With one of the strange interlopers dealt with, Anisa stands at the door to the service room adjoining the spacious kitchen she's in, its tidiness a stark contrast to the shambles Tinsnip's office has been left in. Wanda stands nearby, her back to a wall and her eyes alertly watching for any more signs of danger, silent but for the faint rustle of her cobalt duster.

Much more cautiously than last time, Anisa inches towards the doorframe – one foe was cake, but eight could be tricky. She tentatively sticks her ears into the room first, listening for any sound of someone in the room.

There are footsteps in there, and voices murmuring. Someone says, "Hey, it sounds like the boss found him… " It doesn't sound like eight people, unless a good number of them are just sitting very quietly.

Pulling her ears back into the kitchen, Anisa motions for Wanda to come closer. "There's someone in there," she whispers in Skeek, hoping the higher pitch of the language is less noticeable. "I'm not sure how many though. Can you back me up if I make a rush on 'em?"

Wanda fits a stone into her sling. "I'll do my best, sugar. I'll be staying out of sight, I'll see if I can get the drop on somebody."

The Lapi returns her attention to the door, and seems to reconsider her tactics. Instead of rushing in, she pokes her head around the corner to get a better look, still balling up her fists in case she needs to brawl.

Opening the door a crack doesn't get her noticed just yet… the three men inside seem focused on the far side of the room, trotting toward a door there. The service room here is a bit more decorated than the kitchen was, with some gas lamp fixtures and red carpeting, but the place is otherwise clear. There are two doors on the far side, and two staircases leading up to doors on the second floor.

Slowly, Anisa pushes the door open, trying to stay as silent as possible as she slips inside the room. As quietly as she can muster, she readies her skedat whip, keeping her eyes fixed on the men.

It's a pair of kavi, one sable and one brown, lagging behind a heavyset Skreek who's heading across the room. "I think someone else showed up in there. Sounds like there's trouble," says the Skreek, not pausing in his stride. One of the kavi complains, "The boss and his bunch can handle it, we're supposed to keep stuff clear on this side!" The other nods. "We're doing our job, let 'em do theirs."

All three are wearing patchy leather armor like the hog-tied man in the office.

Staying behind the trio, Anisa starts to make a wide arc around the room and towards one of the staircases, where she can hopefully make a better stand should she have to fight. She keeps her whip at the ready, and makes a quick glance back at the door to keep an eye on Wanda.

The Skreek grimaces, slowing to a trot and putting his hands on his hips. "Eh… I guess."

As the Skreek slows, so does Anisa, pausing to watch the heavyset rodent before starting off towards the staircase once more.

The rat turns around to face the kavi, glowering. "Right then, we'll-… " He stops dead, eyes widening as he catches sight of Anisa. "Hey! Hey, you! You're not supposed to be here," he bellows.

Anisa's fur frazzles out on end at the sudden yell, and she makes a break for the staircase. "Oh yeah? Well neither are you, garbage-breath!" Flicking her wrist, she readies a rock and haphazardly lobs it at the rat.

fwap "Ow!" The rock rebounds off the Skreek, who doesn't look particularly hurt, but does pause to nurse the welt he's received. The kavi are already scurrying toward the stairs with swords drawn, the Skreeks yells to "Get her!" being unnecessary. From where she stands at the top of the stairs, Anisa can hear a tremendous crash and some yells through the door.

Spinning to face down the staircase, Anisa cracks her whip at one of the kavi. Reflexively, her ears swivel in the direction of the crash, but she keeps her gaze fixed on the ferrets.

One of the kavi flinches as the chitin barb of the whip whistles at him, but both of the slinky vivverids stream up the stairs, intent on doing harm! Below, the Skreek recovers from the stone that bounded off of him, and heads for the bottom of the stairway… then stops abruptly as the door on the first floor bursts open! A shaky-looking Rath'ani is forced through at swordpoint, a burly-looking shiga following after him and hurrying him along.

Anisa brings her whip back in, and puts her fists up in anticipation for a fight. Her attention is shattered, however, at the sudden entrance of the Shiga and Raccoon, her ears instinctively zeroing on them instead of the kavi duo.

