[Plot] The Price of Gold

[Narrator]

((I apologize for this falling by the wayside; life hit me hard. Let's get this finished up so we can give everyone their characters back!))

Jezebelle found herself alone, in a waiting room off the main throne room.

Nika had been ushered aside; she didn't get to have an audience with the Prince for 'knowing some girl'. Nor did her young tour guide from town. But Prince Alex was, apparently, running behind, and so Jez found herself, for the moment, alone in the castle where Katarina was imprisoned.

She had been told not to wander off.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez wanted to explore the castle and see if she could locate Katarina on her own, at the very least where she might be held should things get hot. But she also wanted to remain where she was so that she could confront the prince directly.

Luckily for her, she could do both.

The girl peeked her head out into the hallway, looking up and down to see if anyone was standing guard, while she also stood in the middle of the room and patiently waited for the prince's arrival.

[Narrator]

There was a guard in the hallway, in front of some stairs which had to go up to the tower, if Jez's spatial awareness was sharp. A particularly bored-looking guard, it must be said -- being stuck, indoors, on guard duty during a festival had to be no fun at all.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez could have tried for a subtle approach, maybe tried to distract the guard and slip by, but as far as she was concerned the cat was probably already out of the bag. In no time she'd be talking to the prince himself, and he would recognize her... if he didn't, she wouldn't be long in making her true purpose known.

So instead she walked straight toward the stairs, stopping short of the guard the moment they moved to stop her.

[Narrator]

The guard took a step forward, intercepting Jez before she could reach the stairs.

"Madame, this part of the castle if off-limits. You're not allowed back here," he said, with a bored tone of voice -- just another wandering peasant who wasn't listening when the rules were explained, of course. "The Prince will see you soon, I'm sure, you just need to be patient," he yawned.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez gave the guard her absolute sweetest smile, the girl so small and harmless in her big dress and so many layers.

"What's upstairs?" She asked, ignoring most of what the guard had said as she gawked like an annoying tourist.

[Narrator]

"These stairs go up to the old watchtower and the private living quarters, emphasis on the private," the guard said, stifling yet another yawn.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez tilted her head a bit.

"So you're not allowed to move from this spot, then?"

[Narrator]

"Not allowed?" the guard said, taken somewhat aback. "It's not a question of permission; this is just where I'm assigned today. Do they not have jobs where you come from?"

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"Well, the royal guards at other palaces aren't allowed to talk, so I guess it makes sense that you'd be allowed to move a little bit. But not too far." Jez's seemingly innocent presumption also came off as a little insulting, with her thickened New York accent, as she started wandering away from the guard as she spoke. Right toward the nearest piece of art within reach.

"Are you allowed to come this far?"

[Narrator]

"Look, miss, you need to go back to the waiting room. To, y'know. Wait," the guard said, going to follow Jez as she lured him down the hallway. "And don't touch that! It's priceless."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"Do you even know that for sure? What about this one?" She asked as she ignored the guard's demands for her to return to the waiting room, leading him further away from his post.

Which allowed another Jez to sneak down the hallway and up the set of stairs he had been guarding.

[Narrator]

The guard sighed, and started after Jez #2, with plans to usher her back to the waiting room -- he wouldn't get physical unless he absolutely had to, but he would ensure the Spring Queen didn't wreck anything back here.

Of course, that left the stairs entirely unguarded for Jez #3 to walk on by. Compared to Nika, Prince Alex's guards were terrible -- or maybe that was only personal bodyguards who really sharp? Perhaps a question for another time.

___________________________________

The stairs twisted around the tower, spiraling upwards for several floors. Several of the doors she passed were unlocked and relatively uninteresting -- a library, some alcoves from which one could look down over the courtyard and city below, what looked like a spare guest room, and so forth. The iron door at the TOP of the tower, however, had a nasty-looking old lock on it, and was clearly not meant for prying eyes to be able to enter.

___________________________________


And it was at that time that the door to the waiting room opened, and a man dressed in a ridiculous colored outfit motioned to Jez #1. "The Prince will see you now, Lady. If you would come with me?"

