19 Consequences

Due to a shortage of funds, they are forced to walk to the Hall on foot. Outside of the Banquet, they spot a young, affluent couple step out of their carriage adorning luxurious jewels and tacky garments. Seeing an opportunity, Nel takes the coin pouch from Yuto and approaches the coachman. Xiao and Yuto stay behind, but they see the coachman take the money. Nel enters the carriage and it starts moving towards them.

"Why?" Xiao asks. "We already look suspicious, we're three fourteen-year-olds entering a banquet by ourselves. No aristocrat is going to enter this party on foot."

"Shouldn't you have known that?" Xiao asks Yuto. He scratches his head, "My family… isn't the most party orientated... Or people-orientated…."

The carriage comes to a halt in front of the lavish entrance of the Banquet Hall, throwing Xiao forward, she crashes with the seat opposite of her. "I hate this already." A servant boy offers his hand to Nel, who is the first to exit the carriage. When Xiao exits, the servant displays a shocked expression. "Don't let it bother you," Nel says. She's confused, but she figures there must be something about her that gives away that she isn't high-class. Maybe it's the glare and the missing eyebrow.

They step up the white marble steps that lead to the building. Peaking into the Banquet Hall, she sees the polished floors and blinding, intricate chandeliers. A soldier stops them at the entrance. He starts patting down Nel first, he seems used to it. Xiao begins to panic as she sees the security guard brush over Nel's chest. Yuto goes next, the same happens to him. Xiao tries to keep a calm facade. Any nervousness exerted at this moment would make them seem like criminals. The security guard starts to search Xiao. When he reaches Xiao's chest he makes a strange face, then looks up at Xiao's face. Whatever he saw there must have scared him off because he didn't say anything. Xiao releases a sigh of relief, her squad members remain oblivious of the recent exchange.

They enter the banquet, relatively, without any problems.

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They do their best to mingle in. Nel takes a drink from one of the waiters, trying to seem as natural as possible. The air stank of floral perfume and the group did their best to avoid shallow, but friendly, noblemen. After many dreadful minutes, Xiao watches a woman on the banquet floor with keen interest. Outwardly she appears harmless, elegant long black hair masks the cutout in her dress; a charming smile adorns her face. But Xiao knows that look in her eye, and while it isn't out of place amongst unhappy noblewomen, her hostility was a tad excessive. "What do you see?" Yuto asks, realizing Xiao's intense gaze. "Her."

"Her? Xiao, we're looking for a guy… A woman isn't going to be a thief!" Nel says. Xiao speaks with a confidence that can only be acquired through a trained intuition. "I'm certain."

Yuto surveys the woman she speaks of. "I might have to agree. She's not with anyone and her placement near the door to the back cannot be a coincidence."

"You guys can't be serious right now," Nel puts down his drink. "She's on the move, let's follow." They chase her into a corridor with many offshoots and hallways.

"Where'd she go?" nel asks. Suddenly, a knife appears out of nowhere, cutting strands from Nel's short, dirty blonde hair. The woman struts slowly into view. The clack of her heels echoes loudly through the hallway, Nel gapes.

The knife, as if moving on its own, returns to her hand in a flash. "Magnetism?" Yuto says. "You could say that," she smiles at the children. "She can't be that strong, she's like 5 feet tall"

"Nel, you're fifteen," Xiao states blatantly. "But still, she's just a woman." Xiao shakes her head, "We need to be thinking with our heads right now Nel." The woman looks at Xiao with a chilling smirk. Xiao feels uneasy and before the woman can speak, Xiao bursts a swirl of wind through her palm towards the woman. Yuto holds his hand conspicuously near his side, coddling it as if it pains him. "Let's take her out quickly," sparks begin flying from his coddled hand. In an instant, he thrusts his hand up, sending lightning through his fingers and into the thief.

She falls to the ground, a burnt hole is left in the bodice of her dress, revealing tattered and bloody skin beneath. She laughs hysterically, wheezing in a fit of mania. "Goddess Amale, what is her problem?" Nel says disgustedly. "You idiots!" she taunts, "my men have already killed your men by now." She smiles widely.

Yuto's face turns serious, he grabs the radio from his belt, "Christopher, Chance, radio in now," he says sternly, a tremble of concern in his voice. "They won't respond~," she sings. Yuto approaches the woman to electrocute her and knock her out. He wipes a stream of blood from underneath his nose.