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

[Nanami Touko]

Lavinia stole a glance up, spotting Marina and... Ahh. "Marina!" she called over, nearly sighing. "While I wish she would leave you alone, so long as you agree, I won't get in Nessraya's way... But, to be clear," she began, turning her glance to the general, "you are more than allowed to say no. She can pester someone else, if need be." That was all Lavinia had to add, though considering this was Marina, she was expecting Agni to bark up any moment now.

[Ether]

"Is that right? Not that I mind the respect, my own men could use more of it at times, but it feels ever so distant..." Nessraya commented, somewhat surprised when Marina initiated further contact, pulling the succubus into a gentle hug. The words the followed brought a smile to Nessraya's lips... whatever mechanism of Marina's that had brought her here, well, here she was.

"There most certainly is, my Dear Marina... I'm sure the church took the time to inform you how my race replenishes magical energy... I'm also certain that they embellished the process to some twisted and horrific end in an attempt to make you wary, but shedding those shackles is a part of why you're here, after all~" Nessraya cooed, brushing her lips against Marina's ear as she spoke in her signature dulcet tone, giving the girl's earlobe a gentle nibble. 

"Of course, if they haven't, I would be more than happy to-" Nessraya began, before Lavinia's intervention. What a way to kill a mood, honestly... she had no intention of forcing anything, should Marina have expressed disinterest.

"-such a brusque interruption, Lavinia. You should know I would respect her wishes... when you won't even offer yourself as an alternative, how rude."

[Ursali]

"Feeling jealous?" Xalrei smirked as the siren flew off to join Bladen on top of the wagon. If she had wanted to she could have joined them, but, in keeping with the philosophy that three was a crowd, and probably too much weight for the cover, she didn't. Instead, she piled in with the wagon with the flightless folk and waited to depart.

---

In the end, they had managed to travel unaccosted to their campsite for the night; though, the unmissable bandit presence was more than a bit disturbing. She'd be sleeping with one eye open, no doubt. Was this all because of the Hero's crusade or was it simply the boulder that broke the camel's back? She couldn't think about it too long without her anger coming back and, while she certainly shouldn't hold it in, now wasn't the time. 

Speaking of the Hero, she noticed Marina checking up on her. She ended up staring back at her until Marina had decided she'd had enough and moved on to someone else. Honestly, Xalrei didn't mean to be so obtuse with her, especially since even she could see that she was trying her best to make amends. However, she couldn't ignore everything that she'd done... Everything that had happened because of her. "Geh, this isn't what I want to be thinking about tonight." She rose to her feet at the declaration, surveying the camp for something to do or someone to talk to.

Marina had gone off to... Nessraya? Well, she wasn't going to judge, not that she could after last night. Lavinia and Taliyah were off by their respective selves, too. She thought about checking up on Taliyah, but she didn't want to seem like a hovering parent. She knew first hand what that felt like and had no desire to curse another with that knowledge. That left the vampire knight from who she could immediately see- Oh, the sword! As much as she did want to, eventually, sit down and talk with Lavinia, that was more interesting at the present moment. A new goal in mind for the night, she headed over to the undead's wagon. With any luck, the owner would be present.

 

[Xinnidy]

"...Such a brusque interruption is with Marina's well-being  in mind." Agni had positioned himself behind Nessraya, slowly having walked behing the duo. What was Marina thinking making such offer to a succubus? "She's only meant well, but I doubt such a thing as helping your energy problem comes with the hero description." Lavinia had put it nicely, but Agni was there now, scrutinizing Nessraya from the start. Marina was far too nice to brush off Ness' ridiculous attempts on her own.

"If it's not overstepping, Marina. You don't need to offer help to this one. Nessraya is the Demon King's prestigious general, after all." His attention returned to Marina, a polite bow as he spoke --he certainly still held her at the same high regard as when they'd left Coteon. "You're truly a charitable soul, but Nessraya is more than capable of helping herself."