And right on the heels of the shiga is another reptile; this one gold-scaled and dressed in a simple robe; her white mane flowing behind her as she gives chase. In one hand she carries a long, curved, sword with an intricate grip. Tucked away into her obi is another of similar design, only much shorter. "Great, more. Deal with the shiga first. The others do not seem as … dangerous," she thinks briefly when her mind registers the others present.

Kavi aren't known for fighting fair, and they both hack at the small white rabbit on the stairs above, but she turns their weapons aside with little trouble using a skedat shell strapped to her forearm.

Kin's blade flashes in and connects with the shiga's. Briefly, the two glare at each other across blades. Then the Kiriga launches back into her assault, blade sliding back, then darting in…

The two kavi stubbornly stay where they are, but the sable looks hard pressed to keep Anisa at bay, and neither make any headway against her. The shiga glowers at Kin through their crossed blades. "You are outnumbered and outmatched, wench." Whether the latter is true or not, the former does seem to be the case, the Skreek turning away from the stairs to join his lizard cohort in the fray.

"Outnumbered perhaps. Outclassed … well, that remains to be seen," Kin hisses at the shiga, then smiles wickedly and launches back into her assault.

Anisa's attention is again distracted as the second reptile bursts into the room, her jaw dropping in confusion at the goings on. A few swipes from the kavis refocus her attention to the task at hand, and she redoubles her efforts on the sable colored one.

As quickly as she can, the Lapi throws a straight jab right in the sable kavi's face, connecting with a 'thud'. Her attacker momentarily stunned, she leaps backward and crouches low… then springs forward as hard as she can, ears set back sternly as she head-butts the weasel in the chest!

"Hooogh!" gasps the kavi. The force of the blow sends him tumbling backward so fast that Anisa's ears don't hit him when they flop forward, and the mustelid loses his grip on his weapon, bouncing down the stairs with a series of squeaks.

The Skreek runs up to the shiga's side, but the reptile grins humorlessly as he swipes again and again with deadly accuracy. "Forget it, I'll take care of her. Get the bookworm out of here." The Skreek nods, and despite a yelp of protest from the raccoon, grabs the scholar by the upper arm and marches him toward one of the kitchen doors.

Kin, momentarily distracted by the arrival of the kavi, finds herself immediately on the defensive as the shiga presses the attack. Only from her long hours of training does the Kiriga deftly avoid getting skewered by the shiga as she dances backwards and back through the banquet hall entrance!

The kavi reminds Anisa he's here with a tentative jab of his sword, but it's simply sidestepped, and with a squeal of dismay the ferret is forced down the stairs under the rabbit's barrage.

Anisa continues her jabs at the Kavi, managing to connect once, but missing as her barrage continues. "Had enough yet? I can go all day, you know!"

"Guh!" whimpers the kavi, desperately swinging. He takes a sliver of wood off the stair banister, and nothing more.

A hard right thrown by the Lapi just barely misses the kavi, but Anisa uses the punch's momentum to grab one side of the railing with both paws. Hefting herself up, she kicks both legs hard at the weasel, connecting him dead center in the chest.

The ferret yelps, as the pair of big Lapine feet knocks the breath out of him. He flops over the railing and spills to the carpeted floor below, sprawling out with a groan. He looks in no condition to go anywhere, now.

Plopping back down on one of the steps, Anisa immediately high-tails it down the stairs. Once at the bottom, she hesitates – she can hear the commotion from the other room with the two battling reptiles, but who are they, and what do they want with Tinsnip? Speaking of Tinsnip… "Oh Dagh, Wanda!" The rabbit quickly makes up her mind, and sprints back to the kitchen.

As Anisa flies down the stairs, she gets to the kitchen door by the time the skirmishing seems to come back. First the shiga's broad shoulders and back are seen in the door… he holds his position there for a few seconds before having to take a few more steps back. His face is hard with concentration as he tries to hold his golden opponent at bay.

The two scaly combatants clash again, the Kiriga gracefully leaning out of the way of the shiga's sword. A lock of white hair falls to the floor.