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

If anyone had casually observed Jez #1 in passing they might have noticed that she seemed rather still and zoned out. With a couple of puppets at play she felt no need to distract her main self with putting on an act when no one was watching. Had anyone been secretly observing her the entire time, they would have seen the girl split and multiply, one after the other, to do mischief out in the hallways. The entrance of the man in the ornate uniform seemed to snap her back into reality, the girl looking flushed and a bit excited. Hands clasped in front of her she stepped forward, looking every bit like someone who was about to receive a very gracious honour. "Thank you" she replied as she nodded her head, following the man through the door and into the room beyond.

Meanwhile, Jez #2 continued to lead the guard on his little chase up until the first Jez was called on to see the Prince. Once she was certain that the likelihood of anyone seeing two of her selves together was very slim she gave up her frustrating behavior and consented to being led back to the waiting room where she was supposed to be, offering her apologies along the way and saying that it was just so boring in there without her friend Nika to keep her company. Americans, so high-maintenance.

Jez #3 only had a passing interest in the other doors as they didn't contain the woman she was looking for, or others who might interrupt her attempts at freeing her. An attempt that seemed to come to an immediate halt when she saw the formidable iron lock that kept the door shut tight. Still, she had to know for certain if Katarina was inside, searching for some kind of sliding plate or opening that she could use to peek inside. She might yet have another mission for her other puppet - finding Nika and telling her where the princess was being held.

[Narrator]

Jez #2's plan would work like a charm, as the guard sighed and dragged the high-maintenance girl back to the waiting room to, er, wait. No problems here, whatsoever.

______________________

A small plate at just below eye level could be slid aside, only from outside the room, letting Jez #3 peer inside. For a prison cell, it was quite luxurious -- carpet, a bed, a small desk in one corner. Bars on the windows and all, but far from cruel and unusual punishment. For a princess' room, it was perhaps less fitting -- the carpet was more threadbare, the bed plain, bars on the windows. Still, could be worse.

And it was, indeed, the princess' room, as Katarina sat in one corner, shifted fully to gold, a long length of iron chain wrapped around her wrist and connecting to a mount at the top of the spire.

________________

Jez #1 was led into the elegantly laid out throne room, where Prince Alex sat, splayed over his throne with a look of boredom.

"Congratulations!" he said, turning the exclamation into a flat, perfunctory statement. "Rarely have we seen such a true display of the Symkarian spirit; truly an example for all of us....for all of us..." he said, trailing off for a moment as he peered at Jez, trying to place her. "...for all of us to...observe...

It took him a moment. Jez wasn't the one he was looking for in the pictures Nika had given him, after all. But his eyes widened as he put the pieces together.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

It was now Jez #2's turn to remain inactive, a pawn to be utilized when the moment called for it. So she stood silently in the middle of the room while her other selves did their things.

---------------------------

Jez #3 's eye caught the shimmer of gold almost immediately when she looked in through the viewing port, the girl pressed hard against the door as though those few millimeters might allow her to see more clearly. She stood on her tiptoes so that her lips were to the gap, so that she could speak clearly but not too loudly, rapping on the door a few times to try and draw her attention.

"Pardon me, your highness, but your handmaiden requests your presence back at the University."

----------------------------

Jez #1 stood with her hands folded in front of her, eyes slightly down, even going so far as to give a little curtsy as she stood before Prince Alex. But when he started to trail off was when she raised her head to look at him with a grin that widened at the same rate as his eyes.

"Pray continue, my Lord. About my Symkarian spirit?" Her use of the wrong honorific could be through her own ignorance... or an intentional sleight.

[Narrator]

Jez #3's voice startled the princess inside, and she turned around in shock. "Jezabelle!" she gasped at her rescuer-to-be. "How are you here?"

It became obvious why she was still in her golden form as she turned around. The right side of her face was significantly caved in, the dent significantly marring her features.

