Trouble comes in Pairs

Chapter 1 - Sisters

"Yo sis, you sure you don't wanna join in on the fun? You should really fuckin' live a little" The wolf-eared woman shouted over the bar fight she started.

I didn't look at her. I didn't even speak loud enough to be heard over the fight. "No." I took a sip of some rather offensive 'ale' if it could even be called that. I regretted letting Rue choose the inn. I regretted letting Rue do many things.

"You sure? I bet these bastards would love to see you whip out the old razzle dazzle." She winked at me while headbutting a big guy unconscious. The giant of a man fell backwards onto my table and my uneaten meal soiled his clothes. Whatever, it wasn't like I was hungry anyway.

She finished cleaning up the thug infestation of the inn moments later. I glanced around the room spotting nearly a dozen full grown men and women unconscious. I eyed one of them. He wasn't breathing. Of course she had to accidently murder someone.

I let out a rather long groan as I faced my sister. "I hate you."

"Love you too sis." She said to spite me. She proceeded to rob her victims while humming a tune. Her tail was wagging and her grin showed off her fangs to the other patrons. I could see the inn keeper wanted to tell her to get the fuck out but was too scared to do it. If we stayed the night here, there was a 100% chance a dagger would try to lodge itself in her while she slept. Which is why I always got my own room.

I stood up. If I'm not going to eat, I might as well get to bed early. I'm sure the death throes of whoever tries to off Rue tonight is gonna wake me up early enough. I made my way up to my room, they had a passable excuse for a mirror in here.

My eyes fixated on my reflection. My snow white hair was down to almost the middle of my back, and it was starting to look a tad shaggy. I met my crimson eyes, from which hung dark circles. The rest of my skin was oh so pale, except the red burnt splotches of sun damage. My black dress was covered by an equally black cloak that hid my lack of curves.

I felt it beneath my cloak though it remained hidden as always. A small black gem set in a pendent that'd forever make my life difficult. It also made me strong enough to deal with said difficulties. I drew upon the stones magic watching my eyes turn into empty black voids. My hand reached into the space between worlds and pulled out a large stuffed dragon and a night gown.

Stowing my day clothes, I hopped into the poor excuse for a bed and snuggled Ms. Flamescourge. She in turn held me while I drifted off to sleep.

Sure enough I awoke to nearby screams. Rue could just rip out their throats so they couldn't do that but I assume she lets them scream on purpose. I gave Ms. Flamescourge a squeeze and tried to get the rest of my beauty sleep.

I hated mornings. I dragged myself out of bed over to the mirror. The blurry mess was cleared up by some eye enchantments. I watched my eyes go black as I banished my facial hair to the furthest reaches of creation. I stowed Ms. Flamescourge while pulling out my lunarvine from the void to suck on. The void spat out my travel clothes, all the dirt, dust, and blood that once stained it lost to some unfathomable region of existence.

After making sure I looked as good as I was gonna get, I set off for the only redeemable part of my morning. I pounded on the door to my sisters room. She mumbled, "go away." If I had her cursed hearing I'd have actually heard her say it. Since I had no such super hearing, I obliterated the door with magic and proceeded to hurl her out of bed with the well-aimed pull of a singularity.

"Get up Rue, I want to leave before whichever gang you pissed off burns the place down." My tone dry and uncaring. I ignored the bloody mauled lump of flesh in the corner and the red stains splattered about.

My older sister eventually untangled herself from her sheets by tearing them to shreds. Rue stood up scratched herself like the bum she was and proceeded to dither about as she got ready.

Despite being sisters, we didn't look much alike. She was several inches taller than me. Her shaggy black hair was almost touching her shoulders, while her animalistic ears sat on top of the feral mess. She had yellow eyes like dad's, along with his tan complexion. Her bloodstained tank top was a torn ragged mess and her massive bosom threatened to break free of it. Rue's dark grey trousers and black boots were equally messy. The wolf's tail completed the feral savage look.

"Yo Winter. You just gonna stand there with a stick up your ass, or are you gonna help me get rid of this fucking face fuzz?" She said inspecting her jawline in the mirror. I sighed as I magicked it all away till next week, then handed her some lunarvine from our stash in the void. Rue wouldn't last a day without me.

We went down stairs and she strong armed some breakfast out of the inn keeper. My stomach disagreed with my decision to forgo the establishment's food, but it could shove it. My sister ate enough for a handful of people before we eventually made our way outside.

An arrow shattered against Rue's thick skull. Her ears had twitched a moment before, so I assumed she let it hit her on purpose. She howled in the middle of a city and charged the assailant. The final screams of what was probably a man rang out.

In my boredom waiting for my sister to finish her business, I didn't notice an asshole sneak up behind me and attempt press a knife to my throat. The knife partially disintegrated as it triggered my ward. A moment later my eyes had gone black and no such asshole existed to bother me further.

Rue was on her way back covered in fresher blood than before. "These piss ants are so weak this is starting to get boring."

