The Turnover Ceremony (Prudence)

[starr]

Starr could not believe she came to the turnover ceremony. She could not believe she would receive two invitations. She could not believe that one letter invited Starr Gnael. She could not believe another letter arrived to invite Selena Law and confirmed her fears that someone knew about her identity. Whoever they were, she knew she had to find them and do something to keep them from blabbing what they know to anyone. Secretly, she wanted to talk to them and find out what they know too because she was curious. The chance of finding the sender of the ‘Selena Law’ owl at the ceremony was not a hundred percent but she was not going to let an opportunity of finding the sender pass without trying. After all, this person was probably the one who murdered Nathaniel Gnael.

One of the butlers greeted her, asked for her invitation and she gave it over to him. “Welcome to the Ceremony, Miss Gnael.” The butler gave her a nod and whispered. “I’m sorry about your father. He was a good man.” Which one? Starr wanted to ask but just smiled solemnly at butler as she took her invitation from his hand and neatly placed it back on her velvet purse, which matched her Amethyst necklace and her long dark violet gown.

As she walked around the hall, she could not help but feel a bit suffocated by the different smells of the guests. They did not smell bad, it was just Starr was not fond of having any form of sensory overload. The guests’ different perfumes permeated the air and the slytherin found herself wanting to isolate herself for a while before the ceremony started. So she started moving away from the crowd and said a lot of ‘excuse mes’ as she made her way to the corridor that seemed to be unoccupied. Upon arrival, she saw a door and decided to come in and rest for a while, try to calm herself before watching the turnover ceremony. She heard that Justin Law was the one who would host the ceremony and she could not help but be curious if alleged Justin was Justin Law.

Upon opening the door, she felt sheepish. Judging by the faces of its occupants, they were engaged in some serious conversation. She was surprised when Vasilisa greeted her the way she always used to. “Hello Vasilisa.” She greeted back, quite relieved to see a familiar face. A familiar voice greeted her as she stepped in to the room and she focused on him. “Oh hello …” She trailed off, knowing she could not say ‘alleged Justin.’ As she eyed him, she wondered if he was the one who invited ‘Selena Law’... for until then, she did not know if he knew that he had a half sister with that name.

[Prudence Campbell]

Prudence watched Vasilisa and Justin converse. It was obvious that Vasilisa wanted to postpone the ceremony and Justin wanted to just push through with it. As she observed along the sidelines, she realized how much responsibility a noble had. At times like this, they sort of held the lives of the people whose lives might be at stake if in case an attack really happened. Also, just by observing, she could not help but admire how calmly they discussed matters. If she had been in their place, she would have panicked or worst fight for her point in a way that was far from calm, which of course, in situations such as this, would get her nowhere.

Upon hearing Justin’s reply, she could not help but think twice about her former opinion. However, she still kept an open mind and eyed Vasilisa just in time to see her nod slowly. The slytherin girl seemed to think everything through for a while. “It’s just not about Prue, me and you. I was referring to the guests, other nobles, the guardians and everyone who are present.” Vasilisa said calmly, her gaze focused on Justin. “If I’m hurt, I’m hurt. Don’t make a murderer out of Emil.” Vasilisa grinned at Justin and shook her head.

Prudence felt bad about all this. At the back of her mind, she knew this was going to be tomorrow’s bad news. However, she found Justin’s words convincing. If they caught the murderer tonight, their problem would end right there and then. Truth be told, this was an opportunity that the Ravenclaw wanted to grasp, but she it just felt wrong to risk everyone safety. Surely there was another way to catch him, a circumstance that no one would be risked but her. “You don’t have to risk yourself for cousin’s safety. We can just postpone the ceremony. I know we can think of a reason. However, you sound so sure that everything will be okay so I won’t interfere anymore. All I can say is that, please, just please, do consider my opinion.” Vasilisa said softly before she rearranged her dress and shifted on her chair gracefully.

Everyone’s attention was suddenly on Janine as Justin gave him her orders. Prudence watched as the older woman nodded at Justin politely. The woman did no speak but her facial expression spoke legions. She looked ready for battle, like it was about to happen any second then. Could she sense the bad vibes too? Suddenly, every cell in Prudence’s brain shouted at her to speak up and warn Justin about the bad vibes she had been catching. However, after a long internal debate, she found herself wanting to nail the murderer so much she just bit her lip and kept her thoughts to herself, completely unaware that she just made a mistake that she would regret for the rest of her life.

