Hero, Don't Kill The Demon King! Chapter 1: Lives Not Yet Thrown Away

[scorri]

Bladen jerked at the voice, narrowly missing slamming his head into Asami's and then quickly pushed back away from the entrance, staring at her accusingly. "How do you keep doing that?! Do you ever make any noise? Besides the... Well talking thing. You know what I mean! You just... Appear." 

He stared at her for a few seconds longer before her words sunk in. A bitter smile twisted his lips and he shook his head. "What you don't know already? Come on fox, here I thought you knew everything, spy that you are." He gestured to the rest of the empty tent with a bit of a resigned look on his face. "Well I won't be rude and leave you mostly out in the rain, oh fabled Asami of the Dawn. Come on in if that's what you're after."

[Xinnidy]

"Your mother was spot on, Marina." Too nice for her own good, but that alone would make a person exploitable. If these monsters had an ounce of deception to them, Marina could be used just as easily as she had been by the church... Used by the church, huh... If it were true, what could be said of himself? No, this was not the time to worry about it. Surely an answer would come, whenever they reached Coeton.

Agni was impressed by the words Lavinia used. Her stance on life was far from what he expected from a demon... in truth, aside from the ones fueled by vengeance --like that foolish dragonewt--, most monsters expressed far less bloodlust during that combat than Agni expected. Were they always like this, or had Agni just found the most peculiar group?

Marina was surprisingly curious about the previous hero and their effect on Lavinia's past... Agni wasn't expecting it --it had been long before his time--, but he could swifty pick up how the topic shook Lavinia up regardless. So something had been robbed from her...

"Sorry to interject, but you were a human once, yes?" Agni was kind of curious, he heard a tale of how Lavinia's kind turned human, but he wasn't sure that was entirely how they worked. "Do you still remember that time, if so?"

[Nanami Touko]

"I am Asami of the Dawn," she began, slipping into his tent and sitting on her legs in front of him, yawning gently. "Appearing out of nowhere is one of my best qualities~" She snuck her tail in and wrapped it around her waste, gently leaning onto it. "I was quite busy trying to keep a person of interest safe. Now that I have, it's back to finding out whatever I can." Idle eyes looked around the tent, her ears twitched a moment, and she glanced back towards the entrance. "Agni's asking foolish questions..." A thought she voiced idly, not quite thinking about Bladen being there. Probing Lavinia like they were was a fool's endeavor. She would never tell either of them exactly what happened. Maybe some of the other monsters here, but them? Impossible.

"Never mind that... So, you're a fallen, yes? I'm guessing, at least, based on the wings and the color." It was rather interesting to see one out and about. They were rarely born, and their young were treasured. That meant, something happened. What that something was, well, Asami was rather sure it had to do with Marina's little crusade. He seemed down just joking about it... Very serious, then. "I'm sorry," she said, suddenly, "if my coming in to ask has opened recent wounds. If you would rather talk about today, instead of yourself, by all means. I like listening." It was one of her best qualities, after all.

---

A better question, at least, though still close to the old pain. She could work around it... Somewhat. Trying her best to regain lost composure, Lavinia dove back into her memories and thought beyond a century, smiling eventually, without the hurt. "Yes, I do... I was nineteen. That was, over a hundred years ago, now." Plenty of pleasant memories. The old feelings of spring warmth, winter's chill, the pain of hard work and training... She couldn't feel any of them anymore, but the memories weren't going anywhere. Her mind knew what they were meant to feel like. It helped.

"I used to live in Hwein. A little port city, a center for fishing and trade... I don't know if it's still around, but if it is, perhaps I can visit while we're there. I'd help my parents with their business, train in my off time. Not for anything, just... To do something, I suppose. I didn't have much of a goal in life." And then... "Heh... That changed quite swiftly. Things were different before this, hero business. Monsters would frequent the place, we all... Got along. Perhaps that's why it's so easy for me to forgive you, Marina. I know what peace between our countries looks like. I know what laughing alongside humans while being like, this... Feels like, sounds like... It was... Quite wonderful." Lavinia glanced at Agni, holding his gaze for a moment, before smirking and shaking her head.

"You would do well to remember one thing, Agni. Most monsters were human, once. We understand how you all think. We are not beasts, we are not driven by strange interests or forces... We're just, trying to live. The quicker we can bring peace to those too weak to gain it for themselves, the better." With that, she'd swerved things far enough away from her memories to feel better again. A proper smile sat on her face, cloth gently rubbing away at a section of her breastplate. Blood did love to leave such nasty stains... "I will say, though. To the both of you. While I may understand, and know what it was like to be as you are... I am still, a vampire~ Do your best to not bleed around me, yes?"

