Thread: Move your queen

[shibaxsin.livejournal.com]

Who: Reiichirou Shiba (shibaxsin ) & Caterina Sforza (a_bad_woman )
What: A meeting at the library
When: Afternoon, before dinner
Where: The Library
Rating: G

Ah, the library. It certainly felt far too much like home as he perused the rows of books. There was that certain feeling of childhood nostalgia that he couldn't quite shake. For some reason this made him smile. Since a very young age, Shiba had been an avid reader. He enjoyed indulging in a good book, especially if there was knowledge to gain. While it would sound probably lame to some, Shiba firmly believed that knowledge was indeed power. It was true that brute force was advantageous, there were times that intelligence and cunningness were far more effective...and more enjoyable too.  The latter was probably a strange statement coming from someone like Shiba, but appearances could be deceiving.

At first glance Shiba would seem like the normal teenager, perhaps even a bit rebellious by some standards. With both his ears pierced, a butterfly tattoo on his chest and all around air of mischievousness around him, it was very doubtful that anyone would suspect that he was far more intelligent and twisted than he looked. There was a far more darker nature hiding behind that innocent facade. He did not care about the wrongful assumptions or impressions though, in a way he preferred it that way, for it give him a certain advantage.

Still the reason for asking Miss Sforza to meet him here was mostly innocent. The woman had sounded intelligent enough and with a certain authoritative air about her that caught his attention. Shiba was no fool. Thrust into a new world, he needed people that could hold their own or at least offer some kind of advice or be of benefit to him.

In other words, he chose to behave for now...at least until he knew his way around this world. Of course that didn't change the fact that people like Shito and Chika would probably choose to keep an eye on him. They didn't trust him and he didn't blame them, but at the same time he could care less. For now he had other more important issues on his mind.

And yet...he had a feeling that Shito or Chika would probably seek him out and ruin whatever plans he could have about staying low for now. Alas, that was the price to pay for having tried to kill them in the first place.

Comments

[a-bad-woman.livejournal.com]

It would have been convenient to schedule the meeting yesterday, but she did not have the premonition to know the effects of the event would wear down so soon. The common consensus had been a “week” and this misled her into false security. She had awoken late that morning, caught between the coughing fits and her own realization that the “cure” was short-lived. It had been the ghost maids who aided her, bringing her the breakfast and helping her to lace her corset, style her hair and paint her fingernails. Shortly after morning meal, Caterina Sforza shortly visited the clinic to acquire a pain reliever to allow her to function without thinking in the wretched extremities of her body. She could be sick, but she was sharp in her appointments.

It was an odd request this Reiichirou Shiba had. Why meet her, indeed? She did not refuse, partly out of curiosity and her own need to socialize in a political way after those two years she had lived in the dark, locked to improve her worsening health and mourn her brothers. She missed the Councils, the arguing, the treaties. God, it was a life and an entire career destroyed by her own, foolish heart. Regardless of her feelings, she refused to think on the missing Abel or the present Esther; instead, she had to focus on the current encounter.

It was natural caution to deliver a message with her position and whereabouts to Tres, too. She was certain he would be surveying the perimeter, unseen, after he read it. What did this man look like? Was he even a man? Why didn’t she ask this? She paused for a minute, mind racing with the necessary warnings of caution, and then lowered the doorknob to enter the library.

The Duchess of Milano had chosen less majestic robes to done. None of the lavish gowns and the expensive jewelries of her rank and title, rather a cleanly cut and elegant grey suit with a skirt reaching below her knees and a white, silk blouse; her only jewelry where the ruby earrings and the golden rosary hanging from her neck. She was tall for a woman with pale features and a pointy chin, traces of her disease hidden under the make up. Her blonde hair was curled into perfectly combed ringlets and her eyes were grey. There was a certain serious and aristocratic air of how she carried herself, moved, talked, and even dressed. Despite her simple choice of clothes at the moment, Caterina still wore her gold-framed monocle at the right of her face.

The library wasn’t empty as expected, that was relieving when came to potential attacks, but difficult to sort out who she was looking for. She looked to the side, scouting to find who she was supposed to meet.

