"Very funny," Mary said as the dark skeletal warrior slowly, menacingly approached her.
"Who's laughing?" Samira asked.
"I'll just turn your toy into a bunch of toothpicks, so let's not waste each other's time," Mary said not moving from the spot she stood, though visibly tense
"Yes, that's true. For the first ten, maybe," Samira said as the skeletal warrior took another step toward Mary. "But you seem to have misplaced the armor you stole, and we both know you don't have that much stamina for anything outside of bedroom."
"And we both know that you wouldn't dare do something like this!" Mary raised her voice, her voice trembling a little as she backed away from the skeleton. However, there was very little room for maneuvering.
"Oh, now you're just daring me!" Samira said. "Shall we start with the legs?"
"H-hold on a minute, you can't do that!" Remi shouted as she jumped to her feet.
"Woah there, lover girl!" Samira turned around and another dark skeleton jumped out of the shadows straight at Remi, stopping just short of slicing her neck with a dadao blade of its own.
"U-ugh," Remi froze up in cold sweat, afraid to move even an inch as she felt the uneven edge of the blade hook into the thin skin of her neck.
"Now, where were we?" Samira asked as she turned to her unarmed little sister, cornered behind the bars by the other dark, misty skeleton.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Captain Flavna bellowed as she stormed into the room, followed by Gamesh and two more Purple Cape guards.
"Oh, Captain! I was just about to go see you," Samira smiled as she looked down at the angry young captain who was by far the shortest of all present in the room.
"Is that so? Did you get lost on your way?" Flavna asked.
"No, no, I just wanted to have a quick chat with my sweet little sister."
"It looks like the conversation took a sour turn," Gamesh noted.
"Just some long-overdue disciplining," Samira smiled as she threw a glance at Mary.
"Whatever sibling quarrels you might have, I cannot tolerate you holding a blade against one of my soldiers," Flavna said.
"Oh, I understand," Samira said, snapped her fingers and the skeleton pulled its blade back, leaving a shallow cut on Remi's neck. "I was considering beheading the girl, but then I decided to leave that up to her superior."
"You already killed two of my men," Flavna said, not nearly as amused as Samira appeared to be.
"Yes, in hindsight they might now have deserved it, but I don't go back on my word, so…"
Samira grabbed one of the vertical metal bars of Mary's cell and pulled on it. The barred door didn't budge. She then turned her attention back to Remi and asked, "What's your name, lover girl?"
Remi didn't answer.
Samira stared the girl down and said, "Yes, I'm talking to you. Don't make me ask twice."
"R-Remi."
"Remi, be a dear and open it up," Samira said.
"I cannot!"
"What you 'cannot' is hold a member of the royal family behind bars unless she wishes for it to be so," Samira said. "Come on now, your captain won't stop you."
Remi looked at Flavna. Her captain looked straight back into Remi's eyes. Flavna then quickly glanced at Remi, top to bottom, and within a second took a step forward.
"C-captain-GHURHK!!" Remi retched and fell to her knees after a sudden, merciless punch straight to her stomach.
Flavna stood over the hurting, sobbing Remi as the girl held her arms on her stomach in pain, not even strong enough to wipe the gooey liquid that trickled down from her mouth.
"Arrest her and get her out of my sight," Flavna said with utter disgust.
The two guards—shocked at first—snapped to action and rushed to Remi. Unceremoniously and without a single word, the two men pulled Remi up by her arms and all but carried the sobbing girl out of the room, leaving just the captains, two princesses, and two armed skeletons.
Flavna then stared down Mary.
"Sis, be a dear and return the keys to the nice captain," Samira said, finding the whole situation quite funny.
Mary hesitated for a moment but not seeing many options she got down to her straw bed, sunk her hand inside, and pulled out the keychain she hid within. The skeletal warrior followed the princess with its hollow eyes as she walked toward the barred door and reached with her arm through the gap between the bars, holding out the keys.
Samira snatched the keychain, offered it to Flavna, and said, "I'm so sorry for all the trouble my sister caused. Believe it or not, this is my cute little sister on her good behavior. I would have expected to find that poor girl gutted and bled dry."
"I wonder where she gets it from," Flavna said and took the keys from Samira.
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