That succubus was certainly acting close to Marina. Agni wouldn't have it.

Edited August 15, 2019 by Xinnidy

[scorri]

Everyone seemed to be pairing off, Ness and the hero, with Agni joining them quickly, while Xal was headed off to their new companion's wagon. He quickly vacated it when they arrived at the campsite, but now he was left with little to do. Glancing around, he spotted the half lizard girl thief that they'd picked up in the last battle as well. Huh, the group is rapidly expanding. Guess that's not a bad thing but it's certainly going to make things chaotic. Well, may as well make nice with the new folks. Wandering over to her, he extends a hand. "Hey there. We met, briefly, in the battle. I'm Bladen. What's your story? Why'd you decide to get mixed up with this traveling circus?"

Edited August 14, 2019 by scorri

[Nanami Touko]

"Pfft... Hahaha!" Lavinia was greatly enjoying the mess of things happening around Marina. She was too nice to say no, despite the situation, and Agni... Just, hilarious! Nessraya could rightly fry him on the spot, and much as it would end their cooperation, he would indeed know of her powers. To be so brazen, so bold in front of that, as to try and shut her down... Lavinia couldn't help her amusement. "Watch out, Agni! Get too brave and she'll simply take both of you!" It wouldn't be the first time Nessraya had attempted something like that.

---

"Huh-- Wah!?" Taliyah had become so absorbed in her note taking that she hadn't noticed Bladen until he was right in front of her, extending a hand. "Ah, s-sorry, uh... B-Bladen. Alright." Having flinched horribly when she realized she wasn't alone, Taliyah was in the process of trying to pick herself up, sitting somewhat properly now. "I'm, Taliyah... Uh..." Why she'd joined up? It wasn't very complicated. "Well... I, I didn't want to kill anyone... I ended up doing that, anyway... But..." The memories were still fresh. She had been too surprised from being injured, that she didn't realize she was swinging the blade of the axe, not the flat of it... Until it was too late.

"Uhm... Th-That's, all really. My uncle... That... Carnax guy, he, he just said we were gonna steal some stuff. No Killing. No kidnapping... So, th-that girl's the hero, right? Heroine...? Whichever." Trying to hurriedly change the subject, Taliyah glanced over at the mess of people. "The rumors are pretty off base... Saying she's crazy, she'll kill you as soon as she looks at you... She just, seems like a scared little girl. Kinda like me, heh... Er, well, I'm glad she's not as mean as people say." It was definitely a welcome surprise.

"Wh-What about you, Bladen? Why are you here? You're... You had wings before, but they were all black... A fallen?" They were a pretty secretive group... So why was he...?

Edited August 14, 2019 by SnakeMomMelissa

[GoldsbroTSG]

"I guess, it might've been to distance myself, some, yeah..." She shamefully admitted. She listened to what Nessraya had to say, and she remembered a brief lesson she got on certain 'monsters', and succubi being one of them. At this point, she didn't really trust what the church told her about demons, and felt that now... she'd rather learn through experience. She wasn't sure exactly if this was the correct way to 'learn through experience', but... then they were interrupted by a shouting Lavinia, which did get Marina to think for a moment. Would she had just ran with whatever happened, regardless of how she felt...? Honestly...

It was just then that Agni showed up. Of course he would, he would've never approved of Marina as much as shaking hands with someone if he could prevent it. This time, at least, she could justify Agni protecting her, so it didn't irritate her as much as it could have. Of course he'd intervene. She removed her arms from Nessraya, turning towards Agni, how much depending on if Nessraya's tail let go of her,

"I..." She shook her head, "Thank you Agni, truly. I appreciate you looking after me, I really do... But I did approach Nessraya first. Maybe this wasn't... the intended plan, but we were still mostly talking," and she could shrug off most of Nessraya's advances as her own quirk. Admittedly, it helped Marina approach her knowing that Nessraya didn't seem to outright dislike Marina at face value... "I trust that she wouldn't do anything if I was uncomfortable about it." She looked over, nodding to Nessraya and turning back to Agni. "I know, and I'm sorry you haven't approved of... most of my recent actions. I only ask for some trust... I'm not so blind or naive as to find ways to hurt myself more than I already am."