[scorri]

Agni... That would be the human. Who he was asking or what had been said was beyond him, but it was interesting to note. "I can see why you're such a good spy if you can hear that well..." he muttered, not really focusing on what he was saying. There was too much going on inside of him to care overly much what some human was asking about. No, his dilemma was the focus right now, on how much he should tell this strange fox that seemed to enjoy teasing him so much. This spy who would likely find out all the details one way or the other. Perhaps it was better to just tell her now, rather than have the details surface again later at a time when he wasn't prepared.

His mind made up, he braced himself mentally as best he could to talk about all of this. Easy questions first. He idly flared his wings as he decided on his words, though actually having them grow to their full size for once was a bit of a surprise. They brushed up against the walls of the tent before folding back in against his back. "Huh. Wish they would have done that earlier when you scared me out of the tree... Ah well. As you said, I'm a fallen angel. The youngest of the race, actually. Probably quite a few people worried about me back home... I wasn't supposed to be here, you see."

A memory hit, the look on his father's face when he had been discovered right before battle. A mix of the pride and worry fighting inside of him. The pride that his son was following in his footsteps, wanting to fight to help protect their leader. And fear that if he let Bladen fight, he would be going home to his wife without their son. Lost in the memory, he continued to speak, but failed to notice the tears starting to brim up in his eyes. "When the families heard of the invasion by the hero, they refused to let happen to the last Demon King happen again. We hadn't fought then, as I'm sure you know. We had stayed in our homes, isolated, as we always do. But then... We actually lost the king and his family. No one expected it to happen. And so when they threatened her life again, we had to help. No one disagreed."

It had been a sight to see. A full battalion of the fallen, kitted out in jet black armor, ready to fight. Something none of the fallen would forget. And now something they could never forget. A glorious memory tainted by tragedy. "I wanted to fight. But we value our young so much, I never would have been allowed to go. And... so I followed them. I stayed out of sight, like I thought I was doing with this group. Only they didn't have you to catch me. They didn't find me until right before they joined the battle. At which point it was too late for them to take me home, and so... And so my father shoved me into a nearby tree, far enough away that I wouldn't be dragged into the fight and told me to stay, no matter what happened..." And he had. Even as the fallen were torn apart by archers, he had stayed. Even as his father had fought to his last breath... The first tear escaped and he finally noticed, roughly brushing at his eyes.

"After the battle... All I had left were questions. And anger. So when I saw demons playing follow the leader with the so called hero, I couldn't ignore it. It was perfect. A chance to get answers from her for her actions and then get my revenge. But... she's just an innocent girl who was forced to be a puppet. So I guess I'm stuck with you all until I get my answers from some other source." There. Surely that was everything she could want to know. Likely it would just be ammo for future teasing somehow or just put in a report to the Demon King but somehow it felt right that the world would know of the fallen squadron because of the story told by one of their own.

[Xinnidy]

Over a hundred years ago, and in Hwein. Lavinia's life seemed fairly normal. Surprisingly, Agni could relate to it, used to a simpler life before he was summoned to his father's dukedom and revealed as a bastard... in that moment, he could almost see Lavinia's youger self where she stood: A younger look, a less pronounced red to her lips... perhaps more color on her skin. Some villager from an inconsequential corner of Hwein. One he'd never met had she not turned. "I see."

Fate always had a weird quirk as it wrote stories.

Agni stared at Lavinia back as she told him of the nature of monsters. It would be sobering had Agni not been so wary... "If most monsters were once humans, that goes against Coteon's general beliefs." He could see why --most humans would think twice over waging war over that knowledge alone--. Once again his face contorted into a light frown, and gaze lowered to the ground. If the demons had so much sensitive information, he'd expect some humans to side with them.

Was the gap between their territories and Coteon's propaganda that effective?

[Nanami Touko]

So that was his tale... How boring. Asami had been hoping as she listened that at some point, this would divert into his feelings for Marina. He was right, it wasn't every day that you found a group of monsters and demons following alongside the woman holding the holy sword. Frankly, anyone that looked at them would likely think they were mad. Things had deteriorated to that point, as sad as it was to see. It feels like I was drinking wine in Coteon just yesterday... How far things have gone, right, Carlon? Shook by her thoughts from the look on Bladen's face, she couldn't help a small smirk. He certainly looked old enough, but he was definitely what could best be described as a teenager. A teenager who had suffered some significant trauma...

Boring as she may have thought it was, she wasn't a monster about how people felt. She could understand the plight and grief he must have been going through, slowly bringing a finger up to his cheek, wiping a tear away. Though, she couldn't resist herself, licking the little drop off her finger and smiling, just a bit. "Salty." No, no, too mirthful. I do feel bad, I do. "That must have been awful to see. And now, the perpetrator behind everything sits mere feet away, begging forgiveness, as she bawls her eyes out at the smallest injustice... How must that make you feel?" In truth, this was a bit of a test on her end. While some of what Marina had done and was doing pissed her off to no end, she had been tasked by Thesephine to keep her safe. She owed Tharasonis quite the large favor, and with his death, that favor fell to his daughter. If she could pay him back by helping her, then she would, despite the discomfort.