___________________________________

"How are you here," Prince Alex unconsciously echoed, glaring at Jez #1. "Your....your filth and depravity have no place within these walls. I hereby order your arrest on charges of public indecency, subversion, and...and...and sedition!" he shouted, dramatically and with just a hint of panic.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

The Jezabelle at the top of the stairs let out an audible gasp when she'd seen the damage to Katarina's face. And here she thought that the woman was nigh invulnerable. "I... I'll explain that part later. Right now we have to get you out of here. Surely that little bracelet they've put on you isn't actually capable of holding you back, is it? I don't..." She paused for a moment, as if in thought, but only for a moment. "As an aside, are there any laws that would prevent the noble of another house from arresting a servant of yours? This may be important... relatively soon."

---------

The Jezabelle with the prince stared at him with a feigned confused smile as he began to sputter and shout orders. "Um... I'm here because you invited me. Dancing around a pole, drank from a big goblet, took a nice little carriage ride... I know you weren't there for it but you must've seen it once or twice before, right?" She raised her hand to cover her mouth in a mocking attempt to hide her amusement. "My goodness, the future leader of a nation, terrified of one little girl. Oh if only there were more people here to see this...."

[Narrator]

Katarina frowned. "It is...fairly securely connected to the ceiling, I'm afraid. You wouldn't happen to know how to pick a lock?"

"And, guska, there are many laws that would prevent someone from doing you harm here, as long as I have you with me. It is just...Prince Alex does not seem particularly eager to obey, at the moment," she added, running a finger across the edge of the dent in her face. "I entirely underestimated him, and thus I find myself, and my country, in great peril."

________________________


Prince Alex sputtered and spat. "Terrified? I will show YOU terrified," Alex said, standing up and striding towards Jez, removing his glove from his right hand as he closed the gap. "I will not tolerate...things like you disrupting my kingdom."

As for the--guard? No, not muscly enough. Servant? Who had led her into the room? He seemed vastly confused at what was going on, and Prince Alex's calls didn't immediately provide more backup. Were they all out in the garden, making a big impression? Or was something else drawing them away? Either way, this was probably a good sign for Jez, all things considered.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"I'm afraid I've got no idea. Maybe I can find something in one of these rooms that'll get this lock off..." Jez mused. There were probably numerous fireplaces, if she could get the head off of a poker she might be able to wrench the padlock hasp apart or out from the stone - it was probably weaker than the padlock itself. She had almost turned to leave but gave pause when Katarina mentioned that she'd underestimated prince Alex. "Oh my God, did he do that to you? How?"

---------------------

In the Throne room, something felt off to Jez. Prince Alex had always come across to her as a pompous coward, even just moments before when he was calling out for her to be arrested. But for him to approach her with such confidence himself either meant that her taunting had worked, he had underestimated her... or vice versa. "You'd dare get your own hands dirty, threaten harm to the rightful Princess' handmaiden, and risk an international incident?" She asked, appraising him coldly as he approached, her body growing tense as she tried to anticipate his movements.

[Narrator]

"He was very....insistent. On our future relationship. I made clear, in no uncertain terms, what would happen if he touched me," Katarina smiled ruefully.

"It turns out, Nika is not the only bodyguard with a power and a penchant for violence. Be careful out there, Jezabelle."

____________

"There will be no international incident, madame. For there to be an incident, you would have to leave this castle. I do hope you said goodbye to the sun; I do not plan on ever letting you leave again."

Cold fury shone in his eyes, and he reared back to slap Jez in the face.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"I will be, I promise." Jezabelle tried to give Katarina a reassuring smile, but that didn't work so well when only a portion of her face was visible at a time. "Stay put, I'm going to go find something to try and take care of this lock. And I should probably try to find Nika too...." The girl turned and headed down the stairs, looking in the nearest unlocked room for something she might be able to use on the door and it's lock. At the same time, the Jez that was standing idly in the waiting room turned to leave in search of the princess' bodyguard.

------------------

With the knowledge that the prince wasn't the real threat in this situation, the Jez in the throne room was now better-prepared for the oncoming violence. It was pretty easy for her to raise an arm in time to keep his hand from connecting with her face, he probably had never come across someone who would have raised a hand to him even in self-defense. "See, that's where you're wrong, Lord Farquaad. Because me not leaving this castle is the very thing they're gonna be looking for. I think it's about time you realized the severity of your situation."

