Click-Clock!

Unsheath! Sheath!

Clink! Clink! Clink!

Chuck! Cling! Kachink!

Swish! Swoosh!

"Everything is in order it seems." (Vivian)

"I like this sword very much. Impressive work, Mr. Voros." (Edith)

"Can I have these steel boots?" (Isabella)

"Go ahead. Take what you need, keep mobility in mind." (Vivian)

"Thanks, Viv. You're the best." (Isabella)

"Are you all being serious?" (Matilda)

In this happy convention of lethal items and killing machines, one heroine stood against three villainesses who were arming themselves to the teeth and getting ready to do something dangerous.

"It is people's lives we're trying to save, and now you bring out all those crazy weapons?" Matilda said, looking at the three noble ladies.

"She's one of those, huh? Should have figured that out." Edith said while rolling her eyes.

"Those?" Isabella asked.

"People who think others can't go on a killing spree for the greater good." Vivian said mockingly and looked at Matilda with disapproval, "How disappointing! And I at least thought you have a spine."

The three returned to their own devices and Vivian faced Voros.

"Thank you for bringing all those toys on short notice." She said.

"No probs, chief… kill lots." Voros said with a vicious smile and encouraging fists.

"Oh boy! We are not killing anyone, Mr. Voros. These are just for protection." Vivian said trying to hide the twisted nature of Voros.

"Oh… sad!" Voros looked down and shook his head.

"Anyhow, you said you got something made for me." Vivian said and tried to distract him from saying something incriminating.

"Right! Remember promise?" He asked her with a big grin.

"What promise?" She asked.

"Promise promise!" Voros tried to remind her, "Make you sword promise."

"Oh, right. There was that." Vivian remembered how Voros saw her training and told her he'd make her a suitable sword.

"Here." He said and handed her an unseemingly small box.

It was almost over a foot and a half in length and as she opened it, what she found inside was no sword of course but a neat-looking dagger.

She felt a bit awkward as she picked it up and looked at Voros.

"It's… beautiful." She said and tried to maintain a smile, "You said you'd make me a rapier though."

"Right… changed mind." Voros said as he was helping Isabella with the armored boots.

"You changed your mind? Why haven't you said anything?" Vivian asked while being concerned for her training results which depended on the sword Voros was going to fashion for her.

"Aim up. Press switch."

"Alrig…"

Click! CLINK!

"Oh!" (Vivian)

"Oh my!" (Isabella)

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"Bloody hell!" (Edith)

Just as Voros instructed, Vivian aimed the dagger up, pressed the switch he designed in a deep point under the crossguard, and suddenly, the dagger's blade extended three to four times its original length.

"Good lord in heavens! This is like magic." Vivian exclaimed.

"Just metallurgy. Simple." Voros, however, said that he considered it something trivial.

In truth, he is someone who made an entire suit of tactical armor that can turn itself into various weapons depending on which parts he takes from it and that was already magical. The simple fact that a dagger could be turned into a sword and back was as he said, simple.

The craftsmanship of that sword, however, wasn't simple in any way, shape, or form. Voros made the blade very durable yet flexible and can endure any blows it takes while it can bend marvelously and strike from deceptive angles. The crossguard was round on top of it, the hilt was D-shaped. It offered little hand protection but it was light, sharp, and within the range Vivian prefers.

It was as if Voros had analyzed what Vivian needed and put it all in one single thing. A dagger with terrifying stabbing power and a sword with versatile uses that can both cut and stab.

"Is that a Spadroon, Mr. Voros?" Edith asked.

"Spadroon… right." Voros nodded.

"Never heard of a spadroon before!" Isabella said.

"A new design actually, popular among army officers, widely criticized by knights though. It is like a strange mix between a rapier and a saber if it makes any sense." Edith replied and looked at Vivian, "Since you are training to be a female knight as well, I think it is a good weapon."

"It is indeed." Vivian said with glee and turned to Voros, "Thank you, Voros. You delivered me yet another marvel."