It clearly wasn't all bad, they had very interesting people along with their group. Even that Agni, what a charming card... She'd have to play with him a bit more, but for now! It was best to see how Bladen reacted to being coaxed. Poorly, and she would make sure to keep him away from Marina. If he reacted well... Perhaps a more direct tease was in order, for the growing little bird. But what to do? Hmmm... I do suppose I am very good at appearing out of thin air. Yes, that will do nicely~

Edited July 11, 2019 by SnakeMomMelissa

[scorri]

He flinched away as she wiped the tear away and then again as her first words in response to all of that was a comment on how his tear tasted. It seemed like he'd underestimated her once again. Pitying words followed but only barely. They were immediately followed up by a probe, trying to find more information. It seemed like that was all she cared about. Well, that and teasing. He pushed himself further away from her, without really knowing why he was doing it, beyond that fact that he had suddenly found himself unsettled by her, in a way he couldn't describe. But he'd invited her in. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't quite bring himself to just shut her out now.

"I don't like humans. I suppose I never had strong feelings for them before, but after everything that happened, I can't like them. I might even say I hate them, if I'm being honest. But her... I want to hate her. But whenever I try, I feel so... guilty. I've been watching you all since you left the castle. She's barely smiled the entire time. Whatever lies they told her to get her to fight... I can't help but feel like that's not her. Like I said, she's clearly a puppet and now her strings have been cut. I don't like her. I don't know if I ever will. But I want to see what she does without someone dictating her every move."

[GoldsbroTSG]

Someone.

Immediately, Marina regretted asking her question. It almost reminded her of the way she just acted towards Bladen. At that point, she didn't try pushing any further. However, Marina's caring side kicked in and before she knew it... her arms wrapped around Lavinia. She wasn't sure how the woman would react but... it felt right for Marina. She wasn't that good at talking to people, so this was the best idea she had.

She pulled back not too long after being asked about her. I guess they don't really know anything about me, huh? While she thought about it, thankfully Agni was there to at least talk to Lavinia too. She couldn't help but laugh a tiny bit at Agni's comment about her. Whether it was a compliment or it was a criticism, the bluntness of his answer was admittedly funny to her. As well, she did get to learn more about Lavinia. One thing that was spot on about her world; Lavinia was human once.

She thought with the brief moment between the three, she thought it'd be the best time, "I grew up in a place called Auburn, New York. It's one of those places where it has it's big city area, but you pass one small treeline, then all of a sudden you're in the country," She finally got to really use that, "I guess that's also not too uncommon here, then it felt over there." A brief, sheepish laugh, "I was an only child with both my mom and dad. I wasn't very good at making friends. I'm actually incredibly shy, it's just... I guess the journey hid all of that." A laugh again.

"When I first turned 16, I got a job stocking items at a grocery store..." Do they know what that is? "Like, if a market was just one big building. And I only got the job because my mom worked there and put in a good word for me," She scoffed, "If this was 4 months ago, I highly doubt I could look any of you in the eye without wanting to retreat back into my shell," 

This had nothing to do with being back home, but she thought she could do it. She took a deep breath, "I don't know anything about how I got here, though. All I remember was going to bed one night then... I woke up in the church of Ilrios. They told me about how they summoned me to be the hero, and Bishop Carlon... treated me like I was his own child." She shook her head, "In my world, a lot of media; books, and other... not-here things depict demons as evil, and at first I didn't think anything of it. When they told me to take the holy sword and fight the demons, it made me feel... I didn't HAVE to be the Marina I used to be, and I could really be some big hero. I didn't think anything of it at first."

She shuffled a bit, "As soon as I entered Vaia, I had my doubts on what I was told. Beyond anything I expected, instead of people charging in response to our march... demons begged for their lives. And, I guess you both know the rest from there..." She sniffled, wiping her face, "Sorry, no, I'm not gonna cry again," See, that wasn't so hard, Marina.

 

Edited July 12, 2019 by Silver Gallade

[Ursali]

"Yeah, they sure do." There was a sudden softness in her voice as she agreed with Nessraya, staring beyond the darkness outside her tent. She knew the woman was right, that treating herself the way she was would only get herself killed. That would ruin her friends' sacrifices, make them meaningless. But all the same, she couldn't stand idly by with the weight of that on her shoulders; she'd be crushed. Her life wasn't her own anymore, that's why she had to prove she wasn't just one big mistake. That's why she had tagged along with the Hero. For a chance at redemption. Or was it vengeance? She couldn't tell.