As she had spoken, another of herself stepped out from behind and began to tug on the drawstrings to her dress and bodice. Apparently if there was going to be a fight she didn't want to be hampered by her attire. Scandelous.

[Narrator]

"Please hurry," Katarina called after Jez. "They leave me alone up here often, but not that often."

_____________________________

"You'll be surprised what terrible dangers can be lurking around in these old castles. And how little one will question their rightful lord and ruler."

Alex's swat is clumsy and untrained, and not too difficult to block. His follow-up attack was equally clumsy -- clearly, his bodyguards had never dragged him away for early morning self-defense classes. You had to give him credit for persistence, however.

The servant who had ushered Jez in hurriedly left the room, presumably in search of backup.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Stairway Jez moved quickly down the stairs to the first unlocked room she came across, immediately searching for something she might be able to use to bust into Katarina's cell.

------------

If stairs Jez was trying to be relatively quiet, hallway Jez had foregone all forms of subtlety, running through the halls and calling out Nika's name. If she didn't find the girl herself she might find someone who could point her in the right direction... or a guard who'd restrain her.

------------

Jez prime really didn't want to have to strike the Prince, after all she was a foreigner in this country and even with eye-witnesses the law would not be kind to her. But the second strike forced her to try and push him away from her with a kick toward his stomach. By the time he'd recover he'd be just in time to see her dress drop around her ankles, the copy still wearing her handmaiden outfit handing the original some red gloves from her back pocket.

"It's not the locals you have to worry about asking questions." She said while pulling on the gloves that completed her outfit, her copy disappearing back inside of her as she spoke. "It's Magneto, and that he's a 'shoot first ask questions later' kind of guy."

[Narrator]

No pokers or anything like that -- but what would a castle be without decorative pointy things? She would have her choice from a variety of swords and axes with which to fiddle and pry; she was not short of blades.

___________________________

Hallway Jez nearly collided with the servant who had fled from the prince's chambers, causing him to do a double take at the identical woman across from him. "Guards! Guards!" he shouted, and now there were two people running and hollering for stronger punch-people to arrive. Well, at least they had that in common. And from the footsteps approaching, it sounded like at least one of the two had been successful -- the question was, which one?

____________________________

"Aha! A foreign spy! I knew it! You WERE trying to corrupt the princess! Well, Genoshan, I'm sorry, but we deal with actual threats in this part of the world. We do not bow down to Doom, and we wouldn't give Magneto the slightest notice!"

Alex was pleased with himself, constructing his hero narrative in his own mind, and thus probably missing the fact that a woman with more training than she let on was standing there in combat togs.

[Nika Novak]

About 15 minutes ago...

After being ushered aside, Nika waited long enough for their 'guide' to get bored and the guards to essentially forget about the two villagers as a concern before stepping out into the hall and finding a nearby alcove. It was time to drop all pretense. She pulls the knife strapped to her thigh and cuts off the bottom half of the stupid dress she's wearing as well as a slit up the side to let her move properly before spinning the knife into a backwards grip and moving through the halls. If she hadn't been ripped straight out of a hospital bed she might have thought to prepare, get the layout of Castle Sablinova, but these things follow at least some common designs she's familiar with and soon enough she can hear shouting echo down the halls and she breaks into a run.

She rounds a corner just in time to see a guard up ahead, slightly raising his weapon as he lifts a walkie-talkie to his mouth. Without slowing down she pulls the knife from the sheath strapped to her thigh and her power turn the underhanded throw into a perfect shot that slices through the clunky communications device ahead of her coming at the guard with her elbow aimed at his jaw to knock him out.

[Narrator]

The element of surprise gave Nika the upper hand on her assault, and she knocked the guard loopy with a well-aimed shot to the jaw. Pity she destroyed the walkie-talkie, though at least it kept her element of surprise for the moment.

She could hear, down the hallway, someone calling her name, cries for help from guards, and rushing footsteps ahead of her, down a parallel corridor.

