Protect the Politician...secretly?! Mission: Mercenaries! [Job: Hidate, Legacy, and Matabei]

Marick walked towards the bar and simply pointed at the tap a metre or so to his right. The pub was pretty packed, and trying to ask for a drink through speech would've taken a considerable amount of time. Thankfully the barman had been paying attention and clearly understood what Marick was trying to tell him, as he returned a few moments later with a large glass filled with golden-yellow liquid. Marick thanked him, paid for the beverage, then returned to the table he and Hidate were sitting at. He took a sip of the alcohol and released an elongated sigh. He'd stopped drinking for about 6 months now. When Kara was living with him she would put some amethyst on his tankard as he drank, preventing him from getting drunk. After a while he started to simply get bored of it all, and stuck with drinking other beverages. Now he was finally able to drink the alcohol and feel the buzz from it. He didn't plan to get hammered of course, but just having the knowledge that he could was enough.

"It's good to be back into the swing of things." he said with a chuckle as he looked across the table at his partner. Hidate had been away since the events at Era and, although it was clear he was well-traveled and wiser from his adventures, he didn't look too different from when he'd left. "You've not been using your magic much have you? I can tell...you're not giving off a much stronger magical vibe from before...ah well, we'll soon change that!" He winked as he took another swig of his beverage. He was eager to get on with this job. Usually he and Hidate would have gone by now and would be getting the job underway. However, on this occasion he had invited someone else; Matabei Goto. She was a member of Savage Skull who he'd met during the events in Era, before meeting her again just a few months ago. However the second meeting had been an interesting one, and had left Marick curious about the supposed 'Dark Mage'. Thus he found an excuse to have her around so he could get to know her a little better. I wonder if she'll turn up...we'll have to get going soon... he thought to himself as he lowered the glass. She'd not been in the best of states last time he'd seen her but she'd assured him that she'd be there, so he hoped she'd stick to her word.

"What is your ultimate dream Matabei?" A calm woman asked a teenage girl. Said girl just scoffed and smirked confidently at the woman. Clearly the girl was not impressed with the woman's question.

"My dream is to beat you in a fight! Then I can call myself the greatest mage to have ever lived!" Matabei spoke cockily, which did not amuse the woman she was speaking to at all. She simply swatted Matabei with a stick on the head, which made the young girl fall to the ground comically with a lump on her head.

"That would be a great goal for someone who wants to die early, but you need something more than just that. You need something better than wanting to beat me, something you can strive for that will give you great fulfillment in life." The woman scolded Matabei, who simply sat up and rubbed the sore spot on her head. Matabei sighed and nodded her head towards the woman.

"Yes.....Master Rose."


Matabei woke up out of her trance, shaking the cobwebs out of her head. It was weird for her to be having flashbacks of any kind, as she normally did not think much about her past. The ink-make user was sure that something was going on with her mentally, but she did not have time to dwell on that fact. Currently she had more important business to attend to.

Matabei had agreed to this job with Marick, on a whim that something about him could control the raging inner beast that was her psychotic personality. As long as he was around her, the inner goody goody in her kept her psychotic tendencies in check. She had only known two other people who could do that, and one of them were dead. Matabei sighed and shook her head clear, there was no use dwelling on the past more. She had a job to do, and she was going to find out what made Marick keep her in check.

Matabei entered the pub that Marick told her to be at and looked around for the card user. She immediately hated the place he decided to make their meeting spot, there were just too many people for her personal tastes. Matabei spotted Marick sitting with another person at a table, and started to walk over there. Some guys whistled at her, probably because of the fact she was allowing her hips to sway again. Her personality might change somewhat, but her tendency to show her body off would never change. She stopped next to Marick at the table and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"I'm here now Marick." Matabei's voice seemed to have its delicate tone still, but the slight malice could be heard behind it. Sure Marick could calm her, but she would not show that unless she was absolutely sure he wasn't against her in any way. Matabei turned towards the other person, a sly grin on her face. "And who is this guy? A friend of yours Marick?" She asked, obviously wondering if this guy was going on the job with the two.

Hidate mentioning his general pacifism made Marick chuckle to himself. The duo were certainly an unusual pair, being almost complete opposites in all aspects of life. However, somehow they got along well and seemed to work well with one another. Upon Hidate saying he'd worked hard, Marick simply smiled back at his teammate and let a card levitate out of his deck holder. "Well I've had to do something to keep myself sane, what with my lowered alcohol intake." he replied jokingly. It wasn't necessarily a lie; he had been training more during his alcohol drought and it was probable that he was tougher because of it. However, his real strength grew after the events at Era and the job he undertook within the few weeks following it.