Skidding to a halt just outside of the kitchen door, Anisa spins to watch the melee between the two lizards. A look of worry crosses her face, and she fidgets between returning to the kitchen, and joining the fight. Then again, she thinks, who would I help? Dagh blast it! Gritting her teeth, she ducks back into the kitchen.

The words prompt a hiss from the shiga, who responds with a frenzy. Ting! Tang! Swish! For a moment, it looks like Kin is going to let that deadly chitin blade through, but with seemingly impossible flexibility, she twists away. A long slash tears the back of her robe, letting gold scales shine through, but thankfully no blood.

The kitchen door stays open as Anisa bursts through it. She finds Wanda all right… clutching the sword the pair appropriated, as she slowly backs away from the Skreek, whose teeth are bared. A dagger protrudes from his shoulder, red staining his leather jerkin.

"Sugar! The sight of you has never been sweeter," says Wanda.

Anisa hits the breaks just inside the kitchen, her bare feet sliding a bit against the tile floor. "Hey, cheese-hole," she screams, "get back over here and take your medicine!" She brings her fists up again, and starts to advance on the rodent, keeping an ear cocked at the kitchen entrance.

It's nearly a mirror image what the shiga does when Kin manages to turn the attacks back on him. Ting, tang, swish! He can't match the Kiriga's grace, however…

The Kiriga's reptilian eyes are narrow as her assault presses forward. Blade hits blade, the dance goes on. And then… Kin swivels and rolls her blade around the shiga's … and the tip of her sword catches just right into his guard. Then with another twist, the dragon wrenches it from his hand and it goes clattering to the floor.

The shiga starts to skip backwards, slips, and can only watch helplessly as Kin flips his weapon away from his numb fingers, a chip of chitin coming off the edge when it bounces off the stair banister. Faced with the tip of Kin's keen blade, he holds his hands up, and drops to one knee. "I yield," he hisses, through clenched teeth.

Kin looks down along her blade, watching him for the slightest movement. "Do you remember what I said earlier?" she asks in a cold voice.

The shiga's only move is to shy his head back a little as the katana's blade comes uncomfortably close to his throat. He stays quiet; staring up at Kin with yellowed eyes, either sullen or just not daring to respond.

Ears back and teeth bared, Anisa sprints at the rat. Instead of slugging him, however, she quickly grabs one of the counter-tops for leverage, and makes a flying kick with her oversized feet, aiming straight for the Skreek's jaw.

The Skreek starts to turn and shout something, but his sword doesn't get readied in time for the Lapi's lightning kick. A punishing heel sprays saliva and a couple of rat teeth across the kitchen as it connects, spinning the rat in place and dropping him to the checkered floor. He doesn't make any move to get back up, and Wanda sets the sword aside and stoops down to retrieve her dagger. "Gracious, sugar. I'm glad you're on my side."

"Would you have held your blade had the situation been reversed?" Kin hisses darkly as she glares at the shiga, "You do not honor life. You do not respect women. You and your friends plan to rape my homeland. I have a thousand and one reasons to kill you where you kneel." Her arm draws back suddenly and she brings the butt of her sword down on the top of his head with a sickening thud to knock him out. "And only one reason to spare you," she finishes with, "I have honor."

The mercenary has only a moment to ponder Kin's words. What he thinks of them isn't evident… his yellow eyes briefly go wide as the pommel whips down at him and the Kiriga spikes him into the carpeted floor. THUD. He rolls over like a sack of potatoes, crumpling to the carpet and staring at the ceiling, out cold.

Kicking the Skreek's sword to the side of the room, Anisa turns to her mouse companion. "Where's the Rath'ani? I saw him come in here with this idiot!" The rabbit gives the rat a slight kick for emphasis' sake. "There's a couple of crazy lizards in the other room – if that was Tinsnip, we'd better get him out of here before he gets skewered!"

Kin draws herself up and takes in a deep breath. Her fingers flex around her sword and now … her left hand goes and draws the shorter one. "I have had enough of these … people," she growls as she takes a moment to recover before she goes marching into the kitchen.

