"Ooh, you're cute!" The sweet voice echoed against the walls of the old cathedral ruins. "I think I'll keep you."
Ichigo's hand flicked to the sword at her hip as she turned around. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows around her, casting scattered reflections of colored light across the floors of the ruined old church and illuminating the woman emerging from the shadows.
The woman was beautiful, Ichigo supposed. Her curling ram's horns, each decorated with a bright red ribbon, nicely complemented her heart-shaped face and pale cotton curls. Her lips were full and painted pink, and her light brown cheeks were dappled with heart-shaped glitter freckles. A dainty golden tiara rested amid her curls, nestled alongside stray wildflowers that could well have gotten there by accident. Her ruffly seafoam-green dress matched her eyes, large, bewitching eyes that sparkled in the darkness.
Some would call her beautiful. Ichigo called her a public menace.
"So," she said, one hand on her sword hilt as she gave a mock-relax stretch, "you must be Lina. Or should I call you 'the Princess'?"
The sheepgirl gave an airy laugh, twirling a curly lock of white hair around her finger. "'The Princess' will do, sweetie." She tilted her head to the side. "Why don't you take off that silly little facemask? I'm not sick, dummy."
Beneath her mask, Ichigo smirked. "Not likely."
"Are you sure?" Lina's eyes sparkled. She brought her fingers to her lips. "Not even if I...
mwah~!
"
A puff of pink pheromones wafted towards Ichigo. Ichigo barely smelled it through the carefully-layered pungent herbs of her mask.
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Not even if you what?"
Lina blinked. She pouted and stomped the ground with a hoof. "That's... that's no fair!"
Ichigo scowled, advancing towards her. "'No fair' is you using your little parlor tricks on unsuspecting townsfolk. But I wouldn't expect a bully to understand the concept of justice."
Lina let out a groan. "Ugh, you talk like such a
loser
." She flashed Ichigo a winsome smile, prancing around Ichigo, staying just out of reach. "But the townsfolk love me, silly! Everyone loves their Princess."
"Is that so."
"That's right." Lina's eyes sparkled. She brought her fingers to her lips again and blew another kiss. "
Mwah~!
And so will you, soon~"
Ichigo rolled her eyes, stepping right through the puff of poison. "Are you always this much of a nuisance? No wonder you have to drug people to put up with you."
"Oh, but they have so much fun! And I take such good care of them, dummy."
"Uh-huh."
"That's right." Ichigo noticed that Lina was stepping closer. Ichigo tried to pretend she didn't. "Just one whiff of my sweetness, and they realize I'm
always
right, and that I can take care of them
much
better than they ever could. And so will--"
She sprang at Ichigo, lunging for the mask.
Ichigo grabbed her by the arm, wrenched her to the side, took both the petite sheepgirl's shoulders and slammed her against the wall.
Lina's cheeks went bright red.
"You're not too bright, are you?" Ichigo growled.
Lina's cheeks went redder. "S-Shut up!"
"No. Listen to me, and listen well, because I won't be so patient next time. There will be no more 'misbehaving'." Ichigo brushed Lina's shoulder, and tiny wafts of visible perfume rose off her skin for a moment, like a puffball mushroom. Gods, perfume magic was probably obnoxious to deal with if one wasn't prepared. What a pointless type of magic.
"But I didn't do anything wrong!" Lina whined. She pouted. "You're so..."
"What? I'm so what?" Ichigo tilted her head to the side. She had to admit, a part of her felt deep satisfaction from this. Her friend Inaba had warned her that this could be tricky, but Inaba always underestimated Ichigo, didn't she? "As I said, you shall get up to no more mischief."
"But I--"
"And if I ever hear about you getting up to trouble again, or wearing this ridiculous perfume," she went on, cutting over the brat's objections, "I'm going to
put you over my knee
like the spoiled
child
you act like. No more trouble."
Lina paled. She blinked rapidly, sputtering for a response.
"Do you understand?" Ichigo snapped, giving Lina a gentle--but firm--shake.
Lina bit her lip, then nodded.
"Let me hear you say it." Ichigo knew how condescending this was. She didn't care. It was like nobody had ever been able to tell this girl 'no' before; well, that changed starting today.
Lina's face reddened. "I... I won't get up to any more trouble."
"Good." Ichigo smirked. "Now, there's a nice little stream nearby."
"So?"
"So," Ichigo said coolly, "you're going to go get all this perfume washed off, aren't you?"
Lina fumed. After a moment, as if realizing Ichigo wasn't bluffing, she nodded.
"Let me hear you say it." This was unnecessary. Ichigo would be watching--respectfully, despite it all--long enough to make sure Lina complied. But if Ichigo was honest with herself, it just felt so satisfying to see one of these would-be temptresses so utterly humbled. A little too satisfying.
I had best not get too used to this.
Lina finally mumbled her agreement, glaring daggers the whole while.
Ichigo smiled. "There. Now, wasn't that easy?"
~ ~ ~ ~
It was a week later. Ichigo sat at the bar, enjoying a nice lunch. Inaba, her little fairy ally, sat on the bar next to her enjoying a thimbleful of cream.
Behind them, she heard the door fly open.
"Miss Knight!" blurted a male voice. Ichigo spun to see one of the local woodsmen in the doorway, doubled over and panting for breath. "It's--it's happening again!"
"What is?" Ichigo lowered her fork, frowning. "Are you alright?"
Other patrons were hurrying over to help the man to a table, but he shrugged them off. "The Princess!" he managed. Ichigo noticed a wet rag clutched in one of his hands, and she realized he must have been using it to filter his air. "She's--she's up to her old tricks, Miss."
"Seriously?" Inaba snapped.
Ichigo rolled her eyes. "Well, I did warn her." She rose to her feet. "Where?"
"On the old Fisher's Bridge." The man pointed unnecessarily. "She's--she's worse than ever, Miss. Be careful!"
"Of course. Not to worry; I can handle her." Ichigo rummaged in her pack and procured her facemask, holding it up and taut before Inaba. "Spell it?"
Inaba fluttered up and planted a light kiss on the other side of the mask. The mask glittered with fairy magic. The fairy smiled at her. "Be careful. She'll be ready for you this time. She knows you're a threat."
"I'd say the same about me," Ichigo said, rolling her eyes as she stalked out the door, "but I'm not sure I know