He just finished drinking his beer as a familiar figure entered the pub. The blonde hair with the black beret, the slim figure and those swaying hips...Marick quickly cleared his throat to ensure he kept himself composed. Matabei approached the table and immediately began asking who Hidate was, to which Hidate introduced himself. However, he was a little vague. Marick got to his feet and put a hand on Hidate's shoulder. "Hello there Miss Goto. Hidate here is my teammate, the other half of the Dimensional Aces. He's trustworthy I can assure you." he said with a smile, before looking down at Hidate for a moment. "You can trust her too. She's not stabbed me in the back yet, and she's had more than enough opportunity." he said with a chuckle, before leaning in briefly to whisper in Hidate's ear "I even offered her the chance to do so." he added. He then stood up straight and stepped back from Hidate's chair before taking a couple of steps closer to the door. "Right then...we're all here so shall we head out?"

Matabei's grin grew slightly as the young man, whom she now identified as Hidate, introduced himself. They both could be considered Lady Killers, too bad I'm not the right type of lady to swoon over these guys. Matabei smiled and chuckled when Marick told Hidate that she hasn't stabbed him in the back yet. She wasn't planning to for a while, she needed him in order to keep her calm when she could snap instead. Matabei simply continued to chuckle and nod at Marcik's question. She started to follow, still swaying her hips as per her usual manner of walking. Matabei pat Marick on the shoulder as she continued to walk past him and through the door. "Come on boys, we've got someone to hurt!" Matabei said with some enthusiasm, before she stopped walking and turned back to Marick with a confused look on her face. "Ehehe, Say Marick, What is the job per se?I kinda just came here without reading the entire job itself. I normally avoid doing that because it wastes my time heh." Matabei admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head slightly. She had a one track mind at times, which did not always work in her favor. Matabei would be the first to admit that she was at times, very ditzy. But she thought that was one of her redeeming qualities. It was one of the things s she got from her mentor and her first master......

Flashback: 9 Years ago

"Matabei, whats the plan again?" Rose asked her student with a sheepish smile, which made Matabei palm her face in embarrassment.

We go in and take the damn thing Master, that's the plan. Matabei scolded her sensei, which only made the woman stick out her tongue.

Its not my fault these damn things are hard to remember! Rose retorted, which only made Matabei sigh.

Its not hard to remember, you just have a one track mind to hurt someone. That is the problem. Matabei muttered as they continued walking.

Flashback End

Matabei shook her head again. She really needed to stop zoning out at random times, it could get bad for her during the mission. She refocused on Marick and Hidate with a small frown on her face.

Marick watched Matabei as she was about to leave, admittedly a little amused that she was attempting to take charge. The amusement only continued to grow as she immediately stopped and turned around, before asking for more details about the job. Marick laughed, but stopped short of telling the blonde woman as a hooded figure entered the pub. Although he had no idea who this person was, he felt straight away that this was related to their job. His suspicions were confirmed as the figure asked them if they were the mages who'd applied for it. The voice was feminine, something which Marick hadn't expected. So she came to fetch us herself...a bold and somewhat reckless move... he thought to himself. He remained silent though. She'd taken a risk and remained as concealed as possible, and he wasn't about to make her presence known amongst the people out here, particularly not given the specific nature of the job at hand. Marick stepped forwards and nodded. "Yes, you guess correctly. Shall we?" he replied. As they were about to leave Marick quickly turned to Hidate and smirked. "Y'know, she pulls off that black hooded mysterious look better than you do." he said with a chuckle, before holding the door open for Matabei and Hidate to exit. They'd attracted the eyes of a few of the drinkers in the pub - although whether that was the two hooded figures of the client and Hidate or whether it was Matabei's charm wasn't clear - so the sooner they left the better.

The group headed around a corner and out of sight of the public before the figure finally revealed who she was. Hidate was entirely unsure of who this woman, and the look on his face as he turned to look at Marick proved this. "I swore not to tell anybody else about the details of the job or who had hired us for it. Sorry Hidate, but that included you. If anyone had've overheard us before today then we'd probably not be doing this job right now." he explained coolly. He turned to Matabei next. "I've not really seen you to be able to inform you either. I'm glad you decided to turn up though." Finally he looked at the woman who was employing them and smiled. "This woman is the wife of a potentially very powerful man."

