High and Mighty Color [CLOSED]

Zakat had always been one of those places in the world that had seemed always so hostile and unusual. While his life was normal for that of a user of Arcana, to see this world so dominated by technology had been a staggering and strange experience for him the first time he had arrived here. And while he had been to Zakat a number of times since, he had still never really been able to get used to it. Crossing the threshold from Iserlohn's usual districts, however, would be even more of a shock. To be from within a city of great technology and power, moving through and into something that was far more historical would just be something that he did not expect of the place. Sighing to himself as he entered into the historic district, he noted a large group of people starting moving in a certain direction. He blinked a couple of times and placed his hands on his hips, looking around and back up into the sky. "Strange." He sighed and looked back down, before taking a few steps further into the district.

As he further wandered into the historic zone, he looked around and watched the people as they continued to rush by. Iserlohn seemed particularly peaceful, and it was definitely a nice change from his usual life. He continued to look around, still wandering through the streets--the people that he was following alongside were all heading in a specific direction. Some of these people appeared to have tears lining their eyes, while some of them seemed to be holding flowers of sorts. It seemed almost like a funerary procession. He shook his head and finally reached the waiting crowd, watching as a man started to speak up, talking about his artistic expressions and the ideas that had gone into the creation of what was supposedly 'underneath the tarp'. He tilted his head in wonder. From what he could tell, this was supposed to be a monument to the previous emperor. Apparently, he had died in a 'lawful duel'. He chuckled to himself. What a farce. As if this could really be a thing. Power didn't change hands in a duel like that, did it? Eh, it wasn't his problem. Sighing again, he noticed the sounds of somebody making their rush to get to the crowd. Turning around, he watched a woman running at the back of the crowd, holding a peculiar bolt of flowers. Not thinking too much of it, he turned his attention back to the statue as it was unveiled, watching the tarp drop to the ground. The crowd clapped, and so did Daigoro.

Eventually, the crowd would somewhat disperse--with some of the people going and paying their respects to the former emperor. Dai, however, continued to people-watch, not sure what to do or where to go from here. In fact, he was so distracted by it all that he didn't notice the Amazon backing into him. He grunted and stepped backwards, rubbing his forehead and looking up slightly at the woman who had backed into him. "M-my apologies. I was paying too much attention to this art and ended up not paying attention." He shook his head, smiling kindly at her, "It's really no problem. I didn't see you coming, either. I normally have guards to warn me of this kind of thing, so I'm not used to paying attention like this." He laughed softly and stepped backwards, in order to take a proper look at her. She had the look of your average Zakatian, though she held herself differently than most. He thought nothing of it, instead simply bowing slightly, "My name is Daigoro Ito. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, even through this unexpected circumstances."

She giggled and returned his bow, something which automatically drew a small smile across his lips. She was quite interesting--certainly a little plain, but not in a forgettable way. No, instead he saw her as someone with an attractive streak, despite her plainness. He looked her over once more, attempting to place whether or not she was someone he recognized. "It is a fine day to have the pleasure of meeting a gentleman such as yourself, Mister Ito." He chuckled to himself, nodding to her, "I am Laeticia Argente." That was an interesting name. He chuckled again, placing his hands on his hips and looking around at their surroundings. It seemed that people were clearing out after the ceremony. Few humans had the patience to stick around after such an event, and this woman's attempt at making conversation interested him. She did not have the appearance of a bad person, which was good. Reaching up, Daigoro adjusted his hair ornament, trying not to make it obvious. He looked at her again, noticing that she was staring for a moment. He caught her gaze and she looked away, Dai giving another little smile at that response. "If... you do not mind my asking... and this may sound rude..." He tilted his head. "Go ahead and ask." He tried to be pretty open with any people who asked him questions. "But you are not from around here, are you?" He blinked a couple of times.

