These Tables are Numbered [Dorrance/Ren]

Kiara would find both Claes and Delilah hunkered down over something. It seemed to be a trail of blood. Claes turned around at Kiara's voice.

"Kiara!" she exclaimed, rushing to her. "You managed to get out! Are you okay?"

She started examining Kiara for any injuries. Delilah wiped one of her gloved fingers against the floor and rubbed the contents.

"It's blood alright," Delilah said. "I must have hit that person good. It seems fatal. The thing is, it stops right here. But what bothers me more is..."

Delilah created another scanning crystal for the two girls to see. The light in the middle showed no pulsing.

"The signal from earlier is gone," she said. "It's either out of our radius or something is interfering. The magical anomaly isn't showing up."

"Do you think the person fled?" Claes said.

Delilah frowned.

"If they did, where would they have gone, though?" she said. "We're on the upper floors. Unless the were planning to break their legs, they wouldn't bother. But then again, they did seem to have some knowledge of magic...Whatever the case, we need to keep moving forward. There's only two ways the person could have gone: left or right, and--"

Delilah would straighten up as she heard footsteps.

She'd gesture for the two to be quiet as she went forward, her gun ready in hand. Delilah pressed the two back against the wall as a figure came up into the hallway. It was a limping figure grasping its arm. It was definitely the person from earlier. They seemed to be dragging their feet across the floor, struggling to walk.

Without warning, Delilah moved from the wall and fired. The figure was blasted against the wall, clutching onto its side. It started to make a gagging noise.

"Secure them!" Delilah said.

Claes rushed forward and created the binding spell. They had the assailant!

"Take off their mask," Delilah told Kiara. "Let's see who this bastard is."

***

Dorrance stiffened. She pulled Ren closer and forced herself to smile.

"Why...yes," she said. "Something to help you feel content. But I'll only give it to you if you kiss me~"

She'd lift Ren's face closer to hers, hoping Ren would buy the request.

"Yeaaah, I'm just sticky." Kiara sighed as she was checked over. This was horribly embarrassing. Still, the night wasn't over just yet. There was a trail of blood and, what's more, the signal from before had up and disappeared. Kiara, despite her frustrations, was getting interested once again.

She was going to offer up some secondary theories when they heard someone approaching. Kiara eyed them closely. It seemed to be the person from before...but. Kiara began to reach up towards Delilah. "Wa-" Before she could even get anything out, a shot rang out, the figure stumbled and Claes quickly followed up with a binding spell.

This had happened far too quickly for Kiara, and she found herself making a face as she was ordered to take off the assailants mask. There was a moment of hesitation. If she was in this person's position..."Claes step back." Kiara's hand hovered over the tattoos on her chest as she reached out and gripped the mask with her other hand.

She gave a sharp tug and prepared for whatever was underneath.

--

Ren seemed to relax as Dorrance pulled her in close. She found her eyes wandering just a bit, settling on the woman's neck a moment before her gaze was pushed upwards by Dorrance herself.

Ren gaze an almost dreamlike smile at Dorrance's 'deal'. "I can do more than that~" She countered. Still, she'd find herself leaning in to take Dorrance's lips anyway. She wanted whatever Dorrance had, especially if it would 'put her at ease' as Dorrance had said.

Blonde hair spilled out of the mask and Kiara would see a soft pale face with blue eyes. Delilah had her barrel pointed at the individual.

"State who you are or die," Delilah said plainly.

The individual's eyes were wide with shock. They tried speaking, but what came out was a series of groans.

"...agh...auuu...please...no!"

"We won't kill you if you tell us why you did what you did," Delilah said tersely.

"No, wait! She'll...she'll kill me! Please!"

She tried getting up, but all of a sudden a series of black lines started forming on her skin.

"Agh..AGHHHH!!!"

The woman started writhing in pain as her veins started dilating and turning black. Her eyes turned red. Delilah's eyes widened.

"Claes, dispell the bind!" Delilah snapped.

Claes quickly did and Delilah tried to cast a healing spell. The woman's head quickly slumped down and her body limped.

