Post by Roxanne Lexington on Sept 22, 2015 19:56:00 GMT
Seriously?! Could this week get any worse? That creep she'd been partnered with in the Red Blades had actually managed to slip behind her back and tip off the Templars about her activities, and as a result while the operation she'd been put in charge of had been a success, she'd run into Lockhart himself. Stupid self-righteous Templar pr-
"The Captain will see you now." The redhead was pulled out of her thoughts when the large man who had escorted her into the Templar building put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She wasted no time in pulling away and doing what she'd been rather good at doing since being busted - clamming up.
She stood up, instantly reminded she had more than just an antimagic cuff on - she had actual handcuffs on as well. Right. That put a cramp in her style, not to mention it earned stares from everyone from low level office workers to the actual grunts, looking at her like she might take their heads off if given the chance. She was angry enough she wanted to think it wasn't far from the truth.
She let out a strangely intimidating growl when the Templar placed his hand on her back to try to escort her in, and he dropped the hand with a gulp. Yay! Her reputation had preceded her. She knew no one was in view of her face so she let herself smile at that thought. The Hell Knight of the Red Blades' identity had finally been discovered, and at the very least now she could use it to intimidate idiots who didn't know she'd never actually killed anyone.
The door was pushed open for her, and into the Captain's office she stepped. She was greeted with... was that a chicken? Her frown turned into a look of stunned confusion for a moment as she watched two chickens being chased by a young man and a girl nearly his size, all around Albel himself. She blinked before recovering a bit and returning to trying to glare. She was at least glad she hadn't been forced to wear prison clothes yet. She much preferred her usual skimpy clothing to the weird jumpsuits.
Post by Albel Lockhart on Sept 22, 2015 21:34:20 GMT
Paperwork was honestly the least favorite part of Albel's job, and he generally put it off until the absolute last minute. He'd promised his lieutenant that he would go through a certain stack by the end of today. So imagine his dismay when he opened his office to find it overrun with chickens. This was not a good day to have chickens in his office, and he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly who was responsible – although proof would be a more difficult thing to come by. He had people for this sort of thing though, people to chase down chickens when he was too busy to do so. Not like he could keep an entire office of chickens a secret. By the time Roxanne entered, most of the chickens had been cleared out, although there were still one or two on the loose. He left those to his subordinates while he attempted to concentrate on his paperwork.
So when Roxanne entered, Albel still had pen and paper in hand, sitting at his desk as he attempted to finish the last leg of his paperwork, while two of his subordinates ran around to capture the last chicken. They weren't being exactly successful. He put the pen and papers down, folding his hands, impassively meeting his captive's gaze. “Everyone except our guest may leave,” he said calmly despite the animosity from the dark guild member.
“But sir-” one of the Templars attempted to protest, momentarily pausing his pursuit of the last chicken. He wasn't worried about Albel's safety, but rather that the single chicken might chose to be a distraction. Albel just waved him away. With a sigh, the Templar kept one chicken in his arms, while he and his companion left Albel and the Hell Knight alone. The door closed behind him. The ensuing silence after the two Templars had left was nearly deafening. Except for the clucking noise the lone chicken was making. It seemed to be catching its breath from running around so much.
There was no reason to try and impress her, and she already knew who he was, so he skipped introductions for now. He didn't know her real name and doubted she would want to give it either. “So you're the Red Blades' self-proclaimed Hellknight,” he broke her gaze to pick up a paper, the full report of what they knew of the dark guild member. Generally speaking the Red Blades were on the most dangerous of the Templars' criminal list. They were one of the largest dark guilds, and most of their members took on assassination contracts and all sorts of things generally on the far end of legal. There was a pretty big difference between a thieves guild and a murderer's guild.