The silence remained for a few seconds. He tilted his head to the side, and then started laughing softly. "I didn't expect that kind of question. Yes, you're right. I'm certainly not from around here at all. What made it obvious--my style of dress, the way I held myself, what?" He chuckled softly and winked at her, tapping his forehead. "I'm from Arcadia, if that makes thing seem any better. I just tend towards wandering, since I don't have much else to do in with my life." He looked to the side and stretched outwards, yawning a little bit. Travel made him tired. "But enough about that--you wouldn't happen to know anywhere I could get a good meal, do you?" He didn't notice the eyes watching the pair from the shadows.

"Arcadia, hmm? I spent a few years of my life there. It is a beautiful country. Not as beautiful as our Empire, of course." He had to force a small grin at that one. He would agree with disagree with her, rather than arguing the semantics of beautiful countries; especially since he found the beauty of Arcadia far superior to the looks of Zakat. That was probably bias speaking, since Arcadia remained his home after all. "Of course. I will lead the way. And it will even be my treat, Mister Wanderer." He raised an eyebrow at her giggle, but thought nothing of it and followed her lead instead. If he were a lesser man--or maybe just a man who noticed things like that--he'd have probably (mistakenly) thought that she was coming onto him. Unfortunately, it remains to be said that Daigoro Ito was not a very perceptive man; especially not in regards to people and their feelings towards him--much to the chagrin of a certain bodyguard he knew nothing of. Instead, he simply followed her through the historic district. What else could he do in a situation such as this?

He looked around as the pair walked through the streets, passing by antique shops and the like--these places most certainly interested him. He was certain he noticed a couple of stores to do with old Arcana, but most people ignored them as they went by them. If he recalled correctly, Arcana wasn't really a thing in Zakat. He continued to follow her, passing by a police officer the size of a mammoth handing out citations and the like to a group of babbling idiots. A particularly tall man walked past the group and he could've sworn that the officer got a little bit taller. He shrugged, took it as being a trick of the light and continued to follow Laeticia. "Is there anything you have tastes for? I am sure there is a shop here for any kind of taste..." He blinked and looked around a little bit. There were a ton of shops, certainly. Instead, he decided that he was in Zakat--therefore... "You know, I haven't ever really had the chance to sample proper Zakatian cuisine. Is there anything in particular you'd want to show me? Not anything too plain and common, either--unless it's not within your price range, in which case I'll pay for us. He nodded at her, waiting for her response.

"A surprising answer, but it is one I can help the most on. Come, come." He tilted his head to the side, watching her reaction carefully. He waited for a moment, before suddenly feeling a small hand wrap around his wrist and start pulling him along. He didn't react completely to this, but almost lost his balance from the surprise. Catching himself in time, he started to follow along with her, being led down a variety of paths that made no sense to Dai, but probably all the sense in the world to Laeticia. He simply allowed himself to be carried down the street, not too worried about where he was being taken. He didn't seem to notice the shadows on the rooftops following the pair; though why would he? His vision was forwards, not up and about. He had better things to worry about than a shadow.

After a few hundred more yards, the pair came across a street corner. He stopped and started taking long breaths, he wasn't exactly used to running long distances in such a short period of time--while it wasn't to say that he was unfit, Daigoro's strengths really did not involve long distance running at all. He stretched out and caught up his breathing, before standing up straight and looking at the building before the pair. He tilted his head to the side once more, attempting to study the place. He still felt a light hand grip around his wrist, pulling him along into the fray. "Come, let us sit." He simply nodded and allowed himself to be lead to the table, taking a seat across from Laeticia and finally being let go of. A waiter hurried over to the pair and spoke, "Thank you for choosing our restaurant this afternoon. May I start you off with something to drink?" He let Laeticia order first, and noted that she'd ordered a Kvass. He looked down at his menu and read the description, deciding that it didn't sound too bad--"I'll have a Kvass too; blackberry." The waiter nodded and took their orders, leaving for the kitchen. With this, Laeticia began explaining the cuisine to Dai.