Claes, eyes wide in shock, knelt down trying to resuscitate the woman. The woman had gripped her side. When Claes looked, a needle had stabbed into her side.

"She...poisoned herself?" Claes asked.

Delilah gritted her teeth.

"Dammit," she said. "She's offed herself so she couldn't give anything away."

Claes looked at Delilah warily.

"But why did she try to ask for help?" she said. "She looked like she didn't want to die."

"She was being controlled," Delilah said plainly. "In fact, she might have been controlled this whole time. Who knows. It means the threat might still be here."

Delilah looked at her diamond, but there was no more signal. This didn't sit well with her, but they had nothing to move onto.

"Let's do some damage control," she said. "The nobles will be waking up any moment. But it seems everyone is safe."

"Wait, Captain," Claes said. "There's still the issue of where Lady Dorrance is."

"I'll look for them," she said. "I'll bring them down. Go back to Richard and the ballroom. We'll get everyone out here and put this place on lock down."

"Yes, Captain," Claes nodded. She looked at Kiara. "Let's go, Kiara. We should do our best to get everyone out of here."

***

Much to Dorrance's surprise, she suddenly felt less scared. Ren's voice was just so reassuring and calm, her touch gentle even if a little cold. Dorrance's eyes slowly closed.

"Mm..." she said. "That'd...that'd be nice, yes."

Dorrance slowly leaned in.

Ren would suddenly hear Dorrance's heartbeat a lot louder. She'd hear the rushing of blood in her veins and she'd be drawn to her long and exposed neck.

Kiara went wide eyed as the woman cried out for them to help. She hesitated a moment, then suddenly the woman started screaming, her skin forming dark lines as her eyes went red. Before she could even do anything, the woman had died.

Kiara found it hard to keep an even breath as she knelt down beside her. She heard Delilah talking, but nothing really registered as Claes tried and failed to resuscitate her. Kiara saw the needle, though said nothing once again when Delilah wrongfully assumed she'd done this to herself. She had been gripping her side BEFORE she'd been shot. This woman was a victim. She'd cried out for help and there was nothing Kiara could've done.

No comforting words, no reassurances. She'd died scared and under interrogation.

She reached out into her pocket, pulling out some gloves and putting them on. In a moment of silence, she reached out and closed the woman's eyes before shifting and picking up the needle.

Claes' words fell on deaf ears as Kiara stared at the needle, her face showing no real emotion for a change.

--

Ren couldn't help but smile as Dorrance leaned in. Despite hearing the blood, seeing her exposed neck, she took Dorrance's lips still, simply enjoying the moment. Slowly but surely, though, she began to kiss her way down to Dorrance's neck. She gave a heavy breath, holding Dorrance close a moment.

There was a moment of hesitation, a small fear in the back of her mind as she leaned in once again. It was okay though...She'd just have a little. Dorrance wouldn't mind. She'd want her to be comfortable right? If she could just have a little more, she'd be satisfied, the hunger would be gone. They could go back to bed and rest...

"That sounds nice...Let's go to bed." She whispered almost in a trance. Finally she pressed her fangs against Dorrance's neck. If the woman didn't struggle, she'd apply just enough pressure for them to finally pierce the flesh.

When the three returned to the ballroom, people were already coming to. Other officers had arrived and were already helping everyone leave the premises. The chair Richard had been in, however, was empty. Delilah clucked her tongue.

"God damn him," she said. "Where did he wander to this time? I wouldn't be surprised if he went to some bush to puke his stupid guts out."

"Perhaps he went to check on Lady Dorrance?" Claes suggested.

"I told him to stay here," she muttered. "That's what he should have done. Doesn't he know it's hard to keep track of people as it is already? Anyways, it seems the others are here now. You two can stay and watch. You two did a good job. I"m sure if it weren't for you two showing up, that woman would have disappeared. I doubt that's the end of this, but what's important is getting everyone out first."

"Captain Delilah," a voice called from inside the ballroom.

"Excuse me, ladies," she said with a quick bob.

