St. James Boutique

"Right." She said to Royal.

Skarlet turns her attention back to Odette. She was really interested in the child, she wanted to learn more about children since she planned on having one. But something was going on that she didn't catch. She'd say to Genevieve, "Huh? You wish to go with my mom to Gauldin? I wanted to learn more about children still."

Stumbling down the road, Ravven panted heavily as he made his way toward the closest shop he could find. It was just supposed to have been a standard day of pick pocketing and nabbing a bit of money from the street vendors. However, what had started as a promising day had just ended in a severe beating. His target had been the silk stalls, the man who ran them hadn’t looked too sharp either… Unfortunately, his false sense of security had come back to bite him. He failed to noticed the guard of the stand who was disguised as a customer.

The guard had grabbed him from behind and restrained him before he could escape. The demon inside him apparently hadn’t found the beating life threatening, for it offered him no help to escape the hands of his tormentor. Although most would simply let him off with a cuffing or reprimand, this guard apparently had been having a bad day. After thirty hits of the whip, he had lost count. In his current dazed and beaten shape, he simply hoped to find a place to collapse where he wouldn’t get trampled. With this goal in mind, he made his way towards the door of St. James Boutique, doing his best to stay conscious. If he collapsed in the middle of the road, he could very well get run over by uncaring carriage drivers, but he felt so faint…

Blood fell onto the pavement as he walked, the back of his tattered shirt stained red. More worrisome than the pain of the beating was the fact he could no longer feel any pain in his back… It was completely numb now, a very bad sign. He could heal himself once he became more focus’d, but in his current state, that wasn’t an option.

After what seemed like an eternity, he clutched the handle of the door that lead into the store. Using the rest of his strength to turn it, he would swing the door open slowly and stumble into Boutique. It was quite a nice looking store, so many beautiful dresses, a lovely fireplace, and a- Ravven felt as he began to lose conscious completely now, darkness filling his vision. However, right before he collapsed on the floor, he would notice a figure in the shop. A familiar figure from his past. One he had not expected to see in Isra of all places, much less a dress shop in Isra.

“Cousin Roy, is that you?” His tone was almost desperate sounding as he inquired into the identity of the man before him. Then the last of what little strength he had left gave way; his body going limp as he collapsed on the floor in front of Roy.

As the furniture begins to rattle and Artemis advises her, Naoki immediately ceases her channeling, dropping the small charge she had built up, and turning the gem over in her hand to display to Odette.

“Of course.”

She extends her hand, palm outstretched, displaying the marble to Odette. Should Odette decide to pick it up, Naoki would allow her to, and there would be no magical effects. However, if Odette has the magical skill, she may be able to sense or even utilize the gemstone’s sedative effect.

Naoki looks upward to Genevieve as she approaches and poses her question. Royal now knows that Naoki is leaving for Gauldin, and is attempting to freeload. Naoki’s focus shifts, as Roy proceeds to ask if he could join them on their trip. Then some half-dead thief stumbles in, mumbling to Roy. Brilliant.

It’s all Naoki can do not to bury her face in her hands, as frustrated with developments as she is. This situation was not supposed to develop in this way. She just came to get a damn dress. Naoki doesn’t mind a couple of opportunistic developments, but this is simply ridiculous, now.

However, her smile remains, the corners of her mouth turning upward slightly in a manner that might come off as forced. For the space of a moment, she drums the fingers of her unoccupied hand on the arm of her seat, before launching into action in an attempt to remedy the situation.

The chimes attached to the door jingle once again, and another figure enters St. James Boutique. He is an impressively unremarkable man of middling age, dressed in a gray cloak. The symbol of The Midnight Sun is emblazoned on the right breast of his tunic, but is hidden by the cloak. He stands there for a moment, unsure, but presently begins to speak as Naoki puts words in his mouth, her earring glimmering slightly as she does so.

“I am with... The hospital!” He extends an arm toward Ravven, collapsed as he is on the floor. “Allow me to assist you, citizen!”

