When Worlds Collide~An Original Story by Captain Plucky

[Ranger of the North]

Meh, doesn't matter to me; I love reading, so the longer the better! XD

Pfffff
*pokes nose into the air*
how dare they attempt to assassinate a professional assassin?
Amateurs.

XD

[Captain Plucky]

(It's a good thing I only write in paragraphs, then!
I know, right? Hopefully, they learned a lesson. Even though they're dead...X3)

pooopXander walked back to the camp quietly, not saying a word and not having anything to talk about anyways. As he approached, he heard something crash onto the ground. His chest started to tighten with worry as he ran the scene, concerned that he didn't kill all of the amateur murderers.
pooopNo...I was SURE I killed them all! There was only three, right?? He lurched as he saw Christine's body on the ground, motionless. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! He slapped himself in the face with feelings of regret and idiocy. Since he was wearing a gauntlet. I should've suspected there was a bigger person at play here. Baiting me with such an easy, effortless-to-kill extermination. Ingenious. Oh, what am I doing, complimenting their work???
pooop"Christine!" he shouted desperately, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him.
pooop"Owww..." she whined from the distance, sitting up and feeling her head. "The wind is sleeping and the sword is mad because the flowers called him a knife." her body drifted to the side for a moment, almost making her collapse again. "Oh, hai man." the dragonet greeted, waving her hand in some strange motion. "I forgots the tree isn't a normal bed and hurted my headsies." she rubbed her forehead, keeping still. "Oh, thank King Faul. I thought you had-er, hurt yourself more severely. Here, let me see." Xander sat down next to the girl, thankful beyond words that she wasn't dead. "I've never asked you this, but what are those stripes next to your eyes? They're very pretty." he stared at her light blue eyes, perplexed. "Oh, man, that the best tattoo to diddly-do be made." she "explained", letting the assassin feel her head as he pleased. "It real good, yeh? I think so, too."
"Are you sure you'll be fine?" he asked, observing a bump on the back of her head. "Hmm," he poked it, Christine wincing in response. "Please do not press the button that makes me cray-cray for the day-day." she said in a strange, slurred tone. "Yes, we should just wait here until you're better. Once you are, then we'll head out." Xander promised, smiling at her in a caring manner. "Pssh, who's to say I can't jump in the air right now? All those filthy casuals gotta know their place!" she jumped into the air, trying to get her backpack from the tree. "You want to go that badly? Well, fine, If you think you're capable." he got up slowly, grabbing Christine's baggage for her. "I am the most capable, Xanderp!" she assured, snatching her bag right from his hand and walking in the direction they came from. He was trying so hard not to laugh at her, his shoulders were shaking from holding it all in. "Fine, fine." he managed to get out, showing her to the correct direction. The assassin remembered that the princess wanted to go the the fallen tribe, so he would have to do some asking around. That wouldn't be a problem, though. He had a lot of strings that he could pull, many favors to call in. If the mercenary wanted to go somewhere, he would make it happen. He would do anything for a friend like her.

[Ranger of the North]

Lolol someone's bang-banged her head-head a little too hardsy XD

[Captain Plucky]

(I, myself am incredibly tempted to change my assassin's name to "Xanderp". X3)