"Since you do not know our cuisine, might I suggest something? If you are someone who likes meat, I must suggest the lamb shashlyk. They are like kebabs, but only with meat and fat. If you are not wanting something of that sort, I would say try the beef or crayfish solyanka. It is a thick soup with many ingredients, main of which are pickled cucumbers with brine. They are both traditional dishes, and this place has the best of both." He chuckled softly, "That lamb shaslyk sounds like something my mother used to make; I may have some of those when the time comes. And you say that, but I dined at Laplace once..." He looked momentarily pensive, "Back when I was... twelve, I think. My parents had been invited for a meal by the Emperor, Yulian Korovin, on account of my mother, or something. I don't know the entire story. It remains the best meal I think I've ever had the chance to try, though I remember nothing but the tastes." He smiled to himself, snapping out of memory-mode, waiting for the waiter to arrive once more with their drinks.


"Heheh, got him in my sights." The male kneeled down, aiming through the weapon and pointing it at the back of the head of the red-headed male. "Finally, that goddamned lineage ends here." He laughed softly, about to pull the trigger--when he felt the end of a weapon plunge through his back. He turned slowly, seeing a beautiful woman standing above him. "Wh...at?" His vision went black.

"I see, that must have been a very exciting experience. I met him at our graduation from the academy as well as during a random inspection." He blinked a couple of times, nodding slowly. He had not really had the chance to meet with the previous Emperor--no, he had maybe spoken to him in passing, with the usual childlike innocence that one would have at the age of twelve. "He seemed to be a very kind man... It must have been wonderful to have dined with him..." He shook his head, "I barely got to speak with him, nor did I get to associate with him at the time. I may have said 'hello' to him, but my Zakatian was most certainly not up to par for anything further," He laughed at that, "My memory on details of the man himself are also rather shaky."

"Would you like an appetizer?" Apparently, Laeticia was going to take the lead. "Ah, no thank you. We would just like to order. I will just take some lamb shaslyk—with fat. I will take rolls as my side." Laeticia handed across the menu, but Daigoro felt himself waving his hand politely, "I'll have the same." The waiter nodded and took the menu, before showing himself off. Daigoro reached down to take his drink, before finding Laeticia leaning in closer. His eyes widened as she showed him the head of the spoon, "There is a law that all restaurants are to provide pure silver silverware. It raises prices, but it prevents poisoning. It's why silver is one of the chief exports we get from Brauk." His eyes flashed, "We should not do much to attract attention." He simply nodded, leaning back--actually quite relaxed, considering that Laeticia had just told him that their drinks were poisoned.

He leaned down, sniffing the drink but not inhaling it, and sighed. "Even here... though you'd think that they'd be better about it. I would've detected this the moment it had touched my tongue." He chuckled quietly, shaking his head, "They're sloppy. Might not be used to operating in Zakat." Laeticia seemed to be looking around with suspicion, before turning back to him, "...but I apologize if I seem rude, is there any chance someone is after you?" He laughed quietly, definitely too relaxed for his own good, "Yes. There is no use in lying, and I apologize for getting you mixed up in all of this. My bodyguard has probably been at work dispatching them from a distance, but the fact that they managed to get poison into my drinks means that they're craftier than I expected them to be." He sighed softly, leaning back into his chair and rubbing a temple, "I guess I should explain fully," he said with a light nod.

"My family... are guardians of a powerful tool. Specifically, the 'Essence of Arcana', a nigh-limitless library of words that can be brought together in combination to produce almost any spell you can think of. These people are, should I say, intent of ensuring that lineage ends. I didn't think they would pursue me out of Arcadia--I'm the first of my family to really leave on his own. It irritates me that they'd be so brazen to poison not just me, but my company." He frowned, stirring his drink with the silverware, watching it turn black. "I have suddenly lost my appetite for this... kvass. The lamb sounds delicious as well, but I suppose that will be tainted. A pity, really." He sighed. Could he not escape them?

