Zita's Garden

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Vita's henchmen made it to her back yard, where they were told to go. They would look around, wondering what to look at, since they didn't know why they were out here.

Henchman 1: Uh, what do we do?

Henchman 2: uh. I dunno. Maybe we should wait for something to happen.

Henchman 3: You mean, stand around like idiots? Good idea.

Even if that was sarcasm, the fact of the matter was that it was still what they were going to do, anyway, at the end of the day.

The all of them stood their ground as the debris and the winds faded. The first witch looked off to her sisters, who each looked to each other, and then to the Henchmen, who were all looking toward the first and the next. With a decided acknowledgement between the each of them, Henchman #1 finally slipped his blade quickly past the neck of the Commander without touching it and into a hidden holster none of which could be seen nor recognized. “Okay, pal,” he said in a gruff, almost hoarse tone, “You win. You got us.” He said this only as a means of recognition, and not actually in acknowledgement of any sort of victory — it was just his slang. “Can’t say you weren’t a good match, though my dimwit associates over there might not have been up to par.” He shook his head, flicking his wrist and a smoke popping out from what one would believe to be a carton of cigs, seemingly out of nowhere. “Can I get a light, love…?” he’d inquire to the eldest of the witches.

The first witch, who was nearest to the fray, hovered gently over the ground with just her toes barely gracing the ground as she floated, kicking up a bit of dust as she passed. “Certainly,” she said with a hint of gratitude, silently honoring his display in battle before muttering some of the Witch’s Tongue at him to conjure a flame. “Flamia,” she’d command, before a spark ignited before him in a puff of smoke and flying sparks. “You did well out there,” she’d continue to speak, both to her comrade and her Commander, waving her hand to call the others closer.

The other four — who seemed to be more inept than the firsts — quickly came together right where the battle ended, and where their new Commander, Elliott Faulkner, stood firm. He was a powerful man, they all had seen, and they well respected him now, especially after he’d proven himself before their ‘leaders’, so to speak.

Henchman #2: Well, if ‘Big Bro’ likes ya, then I guess you ain’t half bad.

Witch #2: My sister is never wrong. Even if I am.

Henchman #3: I agree.

They were all eager now to see what he would tell them to do, since it was clear that he was more than capable of doing so. The first witch spoke out again, “You are clearly worth more than your mettle. I’m impressed.” She looked around, nodding her head in recognition, only to be eventually joined in by her closest partner and her sisters, as well as the other Henchmen that worked with the one who was closest to her. “It seems as though the others agree as well, as we have seen and heard.” The all of them continued to nod in solemn agreement.

Henchman #1, taking a puff: So. You gonna tell us what we’re up to next, Commander? Or, are we gonna stand here all day lookin’ cute?

Some of them sort of chuckled, sharing mutual feelings. It was clear that there was mutual acceptance among the group.

Elliott liked that they all seemed particularly more chummy with one another after the sparring match. It was good. Between the Henchmen and the Witch Sisters, Elliott could sense a lot of chemistry. If left to their own devices, they might have never considered just how greatly they meshed together as a team and further embraced their isolationist ways.

Now, they could actually work as a unit, even if certain members of their respective cliques were off taking care of other business. It probably wouldn't be often that they would be split up, but now Elliott didn't need to worry about them if they ever were mixed and matched by The Mistress later down the line.

Elliott couldn't help but smile again. He was already looking at them as soldiers in arms. Being considerate of their well being and worrying about whether they would be okay without guidance. He didn't mean any disrespect by it. It was just the way he was.

Elliott finally stood, realizing just how much taller he was. "I am unsure. I am certain the Mistress wished to send up somewhere, but it seems she forgot to say where before she departed. Durandal!" Elliott ended his sentence by screaming the name of his sword. Without a second in between, the sword, in its scabbard, began to float in midair with all of Elliott's other belongings piled upon it. Then, it zipped through the air, towards Elliott, who hopped slightly to catch it above the heads of the people surrounding him.

Finally, he re-equipped himself before coming back down to the ground, "Unless you all already know what it is you need to do. I will rejoin with The Mistress to provide her any protection she might require."

Each of the units of the party were unsure of how to respond to Elliott, since he was actually the one that they were sent to take orders from without actually receiving orders otherwise. They were each rather dumbfounded by the fact that they weren’t actually aware of what to do, but… This was because the Henchmen were actually the new faces around, and the Witches were the veterans of this land. So, when questioned, of course, the conversation went as follows:

Henchment #1: Beats me, pal.

*Witches whisper*

Henchman #2: Looks like the gals have somethin’.

*Witches continue to whisper*

Henchman #3: We don’t know nothin’ about this place, ya know.

*Witches still whisper*

Henchman #2: I think we should really just let em take over for now.

*Witches giggle*

Henchman #1: Ayup. Looks like.

Unanimously, the Henchman agreed that they were lost and the Witches were indeed just the more knowledgable party of the group. The first Henchman finished his cigarette and turned to Elliott, nodding his head at him. “You think so, pally?”

Before he could respond, the three Witches broke apart and returned to the ones ignorant of the world around them, then decided to confront them on what they felt like the best options were. Each of them spoke in turn:

Witch #1: We have decided that because we have had only the orders to watch over you and to continue to tag along as your party members, that we should take you around the city and show you what there is so that you will be more familiar with the land.

Witch #2: Likewise, we have also thought that it is good to regroup with our Mistress before we do so, but if she has not returned to us yet, then killing time in that manner may be the best option for us.

Witch #3: Finally, we also believe that you, Commander, should actually decide what we should all do after we all give our input without searching for the Mistress, since she is already out and about on her own business and will return to us when the time comes.

