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Secrets were delicious. Far better than any apple. Kin watched the clones closely, delighted at their shared reaction. It shed light into the true nature of this party trick. Neither illusions nor mindless magic constructs were so... lifelike. Now wasn’t that intriguing?

The trickster pretended to blush at the compliment. “Oh, you flatter me, good sir...” Her tone didn’t hold the fake shyness for long. “...But you’re right. I’m amazing~” She puffed her chest, smiling oh so smugly.

Taking a step back, the ghostly mage gave the four men plenty of room to work their magic. Her smile sharpened. Hm hm, tonight was full of interesting secrets...

Just as planned, Kin swooped in to steal the credit. “That’s right!” Her eyes burned with an eerie glow as she looked down on the famished and filthy slaves. “You mortals may now bow down and worship me as your savior.” Flinching at the ghastly tone, the unfortunate souls looked at each other. From one master to another, someone muttered grimly.

One after another, they followed the command...

After a moment of tense silence, the trickster’s mask cracked. Laughter seeped through. “Pffft hahahahaha~!” She laughed herself breathless before the giggles finally subsided. “Oooh... Oh wow, you actually did it...” Wiping away her tears, she flashed a cheeky grin. Her chiming voice left the slaves flustered.

“Just kidding~!”

Sovereign Pale

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Ma stepped out of the home with tired look on her wrinkled face. She had just started a spiel about how, for the hundredth time, eggs did not -splat-. Another bullseye painted the old woman’s face with yolk. It left her stunned and blinking. Her son muttered something about having told her so.

Kin snickered and offered Anniken encouraging pats. “Nyeh hee, nice shot~” She approved of how her fellow sniper picked the targets. Old-timers were all grumpy, stubborn and so infuriatingly self-righteous. All the traits she hated combined into a wrinkly package. Bleh. Made them perfect prank targets though.

Grabbing one more egg, the trickster eyed the targets. Maybe the fumbling farmhand? Or the cranky granny? No and no... She had a different target in mind... Slowly she raised the egg, as if taking aim. “Watch this...” She pointed into the distance, at nothing specific.

It was only a distraction after all.

Suddenly Kin’s smile sharpened. In a swift motion she brought the egg down, aiming to splatter it right between the wolfish woman’s pointy ears. Yes, the best target was the one with the fanciest clothes! Payback!

A.J. Godfrey

While the trickster would’ve loved to poke the lizardwoman for more reactions, she had two new targets to play with instead. Still, the heated reaction told her all she needed to know... And next time she knew exactly where to poke.

Kin brought a finger to her lips with soundless hush. She leaned towards the two figures and closed her eyes. Beneath her breath she mused quietly. “Hmm... Ah... I see... So that’s how it is...” After a moment of eavesdropping, her eyes flickered open again. She directed a confident look at her partner. “Nope, not a word~” A cheeky smile underlined the joking tone.

Meanwhile, one of the suspicious fellows stood up and started sauntering towards the spot where the mages where hiding. Judging by his lazy pace and slightly swaying steps though, he hadn’t noticed them. Up close it was easy to see the man was carried bit too much steel to be a simple camper. Two sharp daggers hung from his belt. And his exposed arm had a tattoo of a coiled snake, a symbol of local bandit gang. The trickster still thought her tattoos were much nicer.

Kin watched curiously from the shadows as the drunken man approached. Now, if he didn’t spot them, then why did he come here? He just... walked up to a tree, undid his belt and... “Oh. Ew.” She immediately looked away. A whisper drifted across the air to her partner. “Yeahhh, this guy is all yours... I’ll go get the other one...” She called this reverse dibs.

While the lizardwoman voiced her concerns regarding the super awesome special plan, the trickster’s excitement deflated with a sigh. “Oh, that’s a shame...” Her eyes gleamed and smile sharpened. “...I didn’t think you’d be such a scaredy-cat~!” The barbed comment came with a playful, taunting chime. The first poke~! Reactions told more than words ever could.

Worry had no hold over Kin. Stealing was her specialty, especially when it came to things described as rare, forbidden or delicious. Her mind was already brimming with ideas on how to use her new partner as bait. Like disguising the woman as a freaky forest monster and pushing her through the hideout’s front door!

“...!”

Suddenly the shady mage stopped dead on her tracks. Her hand quickly reached out to stop Kaida as well. A sly whisper hissed past her lips. “Shhh... Did you hear that...?” The golden eyes darted between the ruins. Talking. Someone was talking... The words were faint, unintelligible in their echo, but definitely there.

Kin tiptoed off of the path, climbing up a fallen tree trunk and peering across the ruined landscape. ...There! She slipped behind a tree and pointed twice into the broken building ahead. Two scraggly figures were sitting by the entrance, passing a hip flask between each other and laughing about something.

Much to Kin’s quiet relief, her partners agreed to get moving. ...Wait, partners? She turned her quizzical stare towards the voices, finding five more of the masked man. Curiosity sparked immediately within the golden gaze. Now wasn’t that a fun little party trick?

The trickster followed the lead, bouncing down from her perch. Deftly she bounced between the outcrops jutting from the cliffside. If the clones didn’t move it, one of them would’ve gotten the honor of softening her landing with his face. Buuut if the walking footstools evaded her, a quick roll would do. It was almost as fun too.

Kin mirrored the smiles with a crescent grin of her own. “Hee, as if I would let you have all the fun. Of course I’m coming.” She hurried after the duplicates, blending into the darkness like a mischievous little shadow. Only the occasional flash of lightning caught a peek of her while she moved.

Upon reaching the first unattended shipping container, the sneaky mage pressed against it. Her eyes and body light up with a ghastly glow. Without a sound, she simply slipped right through the wall. Few seconds later she walked out from the other side. “Just fruits in here...” Her disappointed whisper was accompanied by a soft chomp as she bit into a fresh apple. Mmh, sweet~! Okay, less disappointed now.

Sovereign Pale

Devilish thoughts swirled inside the trickster’s head. Oh, she could hardly wait for the little cat to reveal his true... joy? Her expression went blank. Imaginary gears came to a grinding halt. Not a single thought could get through.

After a precarious pause, a bright pink hue flared across Kin’s features. Wide-eyed, slack-jawed surprise sent her recoiling. Desperately she tried to shield her face with waving hands. “No-thatwas-Ijust-you’rewrong...” Her usually sharp and swift tongue was getting all tangled up. W-what was this cat babbling about?! It wasn’t supposed to go like thiiis!

The overwhelming warmth radiating from Topaz was too much for the blushing blonde to handle. She just... flopped over and curled up. Good-spirited... Harmless... The words meant as compliments stung her trickster pride like daggers. She was supposed to be a devilish prankster! A mischievous spirit! She couldn’t be anyone’s playmate...

That’s not how the world worked.

It was the mention of the guild that caught Kin’s attention again. The golden gaze peeked from between the shielding fingers. “The guild...?” She voiced the question with feigned ignorance, as if the whole term was foreign to her. It helped that she couldn’t really imagine what kind of guild would have a naive kitten as a member.

Notorious B.I.G.