(1310-07-01) Caerdicci Comes To Menekhet
Summary: Gauge and Aziza leave the Eresse Townhouse for a walk but it seems some mercenaries have other plans.
RL Date: Sun Jul 01, 1310
Related: None
aziza gauge xavier danielle 

Noble District

The Avenue Mereliot connects the Noble District with the Place des Mains through another archway, and those looking upwards when passing through beneath it will be able to admire a variety of Eisandine family crests painted there: The seahorse of House Rousse, the winged dragon of Delaunay, the green ship of House Eresse, the star on red of House Baphinol and the crest of Valais. Initially, this district was meant for townhouses of Eisandines alone, but over time, occasionally visiting nobility from other provinces needed housing as well. While Eisandine townhouses tend to be the property of the families that hold them, there are various houses available for rent. And yet even these rented houses will show the most exquisite interior, in part left there by previous inhabitants over time, and in part enhanced by the tastes of their current residents.%r%rTo the west is where the impressive Opera de Marsilikos can be found, a local theatre that had once belonged to a renowned theatre company hired by a former Lady of Marsilikos. There has been a change of ownership a few years ago, and now the place flourishes, with varying plays and opera pieces in their repertoire. Not far from the theatre is the ancient wine cellar, a place where connoisseurs can taste a variety of Eisandine wines, and stronger spirits.%r%rThere are [ansi(h,private residences)] here, for a list type [ansi(hc,+pr)].


That young menekhet ambassador was waalking arm in arm with the Baron de Beaucare, Aziza was seemingly leaving the Eresse townhouse with Gauge. "I really should go pick up that stuff….." Chuckling softly, those kohl lined brown eyes peering up at him before she looks at the pathway before them. With it being in the evening time, the sun was just starting to set and dusk was upon them it would seem. Adjusting that sheer gown upon her body she lets out a soft sigh. "Obviously tomorrow…..or I should just send Nazir…..give him something to do." Reaching up with her free arm, she pushes a single strand of hair out of her face before smiling brightly up to him. "So….what shall we do this evening? Dinner? Find trouble? Go reminisce on your ship?"

Gauge chuckles, "The dress and the jewelry?" he rumbles towards her in his deep gravelly voice, the rough boulder on boulder grating softened only a touch by his fondness for his companion. "I am sure they will be quite beautiful on you Aziza. As for Nazir…" He looks around for her usually present guards, "Any more arguments?" He asks her with light concern mixed with the curiosity, "Or are things better on that front?" They head down the street, "I should check on the ship, see what sort of crew loss we've had. Sailors want to sail, not sit at port for months on end. They end up getting into trouble, thrown in jail, or finding other ships to crew." He nods, "We'll do a surprise inspection and I'll give you a grand tour of more than the deck and the Captain's Cabin."

The noble district would be a safe place to be usually. It is curious, however, that the usual bustle of activity here seems less so on this evening. And so it may be that some eyes glance from the shadows, as the pair of foreign Ambassador and Eresse baron passes the entrance of another house.

And then they are upon them… Two stepping out of the shadows before them, and one behind them, drawing swords. "We don't have any business with you, my lord," a heavily accented voice says in d'Angeline. "Please. Step aside, we merely wish to -speak- with this woman, about a very -special- business that should be none of your concern…" At that, he lifts his blade, gesturing for Gauge to step aside. The men wear light armor, definitely more than what Gauge will wear upon his person.

Aziza raises her brow ever so slightly. "Jewelry?" A tilt of her head. "I don't think….." Tapping her chin slightly she seems to be in thought. "I know the dress is complete. I've been busy drawing up some plans that I don't remember if I went to the jeweler." Chuckling a bit she then smiles up at him warmly, that free hand now touching his arm. "I hope so. It is not a style I am accustomed to. What if I look foolish?" Pursing her lips she then nudges him. "No, Gauge…..no more arguments. Things have been settled and if he wishes to maintain his position….it will stay as such." Looking ahead she grins a bit. "Do they enjoy surprise inspections? I don't want them to dislike me if I cause something they don't like…" However that train of thought was ruined. Blinking she looks to the men and frown. "Speak with me…?" That jovial air about her seems to dissipate almost instantly. "….anything you wish to say you may say now….." That hand of her moves to her thigh, resting there for now. "I have no secrets from this man….."

