Mercenary on the Winds Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 (edited) New Orders Spoiler Naomi walked through the barracks that Coteon's soldiers had set up. Her grey hair was done up in a tight bun, not a single bang out of place, scarred face on full display. Looking through all the soldiers pleasant, she had a rather sunken frown between the wrinkles resting on her aging skin. "What a mess..." Their advance faction, housing both their super soldier and Coteon's princess, had been defeated, and neither had been killed. The loss of their saintess would have been terrible, but the girl was a shaking mess. She'd reveal Coteon's secrets without a second word. Ariana, though... If they had a strong enough mage to undo the bishop's conditioning, she would likely join their side. How horrible. A complete and absolute mess. Her armor clanked, making its way between tents, before stopping at a specific one. "First officer Lucille, at attention. We have something to discuss." Her voice stern, but calm, despite the thoughts going through her mind, and the look upon her face. "You are our advance unit, so you must be informed first... I trust this will be shared to the rest in your unit." Is there anything else I should mention... Lucille tapped the pen against her face as she mused over her next choice of words. She heard the clanking of armor approaching her tent, but hoped that it would pass by as it had been for the- Nope. Not nearly so lucky. "Something to discuss? Has something happened?" Of course something has happened, Lucille. Why else would Naomi of all people be bothering you? Just your luck. Lucille sighed and set her pen down, as much as she wanted to there was no point to protesting. The fact that Naomi was here meant that something regarding Coteon's last mission had gone terribly wrong. Not waiting for the girl to leave their tent, the steel clad woman stepped in, her cross look meeting Lucille... And softening, just a bit. "Yes... The soldiers we sent out returned... Without Ariana or the princess. This means that they have either fallen in battle, or been taken hostage by Vaia's forces." A sigh left her, looking away a moment. "Your mission will be to arrive ahead of our troops at Mixoco. From what we have been informed, they plan to strike there to deal with an insurrection currently happening in Vaia. We will arrive on site and attempt to take out both sides once they have weakened each other." A glance at the letter Lucille was writing had Naomi scowling again, a small grumble leaving her. "Take your squad of pegasi and arrive there ahead of the main force. Your goal is to kill Ariana if she is present, and retrieve the princess at all costs. Should she put up a fight... You have permission to kill her. The loss is great, but Vaia cannot have her in their grasp. She'll talk, without much effort... And what exactly are you writing?" Lucille flinched as the gravity of Naomi's words hit her. "What? T-the Princess was there? On the battlefield? And we lost her?" The name Ariana rang a few bells, but admittedly, she'd probably forgotten on principle. Her interaction with people outside of her unit was fairly limited, anyway. But the fact that Princess Tenebria, Saintess Tenebria, was taken to the battlefield was not only unusual, it was beyond stupid for someone of her standing. But even for as asinine as this all sounded, it was Naomi's next statement that caused Lucille to nearly fly off her chair. "...I... don't think I heard that correctly? Do you even have the authority grant permission for that? To kill the princess? To kill the saint?" The option being on the table at all was a cause for concern; the princess was the figurehead of the church, their supposed leader and yet, here they were ready to throw her away. Not surprising that the Church is willing to throw away even that bitch of a princess. But what could be so important that even her life would be considered expendable? Lucille turned and realized that her right hand, covered by a bright white glove, had started crumpling her letter. "Oh damn it..." She sighed, "Mixoco, right? Kill whoever this Ariana is, and recover, or kill the Princess. Seems simple enough. And you don't need to worry about what I'm writing, it's just a letter to my mother, Knight Captain Rosaria." She'll talk without much effort, huh? Maybe this will be more helpful than I thought... "If it comes to that, we blame it on the monsters. I doubt they'd keep her alive, anyway, the savages... A letter to your mother, I see. Leave it, I need to double check its contents." Naomi knew of Lucille's situation, and every letter the girl sent out had to be checked to make sure that it didn't reveal crucial information. Even a crumpled up letter could be folded up and sent out if not carefully monitored. "You understand your orders, then... You may move out whenever you wish. We will be marching soon after you. Keep in relay with one of your units, should you get too far ahead. Once you spot the enemy unit... I leave how you will strike them to your discretion. Understood, Lucille? Keep in mind you may arrive during the night... Plan your sleep accordingly." Naomi turned to leave, giving one more glance to the girl's gloved arm. "How unfortunate that you cannot perform at your best... I'm sure we'll manage, either way." ...They're actually serious about killing her. Naomi was right about one thing; the odds that Vaia would keep Tenebria alive weren't high. Being both the saint and the princess of Coteon would make sure of that. But if the Vaian forces were able to defeat Coteon forces, and successfully capture both a commanding officer and Tenebria, it was clear to Lucille that they were expertly guided. Maybe that would keep Tenebria alive long enough. "I'm always amazed at how meticulous you all are at reading my letters. I guess you all just really enjoy my writing." Lucille said with a roll of her eyes, "None of you tell me anything that I could relay to anyone in the first place." She smoothed out the letter, and left it