[petercozart]

It was a bright sunny day and many people were making their way towards the main town. Among them, a tall, muscular guy slowly walked and effectively blended with the crowd, occasionally talking and smiling at people. The people whom he talked to smiled back at him, finding him to be very sociable and knowledgeable regarding many topics. The young man then casually asked for directions to the Law family manor and they gladly pointed it out to him, adding that there was to be an upcoming turnover ceremony going on there. The young man smiled politely, telling them that he only wanted to see it up close since it was one of the oldest manors to ever exist. He then waved off his thanks and sped off towards the direction of the manor.

When he rounded a sharp bend, his aura changed, from being a sociable person, he slipped into the persona of a ruthless hunter. He fingered his tattered black coat, where in his collection of small knives and his wand were kept. He then continued on his short walk until he then realized that he was already in front of the large gates leading to the manor. "Finally I'm here," he murmured, as he placed both of his hands on the pockets of his coat. He then willed himself to float until he was already high enough to afford a good view of the manor.

He could see that there were a few guards on patrol the grounds; they seemed to be very alert and tense. He wondered whether they were already promptly informed of his escape from the clutches of the aurors. He smiled tersely and realized that they were indeed well-prepared for his onslaught. "Well, let's see who will be having the last laugh," he said to himself. He then cautiously landed on a high tree branch, and took out his wand from his coat pocket. He aimed his wand stealthily on the nearest guards and casted the killing curse nonverbally on them. He smiled menacingly as they were hit squarely head on. He then jumped from tree to tree, hitting all the guards silently with a barrage of spells until the path to the door was already clear. He then prepared himself to go down when suddenly, somebody leaped into the tree and aimed his wand on the back of his head. "Don't move or I'll kill you," the man said. He then smiled and said, "Oh, you think so?" before he disappeared from the man's sight and reappeared at his back, piercing his neck with one of his short knives. The man keeled over and fell off from the tree dead.

The young man then jumped off the tree gracefully and surveyed the dead bodies before him. He really liked to make his kills without shedding blood but upon gazing at the man whom he killed with his knife, he could not help but shake his head at him. "I'm sorry guys, but I have to do my mission here," he then said as he spun the knife, placed it inside his coat pocket and casually entered the doors of the manor. The young man, named Peter Cozart, is ready to strike terror into the hearts of everyone present in the ceremony.

[justinlaw]

Justin continued to sit stiffly on his seat, looking tense. He knew the gravity of his decision as well as Vasilisa's suggestion and he realized that he did not want to take a gamble on trying to capture the murderer by pushing through with the ceremony and have him claim a lot of lives in the process. He did not even know why he was so persistent in having the ceremony pushed through. "Thank you for opening my eyes to my foolishness, Vasilisa. I realized that it was indeed a stupid idea for the ceremony to push through in the face of a current danger lurking ahead," he then said, looking at both Prudence and Vasilisa seriously. Emil gave his master a curious look before he said, Master, there is only a mere five minutes before the ceremony starts. We await your orders." Justin gave Emil a knowing look and said, "Emil, tell Dimitri immediately to secure all guests inside the main chamber and add more guards. I am having the ceremony canceled." Emil, although looking confused, bowed at him before he disapparated out of the room.

He then surveyed everyone's expressions and he knew that it was indeed a rash decision. "I'm sorry everyone for doing this so suddenly, especially you, Starr. I know that everyone has especially prepared for this ceremony and that everyone would absolutely question my decision. But see, I do not want anyone to get hurt. We can postpone the ceremony on a later date but lives can never be replaced," he said in a deathly serious tone. He then sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting for Emil to reappear.