pooop"Did I really say that? Are you pulling my leg?" Christine asked with a unbelieving grin.
pooop"Yes, you did!" Xander responded through spurts of laughter, pointing at her with a finger. "You said that you were going to rule the world and make everyone wear 'sarcasm resistant' helmets!" he grabbed his side, letting himself laugh all he wanted, unlike a few hours ago. It took quite a while for the princess to regain all of her wits. And, when she did, she couldn't believe a thing her friend told her. "Wow. I must really be intolerant to that. Either that, or I want everyone else to be." the girl twirled a lock of her red hair with a finger. "I don't know? To be honest, Xander, I'm just wondering as to how I had the guts to accuse you of eating all of my, ahem, 'cat ears'. I don't even have any of those!"
"Christine. I swear on my honor that you were shouting your head off about it! You said, and I quote: 'Xanderp, yo, I knows you like cats, but really. I have ears of cats, and you eated them. How dare you.'" he went silent for a moment, lurching from all of the giggles he had been having. "You okay there?" the mercenary chuckled, patting his back. "You look like you just got stabbed." "No, don't pat my back! It makes it worse." he wheezed in a lighthearted voice, tears of joy streaming from his face. The day was just what Christine feared: cloudless and cool, with a strong, confident breeze. Kicking at the dirt, she struggled to get her mind off of her dragon form.
pooopShe could feel her wings being tugged by the breeze, the wind asking them if they wanted to soar. The answer was yes, but by Ajax, she would blow everything if she let those things appear. From her book, she knew that royal's could actually change a certain part of them into a dragon. For instance, simply making a dragon paw appear while keeping the rest human. The princess couldn't imagine Xander's face if he turned to her, and saw wings popping out of her back. From all of that laughing, he might have a legit heart attack, no jokes attached. As the assassin stood in place to regain composure, his friend observed their surroundings. She raised his hand from his back, hearing noises in the distance. It sounded like a lot of people, almost in unity, talking and working like nothing bad could ever happen. She guessed that this meant there was another town in the distance. "Hey, you hear that?" the dragon questioned as the man straightened himself out. "Yes, I think that's the capital of our province, Aldia. But I'm sure you knew that. Our king, Faul the Righteous, resides there. But, that's just commoners information. I just like repeating thing to myself before I enter a new place, sorry." he smirked, shrugged apologetically. "Oh no! Don't worry about it, it doesn't bother me at all!" the two paused, staring blankly into the city that would arrive in.
pooop"I have an idea! Let's see if anyone knows about the Fallen Tribe in there! It's such a big city, somehow has to have a helping lead!" the couple said in unison, the words and tones exactly alike. Talk about coincidence. "Sounds good to me!" they replied to each other, again saying everything at the same time. Christine and Xander burst into laughter together, knowing what they would do next. The city wasn't very far, but just above the horizion enough to give the illusion that it was very far away. Ignoring the urge to fly yet again, the mercenary looked at the chances for adventure ahead of her, excited about her next mission.
pooopBut, at the same time...a feeling of dread was hanging over her. The Sphere of Revolution was probably under lock and key. So how on Aldia was she supposed to snatch it without the rulers noticing? Or, even worse, discovering what she really was? To top it all off, Christine had to make sure Xander never, ever had any idea about who she really was. She was so afraid of his reaction, she didn't dare to even think of it. After all, if the mysterious apologizer had killed a dragon before, that meant he was very, very strong. Dragons were the all-around better version of humans. Even commoners from the dragon princess's city were more than capable of demolishing anything human in their path. They could fly, breathe fire, resist fighting blows and sickness better, not to mention had talons that could cut through diamonds. Well, only the strongest, sharpest claws could do that, but the girl knew she could get there eventually. But back to the matter at hand. If a mere man could resist such superior prowess, and defeat it, Xander was either powerful beyond belief...
pooopor not what he seemed to be.

[Ranger of the North]

Hhhhhhhhh
the plot thickens

[Captain Plucky]

(Indeed.)