on the desk. Lucille turned away from Naomi to grab a small bag containing a couple Vulneraries and an emergency wind tome, "We'll move out immediately then. Surveying the area ahead of time will make our lives that much easier, and unlike some, I'd not like to die because the Church can't-" Lucille froze as she overheard Naomi's last comment. She took a deep breath as her emotions began to boil. Naomi might have seen a flicker of electrical energy, but nothing more. "Yeah... We'll manage... someone has to fix the Church's mistakes, after all." Edited April 4, 2021 by Mercenary on the Winds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoon Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 (edited) "!" Ari's reaction caught Ayane off guard, her stone cold face broke into surprise when she had seen how intense Ariana's remorse was in her eyes. It was almost enough to make her stomach turn. So she simply looked aside with a sigh and shut her eyes. "I won't kill her." She responded to Thesephine in frustration. "She wouldn't be here if I took her life after all. But we will speak after this, Ari. Mark my words..." Ayane was grateful there was a map on the table to take her attention, she couldn't make eye contact with Ariana for much longer. Not in the state she was in at least. So she approached the table slightly and peered over it, trying to steel herself for what's to come later. Edited April 4, 2021 by TheRoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 (edited) Whatever Bladen had been about to say to Asami was cut short, first by the appearance of the Demon King and second by the appearance of the cat-eyed fake Hero, an occurrence that had him instantly reaching for his sword. It didn't matter that she could seemingly barely stand up, or that she was being accompanied by the human that had fought with them during the siege. She shouldn't be here, no matter what words she spewed of being sorry. The only reason he didn't do more than have a hand on his sword hilt was because of the Demon King's words. He would not contradict her orders, however strange they may seem in the moment. The fact that the twisted Hero was still alive was shocking to him, feelings that were doubled or perhaps even tripled by the fact that she was being treated like a companion. Settling back down from the half-raised position he had made his way to before being cut off by the words of the Demon King, he grumbled under his breath, doing his best to wait for the King's words. "This is nonsense..." The words barely escaped, hopefully only audible to the fox next to him. He wouldn't question the actions of the King to her face, even he was too smart to do that, but it didn't mean he wouldn't express his displeasure when she couldn't hear him. The abomination in front of them had killed people on their side. Commanded troops against the city. She didn't deserve to be walking out and about free. She deserved it even less than the true "Hero" and he wasn't even sure if she really deserved the chance the King had given her. "Yes, thank you for your promise. I am sure that thou will find something to help me, be it with this problem or with finding those of my family who have fallen before me. I will trust and wait, for that is all I can do. It is something that I have much practice in, waiting. After all, that is really all we dreamers do. We wait and we dream as we do. So I will wait." Breathe in, breathe out. However many breaths it would take until she had her answers, she would wait patiently though all of them. The new arrivals who seemed to be in charge of this group after their sudden arrival during the battle returned from where they had been in conference with others of the group. Astraea was confused at first when Marina showed up with strange ears and a tail, along with different colored skin and hair, wondering what these people had done to her friend, before the real Marina showed up. Strange, that. Was the other a sister perhaps? She shyly waved at Marina, hoping that the girl would come join her. Her friend looked... unsettled perhaps? Astraea was not sure if that was the correct word, but she knew that Marina did not look cheerful. Neither did the strange look alike who had appeared first. It seemed that the taller of the two who were seemingly in charge (not that it was an especially talent to be the taller of the two) had something to say to them all, so she turned her attention away from Marina and to the winged lady. Perhaps there would be some more explanation of everything that was going on here. Edited April 6, 2021 by scorri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xinnidy Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 "...Let's go." Agni concurred with Tenebria, they had no stakes in the Demon King's conversation, as well as a reasonable job to do. Taking her arm, Agni led the way out. "I'll make sure they keep a distance if you need it." Walking to the training area to attend the injured was mildly awkward when it ended up being the same direction the Demon King followed, but at least Agni and Tenebria were ahead. Agni certainly did his best to not raise attention to it. And on the field itself... a fair amount of their group were waiting with visible wounds. "Better late than never..." Agni whispered under his breath, leading Tenebria towards them. That was about the same time the Demon King had taken to the center and started a speech, taking everyone's attention. "That woman is already up... goodness." Clone or not, it was concerning that the Church had created something this physically proficient. "...I'm sorry, Princess. Let's get started on your duty." Taking his attention away from the discussion, Agni led Tenebria to the others --the Oni seemed fairly injured, at a glance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 Xalrei and, her name's Sollowy right? flanked Thesephine as soon as she'd set down the table, the dragon on her left and the fairy on her right. She wondered, to herself, if it was okay to be taking such an important