Which was what made Roxanne's record so unique. “Assault, armed robbery, tavern brawl, another assault...” The list was long, but a lot of the Hellknight's crimes seemed to be centered around bars and fights. “You know for being in a guild of assassins, your record seems to have a distinct lack of killing. Although eyewitnesses have placed you near murders, just with other Red Blade members...” He left it open, in case she felt like either proclaiming or denying her involvement. That wasn't the real reason why he had wanted to talk to her, though. “Why'd you join the Red Blades?” He sent down the papers to look at her directly again, still seemingly immune to any of her anger. Really, he expected her to be angry, so he couldn't base anything off of that. But he had a gut feeling about this one that he couldn't let go, at least not until they'd talked. The chicken clucked lazily as it was now allowed to roam free, casually approaching at the foot of Albel's desk, in plain view between Templar Captain and Roxanne. Albel honestly hadn't even noticed it and was still watching Roxanne.
Post by Roxanne Lexington on Sept 22, 2015 22:06:34 GMT
By the time Albel's list of her crimes was over, Roxanne's glare was less on him and more on the chicken at his feet. The chicken was amusing, though its presence was odd. What she was mad about was 1.) being there in cuffs, and 2.) they'd only pinned her drunken crimes and a few early ones on her. That was probably good, though her connection to a dark guild did kind of condemn her as much as any murder would these days.
She grinned a bit - a forced grin, but a practiced one nonetheless. It was the one she used when she was being smart with people. "Why did I join the Red Blades?" she asked him, speaking up for the first time since she was caught. You know, aside from the long string of curses aimed directly at a combination of Albel's mother and the mother of the man that had gotten her caught in the first place. "Probably because I had an abusive childhood, or maybe I'm just screwed up in the head," she offered unhelpfully.
If these guys were half as reliable as they were supposed to be, they knew who she was outside the guild - Roxanne Cordelia Lexington, daughter of some of the wealthiest, strictest, and most proper former noble family in Fiore. People who pretended they were still nobility to this day, even using their titles when introducing themselves. It was a load of bull in Roxanne's eyes.
"I can only guess what your people have come up with so far," she shrugged, kind of wanting to kick the chicken for looking at her the way it was. "None of that crap is true." She turned her gaze back to Albel. "I had my reasons, but they're irrelevant now." They had been for a little while, really. At this point it was just her life, the rest didn't matter anymore.
Post by Albel Lockhart on Sept 23, 2015 3:23:38 GMT
He wasn't really sure what to make of her 'reason.' It didn't exactly speak of pride in her guild, which would have indicated a loyalty towards them. It wasn't exactly long enough to be considered a sob story, but didn't really seem to have any other point than trying to make him feel bad. Or, maybe she had joined for an initial reason, but that had been lost over time. Her smile was brave, but more sad than genuine. Being part of a dark guild was pretty much a death sentence when caught. “I guess not,” he agreed. “Your companion certainly didn't show you any loyalty, and the rest of your guild has been eerily quiet about your capture. There's little reason to care about people who don't care about you.”
“Being caught while in a dark guild, it's pretty much a death sentence,” he was pretty sure she understood the implications, but needed to reiterate to make it clear. “But your record makes you look a lot more like a jerk than a cold-blooded murderer. Which is why I find your choice of Red Blades a bit strange.” He shrugged. “Which is why I thought you might be interested in an alternative: joining the Templars instead. Of course, you could always choose the prison forever option, but it seems like a waste of your abilities.” Whether she joined out of simple revenge, or just because it was the option life had given her, Albel had a feeling that she might find a new purpose in the Templars. The chicken had settled near Albel's feet, staring up at Roxanne as if awaiting her answer. Of course, even if she chose to join the Templars, it wouldn't exactly be with full privileges. She'd need a 'partner' to make sure she behaved. But a great amount of trust was needed to even let a former dark guild member get that far. She wouldn't be exactly useful if they had to watch her 24/7.
Post by Roxanne Lexington on Sept 23, 2015 3:59:28 GMT
Roxanne knew as well as Albel - The Red Blades had sent no one. That meant one of a few things: She might not be worth enough to rescue, or a certain former comrade had spread lies about her that were readily believed. Either way, her future with the guild was over even if she could escape right now. No honor among criminals, huh?
She grinned. "I'm a jerk now, huh? Well that's rude. I came all the way out here to see you." She chuckled and adopted a more calculatedly relaxed stance. The chicken itself seemed to want to know what the answer was going to be. What, was the thing's life hinging on the redhead's answer too? Maybe it was a dark guild chicken. Why was she thinking about what the chicken wanted, anyway?