"I... see. It sounds impressive, but I must say I do not understand much of Arcana, despite having studied in your country for a few years. I have no talent in it myself, thus I must rely on the skill of enchanters." That was fine; he knew of Zakat and its lack of talent in Arcana--he also knew that in exchange, they were the most technologically advanced nation in the world. "I will have to treat you somewhere far more safe then. That will have to wait a little while, as it might be hard to get you into such an exclusive place." He frowned lightly, "I am not sure about that. I'm a mere commoner after all--not to mention a foreigner--I feel that most places with any kind of worth would turn someone like I away." While he said that, he noticed that Laeticia's expression had changed, and that she was watching a rather attractive woman. He slowly turned his head, watching this woman himself as she paid for her meal and left, confidence in every step.

He wasn't sure what he was seeing as she left the area of the restaurant and started to walk around the fence past them, but his eyes widened. A mark on her neck was apparent and recognizable, and he swore loudly in Arcadian as Laeticia suddenly knocked the table aside, pushing him to the ground. He looked over Laeticia's body, noticing that she'd been stabbed by a small knife that was clearly aimed for him. "How dare you..." He bit his bottom lip and growled quietly in challenge. "How dare you try to sully the honor of the Emperor by trying to murder a man in front of her?!" Daigoro's face blanched, and he looked down at Laeticia. She was... He grumbled something about stupidity and coincidence, before standing up straight and using the table to push himself up, grabbing onto the fence and vaulting over. "I'll take my punishment when it's due, ma'am."

His feet collided with the woman, knocking her to the ground. Daigoro quickly straddled her, using his own body weight to keep her on the ground. She gave him a sultry smirk, moving her body in a clear attempt to seduce him long enough to distract him--but it would not be enough. "Don't struggle, I know they're keeping track." Her expression changed from a confident and seductive smirk to pure fear, "You... know?" He chuckled, "Of course I do." Reaching down to her neck, he placed two fingers against the tattoo on the side of her and spoke, "Cure." Hopefully this would work--the scarring seemed to fade, and the tattoos vanished from her pores. She rubbed her neck and looked back at him, "The voices are gone.. th-thank you." He smiled at her and got off, allowing her to stand up and re-orient herself. She looked around a little bit before laughing and lunging, knife drawn. Dai sighed.

"Kill." He said, pointing at her. She simply stopped, all of her body systems simultaneously ending. She dropped to the ground, motionless. "I gave you a chance, and you chose to squander it. A pity." He clambered back up over the fence and kneeled beside Laeticia, reaching down to the wound and running a finger along it, "Cure." It wasn't a deep wound, nor was it a particularly life-threatening one. She had positioned herself well when she covered for him--he could see that military training at work. The wound itself sealed shut, though she would probably be in pain still. "Soothe." It wouldn't be perfect, but most of the pain would fade for now. "I... apologize. It was sloppy of me to be out in public, and I will also take any punishment necessary for killing her. Can you stand?" He did not mention nor inquire about her identity. He figured she'd tell him when she was ready.

"No, you should not apologize. If anyone should, it should be me. I suppose it is obvious now, but you were potentially just saved by the Emperor just now." He chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "If you say it to be true, then I suppose it is." He believed her, though it seemed rather incredulous that his fate would be so tied to the Emperor of Zakat, even now. He did not know what his mother's relationship with the previous Emperor was, but he had figured it to be something important to be allowed to dine at Laplace. He would have to do research on her name with the others eventually. With a soft sigh, he turned to her and looked her over. "Actually... I believe you now know more about my past than even some of my closest retainers. Oh, and Zakat has great protection for self-defense. I also think you have a rather trustworthy witness." She giggled, and Daigoro could not help but laugh himself. "I see. I suppose that I'll be able to use such a powerful ally to secure my own safety."