looking spot, but, Thesephine hadn't let go of her at all as they'd been exiting the fort. Odds were more than a few people had already seen that; additionally, Laselia wasn't stopping this, so it was probably fine. Xalrei turned to look at the voice that had come from behind, claw reaching for Requiem once she saw just who it was. Why was the fake Hero up already, why was that mage helping her along? Even as she collapsed against the table and said her piece to Ayane, Xalrei opened her mouth to snarl at her, but was cut off by Thesephine speaking up. She wouldn't defy her sister in front of everyone, at least not until the fake Hero told them what they wanted to hear... Sollowy sighed as this Ariana pushed herself to even be here, surely fighting through incredible pain just to offer her life for that Oni to take. Sollowy still wasn't sure what to make of the fact that there were actually two Oni already in the group; after her and Thesephine's fight against Oni the Great Tree she had assumed all of them were loyal to this 'Ouka'. Asami hadn't made it sound like they should be trusted that much, either... Watching as Thessy unfurled the map on the table, she waited for everyone else to gather, shooting Tundyssa a reassuring smile. The girl seemed on edge, almost unsure of if it was okay for her to be by Thesephine's side. Hopefully she'd grow accustomed to being there, Thessy was rather clingy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 He sighed, quietly. Looks like Ayane is an exception to not throwing her life away... can't be helped, I suppose. Guilt is a powerful thing to deal with. At least things hadn't come to blows; not for now, at least. There would be more to come, but that would be between the two of them to resolve. At a loss for where to stand, with many faces gathered here, he opted to stand near where he'd helped Ariana to the table. He didn't exactly have anyone else he knew well enough to go find, anyways; it was a bit early to call Erephis or Taiyute more that acquaintances as it was, and things were awkward enough as they were. It hadn't exactly been difficult to catch the looks thrown his way as he'd brought Ariana in. There were a lot of people gathered around the table; it came as a bit of a surprise that so many people were to be attending a briefing like this. Thinking about it, though, he got the feeling that this group was a lot less regimented than any old group of mercenaries - aside from a select few who were distinctly in charge, a person here could speak with ease to anyone else. It was odd, to be sure, but this was an odd group; one he was now a part of, no less. Glancing at the map now placed upon the table, he tried to discern their next objective, thinking out loud to himself. "After an attack - no, a series of attacks - by the enemy, followed by their retreat... it makes sense either to pursue them, or counterattack elsewhere, while they're weak..." Catching himself speaking, though, he quieted down; it would be explained soon enough, whether or not he had been right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet podado Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 At her apology Ren simply shakes his head and offers a small smile. "As I said I am not opposed to seeking treatment, but given the fact that...all of our healers went off we're a bit low on options I can...fully trust on to look at my injuries." Is he being a bit petty in bringing back this point of discussion? Perhaps, but the ex human has lost the fuck to care a while ago. Really, they could use with a little organization... That being said, it didn't take long after this that the rest of the group came back...along with the Demon King no less, and already demanding them to gather around and figure out what they'll do when facing Ithraxil next. Ren simply stayed near Gabriela, not really wanting to move but if needed taking a moment to get closer and hear what the King has to say. "Positively dreadful," is his immediate response to her comment on seeing how everyone is doing, a drawl to his tone of voice as he looks on with a flat expression. Really he could give less of a lick to what Ariana will do, and really having more people join up is just...bothersome at this point. If he had more time to rest and recover, then sure he'd put on his best showman smile for the others. As it stands the ex human just wants to rest. He can't keep up the mask forever, this act of being the nice one, the approachable one... "Should've thought better than to fight your cousin right after a battle." At this Ren felt his temper stir, amber eyes looking over Gab to where the pesky little Pureblood just appeared. "I'm sorry, and who asked you?" Bridgit simply huffs and returns his frosty glance with an amused one of her own. "No one, but we assure you that your complaining is unwarranted and unnecessary," she responds, dainty hand running through a twin tail before flipping it back. "Treatment for the both of you will happen soon enough." "..." He looks away now, biting back the quip he was about to lash back at her as his interest in the conversation leaves him suddenly. His energy is better used in keeping awake. Most of the idle chatter passes by one ear and out the other, but when the King warns about Ariana he can't help the snort if derision as he looks at them now. "Has the Church's little cat girl been declawed then? Truly, what...wonderful news," he continues on, any filter gone for the moment while biting back the pain he still felt. With nothing more to say though he simply looks away from the others, leaning a bit more against Gabriela as he hums softly under his breath. He really, really wants to sleep...