[Nika Novak]

So much for hoping this guy had been the only one to have noticed the commotion. At least all need for stealth are out the window now and this is now a full-blown attack on insurgent elements. Retrieving her knife as well as a spare magazine from the guard (who needs the actual gun part) she breaks into a sprint towards the cries for help.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

For Katarina, Jez's absence probably seemed far too long. She must have been captured or something! And then came the sound of metal striking metal, loud and violently, the entire door shaking with every blow. Jez had opted for a rather hefty battle axe; awkward, but a lot of mass to carry the momentum, even if it wasn't particularly subtle. That time had long passed.

---------------------

"That's pretty tough talk for someone who's about five seconds away from getting chucked over the edge of the balcony and into the courtyard below. That'll make today a double-holiday for your subjects." The throne-room Jez cracked her knuckles, gloves making a leathery creaking sound.

--------------------
In the hallway, the girl picked up the pace, she wanted to be the first to reach whoever it was coming down the hallway. If it was an ally, then it was all that much faster they could come and help rescue Katarina. And if it it wasn't, well maybe she could get past them before the older man had a chance to point her out as the one who needed to be seized.

[Narrator]

It would take Jez a few swings -- the iron door was heavy, and battle axes were unwieldy. But this castle was also, like, super old, and no one had thought a knight with a weapon would be charging up here swinging heavy metal around. After a few minutes of concentrated whacking (phrasing!), Jez was able to gain access to the room proper, much to Katarina's relief. That still left the princess chained to the ceiling, but that was nothing that couldn't be solved with a generous application of ol' axey the axe, one would assume.

They definitely were not subtle, so speed was of the essence.

_______________________________

"Even you wouldn't be so bold to take down the King of Symkaria!" Alex proclaimed, skipping over the part where he wasn't actually king yet. Where were those blasted guards?

Alex stood himself in a fighting stance that clearly paid more homage to movies on television than anything resembling active training, but Jez was just some girl. How hard it could it possibly be to fight her?

________________________________

Jez WAS, in fact, the first to reach whoever it was coming down the hallway. That was good!

The problem was that it was the same person she had glimpsed out of the corner of her eye as she was ushered into the carriage -- one of Prince Alex's spies? If he was a spy, he didn't blend in very well; teeming with muscles and looking very dangerous. In fact, he looked a little bit like a male version of Nika, who Jez could see coming around the corner down at the far end of the hallway.

He didn't need to ask for instructions, charging for Jez with the intent of sending the much smaller girl flying.

[Nika Novak]

What are the odds that this Jez is the only one? The girl wouldn't be that stupid, right? But strategically it was better to have more Jezzes(?) around so she should probably do something. And she doesn't really want her to get hurt. At least not much. No matter how satisfying it might be in an extremely petty way.

"Ay! Zhopa khuylo!" she shouts an expletive at the other bodyguard, grabbing a decorative candle from it's holder on the wall and launching it with her power. Anything's a weapon if propelled with enough force.

[Narrator]

Almost without thinking, the bodyguard whirled and deflected the candle away from himself, impacting on his hand with a loud metal *clang*.

Great. Prince Alex had himself a mutant bodyguard. Why hadn't he been with him in London? Why hadn't Nika known he had a mutant bodyguard?

Psychoanalyzing Prince Alex may have to wait, however, considering the immediate circumstances, which were the bodyguard cricking his neck and cracking his muscles. Nika HAD stopped him from immediately slamming into Jez. She had also gotten him to focus on her as the real threat.

[Nika Novak]

Of course, the one time she can go all out and she's without her full kit.

"<You want a real fight? Come and get it, you treasonous blyat!>" she shouts and flicks three bullets out of the spare magazine, letting her power hold them in place in a fixed trajectory so she can set them off later if she needs to, as she reverse-grips her knife and storms at the other mutant.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez the barbarian pushed oven the heavy iron door, panting heavily as she dragged the axe across the floor and toward Katarina. Medieval weapons were heavy! "Hanh. Hold - hold the chain against the s-gulp-stone, so I can... holy crap he's huge. Oh God, we gotta hurry." With a grunt she hefted the weapon onto her shoulder, ready to bring it down and hopefully not miss and lop off Katarina's arm instead.