"Someone is going to report this, so I expect my guards to be here soon. But for that lapse in time, we will be forced to defend ourselves. The waiter has yet to check on the situation, nor has anyone inside. I am going to have to shut this place down. I really liked this place too..." Dai was sure that the Emperor would be able to quite easily get some new and decent chefs for this place. He nodded and looked around, taking in a deep breath. He had been certain that Senhime was around, though where she was he did not know--if nothing else, she was probably taking care of business in the surrounding rooftops. He accepted that he was safe from assaults from outside of the cafe, and made certain to defend himself while within. "It might be better to find a police bo—" His eyes widened at the sound. It was loud, and like nothing he'd ever had the chance to hear before. He turned to see what was going on, and watched as Laeticia charged at a man who had made the noise. What sorcery was that? Daigoro was immediately frightened, but steeled himself as quickly as he could have as Laeticia kicked down the person who had injured her. As she fell, another person stood up.

A man in a particularly heavy coat threw it off and grinned at Dai, putting on a pair of spiked knuckles and tapping them against his heavy steel armor. Dai growled quietly, preparing himself for the onslaught of attacks. He watched as the man suddenly charged forwards, at a much higher speed than Dai had originally expected. He yelped as he dove to the side, the juggernaut of a man crashing into the fence and turning around with surprising agility. "Fuck..." He reached around to grab at his staff, but had to dive out of the way again. "Fuck this. Personal Altered Form: Greater Agility!" His muscles tightened and he pushed off of the ground, moving at a higher speed than originally. He wouldn't be able to control himself for long enough to get a Kill spell off; the last woman had dove right at him from an obvious position, but he couldn't time this one! He'd have to work with other spells for now. Breathing out and avoiding each of the man's charges, Dai started to look around to see if he could take advantage of the situation. He quickly came onto an idea, and held a hand forward, just as the man started charging again.

"Barrier Blade Wall!" A wall of steel sprung up and threatened to cut the man as he attempted to pass through it. Apparently, though, he didn't give a damn, crashing through the conjured wall of steel and breaking it apart, charging through unharmed. While it did slightly slow him, Dai still had to dive out of the way of his charge with wide eyes. "Anti-Arcana Armor, or just tough?" He decided to test this theory, holding up a hand. "Selected Burning Corrosive Bolt!" A flash of red and green blasted out from his finger, hitting the man's armor. While the fire was bounced off harmlessly, the acid seemed to take hold and start eating away at it. He grinned to himself and jumped out of the way pre-emptively--just in time, it seemed, to avoid the next charge. "Selected Cramping Corrosive Bolt!" He yelled, another bolt streaking through the armor and into the man's stomach, beginning to burn away at his flesh but also causing a great deal of pain. Dai closed one eye as he heard him screaming out loud, deciding that he needed to finish this as quickly as possible. He pulled a staff out from his side and pointed it at the man, the end glowing with a spell that he had prepared earlier that day--in case of a situation like this. "Selected Force Bolt!" A bolt of pure force, much larger than what you'd seen before, came out from the end of the staff and erupted through the man's body, causing him to fall over and die within a manner of moments. The magic of the staff vanished, and Dai dropped to one knee with a grumble. He'd already used a lot of energy.

Quickly moving towards Laeticia, he kneeled down beside her and tried to heal the wound--but it rejected his magic. He tried again, but nothing. Swearing to himself in Arcadian, Dai looked around to see if he could find anyone. Nobody came into his sight immediately, until the sounds of trained marching approached. Guards spilled into the area of the restaurant, and immediately rushed towards Laeticia. Cries of 'My Lord' made things clear at the time, and Dai was sure to step out of the way as they got her onto a stretcher and prepared to take her for medical attention. He was ready to excuse himself, when he felt cuffs lock around his wrists--not any cuffs, but ones that clearly restricted the usage of his Arcana. He sighed softly, accepting his fate and not resisting. His staff was taken away from him--though it was basically just an inert stick now--and they started to read him his rights. He simply nodded in acceptance--hopefully he'd be freed. If not, then he was more than willing to accept any necessary punishments.