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelaar Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 Just waiting with Ren was a lot more peaceful then the siren would have expected. It was nice to spend some alone time together, however fleeting. Of course, it didn't last long, as everyone quickly came back, even the demon king. She was more worried about Ren than what the demon king had to say, but it was a good idea to still just listen regardless. However, the news wasn't what she was hoping for, and with Ren and herself not being in the best of moods, it wasn't exactly great timing. Instead of interrogating Ariana for information and then lobbing her head off for what she did, she is joining up with the group!? Truly, it was an absolutely baffling decision. But there was a silver lining, as there always is. At least this way, Gabriela could interrogate her some more about the siren that are in the church's possession... and seeing as how Ariana might not be a human after all, and most likely weak to light magic, she could destroy her anytime she decided to turn her coat again. ''Could you please leave us alone right now, Bridgit? Ren is very tired, and he doesn't need your input right now.'' Gabriella scoffed a bit at the vampire. Talking down as if she is better than Ren, who does she think she is, anyway? A lot of things were on the mind. How was Jade doing? What kind of person was Ariana, and most importantly, what did she know about the siren still under service of the church? It was decided, she must know. But for the time being, sticking with Ren was more important. ''Hush Ren, I know you're in pain, but why don't you try to rest here until the healers come? I promise i'll take care of you as best as I can.'' She couldn't help but smile at her lover when she said that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 Marina gave a deep breath, motioning her hand till she was out of Lavinia's grip. She took a deep breath, this was a meeting she should be more involved in. Regarding the mission she took, and the person created because of her. She gave Lavinia a light nod, and gently waved back at Astraea, who she saw a ways away. She took a breath, a central area with the Demon King and Xalrei, uncomfortably close. Deep breaths, you're fine... It's fine... you'll be fine... She approached the table following Seilan's suggestion. It was her time to potentially offer a suggestion, "Where I'm from, there was a force trying to take the capital during a civil war. When they were crushed, it was all they had left for their campaign. I think... Hmm... If we follow Ithraxl's forces quickly enough, we can put an end to his coup before he has the chance to muster forces and attack again, right? Or... do we already know where he is?" The bigger of the points being she didn't think Tepel would last from another attack. She didn't really know how much her input actually mattered... or if it was already set in stone. Regardless, it was better she tried to add her input. Then there was the other elephant in the room, the girl who was sharing some of her features, sharing parts of her person as well, so ready to give her life up. It left Marina... saddened; more than usual anyway. She didn't want another her. It wasn't the right time for that yet, but... She shook her head, she'd wait until the focus came back to Ariana in particular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted April 10, 2021 Author Share Posted April 10, 2021 (edited) "Y... Yes, Agnn-ni..." Tenna watched as Ariana hobbled towards the table that the demon king... Was she truly a child? How had she lifted an entire table with such ease, above her head... Monsters were terrifying. No human that size, that height, could lift a whole desk... I... I need, to prove that I'm not full of hot air. I, I, I can do this... The, onis don't look very monstrous. They'll be, nice... Wh-What did Ariana say, before? That, they used to be human...? I... I can handle that. I can... Tenna slowly, very slowly, approached Ren and Gabriela, casting a nervous glance at the siren. What, is an angel doing here...? She had no mind to really ask, more confused than alerted, now. "Uhm... E-Ex, cuse me..." She slowly raised her hand, a comforting magic radiating from them, Ren's wounds beginning to close. Healing magic made Tenna feel safe; it reminded her of practicing in her room back at the castle. She slowly shut her eyes as she worked, she could feel him getting better through her magic's contact. "I, er... I knnn, know, th-that you, all must hate m-me... But I don't w, want to see anyone, uh... H-Hurt. I hope you don't, mind..." Slowly, she finished fixing Ren's sibling inflicted damage, eyes opening again, the faintest smile on her face. "Much... Better." "I'll speak with you, on, as much as you need to, Ayane... Once my body starts... To feel things properly, again." Hopefully the oni wouldn't hold it against her that her leylines were still riddling her with numbness and stiffness, making moving and feeling quite difficult. Ariana quieted herself and deferred attention to both Marina and the Demon King.. It seemed that Tenna was tending to what she'd promised... Thesephine rolled her eyes at the comment from the other oni, but they had more pressing things to attend to... Everyone seemed to be listening, Seilan, Ayane, and Marina even chiming in and complying with the situation. "You're damn right you won't kill her... Not ever, if Nessraya managed to do to her what needed to be done. I'll let her explain that when I'm done here.. As, for, here." Thesepine finished laying out the map and then swiped a dagger from a pocket attached to her belt. It struck Mixoco, a few weeks travel away from Tepel's walled in city. "You're both right. Thank you... And I'm glad you've been taught well in the ways of war, Marina. It does us wonders." There was no sarcasm nor venom in her praise, though she couldn't bring herself to offer the girl a proper smile. "Mixoco is a fortress, no city. An old one, built closer to the border of Vaia, simply to watch for anything from other countries... Our ties with Hwein have always been strong, but prevention is the best medicine, as they say. Ahem... Ithraxl has taken the first and turned it into his own personal base of operations. That is where we will find him and the rest of the soldiers he has left under his