<h4>Chapter 17: Cute Masquerade</h4>


    (Do you see a staircase to your right? Go to the first floor,) Marissa instructed.


    (Marissa, do you also think I''m a nutcase?) n asked as he climbed the stairs.


    n heard her sigh, even though it was a telepathicmunication.


    <i>(Well, as my sister already said, why would you risking to the wolf''s maw after what they did to you? Just because you don''t hold a great amount of gold and have nothing to lose, doesn''t mean they can''t kidnap you and ask Astrid for a ransom.)</i> Marissa paused so that n could reflect on it. <i>(Now that you''re under her protection, you''re something else to worry about.)</i>


    <i>(Everything will be fine, I promise.)</i> From the first floor, having a wide view of the bar, he found Marissa at the far right corner, sitting with Matthew Berstein. <i>(After all... You''re keeping an eye on Astrid''s guest. Don''t you?)</i>


    From his ce, n saw Marissa looking at him.


    <i>(Did you hear that? Oh, you... enfoiré...)</i>


    <i>(I don''t know what that means, but it sounds cute.)</i>


    n snickered before turning around. In front of him, a series of doors. He read each sign as he passed them by. <i>Dahlia, Chamomile, Iris... Here it is... Sakura.</i>


    He took a deep breath before storming inside.


    "Marco Souza, we need to talk!"


    As soon as n stepped into the room, someone thrust a knife to his throat.


    "Excuse me, ma''am. I''ll deal with this nuisance outside."


    "Wait, Rupert. Let me see his face," a youthful, feminine voicemanded, prompting n to nce at a girl adorned in a ruffle dress and ribbons in her silky, brte hair. "Level five?" She scrutinized n, then gasped, her delicate hands covering her mouth. "It''s really you! Rupert, please treat this gentleman as our special guest!"


    Rupert bowed and stepped back, revealing Marco seated next to the girl.


    "What brings you here?" Marco asked, his voice steady but his golden eyes burning with intensity.


    "Calm down, my sweet prince," the girl soothed, clutching his wrist. "He''s here to talk, that''s all." She smiled at n. "Please, take a seat."


    <i>I didn''t expect him to be alone, but to see him with her...</i>


    n eyed the youngdy, wondering, <i>How old is she? She looks no older than fourteen, but that can''t be right.</i>


    "Excuse me, miss," n said, maintaining a formal posture, "but may I have a moment alone with him?"


    "You and I have nothing to discuss..." Marco began, clenching his fists.


    "I SAID SIT DOWN. It''s rude to refuse ady''s hospitality," the girl interjected sharply.


    n and Marco turned to her as her voice took on a stern tone.


    "Do as she says," Rupert murmured, handing n a cushion.


    <i>A zabuton?</i> n noted the room''s Japanese décor,plete with paintings of cherry blossoms and servants in kimonos. <i>It feels like we''re not in Londorus anymore.</i>


    Reluctantly, n sat down as a cat-eared NPC served him a drink.


    "Drinking''s better withpany," the girl beamed.


    <i>Feels like I''m a hostage again,</i> n thought, taking a cautious sip that seared his throat. "What''s this?!"


    "That''s sake," the hostess chuckled. "Strong for a first-timer. Want some apple juice instead?"


    "No, this is fine," n replied after another quick sip. "It''s actually good."


    "I own this ce, so eat and drink all you want!" she said, gesturing to a tableden with treats.


    <i>Was this poisoned?</i> n wondered, hesitating as his cup was refilled.


    "Just enjoy," she urged gently.


    "Why are you so kind to me? Do we know each other?"


    "Not exactly, n Warden, but we have a mutual friend. Lady Monique. Does that name ring a bell?"


    "Oh, right, from that restaurant! She''s lovely," n recalled, then worried, <i>Does that mean that Monique told her everything about me?</i>


    <i>Oh, holy space crap...</i>


    "I''m Kathleen Maher, leader of The Death Bringers'' Guild. Pleased to meet you, n Warden."


    n stood, a bit flustered. "The pleasure''s all mine!"


    Marco just rolled his eyes.


    <i>(Oh, she''s really here, huh?) Marissa said through Party Chat.</i>


    <i>(Do you know her?)</i>


    <i>(Yes, unfortunately. Don''t be fooled by her princess act. She''s as fierce as Astrid.)</i>


    <i>(And she chose to look like this...)</i>


    <i>(Hey, don''t judge! Some decide to change their bust size, and others prefer to look young and cute. Got a problem with that?!)</i>


    <i>(...What you''re saying is that... there is boob customization?)</i>


    <i>(Shut up!)</i>


    "Here, try the chicken," Kathleen offered, smiling warmly. "It''s better than anything at The Dragon''s Belly."


    <i>Guess I have to y along for now.</i>


    "If you insist!" n eximed, grabbing a wing. "Wow, this is fantastic! It''s all in the seasoning!"


    Kathleen beamed. "It''s my family''s recipe. Try the apple pie."


    "Mmm, amazing! You''d make a wonderful wife!"


    "ttering, but my NPCs would do the cooking!"


    "If I were the lucky one marrying you, I''d pretend you''re the one cooking. It''s your recipe, after all!"


    "Aww, that''s sweet."


    Marco gritted his teeth and leaned toward Kathleen, whispering, "Are you going to let this fool ruin our meal? This guy..."


    "I know," she replied softly, before turning to n. "But I can''t pass up the opportunity to express my gratitude to the man who helped me in destroying Shooting Stars."