There was another figure that shadowed the foreign Ambassador and her companion. Xavier was dressed in dark colors of a local tradesmen out for the day to pick up supplies. The hired blade wears fine chain under the outer clothing and though he appears unarmed there are blades hidden all over his person. The path he takes to keep Aziza in his sight isn't direct as he follows them, instead its a circular zigzag that always keeps her within visual range. That means when she is accosted by the armed men, Xavier catches on to the situation quickly and moves to get closer to act should he need to.

"Oh I didn't tell you?" Gauge rumbles questioningly, "About the jewelry?" His eyes are alight with mirth but then there are two men trying to pen them in, leaving them with two directions they can go at the bare minimum to put Gauge between both of them. "For some reason I doubt they actually wish to parlay." Gauge rumbles towards Aziza, his gaze flicking over the street and how /empty/ it seems to be. A frown creases his forehead briefly, eyes glancing up to the rooftops and balconies to get a good grasp on their situation. If it's just the two, or if there are more… with bows. His hand goes to the blade on his hip, which he never goes anywhere without and he studies the two men. His free hand reaches out to try and guide Aziza back behind him as he turns and starts to back up so that hopefully the men have to both come at them from the same side. "I know you would prefer to fight Aziza… but in this case I would prefer you did not unless you have a bow hidden in a very unlikely place upon your person… complete with arrows."

<FS3> Aziza rolls Perception: Failure. (2 5 2 3 6)
<FS3> Xavier rolls Perception: Success. (6 4 3 6 7 2 4 5)

"Our little… task has nothing to do with your… admirer," one of the two standing before them clarifies with a low snort. He gestures for Gauge more insistently now to step aside, and yet, when the baron draws his blade, one male begins to laugh. "All the better… Let's deal with this like… gentlemen," there is mockery in the tone, and it seems this one man swings his blade against Gauge without any further warning. The other has his gaze set on Aziza, and yes, he too seems intent to attack. While the third behind their backs is going for a different route, trying to go for Aziza with his bare hands, to subdue her and drag her away.

<FS3> Xavier rolls Stealth: Good Success. (7 4 1 2 3 3 5 1 3 8 2)

At seeing the way the men spread out to attack Aziza and Gauge, Xavier moves to attack the armed attacker going for the woman. Guage is armed and wasn't part of his deal and seems to be working to keep Aziza safe as well which means he doesn't appear to be a threat. Slipping out of the shadows once the fight is on the auburn haired hired blade strikes with his dagger in a reverse grip at the mercenary. The blade slides across the armored fighter's abdomen without slipping lower into that break between the chest and lower body armor. Growling he rolls back to try to get out of range as he resets his stance and ready for the next attack.

Aziza widens her eyes as she then frowns a bit as she hears their words. "Admirer…." Looking to the man at her side she frowns a bit. "Gauge….." But then they start to attack before she can respond. Her hand moves to her dagger that was strapped there but it was already too later. Stepping back she seems to step right into the arms of the mere waiting for her. Letting out a scream of surprise she struggles against his hold. "Let. Me. Go!!!" And then she gasps as she feels pain….pain against her chest. Gasping she seems to choke back a scream….remember what they taught you. Choking back her own scream she just struggles against him then to attempt escape. Her gaze falls to Gauge as she widens her eyes and just shakes her head. "Leave him alone!!"

It is not the first fight that Gauge has been in, but it is the first where he has tried to protect someone other than himself really. It is not how he normally fights. He catches movement out of the corner of his eye as another attacker comes in to try and grab Aziza and there is a low growl. "There are no Gentlemen here." He grates out and then flicks his sword out in a sweeping arc, trying to keep both men back but it doesn't do much. As he gets cut across the chest, the weapon slicing through silk and flesh easily the white shirt he wears starts to bloom crimson with blood. "Alright… now I'm pissed." He steps forwards and slices into the hand of the man who just attacked Aziza, uncaring for the one who cut him across the chest, his eyes narrowing in pain and intent as his adrenaline floods his system now, reducing the pain of the wound he took. Glancing over at Xavier, "Who the fuck…" But there was another attacker on their opponents, "It can wait." He announces as he turns his attention towards the man who is grabbing Aziza next.

These are man trained to kill, and they must be foreign, if going by the less refined looks of their visages. The one grabbing Aziza and keeping her in that hold grins at the other two. "She's a stubborn one…" Said in d'Angeline. The man who attacked Aziza finds himself attacked in turn, by an unexpected arrival. With a grim expression he whirls around, ready to deal with Xavier. "Stupid fool…" Words said with heavy Caerdicci accent. And there he goes at him, aiming to bury his blade deep within Xavier's chest. Gauge's opponent meanwhile grins when the same suddenly turn his attentiob away from him. «Easy prey…», he mutters, this time in Caerdicci.