command..." Thesephine cleared her throat, flaring her wings a moment. "The fort will contain what's left of his soldiers, but they will be his most elite. His men have always sported heavy armor, as well as magic. Prepare for a tough battle, and for them to have the ranged advantage... But the fort is easily assailable from the direction we're heading to it from. The rear has several entrances that we can beat down if we must... Though, the inside is full of tight hallways that they will do their best to abuse. We can siege the place, or try to break in and storm it... Whatever we feel it best on site, but prepare for both." She then leaned up, leaving the dagger in Mixoco's name. "You'll all have a few hours to rest and be tended to by the ever generous Princess Tenebria Oweyn of Coteon." Thesephine gestured a claw towards the girl standing near the onis. She shrunk and her eyes went wide, suddenly enveloped with fear over being the center of monster attention. "She has offered to heal our wounds and tend to whoever needs it, so feel free to approach her and ask for it... Lavinia as well, and from what I understand, Sir Landsridge knows how way around a staff." Surely the one on his person wasn't just for show. "After those two hours have been rested, and your wounds dealt with, back your bags and get ready to leave. We'll be requisitioning a few wagons from Tepel to carry all of our forces and gear, and riding straight for Mixoco. Sir Landsridge is correct that Ithraxl will be spending the next month gathering a new force to come after Tepel again, and the city will not survive another coordinated attack... It almost fell today. It would have, were it not for all of your courageous efforts. So steel yourselves for another two weeks of travel... And let us put an end to this, once and for all!" Thesephine's tail cracked against the ground to emphasize her point, hands on her hips, glancing between the faces present. "Any questions? Raise them now. Once the operations begins, there's no turning back..." Edited April 10, 2021 by SnakeMomMelissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelaar Posted April 10, 2021 Share Posted April 10, 2021 Gabriela couldn't help but scowl a little bit when Tenebria, who apparently was the princess of Coteon, was the one who healed Ren's wound. Of course, she was happy for Ren that his wounds were being healed, but why was it by this person? The princess of the country the band was out to defeat? The princess came, and looked rather nervously at Gabriela, at that. Were white wings really that rare of a sight? Or did she know something more? If anyone would know, the princess would be a prime candidate. This called for an interrogation, but the time unfortunately wasn't right, certainly not with the king standing right there. Why did she allow this princess to go with us anyway? It was ludicrous, but the siren wasn't exactly in a position to raise an objection. Thesephine was still her king, after all. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few more hours to rest, then? That seemed like a golden opportunity to get to know their new guests. However, there was someone who needed her attention more. Ren was still weak and very tired, and leaving him alone would be bad form. According to the king, they were supposed to travel to Mixoco, a fort south from where they were. It seems another tough battle was in sight. Battling to the death had become a daily part of life though, and the siren was getting more and more used to the whole spectacle. ''Hey, Ren, are you awake?'' She looked at Ren. ''We should go pack our bags for the trip. You can rest on my bed while I pack mine if you want. I'll take care of you.'' She gave him a little peck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet podado Posted April 10, 2021 Share Posted April 10, 2021 By the time Gabriela made her comment the Pureblood was already minding her own business listening to what Thessy had to say. It wouldn't do if she kept poking at that particular couple, that and she didn't want to bring unwanted attention to herself. Not only that but she didn't really have questions to ask...at least not ones that pertained to the planning of current operations. Once the vampire's truly left them Ren simply huffs softly at the reprimand, but knows Gabriela is only looking out for him at the moment. "Hmm, that does sound lovely," he says in a softer tone, offering a more genuine smile before looking over to the person now nearing them...ah. By the gods he's finally getting healed. The feeling of wounds closing and mending properly from the girl's magic left him a bit breathless, mainly due to relief now as he isn't on the verge of passing out. A long sigh leaves him, his smile returning as he looks over at Tenna with gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you kindly dear," he starts, then feels his face contort at the comment before schooling himself to a more passive expression. No need to scare the girl more. "Won't turn away some healing from such a brave girl like yourself," he offers, hoping to ease the princess' fears while letting her finish patching him up. "Can't really hate someone that's trying their best in a place so hostile towards them, even if you were our enemy at one point," he then adds, shifting slightly to tilt his head in a small bow. "I also feel like hate is such a strong word. If we're going to be working together we might as well be on more amicable terms don't you think?" And yes, he noticed the way Gabriela's mood shifted once the princess arrived, but this isn't a feeling he shared with the rest. To say he didn't have his suspicions is an understatement, but Ren knew when to be cautious and trust his judgement...to a point. At the moment, all he sees is a frightened girl surrounded by strangers that don't really have her best interests in mind. ...It's probably why he also holds such fondness for the little hero trying her best. "Hm? Yes yes, I'm still awake," he reassures Gabriela as his thoughts drift back towards the current