At the same time, she was getting her own piece out of the whole thing... she could potentially end the night knowing she didn't have to be afraid of someone, maybe it'd get her from being stuck with just her thoughts all night, heck, maybe she would learn something or this could end up not being as such a major issue as it was being treated.

Then, she couldn't help a facepalm with a snicker, hearing Lavinia's comment from over at the other tree. With such a lighthearted laugh, she really though, "Nessraya, what exactly is it I would need to do to help 'replenish'?" What better way to break the ice on this whole cabaccle than to ask the actual succubus?

Edited August 14, 2019 by Silver Gallade

[Balcerzak]

The Hero's clothing damage hadn't gone unnoticed. While Jade would have been hard-pressed to pin down exactly when her entire sleeve had gone missing, she was pretty sure it had been there at the start of the conflict. She'd seen it at one point, she had no doubt. But now it was gone, and she couldn't not notice. Not with the way the bare flesh stood out in contrast with its surroundings. In fact, it almost looked as if someone had started to peel the skin from a delicious fruit before stopping halfw--

Jade shook her head and banished such thoughts, rising as they did unbidden, unwelcome. Returning to the train of thought that had been frightfully derailed, she found herself heavily doubting that whatever edge had been left of the sleeve had gotten the sort of stitching needed to prevent further fraying and destruction. And the Hero seemed to be content to leave things as such, going for a small roam about site where they had pulled in to camp for the night, for those who needed such a thing. The merchant watched her set up her tent, exchange brief 'hellos' with a few members of her party, shiver in the wind... it seemed that she was either too clueless to realize there was more to be done, or too proud to ask for help.

...Not that Jade actually had a stock of spare garments to sell her. The raw flax she was carrying certainly wasn't going to help, nor even would the small amount of processed but undyed linen. But the zombie would have welcomed the chance to explain that, when asked, and might have been looking forward to whatever other conversation would have grown from it. She supposed it possible that during the course of the day's travel, while she was up front driving, the Hero could have poked around her goods some, realized the futility already, and decided not to bother. But somehow that still left Jade feeling peevish, slighted even.

However, before she finished considering--and rejecting--tempering a bit of generosity with some mean-spirited usury, the Hero had approached and engaged the, general was it, in what looked like it would end up being extended conversation. That certainly ruled out any negotiations on her part, or the ability to rightly enforce any sort of one-sided "rental agreement", which honestly had been a rather half-baked idea to begin with, given how quickly they could get an actual replacement for her. So the nascent thought ended up morphing into pretty much just genuine charity this time, which surprisingly didn't feel too bad on its own.

Deftly retrieving a quill and ink, she quickly began to write: her letters small but purposeful, neat and tidy little soldiers that marched across the page. Save, that is, for the signature at the end. That was afforded more pomp and flourish, as any good signature should sport.

I am a little too tall, comparatively, for this likely to be entirely comfortable on you, but perhaps it will be better than the nothing else... which the fact that you're still wearing your currently rent garment leads me to believe sums up the totality of your alternatives. I shall expect it returned promptly upon your purchase of any replacement outfit of your choice, taking place at the earliest available opportunity, but until then I hope that it may serve you at least somewhat better than you are found at present.

Jade Persyn

A few moments thought, and it became necessary for a postscript, whose P and S were in the similarly flourished hand of the letters of her name, before the rest of the words once again returned to the more business-like dress code of the original message.

PS
I do have some experience with needle and thread. While certainly no tailor, and lacking the materials on hand to properly mend it, if you should be so interested in keeping your item from sliding into further disrepair until it can be looked at by a master of the craft, I would certainly be willing to do whatsoever possible while the lot of you sleep. The choice is yours.