Xalrei barely heard Gabriela's snark, only fast enough to give her an angry growl before the siren was gone. As for Nessraya, she wasn't necessarily against her offer. Thanks to Gabriela's comment she was awake enough to infer what the succubus wanted. An unwanted blush crept onto her face, showcasing her lack of... experience with the topic. "If you could promise me a dreamless sleep..." She shivered at the other woman's touch, yet as the tension left her tired body she instinctively began to relax, leaning back on the succubus behind her. "I wouldn't... mind."

Edited July 12, 2019 by Ursali

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, Bladen, don't be like that..." Asami wasn't shy about crawling closer. The tent wasn't exactly large, and unless he wanted to get his pretty little wings rained on, he'd just have to deal with her encroaching on his space. "Look, I do care... Really... It's just the same story as everyone else. 'The Hero ruined my life'. What usually follows is, 'so I want to take revenge and kill her'. She isn't my favorite person, but I work for the Knig, you see?" Asami managed to catch his shoulder, snuggling up to it and gently resting against his arm. "I have to make sure that no one's going to go out of their way to try and hurt her. Not until..." She smiled, snickering. "Until exactly what you said." It had been quite a while since someone as amusing as Bladen had come along. Perhaps only Lavinia had managed to get Asami giggling like this, before. "So painfully understanding, you are..."

Like peas in a pod, these two. Lavinia knew what it was like to be human, so she could rationalize, and forgive Marina. Enough to see what she was going to do next... And Bladen, well, even if he said he didn't like her, that guilt he was feeling? All the same, in Asami's mind. He wanted to forgive her, but his wound was too new. He couldn't just close it up, pretend the infection didn't exist... Doing so would just be lying to himself, right? "I think..." What did she think, really? Hmm... "I think, everyone here is going to end up friends with Marina.'

A bold claim, maybe, but... "The girl... Is rather naive. That plays both ways. She listened to the church without batting an eye, and here she is now, listening to us. What if we're lying? That's the good thing, though... We're not lying, right~? So if she listens to us, even if it's because of that naivety, at least she'll be working towards fixing something important." Asami stretched her legs out a bit, leaning further against Bladen. "That's what I think, anyway~ Make use of her as much as we can. We deserve as much, for all the suffering~"

---

"But you see, Agni," Lavinia began, flashing him a rather toothy grin, to prove her two small points, "we are 'monsters', after all." It was Marina's turn, after that. She spoke of a place with an odd name... And odd features. What did 'grocery' mean? About how she used to hide in a shell of introversion... Being here meant she didn't have to be 'Marina', but 'The Hero of Coteon'. Shed that shell and become someone new. Improve as a person, maybe take something back. How quickly that delusion had shattered. Marina wanted to give Lavinia some sort of console for her feelings, so suddenly fished out, but really... "You poor girl."

Lavinia wasted no time in hoisting Marina onto her lap, giving her a proper hug, and stroking her hair. "You're not even supposed to be here. Too young. Far too young to be dealing with all of this. You should be back in wherever Auburn is, in new or old York. Not fighting for a church, or with monsters, for reasons you don't fully understand." Why did the church do this? What purpose did it serve, to summon these young humans, just to fight? What were they after? Eradication was so pointless, too base. It didn't make much sense... There had to be something else they were after.

"Agni, let me ask you a question." Maybe he could shed light on some of why the church hated them so vehemently. "Were monsters ever brought in front of crowds? Crazed and foaming at the mouth? Perhaps, shown, to be rabid beasts?" Maybe Marina had even seen some of this... Lavinia had heard rumors, but never confirmed anything for herself. "If so... I want you to think about what would happen if a human were starved, or deprived of water, and suddenly placed in front of what they needed, just unable to reach. How would they react?" Hopefully he understood where she was aiming. "I don't understand why the church wants us gone. But, we do have our needs. I need to drink blood. Nessraya needs intimate contact. We're all unique, somehow... And if I were deprived of that, and suddenly had, say... A glass full of fresh blood placed in front of me?"

She looked back up at him, still coddling Marina's head. "I'd likely go mad. I've only heard rumors, but, if you've ever seen these sorts of displays... Just... As a way to rile up the people, help convince them we're as terrible as they say, at least I can understand how they're going about it. I just... I don't, know why..." A sigh, and a gentle squeeze to their little heroine. "You really shouldn't be fighting here, Marina..." The powers at play were beyond her comprehension.