situation and directs his attention to his beloved. "Resting still sounds like a nice idea, and how can i refuse such an offer from you?" he says, his voice soft and tender for only the siren to hear. "Just a moment should be fine, enough to let the soreness be at least tolerable," the oni then adds, returning the peck with one of his own as his hand finds and holds hers in gentle embrace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted April 10, 2021 Share Posted April 10, 2021 Marina delivered a light sigh... some manner of praise from Thesephine was surprisingly warming. Her muscles eased as the Demon King laid out their plan. It would take time to arrive in Mixoco... oh how awkward it was trying to process that place in her head... Oh well. She gave a light look to Ariana, nothing on the side of malice in it, of course. Just a light smile. She'd take some time to really learn about this individual eventually. She thought about it, she didn't really have any questions for Thesephine but, "Y-Your highness, if I may... I don't have questions now but... When you have time, I'd like, to, mm... discuss, some things with you. Away from public eye, if possible.." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursali Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Fight Club Amera clicked her tongue. She was doing this out of the goodness of her own heart, but it still felt just a bit bad. It's my own fault for getting so jealous... But how could I not, when I haven't seen her for decades, and now I have to train one of the girls she slept with on the way here!? Ugh... I can't blame Nessraya, she's just eating to live, and I shouldn't blame Xalrei... Doesn't mean it's easy. With a grumble and a huff, Amera strapped some training leathers to her hands and got ready to do her best in teaching Xalrei how to throw a punch without throwing herself. Speaking of, there was the dragon now... With Nessraya in tow? "Here to make sure I don't beat her up too hard?" Amera joked to deal with the surprise, looking the girl over. "Alright... If we're going to do this, I need you to show me your best stance. Fist fighting isn't just about knowing how to punch." "Well. I figured that I'm the cause of tension here, after all. Besides, if one of you does go too hard, who better than me to nurse you back to health, hmm?" Nessraya replied, floating up against the wall and resting her back against it, waiting for the pair to start their sparring session. It also didn't hurt that two attractive, athletic young women were about to work up a sweat, inadvertently for her entertainment, but that bit didn't really require mention. Nessraya had agreed to come along, or rather, she had invited herself along and Xalrei wasn't going to tell her no. From what she'd seen of the cat at the forge, the young dragon wasn't entirely convinced Amera wouldn't just use her as a convenient punching bag. Nessraya's presence would hopefully discourage that sort of outcome. That way, at least, she could learn something from the bruises she was going to get. Amera's joke was met with a slightly nervous silence from Xalrei as she looked to Nessraya to answer the question for her, not comfortable nor confident enough to risk ticking off her instructor. Nessraya replied, then moved to the side, leaving Xalrei to stare down Amera. "Right... I know that much, at least." Slowly, Xalrei took a wide, low stance, her back straight up as she faced Amera. Taiyute had showed it to her one night during their trip, hopefully she hadn't butchered it too poorly. Fine... I suppose that's fine." Amera couldn't doubt what Nessraya was saying, not going further than that to address it. "Promise I won't hit her that hard." "Ohhh... So you do know something of what you're doing." Amera was impressed that the dragon had any idea of how to fistfight, her stance wasn't all that bad. Amera took a moment to inspect things, gently poking at her back to straighten it out a bit more, lowering her arm a little bit. "Alright. Take a swing at me." Amera stanced up across from her, back straight, hands up, knees bent. She wouldn't throw a hit back, but she needed to know how well Xalrei knew how to throw a punch beyond just throwing herself. "I had someone show me the basics like a week ago. It's not like I saw your gauntlets and suddenly wanted to learn how to fistfight..." Xalrei let out a tiny huff as Amera approached her, unsure how to feel about the beastwoman's apparent surprise. Though she did correct her stance without any complaint; it wouldn't do to be stubborn when Amera was the teacher here. "Well, if you want me to..." Though it was a little rude of her, Xalrei had been expecting Amera to be the one to throw the first punch. After waiting for Amera to stance up Xalrei threw a punch at the cat, turning her back in line with her fist as she punched towards Amera's raised hands; however, there was a slight delay between the two actions, making her punch jerk off course. "Ooh--" Amera was surprised that Xalrei had form enough to throw a seemingly proper punch... But it fell apart as she swung and swerved right past Amera, losing that good footing. "Mmm... Keep trying. Keep swinging until you hit me, or you fall over, Xalrei... And watch your feet. Having clawed feet like that might honestly make this more difficult... Come on, come on~" Hands up, Amera goaded the girl by motioning for her to come towards her. Xalrei let out a tiny sigh as she stood back up straight so she could drop back into her stance, mindful of Amera's corrections off course. "It's not going to take me that long to throw a good punch... It's just that I've never really practiced before now." Excuses aside, Xalrei took a centering deep breathe. If she was gonna actually hit Amera she needed to focus. Xalrei's next attempt came without much warning save the start up of her punch. There was no error in her timing this go around, her fist barreling straight towards Amera. "Excuses will get you nowhere-- Whoa~" Her punch was a lot better this time, good news for