Pumpkin Scissors 21

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Captain Hunks meets with Major Connery about the situation at the ball. Connery figures there has already been many casualties and he plans to just arrest civilians that approach the place whether they took part or not. Further, he plans to use the event to gain more power for the military. Hunks states that the night is still young and that maybe there weren’t any casualties yet, something Connery feels would be a trick of the Devil.

At the ball, Alice has challenged Koushaku (Marquis) Paul to a duel, which he doesn’t take seriously at first. However, Alice is very serious and her sisters immediately know what she’s about to do. Grabbing a table cloth, the get Oland to help them hold it up as Alice lifts her skirts and produces her short sword, which is also the Emperor’s Seal. Realizing she’s serious, he declares his weapon to be his two bodyguards, making it a two against one fight. However, she was hoping for a three against one fight with Paul included.

Oland decides to stand between Alice and the bodyguards to shield her, but she orders him away, stating she’s not going to let him fight anymore. However, one of the bodyguards produces a flail which nearly takes out Oland if it weren’t for Alice’s warning. Machs recognizes the bodyguards as from a guild formed to quell farmer riots in Loderia (from which Alice’s family decends from the royal family there). Oland is afraid, not wanting to harm people and so as the bodyguard with the flail attacks, Oland retreats until he falls out of a window (followed by the bodyguard), where he then runs away and hides around the corner of the building.

The remaining bodyguard pulls a matchete (spelled correctly apparently) covered in a liquid substance. Alice’s actions have been what he expects from the household of the former king of Loderia, also known as “Nobel Flamme.” This was a name only her grandfather was known as. The bodyguard wants to know if he can kill her even if she is a noble of the Thirteen Families. Alice confirms this.

Outside, the flail bodyguard has caught up with Oland and attacked him around the corner of the building with the flail, catching Oland in the gut. Oland pulls out his gun, but the bodyguard isn’t impressed by the gun’s size nor Oland’s size since all he sees is a scared, giant soldier.

Back inside, the peasants are not happy with Alice claiming to be fighting for the pride of the nobles which leads Leonir to step in. The leader of the revolt recognizes him as the man that passed them the evidence about Paul. Leonir states that should Alice win, Paul will be tried, the peasants will be part of that, and they will not be prosecuted for their attack on the ball. If Alice wins, the peasants get to slay the nobles inside. The peasants agree to this, though the leader of the revolt feels this isn’t enough. Further, Oreld tells Machs to keep the engine going because things could get ugly seeing as how this solution of Leonir’s really isn’t one in the long run.

Both outside and inside, the bodyguards go to attack their prey.

Thoughts/Review:

Man, this episode didn’t do much more than waste a lot of time with posturing and speeches. That said, I wasn’t bored by the episode, just felt it didn’t do much. Sadly, I get the feeling that this story-arc will consume the rest of the series.