Missive finished, Jade withdrew her other outfit from its place in the wagon--fancier than her road clothes, and pinned the note to it. Then she made her way to the tent the Hero had claimed for her own, popped inside briefly and deposited the temporary loan with its explanation.

It was a good thing she hadn't decided to butt into the Hero's conversation directly, it soon turned out, with voices being raised and a bit of a commotion breaking out. Turning a head over her shoulder to take in a bit of the scene as she walked back to her wagon--no particular goal in mind, but it was more or less her home, and she could find something to do--a bit of a morbidly amused expression crept its way across Jade's face. Oh. Yeah, that was... well, good luck? Disinterested in the actual outcome, after all, she turned to face forward again, and found herself surprised to have a visitor. A customer? Hard to say, but probably unlikely. A far cry from the lizard that had tried to rob her earlier, this scaled one could rightly take the name of 'dragon'... in maybe another handful of decades.

"Can I help you," Jade queried. Best to just start with the basics.

Edited August 14, 2019 by Balcerzak

[Michelaar]

Gabriela was not bored on top of the wagon, that's for sure. There were more than enough bandits to spot to just people watch all day. Of course, the bandits were probably too afraid to do anything more than stare at them as the wagon passed by. Normally, Gabriela would have avoided types like these like the plague. They had no money or manners, and usually weren't the trustworthy kind who would treat a lady fairly. So being in such near vicinity of these savages while she was top of the wagon with another winged friend? It's pretty 'exciting.' 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gabriela was wondering where Asami was, as she hadn't seen her in a while and had a manner of import to discuss with her, specifically, information about the sirens and, more importantly, her pay. You have to be aware of your own cut, naturally. But now, she was nowhere to be found. Maybe Lavinia had seen her? She was just smiling like a child that had no worries in the world. She went over to her with her two wings. ''You, Pale one. Where is Asami? I have something to discuss with her, and she is nowhere to be found!'' Gabriela had an indignant tone.

Edited August 14, 2019 by Michelaar

[Ether]

"If you think that interrupting me is for her well-being, then you know even less about how my kind operate than she does, or even the church buffoon who spoonfed her their propaganda. For one... I am not, in fact, capable of replenishing my magic reserves on my own, thank you very much Mr. Hildebrand." Nessraya countered, making overt shooing motions with her hands, and giving the man a light shove... he had gotten a bit too into both her space and business for the General's liking. At the very least, Marina didn't seem to be fully put off yet by the multiple interruptions, and if she could properly sell her services, things could still work out despite Lavinia's well-intentioned ribbing and Agni's... less well-intentioned assholery.

"All you need to do, dearest Marina, is allow me work my magic. The Church would have you believe I would stick a straw up your nethers and suck you dry, which I'm sure is the buffoonery that Agni is assuming. Succubi and their partners engage in a purely symbiotic relationship, in truth. Unless you hate fun, I suppose... we make sweet, passionate love, I use my magic to draw out your own inner stores, and then skim the excess off the top in order to replenish myself. The only difference you'll note is, having it drawn to the surface will leave your skin flush and your body invigorated and refreshed. I COULD drain you to the last drop, but there's no fun to be had in that, it's something only done in times of desperation... one or two incidences are all the Church needed to spread their lies that it's our basic mode of operation." Nessraya explained, there being little reason not to be up front about how all this worked. Setting two fingers upon Marina's cheek, Nessraya allowed her magic to flow into the hero and draw a small amount of her own magic to the surface as an example, the skin beneath them growing flush and pleasantly warm, a gentle and invigorating tingle lingering as she pulled her fingers away.

"The process feels like that, although through your entire body. Honestly, how ridiculous... if I didn't care for you as a partner or ally and wanted to harvest your life force to the bone, I'd just set you on fire and be done with it. Such needless rumours."

