Hell Hath No... // Alicia

[Ayameru Crossfire]

... fury than Aya scorned.

Ok, she expected that someone might try something fresh with her. When you saw a cute little fairy with blazing red hair, and an appearance that screamed she wouldn't hurt a fly, any low running pick pocket-er would make her a target. Well~ That's where you're wrong!

All she wanted was to buy some sweets. She was starving! It was a simple mission in and out of Castle Town. Then she'd be on her way serving her craving, and be a happy fairy. Not even the simplest of things could go right without something going wrong. That happened to be the time when Aya lost it. A lone male was tailing her as she passed the street. His pace picked up little by little until finally she made a turn into the alley where he found his chance to strike.

When he turned the corner, he was met with a violent explosion as smoke came poking out from the side of the alley. There was a commotion happening and innocent spectators watched with worried expression. A smoked thief came crawling out of the alley with fiery daggers shot at him. Aya prowled out of the alley afterwards with a killer look, and a ball of fire in the palm of her hands. It actually amusing in a dark sense. A stout little fairy girl intimidating a thief twice her size.

"Got any final words?" she grinned viciously. Pissed off? Aya? Nah, never~ Whatever gave you that impression?

What a fine day in Castle Town~

[alicia]

x x

Alicia hadn't been a Lieutenant long, but she'd gone to work the moment she'd been promoted. She'd tried to organize the men and women under her command, establishing proper patrol routes and slightly rigorous routines, and in light of that she'd decided to try and lead by example. It wouldn't exactly be fair to suddenly impose new restrictions on those under her command while at the same time taking a lighter load for herself. Besides, she knew Zenethil didn't approve of layabouts, and she wasn't about to be one. She had earned her place here, and she would prove that she deserved it through the same hard work.

So, she'd gone to the Market District, one of the places that needed the most thorough and careful attention. Thieves tended to congregate here, drawn by all the full, jingling purses that were being bandied about by the customers of the stores and stalls. You needed a watchful, calm eye, and Alicia had both. The only thing she didn't have was an intimidating stature: she was short, slender, and looked that she'd be as much at home as a patron rather than a bodyguard. So she'd brought several of her swords with her, sheathed into the complex apparatus of belts on her back. If she wasn't intimidating by herself, those things certainly were, and the fact that they didn't seem to weigh her down in the slightest just made it more impressive. At least, that was what she hoped. She knew that someone like Zenethil would command respect and awe wherever he went. She didn't, not the first time around, so she had to make up for it.

So, when Alicia saw a huge plume of smoke rise from a back alley, she knew she had to move immediately. She could not let something like this happen so quickly after she'd just managed to scrape out a bit of success at a Knight. She drew a small sword from her belt and rushed towards the explosion, warning several people to let her investigate it alone. Most listened, which was encouraging. As she neared the source of the explosion, she saw that a crowd had gathered. She took a deep breath, and told herself,

You can do this, Alicia.

Then, once she was done coaching herself, her voice rang out, not exactly loud, but firm and unrelenting.

"Back away! Get out of the way, I'm a Knight." People moved aside, and she walked through, holding her sword loosely in her hand, but still at the ready.

She saw, to her amusement, a red-headed girl--from her stature, she was guessing a fairy--backing down a man that was at least twice her size. Alicia resisted the urge to smile. The girl was very...

"What's going on here? What are you doing to this ... m- what are you doing to this man?" Alicia said, stumbling over her words and cursing herself mentally. She'd been a little distracted.

[Ayameru Crossfire]

"Well, scumbag? I'm waiting," she tapped her foot in a slow paced rhythm. All she could was unintelligible whimpering that she concluded were deepest apologies. He looked like he was about to piss himself with his incessant trembling. There was small talk in the background. Whispers of how such a young woman could be such a delinquent, but from the looks of it, she was defending herself. Her actions however could have been less... violent. It only served the jerkass to mess with a fairy who happened to be a pyromancer!

Then a figure of authority came into the scene.

The small fairy let out a 'tch' clicking her tongue against the soft pallet in her mouth. Some law abiding guard was going to stop her dealing the type of punishment Aya thought would be suitable for this man. The thief thought with the knight approaching the scene it would be his chance to get away. However the redhead noticed right away his movements, and caught the fabric of his pants with her own sword, stabbing it into the ground. He was completely pinned, and had no where else to go~

Firelight eyes stared with disinterest as the proclaimed Hylian Knight made her appearance. The fireball in her hand dissolved into a puff of smoke. Ayameru shrugged nonchalantly as she turned her gaze at the caught thief. "This piece of shit over here tried mugging me," she explained as calmly as she can, "I acted out of defense, and about to give him punishment he deserves. If you get in my way then..."