pooopThe capitol city of King Faul was even louder and hectic than the "The Sweating Horse" Christine rented a room in. That was saying something. People were all around her, everyone hollering at each other like they were the only ones in the square. She tried to hide her displeasure, but worried she wasn't doing a good job.
pooop"So, where should we go first?" the mercenary asked her friend, looking over his shoulder. He pointed to the castle, his arm moving in one swift, fair motion.
pooop"I know a few people in there. We should definitely try the castle first." he took the lead, weaving through the crowds with ease. The princess took a big, deep breath, knowing that the man was making it look much easier than it actually was. Then, gathering all the confidence she could, dived right in. "Excuse me. Pardon me. Oop-sorry!! Excuse me!" she cried awkwardly through the groups, scared that she was going to get clobbering for all of the ruckus she was causing. The girl finally made it out, though, where Xander was waiting patiently. "Not your strong-suit, eh?" he jeered playfully. "At least I don't my secret base discovered." she wheezed back, recuperating. "Oh, that was your fault and you know it." chuckling, he stared at her and started to walk backwards, going into another school of humans. "Gathered enough energy? I hope so. I move quite fast, Christine. You should pick up the pace." he chortled, soon un-seeable in the massive crowd. The princess said a dragon curse-word under her breath and went after Xander, feeling the pains of social interaction. "Sorry, sorry! Excuse me! Aw, I'm really sorry!" she gasped, rushing past the townspeople as quickly as possible. "Yawn, what took you so long?" the assassin called to her, his expression jokeful as he sat on a small brick wall. "You, my good sir," she bent down, grasping her knees. "Are more evil than that Enchantress."
"Then why did you just call me 'good sir'?" he retaliated, enjoying himself. "Hey, I just got an idea." Christine stood up and leaned on the wall, gazing up at her friend. "Why don't you go kill another Nobleman? And then, when your done, you can go get all chummy with the other ones? Because I'm sure they'll just love to hear what happened to their friend across the country." "Ouch." he smirked, hopping down from his place. "What they don't know won't hurt them. Now c'mon, let's go." he extended his hand for Christine to grab, which she accepted since she needed some help to stand up. The dragonet raised her head so she could see the entire, massive size of the complex. As they went in, Xander seemed to know exactly where to go.
pooopSo, they just let people waltz into the castle? Without any hassle? Wow. My dad's never been that lenient. Her mind went back to the times of the dragon kingdom, where Alard would need the person with the meeting to present something of value for the audience to happen. That was, unless it was a major emergency. Shaking her head back into reality, she brought her attention to the decor around her. Precious jewels and metals adorned the walls, with mirrors where one could admire themselves at every corner. Paintings also lined the hallways, all of them seeming like royal family portraits of all generations. "Christine, we go in here." her friend said, breaking up her thoughts and observations. The door of the room was modest enough, with a simple looking doorknob. "Matthew?" he called into the fur-covered place. Stained glass covered the floors and furniture in majestic bursts of color as a fire crinkled playfully in the background.
pooop"Xander? Is that you?" a old mans voice asked, a person appearing before the duet. "Ah! It is you! So nice to see you again!" he exclaimed, his face brightening. He started to make his way towards the assassin, his walking cane tapping the floors lightly as he did so. The wrinkled face was friendly and outgoing, with a glint of wisdom in the eyes. The dragon wasn't sure whether to meet up with the Nobleman, or just wait until he arrived next to them. She knew that the second option would take all of forever, though. Her friend made the decision before she did, taking the first option and giving Matthew a soft hug. "Oh-ho! It's been a while since I've gotten one of these!" he beamed, patting the mans black-armored back. "What do I owe this pleasure, Xander?" the old man questioned, slipping out of the hug after the universally-known hug-time was up. "I need some information from you." he responded in a happy voice. "Do you know anything about 'The Fallen Tribe'?" Christine shuffled to her buddy's side as he spoke, a sense of being left out coming over her. " The Fallen Tribe, hmm?" he rested his head on his cane, pausing for a moment. "Goodness, it's been such a long time since someone has said that to me." he mused, "Yes, I do know. In fact, I probably know everything you need! But first." he looked at the two with a serious expression. "Xander, I need your help. I think someone's trying to kill King Faul."

[Ranger of the North]

Hm... Isn't King Faul the chap she's going after?
or am i getting confused

[Captain Plucky]

(No, some unknown assassins are taking credit for that. Christine, if anything, is going after the new king of the Fallen Tribe. However, she's hoping that she can just recover the Sphere of Revolution without causing a ruckus.
sometimes I confuse myself when I read what I had just wrote soooo don't worry bout' it X3)