Suddenly, someone made his presence felt inside the sitting room. It was Adrian, and he looked deathly pale. "Adrian, what's the matter? Is there something wrong?" Justin asked him, looking worried. Adrian gave Justin a deathly look before he strode over towards his sister and her guard. "Bree, thank heavens you're safe. Janine, please take care of her," he said quickly as he hugged his sister and clapped her guard tensely on the shoulder, before turning back to Justin. "There is bad news, Justin. Your advance guards are being annihilated, by a single person," Adrian said tensely, looking scared. Sure enough, Emil reappeared, followed closely by Dimitri, who looked shaken. "Master, our guards are being killed! The murderer has arrived, said Emil in a shaky voice. Dimitri nodded in tense response before he said, "I placed the remaining guards by the chamber door. However, he moves fast and if we do not hurry, he might make his way there right now."

Justin then looked at both of his guards as though they might drop dead any moment. "Damn, it's already too late," he said quietly to himself. He then managed to regain his composure and said, "Emil, Dimitri, put everyone in red alert. We are going to war," he finally said, getting up from his seat. Adrian pulled out his wand from his pocket and said, "I will be joining this battle, cousin. For everyone's sake." He then gave his sister a pleading look that meant I'll be back, do not tell father where I have gone and joined his cousin's guards.

[starr]

Starr eyed everyone in the room. They were guards and the nobles and the blonde girl she did not know. She stared at alleged Justin in shock when he said he was going to postpone the ceremony. He did not want anyone to get hurt? So he knew someone was going to crash and attack the ceremony? As she tried to process this new information, Slytherin seventh year, Adrian Dolohov, arrived with a look on his face that placed Starr on an alert mode. His announcement just confirmed her fears. Whether the person he was talking about was the one she was looking for, it did not matter much to Starr for either way all of them were in danger.

When alleged Justin stood from his seat, Starr made her way to him and to simply stare at him before speaking. “Allow your guards to go and fight for you. Don’t go.” She said, surprising herself. They might not have any form of sibling bond at that moment but she could not deny the fact that he was possibly her only living blood relative. However she knew she could not stop him. If he was like her in any way, he could not be stopped. “If you’re going, I’m coming with you.” She added, her tone determined.

[Prudence Campbell]

Prudence was internally scolding herself for not saying a word about her bad vibes. Even young Vasilisa could see the wrong in Justin’s logic. Apparently, Prue was being selfish and she knew it. If someone dies in this event, or get hurt… I’m going to make sure this all ends today. Prudence’s face was set, determined to make this all right herself. The Ravenclaw was snapped out of her thoughts when Justin decided to postpone the ceremony. “That’s for the best, I guess. Nobody would be hurt that way.” Prudence said to Justin approvingly as Vasilisa eyed her Justin in a way that matched Prudence’s tone.

Prudence saw Vasilisa’s eyes widen at the sight of her brother. Before Vasilisa had the chance to open her mouth, she found her face on Adrian’s chest as he hugged her. Judging by his facial expression, both she and Prudence knew there was something wrong. The way Janine stood, prepared for battle showed Adrian that she comprehended his order. As if on cue, he announced what had to be the most horrible news at that time. Prudence, who stood up when her cousins arrived, slumped back to her cushioned seat, looking paler than a corpse. “Oh my sweet candy.” Vasilisa breathed, her facial expression showed how scared she was about the turn of events.

At the sight of her two cousins going out, Prudence suddenly had the strength to speak up. “No.” She said, her voice so inaudible she was the only one who heard her voice. Vasilisa gave Adrian the ‘Fine. But, if you got hurt, I’m going to kill you’ look. Vasilisa’s attention shifted from Adrian to Prudence who said. “If someone should go after him, it should be me. It’s my fault all the guards are dead.” The fifth year Ravenclaw burst out, her voice cracking, as she ran out of the room. If looking for Peter the Ripper and handing herself over to them would stop the killings, she would gladly do it.

Vasilisa stared in shock at the spot Prudence used to stand on. She could not believe her cousin would take all the blame and ran out to face danger alone like that. In the midst of all this, she worried about Christian. She was certain he was outside, somewhere. She closed her eyes and hoped he was not anywhere near the attacker. Knowing she had to find Christian, she turned to Janine. “Janine, please make sure Prue’s safe. Please.” She said, pleading with the older woman. But, Janine refused to leave, as usual. This left Vasilisa with no other choice. She had to stop Prudence herself and find Christian, if he was there at all. In her mind, she started forming a plan and she was starting to convince herself that it might work. Her ‘planning’ face earned her a disapproving look from her guardian Janine.