Claes rubbed her hands together tensely. Whether or not she noticed Kiara's change in mood was hard to say, but she certainly wasn't commenting on it.

"You must be tired still, Kiara," she said. "Do you want me to get you anything? Water? Something to eat?"

***

Dorrance's eyes closed and Ren could feel the girl's body relaxing as it leaned against her. However, the moment Dorrance felt the sharp prick of her teeth, Dorrance straightened up and started to pull away.

"R-Ren?" she asked.

***

Viola walked the hallways quietly. Officers were now appearing at every corner and looking around. She had been watching as Delilah killed the proxy. It had been successful. They were still skeptical, but at the very least the heat was off of Dorrance. She considered retrieving the body, but it had been binded and other officers were already appearing to remove it from the premises. Nothing she could do about that now.

Viola made her way back towards Dorrance's chambers but stopped for a moment.

Clara.

How long had she left her alone?

On one hand, Dorrance was with Ren, who was quite starved. On the other hand...Clara had been feverish. What if she had choked on her own blood while coughing? What if when she wasn't looking the monster had attacked?

Viola clutched her fists tightly.

"I'll check for just a moment," she murmured before turning to the opposite direction.

She made her way to Clara's room, relieved to see that the door remained closed and locked. She opened it and peeked inside.

"Clara?" she called out.


"

Kiara felt like she was in a haze as they moved back to the ballroom. She knew she needed to focus, danger could still be about, but...She kept thinking back to that woman. The whole thing turned her stomach. Her eyes wandered around as Delilah spoke, angry about something. She didn't really care if she was being honest. The people here seemed to be okay...She should've paid better attention...

Eventually, Claes' voice reached her ears. Kiara stiffened, realizing that Delilah had walked off. "What?" Kiara looked towards Claes, trying to figure out what she had said. After a few seconds, it clicked, Kiara tried to fake a small smile. "No, its okay...Yeah I guess I'm still tired from before." She glanced back out towards the crowd, her eyes scanning them hard. "Ahh, I really wish tonight had been peaceful." She mused, hoping to steer the conversation away from her.

--

When Dorrance began to pull away, she'd feel a soft kiss against her neck. "It's okay..." Ren whispered, trying to hold Dorrance close. "Just a little more hmm?" Dorrance would feel a few more kisses before another sharp prick.

--

There would be a few moments of tense silence after Viola called out. Slowly, the figure in the bed moved over, her head tilting towards the door. "Viola?" An almost raspy voice called out.

"Is that you?" It was Clara and while she sounded a little more present, her voice seemed strained. The figure's head fell back against the pillow after a few moments, either too tired or too dizzy to keep it up for long.

"Me, too," Claes said with a sigh. "But I guess it was a good thing we were here to begin with. Anyways, I'll get you something. Be back in a bit."

Claes gave a brief, but firm tap on the shoulder before walking off and leaving Kiara alone. People were still bustling about. Panicked nobles were escorted to a series of carriages by officer after officer.

A moment later, Kiara would see something hovering right in front of her. A hand was holding out a small plate with a slice of chocolate cake on it. When Kiara saw who was holding it, it wasn't Claes as she expected, but instead Richard.

He was looking the worse for wear, even more so than usual. His skin had taken on a pale and yellowish color, as if he had just been sick. The dark smudges underneath his eyes were darker than ever, and his eyes just seemed overall dazed. He shook gestured at the cake for Kiara to take.

"I managed to steal some from the pantry area," he said gruffly. "Sweets are good for waking people up from potions. Don't worry. I'm sure this one isn't poisoned."

Kiara would then see that Richard had his own plate in another hand. He'd give Kiara hers and then take a bite out of his own slice thoughtfully.

"Mm, chocolate rum," he murmured to himself.


***

Viola rushed inside and touched Clara's forehead to check her temperature. If her temperature was up again, she'd immediately start getting more water for the cloth and patting it cool.

"Yes, it's me," she said. "How are you feeling? There's no need to straighten up. Just rest. The party's over, anyways."