The Hellknight would have crossed her arms if she hadn't been prevented from doing that when she was brought here, courtesy of the cuffs on her wrists. "Yeah, what do you know of my abilities? I didn't even get a chance to display them earlier, you know. Maybe I'm crap and that's why I was the fall girl." She sighed, her eyes having returned to Albel's to stay for now. "Or maybe I was a threat to my partner and he needed to get rid of me before I did something as stupid as he did." She grinned. "Maybe he has no idea just how right he was."
Roxanne lowered her arms and managed to pull out a pick the guard had missed, using it to quickly and easily pick the lock on her cuffs almost before Albel would even know what she was doing. "I accept," she told him, placing the cuffs on his desk roughly, that cocky, triumphant grin on her face once more. Too bad she couldn't do the same for the antimagic cuff. "You can call me Roxy, by the way. My friends do, or they would if they weren't backstabbing traitors instead."
Post by Albel Lockhart on Sept 23, 2015 4:49:17 GMT
She was a jerk. Even if she was on her best behavior right now, Albel was absolutely certain of that. People who picked brawls over trivial matters had a certain personality. And even though she'd been caught, she still had a certain pride about herself. "I doubt you're a terrible fighter if you've survived this far." Exactly how good she was would be second to how loyal she actually could be. The problem with these arrangements was that it was hard to keep down a recruit past the initial fear phase. Albel didn't want drones who were just scared enough to perform their duty, because they would eventually betray others for their own survival. Hopefully Roxanne could appreciate the Templars in time. Still... "But you make a good point. We should spar, not now, but sometime soon. I don't really know anything about you, and I'd rather find out myself than find out third-hand about who you really are." Yes, it had to be him. Part of the reason was because if Roxanne did end up betraying the Templars, it would also be Albel's responsibility. He wanted to make sure he knew at least part of who she was and what she was capable of... and there were still others who were looking up her personal information and background.
For the first time, he rose from his desk. He still needed to figure out who would be best equipped to partner with Roxanne. It would be a job that no one wanted, but someone had to do. He wasn't exactly happy about her taking off the handcuffs, although he'd been about to take them off himself. "I'll hold you to your agreement, then." When he moved a step closer, the chicken squawked loudly and quickly evaded his boot. He seemed to notice and look at the bird for the first time, face still perfectly neutral. That chicken had just made up his mind. His attention returned to Roxanne, and he took out a key, also taking off her anti-magic cuff. If he couldn't trust her in his own office, he wasn't going to trust her at all, so there was no reason to restrict her magic. "Welcome to the Templars, Roxy. And you can call me Captain." He extended his hand to her, for it was an agreement they were entering in. Even if the non-traditional sort. "You'll be paired with another Templar for training in our conduct and missions, but otherwise you'll be treated the same way as the rest of my men. I hope you understand that I'm trusting you with my comrades' lives. There won't be any more favors past this point."
Post by Roxanne Lexington on Sept 23, 2015 5:02:09 GMT
"Oh, gee. Conscription, I feel so lucky," Roxy was not good with authority. Albel should have figured this out by now. There was a reason she didn't run to the Templars for her freedom two years ago. "Still, I guess I should thank you for not forcing my hand on contacting my family after two years," she admitted, rubbing her wrist as the cuff was removed.
She was told she would be treated like any of his other men other than the mandatory babysitter; she held no illusions on what conduct training meant. It was all to test her, just like the cuff removal was now. The only problem with the situation was; Roxanne was the alpha. She did things her way even if she was willing to take orders. The handcuffs before and her general way of speaking were a side effect of this. The good captain needed to know where she stood in the food chain, and it wasn't as some common peon. Not before, not now, not ever.
"But what about your women, Lockhart?" she asked him with a tilt of her head, a small grin, and a hand placed on the hip that stuck out more when she adjusted her weight. "I'd just as soon be treated like one of them, considering I am one and all." Whether or not she quit locking horns with him depended entirely on his acceptance of her. It's how it always worked. She was loyal to those who were loyal to her, even after some semi-calculated prodding. It didn't mesh too well with a strict lifestyle.