[scorri]

"Huh, sounds like you're better off finding a quiet life than tagging along with us, if I'm being honest. Not that I'm chasing you off, but I'm guessing there's going to be more blood in this group's future..." He trailed off, staring at Taliyah for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I agree though, she doesn't seem like the Hero we all heard about. She fought before but now... Well, I won't call her tame, but she's more on our side than on her side it seems. It's strange."

He shrugged. "I guess you could say that she's the reason I'm still here. I didn't really plan on joining up but I have a lot of questions for her... Questions I can only get answered by her or those she worked with, so until I get those, I'm here. As for the wings..." A pause, the small wings on his back appeared and then flared out to their full length. "They take energy to keep full size like this, and keeping them small can get annoying if I'm trying to lay down or anything like that. And, yes. I'm a Fallen. Probably the only one out in the world right now if I had to guess."

[Xinnidy]

"Mayhaps you are not able to replenish your own reserves in the literal sense, but you already had arrangements other than Marina to fall back on, I'm sure." Otherwise, Agni was sure that Nessraya would have procured some. He turned back in protest despite her shoves, adamantly against the idea of Marina engaging in any debauchery today, or anytime in the foreseeable future. "Just get anybody else to do it. Marina, I beg you to reconsider." There was frustration in his tone and face, feeling such as the only one to exercise proper caution in this group. "Whether you're trying to make it up to them or otherwise, you shouldn't jump into these situations." Whether said debauchery was 'invigorating' or whatnnot didn't matter.

Nessraya was a bit too eager... it just was unfortunate this was the time Marina picked to be brave.

[Nanami Touko]

Agni wasn't going to get anywhere with Nessraya, despite his attempts. Marina was simply too nice... Even if this wasn't the time for it. Still chuckling, with a shake of her head, she focused her attention onto her armor again, cloth working the blood off of it. She'd still lost count of how many times she'd had to do this, get an armorer to smooth it out, whose blood it was that stained the plates. "Probably mine, most of the time." Lavinia thought herself an effective knight, but perhaps a better term was meatshield. She didn't so much block attacks as she did stop them... A nasty habit, one that she'd tried to curb plenty of times, but it never stuck. Without being able to feel pain, old habits snuck back in, and before she knew it, she was bleeding again. An arm wound, one to the gut, perhaps an eye... "At least I have something worth taking such hits for, out here." Keeping Marina safe was paramount.

Then a voice, a rather unpleasant one at that. "My name is Lavinia, not 'pale one'. If you seek answers, you would do to be more polite." The siren... To speak with Asami, it must've been about her money. "If this is for what I think it is, and you're free to tell me if I'm wrong... Then, you will be paid when we are successful. If Asami has any more for you, that is her issue to deal with. I'm not her caretaker... I've no idea where she's run off to, at this time of night." It was certainly strange for Asami to disappear like this, but it wasn't like it was the first time, and strange as it was, it wasn't more strange than it had been the previous times. She simply had her own agendas to deal with, as a spy working for Thesephine, and Lavinia was far from interested in that sort of business.

"If there's anything else I can help you with, feel free to ask. So long as you can be polite, Gabriela."

---

"Whhhooooaaaa... That's so cool. I wish i could do that to my tail..." The darn thing had gotten Taliyah into so much trouble over the years, she didn't know what to do with it, sometimes. She'd even cut it off once out of frustration, but it just grew back... It was then she decided to let it be, and come what may, even if it didn't stop its bouts of subconscious kleptomania. "You want answers, huh? I... Suppose I should to... I dunno what a girl like that is doing, raiding the country... This can't be an act, can it? If it is, she's the best actress I've ever seen..." Taliyah huffed, looking over at the mess of those three again.

"Who's that other human? He seems to be about what I've come to expect from them..."

