Zilo kept an eye on the door as Xunchu entered rubbing her arms, looking down at the dead doppelganger. She looked to Zilo and asked, "I told them all and they will be here soon... So you know about these things?" Zilo turns over to her and speaks, "Only what I've read. They can mimic anyone's appearance and voice, as well as the ability to read thoughts to sell the act. Maldrek should know more. He's the one who lent me the monster manual I saw them in."
As they finished, Maldrek and May entered, May was, for once, wearing a dress that wasn't fashioned from leather and black cloth, but instead a purple silk formal dress while Maldrek was dressed in a formal black suit with a red dress shirt and boots. Neither had their scythe or sword, but hidden under their outfits was Maldrek's guns and a pocket spellbook, while May hid her daggers with poison vials.
Maldrek looks down to the dead body and says, "Is that!?"
"Doppelganger, it was pretending to be Ai so it could get a shot at Xunchu. Said that it was from the Black Daimyo."
May hangs back her head and sighs before saying, "fantastic, they made one last hurrah as a noble."
Maldrek assumes his thinking pose with his hand on his chin and begins to form a plan as May kneels down to look at the body. she looks up to Zilo and says, "Not a bad plan to be honest, pose as the best friend to get close then kill her on her own."
Maldrek gets out of his stance and says, "But there's the chance of more." May narrows her vision at Maldrek and says, "Really? How many you think?"
Maldrek shakes his head and says, "At most around a half dozen, Doppelgangers can make small gangs, but never any more than that, and I think the Black Daimyo must have hired them before we killed them off."
May's face goes tense as Zilo wipes the rest of the blood off his sword before taking a step forward and saying, "So Maldrek how do we counter them?"
Maldrek looks to Zilo and says, "Best method is a blood test. Once a part of a doppelganger's body leaves the main body it reverts. Their blood turns black shortly after its spilled." May sarcastically shakes her hand and motions out to the ballroom with her arm and says, "Sure get a sample from every party goer here, that won't be difficult."
Xunchu comes forth and says, "Well let's cancel the event then! I don't want to die."
Maldrek shakes his head and says, "No need we can handle this, but I need you to do me a favor, do your best not to let on that you know about the attacks. If there are others here then they might have a back up plan if they get caught. I'd rather deal with the plan we know not the uncertain back up."
At that moment Cruxis entered into the bathroom, in his full armor, but polished to attend such an event. He sees the body and says, "By Arete! What is that!?"
May chimes in, "Doppelganger, Black Daimyo hired them to kill Xunchu, Maldrek says there are 5 more we need to worry about." As May finishes speaking Maldrek's eyebrow twitches and he brings his hand to his chin, and proceeds to continue thinking. Zilo, May, and Cruxis continue speaking while Maldrek forms some sort of plan.
Cruxis says, "Well if that's the case then one of us should guard her out there, I volunteer."
May shakes her head and says, "No way big stuff, It'd look weird if a man was with a bride-to-be on the night of her engagement rather than her husband, I can blend in as one of her maids."
Maldrek's eyes spring open and he says, "May give me a knife." May looks to Maldrek incredulously and the Tiefling responds, "I don't have my sword and I need someway to test them, I need a knife." May nods and walks over to Maldrek handing him a knife handle first.
As he grabs the knife he jerks it away and cuts May on her hand, She rears back, holding her new wound and Zilo shouts, "Maldrek what the hell!?" Maldrek holds the knife up to Zilo and says, "Just making sure." In a flash the blood turns black and Zilo's eyes dart over to May.
May grimaces and leaps at Xunchu with her nails morphing into claws, but Maldrek snaps out his pocket spellbook and casts Hold Person. May is held in place with her claw inches from Xunchu.
Maldrek dramatically closes his book in his palm and says, "She seemed sure that there were 5 more, might have been confidence, but couldn't take the chance."
Maldrek backs up to push Xunchu against the wall as he drops the knife and takes out a gun from his coat and speaks to both his friends, " Both of you, I want blades on skin right now." Zilo and Cruxis unsheathe their swords a bit and cut the tips of their fingers. Both bleed naturally and Maldrek lets out a sigh of relief. He puts back his gun.
Zilo point to the knife and says, "And you...?" Maldrek looks down to the dirty knife and says, "I could have killed her right now as I pinned her to the wall. Besides, that knife is filthy now." He brings his attention back to the doppelganger May and he says, "Seems this one has done something with May, I'll go find her."
Maldrek then points to Cruxis and says, "Cruxis you stick to Xunchu like glue, don't let her leave the ballroom." He then Points to Zilo and says, "Zilo, get as much information out of that deoppelganger as you can."
Zilo nods as Maldrek casts Spark to burn the old doppelganger body in the bathroom away, Cruxis and Xunchu leave the bathroom. Zilo turns his gaze over to the trapped doppelganger. It looks to sweat as it stays there still. Zilo's violin flicked into the air and a ghost performance began.
Since he needed things from the doppelganger Zilo made use of the Dance of Kindled Desires thrusting and waving his hips and his puffy shirt coming slightly undone and as he locked onto the doppelganger's wants he knew he could give it. It wanted to leave without getting hurt.
Zilo ended his dance by moving in and embracing the Doppelganger as it fell into his arms changing it's hands fully back into a hand and Zilo spoke in a deep knowing voice, "So it is life you desire, fear not, I can show you life."
"Thank you," Whispered the Doppelganger, blushing slightly as the door to the bathroom opened to show the two of them embracing inches from each others' faces and a party guest froze, slowly closing the door and spoke, "I... Um... I'll try a different bathroom."
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