She stopped in the middle of her sentence looking at Alicia. Her guard was completely thrown off as she quirked a brow up. Discomfort washed over her frame, but she quickly saved face. "What?" she furrowed her brows slightly. What was that sudden hesitance for? Did Aya have ash on her face?

[alicia]

x x

"N-Nothing," Alicia said, before almost swearing out loud. What was wrong with her? Alicia couldn't believe how much of a fool she'd already made of herself. She felt a red flush rising in her cheeks, both from her own embarrassing verbal blunder earlier, and probably more from the fact that she'd caught herself thinking about another woman, particularly another woman who she was supposed to be dealing with professionally, in an ... inappropriate manner. She felt the blush getting worse, in front of all of those people, and she forced herself to stop thinking such ridiculous thoughts. What would Zenethil think if he heard that she started blushing like some schoolgirl in front of at least one criminal? It didn't bear thinking about. Even worse if other knights heard about it.

She forced herself to clear her head, and purposefully walked towards the criminal, trying not to look at the fairy girl, with the stunning red hair and the--Okay, that's enough.

"Is this true?" Alicia asked the man, finally managing to level her head and get over that weird flustering feeling. She didn't like feeling so ... conflicted. It made things difficult. The man, meanwhile, apparently oblivious to Alicia's own blunder, nodded his head in confirmation. Alicia sighed. That left her with the very real problem of what to do with the hand she'd been dealt. On one hand, a confessing criminal who was all but begging to be locked away. On the other, she had a violent, pyromaniac fairy girl who'd nearly set half the town on fire over some change. She turned away from the criminal and looked to the fairy girl, wondering what she could do.

Pull it together, she told herself, managing to look evenly at the girl. She flipped her sword back into her sheath, hoping she wouldn't need it now.

"Be that as it may, you can't just blow up half the town. You could've hurt or scared someone," Alicia said, keeping the criminal in her field of view, just to be sure. "I can't let you attack this man, but I will take him to jail. Everything will be fine," Alicia said, her voice cool and calming. She tried very hard to look into the fairy girl's eyes, before, after long, she had to look away. There was something about her intensity. She instead waved an arm at the crowd. "Everybody leave! The show's over, now," she said, her voice soft. After a moment, people started to walk away, until only the criminal and the two women were left. Alicia rested a hand on her hip, almost as a sort of comfort. "What, um ... what did you say your name was?" She was trying, and failing spectacularly, to sound nonchalant.

[Ayameru Crossfire]

This woman had total control of the scene of the crime like a trainer had control over their dog with a leash made of sewing thread. For a Hylian Knight she sure didn't appear like the commanding, and authoritative figure those group of law upholding tin cans were suppose to have. You know, to keep control of the community, and protect the innocent~ Still, it didn't help the fact that Aya felt tense with this woman around. Not because of the fact she was dealing with a Knight of the Royal Family, but rather the look Alicia was giving her. What's this woman's problem, Aya thought mentally.

Aya glared at the culprit when the blonde approached him, and got her confirmation. Damn right, he better confess for what he did! The fairy girl crossed her arms closing her eyes with a subtle annoyance. Figures her wrath would seek no release by the end of this confrontation. Knowing that the man would rather be put in jail than to walk the very pavements Aya stood on, she saw no need to keep him pinned, and withdrew her own sword. Upon release, the coward hid behind Alicia. No shame whatsoever.

"Way to suck the fun out it," she sighed. Any motivation to pulverize the crap out of the guy dissolved. It was soon replaced with the initial craving she had. That was right, she was hungry, and she needed food. Placing her sword back in its sheath, she opened her fiery eyes to look over to Alicia. "Ayameru Crossfire," she answered, "Aya for short."

She could be mild mannered under the right circumstance. It just so happen that good fortune smiled upon the events at hand, and she didn't want anymore stress than what had been concluded. Nothing more. Nothing less. Still, Aya was bothered by this woman's strange look. Did she have a problem with the fairy in particular? It was driving her nuts! Crossing her arms, she asked, "Got a name I can address you by, miss Knight?"

[alicia]

x x

Alicia almost wanted to scream. She wasn't this bad, normally! Honest. At least, that was what she told herself. Something had just ... unnerved her. This wasn't natural. She had to believe that, or she was the biggest embarrassment in the history of the Knighthood. It was a bad day. Everyone had their bad days, right?

Well, at least her hair looked good. She'd been letting it grow a bit long, lately. She thought of cutting it, but then again, sh--

Why am I thinking about this crap? she thought hopelessly. She raised a hand to her forehead and sighed.