Matabei was kind of ticked off at how Marick was laughing at her. She didn't think her little slip up was that funny, and she was going to tell Marick off for thinking that it was. Keyword being was, because she got scared and jumped away as a hooded figure made its presence known to the three mages. Matabei had to calm her beating heart as the figure left, with Marick and Hidate following. Matabei released a heavy breath as she walked through the door Marick held open, her hips still swaying as she had a reputation to uphold. Matabei didn't ask why there was a hooded figure taking them somewhere, as she was used to dealing with seedy people all the time. The only thing that she questioned, and mentally only, was why it was a female that had came to the group. Also the woman's walked seemed a bit more.......royal. That was another thing she questioned as they stopped and the woman revealed herself to be...

"You must be the employer" Hidate spoke, and Matabei released a breath that she didn't even know that she was holding in. Matabei felt relieved and disappointed at the same time, like she thought they would meet someone ever important and yet instead got a normal looking woman who didn't have any real importance. Matabei wondered who she actually thought would give them the job, maybe someone like the queen? Matabei shook her head and chuckled at the silly thought, before smiling a little deviously at the woman and bowing. "So. What is the job you need three mages like us for?" Matabei asked with her seductive tone, trying to unnerve the woman some. Matabei would not make this task any easier on the woman as she started getting her confidence back. Matabei did not want to be bored with this mission either, as she could have tried to figure out whats going on with her body as she had been blacking out for long periods of time and waking up confused and surprised. Matabei knew she had to focus on the mission at hand, but she still was worried she would black out at a random point.

The heartfelt words of Markus' wife would normally have stirred Marick. However, given the nature of the job he chose to remain vigilant in his composure. He stepped forward and put his hand on the woman's shoulder, completely relaxed so as to try and pass that relaxed state onto Marie. "We will protect your husband, you can have no worries about that Mrs Strauss. Your husband is a fool to believe he is entirely safe...but we will ensure he remains that way nonetheless." he said coolly. He glanced at Hidate and Matabei to ensure they too were up to the task. He didn't need to await a response though. He had faith in the both of them and, even despite their past, he knew Matabei trusted him to some degree. He wasn't worried in the slightest.

"Are there any particular spots in town that he plans to visit today? If we know the locations he's headed to then we can keep up with him and remain one step ahead of anyone who may make an attempt on his life, thus ensuring we have him protected." he asked the politician's wife, his hand now removed from her shoulder. Instead his arms were now crossed, with a card pulled from his deck and being rolled across his fingers with perfect dexterity. Anyone who was unaware of his magic may have thought he was bored. Those who knew his magic would know he was now completely focused on that task at hand. "Also, how long do we have until he heads to the first location? Because the sooner we know, the sooner we can plan out how to approach this job and ensure we're not spotted. After all, if Markus spots us then he may think we are the attempted assassins and...well...let's not even think about where that might end up."

Matabei listened to the woman, trying to figure out where she heard the name before. Strauss. Seems so familiar to me yet I cant seem to place it. Huh, Ill remember it eventually. Matabei shook her head and continued to listen as the woman explained her plight. Matabei made a small sound of disapproval, and muttered something about 'useless men and their huge egos.' Matabei did not like the idea of protecting this idiot of a man, but she had agreed to the job and didn't want the lady to continue crying and worrying over her husband. Matabei watched as Marick went over to the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder, talking to her to convince her that the three had the job, which Matabei also believed. She was almost certain that the man, although as dumb as bricks to her, won't be hard to protect since he couldn't have attracted that much attention. Although, he is a politician. There's no way he didn't attract some bad guys, but how tough could they be.

"Are there any particular spots in town that he plans to visit today? If we know the locations he's headed to then we can keep up with him and remain one step ahead of anyone who may make an attempt on his life, thus ensuring we have him protected." Matabei listened halfheartedly to Marick as she twirled a lock of hair between her right hand, bored out of her mind at the moment. "Also, how long do we have until he heads to the first location? Because the sooner we know, the sooner we can plan out how to approach this job and ensure we're not spotted. After all, if Markus spots us then he may think we are the attempted assassins and...well...let's not even think about where that might end up." Matabei scoffed and decided to make a comment. "I can tell you where we would end up. Either running away from the authorities all day or locked in a nice little cell." Matabei shivered at the thought of being locked up in a cell, it wasn't very pretty.

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Marick looked over the piece of paper, analysing every single location. He didn't know the area particularly well but, from the areas that were noted, he was able to pinpoint a rough area where the assassination attempts would take place. "About halfway down the list there are three areas. In order to traverse through those areas our client will have to go past an abandoned Lacrima Storage Facility and a currently unused housing estate that is due to be refurbished next week. I can guarantee that those are the places that any assassins would attempt to strike from; empty, out of the public eye and fairly open space with few obstacles. everything a killer would need to do a job without worry." Marick handed the note to Hidate and glanced at Matabei for a second before he turned his full attention to his teammate. "I'm putting you in charge for this mission. You've been here for a while now. You've found your feet...and I trust you."