***

Dorrance buckled and leaned against Ren, her eyes closing. It just felt so nice to be held by Ren. To be loved by Ren. Despite everything, Ren made her feel safe. Happy. There was nothing to worry about.

The sharp prick touched her neck and her eyes jolted open again.



But there was everything to worry about.


The Expiate. The party guests. Viola. The body. Abating Ren's hunger.

"Ren, no!" Dorrance said.


With a quick burst of energy, Dorrance reached into her pocket and grabbed the needled-vial she had in there. Ren would feel a stab at her side, but at this point it was too late. Dorrance had been bit. Despite stabbing her, Ren would manage to feed on her even if Dorrance resisted. It wouldn't be until a moment that Ren's muscles would turned feebel and her grip loosen.

The moment it did, Dorrance threw herself against a separate wall, touching her neck, blood streaming down her white gown. Ren's senses would go in overdrive at the smell of blood, but her sight would start to darken and soon she'd start smelling nothing. Her vision started to spin, but she'd see Dorrance against the wall taking out yet another vial, this time containing a bright red fluid.

She'd see panic on Dorrance's face, but the moment they made eye contact Dorrance did the oddest thing. She smiled.


"It's okay, my love!" she reassured. Tears were streaming down her face. "Everything's going...to be okay! Just sleep!"

The last thing Ren would see was Dorrance raise the vial high and plunge it straight into her chest.


Then everything went to black.

"Right, thanks." Kiara gave a smile as Claes wandered off. After she disappeared, the smile faltered and Kiara simply got back to work watching the crowd. Her eyes scanned hard this time, trying not to miss a single detail.

Suddenly though, a plate with cake appeared. Kiara was about to comment when she saw it was none other than the commander.

He...did not look good. "Are you alright?" She asked as she took the plate. He looked a couple feet from passing out if she was being honest. She...she probably couldn't hold him up if he collapsed either. "Delilah is looking for you, you know." She said idly after he spoke. Still, she took a bite, smiling just a little as she ate. When was the last time she had chocolate cake?

"Ah, Claes will be back soon. She went to get me water." She quickly added. She wasn't ignoring her duties! Just helping a fellow officer!

--

Clara couldn't help but smile sweetly when Viola came into view. Her eyes fluttered slightly, but she let herself relax. Thankfully, the fever was down to manageable levels. The girl was still obviously ill, but she wasn't in any danger at the very least.

"Mm..I'm a little dizzy n tired...Warm..." She mumbled. Her eyes widened a bit when Viola told her that the party was already over. "Really?" She squeaked out, a frown taking her features. "Ahh, I'm so sorry Viola...D-did it go okay without me? Did you get the chance to have fun?" She very much doubted that the servants would have any opportunity, but she could hope right? She didn't want to have had a part in ruining Viola's night after all...

--

Ren twitched as she felt something pierce her neck, but her senses were so focused on the taste and feeling of Dorrance that she simply ignored it. It wasn't until her arms went numb that Ren realized what happened. Her arms fell to her side as she let out a shuddering breath. Everything was getting darker.

Slowly, she raised her head, her mind trying to make sense of everything. She saw Dorrance, she saw the blood, the tears. Like a wave, everything hit Ren at once. Her eyes widened, a cold chill running up her spine. Her mouth opened, tears beginning to fill her eyes. "Oh God." She whispered in horror before the last of her consciousness left and she fell to the ground in a deep slumber.

"She'll find me when she needs to," Richard replied, evading the question about his own condition. "It seems she's managed to wrap things up here while I was out. Not surprised, knowing her."

As the two ate cake and waited, everyone else moved with frenzied prestissimo. Officers buzzed in and out of the ballroom, scanning corners, escorting civilians. A flurry of dizzied nobles were ushered out, questioned, placed into carriages and sent on their way.

Claes returned carrying a pitcher of water and a glass. She flinched when she noticed Richard right next to her.

"Chief Commander!" she cried, her voice a mix of concern and panic. "Where have you been? When we got back you were gone!"

The older man shrugged and gestured to the cake he was holding. Claes wasn't sure how to answer, but she gave him a look of quiet skepticism. She moved over to Kiara.

