While most of the proper city area of Lullaby Island had a unified design style, with tall glass buildings and heavy stone frames, there was an area that was a chaotic mix of colours and architectural styles, where embassies, headquarters of agencies and corporations, fancy hotels, consulates and guilds all seemed to huddle together.
Mazeline would call it the “Babelish Quarters”, as areas such as this had been called back when Babel spread their lingua franca and merchants all over the world in their tower building quest. But that was because the Vespertine Republic had a rivalry with Avalon, their biggest foreign quarters becoming so iconic the name became associated with all such areas all over the world.
“Wow, I should have visited the island’s Pastiche Parade sooner.” said a starry-eyed Alana.
“Focus puppy, we are against the clock if we wish to meet our sponsors today.” warned Mazeline.
Suddenly, a group of small girls in uniform noticed the group among the crowd, the quartet quickly starting to surround Qull.
“Oh miss, that is such a beautiful rifle you have.” one said.
“Yes! Do you like guns? Do you want to fire guns at bad people?” another one added.
“You know, as a soldier working for the Thalassic Aegis Coven Organization” one delivered.
“Join today and you get this exclusive edition M19911 Pistol!” the last one finished.
The poor mercenary found herself struggling, given the sight of some campy old gun with a flame decal on it. Mazeline sighed.
“Qull, focus, think of all the fancy guns you wouldn’t be able to have by joining TACO.” Mazeline said playfully, making the merc blush, then the werewolf turned to the girls. “Begone girl scouts. Go sell some cookies somewhere else.”
The scouts left, one showing her tongue to Mazeline.
This is why she didn’t like this part of town, it was just too crowded, and for some reason everyone lost their good sense and just started picking up conversations with strangers. She was impressed someone as reserved as Qull and as shy as Alana were enjoying the Pastiche Parade more than she was.
A massive ad for the Tengu’s latest phone, a new generation of smarter phones at that, soured the mood of everyone, seeing that ad dwarf them reminded them of their current situation, which was just more reason to rush ahead and get to their sponsor already.
Finally, the building she was looking for showed up. It was made of white marble with gilded decorations and an extremely delicate garden. The entrance was not marked by a sign, flag or logo but by two stories tall marble statues depicting a musician and a poet.
Entering it felt like entering another world, gone was the cacophony of the crowds and the strong smells of the city centre, instead, it was a pleasant place with the sound of flowing water and signing birds. Notably, the architecture became a bit more local as they moved past the entrance. The Nine Sister’s traditional style was Art Noveau, with flowing and flowery styles, but adapting to the stone squares and sharp corners of Lullaby Island made it almost stumble into Art Deco.
“Hello, welcome to the Nine Sisters Secret Society.” a pretty girl said, with short curly brown hair and a butterfly hair clip... Oh wait, it was an actual live insect, it flew away as they approached. Excessive, but not decadent, Mazeline liked it.
“Hello.” Maze said with a smile. “We are in the process to join the group, I already did the paperwork, we just needed to all be here to formalize the process. Name is Mazeline Solene, should be under Cerberus.”
“What a fun name! Most parties these days are too obsessed with trying to pass off an image of competence or seriousness, it's good to see someone going against the norm.”
The werewolf pursed her lips as she couldn’t decipher if she was being complimented or insulted. Typically, she would assume the latter, but these people were odd enough to mean the former.
“Ah, here you are. Cerberus!” the stood up with a scroll in her hand. “Come with me, this chapter’s curator will want to greet you.”
The trio was then led deeper into the building, up an elevator, with clear windows it allowed them to see the offices and museum that occupied the lower floors of the tower, then, they were greeted by an aquarium, as the elevator emerged under a lake, rising until they reached the garden above it.
A small delicate bell rang out before the door opened and the attendant extended her hand outward to signal, they should step out.
“Anyone else... feeling a bit out of place.” Maze laughed nervously as they crossed a stone bridge that overlooked a pond of lily pads and perfectly tamed ferns.
“A bit too fancy for me, can’t deny I like the view.” Qull added.
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The walls were Lullaby Style heavy, storm-resistant glass. Massive marble pillars created sections of the wall which alternated between clean see-through glass and sections where the glass was covered in golden lattice.
“I think it's pretty, if I could put my boat here, I think I would live a happy life, there is a lot of fish to eat too.” Alana said, maybe joking, maybe not, Mazeline couldn’t tell what the dog witch was serious about or not, and she felt like the red-haired brat was catching onto it and purposefully teasing her.
“Feel free to take a dive! Don’t mind the way the seagrass can tangle around your feet and drown you, or the more carnivorous fishes we have there! Take the leap of faith and show courage!”
This was a new figure, a grinning, black haired woman in a strange dress that looked somewhere between a modern suit and the flowing white chitons of the Achaeans, in the part of Aeolia that was also called Aeolia. It had given the continent the name, because it was the first place you’d visit when going westward from Babel.
The woman’s wide smile and oddly euphoric comment stood in stark contrast to the sad mask she wore as a hair accessory instead of a proper mask.