[shibaxsin.livejournal.com]

Shiba realized with some annoyance that he hadn't even thought about asking Miss Sforza for a description. It was quite stupid on his part and normally he wouldn't have made such a mistake, but perhaps his mind had been elsewhere when he had asked the woman to meet him. So it was with a great sigh that he laid down the books that he had picked up on a table and straightened up looking for that one person that would match the picture in his head. The library was indeed quite full, but none of those that he gazed at were the person that he was looking for.

That was until the door was slowly pushed open and in stepped a woman that immediately caught his attention. Like a hawk, he surveyed her, taking in her golden locks to the simple and modest suit she wore. By any standards she would have been considered pretty, if not beautiful, but Shiba was not one to concentrate on such things. No, instead what caught his attention was the air of aristocracy that seemed to surround her. The confidence that she radiated was something that not many possessed, nor was the way that her grey eyes seemed to emanate a certain seriousness hard to miss.

He unconsciously found himself smiling as he made his way towards her.

"Excuse me," he called out coming to stand across from her. Dressed in a simple pair of black pants, a navy button up shirt and his signature white trench-coat, he looked far younger than anyone would take him for. "Are you by any chance Miss Sforza?" His tone was soft and polite, not wanting to offend her in any way. He had a feeling that he had to be careful around her.

[a-bad-woman.livejournal.com]

Doors closed, all that was left was to look for her afternoon companion. Her eyes were scanning the people picking books in the shelves and reading them gathered on tables when the call interrupted her. Caterina turned to regard that young man. He looked like a teenager; however age did not merit anything in her experience. Wasn’t the king of the Germanicus Kingdom, Ludwig II, a mere lad of fifteen when he assumed his throne? Wasn’t Esther Blanchett crowned Queen of Albion at nineteen? Hadn’t she been given the mantle of Cardinal at her eighteen?

Still she didn’t know his interest to meet. With that name, he couldn’t be from her world, unless the vampires from the Empires were baptized with that exotic name. In a closer look, the young man wasn’t pale enough to be a Methuselah.

“I am and you must be Mister Shiba,” she replied with a soft yet hoarse voice, turning her lips up in a pleasant smile and acknowledging him immediately with a nod. “Good afternoon. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long.” Caterina stayed where she was, expecting him to lead the way back to the chosen table. Truthfully, she hadn’t seen from which direction he had reached her.

[shibaxsin.livejournal.com]

He nodded his head, his lips parting slightly, the briefest flash of pearly whites as he inclined his head. "I am and it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Miss Sforza." He allowed his gaze to run once again along her body and face, but instead of that sultry look that any young man of his age would give her, his was a calculating one, an assessment carefully shielded behind a curious look.

Like a perfectly oiled machine, his mind started to work, picking pieces from here and there, forming his own questions and answers. "It's fine, I arrived only a minutes ago, but to be honest I didn't even notice how long it was for I was too engrossed in the books." It would have shocked anyone how easily he shifted from that carefree, flirtatious and often mischievous boy, to this polite, intelligent young man. In a way it was hard to tell which one was his true personality. Shiba has far too many masks.

Feeling that they should probably take a seat, he motioned for her to follow him. "This way, please."

[a-bad-woman.livejournal.com]

“May I know which books caught your interest to read?” Caterina asked, taking a note of his study on her person. She followed his beckoning as if she did not notice. The scrutinizing was a very common habit other politicians did under the veil of innocent wonder. “I am an avid reader myself when I find the spare time to dedicate to this activity,” she confessed, brief sigh slipping past her lips.

“Truthfully, a… friend of mine, Professor Wordsworth, is the person who suggests me reading material and I’m deprived of his presence and advice here,” she continued talking in this innocuous subject. What people chose to read often offered others insights of their interests. Her brother’s, Francesco, narrowed interests broached only Doctrine and endless military volumes that survived the Armageddon intact. This was quite telling on his everyday modus operandi.