"Maybe next time you should avoid assaulting and killing random people." I retorted with a roll of my eyes.

"Whatever, miss Scourge of Whitehallow." She said with a grin. "Anyway, let's get on with our little fetch quest before your boyfriend dumps your ass."

"That’s not… You're just being stupid again." I grumbled at her. "Lead the way." I gestured for her to go ahead. We headed across town. That overly violent gang Rue pissed off ran out of attempts on her life for the moment. I followed her closely enough that her tail kept thumping into my leg.

We were supposed to pick up some fancy scroll for our acquaintance Davey. With it Davey was gonna decipher the tablet I got when I found my magic gem and hopefully explain what it is exactly and why everyone who found out about it tried to steal it. I of course hadn't told Davey about the gem itself, lest someone useful be added to the pile of bodies in our wake. Also he wasn't that bad, though definitely not my type. He was way too… male.

One of the problems was that the scroll in question was held in the royal archive which meant forcing our way in was actually dangerous. Did either of us have a plan for how to get in? No. Rue and I aren't exactly the most creative or subtle of sisters. Her plan was to break in violently and steal the scroll. The scroll in a large building full of nearly identical scrolls. My equally creative plan was to ask for entry so we can find it and grab it. I won the coin toss with a little magic.

The archive was in the inner city and the guard were stopping people who wanted to enter. Well everyone but those with big fancy noble crests on their carriages. We didn't have one of those. After waiting in a short line we got to the gate. Rue was leading the way as she usually did the talking for us.

The fancy city guard looked us over and then spoke to me instead of Rue. "Sir, you can't bring this vagrant with you." I didn't know if I wanted to kill him or cry. Rue cut in before I made a decision.

Getting in his face she said, "Fucker listen close, me and my sister are going in. So, you can either take our coin and shut the hells up or your ass is grass." She poked him hard in the breastplate with one of her claws and left a small hole in the steel.

The other gate guards tensed up with their weapons, while the jerk in front of us almost shat himself. "O-of course miss, the toll is uh, 10 silver pieces."

"You get two silver and I won't rip your throat out." She growled. I made myself small behind her, as she handed the guard some coins and walked us past.

She slowed her pace and wrapped an arm around my shoulder in a half-hug. "It's okay sis. I've got ya." The tears slipped out. We walked along in silence for a bit. Stares came at us from many of the posh residents of the district and their servants. It made me feel very seen, and I hated that. I wished I could make them all disappear, and the scary part is I could.

Rue had walked us right to the archive. The building showed off an architects desire to build bigger and bigger domes. The place was a bunch of conjoined round structures made of a white stone. Artistic liberties were taken with the embellishments making the exterior rather gaudy with statues and relief sculptures. We walked up the stairs past the massive archways and in the tiny doors.

An owlish older woman stopped us. "You two can't just barge in here. I'm going to need to both to leave." She was sitting behind a counter with half rimmed glasses for reading whatever text was in front of her.

"We um, we're students at the uh… royal academy and we need to see some scrolls for our course work." Rue lied out her ass. I had no idea what she was doing but it wasn't what we agreed on.

"Then why aren't you both in uniform?" She replied with a look that told us she knew Rue was full of shit.

"See, well. Look our uniforms were… they were stained and we had to put on spare clothes while the uh servants cleaned them. We have a deadline on our assignment and really need to go in right now." If everyone present didn't know she was full of shit that would have almost been a decent excuse.

"Well then you two shouldn't have waited till the last minute to do your course work." The woman expertly deflected. She'd definitely said that line a dozen times before.

Rue turned to me. "I told you talking wasn't gonna work, now we do this my way." I glanced at the receptionist. She had a smug little smile on her face as Rue walked past. My sister walked face first into an invisible wall. The receptionist and I laughed at her. "What the actual fuck is this?" She said running her claws along the magical barrier.

"Something to keep out poorly behaved students, and vagrants who pretend to be them." She said with a practiced smile.

"Winter, do your razzle dazzle thing and make a hole in this." Rue whined.

I sighed. "First, please don't call my magic a 'razzle dazzle thing', second this is gonna turn into a massive mess if we force our way in."

"Holy fuck sis, we're here for your shit not mine. Stop wasting our time and do the magic." She raked her claws along the barrier.

"I have work to do can you both take this outside?" The uncaring librarian said looking down at a scroll.

I turned to the librarian and worked up the nerve to speak. "U-Um miss uh lady, we um need to find a-a scroll in the archive, how um… how would we get access to go and like see it?" I much preferred when Rue did the talking to strangers.

"Miss, the archive is restricted to academy students, and faculty along with select members of the nobility and of course the royal court. If you want access you'll need to convince either a noble or a faculty member of the academy. Now if you'll both leave before I have the guard drag you out." She turned her attention back to her scroll.

"Sis, why do you always insist on doing things the hard way?" Rue complained like a child. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she was the older sibling.

"Because unlike you, I don't enjoy killing people." I turned around and walked out.

The librarian said one last thing before I made it through the door. "Try asking professor Crawford."