Marick then turned his attention to Matabei and smiled. "I'm assuming you've no issue with that." he added, although he expected no answer and would probably ignore it if she did. He knew she might say something in an attempt to wind him up. It was in her nature after all, just like with a certain young lady he'd lived with. "I'll take the lead in terms of traveling to each location, but when it comes to everything else it's down to Hidate. You can trust him." Finally he looked between Hidate and Matabei and grinned. It was their first mission together and, although Matabei wasn't officially a part of the team yet, he had a feeling this was going to be the start of something good. "Right then...shall we make a move?"

Matabei looked over Marick's shoulder as he looked over the paper. As he told the two what was on the paper, her attention kept being taken by something else, her fingernails being a bit too dirty for her liking. She started to clean them and nod her head to what Marick was saying, even if she had no clue as to what he was actually saying or not. Matabei looked up when he first stopped talking and their eyes met, Matabei raising an eyebrow in confusion. He simply turned his attention back to Hidate and told him that he was being put in charge of the mission. Now Matabei normally wouldn't care who was in charge of the mission, as long as they got the job done then she could really care less. But this was someone she barely had known and the only trust she could give to him was from Marick.

"Are you sure this is a wise idea? Allowing him to take the lead I mean." Matabei asked in a questioning tone, her sarcasm leaving her for the moment. She really questioned if giving him the lead was the best thing to do, but it appeared that either Marick didn't hear her or just ignored whatever she said. Matabei was betting on the second, and her response mirrored what she thought. "Yeah just totally ignore my question! That was a very kind thing to do Marick. Jerk." Matabei's tone seemed teasing, but if one listened close enough they could notice the underlying tone of hurt behind it. She really trusted Marick to ask her opinion before making a decision, but it seemed like he didn't care much for that at the moment. She simply sighed and just shook her head as he asked if they were ready to go, to which her normal attitude spilled out. "Come on already, are we going or what? The guy could get killed if we wait around all day here. If we're going to save him lets move already." Matabei said impatiently, and tapped her foot rapidly in order to make her point. If Marick wouldn't listen to her kind opinion, then she would be the same old Matabei she always had been. He could deal with that then, and she wouldn't care how he did.

After letting his words sink in, and after letting Hidate speak, Marick finally turned his attention to Matabei. "Hidate has been on more than enough jobs with me in the past, and he's here in Earthland to learn. This is my way of testing what he's learned. If I feel he makes a bad decision then I will make it known and he knows that. Have some faith in me Matabei." His response to the Savage Skull mage was warm and as patient as ever. He turned his attention to Hidate and nodded as he waited to see what the Time Keeper would say.

"Agreed, we should make haste. If what you say is accurate Marick, we may be able to catch the assassins as they are readying themselves." Hidate walked to the edge of the street without going out of the alley they were in and turned to the two. "I believe we should split up when we reach our destination. Matabei and I should take the Estate, and you can investigate the Lacrima facility."

Splitting the team was a smart move, especially in the way Hidate had done it. Marick's only concern was that Matabei may be a bit more trouble for Hidate without Marick being there. Nonetheless he nodded and turned to Matabei. She could now make her judgement of Hidate herself, without Marick there to interfere. "I have no qualms with this plan. Just make sure that the two of you have each others backs. These guys will probably be well trained." Okay so maybe he was far too used to being in the leader role, but his advice still stood. He quickly pulled his cards out and shuffled them, then replaced them back in his deck holder in preparation for the fight he would undoubtedly be having.

Matabei rolled her eyes and mimicked Marick talking with her lips and right hand. Honestly, what was going to be the point of her opinion when it didn't seem he would take it into consideration at all. She just rolled her eyes again, patiently tapping her foot when he turned around and looking at Hidate when he began to talk.

And she had to admit, she liked the idea. Splitting up like that was good, and she had to begrudgingly admit that the kid knew his stuff. However, she still wasn't going to show either him nor Marick an easy time, simply so she could keep appearances to people. She hated if anyone got the wrong idea about her being nice to anyone. "Great idea! Totally not like anyone could have come up with that or anything." Matabei sarcastically stated, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She appeared pissed off at Marick, and that was all she needed for them to see.