Amera. She sidestepped it all the same, but it meant Xalrei was a good listener. "Hey, alright~ Maybe you aren't just some cocky kid who thinks throwing hands makes them look cool... Mmm, keep swinging, okay? I wanna see how well you do with flurries. I'll block if I have to." Hands up, hopping lightly in place, Amera stopped and steadied herself, smiling behind her guard. "Just don't get tired on me, dragon girl~" "Don't count me out just because you think I'm a kid." Xalrei wasn't going to complain about not being the one acting as a stand-in punching bag. She had plenty of frustrations from earlier today she needed to work out, anyway. Like before, she gave no warning before she started swinging at Amera, her fists flurrying as she tried to land a solid hit around her guard... --------------------------------------------------------- Xalrei swung one final time at the mobile cat, her final punch more telegraphed than any of her previous ones. Panting and sweaty, Xalrei huffed as she stared at Amera. Most of her punches had been outright dodged by the nimble beastwoman, Xalrei only managing a few hits on her instructor. And even then not a single one of them had been a clean hit, Amera had managed to block every single hit. Was this what it felt like to be overwhelmed by experience? "Hahh, hah... I, I got close, at least..." "Yeah, you did." Amera was surprised that Xalrei had lasted this long. A few times, the urge to give her a swing back and teach her what a counter felt like would surface in her mind, but she managed to keep it to simply guarding and dodging Xalrei's swings. "Still, you hit my guard plenty, and I was keeping on guard the whole time... I didn't give you any openings, so it's not like you wouldn't have found any if this was a serious fight. So..." Amera took a step back and let her hands down, smiling at Xalrei. "I guess you've done enough to convince me that a weapon for those fists isn't a bad idea. Just be careful, yeah?" She turned away from the tired dragon and fished into a nearby box, pulling out a pair of brass knuckles. "Getting in close with your fists is a lot more dangerous than using a weapon. A weapon gives you reach. It gives you that weapon's length in coverage against the enemy's weapons... It does have its pros, though." Holding the pair out to Xalrei, she smirked. "You can punch a lot faster than you can swing a sword... And you've got two hands. Always dual wielding. A good one-two to someone's gut or face, with things like this in your hands... If it doesn't kill them, it'll knock them right out. You can finish the job after that." Hopefully Xalrei understood the merits to hand-to-hand combat. There were plenty of reasons to invest, but plenty for the dragon to stick to her spears. "We can... Train again, if you want. You throw some good punches... Just know that I'll be swinging back next time, okay? You probably won't run into many fist fighters in Ithraxl's little army, so you won't have to worry... But you'll have to learn how to throw a punch and get ready to guard against a counter sooner or later. Sound good?" "Well would you look at that, I didn't even need to intervene~ Not that coming here didn't have it's benefits~" Nessraya noted, her tail swinging about from side to side as she watched Amera defend Xalrei's practice swings. She couldn't really make out the nuances of something like hand to hand, but even she could tell that the dragonewt was starting to hit her stride. But it's not like you wouldn't have floored me if this was serious fight... Xalrei kept her counter to Amera's praise to herself as she tried to cool down, repeatedly tugging her tabard open for the slight breeze it gave her. It'd been awhile since she'd exerted herself outside of combat; the feeling itself wasn't entirely unpleasant even if she was definitely going to take a bath as soon as she got back to the inn. "I know that fist fighting comes with a lot of risks, the Salerra Officers' Academy won't even teach it since it's predominantly an academy for dragons. Stupid rules about 'protecting out precious students'..." Xalrei huffed as she accepted the knuckles, slipping them into a pouch on her belt. "Just cause we take a hundred years to fully mature they treat us like we'll explode if we learn something remotely dangerous." "Mhm. I think, I'd like that. I, still only understand the absolute basics... I'll need to learn more if I want to really improve... Just, don't beat me into a pulp please." A fairly simple request, but not one she was sure Amera would pay any mind to. She was probably only being nice since Nessraya was here... Speaking of, that reminded the dragon of something important she'd wanted to talk to the succubus about. No time like the present to do it. Suddenly feeling awkward, a little embarrassed, but mostly guilty, Xalrei approached the woman. "Nessraya, can I talk to you about something? It's kinda, important, I guess..." "No promises~" Amera scoffed at Xalrei's request, shaking her head a bit. The girl was... Alright. Alright until she asked to speak to Nessraya. Probably alone... The cat wagged her tail and grumbled a bit, sneaking over to the dragon, before peaking her head over Xalrei's shoulder. "Whacha... Gonna talk about. Xalllllrei~?" "To me? That's fine, I've nowhere else to be at the moment." Nessraya answered, though based on the expression Xalrei was wearing, it seemed unlikely that Amera's prodding would be appreciated by the dragonewt. She hadn't had to break them up during their spar, hopefully not now... Xalrei... Didn't actually mind Amera poking her head into her business, even if having an audience to what she was going to say embarrassed her a bit more than she already was. "I... I just learned today, that someone... Precious to me, is actually still alive. Um..." Perhaps that would be enough for the succubus? No, not with how wishy-washy she was sounding... "Wh, What I'm trying to say is, as much as I'm grateful to you for letting me sleep peacefully and, other things... I, I'd like it if we could, just