Post by Albel Lockhart on Sept 24, 2015 2:55:46 GMT
So his original assessment of her being a jerk was right. Albel had never really doubted it, but Roxy was just proving it the more she talked. Maybe it was a good thing that she felt comfortable enough to let her personality show. As long as she was more bark than bite. Though the fact that she'd ignored him about calling him Captain, and was now addressing him as Lockhart, was a small problem. His extended hand retracted, since it didn't seem like she was interested in taking it. Was she testing his limits already? That was a pretty quick turnaround.
It was extremely tempting to answer her snide comment with an insult of his own. He resisted the temptation; there was no reason to kick a barking dog. His younger self probably would have induldged in a comment that was borderline sexual harrassment, but he couldn't exactly do that as a Templar Captain. “Well, I've been looking for volunteers to try out the prototype of a woman's new Templar uniform. That's about the only difference between the men and women here, though.” It was hard to tell if he was joking or not with such flat intonation, or maybe a bit of both. And there was still the matter of her using his name, which he wasn't about to ignore. “Also, I believe I asked you to call me 'Captain', and that you wouldn't be receiving special treatment. How difficult your life is depends entirely upon your choices.” He wasn't going to revoke his decision over a simple title, but he couldn't have a former dark guild member now in the Templars calling him 'Lockhart' in front of his men. If it came down to it, he'd dump a bunch of menial tasks on her until she stopped. Or suffered.
He returned to his desk but didn't sit, instead taking out a note and jotting down a quick letter. The chicken squawked as it was nearly stepped on (again), but managed to avoid the boot, and this time retreat to a safer corner of the office. “Your partner's name is Silver. She's not on duty right now, but we should be able to find her at the Dancing Dog.” he handed Roxy said letter. If there was any revenge for the fact that there were now chickens in his office, it was this. He couldn't prove that Silver was behind it, but she couldn't cry out that the task of handling Roxy was unfair either. "I'll go with you far enough that I can point her out, at least." Both a curtesy so Roxy wouldn't have the awkward task of finding out who Silver was, and to keep an eye on her. It wasn't like it was an excuse to get away from some paperwork for a while or anything.
Post by Roxanne Lexington on Sept 24, 2015 3:16:38 GMT
Roxanne's grin didn't fade when he talked about the prototype of a uniform, nor when he insisted once again that he be called captain. She closed her eyes, deflating a bit - a physical sign she was done with the worst of her pushing. "I've been in these clothes for several days straight, so you might be doing both of us a favor," she admitted, reopening her red eyes to look at him properly. "That said I'm not big on uniforms. Badges or something? Sure. Besides, If you're looking for volunteers and don't have any then they must be something I'd rather see someone else in than myself, eh? I'd prefer a chance to shower or something."
Silver was her partner's name. And she was a woman? "The Dancing Dog sounds like a bar. Can't complain there. I could use a drink," she had a gentler grin now. "So how's Silver in the looks department? I ask because I might like to see her in your prototype uniform, you know?" Her eyes flicked to the lightly clucking chicken. He brought an appreciable amount of comedy to the situation. "Tell you what," she didn't take her eyes off the bird. "You find somewhere nice for this chicken where she won't become food and I'll call you Captain when addressing you."
Post by Albel Lockhart on Sept 24, 2015 4:52:09 GMT
Albel moved towards the door, knowing Roxy would follow him. He paused at her response. A lot had happened and changed in the last day, he was sure. "You need a uniform. And it's not that bad. You can pick which one you prefer." Although he certainly preferred for her to wear the one with the skirt and stockings, other female Templars had complained that it was impractical. It was definitely impractical, but that didn't stop him from wanting other girls to wear it. Really bad. It would really make a lot of his small interactions with female members much more enjoyable. "I'll show you to the shower room first, and take care of the remaining paperwork while you do that," he acquiesced to her request. It was reasonable enough, and he wasn't trying to take away her dignity.
