RP: A Little Mischief and Petty Revenge Pt. 1

Yummmmm. Ysani walked slowly through the square, intent on the fresh-baked muffin nestled in her palm. Keilos was really starting to master the fine art of baking, especially where muffins were concerned. Sometimes she helped - this morning she'd grated carrots for him, and soaked the raisins until they were plump - but more often she'd just boil a little water and make them some tea before settling on a stool to watch him work over the rim of her mug. Lately he'd taken to baking in large ramekins, resulting in muffins nearly as big as her head. I'm not about to complain, she thought, chewing blissfully. Mmm. Cinnamon.

She picked up her mail, resting the half-eaten treat on top of the tidy stack. There were a few envelopes, a heavy box of vials, a pouch filled with sparkling gems, and a curious cardboard box with a red ribbon tied around it. The note on top was addressed to 'Dame Cloudbreaker', and she snorted quietly to herself as she pulled it off its string, balancing her load in the crook of her left arm.

In recognition of three months of membership in the order we felt it appropriate to reward your effort and improvement. Congratulations, Knight!

She recognized Keltyr's angular script and grinned. A present! I wonder what it is... it's so light. Couldn't be armor, too big to be just a .. an insignia, or something- Holding the note in her mouth, she shifted on her hips and used her free hand to tug on the bow, releasing the ribbon with a silky whishing sound. Her fingers felt at the back of the box seeking for a seam to tear and found three small holes spaced a few inches apart halfway down the side. Odd. She dug into one of them and tore it across to the next, pulling a strip of the heavy paper away and dropping it to the ground for the brooms to pick up. The tower in her arms wobbled slightly and she steadied herself quickly before rotating the box and peering inside.

For a moment she could see nothing; the interior of the box was dark. Irritated, Ysani leaned in closer, trying to see down into the bottom of the dark box. A blast of squawking, angry feathers smacked her in the face, a single yellow talon gripping the edge of the jagged hole not an inch from her good eye. With a blood-curdling scream, she dropped the box (along with the pile of mail on which it sat, shattering every last vial in the heavier box beneath it, soiling the lot in a multicolored puddle of various elixirs) and quickly backed up a half-dozen paces, the note fluttering from her lips to the cobbled courtyard.

A bird! was the only coherent thought she could muster. She turned a brisk about-face, ignoring the stares of the people who'd heard her scream, ignoring the squawking, dented, soaked pile she left behind. A bloody bird. What kind of sick joke is this? Ha ha, Master Sunsworn. Bloody fucking hilarious. I'm going to kill him. The door of the chapter house slammed inward with the force of her entry, and she shoved an aghast Fabrio aside on her way down the hall. Unhooking her axe from the rack in Kei's room, she retraced her steps and pounded on the door of the room Keltyr shared with Dorritow.

"Come out of there, you bastard!" Silence. Two bright spots of color smoldered high on her ghostly-pale cheeks, her lips drawn into a tight white line. She rattled the handle, her rage a hot red thing in her head, quickly filling up her entire body with dully thudding anger that made it impossible to think clearly. 3... 2... 1... "I SAID COME OUT!!" She swung, her heavy axe sinking into the door with a sickening shunk. She was about to yank it out and try again when a hand closed tightly on her wrist.