[christian]

Christian was pacing around the corridors of the Law main house together with his guard, Eddie. He could not help but notice how eerie it was, considering that all of the other noble families were already seated inside the main chamber, waiting for the ceremony to begin. When his parents received the invitation, they wasted no time in getting ready and that meant he was required to get ready also. He just smirked to himself as he knew that the ceremony was merely an exercise of formality among the nobility and that the power would be officially transferred anyway. However, he had his reasons why he put up with going: one, because he wanted to cross swords with his cousin Justin and second, because Vasilisa would be there. He could not help but smile sheepishly to himself upon thinking of her.

Both of them rounded a corner that took them to the corridors leading to the main chamber. He then saw that the servants were getting ready for the feast that would be happening after the induction rites. They apparently recognized him and the greeted him cordially. He just nodded his head back in response, smiling. However, when they arrived at the door, he was rather surprised to see a lot of guards there and what actually piqued his curiosity was the fact that they were members of his cousin's Advance guards, the cream of the crop among all guards sworn to protect nobles. He then nudged Eddie and said, "Go ask them what's going on, it's really unusual to have so many of them here." Eddie nodded and strode off to ask one of the nearest guards. From the looks of it, the conversation sounded serious and he could see Eddie's face screwed in concentration as they were talking.

After a few minutes of conversation, Eddie walked back to Christian with a serious look on his face. "Apparently young master, the ceremony has been cancelled due to the presence of an outside threat. The advance guards are in red alert now and it's likely that it would make its way towards the chamber,"Eddie said in a serious tone. Christian could not help but worry over the safety of everyone inside the room and most especially his parents and Vasilisa. He suddenly found himself fingering his twin swords absentmindedly. "You stay here and assist them Eddie, I 'll just...check things out," he then said as he ran away from his guard. Eddie just stood, transfixed as he watched him run away. Christian ran ahead, with the hopes of finding Vasilisa alive when he suddenly bumped into someone. "Sorry about that. Here, let me help you up," he then said as he extended his hand and helped the lady up. It was only then that he noticed who it really was. "Hey, you're Vasilisa's cousin right? Don't you know it's dangerous right now?" he then asked, looking concerned.

[Prudence Campbell]

As the fifth year ran without knowing where she was heading, she felt traitor tears slide down her cheeks. Her whole body shook as she willed herself to run. If killing her would satisfy the murderer, then she would sacrifice himself. That would do justice to all the people she killed today. She might not have uttered the killing curse or manually murdered someone but her victims that day were impossible to count. At the heat of self-loathing and guilt, the Ravenclaw’s knees finally gave away and Prudence landed on the ground with a soft thump. She hastily covered her face with her hands, wept and tried to compose herself. She needed to find the murderer before he hurt somebody else.

After a few moments, Prudence found her new inner strength and determination when she remembered the people who loved her. And, when she saw her grandfather and her parents disapparate out of the place, obviously not knowing about her presence, she found the strength to stand up and confront the situation once and for all. In just a few minutes of trying to find the murderer and failing, she found herself on the floor after a collision. Apparently, she hadn’t been watching her steps. “Sorry. Thank you.” She said as he helped her up. “Yes I’m her cousin and you’re her boyfriend?” She half asked half stated, her eyes focused somewhere else. “Don’t worry about Vasilisa. She’s safe with her guard on one of the chambers. I’m sorry I can’t stop and talk, ummm have you seen the attacker?” She asked, finally focusing on him. Prudence knew it was kind of a stupid question but she really wanted to know the answer to that.

[christian]

Christian merely looked at her with a mixture of surprise and worry on his face. He could see that she was indeed not herself. Although he was thankful that Vasilisa was safe, he could not help but worry over her cousin since they were really close. He had already sworn to himself that he would defend to the death everyone dear to Vasilisa. "Are you okay? Have you been crying?" he asked, looking serious. He apparently cringed when she asked him whether he have seen the attacker. "Oh, no I haven't. In fact I am about to go looking for him. I can't believe he managed to wipe out the advance guards, they are the elite ones," he then replied, not taking his eyes off her, afraid that she might run away at any moment.