Although mentally he flinched when Roxy started asking about Silver's looks. He'd thought that putting two woman together would stop Roxy from conning some poor Templar soul. But it seemed like she was interested in woman anyway. Typical that what few women they had, they'd only be interested in each other. It was a mildly depressing thought. Hopefully Silver would stay sharp... she seemed like the type not to fall for dumb tricks, at least. Even if she enjoyed playing dumb tricks. "I don't think she's the type to put up with something like that. You'll see soon enough." He left it at that.
"That's an odd request, but if it really means that much to you..." His gaze also fell on the chicken. "I'll find it a good home, and I don't mean in the fryer." Actually, maybe Silver or Roxy would want it as a pet, in the future.
Post by Roxanne Lexington on Sept 24, 2015 5:18:34 GMT
Roxanne made a 'hmph' noise. Fine, she'd get a uniform. If Lockhart was really lucky, she might even wear it to some formal stuff. Despite how she acted she knew better than most what was appropriate for what occasions; she just chose to ignore it. Which uniform though? It was hardly a choice; it took a powerful woman to turn a skirt and stockings equally as powerful. Roxanne felt she was up to it; she wasn't known for wearing what people considered appropriate anyway, despite her protests she'd said aloud to Lockhart.
Her new Captain told her that Silver wasn't the type to put up with the exact uniform Roxanne intended to pick, or perhaps that she wasn't one to put up with Roxanne's flirting. Either way, her response was the same. "Most women aren't, but hey I can dream," she shrugged, crossing her arms while Albel turned his attention to the chicken. A sincere grin crossed her face. Her chicken ally would get a second chance as well. Perfect! See? She was the best Templar ever. She was already saving lives. At least she was amusing herself while she attempted to mentally cope with the sudden shift. Once that was done she would likely start to press buttons again, but not before she knew which ones to press, at least.
****
Roxanne stepped out of the shower room, for now wearing the new uniform if only because her other clothes were currently being washed. She had to put it on at least once if she wanted to be able to requip to it instantly at a later date anyway. Her hair was even neat - as it turned out she was actually quite good at looking the part she wanted to look. She glared at the guard that wanted to escort her back to Albel's room; she would do it on her own and mess with his expectations even more with her seemingly mixed signals. Just how ready to trust was he, really? How much would a simple costume change throw him off? All fun things to figure out before she went back to not really caring if she impressed him once she got bored. "How's this, Captain?" she asked as she entered, smoothing out the skirt. "The skirt might be a little short for a combat situation, you know," she pointed out before grinning. That was fine with her if the other Templars took to wearing it. She was wearing some exceptionally short shorts under it mostly to frustrate the good captain once he discovered this fact.
Post by Albel Lockhart on Sept 24, 2015 19:54:10 GMT
Albel had returned to his paperwork after leaving Roxy to the shower. He could only procrastinate so much with a deadline coming up, and he didn't really have anything better to do at the moment while he waited. Except he did grab one of his men to chase after that remaining darn chicken. Just because he'd promised not to eat it, didn't mean it could live in his office. He had to try really hard to ignore the other Templar as he ran around chasing the chicken though. At long last the other man managed to tackle the bird, successfully clamping his hands over its wings, securing the bird much to its clucks of dismay. And then the door opened.
“How's this, Captain?”
She certainly had both men's attention, Albel's pen frozen mid-sentence. The other Templar lost his grip on the chicken, the bird clawing its way out of his arms and dashing under Roxy's legs, successfully escaping the room and into freedom. After a moment, Albel's eyes dropped back to the paper he was working on, carefully finishing the rest of the sentence he'd been writing. Given a choice, he honestly hadn't expected her to take the impractical route. Maybe it was an attempt to mess with him, but he had the distinct feeling that he was getting the better deal in the end. This however had given an extremely awkward pause of silence in response to Roxy's question. He coughed once, setting down the pen, gaze careful to return to her face.