Xavier doesn't speak as they fight, instead he slashes with his dagger at that same armored man but this time aiming for his neck. The attempt to get past the armor is foiled as the armored man shifts and blocks the blade with the armor on his chest as he tries to dodge out of range of the attack. The viscous return slash of the broad sword is dodge and the hired blade sent to protect Aziza shifts his grip. There is a feint attack and then a slash for the throat again but he's unable to get past the thick armor of the mercenary. Xavier stays light on his feet, dodging a retaliatory stab as he gets set in his stance once more.

Aziza winces a bit as she lets go and moves her hands to that thigh. Parting that fabric, she struggles to pull that dagger free that was strapped there. That normally snow white sheer 'dress' was now stained red from the cut on her chest. There was a stumble then as she was let go surprisingly. Looking up she frown as she sees Gauge and just calls out as she sees him hit again. "NO!!" Panting softly she just turns around as she raises that dagger to swipe at the man that had been attacking her at least to catch him off guard.

Gauge is caught by a shallow cut across his neck, just beneath the scar that runs across his throat again as he lands only a light blow on the other attacker. It's enough to stagger the Baron and more of his blood runs down the side of his neck and throat, drenching his formerly white silk shirt in crimson. With a growl he shakes his head, clapping his free hand to his throat to compress it and hopefully keep the bleeding from getting worse. He does his level best to hit back, turning his attention towards the primary attacker as Aziza gets let go. "Aziza." There is a wet sound in his voice after that shot to his neck, "Run." He tells her, "Run into the house." His answering slash with his sword hits nothing but air as his wounds begin to take their toll.

Who walks the streets during the hours of dusk? A woman appears, a commoner of plain looks, exiting from one of the residences, a basket held under her arm. With widening eyes, she perceives what is going on, and with a soft sigh, she ventures closer, noting how some of those involved are already quite badly hurt. "Please…", she tells them. "Stop. Stop fighting… This is no use. And you," her eyes find Gauge. "You hold still for a moment, so that I can fix you up real quick." It is easy to tell who is friend and who is foe - at least to some extent. When Gauge's features give him away to be of d'Angeline blood. The others… well… all foreigners or commoners. So confusing.

Don't ask how Danielle is able to take care of all those wounds Gauge has suffered up to that point while he is also fighting. Apparently she is his good luck charm though because he manages to slash one of the attackers across the neck, chopping him down in a spray of blood. "We need one alive." He grates out, trying to help the other newcomer with the attacker who has been chopping at each other. He scores a light hit but pays for it with another cut across his chest. Another scar. It'll make him prettier than he already is.

Aziza frowns as she watches Gauge. There's hesitation as she hers him, that dagger being clenched in her hand. Suddenly she sees another appear….the woman. Watching her she then looks to Xaver….confusion in her eyes as she then looks back to Danielle. "Take care of him….I don't care what he says……" Her hand moving to her own wound she just run back towards that Eresse townhouse. Panting she just runs to the house, ignoring the pain. Taking a deep breath, she moves to that door as her bloody hand pushes it open. No doubt she startled the staff but she was on a mission as she ran up those stairs to get to Gauge's suite.

Xavier keeps dancing, dodging and weaving as he engages with his target to keep him off of Aziza and her companion Gauge. The dagger flashes as the hired blade lunges forward and cuts at the the armored man's leg, cutting a deep gash that slashes through the leather of his pants to spill his blood. Rolling back he sheathes his dagger and grabs the sword from the fallen mercenary. Grinning he stands and engages his target, slashing to cut across his chest and through the leather armor worn. Trying to dodge he's a bit too slow this time and takes a light cut that slides against the fine chain worn under Xavier's shirt before cutting into him.

Danielle seems to have done this more than once before. Unrolling a bandage swiftly, she ties it about Gauge's chest and also pushes another bandage roll beneath it to keep the wound from bleeding through the light pressure. It is just a quick first aid sort of fix up, and the dark haired healer deals with this with quick efficiency, before she steps back again. How she managed to do this? Moving with him like in a dance as he strikes at the villain. Or maybe there was just a little pause that helped her fixate the bandage and finish her work. From the corner of the eye, she notes Aziza and hears how she addresses the d'Angeline. A quick glance her way, and Danielle can see that the Menekhetan woman is hurt as well. "Just a moment…", she murmurs, and then moves to Aziza's side, as the pair of them withdraw… and enter a noble residence! A different from the one, Danielle emerged from. "Wait… m'lady…", the healer murmurs, frowning faintly at the dramatic blood smears that are left upon the door frame and the door itself. "You are bleeding. Let me help you."