"What are your intentions? Are you serious that you would chase the killer? Are you out of your mind?" he asked, rather threateningly at her. He did not know what she really had in mind, but he did not want her to be placed in unnecessary danger. He then looked away in shame. "I'm really sorry about what I have said. I know it sounds cliche but many people would be worried about you. Please do not place your life in a useless risk," he added, now sounding concerned like a brother. "Come on, take me to where Vasilisa is, and you have to keep yourself safe," he then said as he lightly held her by the arm and was about to lead her away when a menacing presence suddenly made him drop his hold on her. He unsheathed his twin swords and held them in a defensive position before he shouted, "Who are you? I demand you show yourself!"

A maniacal laugh could be heard in the background, and Christian could not help but tighten his grip on his swords. "So you think you can take me on?" a voice then said. Suddenly a barrage of knives flew towards their direction. "Drop to the ground now!" he shouted as he roughly pushed her towards the ground as he hit the knives away from them by spinning his swords like a staff. The voice then laughed once again before the person who owned it stepped out from the shadows and appeared before them. "From the looks of it, you are quite skilled with the sword. I would love to take you on," he then said. He then turned to look at the girl who was with him. "Prudence Campbell, we meet again. I'm sure you remember me well," he then added, smiling menacingly at her.

[Prudence Campbell]

As she waited for his answer, her eyes scanned the place. If the murderer was there, she would not allow him to hurt anybody, especially not Vasilisa’s boyfriend who was now beside her. Prudence was determined to not let the murderer do anymore damage to what remained of the advance guards and the people in the ceremony. “No, I haven’t been cryi- I’m fine.” She sighed. Despite knowing how much of a bad liar she was she still tried to convince him. When he mentioned the advance guards, Prudence buried her head in her hands in shame.

His words and his tone came to her as a slap on her right cheek. Deep within she knew he was right but she could not allow herself to be persuaded by him and his right logic. If he was in her place, he would have done what she was doing now. If she still hadn’t killed himself that is. She knew arguing would him like a child with him would both get them nowhere so she decided to act like Vasilisa, calm and sensible. “Thank you for your concern but you don’t understand.” Prudence started explaining to him. When he started leading her out of the main hall, Prudence tried to resist his grip on her arm. “Wait, you don’t understand. I’m to blame for everything that happened here. I’m the reason all the guards are dead. I have to mak-“ She trailed off when he started looking for someone who can’t be seen. The vibes that started to fill her made her eyes dart all over the place, trying to see who it was that he saw.

Prudence dodged the knives automatically. Apparent she still had some sense of self preservation left. She held her breath as she felt the motion of the knife which missed her by a mere fraction of a centimeter passed. She felt a chill upon hearing the murderer speak of her name. But, before she had the opportunity to talk, someone decided to make their presence known.

[Vasilisa Alyona Konstantinov]

Vasilisa knew that running out of the room right then and there was out of question. The intense look that her guard was giving her reminded her just how guarded she was. The Slytherin knew that getting out of the secured room would require a little bit of magic and a sneaky tactic. So, she gracefully made her way to the chair nearest her, the one that faced the hallway. She noticed Janine’s eyes on her so she sat there casually for a few moments. When she noticed that the vigilance of her guard was so annoyingly constant, she moved to phase two. Vasilisa suddenly screamed and stared in shock at the direction of the chamber’s entrance. At the corner of her vision, she saw Janine tense and prepare for a fight just before she apparated out of the room, leaving only a small cracking sound behind her.

Moments later, she was sporting a new look and she found herself marching out of the girl’s lavatory and in to the hallway leading to the main hall. It did not take long when she heard what could not be not Christian talking. She started running toward his voice and when she got there she noticed her cousin Prudence dodging flying knives with him. One stone hitting two birds. She thought triumphantly. When the only person she did not know spoke to Prue, she knew immediately who he was. You can pull this off, just act like her. “Unfortunately, she doesn’t or maybe she does I don’t know. But don’t worry, I do remember you.” Vasilisa, looking like Prudence Campbell from head to toe walked in to the ugly scene. “Didn’t your mother teach you that it is rude to talk to someone and look at another?” She asked coolly as she tried to think of something. Surely the murderer would not kill her and Prue without knowing who the witness was. Right?

