By the time the fight had ended, Annabel would be very nearly frightened over the skill and power that the stranger held, taking on nearly a small army of trained mercenaries single handed and only drawing his actual weapon once for a finishing strike. Laughing in disbelief, she would grin darkly. “That is quite the rare piece I have found indeed... Now I know that I need him in my collection...” Making her way back to the town, she would spot Macha once more, looking very disheartened. Floating down to land beside the woman and walk in pace, she would keep her gaze forward as she spoke. “You seem quite fond of that one... And you have also sparked my interest as well. What is your honest opinion of him?” She would ask with genuine curiosity. “I will have you know that I have my eye on him as well, but only as a potential piece for my private collection, should we acquire him, I would not be against your... interacting with him.” She would say vaguely, not wanting to make any assumptions on her stance. “And before I forget, I also with to take back my earlier comment. Despite your not being of higher lineage, your skills in keeping yourself hidden from him were impressive. I could tell that he was keeping aware of his surroundings the entirety of that battle of his.” She would add in with a small smile, still looking ahead.
Macha was surprised as Annabel caught up with her, offering the other woman a tilt of her head in acknowledgement. She laughed softly as she considered the question, tilting her head back slightly. "He's a handsome stud. I'd hate to have to face him on my own though. A literal one man army is a little much for me." Softly she sighed, glancing at the other woman and shrugging. "I'd love to recruit him but I'd rather not try it without a lot of background information on him and back up. Even if he isn't inclined toward being recruited I wouldn't mind playing with him some more. He's rather amusing and clever." Absently she frowned, staring ahead as they walked together. "There may be too many conflicting agendas for this to amount to anything. I'm here for amusement but the rest..." She trailed off thoughtfully before shaking her head and smiling at Annabel brightly. "I do hope that we can get some amusement out of the school. Being cooped up in a classroom will be tedious. At least organizing raids will keep me partially occupied."
Annabel would chuckle softly at Macha's words, thinking that this may be the closest thing to a true case of the fabled 'love at first sight' nonsense that a majority of her previous suitors claimed with her. “Should you require it, I will aid you when you attempt to recruit him. Seeing the damage he just did to a group of my newly acquired followers has only strengthened my resolve to taking him into my collection.” She would look at Macha and smile back softly. “I look forward to becoming a student again. This time around, I won't have my family name following me, allowing me some peace and quiet. And I will admit... I had reservations about working with you, but now, I can see that you will be more enjoyable to have around. Elder Rubrum seems to be slightly out of touch to me at times, and Elder Sagen...” She would look forward once more, her expression darkening. “...The world that he wishes for is one that I simply cannot agree with. Wholesale slaughter and destruction is the path of a beast, not that of nobility.”
Annabel would sigh and look to Macha once more, her expression more tired now. “Enough of such dark thoughts for now then. I plan to retire soon, would you like to accompany me? My suite has an additional bedroom that I will not be using, and seeing how you have interested me, I would not mind your company.” She would offer with a small smile. It had been quite a long time since she has had anyone to truly talk to, so the thought of having Macha around almost seemed comforting. Despite her connections and mannerisms, she didn't have an agenda like the other Maidens, she only lived her life as she wanted. A freedom that Annabel once vainly thought she would have when she first gained her powers...
Macha frowned thoughtfully as Annabel mentioned that the army group that Zack had decimated were those she had recently allied with. "He said he was going to rough up a gang that caused him trouble some years back," she said, recalling what Zack had said earlier. "Perhaps your new friends will be able to tell us more about him and where his loyalties lie."
She pouted slightly as Anna said she was actually looking forward to being a students, though she supposed she could understand since the woman had been known as the Blackthorn Princess from what she recalled. Still, she brightened slightly as the woman said she would enjoy her company, laughing softly. "Destruction has its uses: causing fear, driving change, or even just a bit of fun. Even Rubrum will have his uses toward your goals, for all he is well known for his deadly reputation."
Surprised at the invitation to join her, Macha nodded, smiling slightly. "I would be happy to accompany you. Perhaps you could tell me about your new friends and what your plans are for them later."
Annabel would nod as Macha spoke, that information alone giving her a solid idea as to who it was. Until she could receive more proof however, she would keep quiet on her speculations. “I will not deny the usefulness of their methods, but I do think that they take those methods and go farther than necessary to get their results.” Annabel would lead the two of them to her luxurious hotel and enter the elevator, hitting the top floor button. “As for my plans with the Knights of Charlemagne...” She would smile mischievously. “Nothing short of world domination of course. I plan to reinstate the noble class to modern day life, and have my house be at the top of the noble class. But in order for that to happen, I need my collection to be filled with those of promising skills and traits. That man would be excellent as a master of security... and you I would be happy to have as a right hand in the household.”