Wanda says, "He went into his office to hide after I stabbed that goon. I was starting to wish I'd done the s-… " The diminutive Skeek stops at the sight of Kin, eyeing the Kiriga warily. She pauses, then wipes her dagger off one a dishcloth hanging from one of the kitchen cabinets, and tucking it back inside her dark blue duster. "I don't think she's with them, for what it's worth, Anisa." She's still wary, though.

The Lapi's ears swivel backwards at the sound of the approaching Kiriga, and Anisa soon follows suit, bringing her fists up to challenge the lizard. "Who are you," she says, glaring at the reptile, "and what do you want with Mister Tinsnip? Well?! Out with it, scaly!" Slowly, the rabbit backs away towards the disheveled office.

Kin raises her longer sword and points the tip outward, aligning its height to roughly Anisa's heart. Her shorter one is turned so she holds it backhanded. "I am Kin Ryuu and I am here to protect him from agents of Cinders along with a Lapi named Gibson," she replies calmly. "If you are one of them, then you are my enemy. If you are not, then you are my ally tonight."

"What's going on back there? Is it over?" comes a familiar voice from the service room. Wanda's ears prick up, and she exchanges glances with Anisa. It sounds like… like Gibson!

Anisa stops dead in her tracks. "A Lapi named… " Her fists lower slightly, and her ears become less intense. At the sound of her brother's voice, she drops her stance entirely, and perks her lobes forward. "Gi- Gibson?!" The doe forgets the Kiriga's existence completely, and her gaze focuses past Kin, and out the kitchen door.

"Ah, then you are an ally," Kin replies quietly and lowers her weapons. The sword is also lowered and she starts to try to sheath it … and then remembers her sheath is back in the banquet hall. So … she rests it on her shoulder instead. "It is over, Gibson," she yells. "There is a Lapi and Skeek down here. Is Lilac well?"

Gibson sidesteps through the kitchen door, his arms bearing a bundle of white drapery. Lilac's head rests against the crook between chest and bicep, her eyes closed. "I… I think so. She turned into this… huge black beast. After she helped me against the thug that I was fighting with, she turned back as quickly as before, and passed out. She's breathing evenly, I don't think she's hurt, but I've… " The Lapi shakes his head. "Well, I've never seen anything like it."

Just as Gibson says, Lilac appears to be sleeping. She also appears to be bloody, with half her face smeared with drying blood. And, who is this Lilac, Anisa and Wanda may wonder; the woman in Gibson's arms seems to be human, with pale white skin and deep black hair. Perhaps not quite human, for her ears are long and faintly furred on the tips, and she appears to have a tail, if that length of black hanging out of the drape belongs to her; a tail with a bow, in fact.

As soon as Gibson appears through the doorway, Anisa becomes white lightning – zooming past Kin with a small shove and making a beeline for her big brother. "Gibson! It's you! It's really you!! We-" She looks about ready to pounce the black Lapi, but skids to a halt at the sight of the woman in his arms. "Wha… who is that?" The Lapi's nose twitches frantically, staring first at Lilac, then up at her brother, then back at Kin. "What in Dagh's name have you been up to?"

Gibson looks both astounded and overjoyed at the sight of Anisa, and starts to charge over to meet her, stopping short when he remembers the bundle in his arms. "Sis! I wouldn't have dared hope you'd have gotten here this early!" He pauses, and gives the smaller Lapi an apologetic look, hefting the human girl he's carrying. "This… um… this is Lilac. It's a long story." He breaks into a grin again, and settles for just stepping lightly on Anisa's foot. "But it looks like the Snowshoe family luck is still shining through."

Kin turns to look at the black Lapi and nods her head. "She doesn't know that she changes like that. I've seen it only once before. It is also one of the reasons I had to get her off the island. There were few places she could have hidden safely there and the guards would have killed her," she tells him. "Would you mind watching all of them … and explaining? I need to go retrieve my scabbard. I should not be long," she comments, then leaves the kitchen before Gibson has a chance to answer. "And, oh, find some rope to secure the shiga. He still lives," she calls back.

Anisa's nose calms down, and her confused look melts away into a grin. "Then you can tell me later. Right now, we'd better get out of here. There's a doorway back here, and – oh, Mister Tinsnip!" The Lapi turns towards the office. "Mister Tinsnip," she yells, "are you okay?"