[Ether]

"Mmm... dreamless, huh? I'm not so good at dreamless, but if it's a nightmare you're worried about... I can certainly prevent that~" Nessraya replied... it was fairly easy to infer what had Xalrei bothered with that comment in the open... she wasn't sleeping because she didn't want to dream, didn't want her sleep haunted by the memories that haunted her. It wasn't exactly a difficult problem to understand. Pulling closer as Xalrei leaned into her, Nessraya pulled the dragonewt's chin ever so slightly, pressing her lips gingerly against those of the larger demon, teasing her with small nibbles and nips.

"Just relax and let me take care of you, and melt all of those worries away~"

[scorri]

She wasn't letting up, coming closer and eventually snuggling against him. He did his best to ignore that and focus on her words, though the warmth of her against his bare skin was more distracting than he would have liked. His cheeks tinged pink, he did his best to give a cohesive response. "I know I'm not unique. It's clear the land is mourning in wake of everything. But you don't need to worry about me. I'm not going to hurt her." It seemed like she had understood that with a bit of a cryptic comment about painfully understanding, something he didn't quite get. What did she mean by painfully?

But he couldn't focus on that now. She was musing more, and getting closer, something Bladen was only able to distract himself from because of how jarring her words were. "Use her, huh? I guess that makes us her new puppet masters. Maybe we will all end up friends. Maybe not. I suppose it depends on how long she lets herself be led along without protest. Guess I was wrong earlier, huh? She doesn't hold your leash, if anything, she's the one on the lead." He smirked for a brief second, as he couldn't resist the poke back at her being a pet. But still. If she was right, and Marina was still no more than a puppet, just on the right side this time, how did that make him feel? It scared him that he didn't have an answer for that.

[GoldsbroTSG]

"W-wha--!? M-Miss Lavi--!" Before she knew it, she was wrapped in the vampire's arms. She's... surprisingly warm... Marina's body relaxed as was brought into Lavinia's hug, admittedly feeling bad due to how dirty she still was considering the circumstances. She wanted to laugh at her comment about her home, but she felt now... it was a little too serious to laugh things off. For a moment, she felt Lavinia genuinely cared for her well being. 

She thought about Lavinia's question on 'rabid monsters'. Now that it was mentioned, "Bishop Carlon kept me in the church most of the time. But I was able to catch a glimpse of... that. Not up close, but he told me... that they'd come in and just attack the cities." Did the humans really cause something like that? To Marina, that was abhorrent.

You really shouldn't be fighting here, Marina.

"I guess it's too late for that, Miss L-Laviniaaa..." She gave a yawn, starting to tire again. "I... I want to know the truth too. But right now, I gotta fix the..." a soft yawn, "I gotta fix the mistakes I've made first. Then after that, I'll figure it out things..." Her eyes started to feel heavy, as she fought to keep herself awake during the conversation between the three of them.

Edited July 12, 2019 by Silver Gallade

[Xinnidy]

"A monster, huh..." The baring of Lavinia's fangs sobered up Agni's precaution instinctively, rearing his head back the slightest inch, before Marina began her story... Agni couldn't quite picture what this place looked like... he could visualize this sort of communal market Marina spoke of, though it was far off from what she intended to describe. To work such a simple, social job, as some storekeeper's aide... how common, but at the same time, Agni understood being thrust into such a job had to work some social awareness into her --it evidently was only a start, but still--.

Marina was a simple girl, and Agni couldn't help but agree with Lavinia, this was hardly the place for a girl like Marina. It really made one wonder, what was the church's plan...

And then, Lavinia spoke of the church's methods.

"Yes..." Agni reeled his head, it was alarming how spot on Lavinia was. "They show us how unreasonable you can be, 'your true nature', they say. It's hard to question it. Even the ones who were humans once... barely looked like they had any reason left." But to go to such lengths to antagonize the monsters...

"I couldn't tell you why they do it, either." This was still... much.

[Nanami Touko]

If he wasn't going to hurt her, that was all that mattered for Asami. Until the hero had made her worth clear, she would be kept safe. If she betrayed them, they were close enough to kill her with little issue. It was a simple matter of making sure her new leash didn't get too long... Bladen was right to think about it that way. Asami smirked, leaning away from him, now that she'd finished prying what she wanted from him. "I do like to lead...~ Still, it's... More of a symbiotic relationship, really. She's not our slave, and we're heading to where she decided. We're just helping each other along~" That was the best way to see it, really. Mutually using each other. So long as Marina was surrounded by monsters she felt she could trust, ones that, either tolerated her existence or appreciated it, she wouldn't get swallowed up by her clearly evident guilt. So long as they had the hero with them, humans would treat them just a bit better, and they could march into Hwein to actually fix things. Symbiotic.