Without waiting for an answer, the man bends down, and attempts to lift Ravven from the floor. Hopefully, in his unconscious state, Ravven wouldn’t be able to do much about it. Assuming Ravven doesn’t struggle or he is stopped, the man abruptly turns about, and exits, turning swiftly to the right and carrying Ravven out of sight.

At this point, Naoki stands from her seat, and approaches Roy. She puts on her best convincing face, and implores him, “You should go with your cousin, he’s hurt. You should accompany him to the hospital and make sure he’s alright. I’ll send someone to find you later, get out of here, gumdrop.”

After making sure that Royal has all of his items, Naoki drapes an arm around his shoulder and guides him to the door, patting him on the back and ushering him out.

With Roy departed, Naoki waves out the open door, before pulling it shut, and flipping the sign to ‘closed’. With a short mental command, another Operative from the street, a large, burly sort of fellow, moves over to stand in front of the door. There would be no more entering the Boutique for the time being.

With this reestablishment of order, Naoki turns about, takes a deep breath, and finally addresses Genevieve.

“Ms. Genevive. I would be pleased to assist you and your... niece in any way that I can. However, please allow me to first introduce myself.”

She turns to Arianne, placing a hand over her stomach as she performs a respectful bow. Here, she pauses for a moment, considering the etiquette. Is Arianne still a queen, at this point? She hasn’t been officially divorced, just presumed dead. Since she hasn’t actually died, Naoki supposes that she still is the queen, even if her country understands her to be dead. Somewhat like self-exile, perhaps.

So if it’s Queen Arianne, what is Naoki? Before she turns over her Letter of Credence to the head of Gauldish state, she isn’t technically an operational Ambassador. But that’s a bit of a technically, she supposes. She was still appointed as such, and has legal authority to act as such, even before the ceremony. That technically puts her on equal footing with Arianne, as a direct representative of Ildesias, a head of state. However, she’s already started bowing, and can’t really take that back. Proceeding forward, Naoki would pose on equal footing with Arianne, but a bit of respect the first time can’t hurt, she supposes. Standing back upright, she addresses Arianne in Gauldish. Her annunciation is correct, but unpracticed. She hasn’t spent very much time around Gaulish speaking individuals, and has not yet fully mastered the use of contractions, but is not quite so unpracticed as to be halting, and is very much understandable in her speech.

“I am Madame Naoki, Treasurer of Isra, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the nation of Gauldin. I could not help but overhear your conversation regarding your… predicament, and would like to formally offer my assistance. Tomorrow, I am departing with my delegation for Travére. We will be making use of a local teleportation anchor to complete the trip in only a few hours. I would like to offer you the opportunity to join me on this journey, and return safely to your home. As Ambassador to Gauldin, I consider it my duty to facilitate positive relations wherever possible.”

Arianne blushed, hotly. She had, in truth, been an idiot, blindly following Genevieve's own perceived security.

Madame Naoki bowed to her, and it became very obvious to Arianne that she had so much to learn. How would she make a good queen if she couldn't even... Well. Arianne wasn't even sure that she still was queen. Even so, it had seemed as if things had come to a head.

Arianne was talented for a blade, hidden beneath her riding coat, but she was sure that she would be outmatched by Artemis. Perhaps, in a more informal crossing of blades, Arianne might have at least been able to make her sweat, but for all of Arianne's training, both from instructors of her childhood, and from the hellish 10 month nightmare she'd so recently endured, she had never been in a true battle, and had zero experience next to Artemis' presumably long history.

Politics, however, she could at least do. Some what. It also wasn't an area that she had studied at length, and it all the more made Arianne feel ashamed of how selfish she had been in her youth. Still, change began now.