"I'm sorry if I have seemed ... distracted," she said, honestly. Best be straightforward. Right? Right. "Not that you seemed particularly distressed when I got here, but you weren't attacked in any way, were you? It changes what we're to do with him," Alicia continued, almost matter-of-factly. She gestured vaguely in the direction of the thief with her sleeved hand, and was a little pleased when he flinched, as though in fear. Well, not very pleased. She didn't enjoy the thought that anyone was scared by anyone else. But in a less rigid sense it was nice to know that the thief, at least, didn't think she was just a joke. Alicia smiled and nodded when she heard Ayameru's name.

"It's very nice to meet you, Ayameru. I'm Alicia Stoneheart. Uh, Lieutenant of the Hylian Knights," she added hastily, resisting the urge to say something stupid and apologetic.

You are a Knight, Alicia! Hell, you're a Lieutenant! Act like one!

Somehow, berating herself mentally didn't seem to help things. She was still blushing, though it was only a light pink colouring in her cheeks.

[Ayameru Crossfire]

Bad day didn't do enough to describe this peculiar event. Sure, it sucked that she didn't get a chance to do some corporal punishment, but it was probably best to drop it now. No point in beating on a dead horse, right? If she didn't know any better, Aya could swear that the knight was going to pull her hair out at any minute. Did all of the knights have loose screws in the brain? Then again she didn't really know how to read people that well so she thought most people were complicated to begin with.

"That's a bit of an understatement," she commented, "No harm done here... on either ends. All I got was a threat for my rupees, then I smoked him." The stoned buildings luckily were only marred with what remained of the charred explosion previously. Not to mention it smelled of burnt pavements as the think veil of smoke disappeared from the area. Aya grinned. "Am I going to jail too for misdemeanor?" she asked jokingly.

Aya wouldn't be surprised if she might throw Alicia off the rails a bit. Most expected fairies to be friendly, and fun-loving creatures when in the presence of company. For the most part, she did fit the traits, but she wasn't open to being friends with everyone, and anybody who crossed her path. Her temper tended to get the better of her most times, and she could be one frightening fairy. Quite amusing from someone watching from the outside looking in. She was like a kitten hissing at getting splashed by water~

"Or perhaps you'll give me a warning this time, lieutenant?" she giggled. The way she addressed herself as one of the officers of the knights... It would seem that she was still getting used to being called that. So it probably wasn't long before she was appointed to this position. The crimson fairy was a bit confused as to why she was blushing so much, but she certainly was pretty under this new light~

[alicia]

x x

Alicia was grateful that the man seemed to be just a petty thief, rather than a brutal burglar who physically harassed his targets. That would've complicated matters significantly. As it was, dealing with the man was relatively simple. Alicia snapped her fingers as a nearby guard walked by to investigate, before he'd even managed to say anything, and commanded,

"This man has attempted a theft, though there was no violence involved. You know how to handle him, yes, Sir Knight?" Alicia asked, in a tone that, while not unkind, was firm and authoritative. The Knight nodded, and took the man rather roughly by the hand, leading him out of the alleyway. Alicia smiled to herself. At least that had been taken care of fairly easily. Maybe she was cut out for this Lieutenant business after all.

She laughed at Ayameru's comment, and shook her head. For the first time, she seemed as though she wasn't burdened by the awkwardness of their first encounter.

"No, no ... there's no real risk of that. Though I would ask you try to play the property destruction down a bit in the future," Alicia said, her voice light and playful. She laughed, resting a hand on her hip again as Ayameru joked. She was glad that she hadn't completely flubbed things up, at least, not yet. She smiled.

"I think I just did. A warning. But next time it'll be all sound and fury," she said, sounding quite as though she didn't mean it at all. "Honestly, I can't really get mad that you protected yourself. It makes my job easier, in a way. But with all those people there ... I couldn't just go approving of vigilante justice in front of them, you know?"

She fell silent for a while, and started wondering what to say. Well, the best thing to say would probably be a quick goodbye, since she was a Knight, but she found herself not wanting to just leave. Suddenly, without really thinking, she said,

"You know, I'm just about to go off duty, anyway ... would you like to grab a bite to eat? My treat. Call it an apology for that scene back there."

Hang on, what did I just say?!