With that all taken care of, Asami picked herself up and bent towards the entrance of Bladen's tent, smiling back at him. "Thanks for the talk, Crow~ All I'll say, is try to be careful around me." A swish of her tail, she stuck out her tongue at him and laughed. "I have wonderful hearing... And I'm nobody's pet. Take care to remember that~" With another fwish of the bushy bunch poking out of her robes, she slipped out of the tent without as much as a whisper.

---

Lavinia grabbed onto one thing Marina said. Carlon was still around? He hadn't died? Humans weren't supposed to live that long... That damn maniac... So this is his doing. Just like last time. How long until you're satisfied? Managing to turn the glare in her mind into just a grown on her face, Lavinia sighed as marina because to fall asleep. It wouldn't do to jostle her awake, now that she was finally collapsing. The girl was likely dead tired. Reaching over and grabbing hold of the cloak she'd prepared for morning, she draped it over Marina, letting her rest. "Shhh... Morning will come sooner than you think. Get some sleep, Marina."

Glancing at Agni, she could only sigh. The church hadn't changed. People were still buying their mad rhetoric, at the lives and expense of those already confused and scared. How low would they sink? Was their a floor to their ocean of depravity? She just hoped there was an end to this that stopped this nonsense. "You should get some sleep as well, Agni. We'll be walking tomorrow, and it will not be a short trip, now that we are down a horse. There should be a village nearby... We can stop there and hope they can spare something." It was hopeful thinking, and maybe would turn out. The wagon had to be left behind, though... A waste, to be sure. "I'll keep watch. I don't need to sleep, after all."

---

Morning came early, a warning of spring, as the dew dripped from the grass of their little encampment. Lavinia had pulled up the hood on her tunic as the sun rose, hiding herself from its damning rays. Eyes dulled, hair painted pure white, the night was over, and so were her powers. An unfortunate curse of this living, so long as the sun remained in the sky, her normal magic and aptitudes faded away. Nothing more than a trained human, at this point. If they were to run into any of the churches soldiers, now... She shook her head, trying to quiet the thought. Getting worried right away would only serve to upset the camp, as she began to slightly jostle Marina. "Miss Hero, it's time to wake up~ We have quite the day ahead of us... Breakfast will not exactly be a feast, but it would do to eat something." The girl had managed to sleep through the night... Perhaps I make a good pillow? Something to ask about, and enjoy a moment of the girl's fluster.

[Ether]

"Mmmnf~Five more minutes..." Nessraya groaned ever so slightly at the morning's light, snuggling tighter into Xalrei's back in defiance to the idea of waking up already. With any luck, having thoroughly thwarted any incoming nightmares aimed at the dragonewt... and replacing them with far more pleasant dreams, would leave Xalrei refreshed and perhaps a tad unwilling to leave the soft warmth of their shared tent with any particular degree of haste.

Either that or she would be the embarrassed type, and bolt out without word of warning... hopefully for the sake of her own future standing in the group, recalling that she had disrobed before doing so. If nothing else it would be a humourous thought to tease her about, but Nessraya vastly preferred door number one to door number two. The sun's light would likely give her an answer in short order. 

[Ursali]

Xalrei grumbled and groaned as the cruel light of day roused her from her dreams. True to Nessraya's promise there had been nary a nightmare throughout the night, allowing her a peaceful night's rest. Her exhaustion from yesterday gone, but still in a weird state of groggy yet refreshed, she yawned and rubbed her eyes; though, had no intention of actually getting up just yet. The pleasant warmth of the succubus on her back wasn't exactly motivating her to get out of bed.

When her mind did fully wake up, and she realized her state of dress, her face turned a bright scarlet; she couldn't help but recall what else had happened before she had fallen asleep. However, embarrassed as she was, if Nessraya wanted to stay like this a bit longer the least Xalrei could do was swallow her embarrassment until then.

[GoldsbroTSG]

Things only started to get more and more distorted around her as she slipped from her consciousness. She heard the words from Lavinia, and felt the warmth of the cloak around her, giving a light nod. She laid backwards until she was settled on top of her guardian. Before she knew it, she was passed out cold in Lavinia's arms.

---

Surprisingly, Marina slept nicely despite all circumstances. She was nestled quietly in her spot, slightly adjusted every so often, but overall didn't really move.

It took a couple of minutes for Marina to notice the jostling (she was quite the heavy sleeper), but a small yawn as she wiped at her face. Wet... It was raining, wasn't it? What was she doing outside, again? I remember, I fell asleep with... And she looked up, a familiar face. However... her eyes didn't have their color... actually, her HAIR had no color. It took a moment. Marina had a look of shock on her face, an extreme amount of blinking as her brain was processing what was wrong with the woman holding her.

"Oh my god," were the first words to come out of Marina as she just... looked. "Uh... I'm going to assume it's a vampire thing."