pooop"Kill King Faul? How can you tell?" Christine chimed in, shocked. Weren't you suppose to respect and care for your king? Not try and, you know, brutally murder them? What was the point of killing him, anyway? It would only put a whole Kingdom in disarray. And who wants that?
pooop"Well, pit of fire," Matthew started, giving the girl a nickname by the way she appeared and spoke. "There is always a series of events that happen before an assassination happens. If you look very closely, you can prevent this terrible action before it takes it's full course. I tried telling everyone about my discoveries, but they won't believe me. They told me I am too old and delusional, an attention-seeking old man." he frowned at the last sentence, his voice full of woe. "But, how can you read their steps like that? Has this happened before?" the dragonet questioned, genuinely curious. There was a strange, awkward pause when Matthew didn't respond right away. "Yeees," he said slowly, his eyes darting to Xander subconsciously. The man was scratching his shoulder, his face telling that he was blocking the conversation out at the moment. "That's why I want to stop it, and why I need your help. Xander, you're a professional assassin, you of all people could figure out who it is! And, if you do, and save King Faul; I'll tell you everything you want to know about the Fallen Tribe. Everything." the old man promised, tightening his grip on the wooden cane he was holding. The mysterious apologizer had taken a purple rose from Matthew's table vase and was sniffing it, deep in thought.
pooop"My friend, the group is as good as dead. King Faul will live for as long as he needs to." "Oh, thank you so much!" he hugged Christine's friend, giving the girl a sincere look.
pooop"As long as he needs to"? she echoed to herself, Eh, probably a inside joke or something. Riiiight? "Xander, we better get working as quickly as we can. After all, we have a big job to do."
"Oh! Sorry, I've been keeping you." Matthew apologized, looking embarrassed. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you later." the man responded as he left the room, giving the Nobleman a wave goodbye. "So, what's your plan?" she asked, attempting to keep up with her buddy's quick walking pace. "First, we ask around. See if someone's been acting weird for the past few days. Then, we do a few stakeouts, and split up with those so we have a better chance of overhearing about their plan. After that, we check and see if there are any big events like a ball about to happen. Assassin's can't resist showing their mysterious prowess in front of a massive group. It's like a Rich man not jumping a chance to make gold. Simply impossible, Christine." he arched his neck back, stretching. "Who would we ask, though? And how would we realize that their acting differently? We don't know anyone here." the princess studied the walls again, feeling her dragon instincts come back to tempt her.
Why do they have to put perfectly good jewels on the wall? Why do the gems have to make such pretty tiaras that I just LOVE to wear? And bracelets? And pretty chain mail???? WHY?!?! Her hands were shaking from self control, the light blue strips next to her eyes giving off a small glow. It was hopefully unnoticeable in the bright, intense daylight. "You might not, Christine, but I do. Not to mention almost all Nobleman are the same. They're either yes men who would do anything for some attention from King Faul; or retired knights who have a strong fire in their soul and a passion for what's right. Anything in-between in practically nonexistent." Xander answered, "Keep that in mind, because I have something I need you to do. You're going to apply for a job at the most popular inn around here." "I'm going to do what?" she echoed, her tone more sassy than she meant for it to be. These words didn't offend or anger Christine, she was just puzzled by them. "Yes, I know it's strange. Allow me to elaborate." the assassin's head turned to observe many spots for a second, making sure that no one was listening to them.
pooop"Everyone, not only visiting royalty, go to 'The Shining Plate'. If you get a job there, everyone will talk to a beautiful girl like you. Christine, you could get some very useful tips and hints from working there. Not to mention no one would suspect you. Me, on the other hand," he gestured to himself with a hand, "I wouldn't last a moment. I work better in the shadows, anyway. But this is by far the best thing you could do. Please do it, Christine. It would help us so much." he stood in place, waiting for a reply. The dragon princess, in truth, was sold the moment Xander said she was beautiful. No one had ever said that phrase to her in such an honest, kind way. Whenever that sentence passed a fellow dragon's lips in the past, it would be hollow; only used for politeness and nothing else. But you could tell that her friend meant it. By the way his voice got softer and his tone became for vibrant and lax than it normally was. You could tell. Christine could tell. She couldn't help blushing a little bit, but the mercenary didn't notice that she did. Only that she was flattered beyond belief. "Okay, I will." she answered bluntly, nothing else coming to mind. "Thank you." Xander said, his expression relived. "I have to get to work now, so you might as well go to The Shining Plate. It's in the towns square, the biggest building on the block. Can't miss it." and then, with a puff of smoke, the princess's friend was gone. My, he was in a rush. Oh well, might as well apply to that inn. She made her way out of the building, wondering for a moment if she would get lost. The girl had paused in a certain spot when Xander did, so she obviously had to start walking again. Without the black armored man, though, the hallways seemed to be bigger and longer; harder to progress in. The dragonet made the mistake of looking at the walls again, where ruby's, her favorite gemstone, were sprinkled in tiny shards in a large amethyst, her second favorite gem. Her fingers twitched greedily in reaction, wanting to take hold of the piece and never let it go. Christine had to use every ounce of willpower she had to keep going and get out of the castle as soon as possible. It was virtually unbearable. Why meeee? she whimpered to herself pathetically, beginning to sprint. She was out of the place in a flash after that, but it had felt like an eternity. The princess opened the inn doors when she arrived, and got hired when she asked the man working there for a job. He said that he liked her "grace" and "swiftness". The innkeeper gave her basic instructions on what to do, like how much ale one customer could have and such. When he was done, the man stated that Christine would come in for her first day that night.
And so the plan was in motion. Hopefully, this would work.