[Ayameru Crossfire]

Convenient, Aya thought. She liked the whole snap your fingers, and your subordinates come instantly trick. The little fairy smirked at the tone of voice Alicia carried when giving orders to a knight most likely a rank lower than her. While yes, she gave her commands professionally, but Aya sensed no... how to put it, 'strength' behind her commands. Maybe she was over thinking it entirely, but really, even with her many blades on hand to compensate for her lack of intimidation, the redhead wasn't phased. OR maybe that was what Alicia wanted people to think? Give her the edge of her opposition~

... Probably not. Aya resisted the urge to laugh again. Why? She couldn't explain it in detail per say, but she was starting to grow amused with this lieutenant. It was endearing to watch her be all big, and commanding when she herself lacked the stature, and the voice for it. Ironic, in a way, isn't it? Never quite met an interesting second in command of such a prestige group of goody two-shoes before. Aya pouted when she was given the 'don't play with fire' tease. "Fine fine," she whined in a bratty tone.

Aya blinked. Vigilante justice? Scratching the back of her head, she grinned sheepishly, getting where she was coming from. It still sucked the fun out of everything, but she did that one little advantage, you know, having the law on her side. She didn't like a few codes in the protocols of being a knight, but there was a lot of things she didn't like about in life in general. So she sucked it up, and kept her grumbling to a minimum. "Goody two-shoes," she teased. "I gotcha~"

Aya quickly dismissed her notes of being a good civilian. One thing for sure, the little fairy softened up a bit towards the lady knight. She had the obvious upholder of justice spiel going on due to her position, but the crimson haired fairy believed she could make friends with her. It was difficult not to like Alicia~

Even more so when she offered to treat for lunch. Dear Din, she wanted to protest so badly not wanting someone to pay for her meal, but the second food crossed her mind, her stomach betrayed her. A loud rumbling escaped from her little tummy, and instantly the fairy's face flushed bright red. It almost matched her equally scarlet hair. Alicia could take that as a silent acceptance~

[alicia]

x x

Alicia tried not to seem like a total dork. Normally, she wasn't nearly this bad ... she could even sound halfway commanding when she really felt like it. But she supposed that was how it was. Start something off on the wrong foot, and you wind up being awkward for the rest of the day. Maybe it really was a good idea for her to take the rest of the day off from patrol. She didn't need to make the knights under her command think that she was a complete airhead. She sensed that the fiery redhead wasn't exactly thrilled with Alicia's request to try and stay her hand the next time, but at least she humoured Alicia.

"Being a goody two-shoes is kinda a prerequisite for protecting the realm," Alicia said sheepishly, not sounding defensive so much as embarrassed. She realized that she was gripping her left arm, the one wrapped in cloth, with her right hand, nervously. The grimaced mentally and tried to casually let her right hand fall back to her side. As if such a thing were realistically possible. Alicia laughed, surprised, when the fairy's stomach actually audibly rumbled, which at least let her know that her guess had been right. Alicia smiled. It was nice to see the other person blushing, for once, and at a much deeper red than Alicia had thought possible.

"Come on, follow me. I know a nice place not far from here." Alicia smiled at the young fairy, looking positively cheerful. Her nervousness, at least, was gone, perhaps encouraged by the knowledge that she wasn't the only person in the city who could say or do something embarrassing.

[Ayameru Crossfire]

The fairy girl smiled. Yeah, we had our occasional blunders here, and there. No big deal, right? Good. So she could find it reasonable that it was fair to get payback for exploiting Alicia's prior embarrassment. Not that it was a big deal on either ends of the femme spectrum. Still, the redhead wasn't going to let go how humiliating her body betrayed her intents. There was no denying it now, she really was starving, to the point of frustration... which probably was what fueled her anger that started the chain of events.

Now that was a great story to tell~ She made friends with a Hylian Lieutenant from nearly blowing up a portion of Castle Town simple out her hunger. The flames in her eyes gleamed like the glow of candlelight. "Never said it was a bad thing," Aya inquired, "It's very admirable of you, is all, Ali~"

Aya stepped up to her and tilted her youthful face up toward Alicia (reveling in how short she was—amusingly just a few inches taller than Aya herself) and closed what little space was between them in the market. She smiled then, a real one, slow and steady and just the slightest bit sensual. She was doing it on purpose, just to see her shiver or get angry or anything.

The petite fairy never messed with girls like this before—she would flirt a little here and there, remembering the fine company she shared at a bar. Sekhmet was definitely a lovely drinking partner. And right then, with her face so close to the knight, she realized she never kissed a girl before either~

She had to resist fluttering her bright red wings from the sudden electricity surging through her frame. Aya gave space backing up a few steps. Brushing back a few scarlet locks, she calmly kept her hands in place at her sides before allowing a giggle to escape. "Lead the way, my lady," she gestured.