[Nanami Touko]

"Hmm? Oh. Hah~" Of course Marina wouldn't be expecting this, they'd only just met, after all. Lavinia looked back on the first time Asami saw her hair change, even the fox had flinched. "When the moon sets and the sun rises, the power I typically have begins to fade. It doesn't disappear, but..." How best to explain... "I, have... A relationship with the moon, I suppose. When it is high in the sky, my body is well maintained. I can feel it surging through me." Of course, the flip side to things... "When it goes down, the magic keeping me alive fades to a minimum. My eyes become dull, my hair turns white... I'm simply lucky I don't grow wrinkles~" A small laugh, Lavinia didn't quite mind the change in appearance. It kept her safe in human towns, the glowing eyes of a vampire unable to be seen during the day. She styled herself an albino, it made her cloak less suspicious.

"Now that you've awoken, shall you get off your pillow? You did manage to get comfortable fairly quickly... You must have been exhausted."

[Xinnidy]

"You'll keep watch, right. Is she, going to sleep with you?" Agni asked between hesitant pauses, still growing some concern in the back of his mind.

The silence seemed to be answer enough.

It's true that Marina was tired, but Agni hoped they'd sleep in the same tent, at least for some sense of comfort. They were the only humans, after all... and now he'd certainly be alone. Well, as long as he remained alone for the whole night...

"Uh, I'll be fine, but alright. I'll go , clear my mind." It was true that he was fatigued, and tomorrow looked less promising with one less horse to handle... still, Marina was going to sleel right there in the open, in the arms of a vampire. It would be rude to show this much mistrust after that conversation, but...

---

Agni was already a light sleeper, and the worries chewing at his conscience only made his troubles worse. Light noises coming from outside roused him, but unfortunately it was too late to make out Marina and Lavinia well, peeking out from his tent, discreetly as he could. It was a couple hours before the sun rose when Agni got any substantial amount of sleep.

Still, a couple hours would have to be enough. Agni forced himself up with a rush, forcing the drowsiness out of him with a few stretches. "Ugh..." He'd need to be ready for this morning one way or ano-- right, Marina.

Getting himself dressed for journey proper, Agni left his tent with hasted step, unable to fully hide the concern in his face. Marina was still there, in Lavinia's arms... Lavinia? "I forgot the sun does that to your kind..." Agni remembered some of the incarcerared species the church showed. So that was why they preferred doing their showcases in the morning... 

Regardless, Agni stopped in front of the two, his eyes scanning Marina's conditiion. "Were you able to sleep out here? I hope your body has not become sore."

[GoldsbroTSG]

Marina did have a lot to learn about this world. At least... Lavinia's explanation did make enough sense for Marina to understand her... cosmetic differences. It was also a small laugh came along with Lavinia's comment about not getting wrinkles. She is a very pretty lady.

At the mention of 'getting off her pillow', she gave an embarrassed yelp as she quickly hopped off of Lavinia. Her face went beet-red. "A-ah! Um, sorry..." She started to fold the cloak, not certain how Lavinia wanted it back, "Um, yeah... You were... soft. And really warm too." Admittedly the best I've slept in... Huh. What is this warm feeling in my chest. "Thank you, I hope I didn't impede anything you were going to do." She shuffled her feet a bit before handing the vampire back her cloak. "Or get you or your cloak dirty..."

She saw Agni walked up, and she gave a confident smile, "Yes, I'm fine Agni, thank you." She went down to pick up her own equipment and start putting it all back on as well. "How about you? Did you sleep fine?"

[Michelaar]

Gabriela woke up, but she didn't sleep that well. It almost seemed like the moon kept calling out to her, like the light of the moon was trying to shine through the tent and inside her head. It's almost like the moon seemed angry with her. Not helping was the fact that all around her she heard noises, from the other tents and mother nature. Somehow, a question has been on her mind that hasn't been on her mind for about 50 years. What happened to the others of her village? What happened to her family? It has been 50 years since they were gone, but Gabriela remembers the ordeal like it happened yesterday. And her suffering too, is what she remembers. It may have been 50 years, but it seemed to not have been a year in Gabriela's mind. Yet still; she is no closer to finding out what happened. It's probably because she didn't show enough interest. They abandoned me. They left me to rot. These thoughts were the only thing keeping her sane for 50 years. From a race, known for being callous creatures with dangerous powers, to an infamous money hunter... It was a disgrace what had to happen. 

Three people came to mind, who might know something about the disappearance of her tribe. Asami, Nessraya and Lavinia. All of these were older than her and important figures in Vaia nowadays. One of these three demons may know something...they had to! After deliberating who to go to, she came to the conclusion that the most likely person who may have some information was Lavinia. The age difference between Nessraya and Gabriela was not much, and this happened 50 years ago, so she may have been too young. Asami, while knowledgable, doesn't exactly seem like somebody who would care much about Gabriela's pleas for help, and truth to be told, she didn't really trust Asami very much. That only left Lavinia. They aren't exactly on the best terms, but this had to happen. 