“Nice,” he gave her a rigid thumbs up. Maybe that wasn't the correct response, because the Templar next to him was now staring at Albel. “Add one to the new uniform campaign.” He rose, leaving his desk, and the bewildered Templar next to him. After being cleaned up and now in a uniform with a skirt, it was becoming increasingly hard not to stare. Maybe he would stare, but only when behind her. In retrospect Roxy probably wasn't the best first female Templar to don the uniform, because it only increased the chance of her confusing new recruits. Well whatever, he was going to enjoy it while it lasted anyway. “Let's find your partner.” Any kind of Templar uniform would work technically, as long as the public knew she wasn't some vigilante or something. And Roxy had already agreed to call him Captain. So despite some back talk and her quirky personality, he had a feeling they might be able to get along after all. Of course, there'd likely be plenty of smaller issues to work out in the future.
Post by Roxanne Lexington on Sept 24, 2015 20:12:09 GMT
Roxanne raised an eyebrow, unable to help herself when she saw the stares. She might almost determinedly prefer women, but she'd take stares from anyone. To some women it was uncomfortable. To her it told her she had some sort of power over those who stared, not to mention it reminded her that she was every bit as good looking as she boasted she was. "Nice? How awkward, so much for being a ladies' man, Captain." She placed a hand on her hip as she shifted her weight to the opposite leg. She gave a teasing wink to the other Templar. "You might want to chase after Kentucky before she finds her way into someone else's office~" she teased. Yeah, she'd named the chicken while she was showering.
Her attention returned to Albel as she stepped to the side to make way for Mr. Grunt to make haste down the hallway, following the clucking noises. He was going to make a mess trying to catch that hen, she could tell. "So where's this Dancing Dog?" she asked. "Because if it's too far a walk, Templar uniform or not it wouldn't be that hard to make my escape if I really wanted." she shrugged noncommittally. "I mean, you're so trusting of someone like me, babysitter aside." A part of her did want to run. She did her usual requip gesture and returned to her now freshly cleaned clothing rather than the uniform itself; her hair went back to her usual style as well, apparently tied to the summoning magic that brought forth the clothing. "I'd hate to make my captor look bad after giving me a second chance~"
Post by Albel Lockhart on Sept 24, 2015 21:24:03 GMT
He cast a brief look behind him when she called out his awkwardness and nature. She was testing him again. Was that just in her nature? It was a delicate balance because he didn't want her as a captive or mindless Templar drone. If he came down too harshly, she'd just clam up, and the quiet ones were usually the ones that plotted. But he wasn't a pushover either, and couldn't have her bending rules all the time. Roxy seemed to understand and uphold her previous promise of calling him Captain. In response, he fell silent at her teasing. They were definitely getting stares, the Templar Captain with a new recruit that involved a skirt.
At the flash of magic, maybe he revealed his nerves by looking back a second time. Just re-equip magic. But still, she'd taken off the uniform. Was she even planning to wear it on duty? Even the hypothetical talk of escape was making him a bit worried. That wasn't exactly something you'd joke about to a higher up, especially not the person who was giving her a chance in the first place. He stopped abruptly at her last comment. In an extremely quick moment, without a second thought or hesitation, his hands slapped the anti-magic cuffs around her wrists. At the very least, he could let Silver decide when to take them off. There'd be a chance she needed to defend herself, and having Roxy at full magical strength wasn't what he wanted if it came to a fight.
“If you act suspicious then I can't exactly trust you,” the faintest frown flickered briefly on his face. “I want to believe in you. But I don't want to regret trusting you, either.”
Post by Roxanne Lexington on Sept 24, 2015 22:29:29 GMT
Despite the frown on her face that appeared, Roxanne couldn't help but respect the fact that he took what she said as a possibility. She was a known criminal after all, and while he was entirely too trusting, it meant he did learn and he did respond to things appropriately. It meant that maybe, just maybe, he might actually be half as intelligent as people claimed he was.
That didn't stop her from being angry that she was restricted yet again. "You ass, I just had that taken off!" she wasn't quiet about that either. Fortunately for her and the Captain, the loud sounds of a chicken clucking and running through a hallway from what sounded like more than one Templar likely drowned out her insult to anyone outside the room.
The frown returned, and for a moment she pondered giving him the silent treatment again. She'd half expected him to do something; she had just expected him to bring an escort or something, not restrict her as a person. "So this is the thanks I get for donning your special perviform. I see how it is, Lockhart."