[alicia]

x x

"Ali?" Alicia asked, blinking in confusion. Then she felt her blush return. "Oh, right. Me. Alicia. Got it," she said, her pale cheeks nearly going beat red. It was all she could do to resist saying something else, something else that was bound to make her seem like a fool again. Then the fairy came closer to her, looking up in her eyes. Alicia didn't know exactly what to do or say, and wound up just sort of staring at the girl's face. Her blush was getting worse, and she realized she was just dumbly staring into her eyes, those fiery, red eyes.

"Uh...."

Very intelligent, she told herself mentally, suddenly backing away in a really graceful stumble. A nervous, embarrassed laugh escaped from her lips, and she realized she was all but wringing her left arm out. She forced herself to let her right hand fall back to her side, and tried not to think about how hard she'd been looking at the fairy's lips, that had curved into that smile so slowly--

What am I thinking, she thought in despair, suddenly wishing she could just collapse into a hole in the ground. But she'd already gone and said she'd get them food! Why'd I have to go and open my big mouth? she thought, keeping her groan to herself. She decided to just ignore it and start walking towards the diner she knew of--well, really more of a pub that happened to serve really good food.

"Milady? Haha ... right," she said, with remarkable eloquence, "Well, this way ... it's just down the street, here...."

[Ayameru Crossfire]

You would think with someone with such fair skin blushing would be a heavy contrast against their skin. Well, Aya couldn't have been wrong than she was before. It looked very nice against Ali's complexion. It was so not fair, damn her~! Her weakness are her greatest strength. How the hell was that even possible? Again, she found it very difficult to find any reason to dislike her. She was very adorkable~

Alicia's expression no doubt had to be the most priceless image the fairy girl has ever seen. The way she elegantly stumbled slightly when the redhead closed in on her. The playful sprite giggled like a bubbly spring in the green meadows of Faron. What the hell was she thinking? This weirdness Ali had was rubbing off on her! Aya wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing now.

Let's not forget that the two of them were heading out to eat. Things could only get interesting from here on out. Aya trailed beside her new found companion with a giddy glee that was almost hard to fathom for a temper throwing spit fire such as herself. Still, she couldn't imagine being in a better position than to be treated to some food. That didn't mean the trip would be made in silence~

"You know, it's cute when you get all flustered like that," flashed a grin. Subtlety? Nonexistent in Aya's book.

[alicia]

x x

The way Ayameru giggled simultaneously made Alicia smile while also making something in her stomach start doing backflips. Alicia wasn't really ready to admit that she was attracted to the girl, not really able to make that sort of logical jump, but she was certainly aware that Ayameru made her extremely nervous. Not intimidated, exactly, but definitely excited, in the sort of way that was kind of terrifying. She tried to push past it. Then Ayameru told her she was cute when she blushed.

"Cute?" she blurted, laughing nervously. She grasped her left wrist behind her back again, massaging it nervously and arching her back, halfway like a lazy cat, though one under considerable stress. "Um, well, uh ... thank you, Ayameru," she stuttered, remembering to stop grabbing her friggin' arm. She disguised the motion by bringing her hand up to brush her hair out of her eyes. Smooth, Alicia, very smooth. She led Ayameru down the alleyway, across a street, and into a place called The Tiger's Eye. She grinned and led Ayameru in, going over to take a seat. A waiter would be with them shortly, probably.

Until then, though, she'd have to fill in the time waiting with talking. Oh, no.

[Ayameru Crossfire]

The only thing Aya was really aware of was the fact she was befriending a knight of Hyrule. A lieutenant at that as well! While it didn't worry her so much, she had to be careful with just how friendly she was getting. Nothing personal, but when you're a part of a pirate's crew, you could imagine how important secrecy suddenly becomes in your life. Especially when socializing with new people. While she wasn't blatantly proud of her new position, she was still quite happy to be a part of something interesting. A little note on the side, mind you~

"You're quite welcome. By the way, call me Aya," she beamed. Her smile was warm, and affectionate - perhaps a little more overly than needed. Still, Aya stood true to what she said. Ali was a very cute woman, and when the fairy saw something attractive, she was going to praise what rightfully deserves it. The blonde's looks definitely was worth praise, and admiration.

She caught out of the corner of her fiery eye a little habit Alicia tended to make. She make a very quick save to cover up her nervous habit. Aya really had to fight back the snicker just begging to come out. Following right behind, she entered the pub, amused with the name before sitting herself comfortably awaiting for their server to catch them. "Knight or not, it's ok to be praised for your femininity," she tried to ease up Ali's tension. "You sound like you've never gotten a compliment before."

She was lightheartedly joking, but if that really was the first time she's gotten admiration from her feminine side... well, Aya would have probably flipped a lid or two. Ok, maybe not. Still! Point stands~