Re: The Villainess Does It With Class

Next day afternoon, Uno was already waiting outside with a carriage and was ready to set sail. He\'s a quick and efficient one, I\'d give him that.

George had asked where I was heading to, and as a liar like me, I told him that we\'re only going to the Capital.

It\'s kind of true in a way because the mercenary guild is in there, so it\'s not a lie at all.

I just omitted the fact that we are going to contact mercenaries. Fufufufu~

Uno still looked like he wanted to say something that could change my mind. One look from me and he folds though… 

\'Come on Uno, you won\'t easily coerce me into not going, unless you would threaten me or something. Which you cannot do anyway, so hehehe~.\'

And I have pocketed a knife with me just to be sure, therefore he shouldn\'t worry that much.. 

This is Uno we are talking about, I\'m sure he won\'t bring me to some shady place…

The carriage sped away and we were now on our way to the Capital with only the two of us. Erin wanted to go but I don\'t trust her mouth sometimes, so I chose not to. However much she pleaded with me with puppy eyes.

I can\'t be too sure that she would not blabber the truth while she\'s lost in her storytelling. That would certainly bring me trouble… 

We stopped by in front of some nice looking shop, which was a little surprising. I saw people going to and fro and wondered why. 

\'Don\'t mercenary guilds supposed to look inconspicuous?\'

"Are you sure we are in the right place?" I asked Uno for confirmation.

He just nodded solemnly, "Yes, milady."

Well, if you say so, Uno.

We got inside and what greeted me was a completely different scenery. It was a textile shop, judging from the fabrics at the back that lined the whole shelves.

I looked around to survey at first, taking in everyone\'s appearances. There were two women at the counter, and from the far left were a man who was engaged in a conversation with another customer. The customer looked normal to me, and so are the others.

There were more people but they didn\'t strike me as informants or assassins. 

That\'s pretty good though? They are camouflaging themselves as normal citizens. No one would suspect that they are contracted men...

That man who was holding a tape measure could be a secret ninja for all I know…

"Good Afternoon, how can we help you My Lady?" Said the other woman with a welcoming smile. She looked pretty with her hair tied into a bun.

I went to the counter with Uno behind me, who was looking alert and stiff. As if he would spring into action as soon as a slight deviation would appear.

This man is truly dedicated to his work.

I returned her smile with my own.

"I would like to place an order," I stated in a roundabout way.

"Ah yes. Would you perhaps have a material in mind?" She answered and brought out some kind of a mini divider with some pieces of different fabrics inside-- "We have silks, satins, cottons--"

"No, I would like a different one. A special kind," I cut her off, adding the last sentence in a low voice.

The woman blinked as if she didn\'t get it but I still looked unmoved and stoic, staring at her in expectation.

The other woman at the side and some guy in uniform had suddenly perked up upon hearing me, and were all glancing at me through the sides of their eyes.

Uno got more vigilant when the atmosphere shifted slightly with tension, while I remained standing there with a cheery smile.

"A special kind, you say?" The woman answered, "Well, why don\'t the miss follow me to our textile room?" 

I caught on to what she was trying to say and nodded.

"Very well…"

The pretty woman then led Uno and I to the back room, which was big, and has a lot more fabrics displayed on the walls. A textile room just as she said.

As soon as the door closed, the demeanor of the woman changed dramatically. She was not smiling anymore, and there was a chilly aura surrounding her.

She suddenly moved lightning fast, and Uno did the same. Now both of them were holding a knife a few inches towards each other\'s faces.

\'Wow. That\'s a very warm welcome from her…\'

"Who are you?" The woman hissed.

Uno glared at her as he covered me with his body.

"We\'re customers, what else?" I answered with a smile.

It should be obvious enough that we are here for a different reason, unless they truly are not what we\'re thinking they would be.

"Aisha," a voice called out-- "What are you doing to our guests?"

A man with round eyeglasses came out of one door. Behind him was another, but younger looking. He has blonde hair and was curiously looking at us.

"I am merely asking their identities," the woman named Aisha replied.

My head tilted to the side, "But that should not matter, right?"

There was a short silence.

"Aisha, you are such a hotblooded woman! Is it not clear to you that they are not here for our textile business?" The blonde-haired one chimed in.

"Come on, take back your knife," the round glasses guy ordered.

Aisha glanced at us warily, then released his threatening stance on Uno. The latter then did the same but was still blocking me from the others.

"We apologize for that," the round glasses guy uttered.

"It\'s fine. Can we please proceed to the transaction now?" I said, brushing it all off.

I don\'t know why she acted like that. She is probably a newbie or something...

"Ah yes." 

"But, are you sure that you are really here for that purpose?" The blonde-haired one sidled with narrowed eyes, as if he could not believe me.

I stared at him in the eyes.

"Whatever do you mean?"

\'He\'s not looking down on me, isn\'t he?\'

The man had snapped his mouth shut when the round glasses guy elbowed him.

"Please follow us," and gestured to the door that they had come from.

Both Uno and I followed the two of them, leaving Aisha who then went back to the counter. One of them pushed open a door where there was a narrow hallway connected to it. At the end was another room with more other people, but they\'re mostly men, 3 of them and one woman.

There was another set of doors at the right, which I would assume that they are private booths.

The men inside the room all turned to us and immediately glued their eyes on me. Of course, they are probably wondering what\'s a noble woman doing there. 

\'Maybe I should have opted to wear a commoner\'s clothes instead of a dress… But that would make George suspicious of me.\'

"Ohh? Who\'s that with you Elric?" A rowdy looking guy voiced out. He has cropped hair and a little on the muscly side.

"What\'s a lass doing here?" Another man said. This one looked snobby because of his sharp eyes which was currently nailed at me.

"Milady," Uno muttered and was about to get in front of me again.

I patted Uno on his shoulder to make him calm down.

"She is our customer. You better watch your tongues," round glasses guy answered.

"Hoohh? Customer?" The rowdy one chimed with a grin on his face.

"A lady? That\'s a first!" The third one 

"Hey, Elric. Are you sure that woman did not mistaken this place as a dress shop?" The rowdy man says and starts snickering.

He was then joined with the third man.

"That\'s true. Normally, they will send their guards to negotiate, but a woman?" And laughed some more. "They\'re losing it!"

"She\'s pretty though."

I felt Uno\'s aura darkening. I won\'t be surprised if he would start smacking these people here with his knife, because I felt like doing it too.

"You\'re all being disrespectful," the round glasses guy noted.

They did not stop their snickers though, and I am starting to get irritated, honestly.

"Are you all done with your talk now?" I announced as calmly as possible.

All of them stopped talking and looked at me. The woman at the back who appeared to not give a damn from what was happening had turned as well. 

There was a big smile plastered on my face but my eyes were dead and cold.

\'How dare they talk about me like that? Do they want me to skin them alive?\'

The two guys who were with us glanced at me as well.

"Sorry about this Miss--" I cut him off.

"I really have no time to waste for stupid shit you know," I uttered and stared them all down.

"W-woah..." The blonde-haired guy whispered.

"Now, can you all shut up and listen? Or is this guild for bunch of gossipers and not mercenaries?"