[Ranger of the North]

some~one~ li~kes~ her~ >XD

i'm actually finding this really cute, which rarely happens so good work with that!!

[Captain Plucky]

(Huehuehuehuehue mayyyyybe <3
*gasp* thank you for da support!!!)

pooopChristine didn't realize how hard it really was to be a bartender. As the night went on, the smell of ale reeked horribly. She had no idea how the people here could smell such a rotten thing and still drink it. She had to try her hardest to ignore it, but as the early morning hours appeared, it became harder and harder. Not to mention there was always men flirting with her.
pooopI mean, it's flattering and all, but REALLY! You just met me literally one second ago! Like my dad would say, "have some dignity". The girl strained her ears for the hundredth time, listening as hard a she could for hints about the plan to kill King Faul. But, so far, not even her amazing hearing had gotten her anything. Whoever was planning the assassination was either very cautious, or hadn't come in yet. The dragonet snapped herself awake, noticing that she had someone asking her for some food.
pooop"A cheese slice? Of course, sir. That will be three gold." she handed the cloaked man the food, and in return he gave Christine the amount of money she asked for. With one sweeping, incredibly swift motion, the man strolled to his own table, where someone was already sitting. They started to converse in hushed, low voices. This agitated the princess, since there was already so much noise in the room. Why are they whispering? Are they trying to hide something? Maybe...a murder the king plan?? She stood up, putting on a carefree, I'm-here-to-serve expression. She walked up slowly to the table, trying to pick up as many things as she could from the duet.
pooop"Today? No. Don't be..." one of them said, then a shout of laughter echoed through the room. Christine kept in her agitation, trying to stay in her simple bartender character.
pooop"Kidding, kidding. We know it'll be on-" another employee's shrieked playfully, and the dragon almost let herself burn the place down. Wood is your friend, wood is your friend. You don't burn friends, me. Just--think of Xander, or something that makes you happy! Don't throw this all away! She refused to let the anger show in her eyes, and made it straight for the two. "Might I get you anything else, sir? A drink to wash that down?" she clasped her hands together innocently, putting on a winning grin. The female was fatigued beyond her limits, but she couldn't give up now. Not when she was so close to new discoveries. "Oh, no thank you, I don't-" "Aw, don't give her that, Sephtis! You need to loosen up once in a while! You have plenty of time to prepare for-" he paused abruptly, giving Christine a guilty look. "Th-that party that King Faul will have tomorrow! The one everyone's going to!" he cleaned up, a drop of sweat trickling down his head. Sephtis was giving his friend a look of death, forgetting about the bartenders presence. "Hmm," he growled lowly, angered at something. "Yes, I do suppose you are right. The presentation I'll be having there is all set, so I don't see why I have to worry. Except for the fact that you need to pick up your game. Do work on that stuttering while we're giving the speech together, eh?" the cloaked man suggested, his voice icy and rigid. His hood had been covering his face the whole time, and this moment was no exception. "O-okay, I will." the friend lowered his head, looking defeated. "So, that's two drinks? I'll get on them right away!" Christine chimed, clapping her hands and rushing to the desk. That was suspicious! I think I might have something here! Yay me! She was so excited about the two, she didn't even notice that they had gone out the door by the time she had the drinks poured out. When she turned to their direction, however, she knew that they were the ones. What other reason would they have to leave? Remembering all of the details she could about the two, she watched the clock go by with irritation. Why couldn't she just leave her job and go find her friend? The mercenary sighed, knowing very well that she would need to keep her spot here just in case the two suspects came back. She doubted that they would, though, knowing that someone overheard their plan. Perhaps they would if they thought Christine wasn't working there, but that was the only option she could see. The remaining hours went by in a painfully slow manner. The dragon princess had to make sure she had all of the details about the couple in her head so she could tell the mysterious alpologizer everything. I wonder what he's doing right now... she washed the tables down and stared out the window, breathing out in relief. Finally! It was sunrise! With a goodbye to her boss and a rush of energy, she sprinted to where Xander would be waiting for her report...
and realized that she couldn't remember where he told her to meet up.