"Here you go," she said handing the glass. She poured. "You'll probably need it more with how rich that cake is."


Delilah emerged from one of the corners, and her eyes immediately set on Richard. The two would see Richard walk over to her and shouting soon ensued.

Claes winced. "Captain Veiller never fails to scare me," she said.

***

Viola sighed in relief. Despite her condition, at least Clara was still conscious. As Clara asked her if she had fun, the tiniest smile slipped from Viola.

"A little, yes," she said. "But we can talk about that after resting, okay? It seems the party is about over."

***

Despite the guests being evacuated, there was still the matter of where Dorrance and Ren were. When the Expiate officers politely knocked on the door and there was nothing. The two had disappeared. When Delilah looked into the matter, it seemed that they were nowhere to be found. It wasn't until Duke Marlon explained things carefully.

"My dear sister-in-law was in such a panic with everyone else that she evacuated with my family immediately," he said. "Miss Viola had informed them of the matter. I sent them on a carriage to my abode immediately."

"I find it rather odd that our gracious host would abandon her abode so wantonly," Delilah said. "Especially if her place was under threat."

"Her late husband's place," Marlon corrected. "Dorrance was more concerned of her ward's safety, the bard Miss Everett. If you haven't noticed, those two are...quite attached to one another. It doesn't help that Miss Everett fell ill after her performance. So you see, Dorrance's priorities were ensuring she was safe and given treatment. I believe they stopped at an infirmary first before heading home."

Delilah squinted. She wasn't buying anything for a second. It was agreed that once this was all over, Dorrance and Ren would be questioned on the night's events. The Duke would expect a visit from them soon.

The lack of further interference bothered Delilah, but she said nothing of it. No point chasing across a carriage across town. Besides the main threat had been pacified.


Soon enough, Delilah turned to Kiara and Claes.

"You two are done here," she said. "You did good work. I'll be sure to put that in my report. That said, I'm putting you two in charge of taking this imbecile home."

She jerked her thumb at Richard who merely sighed.

The carriage ride home was a quiet one on Richard's part. His eyes were closed as he sat upright. Claes wondered if he was asleep or just avoiding questions. She turned to Kiara.

"That was a lot more than what I expected would happen," Claes said. She offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry we didn't get to party like you wanted. I got these, though."

She dug into her pockets and pulled out bonbons delicately wrapped in wax paper and tied with ribbon.

"I think we deserve at least this much for today, right?"

Soon enough Claes was back with water. After a small exchange, Kaira took her glass and took a small sip. "Thanks you." She said, remembering her manners. Still, the energy was out of her voice, even if she spoke with a smile.

The moment of peace quickly fell away as Delilah showed. Richard was quick to go to her, then the shouting began. Kiara stared intently, taking small sips of water more as an excuse to simply not talk.

Still though...

"What do you think we could've done differently?" She looked thoughtfully at Claes for a moment. "Maybe I'll have to analyze everything in more detail later, but my performance wasn't really up to par with that of an officer I think."

--

Clara's eyes seemed to sparkle briefly as Viola spoke. Even through her haze, she could she that faint smile. It, at least for the moment, put her at ease. She sighed, her eyes fluttering closed once more as Viola asked her to rest.

"Yeah...I suppose I can do that for a...few more...."

And like that, Clara was out like a light once more.

--

The rest of the night was a blur for Kiara. Her mind was abuzz with questions and scenarios. Repeating what she could've done over and over and over again. Now that the mission was over, she let her mind wander. It wasn't until Claes spoke up that Kiara even realized where she was.

She straightened up, tilting her head at Claes for a moment before her mind caught up to just what she was saying. She put on another smile and gave a shrug. "Well its fine. We can have our own party then...Whenever we get the chance of course." That would be nice at least...

Suddenly though, more chocolates were produced. Kiara's eyes briefly lit up, followed by a glint of amusement. "Ahh, none for me. I'm on a diet." A beat passed and then she quickly grabbed for one with a quick, "Gimme!"