5th Song

[jewelofhou]

:: [video] ::

[The video shows two girls suddenly appearing by the fountain, one with red hair and the other with blue. Shoukei is wearing more common looking clothes than previously. She seems to be in mid-conversation, but stops abruptly when she notices the sudden change in surroundings. The other girl is Youko, who seems equally perplexed.]

Comments

Action;

[reginagloriae]

[She really had a bad feeling about Meikaku when she arrived with Keiki. Her suspicions were more than confirmed. All the Wa province was under the hand of a Marquis of the quality of Gahou. HOw could that be?

Then the public execution she witnessed and the quick save she had to perform of the girl who hurled that rock at the guards.

Somehow familiar, Youko thinks while she stares at Shoukei after releasing her hand. Yeah. She knows this place.]

Hey, are you all right?

Action;

[jewelofhou]

[It was a strange sensation. A sense of tugging in the back of her mind. She knew this place. She knew it and yet didn't know it at the same time.

The same could be said for the red haired girl who had been holding her hand.]

Y-Yes... I'm fine. Thank you. [She pauses and moment, looking around, before looking back to Youko.] Where... are we?

Action;

[reginagloriae]

We're in a city.

[Youko said, glancing around. It looked like Hourai but, no this wasn't Japan. Which City?

How could I forget?]

Not just a city, the City.

Action;

[jewelofhou]

The... City?

[It's starting to come back to her, much to her embarrassment.]

I remember... At least, I think I remember. Then we've... met before. Here.

Action;

[reginagloriae]

Huh? We have-

[Her eyes grew bigger. She knew this girl!]

Shoukei?

Action;

[jewelofhou]

H-Huh? How did you...?

[And then, suddenly, it was like someone had wiped off all the fog on a mirror. Everything became clear. Her memories of this place and of the people. She gasps.]

Youko! I remember! You're... Oh! You're... [But she isn't sure she should say it out loud, just in case.]

Action;

[reginagloriae]

[Youko removed the veil and rice hat from her head, waiting for Shoukei's revelation with a sad smile.]

Yeah.

[She glanced at her surroundings, finding her communicator immediately. Her features were still grim by the "show" she had to witness in Meikaku, her fists clenched by the impotence she felt.]

We lived in the third building, right?

Action;

[jewelofhou]

[Then it as true! But then... she had been at that execution. Why? Had she been there to stop it? Or...]

My goodness... I was saved by the queen herself.

[Maybe Youko hadn't known about such executions after all.]

I believe so.

Action;

[reginagloriae]

I was too late save those people who were executed. At least I couldn't stand and watch another one fall...

[She admitted grimly. She hadn't regretted to have insisted seeing Wa with her own eyes. However she felt the impotence building inside of her. Some ruler she was when she didn't have real power to change this.]

We should go... I need to speak with Keiki.

Action;

[jewelofhou]

I see... [Throwing the rock had been a bad idea but maybe Youko had intended to do something similar.

Shoukei nods.]

O-Of course... That's right, he's here. And so is the Ever-King and the En Taiho. I remember now...

Action;

[reginagloriae]

Yeah.

[She nodded, looking around to try to remember which direction to go. Her sense of orientation was still a slightly off, the buildings were so alike, she had to recall how to locate the landmarks right.]

I'm sorry about what happened in Meikaku. I had no idea... No, that doesn't help anything. I got to do something to stop that from happening again.

Action;

[jewelofhou]

You do not need to apologize to me... [She looks as well, but she has even less of a clue than Youko.]

You're the Queen... of course you can stop it from happening.

Action;

[reginagloriae]

I got to.

[She glances at Shoukei with a sad smile, starting her journey into what seemed to be the right choice.]

The other day, I saw a little boy being ran over to death by the one of Gahou's men, someone called Shoukou. But I was told that I didn't have enough evidence to do charge him and dismiss him, even if I was witness of that crime. The bureaucracy has ruled Kei for so long... Even if I try to start a process against Gahou, he could claim he didn't order that and blame his men.

I need solid proof. Because they wouldn't trust my word. I'm just another incompetent queen to them, someone who isn't even of their kingdom who wouldn't know proper protocol.