----------

It took the Jez in the hallway only a moment to realize that the figure approaching her had to be the same bodyguard who had attacked Katarina - the regular palace guards wore a totally different uniform and would have been approaching en masse. But it was still a moment too late. She attempted to double back so abruptly that she fell on her ass and was left scrambling on all fours backward as she tried to get back onto her feet. She was just a split second from getting her head cave in when Nika's voice distracted the muscular figure and took their attention away from her sparing the copy from it's fury... for now at least. She could have run, but that would have taken her back the way she came, and if Nika fell that meant that she'd just be leading her back toward the Prince, and the Princess, and her prime self. No it was better for her to stay here in case the woman needed some help, and for the chance of further distracting the bodyguard by making him chase her in another direction should it come down to it.

----------

If this were a fair fight or a sparring match, Jez-prime might have left Alex make the first move. But time was of the essence, and she was already dealing with two copies of herself. So the sooner she dealt with the prince, the better - then she'd have some leverage no matter the outcome of her other selves. The prince underestimated her because of her appearance, so she was going to use that to her advantage - he probably wouldn't expect her to come at him so hard or so fast. She opened up by attempting her personal favorite keysi combo - an open hand slap with the left hand leading immediately into an overhand right.

[Narrator]

Katarina flinched as Jez brought the axe down. To her credit, she didn't cry out, but, well, it was a big axe.

And it worked! I mean, Katarina still had an ankle bracelet with a dragging chain on it where Jez made the cut, but at least she was no longer a fixture in the room. And the exhausted Jez would quickly find herself nearly tackled by a very gracious golden statue.

"Oh, Jezbelle!," Katarina said, burying her face in her rescuer's shoulder taking some deep breaths to calm herself.

_______________________

Stoic and unflinching, the bodyguard reached up again with his right hand, and caught the charging Nika's arm in it. Pain shot through her -- this guy was exceptionally strong; his grip like a vice.

<"Those who have betrayed the Sablinovas must pay the price,"> his baritone rumbled.

___________________

The slap stunned Prince Alex. The right connected with a satisfying crunch, causing Alex to stagger back, bumping into his own throne as he tried to right himself. His eyes widened as he held his white-gloved hand to his nose, seeing it stained with red. His gaze flickered to Jez's right as he struggled to regain his stance.

[Nika Novak]

Nika grunts at the bones in her forearm getting more closely accosted than they should, but this is what contingencies are for, right? She grabs the man's forearm with her free hand and pulls her whole body up to get her legs around his neck while at the same time moving herself out of the way of the bullet her power fires off from behind her.

[Narrator]

The bodyguard turns slightly as Nika gets her legs around his neck, blocking the bullets coming at him with his right hand. The impacted with a metallic-sounding thud and fell to the ground, harmless.

With his left, he attempted to squeeze in to pry Nika away from his throat, to ensure a steady supply of oxygen. That was less successful, as Nika would find that she was more than capable of clinging on despite the bodyguard's best efforts.

[Nika Novak]

"How are you this sturdy!?" Nika grunts, dropping the knife held in her trapped hand and grabbing it with her left to bring the hilt down on his forehead.

[Narrator]

"How are you this sturdy!?" Nika grunts, dropping the knife held in her trapped hand and grabbing it with her left to bring the hilt down on his forehead.

Before she can make contact, however, the bodyguard brought his right hand up, gripped her by the back of the next, and ripped her free from his neck, hurling her down the hallway and into one of those precious priceless paintings.

He approached for a followup, leading his way down the hallway with his right side facing towards her.

Always his right side. He hadn't been able to break free with his left...

[Nika Novak]

Nika lands with an audible gasp. She is still recovering from getting shot, after all, and isn't going to win a drawn out fight. Climbing out of the wreckage of the painting and pops two more bullets out of the magazine, holding one in each hand and spreading her arms wide and leaving them hanging in the air so Beef-Strong-Man has no choice but pass between them to get to her.