[shibaxsin.livejournal.com]

Shiba pulled out a chair for the lady as he moved to the other side of the table, picking up the books. He was not fooled by her so-called obliviousness to his scrutinizing gaze. "Ah, I try to make time to read, even if I'm busy." In reality he had expected her to be aware of it. This Caterina Sforza was someone worth acknowledging.

"Hmmm...well I prefer to keep a broad range when it comes to books." He motioned to the different titles visible.

"I'm curious about this place, so I was hoping to find books that offered some general information about it." A short pause followed. "Of course there aren't any real books with in depth information." He smiled than, like a child in a candy store. "It seems that Paradisa is a mystery that wants to remain that way."

Brushing a strand of dark blond hair out of his eyes, he flipped one of the books open. The title was written in Dutch by the looks of it, which was one of the many languages that he had taught himself from a very young age.

"Thus I found myself picking out other kind of books. This time though Paradisa was more than happy to provide those books for me." He chuckled laughing, even if internally he was slightly annoyed at the lack of information. "Most of these are about civilizations, psychology, the human mind, spirit and even some about magic and such." It was clear though by his choices that Shiba was in fact interested in the nature of humanity, but also structures, government and the great empires that the world has known.

[a-bad-woman.livejournal.com]

“Thank you,” Caterina replied after he pulled the chair out for her to seat in a gentlemanly fashion. She sat and scanned the book covers and title with fleeting interest. She had explored the library herself the second day, having spent the first one in the clinic next door and not paying attention to the existence of a library when Father Tres had escorted her to her private quarters.

“Mmm… I can see your tastes vary, likewise your domain of languages,” she said, off handily, looking at the pile of books anew without choosing any of his selection. “There isn’t anyone broaching the mystery that this world entails, I am afraid. It would seem the only likely means to find about this place is asking the native population that lives in the city that surrounds this castle.” She gave a pause, tapping her index finger against her chin. “Admittedly, I haven’t tried this myself yet, but this seems to be the sensible step. It would probably end up futile as I believe someone else must have asked at some point prior to my arrival and the research conducted to nothing.”

She let go a sigh, a casual frustration. She wasn’t truly interested in Paradisa; her sole intention was to find an exit and finish her mission. Perhaps two years ago, this would have changed, but now; she didn’t have much time left to wager it.

“Do any of those books describes your world’s history? I find most of them enlightening. I do not know if they describe mine or not as those records were long lost to us.”

((OCC: Sorry for the delay. RL hit me hard ;;)).

[shibaxsin.livejournal.com]

He nodded his head acknowledging her words slowly. Nothing she said was in the least bit surprising. A thoughtful look crossed his face, before he shook his head. "The mystery might tempt me, but to be honest I would prefer to find a way out of here. I have other responsibilities that I cannot push aside." His contract was one of them. The grim reaper's power might not extend to this world, but as twisted as Paradisa was there might be some consequences later on.

He was happy being alive, even if in a way he really wasn't. He had after all killed himself and was now nothing more than an illegal zombie, trapped in a contract that might have just have been a foolish mistake on his part if he allowed himself to consider Michiru's words. However he was far too stubborn for that. He had chosen his own road, he was not about to abandon it now. As long as he could get back to his world and gather more souls, he would be permitted to stay in the realm of the living.

"Yes, these," he motioned to three rather thick books,"explain the history of my world." What she said though caught his attention and he found himself genuinely curious. "What world do you come from?"

[ooc: It's okay. RL always comes first and sorry for the late reply.]

[a-bad-woman.livejournal.com]

She understood the feeling and need to depart as soon as possible, but didn’t pursue the subject. After she joined her sworn enemies, Caterina had nothing to look forward to but their destruction. Having to live a quiet existence here, trapped away from afterlife if she were to die slowly by the disease that consumed her was not too pleasant thought. It didn’t matter if she earned Hell for every selfish choice she took as long it was a road that would bring the world an actual future.

This is my atonement, Alec...

Caterina closed her eyes briefly, and then looked at the young man who asked her about her world. “It is a world that has lost many important possessions, including the historical records of the past before the Armageddon.”