    <i>(How interesting,)</i> n blurted out telepathically. <i>(Just a day ago, I firmly believed that all of the Novus Userbase had already gone through some sort of physical enhancement, but just by looking at Tamara and this brat, I can see that I was wrong.)</i>


    Marissa stammered, (<i>W-What are you--?)</i>


    <i>(Don''t mind me. I was just foolishly assuming that every woman in this simtion would have erged their breasts by now, but it''s good to see that there is still body diversity here, just like in the real world! Speaking of which, Astrid doesn''t need any enhance--)</i>


    <i>(Why are you still thinking about that?! Pay attention to their conversation instead!)</i>


    <i>The ''one that helped her destroy...''</i>


    n stared at Kathleen. "You''re not talking about me, are you?"


    "Of course, silly! And for that, you have my eternal gratitude. Kasumi, show him the Guild Ranking list, please."


    The NPC projected an image disying the best guild in all the Novus. Death Bringers was in 5th ce, but there was no sign of Shooting Stars.


    "Watch where Shooting Stars is now," Kathleen chuckled. The list scrolled down to 110th ce. She then burst intoughter, her childlike giggle filling the room. "Good luck climbing back up! It''s just as hrious every time I see it!"


    n lowered his gaze to the reflection in his cup. <i>So this is the game we''re ying.</i>


    He took another gulp. "Hey, you two seem very close. And you..." He pointed at Marco with a half-eaten chicken leg, "you found a new guild quickly. It''s as if you nned this all along."


    Kathleen''s smile widened. "I''ve known Marco since the early days of Novus."


    "Is that right?" n smirked.


    "That''s correct," she replied, her expression yful. "Sadly, when I was ready to form my own guild, he was snatched away by that gori woman. But nothing will keep us apart now, right, my prince?"


    "I''m d I could help reunite you," n said, raising his cup. "To eternal friendship!"


    "To eternal friendship!" Kathleen echoed, giggling.


    They drank in unison, with Marco giving a more reserved sip.


    <i>(Wow, Five. You''re... taking this extremely calmly.)</i>


    <i>(That''s because I can''t give her the satisfaction of seeing me mad. But I could say the same about you, Lamme. Don''t you want to kill this brat?)</i>


    <i>(There''s nothing I''d enjoy more! But I trust Astrid even more. So even if we ended up with only ten guild members, she would never give up... just like she never gave up on you.)</i>


    <i>(What do you mean?)</i>


    A momentter, Kathleen rose from her seat. "Excuse me for a minute, gentlemen. I''ll be back shortly. Please, n, keep enjoying yourself."


    As the master exited the room, apanied by one of her NPC maids, Rupert, her bodyguard, silently closed the sliding door behind them.


    <i>(You know... now that I''ve finally met you, a lot of things are starting to make sense. Especially the lyrics of—well, never mind that! Listen, n,st night I didn''t want to face what your existence actually meant to Astrid. But then the scales fell from my eyes! When she found out I was the one who literally kidnapped you—I''ve never seen her so livid. It was terrifying! That side of her made me realize just how much you mean to her. So, um... what I''m trying to say is, I''m sorry. Sorry for burning your hands yesterday, n, and for sending you into that trap.)</i>


    <i>So I''m not ''Five'' anymore, huh?</i>


    <i>(I... didn''t expect this, but sure. Apology epted.)</i>


    <i>(Y-Yeah. Whatever. Um... on a different note, I might be... ''unavable'' for the next half hour. So I won''t be able to keep babysitting you. Try not to miss me, okay?)</i>


    <i>(Understood. I''m finally where I wanted to be, so thanks.)</i>


    <i>(Oooh! The battle of wits against Marco is about to begin, huh? It''s a shame I won''t be present! Ah, and I almost forgot. I have some valuable info that might give you an edge against that asshole. It''s sure to tick—him—off~!)</i>


    <i>(Go ahead then. Shoot.)</i>


    <i>(Listen up! That guy in front of you tried to hit on Astrid for ages and failed every time! Miserably! Ha-ha-ha! It''s even funnier when you realize you and Astrid used to be an item. So he was always fighting a battle he could never win. What a clown! Am I right?)</i><i></i>


    n spat out his drink, causing Marco to wince.


    <i>Marissa Lamme, you''re chaos incarnate, just like your sister...</i>


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    "Ah! This is the good stuff!" Tamara eximed, mming another empty beer mug on the bar. <i>Where''s n? He''s missing all the fun!</i>


    She rested her chin in one hand and absentmindedly munched on peanuts with the other.


    <i>I haven''t seen Marissa around either. She''s always so elusive... Does she even like me?</i>


    "Cheers, cutie," a man suddenly said next to her, raising his mug.


    Tamara squinted at the bulky man. "William? Youe here often?"


    "Just here for business," he chuckled. "What about you?"


    Karen Svensson approached them aggressively a momentter. "What is one of Astrid''s bitches doing here?" she demanded, pointing at Tamara.


    "I was about to ask her the same," William replied quietly. "And try to be nicer, okay?"


    "I don''t have to anymore!" Karen shouted.


    <i>Am I missing something here?</i> Tamara thought, turning to survey the other patrons, some of whom sported a skull and snowke emblem.


    "Look upstairs," whispered a voice behind her.


    Tamara turned to see a couple passing by; a tall strawberry blonde girl led a young man by the arm. Was that Marissa?


    Repeating the whisper in her head, Tamara looked to the first floor and saw a young-looking girl exit a room, cross the corridor, and head downstairs. <i>What is the Snow Diamond doing here?!</i>


    Her face paled, and the bar seemed to spin. <i>Karen was with Marco just hours ago... Could Marco be here too? </i>Her heart raced. <i>W-Where is n?</i>


    "Tamara?" William whispered, leaning in. "I''ve convinced Karen to back off, but I can''t ensure your safety if others recognize you. You should leave. I''ll escort you out."


    Tamara felt the pressure of William''srge hand on her shoulder.


    <i>I need to call Astrid...</i>