[justinlaw]

Justin eyed everyone inside the room. He could see that everyone looked very serious and that the news have all hit them home. He silently cursed himself for not being able to cancel the ceremony earlier; it was entirely his fault that his Advance guards suffered major losses among their ranks. He then sat down again on his seat, his hands linked together in concentration once again as he was trying to think of a plan. Since Dimitri placed the remaining guards at the main chamber, this meant that there was certainly a large number of lives among the guards that were lost. "Dimitri, are you sure that you have already summoned the last of the Advance guards into the main chamber? What happened to the others?" he asked hastily.
He could see Dimitri's face burdened by worry and anger upon hearing the question and he could not help but feel sorry for him, for he loved his fellow guards there like his brothers "Master...there was a total wipe out that happened. A lot of guards lost their lives in trying to stop him. It was awful, I did not know what to do," Dimitri said, his voice thick with emotion and pain.

Justin then turned to Emil and he saw that he was about to burst into tears, but he was apparently trying to stop them from flowing. "I understand. This is indeed a terrible loss. I'm really sorry for acting stupid and burdening everyone with my rash decisions. I will personally take the blame for this atrocity," Justin said as he silently rose from his chair. He then heard what Starr had to say, and he smiled at her, appreciating her concern for him. "I know, Starr. But I guess it's my fault my trusted guards have lost their friends in this meaningless struggle. Allow me to atone for the losses," he replied to what she said. Dimitri and Emil looked at him with shocked expressions written on their faces. "Master, you do not need to fight! Allow us to avenge our brothers ourselves," Dimitri replied, his voice full of determination and his spirit thirsty for revenge. Emil merely stayed silent, but his facial expression spoke legions. Justin merely shook his head in response and said, "Please allow me to fight beside all of you."

Dimitri and Emil merely gave him a look of concern before they finally yielded. "But please master, we will be in the front of this fight. We do not want you to get hurt," Emil said, his voice full of concern for Justin. Both guards admired him for being concerned with their welfare. Justin merely nodded and gave them a smile which put them at ease. He then looked at Starr and nodded at what she said. "If that is what you want, I will not stop you," he merely said to her. He then casted his gaze on Vasilisa before he realized that Prudence have already disappeared. "Where has she gone to?" he asked, looking concerned. Now, she would be exposed to a far greater danger. "Vasilisa, I am pleading you, please stay here with Janine. We will face him and take him head on," he then said to her. He turned his back on them and walked out of the second sitting room, with Emil, Dimitri, Starr and Adrian following him closely.

[petercozart]

Peter finally emerged from his hiding place, now facing a young man, barely fifteen, sporting twin swords and a girl whom he assumed was the one he was seeking to kill. He liked the young man's bravery and judging from his superior skills with his swords, it was apparent that he had trained at a very young age. "You are certainly skilled with the sword, boy. Who taught you? It is very rare to see young men like you wield twin blades in battle," he then said to him, looking impressed indeed. He then turned to the girl beside him and and smiled. "Finally after all these months, I have managed to track you down. Goodness, you almost got me incarcerated long enough...but I prevailed, I still won over the tough security through sheer will and determination and here I am now..." he trailed off, smiling menacingly once again.

"Did you enjoy my flying knife barrage? I'm sure you'll be looking forward to more next time," he then said to them in an amusing tone. He was having fun tormenting these poor souls. "Dead bodies everywhere, lifeless yet unbloodied. I do not want to shed blood for they usually stick to my skin, not quite hygienic don't you think so?" He added as he twirled his wand, apparently enjoying seeing the look on their faces. "I think it's about high time I make my main kill and believe me, you're in for a world of hurt, young lady," he then said to Prudence in a highly deathlike tone.

However, he could sense somebody else present at their location. From the looks of it, it did not seem like they were guards for they were still too far from the main chamber where the highest concentration of guards were present. His eyes then widened in surprise as he saw a girl emerging from the shadows, who looked exactly like Prudence. Apparently, she was telling him off and he could not help but feel confused as to which among them is his real target. "Well sorry about that, I already killed my mother that's why no one was teaching me manners anymore," he replied, his tone amused as ever. He was getting amused by this turn of events and it meant that he would be staying for a long time. "Ohoho, now you're all aiming to confuse me more. Well then, I'm still merciful and I won't kill you both but alas, be prepared for I have a wonderful surprise for everyone," he then said as he raised his wand idly and there appeared an army of guards right behind. He could see the surprised look on their faces as he did this. "These puppets of mine are under the influence of the Imperius curse. I guess I could concentrate long enough to have them all attack you while I find out who my real target is. Attack!" he then shouted as he feinted to the side and let his army of puppets advance slowly towards them, their wands raised.