[GoldsbroTSG]

Honestly, Nessraya's description was about what she expected. The feeling on her face was nice too... To be invigorated and refreshed... Marina felt it'd at least be a good pick-me-up with all the craziness that had been going on. She did really think about it, though the added pressure from Agni did at least still make her wary. She knew Agni was simply looking after her, and she still had a lot to learn about the world around her. Then of course, she wanted to learn more about Nessraya as well... Speaking of that,

"That... honestly felt really nice," She admitted, feeling her cheek a tiny bit, "If it's alright Nessraya, I'd like to think on it first, before doing anything." She gave a soft smile, "I'd be more than willing to help you, but... It's not that I don't think I'd be uncomfortable, but more... I don't know how ready I am for... passionate love." She nervously laughed, then decided, maybe as a sign of trust, placed her fingers on Nessraya cheek like the latter did to her. She knew it wouldn't work the same way the magic did to her cheek, but she tried to give some sort of signal that she did trust her adviser.

"As well, I still did want to talk to you about earlier, and I don't think I'd be able to... focus enough during our passionate love to talk." She laughed again. It was then, realizing a bit more that she didn't have to be so serious all the time to please the group. She turned to Agni, "Would this be an alright compromise, Agni?"

[Ursali]

The merchant wasn't at her wagon? That was a bit surprising... Er, was it presumptuous, and rude, of her to assume that Jade would just be idling in her wagon? She was a merchant so it made sense to expect her to be there, but the zombie clearly had had business elsewhere. Though without the undead woman there, Xalrei couldn't deny that she was tempted to just hop inside the unattended wagon. What other sorts of goods did a traveling merchant with a cursed sword have? Where were they acquired, and for how much? The concept of a traveling merchant fascinated the noble dragonewt in its entirety. Free to travel to the world as you pleased, surviving on your hard work and skill alone...

As much as the prospect of discovery enticed her, Xalrei held herself back. If Jade came back to her rummaging through her belongings... Well, that certainly wouldn't reflect well on her, and would quite possibly sour Jade's mood. A double whammy considering she'd come here, more or less, to ask the woman for a favor. She had next to nothing to bargain with, so worsening her position was something to be avoided as much as possible. She was deep in thought when Jade returned, jumping at the unexpected sound of her voice.

"Ah! Er..." A great start, totally not suspicious at all. Xalrei cleared her throat, starting over before she could fumble worse than she already had. "Ahem... What I meant to ask was: what do you plan to do with the sword? Requiem, I mean. It's, uh, yours right now. I guess. I wanted to know if you were gonna just going to sit on it... Or if you'd be willing to let us use it."

[Xinnidy]

"That... I can work with. I couldn't imagine you were ready for something like that, as it were." A silent sigh of relief, Agni closed his eyes and thanked the gods Marina didn't jump onto that so readily... there was worth in purity. It certainly felt bad that she'd throw it away. "We have a lot on our shoulders already, especially yourself. Make sure not to get into such an act unless you're sure." That was enough advice from himself, at least. Agni knew when it was time to stop droning on, shaking his head.

Nessraya definitely didn't lack options among the monsters, so at most this was just a small setback for the general.

[Michelaar]

Gabriela sighed. ''I'm sorry. I was just wondering what exactly how much I would be paid, and I wanted to ask about the other thing that we discussed. I was a bit annoyed at seeing Asami had gone away, you see.'' Gabriela then thought. ''By the way, where are we going next? I'm awfully bored and would at least like to dream about what kind of fight we have up next.'' She then looked up to Lavinia. ''You don't seem too much into making friends or anything. Tell me, what do you do for fun? I think we would get along better if we knew a bit more about each other.

Lavinia definitely was a mysterious figure. Gabriela didn't know much about her other than that she worked for the king and that she knew of her... escapades and disapproves of them, which is ludicrous in itself.

[Ether]

Nessraya's typically upbeat and playful visage began to set into a rare scowl as Agni continued, and when it turned out that his blustering had actually managed to convince Marina, that scowl wasn't going anywhere fast. An exasperated sigh escaping her lips, all she could do was shake her head.

