Legacy Information Guild

Rennier wakes up in an unfamiliar bed, and to a room he does not recognise. The room is small, yet comfortable. It holds a single bed, a chair in the corner as well as a small basin of water. Near the other wall rests a writing desk and chair.

He can see the window, closed and with the curtains drawn. It certainly is a long way off from a dungeon cell and considerably closer to a room you would find at an inn. Rennier's surprise wore off quickly and shifted into caution, he sat up and glanced at his face in the mirror. Devoid of his mask and covering, his body covered in bandages from treatment. He looked up from where he sat and could see himself in the mirror. Rennier is smaller compared to his peers, slight in physique and stature. He had always been told he has a very effeminate grace to him. It explained why many of his undercover missions were always done in the guise of a woman. Earthen green eyes paired with jaw length blonde hair, he had no care for fashion aside from his excessively well kept uniform. A beauty mark graced his left eye, and while he usually had a cheeky smile it was nowhere in sight.

How long had it been since he last saw his face? Rennier couldn't recall. He stood up and walked over to the desk, noticing his clothes and weapons meticulously folded and assembled on the writing desk. Not a single item missing. He grunted softly with the stiffness and pain in his body from the arduous fight but thankfully his wounds were dressed and treated well.

He changes his clothes, alerted to the knock on the door and the presence waiting on the other side of it.

"Come in." Rennier speaks softly with a hoarse voice.

A sharply dressed woman opens the door "If you're up Rennier, Master Tayoshi sent for you."

'Tayoshi!' The name was one Rennier did not expect to hear, he nods and subtly places the knife back on the table away and out of sight of the woman.

Following her down the hallway that led to another set of stairs, they ascend and find themselves at the highest floor of the Legacy information guild. He stands before a large set of wooden double doors.

She raps against the door waiting for any sound of attention, "Rennier is awake and here to see you."

"Let him in." A muffled voice curtly replies from the other side.

She pushes the large doors open with ease and opens it into an office. Rennier treads into the room and sitting at the centre table is Tayoshi, the head and founder of the Legacy information guild...and Rennier's old friend.

The office is spacious, holding Tayoshi's sizeable desk in the centre and towards the big windows. His desk is piled with various documents, scrolls and books. An hourglass and multiple pots of inks with various quills and pens. His waste basket is filled with discarded papers, broken pens and some other refuse. An empty eastern style cup of tea at his side. In front were another two desks piled with papers, possibly for assistants. The walls lined with great shelves and packed to the brim with books, in the far corner a set of comfortable bergère chairs. For the occasional guest that came to see Tayoshi, they were placed carefully out of the way of the desks but not quite enough to block off the bookshelves.

Rennier hadn't seen Tayoshi in years, in the cases of most of their 'transactions', while the research was handled by Tayoshi himself, Rennier usually communicated through an agent of sorts.

Tayoshi stood tall, a hard trained body that suited his life as a warrior. His wild, waist length black hair is always untameable and unruly. Tayoshi never minded nor cared; however, he had an aversion to cutting his hair beyond the absolute bare minimum. His attire always coloured with bright shades of reds and yellows, a style that orientated close to home. In his everyday life he was rarely seen without his mask; a white mask bearing an angered expression and the visage amplified by the painted red and black lines. One would say Tayoshi's appearance portrayed him more akin to a stage actor than a hardened warrior.

The secretary nods her head and departs quickly leaving the two men in the office.

"Is it really you Tayoshi? It's nice to see a familiar face." The words Rennier said held a genuine sincerity.

Tayoshi stands from his seat, removing his mask and setting it tentatively on the desk and walking around to face Rennier. With his mask removed, it is a truly familiar face. A solemn look that perfectly matched his attitude, his mask seemed to hide any feelings he had, thankfully so. His eyes blazed with an orange hue that held no sympathy, a scar over his left eye while his countenance was indifferent.

"I think this is enough to prove my identity." He placed his mask and secured it comfortably to his face, Tayoshi had taken Rennier's words a little out of turn.

The reaction stifled the air between the two and made it an awkward conversation. "It's been a while..."

"How are you feeling?" Tayoshi questioned, his tone taking on a milder edge to ease the awkwardness.

"Better. What happened? How did I end up here? I don't remember leaving the forest."

"Straight to the point as always I see." Tayoshi shook his head, "It's true you never made it out of the forest. One of my men found you and brought you back."

"I see, thank you."

"It's nothing..."

The air between the two thankfully alleviated and felt convivial from the underlying tension between the two men.

Tayoshi groans "I warned you this would happen. Nothing good comes from getting involved with the damn imperial family."

"My master is different!" Rennier instantly snaps in defence of Nicodemus.

"Still the ever faithful dog I see. How cheap is your loyalty to give it away to a murderer?" The shift in Tayoshi boasted of an immense hatred and rage.

"My master never killed anyone, he is innocent!"