[christian]

Christian merely looked at the emerging figure with a mixture of fear and incredulity. From the look of it, he seemed amiable enough, yet after seeing what he could actually do, he could not help but feel fearful for his life. He willed himself to listen as the man praised his skills with the sword and even asked who trained him. "Thanks for the compliment but it seems you're missing the point here," he then said, trying to make his voice more distinct since it was obvious that he was shaking in fear. "It's none of your business as to who trained me," he added.

He then listened with bated breath as the man talked to Vasilisa's cousin. He could not believe that he would go down extra lengths just to escape from the HQ, track and find his target, which happened to be her. Either way, he was obsessed with her or he was just looking to kill her with no apparent reason at all. He cringed when he mentioned that she was in for a world of pain. "You can't harm her just like that! What on earth did she do to you that makes you want to kill her?" he then asked in a menacing tone, apparently ready to crack his fists at him. He would not hesitate to swing his swords at him if he comes near her.

Suddenly, he felt like there was another person in the sidelines, watching everything that was happening. He was about to call this person to show himself or herself, however, the person then showed up and he almost blinked furiously in surprise as he saw that she was a carbon copy of the girl with him. "Good heavens, how did it happen?" he asked, looking very confused. However, he knew that only one of them was the real target and felt that something's definitely up with her. He then turned his gaze on the man and saw that he was confused yet amused at the same time. However, that did not totally prepare him for the turn of events after. The man apparently summoned an army and what was actually shocking was that they were composed of members of the Advance guards. So they survived, thank goodness, he thought. What actually worried him was the fact that he had to take them down without resorting to using his swords. As he saw them advance, he raised his swords in offensive mode; however he then cried out, "Make them stop!" Christian tightened the grip on his swords handle before he managed to speak. "Listen, since you are so keyed up with my swordsmanship, fancy crossing swords with me then?" he asked, looking dead serious with his invitation. For the sake of the two ladies he will lay down his life on the line.

[starr]

Starr stopped moving for a while and focused on alleged Justin. She sighed when he expressed his intention to fight alongside with his guards. Apparently, when Laws decide it can’t be bent. Starr just nodded at his words and smiled when he said he wouldn’t stop her if she wanted to join him. “Good. You wouldn’t have succeeded anyway.” Starr said coolly, gathering her styled hair to on side. She eyed the guards around them and Vasilisa who seemed to be in a conversation with one of the guards.

She wondered what would happen now. Maybe the one who invited her decided to do so just to have her killed in this war. Maybe she should just go and save herself. No. She still had a chance to find out who sent the letter until the very last minute of this event. Plus, she had no plans on leaving alleged Justin alone to fight. And, if the sender of the letter wanted her dead, she was going to show him or her that it would take a lot more effort to kill her by living through a war. After the situation with the werewolf with him, she sort of developed a concern for him. Whether or not he was Justin Law was not of importance anymore. She was a fellow Slytherin who would help him in this dire situation, she decided. So, when Justin, Adrian and the other guards started to pile out of the room, Starr followed confidently with every intention of living through it all.

As their group ventured out in to what could only be called an actual battlefield, the Slytherin kept her cool while keeping her senses sharp. In situations like this, a second of opportunity missed may lead to serious casualties. One's life, for instance, could be snuffed out before she even had time to think of a way to retaliate. She stayed at the back of the group, her eyes darted from one corner to another and she made sure she watched everybody's back, especially alleged Justin's. After a few moments of peaceful walk, she did not let herself feel secured. False sense of security could lead to her undoing and probably the rest of her companions too. "We need a plan." She finally stated, only loud enough for her group to hear. Being at the back was a vulnerable position but no one cared. Who was she anyway? To them, she was just the dead former baron's adviser's daughter. No one important. And, To her, she was someone there to give her beloved fake father Nathaniel justice. All she needed was a proper closure for his and her sakes and she was probably good to go. She had no one to live for anyway.