Bane laughed, patting Tef on the back. "I guess we are lucky! If I hadn't been there, you all would've had to run after her! Man, she's fast, too! Haha, oh well, let's just count our blessings this time!"

Isare, on the other hand, cast Mariette a dark glance. "Why would I do it often if I only do so when it's necessary? Besides, it was the strength of the argument that was more important; when someone whom you know is stronger than you are threatens you, you are probably going to listen to them. Especially if they in a group that looks as though they can back that up. If I were alone, that tactic would have been useless."

Harley clasped her hands over her mouth, staring at Leatrix in horror.

"Who taught you to call people's mothers such horrible names?!" she exclaimed. "Stealing is wrong, and I'll believe my Ma before I'll believe some thief with a bad mouth!"

Tef dusted off his shoulder, glaring levelly at Bane.

"I would appreciate if you stopped touching me," he said plainly. "And are you suggesting we are a group of incompetents? I beg to disagree." They were only a group of incompetents when he wasn't included, Tef thought to himself. Right now they were a group of incompetents and a prodigy.

Mariette found herself smiling despite her absolute hatred for this quest.

"I doubt such tactics would've gone to waste on a certain type of girl, had you been alone," she replied. "Tell me--what do you know about poison?"

Leatrix laughed again. "You're stupid, just like your bitch of a mother. Think about it, sweetheart, if you were about to starve to death, the pain so intense in your stomach that you feel like if you clawed into your skin and ripped it out it would hurt less, would you steal for some money to buy some food or would you lay down and die because 'oh boohoo stealing is wrong'?"

Bane apologized immediately. "Sorry, I should have asked before I touched you. But no, I think everyone in this group is highly capable. You, Euphraxia, Mariette. Even that kind of creepy Isare fellow...What I'm trying to say is that everyone is important, and so am I, and I just saved everyone a whole bunch of trouble. You would've got her some way, I guess."

"Before you joined," Isare told Mariette, "they found me so you don't know this but I am an apothecarist, so I know quite a bit about poison...Mainly that derived from organic substances, anyway."

"I would get a job," replied Harley without hesitation.

Tef continued to glare at Bane.

"I dislike you," he said bluntly. "You are full of yourself."

Mariette slipped her hand onto Isare's shoulder, grinning.

"We should...talk. I invented a poison, you know. You can try it, if you'd like--or rather, if you'd like to die." She giggled delicately, as though she weren't talking about murdering others. "It has the most lovely effects...I'll have to show you sometime."

Without hesitation, Leatrix punched Harley in the stomach.

Bane looked somewhat hurt, but he laughed it off. "Oh, I suppose I am. I'm not used to talking to people, you know... So, I should probably be quiet. Wouldn't want you to dislike me more." He laughed again, as if it were a joke.

"You know..." Isare began. "I don't think I'd like to try out your poison or see it in action...I would, however, like to know how you made it."

Harley punched her in the jaw and followed up with a swift kick to the shin before she fully processed that she had been hit. She clasped her hands over her face.

"I...I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "I really didn't mean to do that...I mean, it was kind of your fault, but it still asn't very good manners of me! I'm sorry!" She glanced at Euphraxia, worried that she would think less of her now.

Tef blushed slightly, completely unprepared for that sort of response. No one had ever apologized for being insulted before.

"...I don't care if it bothers you," he insisted.

She giggled again.

"What if I told you the secret ingredient was a certain bodily secretion? Would you still like to see how I made it?"

Leatrix just stared at her. "...you'll pay for that."

Bane just laughed, almost touching Tef before he remembered he wasn't supposed to.

"Yes," Isare said blandly, "I would."

"I'm really sorry," insisted Harley. "Is there anyway I can make it up to you?"

Tef frowned as he looked at Bane. He was strange, though perhaps not in a bad way.

"You are an odd one," he said flatly.

Mariette winked at Isare, nudging him with her elbow.

"Are you hitting on me?"

Leatrix just grinned from ear to ear. "Ohhhh no....You'll pay some day when you don't expect it..."

"I'm odd?" Bane wondered. "Sorry."

"No." Isare said flatly. "I'm asexual."

Harley frowned, looking concerned.

"Well, I don't have much money with me usually, but okay," she said, scratching her head. "...Say, Euphraxia, you're hands wouldn't happen to be cold, would they?..."

Mariette sighed, toying with a lock of her hair.

"Such a shame, such a shaaaaame...the only interesting person here. Ah, well--we'll just have to be good friends, then. I suppose I could tell you a thing or two about poison...but you'd also have to figure a few things out."

Tef sighed loudly, shaking his head.

"In case none of you have noticed, we've procured the person we came here for--we should be moving on. I don't know about any of you, but I'd love to return to my studies." He glanced at Bane as he said "any of you", examining him with great scrutiny. "...Though I suppose some of us don't see that as a priority."

-x-

Poor Jasper Quarryman sat under a tree, dazed and exhausted from another day of work. As much as he loved working with metals, it was not his forte; the man he was apprenticed to wasn't very patient with him. He ran his fingers through his sweat-drenched blue hair. This heat was unrelenting, but it was better than being trapped inside all day.

He was so exhausted he barely noticed when a rather large group of people approached him.

Euphraxia leaned over, placing her hands on her knees, so she could be more on eye-level with him.

"Hello." She said smiling. "Are you Jasper?"

"Wha?..." he mumbled sleepily as he rolled over. He must be dreaming already. "Go 'way...I need sleep."

"Jasper Quarrymen?" She asked again. "I need you your help. You have a royal summons."

"But I'm sleepy," he replied groggily, curling up into a ball. "It can wait."

Leatrix groaned, obviously growing impatient.

Euphraxia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Leatrix was in front of her, slapping the hell out of Jasper's face.

"GET UP YOU LAZY DUMBFUCK." She shouted. It wouldn't have been too disturbing, if not for the fact that she looked delighted as she did this.