The man who had grabbed Aziza some time ago, he has meanwhile drawn his sword and whirled around to face Gauge, which may have facilitated her escape. "You are dead," the man grunts. "Sei morto…" And with that said, he moves forward, to run the blade into Gauge's chest.

Just like Gauge did with one of the hostile trio just before. It seems there are after all only two attackers left. Easy work for Gauge and Xavier? Now that they have the right weapons.

Aziza was busy as she threw that door to the bedroom open. Just where she left it. Snatching up that ebony bow and quiver, she just seems to be ignoring the woman that was falling by her side. "I know….." Wincing she just moves past her. "I'm fine….the man you already helped….you stay on him…." That front door was still open which was perfect as she pulled about five of those arrows out. "I can be tended to later….." There was a frown as she looked back out and just started to walk back but stopped as she saw Gauge on the ground. Shaking she just takes one arrow as she drops the others, prepping that one and aims for the mere that was still standing. Was she fit to shoot? Probably not. Drawing that bow she shoots and…misses. Cursing in Menekhet she just picks up another bow and fires that second shot and it hits its mark. At that she just drops her bow and runs over. "Gauge! Gauge!!" She really didn't care about her wounds as she just ran next to the Baron's side. "No no….Gauge?!"

Gauge is clearly out of practice… or it could be the fact that he was the only unarmored combatant on the field. In any case that last cut across his chest slices deep and the Baron collapses with a gurgle into a pool of spreading blood. He looks back, watching Aziza run into his Townhouse he smiles, "Ha… haha…" He says to the last remaining man standing, "You F-f—fffaail…" and then he is unconscious as his blood spreads onto the stones of the street.

Now armed with a sword, Xavier swings and dodges even as a bit of blood shows near the waist of his pants where his shirt is cut to reveal the light chain worn under the cloth. That mercenary he fights is put down after the assassin dodges a stab then hacks the blade from his hand before swinging around in a tight turn to slash across the man's neck, taking him out of the fight. Turning there seems to be just one of the mercenaries left with Aziza's companion down and his ward free of combat with the healer. He could leave now and be well within the bounds of his contract but he opts to save the downed man and finish of the attackers. As the two armed men size each other up an arrow strikes the mercenary in the leg. Crying out he starts to lose his footing and drops his guard. Its the perfect opening for Xavier who runs the man through with his stolen sword then pushes the mercenary away with a hard shove.

That Aziza takes a bow and arrows out, makes Danielle shoot her a surprised glance. The woman's refusal to get tended to, has her lift her shoulders in a shrug. Gaze shifting back to the fighting and she watches Gauge go down. Brows furrowing and a low "Kushiel's Balls," leaving the usually so very tame lips of the healer, she follows Aziza and then moves to kneel beside te heavily wounded lord. "He is breathing still," she states, as she gets to work. Quickly pressing a bandage upon a fresh cut. As the fight is over, she takes more time now, but for that, they should probably relocate to inside of the residence. "You there!", she looks towards Xavier, who seems still in good shape. "You carry him into the House. I need to stitch him up properly, or he'll die. Do you hear me?" She may be exagerrating. Maybe not.

Aziza frowns as she looks down to Gauge, just nodding to her. "….just help him first….." Her gown was no longer white….far from it. Looking around, she just looks to those men around and stands up now that Danielle seems to be in control of the conversation. Pulling that dagger out, she looks around and starts walking around the men that down. Were in of them alive? For questioning sake she hopes so….but for their sake? They better hope they just die. Those dark eyes narrow as she looks them over, checking to see who's still alive.

Xavier shoots the women a glance as Danielle calls out orders to him. A look is given to the bodies and then to the wounded man as the assassin calculates time, money and level of effort. Shaking off the thoughts he moves over and easily lifts up the wounded man and then looks in askance to which house. Looking around he spots the door the women went through and then moves off in that direction to put the injured man in the house and on a bed in the master suite before running back to the dead men to check them for information, money or anything of note.

<FS3> Aziza rolls Medicine: Success. (5 1 8 1)

The first one who was brought down by Gauge seems to move still a little, even as he appears to be unconscious. He has lost much blood, however. And if he is not treated soon, he might die indeed.

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