As Gabriela left her tent and headed to where she last saw Lavinia, she saw her feathers lying near the tree. How careless of me. Hopefully no one saw them. She picked them up and hid them in some bushes. When she got to where Lavinia was, Marina and Agni were there too, to Gaby's annoyance. "Oh, if it isn't Ms. Hero and her chaperone. Good morning." She then looked at Lavinia. "Ms...Lavinia, was it? I would like to have a word with you, if that's alright." She gave a serious look, and didn't really keep an eye on Marina or Agni.

[scorri]

The sun began to creep into Bladen's tent, hitting his eyes and making him stir. "Mmmm..." A sigh escaped his lips, as he basked in the warmth of the sun. The warmth... no, that didn't make sense. Unless he had slept far later... He opened his eyes, staring up at the canvas of the tent. No, it was still somewhat early. So then why was he so warm? He'd slept without shirt or blanket, not needing either in the pleasant weather so... He glanced down at his body and instantly froze.

"A-ah... Uhm... G-good morning?" Somehow there wasn't just one, but two Asami's, cuddled up tight against him. His view down his body gave him a... not unpleasant view, but certainly not something he was ready for! Quickly staring back up at the top of the tent, he did his best to not move an inch, not wanting to accidentally move against something that would get him slapped. "Uhm. I... Ah...." Well this was rapidly getting more and more awkward. "D-do you mind moving both of you so that I can get up? A-also how exactly are there two of you?" Yes, focus on the weirdness of that, not anything more. How many powers did she have exactly?

[Nanami Touko]

"Mmmm... Good morning, crow~" Asami... The Asamis crawled up closer, giggling against his ears. "Well, it got all chilly last night," one began, "so I decided I needed someone to cuddle~" the other finished. "Nessraya was... 'Busy,'" the first one started once more, "and I wasn't in the mood for that sort of attention, anyway..." They were alternating speaking, either she couldn't have them both talking at the same time, or it was on purpose, trying harder and harder to fluster Bladen. Her robes were, almost compromised, but no matter how much she squirmed or slid up against him, things stayed just enough in place as to not make this worse for him.

"There's two of me," a chuckle, "because every good spy needs a body double~" Both of them laughed in unison, demystifying one question. "So, what do you think, Bladen~? A good enough morning for you?"

---

Lavinia let Marina pick herself up, going about affixing her gauntlets first, then her chestplate, securing her armor against herself. The cloak was last, wrapping it around herself and making sure the hood was up before stepping out from the shade of the tree. Too hot? For most, perhaps. The dangers the sun presented were much more worrisome. Sweating was better than burning.

"I'm fine, Marina. Warm, though? To think this body still gives off heat. How wonderful to know." Agni had wasted no time in approaching the lot of them, obviously in concern for his heroine. "It does happen indeed, Agni. Pardon my overdressing, the sun will burn me, were I to stand in it." To show she wasn't lying, for just a moment, she pulled the sleeve on her arm back enough for the light to hit her skin... The scalding and smoking of her skin immediately apparent, covering it up before it could become a troublesome wound. "If anyone asks, I'm an albino. An incredibly sensitive one, at that~" The best answer she had for this, hoping Agni and Marina would play along.

And then... Gabriela? With a rather stern expression. What could she want? Asami was to be paying her, so... It couldn't be about money. With how she was looking at Agni and Marina, as well... "Come along, then. We can talk. Agni, Marina, check the sacks around the tents. There should be some wrapped bread and jerky. It isn't much, but, do eat. Yesterday was hard on all of us." Turning away from them with the siren in tow, Lavinia made good enough distance, enough that only Asami would still be able to hear them.

"So? What is it that you would like to discuss? I do not suppose we are in any rush..."

[Michelaar]

As Agni and Marina left, Lavinia led Gabriela away from them, so they were able to speak privately. Gabriela put on a stern tone, something she doesn't usually do, and speaks. "Do you recall the existance of Siren Village? It was a village on the northern edge of Vaia. I've no doubt you have heard of our elder, Rasmus, yes? He was said to have clairvoyant powers in addition to the hypnotic voice we all have."

She looked behind her, if to make sure no one was watching. "50 years ago, all of them, along with siren village, disappeared. They said they would be back, but I waited 3 years to no avail. I'm 92 now and I still have no idea what has happened to my tribe. I was forced to live as a 'crook', as you described me, to survive. These last 50 years have been difficult to me, and I want answers. Do you know what happened to them?!" Gabriela looked both angry and sad. This time, she needed answers.

Edited July 13, 2019 by Michelaar