Once again Matabei mimicked when Marick spoke, trying to piss him off somewhat. She would really like to get underneath the man's skin, hoping to make him lose his cool and do something he normally wouldn't do. Maybe take a swing at her? She chuckled and kept walking forward, swinging her hips in order to try and further irritate Marick. If she succeeded, then she might have pissed him off and turned him on in only a few short moments. "Boys~. The more we sit here and chit chat like teenagers on a mood swing, the more likely the guy we are here to protect may get offed. And while I personally could give a rat's ass, I think we may need him to live in order to complete the mission." Matabei said with a sing song tone to her voice. She internally giggled, hoping the men would be a little more irritated with how carefree she seemed to be.

"Boys~. The more we sit here and chit chat like teenagers on a mood swing, the more likely the guy we are here to protect may get offed. And while I personally could give a rat's ass, I think we may need him to live in order to complete the mission." Matabei spoke with a carefree tone as she walked with a sway in her step. Marick simply chuckled and nodded. "You may be right there. We'd best make a move." he replied as coolly as ever, before beginning to follow Hidate. The idea was to split up, but they'd have to travel a certain distance together first. Marick remained silent in this time, waiting to see how the other two might interact; or if they interacted at all for that matter.

When the trio came to the split-off point, Marick turned to his teammates. For a brief second a crazy thought popped into his head. What if this team ever fully culminated into an official one? He shook the thought almost immediately. Matabei would probably never agree to it anyway. Hidate...he was too difficult to read. Maybe he would agree or perhaps he'd dislike Matabei. Who knew? Instead of mentioning anything he simply smiled his usual smile. "See you on the other side." With that, he turned his back and walked towards his previously stated location, his hand on the hilt of his sword and a certain swagger in his step. While the idea was mad, he was somewhat excited; he'd unintentionally pulled together the foundations for a potentially great team. This job had almost turned into a test-run, and he was beginning to look forward to the results.

Matabei yawned while the two men with her began their walk. She followed behind shortly after, but only because the Ink Maid wanted to bring up the rear while they moved to the split up point. While walking, Matabei thought about their current plan and how everything could go wrong. For one, I could hurt the kid if he pisses me off. Though I bet that hasn't gone through Marick's mind as a possibility, I sure as hell know I might. Secondly, the kid could be some kind of spy or something. Maybe sent to watch over Marick and make sure I don't do anything evil. Matabei shook her head, clearing the thoughts from her mind. Won't do me any good to be on guard all the time anyways. Kid will probably notice if I act suspicious. Matabei sighed and continued following the two guild-less mages, wondering what she should do in this situation if it turned sour.

Eventually the trio made it to the split off point. Matabei smiled nervously and scratched the back of her head, unsure of what she should do at this point. Eventually she sighed and turned to speak to her two current team mates, when Marick beat her to the punch. "See you on the other side." And with that, the one she trusted was gone. The Ink Maid was now alone with the kid, and she simply turned to him with a calculating look in her eyes. They held none of the amusement when she first met him, or when she was mocking Marick. No, her face had changed into one of a business partner at best. "Lead the way Hidate. We don't want to keep Marick waiting." Matabei's voice was just cold, it held no emotion whatsoever. If this worried Hidate or not she didn't care, and simply waited for him to move so she could follow. "And I could care less what Marick says, don't expect me to be so trusting of you or your plans." The Ink Maid added, glaring slightly at him before changing her facial expression back into a neutral one.

Marick didn't have to far to walk from his original location. The Lacrima Storage was the closest of the two chosen locations, with his path being parallel to that of the unsuspecting client, meaning he would be able to quickly ensure that Mr. Strauss was safe before he headed to the abandoned Lacrima storage facility and dispose of any rats that may well be lurking in and around the area. He quickly straightened his jacket out before placing a hand on the hilt of his sword as he walked, ensuring he was completely ready in case of a sudden lunge by an assassin out of the blue. Of course, the chances that these assassin's were that stupid or disorganised was incredibly low; they'd been caught before out of sheer luck from what the three mages had been told earlier.

The Solitaire passed by the politician and his first crowd without even a glance in the man's direction. With the number of people there, an assassin's chance of success was zero no matter which way you looked at it. Thus, with this in mind, the card mage continued to walk to his destination with little concern. Once he arrived he was met by the rather depressing image that, if he was being honest, was actually expected given the fate that had befallen the once bustling building. Once busy...and by the looks of things, busy once more. he thought to himself, as he immediately made note that the door had been forced open. There was someone on the premises and it didn't take a genius to work out who, given the nature of the job at hand.