- Job Info:
@Jarnbjorn
Yona Hisamori assuredly felt pleasure at being referred to as Yona the Revered and Benevolent as she reread the letter in her hands. It was the same joy one got from any kind word, any props or encouragements, any awards or honorable delegations. But as great as an ego-boost was, there was no way anyone who really knew her would actually call her "revered" or "benevolent". Her mage skills had increased tenfold. She was efficient, loyal, and despite her temperament, she had almost always come out on top of her missions and quests looking like the hero sort. But the people she worked for and with were no fools: benevolence was just not her sort of thing. She approved of the kindness of course, and even more so when it was deserved, but merciful was not Yona's kind of justice. If she had to arrest instead of being allowed to kill an enemy, she would do so, but without any restrictions, Yona was not the good soul or the hero of man.
It was this phrasing that made her smile an amused little grin and take the invitation to a manor in the Cursed Lands to her guild leader. Promptly acknowledging her shortcomings with the oddity of the invitation, Sol had encouraged her to follow up on the dinner party regardless. Yona just wondered if it was all a set up for an elaborate prank, having never heard of the Lord Sombra who requested her honorable presence. Would she show up there and have saltwater dumped over her head? Would she be pressured onto a stage to accept an award for 'most gullible'? This sounded less like an invitation to a luxurious dinner party than an invitation to a feast for fools, but Sol had told her to go. And, she reasoned, if he had been messing with her, then she knew just how to return the favor.
Yona decided to dress up for the dinner party by wearing the West Fiore Trading Company's colors. On the very unlikely chance that this was a real chance for representation, she wasn't going to make herself or the company look bad by showing up in her brown trench coat and ripped jeans. She dressed in a slinky white gown with a silver bracelet and a black corded necklace. The necklace was a gift from Oykai and she had promised she wouldn't take it off, so it was lucky that it looked so good with her attire. She wore white heels but felt disgruntled as they pinched onto her feet. Heels weren't really her shoe of choice, but it completed the look she was going for. Her green hair was made into the soft roiling waves coasting over her shoulders and resting by her collarbone. Her usually messy long bangs were woven into braids braced at the back of her head. A small WFTC pin clipped to the top of the spaghetti-strapped gown made her look lovely and professional. It was perfect for a dinner party. And to top it off, Ketsueki was quiet inside of her head for the moment. The respect that Oykai had 'taught' him had made him obedient and subservient lately and Yona loved every minute of it.
The VP took a train to the Cursed Lands and hired a man with a pair of black horses and a carriage to take her the rest of the way to the manor. Arriving at the manor didn't take much time after, but it was dark when the carriage finally slowed in front of the building. Yona stepped out of the carriage to see the manor: smallish in size, but three stories tall with a wrap-around porch at the base and balconies from two bedrooms at the third-floor level. She could see the dark outlines of heavy draped curtains and see the candles and lamps inside warming the rooms with welcoming and pleasant light. This might not have been a trick, after all, she thought. She leaned over to the man she had hired and gave him some more money, "You mind waiting a bit? The dinner party shouldn't take too long and I have more compensation if you would stay here." The driver looked unnerved by the location but after feeling the weight of the purse she passed into his hands he gave a firm nod. "Of course, I can stay miss." "You know the lord who lives here?" Yona asked him. The man shook his head this time, his flabby jowls jiggling, "Never heard of a Lord Sombra at all nevermind anyone actually living in this old manor. We all have seen the lights out here but I guess we assumed it was some sort of spiritual thing." He chuckled, "Small town rumors and folktales I suppose. Enjoy your dinner, miss."
Yona looked up at the large dark double doors that marked the entrance. She was an S rank mage now. What was she so nervous about anyway. Rumors were rumors and she never did have much faith in the power of the undead. Yona had faced demons for crying out loud and look at her now! "Yes, look at you now," Ketsueki purred from within, "All dressed up and prettied with a little pet demon of your own." Yona pursed her lips. "Maybe this dinner party is for you. Maybe you are the feast. Teeheeehehe..." His laughter continued on inside her mind and she took a deep breath. The demon was just trying to mess with her. Out here in the Cursed Lands, in the dark, in a manor which nobody thought anyone lived in, for a dinner that even she thought was going to be a prank.
She clenched her fists and marched up to the doors thinking, Bring It On.
WC: 976