"Very well. If that is your decision, I shall respect it. Compromise... what bollocks." The General replied, her tail fully retreating from Marina by this point, feet hitting the ground as she stopped floating, taking a few steps away from the bulk of the camp.

"If you wish to speak with me, then come along and so be it. As for you, boy." Nessraya turned her head coldly back towards the duo, drilling Agni with a rather harsh glare.

"Out of my sight, away with you." She stated flatly, waving her hand dismissively in the other direction before continuing to walk in the direction of a nearby oak tree.

[Xinnidy]

Agni was quite satisfied now. Ness' reaction only fueled the smirk that followed. "You'll just have to find another target for your debauchery, General." Containing his tone so as not to mock overtly, but still managed a smirk as she glared back at him. "Very well." Figuring he was very unwelcome at this point, Agni turned to Marina and bowed in slight reverence, whispering a soft 'anytime' before adjusting himself once more and turning to leave.

Agni had done what he could, and in a better mood walked his way towards another member of this quickly motleyed group. "You probably helped a little bit, I give you my thanks." Casually, Agni sat down beside Lavinia. "Marina's just too nice to say no... goodness."

[Nanami Touko]

"Hopefully there will be no fight, but our next stop is a small village, Aensbrook." A place to relax and sleep in a real bed, get decently, warm food, and fix clothes and weaponry. A pit stop, before Tepel, their place of holding while planning how to assault the town Ithraxl had turned into his base. Lavinia had been about to get into her hobbies, when Agni sat to join them, not even bothering to introduce himself, or acknowledge Gabriela.

"I was having a conversation, mister Hildebrand... Do try to respect everyone in the group, not just Marina... She may be being too nice to say no, but Nessraya isn't asking for anything outrageous. She needs it to live, much as you need water and air~" A rude fellow, to be sure, but it wouldn't hurt for him to hear, she supposed. "Right, for fun... I've lived for over a century, and I've gone through several hobbies. Painting, fishing, music, horseback riding... I've grown quite interested in chess recently, though I don't know if either of you would take any in it yourselves. Thesephine likes to tell me that it's a boring game for old men, but I suppose I am an old woman, I must fit right into the crowd for it." She let out a bit of a chuckle, forgetting her own age sometimes. As her body was rather stuck in the state of when she was nineteen, it was difficult to feel like she ever did age.

"And the two of you? Since you've pushed yourself into this conversation, Agni, you'll have to share as well."

[Xinnidy]

"Of course I was planning to join the conversation --pardon my hasty inclusion, Miss Gabriela--. Since you spoke up when Marina and Nessraya were conversing, Lavinia, I figured your talk was over, but I can well make amends." He nodded back, figuring he'd get some reprimand from someone over his actions. ...Still, he'd do it again. "I'm not oblivious to her kind's needs... I just object to her setting her sights on Marina, however. She's still new to this world as it is..." At least part of the reason was that Agni was protective towards Marina. It was easy to see him stealing glances at her general direction, keeping watch.

"...That's a notable list of activities." Lavinia truly had the time, but it wasn't proper to comment that. Of course she had, what with not aging like humans did. "I have some practice with chess, but not too much. There are a few captains back in Coteon who run tournaments out of it, actually. It's a far more accessible activity than test battles, after all." He wasn't as good as the older captains, himself, but Agni could at least claim to not be an ignoramus with relation to the game. "Though my preference is to sit down and read a book whenever I can... old habit from since when I was a kid." From way back in the orphanage. There wasn't terribly much to do there...

[GoldsbroTSG]

Suddenly, Marina's whole demeanor dropped as she saw Nessraya's cold gaze. Maybe, she didn't know how much this mattered to Nessraya... Duh, she needs love to live. Good work, idiot. Then, she turned to see Agni's... smirk. Agni... Then a bow to her, too. And a whisper to her... almost like a self-congratulations to him. She didn't give him any worthwhile reply, and let him walk away. She turned to follow Nessraya.

