"Whoa whoa, ha ha ha, are you joking with me..."
Bang bang bang a sound symbol for hitting the floor of the room with her hand.
Ha ha ha... Sorry... Sorry... But honestly, sometimes you're the girl who screams and shouts a lot; you're such a nuisance too...
Eva stood up and pulled her kimono down further...
I mean... ha ha ha... a girl like you with that body can hide behind a pole, thinking that she can make herself look sexy just by letting her hair fall over her shoulders... So maybe...
Damn! a sound symbol for a metal bottle hitting my head.
"You scoundrel, get out of my room; you're spending the night outside."
__________________________________________________________________
"Audrey! You have a visitor...!"
"Okay... I'm coming."
"What are you doing in this place, Audrey...? Do you think I paid you and took you out of those cheap bars just for you to come back again?"
In a trembling voice, Audrey said, "Sir Karl, I intended to return the money you gave me."
He is a tall man, close to two meters, with taut muscles in his arms and chest, wearing a loose black shirt, sleeveless and open at the chest.
His pants are black and wide, allowing for swift movement, with a golden metal chain dangling from his waist that makes a frightening sound when he moves.
On his head, he wears a bucket hat, striped in black and gold, stained with dried blood spots..! The wide brim covers part of his face and shades his eyes.
His hair is messy and of medium length, falling in uneven strands around his face, with some hanging between his eyes, while a somewhat thick beard covers his chin.
Around his neck hangs a necklace made of tough black leather, from which three large feathers of the golden hawk dangle. Each feather features its natural shining colors: shiny gold at the base gradually turning to dark brown at the tips. At the center of the necklace is a dark golden metal clasp shaped like a golden hawk's claw.
He has pale skin, with a slightly rectangular-shaped face, and his cheekbones are slightly high with sharp features...!
A prominent scar of dark red runs across his pale skin, stretching from his forehead to his left jaw.
His eyes are black with dilated pupils like those of a predatory animal, making his gaze penetrate souls.
"I know that you fought him."
Karl stopped walking on the ancient wooden bridge, gently arching over a narrow waterway, surrounded by dense, low green trees with intertwining leaves.
He leaned against the bridge railing and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."
Audrey lowered her head, embarrassed, "He was strong, very brave."
"I find it hard to believe that. So far, he has killed eight of my men, and two of them were good enough to pose a threat to me..! But still, he doesn't seem like a match for you; he should be just a child's plaything for you to amuse yourself with...! There's only one person in this world! A lone duelist alive who could be my equal...! And you are that person!"
A tear fell from her eye, "My mother told me something one day; I remembered her words...! If you want to live by killing people to become a duelist... then it would be better for you to become a whore instead!"
"You can mock me... this pathetic figure before you, how can she change her fate...! I work as a shamisen player in this tavern, so it's better that I return the money I took from you to free myself from you! Before I do that, I will..."
With a gaze from Karl that reflected deep emotion, he reached out to grasp Audrey's arm...!
"If you want me to wait, then I will wait for you...! One day, I swear I will make you my wife."
Caught off guard by what had happened, she tilted her head slightly, her face showing signs of tension or worry, her eyes filled with tears that fell down her cheek.
She released his hand and sighed...
"If I were still that naive little girl and didn't understand the painful meaning behind those words... I don't know how I would describe my happiness! Like a kind of overwhelming ecstasy."
Karl moved closer once again, placing his hand on her sad face in an attempt to comfort her and offer the support she needed...!
"But! Karl... I am aware of everything... and... what you want is my sword, nothing more than that... Karl, you are just like my father!"
Audrey rejected Karl's attempt to soothe her, lifting her hand to brush his away from her face.
"Don't concern yourself with anything regarding my dreams or anything like that. If I bolster your ambitions, you will crush everyone, everyone without exception...!"
His wide eyes reflected an expression of shock or anger. His eyebrows arched sharply upwards, enhancing the impression of discontent and dissatisfaction with what he had heard...!
"I was born the daughter of a samurai, but I never wanted to carry a sword; all I ever wanted was just a little happiness, just a small amount of it like the others...!
How foolish and cheap my life must seem to you..! How ridiculous and contemptible! But... I..."
Karl interrupted her words with a kiss on her lips...!
Audrey knelt on the ground, her hands stretched out in front of her as if she were in pain or suffering from an inner ache.
"Why...? Why that day? Why didn't you take me, Karl?"
"I don't want your talent to go to waste; I won't allow that...! That's the reason."
Audrey remained sitting on the ground, her head bowed and her hands covering her face, silent tears mixing emptiness with pain.
Tap tap tap tap tap a sound symbol for the footsteps of some people.
"Well, well, what do we have here...? No wonder you don't have time to spend with me!" said one of the people who had invited Audrey to spend some private time with him while she played in the tavern...
Three individuals approached, walking side by side across the bridge, each wearing traditional clothing and carrying swords at their waists...
They walked with confident strides, ready for any fight!
"Not with a handsome young man around; perhaps he gave her what she needs."
Audrey lifted her sorrowful, despairing face.
"Who was that person you were with?! Not bad for a cheap whore!"
He drew his sword from its sheath. "The old man who owns the tavern over there told me, 'I'm glad to be getting money from bringing customers to the place; go and bring that woman back, even if it takes force.' What a heartless old man, don't you think...?"
Ready for a fight, they held their swords in their hands. "Remember, guys... use the flat side of your swords; don't make any cuts... just take her down. Maybe we can have some fun outside of this work too."
"I got it! I thought I was still a child."
"Hah!" "What the hell is this?" "What is this whore saying?" "What are we going to do?"
Side comments among the three.
Audrey adjusted her stance, now on her knees with a stiffened body, her eyebrows slightly raised, expressing her annoyance...
She took the Trident of Shadows to use it in cutting her hair, her hair dangling from her right hand, her taut shoulders reflecting repressed anger and inner pain.
"Just now! Finally, I understand...!"
Furious at what she had done, they shouted, "Damn!!! You cut your hair...! You foolish whore!"
"Now you won't get anything," they all rushed toward Audrey with their swords.
Audrey transformed into an unmatched offensive force, standing firm and ready to fight with her three-part trident held tightly in her hands. Her right hand grasped the curved upper end, swirling it in a rapid circular motion toward the nearest opponent...
She seemed like an unstoppable storm. Standing in a calm victorious pose, her three-part trident still held firmly in her hands, the curved upper end dripping with fresh blood...
The fight ended with lethal and swift strikes beyond sight...! The remnants of her three opponents left a mysterious and terrifying impression, with severed limbs or shadows of blood splattered on the wooden floor.
"When a woman falls down the wrong path, she can no longer dream like the rest of people...! It was a hopeless situation from the very beginning... Am I not right?"