The anger surged, Tayoshi slammed his desk "Did you forget who killed Yoritoki!?" he shouted

Rennier recedes and falls silent. He cannot argue, the strained and heavy aftermath feels stifling after the argument.

"At the very least you can stay here until you recover. Doctor said it would be about a week to fully get rid of the poison...So rest up and worry about others later."

The melodic tapping on the door draws Tayoshi back into his working mindset. "Come in."

An informant enters the room, and the same woman from earlier stood at the ready to escort Rennier back to his room. Rennier gave one look at Tayoshi, a regretful expression on his face but he could not bring himself to rehash an incredibly painful topic for the two of them. He follows her out of the room.

Tayoshi takes a seat behind his desk, preparing some writing materials before listening to whatever the informant came to deliver.

"Report."

"Regarding the situation in the imperial palace, the two key officers who were charged with treason."

Tayoshi raises an eyebrow at the words "Khio and Rhetta correct?"

"Yes master, their execution date was set but on the morning of the execution they escaped."

"Tell me something I don't already know."

"We confirmed that someone helped them. The person helping them was seen wearing temple robes."

"Temple robes?" Tayoshi pondered to himself 'The temple...the temple and emperor are on good terms. Knowing that, why would someone help those persecuted by the emperor himself...?'

An image of the Great Sage comes to Tayoshi's mind. He is the only one not associated with any faction explicitly, and the fact remains that every new arising issue or disruption has been tied to him in one way or another. "Maybe it's him...Another expected thing happened."

The constant flow of visitors, guests and employees had not been enough, another knock at the door was heard. "Master Tayoshi, the 'Madam' is here."

He rubs his temples with his fingers "Very well, let her in." He turns to the informant "Thank you for your hard work. I'll listen to the rest of the report soon." The informant bows and nods respectfully and walks towards the door, he stands aside while waiting for the woman to enter.

Through the doorway, a graceful woman walks into the room, wearing a butterfly mask to conceal her identity. Tayoshi gets up from his seat, waving a guiding hand to invite the one known as the Madam to a seat in the corner of the room. His secretary follows his idea and leaves to organize some refreshments for the guest. Nodding, she excuses herself.

The silent and polite exchange of pleasantries goes without a hitch.

"Do you have the information I requested?"

Tayoshi opens a drawer in his desk, flipping through multiple sealed envelopes before finding one marked with some initials. He sets the large envelope onto the table in front of her. She reaches out and opens the envelope to see a few documents within, she takes her time to read it.

"Regarding the house of Dahlia's owner, Calixta Dahlia; it appears on paper as if she never existed." Tayoshi elaborates.

"Almost?" The woman questions

"Conventional means of gathering information has led to nothing but dead ends. Official documents, paper trails and transactions, nothing exists. There is proof of a Marchioness Calixta in the noble registry. But that is it. Aside from that, Calixta Dahlia is nowhere to be found. There's not even a record of birth."

The woman shows evident disappointment, it is nothing new nor out of the ordinary. No other guild had even been able to figure out this much. Though she still has to admit the hope she held in Legacy still leads to an inconclusive trail.

"If I am being honest, a request usually would have ended here. However, I pride myself on being good at what I do. So I decided to keep looking at more...obscure sources so to say." Tayoshi explains, taking a seat across from her.

"And anything from that?"

He considers the best way to bring about his theory and conclusion on the matter. "Calixta Dahlia does exist. Vaguely, in the memories of everyone I found with a connection to her. They all recollect the same thing."

"Let me guess as to what they all remembered, a ring with the Dahlia insignia, and a beautiful smile?"

Tayoshi is surprised, his mask hides his expression and he clears his throat. "That's exactly right. More than actual information, what I can offer you now is merely my own speculation."

"Let's hear it then."

"Very well.

"I suspect Calixta Dahlia to be someone capable of magic, more specifically memory manipulation." Tayoshi delivered this news, not knowing the kind of feedback he would receive. 'Even if it's just personal speculation it's understandably hard to believe.'

"That makes sense." She says nonchalantly.

With the reassurance of belief he can proceed with the rest of his explanation "The thing about any kind of memory magic, it is imperfect and incomplete. That's why everyone retains some memories. Most of which are so vague they are useless."

"I can see why the memories are useless. There's nothing aside from the insignia and somewhat of a fashion preference."

"Most don't even remember that much. The fact that everyone remembers the same thing is enough to confirm the theory of memory magic. At one point they came into contact with her and soon forgot about it. If I am not mistaken you probably possess some other hazy memories of her. Am I correct?" Tayoshi prods trying to get more information from the woman.

"Well, let's say you're not wrong. I like to think I have a better memory than most." She stands to her feet, getting ready to depart. She wants to seek out some new leads from other sources with this information in mind.

"Well guild master, you certainly live up to your reputation."

Tayoshi smirks "As do you, Laila Belladonna."

Laila chuckles, removing her mask and turning towards Tayoshi.