She would close her eyes as she pictured the future she wished to have. “Complete freedom to do as I wished without being hunted because of my name, or my abilities...” When the elevator doors opened, she would return to reality and open her eyes, walking out into the corridor. Opening the door to her suite, she would trot over to the dinning room table and unload herself of her armor pieces and her scythe, which she let extend to its full form before setting against the table gently. “It's been a long day, feel free to wash up in the bath connected to your room...” She would gesture to an open door to Macha's right. “I'll be doing the same myself. There is a menu on the table for room service, tell them that you're my guest, and they will bring it up immediately.” Annabel would step into her room and close the door behind her quietly, sighing as she quickly stripped and went into the bathroom to shower, keeping the water as cold as possible. Due to her maiden abilities, by the time the water hit her skin, it would become a comfortable temperature.
After finishing her shower, Annabel would walk to her wardrobe and chuckle, deciding to surprise her guest with her night attire from her student days; a pair of beaten and worn sweatpants and a baggy black tee shirt. Leaving her hair down to dry, she would walk out into the common room and sit on the sofa, pulling out her scroll in preparation to contact Cinder and tell him what she witnessed. “It's me. A group of your men were taken out in the docks by one man, any idea who it could be?” On the other end of the line, Cinder would respond quickly before ending the call with a rushed apology. “... The Blade Hidden Within Shade... The unknown headmaster of Shade Academy. I thought so.” Annabel would sigh softly and relax, waiting for Macha to return before saying anything more.
Macha looked around a the hotel that Annabel had led her to, curious and somewhat amused at the less than covert hiding place. She turned to the other woman as she explained about their new friends, smiling back at the idea of taking over the world. While she didn't care much about the noble class, she did find the idea of taking over the world amusing. "Me? I suppose that I would be useful. Particularly working with such a skilled man as my partner," she said, laughing softly. "Perhaps we will find others to fill your collection at the school. I imagine many with potential have gathered at Beacon to study."
She couldn't relate to the idea of wanting to run away from her name or skills. She had worked hard to build herself up from a nameless, futureless orphan, making a name for herself and learning her skills the hard way. Still, she could relate to wanting freedom since that was what she had wanted for herself since she was very young in the orphanage.
With an absent smile she stepped into the guest room, sighing to herself as she went into the bathroom to take a shower. Her short, damp hair clung to her face and neck as she dressed in the spare clothes that Annabel had left for her. It wasn't terribly flattering but it was comfortable. Deciding to check on Annabel, she found the woman in the common room. Dropping into a chair with her legs crossed, she considered the woman's relaxed form. "Do we have anything to work from to track this man down? He never offered me his name."
Annabel would nod when Macha asked about information regarding the man from earlier. “The Knights believe him to be the unknown headmaster of Shade academy. 'The Blade Hidden Within Shade' is the title they had dubbed him with, because he always struck at night and ended his fights quickly so that there would be no witnesses. Remarkably, he has also not killed a single opponent, despite his constantly being outnumbered. He defeated the Knight's previous leader and sent him away to be locked up in Atlas. We are still without a name for him, but it is safe to assume that we may find him within Beacon Academy. Only time will tell when we may see him again, and as to if he will be willing to join us.”
She would glance at Macha to see her reaction, honestly not wishing to have her take the news poorly. Annabel had a feeling about the two of them that she couldn't quite shake, one that she didn't want to voice out of concern of how the other Maidens would react if they heard her thoughts on the matter. Despite their rough start, Macha did start to grow on her, perhaps it was the many years without having someone to be able to freely speak with without the constant worry that whatever is spoken would be used against her later on. With a tired sigh, she would pull out the room service menu and glance through it, feeling that a light meal would do them both some good before retiring for the night. “We will worry about such things as they come I suppose. For now, we should just rest for tomorrow, I believe Rubrum will be calling upon us for the infiltration relatively early.”
Macha sighed and slumped slightly in her chair as Anabel said he had been a headmaster and would likely be at Beacon as well. "Well, at least we should have something interesting to look forward to at the school. I'd like to get a feel for what his goals are and how he feel about what we're doing before trying to recruit him. If he's at the school that would be a perfect opportunity to learn more about him and his views."
She nodded as Annabel said they could worry about it when it was more important as they would be infiltrating the school soon. "I just hope that he doesn't take advantage of being in control of the illusions to do something...stupid." Softly she huffed, shaking her head and glancing at the menu as well, figuring it would be nice to get something to eat and rest before they had to go to the school.
