Jewel of the Crown - Page 2

      -You should ask Pinks about her knives- Anna said, pointing with her head towards Pinkamena who was still sitting at the table, staring blankly into a piece of paper in front of her.
      -Really? -Viola sounded unconvinced.
      -Sure! She'll love it, and you might like it too! - Anna's smile was anything but encouraging, but viola really didn't want to fail any potential tests and this really looked like one. She didn't want to be accused of disobedience and she was sure Anna was higher rank then her. She slowly walked up to the table and carefully sat down on the side exactly opposite to Pinkamena, who turned out to be looking at the map they were all provided with. Her skin was very pale and her hair had the faintest shade of blond. Her face was hidden in the shade of her hair as she hunched over the map.
      -Soooo. How about these knives of yours? - Viola was proud of how calm that came out.
      Pinkamena's eyes lit up as she quickly launched herself forward as far as the table allowed her to. Her Eyes were revealed to be very light blue with a slight hint of pink at the edges, confirming Viola's suspicion that she was an albino , as well as explaining her rather unusual name.
      -Oh! You're new !? Of course you're new, silly me! You want to meet the family?! That's so nice of you!- Pinkamena's reaction was inadequately enthusiastic seeing how she was just asked about her knives, she really sounded like she was about to introduce someone to her family. She started pulling out knives from her clothing.
      -This General Barroq – She said, putting a standard issue military knife on the table. It looked battle tested but well maintained, there were a few hints of scars on the blade and nothing more.- He climbed the ranks down from a Private! He is a real military genius, a truly unstoppable attacker!
      Next she pulled a pair of elegant daggers, one from each of her shoes and delicately put them on the table to the left of the first one. The dagger had slightly curved tips and she put them symmetrically to each other so that the tips almost touched.
      -This is Count and Countess Bathory. They love each other very much and do everything together- She pushed the blades a bit closer to each other- Such a lovely pair they are! This- She quickly moved on- is Marquise Defenestre- She said pulling a relatively small blade with an elegant handle from her sleeve.
      -Doesn't that mean “through the window” in... -Viola tried to interrupt.
      -Maybe- Pinkamnena didn't seem to mind the interruption, but she wasn't going to let it slow her down- She is a gift from Princess Celestia herself, a very special gift. She is a true lady, everything has to be perfect and she is always ready for everything. She really hates it when things get messy.
      Viola wasn't sure if she was talking about the knife or the princess, both seemed plausible according to her knowledge. She didn't feel like asking and had no time to think about it more as Pinkamena was already putting another knife on the table. This time it was an ordinary looking kitchen knife. No good kitchen could function without one, and this one looked good enough that no kitchen would be ashamed of it either.
      -This is Maestro Hantini, the wandering master chef. Oh the places he's been, the things he tasted and cooked! I'm always so jealous when he tells his stories, mmmmm.
      Viola has just realized all the knives were pointing right at her with the tips of their blades. Worse, pointing right to her heart, which has just skipped a beat. She felt the blood leaving her face and her empty stomach twisting into a Gordian knot, soon to be cut. She managed to stay put at the table though. Or maybe she didn't manage to leave?
      Meanwhile Pinkamena slowly reached behind her back, above the shoulder, and than quickly dropped the hand back on the table, stopping before hitting it though. The rapid movement caused Viola to jump up and almost fall off the bench, but she was too scared to actually run. Pinkamena slowly put the knife down on the table, completely unfazed by the reaction she caused. A muffled laughter could be heard from behind the wall, which was probably the best thing Viola could hear in this situation.
      -This is marauder John- Pinkamena continued as if nothing happened. Added to the collection was another standard military knife, this one however had sharp, saw-like teeth carved on both sides. - John is a naughty boy, the black sheep of the family. He has a heart of gold though, he'd never leave a friend in need.
      After that she stopped moving for a while. Viola quickly became even more uncomfortable, if that was even possible, unsure whether that was it. The silence prolonged, so Viola decided to leave. As she started rising, seemingly out of nowhere another knife appeared in Pinkamena's hand.
      -This is The Stranger -she said slowly while balancing the blade on two of her fingers- He is new and doesn't want to talk to me. I think he is shy...- Resigned, Viola readied herself to “meet” another member of the family- And what is your name?
      Taken completely by surprise, Viola was speechless. She struggled to answer the simplest of questions for quite a while but Pinkamena didn't seem to mind.
      -My name is Violetta Copperhead- She said, stuttering a bit.
      -And I am Pinkamena Jade. Some call me “The Ripper”.