The Knights of Grimm - Act 4 - Whispers of Arkhonex

Chapter 15 - The Fallingwater Estate Heist - Pt. 2

Velvet

She brushes her palm across her long brown hair to see where they are after closing the door behind herself and Kassius. She looks around, walking and sighing when she hears her heels making such a loud sound. She reaches down to them and slips them off her feet, the picking up some quieter worker shoes. The feeling is not as nice as the heels but at least they are stealthier for her small feet. Kassius walks inside and he looks around, whereas the Bunny Faunus can hear more than she can see.

The occasional squeak from a mouse in the cellars get her attention, hearing some running around the stone floor. She gasps in disgust, the low level of hygiene in here is utterly appalling. Apparently even the richest people in the world still do not have the best hygiene, which means that the Kitchen could be even worse. Kassius walks with his head staring up at the ceiling, nearly walking into a wall at one point. "So, what are the odds that the new power room is gonna be on the other side of the complex?" Kassius wonders curiously with Velvet behind him, she sighs as she reaches back and ties her hair into a ponytail to get it out of her eyes.

"Please don't jinx us, knowing our luck it'll be on the other side of the Kingdom." She scoffs, making Kassius chuckle as they keep moving through the area, but as they walk inside they see that the lights aren't working properly. None of them are working in fact, total darkness has gone and claimed the entire Wine Cellar that they are inside.

"Perfect, no lights...don't suppose you brought a flashlight?" Kassius wonders, but then Velvet has an idea as she reaches into her dress, since it has two pockets at her midriff. She reaches in and pulls out her scroll, flicking it open and pressing the flashlight button – the light that luminates from the lens is not powerful but it is better than nothing. "Oh yeah, forgot those things have flashlights in them." Kassius chuckles as he walks ahead of her and Velvet keeps the flashlight on as she walks beside him, her large eyes examining the many kegs of wine in here.

"These kegs...I recognise the brand. It's from Menagerie." Velvet deduces, sliding her finger across the dust on the wooden hide of the huge cylinders inside of the dark cellar. Multiple bottles of the same brand stacked on the shelves to be used by the countless guests at the estate right now.

"Well...knowing who these guys are...I doubt they paid for it." Kassius sighs, still remembering the poor Faunus Slaves sold to the owners of this place by the Traffickers. No honour among criminals, no matter how they do business they will buy anything from each other for their own reasons. Whether it be practical or pleasurable.

"My people rarely had any trade, but the wine distilled in the Vineyards of Menagerie were double the value of any Mistraalian one." She states with disgust, able to smell the beautiful aroma around them as they walk.

"What makes it so different?" He asks her curiously.

"The grapes and fruits used there, since the temperatures are so tropical they are sweeter than normal. I think it has something to do with the desert heat too, and the risk of sandstorms always made it worth more since entire Vineyards could end up buried." Velvet explains, surprising Kassius at her deep knowledge of wine, sounding like she is some kind of Wine Connoisseur.

"Didn't think you knew so much about Wine." He states, looking at her as they walk, she shrugs her shoulders as she walks.

"My mom and dad used to be Vineyard Owners..." She explains, and his eyes start to sink when he hears the use of past tense language.

"Used to be?" He asks her.

"They passed away a few months ago this year...got sick." She explains, and Kassius feels his heart start to hurt with the dread of realising that they could have been infected with Horridus Morbus. So, he has to ask her the question without spreading that dread.