The Witches were aware of how the Witch society functioned, down to the very last cover story for each of the sisterly sorority that comprised them all as a society. As it was made clear, these three were covering for their Mistress, yet simultaneously also offering their services as escorts and guides because this is what they were supposed to do since that is what Vita would insist anyway, knowing her well. They were aware that it was probably best to go explore the city just because when she got back, she would definitely not want to go give the men a tour, and she would actually be a little upset that the three of her sorors were not on top of the collective thought process that Witches were naturally inclined to, including down to the secrecy. Therefore, they thought that teaching them the ropes and keeping them from bothering Mistress Vita during her escapades would be optimal. Thus, the eldest and smartest of them would speak on.

Witch #1: What say you, Commander? Would you care for a tour?

Elliott agreed with the Henchmen, but he didn't have the time to respond to them, though he probably wouldn't have done so anyway. While still paying attention to the conversation at hand, Elliott stroked his chin and wondered what The Mistress was actually up to and if she was expecting him at some point. After all, while she might have forgotten to express what she wanted the others to do, she did make sure to express that he should catch up with her when he wanted to be at her side again. And he kind of felt that way now.

Regardless, he nodded to the Witches, taking their hospitality and the benefits of knowing the area into consideration. They were right, it was better to leave The Mistress to her own devices. She was capable and hadn't actually needed him for anything. Besides, if trouble arose on her end, Elliott assumed she had to capacity to summon all of them to her aid.

"Yes, you are right," he confirmed, "I think it would be best if the men and I went on this tour. After all, we should get to know our surroundings in order to be more useful to The Mistress when she returns." He turned to the men now, finally giving off the air of the seasoned veteran that he was.  

"Improving ourselves while she is away will only show her how devoted we are to her and her goals. We should use any autonomy Mistress L'sia's kindness affords to us to make ourselves stronger and smarter."

The Henchman smirked at the notion brought on by their Commander, each nodding their heads in affirmation of this, since they, too, were judging him based off of his abilities to make rational decisions and lead them all based on the suggestions or opinions that they all had and make a decisive decision on what should be done when each of them were all giving their input.

Henchman #1 was the first to wrap his arm around Elliott and slap his shoulder opposite him with a good, hearty, manly grip to reassure him of his decision, as was proper for a good subordinate. “Can’t say I don’t like the way ya think, pal,” he’d say after just finishing his off his cigarette and flicking it off elsewhere, as it were habitually. It was a good image before his other two companions, since they originally looked up to him for support, and secretly still did, so giving the OK for another man to be leading him and that his decision making skills were on par for the challenge reassured them that they could rest easy in following this man as if he were like their original leader, himself, before they were hired by Mistress L’sia. After witnessing it, the other Henchmen immediately fell in line and began to open up to their Commander, crowding around him and giving him random praises for what he’d said, even though the praise was mostly for gaining the affection of the first Henchmen that they followed like the older brother he was to them. They clamored a bit in reverie, yet died down once the Witches continued to speak.

Witch #1: Lovely. I’m certain that this is the best option.

The other Witch sisters nodded in agreement, smiling at each other and then whispering something behind the back of their other sister, before giggling a bit. They floated up toward her together and looked at the four men oblivious to the realm of the Fae, which would soon be revealed to them under the guidance of these trusted Witches of Mistress Vita L’sia.

Witch #1: Well now, no time like the present, yes?

Without much hesitation after the unanimous decision, the first and eldest Witch would serve as the head of the guidance party that consisted of she and her sisters, who in turn turned around only to begin their journey through the Olde Witch City that would be stationed as their city of operations. They hovered forth toward the boundaries of the garden to the edge of which would lead them directly into the Olde Witch City, Nekhir Maledictus, where they lived and thrived with their other Witch sisters as a secret sorority. “Come along,” they would say, hovering forth slowly only so that they could be kept up with.

Naturally, the Henchmen that were with Elliott would walk with him, since they were just as in the dark as he was about what the mysteries of this city held, and wanted to keep him company or to escort him whilst the witches served as the guides. They would all walk in this fashion in order to keep the group oriented and together so that none of them separated nor got lost, plus so that they could talk to each other without the Witches hearing — just as the Witches had been doing secretly right before all of their eyes. Hopefully, the Commander understood why they wished to do this. Even if he did not, they would still do so, for the three Henchmen knew exactly what they were doing and how to operate. They couldn’t say that they fully trusted the fact that these witches were whispering to each other, but they did actually validate their style of communication by also doing as they did simply because they were doing it. Perhaps Elliott would catch on to that as they transitioned and communicated on certain things in secret.

Elliott felt comfortable; this budding comradery made him feel at home in this world that wasn't his own. He was reminded of memories from his life as a simple knight and fighting with friends on the front lines to protect his chosen home. Now, he felt that he would be able to recapture those past memories with these people.

So he smiled and laughed with them, before following the eldest witch for the tour and falling in step with the men, more than the ephemeral women. Because that's just the way the groups worked themselves out, rather than any conscious effort on his part. Elliott noticed it, and could guess why it happened, but he did not chose to expressly acknowledge it. He kept the thought in the back of his head; it was something that he didn't like seeing right after they'd gotten a chance to grow closer as a unit.

It was good that there was pleasantry among the group. They all transitioned onward as a group with their designated Commander in formation with them, looking as if he both blended in with them as Nytozins yet also remained independent as their Commander. They all traveled together as a 'Party' and continued on into the Olde Witch City; Nekhir Maledictus.

Along the way to the central portion of the Olde Witch City -- the Witch Province -- the Escort Witch that Guided the Party along would begin to speak about where they were going and how things worked. As she did, lights began to flicker on the closer that she got and the more she spoke, both inside of houses and in the air all around them, like sparkling glitter and light bulbs or candlelight. The other Witches began to spread out and whisper both loudly and softly into the streets, corners and windows of the city as things seemed to come to life.