“Just kidding. Hehe, haha, I am not a jokester like my sister, but I do love me some funny scenarios.” she cleared her throat, irradiating energy even while doing that. “I am Curator Melpomene. Come, come! Take a seat my friends!”
She hippity hopped her path to a small stone plaza with a table surrounded by three chairs.
“Cer-Be-Rus! I was disappointed when I discovered your names didn’t start with Cer, Be or Rus! Also, no colour coordination? Girls these days wouldn’t even bother to dress well for their own funereal, if I am to be sincere!”
“Is this what you call friendly talk?” Mazeline huffed, taking one of those small fancy sits that weren’t as comfortable as they were pretty.
“Of course! Now! Mazeline! My favourite one of you three! Little life, and already caused so much trouble! Seems like lady luck does smile upon you! Wouldn’t want to be there when she has a frown though, hahahaha.” she picked up a piece of paper. “By the way, your strangely attached friend, Primstella, has put out posters asking for the whereabouts of her lost friend.”
Mazeline rose one eyebrow up at that. “I am pretty sure the local police doesn’t look for lost foreigners during the storm season...? How could princess... What the...”
A bright red blush spread out over her cheeks as she saw the paper, issued by the Lullaby Island Animal Control Authority, reporting her as a lost pet, personality: moody, barky. Clearly some people were having fun with her situation.
“W-w-well. Whatever, I made my mind about her, I need to stay away for a bit, so don’t try to...”
“I. Would. Never.” Melpomene’s smile grew wider. “Follow your little heart, wolf lady. No matter what common sense tells you.”
She then turned towards Qullqi. “Qullqi Chiribaya! Precocious graduate of the Kitu Academy of Runasuyu. Left all the many opportunities she would have in her country and the chance to seek earlier higher education for the chance to join a mercenary group. Hmm.” she yawned. “Dead mom, geek interests, a bit of a typical teenager adventure, are you not?”
The merc tilted her head, eyes wide. “I am sorry? Why are you this annoyed at me for not doing anything odd?”
“I just think... you aren’t giving yourself a chance, you calculate too much, what you need is to down a bottle of wine and let that brain of yours cook something nasty. For example, you have no magic, and you are just fine with that, you complain a bit, on the web, when some device uses a screen you can’t see, but then you make that whole speech about not letting the situation define you and yada yada. No rage or passion about it, like everything else in your life.”
“Given your advice so far, I am glad you think I am boring.”
“But are you?” Melpomene tilted her head and her smile widened. “I think there is a spark there, beyond all your reluctance and overthinking, a little fissure that you allow to exist. After all, a perfectly logical being wouldn’t be preparing to take a trip with someone with a record like Mazeline.”
Qullqi’s ears shot up a bit, then she too looked to the side grumbling something, Maze couldn’t listen to it because without waiting the curator was already preying on an honestly scared Alana.
“You! Did you know we have no records you exist?”
“Is that bad?” Alana gasped.
“No! It's quite exciting! That makes you unpredictable. Well, as unpredictable as your typical feral child goes. But I am not picky! You are a precious little thing. And you finally have friends! Friends who would do anything to keep little old you safe and sound. Anything~ Hehe.”
“Oh... Thanks! I guess! I do like my friends!”
“Oh, bless you little witch. This cruel world would be so much more boring without little ephemeral specks of light like you.”
Maze had had enough. “So... Is there a reason for this horror show?”
“Oh! I was just gauging interest!” Melpomene stood up. “It's always nice to know the new pieces on the table, the new props on the stage. This little, let we say interview, helps me to know what to do. I just couldn’t go issuing orders at random.”
She handed them three membership cards.
They contained their rank within the organization. Rank 1, Enthusiast, for the three of them.
Another rank graced their cards, the International Risk Management Index. Civilian for Alana and Qullqi, but Level 1 for Mazeline.
“Huh, what does this risk thing mean? Why am I, being part of a military group, a civilian.” Qull looked over her card with a pout.
“It's the Risk Factor, Qull, it just measures how dangerous you are and what quantity and quality of law enforcement they are gonna need to use if you go rogue.” she smirked. “In my case, level 1 means they’d need a whole squad of the local police force to stop me.”
“I am dangerous too.” the chimera said, petulantly.
“Oh, you are dangerous, everyone is dangerous. Even a child could take down an adult, with enough of a killer intent and a good backstab.” Melpomene said, cheerfully. “However, once the crime is committed, you’d be taken down by a normal police force, taken to a normal prison for normal people. But you can always work to change that.”
Not long after, two staff members appeared, not from the elevator but from a room down spiral stairs on the edges of the garden floor.
“It was nice to talk to you, Cerberus. I think you will have a future here in the society. Maybe a long one, or maybe a fun short one. Who knows!” Melpomene chuckled. “It is too late to set up any proper training, or even help you deal with the disaster your clothing became, Mazeline. Tomorrow there will be better services available. If I may suggest, rest here for today, we have a hotel, it is typically paid, but, I will let you girls have a room today, for free, a friend’s gift!”