Chapter 44 - A Flawless Plan? (2)

"Ma-Makeup?" Rivas looked at her in confusion.

Iris didn't say anything, and nudged at him to follow her out.

They left the bar and started to walk towards a different location, under Iris' lead. Rivas did not stop questioning her about her plans, but she remained silent. They arrived at a house at the far end of the street. It was a small, shabby house and even the door was tattered and broken.

Iris went to the door and knocked twice. After no response for a few seconds, she knocked again, this time thrice. This continued four times, five times, six times, and finally on the seventh knock, the sound of footsteps came.

The door was opened and a young woman came out. She had short, curly brown hair and mystical blue eyes. She wore odd, exotic clothes that revealed her arms and her forehead was covered with a golden crown. She would definitely stand out.

She stared at Iris and Rivas for a few seconds before asking, "Why did you kill the dragon?"

"Because it made the phoenix cry." Iris answered right away. Rivas looked between the two, confused by their odd exchange.

Hearing Iris' answer, the woman smiled and gestured them to come inside.

Following her in, Rivas whispered to Iris in a low voice, "What were you two talking about?"

"It was a password. She asked us for the password."

Password? Rivas didn't understand.

Coming Inside, they were greeted by a peculiar room. The room had a table with 3 chairs in the center, and the rest of it was filled with curiously shaped bottles and boxes everywhere. A strong smell permeated the area.

"Sit down." The woman motioned to the chairs as she took a seat on one herself. Iris and Rivas sat down with her.

The woman introduced herself as Kana, adding "Though you may already now that." as she narrowed her eyes at Iris and smiled.

"So, what do you two gentlemen want from me, given you're aware of my services?" She asked.

"Your specialty, of course." Iris replied, "Facial disguise."

"Oh? That's a good choice." Kana laughed slightly, "Is this young man here the target?"

"No, he's a client too. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to follow us to see the target."

"That's no problem, as long as its not too far."

Rivas was quiet as the two conversed. He had been in the dark about a lot of stuff for a while now, and he was getting used to it.

After talking for a bit, Kana left the room to get ready to head out. Seeing her gone, Iris turned to Rivas and explained to him.

"This woman is a makeup artist. She works with cosmetics and specializes in disguises. Her skills are strong enough to completely change a person's face. That's how we're going to enter that organization."

"Oh, I see. So that's what you were going for, My Lady. Then, the so called targets are...?"

"Members of the organization, of course. Kana just needs one look at their face, and she'll be able to transform us completely. I know of two members with physiques similar to ours. We'll disguise as them."

"And what will happen to the two members themselves?"

Iris smiled slightly, "You don't need to worry about that."

...

While Iris and Rivas were chatting in the room, Kana went to a locked room in the house. She opened the lock and went inside. The room was entirely empty, except for a window, a window that opened completely behind the house so no one could see it.

Kana went to the window sill and picked up a small whistle. She placed it on her lips and blew on it slightly.

No sound was made, only the noise of her blow. However soon, a big eagle came from the sky and landed at the window sill. Kana stroked the eagle's head, and tied a small paper to its feet. The eagle made a small chirp and flew away, carrying her message with it.

...

Soon, now dressed in normal clothes, Kana headed out into the streets with the duo. Iris lead them to a small shop not too far away. The shop was a spices store, and was managed by two shop keepers.

The one in the front was a tall man with a small scar on his cheek. The one standing behind him was shorter, with black hair and brown eyes. Iris went to them and bought a small amount of species.

She then turned to Kana and said, "We're done, lets go."

They all went back to Kana's house. "What do you think? Can you do it?" Iris asked Kana.

"Of course I can." She spoke while taking out her makeup supplies from their boxes.

...

The eagle that Kana tied a paper to flew across the city towards the Imperial Palace. The guards who noticed the bird looked down and pretended they didn't see anything.

The bird belonged to the Seventh prince after all, how could they dare to do anything against it.

The bird flew through the palace towards the Seventh Prince's manor. Inside, Azura was laying on his bed with his eyes closed. Beside him, a black dressed man was kneeling.

The bird came into the palace and howled slightly. It then came next to Azura's bed and settled down on a wooden table. When the black dressed man noticed it coming, he got up and untied the paper on its leg and respectfully handed it to Azura.

"Your Highness, a message from number 7 has come."

Azura slowly opened his eyes, and slowly sat up. The elegance of a prince that was drilled into him since birth could not be disguised in any of his actions. He took the paper and opened it.

"Why is she there?" He mumbled in annoyance. Crumpling the paper and tossing it into the fireplace, he got up from the bed.

"Ahya, handle things at your end. The plan has been pushed forward. This prince now has more important matters to attend to."

"Yes, your highness." The black dressed man immediately got up and disappeared.

"For her to go there, it must be for the matter this prince is thinking about. What a reckless girl."

Speaking slowly, Azura picked up a ring from the table and began fiddling with it. He suddenly smiled, "But this matter cannot be left alone. If she were to get hurt..."

The ring shattered under his fingers.

"No one would be able to keep their lives."