"...Such an asshole...!" She softly spoke, trying to hide her frustration, planting her head on the tree they walked to. Soon, Marina followed with a giant sigh, trying to air out her frustrations before she started talking; she didn't want to pull her anger into what they were going to talk about. As much as she just didn't want to talk about it anymore. "I'm sorry," Was the first thing she could say, even if it felt empty to say it at that point.

[Michelaar]

Agni forcing himself in the conversation was unexpected, yet Marina didn't really mind it. He wasn't bad to look at, but she needed to get off the mindset that every man is someone she could seduce for some dough. ''Hi, Agni. A pleasure to see you this evening.'' Gabriela was happy Agni didn't simply drag Lavinia away from the conversation. He seemed way too overprotective of Marina, to the point were even she was frustrated. She had already made a mental note to speak to him later about how to talk to a lady, something the feminine siren was VERY good at. 

Gabriela listened intently to Lavinia and Agni talking about their hobbies. ''Miss Lavinia, your hobbies are so dignified! I am hoping to make it to 100 years as well! I have less than 10 years left, so I think I should be okay! I unfortunately have no home, and no access to a high-class game such as chess. When I was young, the game didn't quite interest me, though our village elder was constantly trying to rope me into it, it was so annoying. I have always liked singing, it's a gift we sirens are born with. Though when I was still living in the village, I enjoying cooking a great deal as well. It's fun trying to find ingredients in the wild and then having to make a meal out of it. It's been quite a while since I have done it though, so i'm not sure if I still have the talent in me.''

[Nanami Touko]

"Let Marina decide things for herself. She will not be able to lead any side, if you coddle her as hard as you do." It was enough to make Lavinia sigh. Agni was trying to protect Marina, but not in the best way he could be doing. Nessraya wouldn't have hurt her, gotten her addicted to any feeling, done anything beyond what her kind needs... This sort of protection was exactly what the church wanted.

"Reading books and cooking, is it... Agni, remind me to thoroughly defeat you in a game of chess some day, yes? We do need to do something about that ego of yours. In return, you can suggest me a good novel. I haven't sad down to read a book in some time, but it wouldn't hurt. I'm sure new stories have been written in the past few decades." It did surprise Lavinia, that Gabriela was getting so old in her years. Sirens lived quite a while, did they? She knew little about the race, but perhaps that had to do with their disappearance.

"Once we reach Aensbrook, if you ask, I'm sure the inn we stay at would let you use their kitchen. You'll have to pay for the ingredients yourself, but... That can rest on Asami, can't it?"

[scorri]

A pink hue quickly colored Bladen's cheek as Taliyah oohed over his wings, and he let them shrink down to their miniature size rather quickly. "Ah, no, it's not really... Well, it's convenient, sure, but I'm... not very good at controlling it just yet. It comes with time apparently. I think it's probably to keep younger fallen from flying too soon... If you lose control of your wings mid-flight, it's not going to end well for you, after all." A compliment back, that was the right thing here. She had seemed down on her tail, so... "I like your tail, actually. It seems so much more versatile than my wings, you know? I can only use them for flying, really. You can use your tail to hold things, balance, heck, I bet you could give someone a good whack with it if needed. Hiding it away sometimes could be useful, sure. I mostly just hide my wings when I'm getting dressed or sleeping though..."

Right, Marina. "If she is acting... No, I can't even really see it as a possibility. You didn't see her, but I asked her if she had ever thought about what her actions would lead to and she just... fell apart. Starting crying right there in front of me. And not just a little bit, full out sobs. Agni, on the other hand, I think you're right about him. He's from this world after all. He's grown up thinking we're all a bunch of monsters just fit for killing, not people with thoughts and dreams. He's not going to do anything stupid, mind you. He's well and truly Marina's subordinate in a lot of ways I think. So long as she's willing to help us, from what little I've seen, I don't see him going against that. But he's still a rude little human."