A raccoon face pokes around the door. Mr. Tinsnip edges out a little further, clutching a broomstick and likely rather relieved not to have to wield it. "It's over?" he quavers.

Lilac groans as she begins to stir, squirming a little in Gibson's arms.

And it's right about then Kin returns as she's tucking away her longer sword back into her obi. Her head swivels to look at the raccoon … and shortly thereafter, to Lilac.

Gibson starts to speak up at the sight of Tinsnip, but pauses as the young woman stirs. He looks down at her, bringing the arm cradling her head up a bit. "Lilac? Are you hurt?"

Rustling around inside one of the cupboards, Anisa pulls out a roll of cooking twine. Unraveling a good deal of it, she starts to bind the Skreek's hands and feet. "It's over now, you can come out. Sorry about your office… " Picking the twine bundle back up, she tosses it to Kin. "I'm Christina, by the way – but everyone calls me Anisa. Glad to meet you! Any friend of my brother's is a friend of mine."

"Mmm? Are we there yet … " The woman in Gibson's arms tries to roll over, but being quite secure, goes nowhere. The resistance does seem to surprise her, though, for her eyes open quickly and she looks up at Gibson. "What- … " she blinks, looking around, "Where-" He gaze stops at Anisa and Wanda, and she murmurs sleepily, "Who … ?" She then smacks her lips together, frowning at the taste that brings.

The Kiriga catches the rope. She pauses at the name, then nods, "Well, the fates are most … peculiar. Gibson's sister. It is a pleasure to meet you, even with these circumstances." And remembering the circumstances, she asks, "Will someone be alerting the guards about these … men. Or is it our expected duty to offer them the chance to end their lives honorably and oversee it?"

The black rabbit looks down as Lilac comes to, then begins wiping at her face with a corner of the tablecloth, looking a bit embarrassed that he neglected that detail. "Are you alright?" he repeats.

Oh, my my my my." Tinsnip carefully sets the broom aside, a small measure of order in the chaos of his office. "We'll have Temple guardsmen round them up at once. They'll be spending rather a long time in the dungeons, I should think." He wrings his hands, fretting. "I suppose… I suppose the damage could have been much worse. At least the banquet hall is unscathed."

"End their… lives?" Anisa's ears splay oddly at Kin's comment as she hefts the Skreek up by his armor, dragging him to the center of the room. "Maybe we should question them first? Um, about what, I'm not entirely sure… " She shrugs, and props the rat against one of the tables. Returning to the cabinets, she pulls out her duffelbag and bow, slinging them over her shoulders.

Kin's brow goes up and as she heads out of the kitchen again to deal with the shiga, she whispers to Gibson, "Don't mention the chandelier right now." The Kiriga then steps outside the door and works on securing the unconscious creature.

"Where am I? Did something hap- … am I naked?!" Lilac's ears shoot straight up, and she looks horror stuck and both the revelation and having said it out loud. Beat red, she looks helplessly between then others, then up at Gibson, who, being the one carrying her, and being Gibson, just embarrasses her further. She pulls the tablecloth over her head.

Gibson coughs and nods as Kin passes him, and again at Lilac. "Well, no, not really! You're wearing a tablecl-… er, a blanket!" The Skreek groans as he's propped up against a kitchen cabinet, his head lolling, and Gibson glances at the fallen figure, then back at the Rath'ani. "Jervis, we're probably going to have a lot of cleaning up to do. Let's get everyone squared away, and discuss this all later. I have a lot of news, for both you and li'l sis."

"Oh, the table," Lilac moans in whisper. She tries to shrink more under the tablecloth, and, perhaps if possible, vanish from existence altogether.

Kin returns in short order. "I spared his life, I never said I would be kind about it," she mutters to herself. She's not carrying any remaining rope … so no telling exactly how she tied up the shiga. "Well, at least Lilac was right about one thing about these lands … it isn't dull," she comments with a rather toothy grin. "And … I think it may even get more exciting in a few days. There are a lot more than these few thugs heading here and looking for certain people… "