"You're very kind, Madame Naoki. I suppose it would be even more foolish to continue pretending; Mrs. St. James is not my aunt, she is my sister, and I am who you think me to be; Arianne of Carmean, Queen of Gauldin. I would consider it a great personal favor if you would help my sister, niece, and I travel to Travere. I understand that much of the world thinks me dead; as you can see, I am not. I would prefer, however, that knowledge of my presence not be passed from mouth to mouth. There are things that need to be addressed with King Renaux before any knowledge of my survival should be made public. If you can help deliver us to Travere and to King Renaux, safe and sound, I will personally see to it that you are rewarded and recognized for your help, and of course will help facilitate your business in Gauldin."

Artemis stands, automatically interpreting Naoki's gesture, and offers a deferential bow to Arianne. She speaks, carefully and deliberately, as one whose experience with the language is limited to theory, in Gauldish.

"Good day, your grace. I am Artemis, associate to Naoki. I assure you that I will guard your secret as though it were my own."

She remains standing, her implacable mask of neutrality on her face. A few subtle changes in her posture see her fade to the back of the mind, a presence, rather than a player in conversation.

Genevieve was trying her best not to so openly show how proud she was of her little sister, and wasn't doing too bad of a job. There was only a little smile on her lips, only a little pride shining in her eyes as she watched the conversation back and forth between Naoki and Arianne.

Odette still leaned against her mother's side, and Genevieve lightly rubbed her daughter's back, comforting the girl. Naoki's apology was a pretty one, and Genevieve nodded to her.

"I understand," Genevieve spoke in Gauldish. "I will be honest; it has never happened before to me. I apologize if you or your associates ever felt uncomfortable as well. After all, a road travels both ways. Thank you for your help, and your patronage. I hope that this occasion hasn't colored you against the Boutique."

Especially since she planned to open another location in Travere...

In time, Genevieve was sure she'd be able to talk to Skarlet at length. For now, however, it felt as if this situation needed a bit of closure. Genevieve tried to keep her own speech short, as Arianne was at the helm.

Once again, Naoki nods, this time with an undertone of consideration. She considers what else might need to be said.

“Well, it was excellent to meet you all, and I am pleased that things have turned out this well so far. I have nothing but positive opinions of you all, and look forward to seeing you all early tomorrow morning. Even if the world isn’t to know yet, and even though I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you before today, I am pleased to have learned of your status, Queen Arianne, and am looking forward to seeing the look on King Renaux’s face when he sees you. I will have a watch placed on this building overnight so you can all rest easily. The possibility of word getting out is still one that exists, and I am always one to take as many precautions as possible, especially in situations such as these.They will not make their presence obvious, or interfere with business, but if you have any concerns, simply yell and they will come running. Do not worry about compensating me, either. It will be quite enough to quite enough to see the royal family reunited and have made friends of you all in the process. Unless any of you have further questions, I ought to excuse myself. There is still much to do today to prepare for tomorrow’s Embassy.”

Madame Naoki makes eye contact with each of them briefly in turn, nodding and smiling. She bows slightly in Arianne’s direction, before moving over to collect her bag. She signals for Skarlet and Artemis to collect their things and give their farewells, and moves toward the door. The burly man has since moved out of sight, and Naoki pauses inside the door before opening it to flip the sign back over. As she’s doing so, one last matter crosser her mind, and she turns back to speak once again.

“Oh, what of the boy? Royal. I’m inclined to give him a substantial sum and send him on his way, but if you would prefer, he could accompany us after signing a nondisclosure agreement.”

Hansel would ride her, money in hand. This was the widow that had money owing to her. He knew that the money was long overdue but what could one do, eh? The Brotherhood had problems of its own, regretful as that was. 

When he got here, he got the feeling nobody was here, and rightfully so. "Hell... Hello?" He would inquire. It looked like the owner was not in fact, present. 

Innocently, Hans would turn, a childish twinkle in his eyes. He knew how to take advantage of his age, and would put on the closest thing to a baby face he could, although slightly ruined by all the scars and the missing eye. "I have to deliver money to a widow, am I doing anything wrong?" He would inquire. 

He wondered if this was the widow. "No, probably not...." he mused. Older ladies were easier to deal with, but knowing his luck he would not get that relief.