"Name." Voros said and waited for Vivian to come up with one.

"Hmmm… let's hold back the naming ceremony for that one. My weapons headcanon will get all weird now. Romeo and Juliet had a squabble because I used her with Macbeth so let's wait until things settle between the two love guns." Vivian said.

"Oh!" Voros nodded and made an understanding face, "Hope things go well."

Nobody else understood what was going on but it seemed that Vivian had been playing with her weapons way too much and she was starting to develop some sort of drama between them now. Aside from the love quarrel between Romeo and Juliet (guns), Macbeth (push dagger) and Titania (mouse gun) were seeing each other, while Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (cane-sword umbrella) were still struggling with who's boss. The spadroon's arrival in this drama will need some development first to fit Vivian's weird head-canon.

"Everybody armed?"

After wasting enough time, Vivian was ready to lead the group into battle, and looking at them, it seemed that everyone had picked up something from Santa Voros' holiday gifts. Edith picked a saber that she found balanced and easy to conceal under her dress while Isabella was more interested in brass knuckles, armored boots, and vambraces, and she even got a small flintlock musketoon which is a shorter version of a normal musket.

"What about her?"

Hearing Isabella asks while pointing at Matilda, Vivian raised a brow and looked at Edith.

"In Archester, a commoner should get a permit to bear arms so…" Edith said.

"What she said." Vivian added her voice to Edith.

"I am not going anywhere with you. The time is already late and…" Matilda wanted to protest but Edith stepped towards her aggressively.

"And we can't risk you running off to dear Prince Liam or Dear Lord Edmond… or Dear Lord Robert… or Dear Lord Anyone we may or may not know about." Edith said very meanly.

Vivian and Isabella looked at each other, clapping and applauding Edith in their hearts, their little junior villainess was turning out to be quite the bully.

"What are you trying to say, Lady Edith?" Matilda asked with visible anger in her eyes directed towards Edith.

"I'm not saying anything anyone can't figure out on their own." Edith replied with daring eyes, ready to make all sorts of trouble.

"Alright, young juniors. You two have proven your points." Getting a hold of the atmosphere, Isabella stood between the two, "Tonight, it is all about coming together to face one enemy. Whether we love or hate one another, it is time to act noble and selfless, even our parents stand together under the King's Banner when they go out to war and aren't particularly fans of each other, isn't that right, Edith?"

Edith looked at Isabella and suddenly, all her anger and aggression towards Matilda poofed away.

"Fine. Guess I'll have a piece of her later." She said and backed away.

Meanwhile, Matilda's emotions seemed to have been riled up and she couldn't be as callous as Edith whose aggressiveness was all just an act. She backed away and sat on a far-off chair on her own.

"Alright, ladies. I know we are rushing into enemy territory without much thought but here's the plan. Isabella is on our way back to the party which only has one more hour left, since she is the most popular social butterfly, Natasha won't ask questions and will be welcoming of her. As for the rest of us, we will be dropped on the way before the party's area where guards are the lightest. Edith, you are the one with the best set of senses here so I'll leave that decision to you."

"Understood."

"We'll move in a straight way through the garden right to the main building, Natasha's villa. According to the intelligence kindly provided by our guest, Matilda, the research lab lies beneath the villa in its basement. Our target is to acquire those notes along with any incriminating evidence that can connect Natasha to this situation with certainty and get out of there without being seen. If we are caught, we have to fight our way out with the least possible noise. Any questions?"

"What about me?" Isabella asked, "I get to return back to the party and that's it?"

"That's not it, of course. You'll only distract Natasha for a minute or two saying that you had to take me back home since I wasn't feeling alright and now you are here to pick someone… Edith perhaps. Use any excuse and rendezvous with us behind the villa. If you are more than 15 minutes late, we will go on with just the three of us."

"Don't worry, I'll find a way." Isabella said.

"Alright, if we're all clear, let's be on the move."