be friends? Without a physical relationship." A breath she didn't know she'd been holding in escaped her lips, posture slouching a bit. "It shouldn't be a problem, right? Amera's here now..." "Oh, hey! Isn't that great? Glad for you! Never had that sorta thing happen to me but it must be some sorta weight offa your heart, huh?" Amera smiled and patted Xalrei on the back, walking away with a smile. "Hope she's ready for your warm return when we're all done here, yeah?" "Why would that be a problem, Xalrei? What sort of brute would I be, not to accept your decision?" Nessraya replied, reaching out and giving the dragonewt an affirmative pat on the head. "I am glad to hear that they are safe. As Amera said, I am sure it's a weight lifted. And if you ever feel yourself plagued by nightmares again, well... don't be afraid to reach out. It isn't as though I can't still assist with that sort of thing without the added frills... unless you are apprehensive sharing a bed, even if nothing happens I suppose~" "I, dunno... I guess I just, worked myself up over nothing. Thank you for being so understanding..." Xalrei felt silly to have been so worried about it after hearing Nessraya's response, managing a slight smile back at Nessraya. "And, thank you, for the offer I'll... Definitely consider it, if it becomes a problem again." "Now that that's out of the way! Go get some rest. You worked yourself up good... So did I, dodging you. Cat needs a bath, even if she hates it~" Amera sighed and shivered a bit, shaking out some of her body's hangups. "Mmmm... Warm bath, actually sounds kinda good, right now..." She couldn't help herself, glancing at Nessraya, wondering if she'd say anything or if she'd have to ask for it. "Honestly, I'm almost hurt you would think as such of me... but it's fine." Nessraya teased with a grin, before catching Amera's glances, her smile widening. "Speaking of getting worked up, I must say that watching you two work up a sweat has me feeling in a mood~ I know what you're suggesting, Amera... I hope you're ready~" Well, that was her que to leave if there was any; she had no intention of playing the part of the third wheel. She'd have to use a different bath, too. A small sigh at the inconvenience left the dragon as she let Amera and Nessraya alone. Maybe if she was quick she could get a better bathing spot before they arrived... 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Nanami Touko Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 (edited) "You can ask me whatever you need to right now... And since no one has any questions, two things. Ariana?" Thesephine left the floor the chimera, who shuddered for a moment, as her body was still coming to terms with what had happened to it. "I... Am, no longer under the church's control. General, Nessraya... Fixed my leylines. The church had messed with them, so that I couldn't disobey any of their orders..." She laid out the truth as she knew it from what had just happened to her. "I should be able to do anything I want, now... And I want to help you all with this quest to defeat Ithraxl. I don't expect you all to trust me... And that's fine. I'm just... Being as upfront as I can be." "There you have it... The second thing. Marina." Thesephine faced her, and then took a knee, bowing her head. "I owe you my country and my apologies. I didn't trust you for a moment when you left the castle... Yet here you are, still pushing yourself, still fighting, and still doing everything you can to help my people and stop what needs stopped. I apologize for not doing my best to believe you... And especially for sending Erephis after you. I should have sent her as help, not as a test... I do not expect you to forgive me. Just know that I believe you more than ever, now." Thesephine left her words in the air for a moment, before getting back up, glancing around the group. "Alright! You've got a few hours, and then we're off... I hope you can all handle a good bit of wagon travel." The caravan of wagons that the group had become had nearly reached Mixoco, Ithraxl's stronghold and final group of forces just ahead of them. One final night's proper rest, tents were set up and horses were tied, everyone save for the few undead turning in to sleep. There had been little trouble along the road, some of their stronger members having headed out to deal with scouts at times. Nessraya in particular had been taking frustrations out on whoever she could find ahead of the caravan, so without a single lethal stop, the group was well rested and ready to assault the fort. Or, it should have been. Just as the moon hit its highest point in the night sky, fire and thunder burst out across the campsite! "Wh-What the...!? The, church's magic squadron!?" Ariana recognized the feeling of this magic immediately. Monster magic was more wild, less structured, more natural... This strict and stuffy magical feeling, it had to be-- "Damn!" They had to be here for her, there was no one else they could... Tenna. Grabbing her sword, the chimera rushed out of her tent, no time for armor-- But it was too late. Sword drawn on their attacker, the one she was most worried about. Red hair, one long glove, Coteon's signature pegasus rider outfit... And a spell aimed and ready at the princess' head. "Lucille!" Ariana knew, now, that this didn't have to happen, but considering she was now a traitor to the cause... Could she convince the girl to stop this? "A-Ari, ana... M-Marina! Help!" Tenna was panicked, of course, shaking in Lucille's grasp. With fires and battle starting to rage across the camp, she couldn't bring herself to do much; it was a struggle to keep herself from fainting. Lucille sucked in a deep breath, "I'm really surprised that you even bothered to remember my name. So I'm going to guess that you're Ariana." She had almost been entirely correct, the group's guard had been lax. Laxer than it would have been if they had been preparing for the assault on Mixoco. That would have made things far more difficult, and more than likely made for more causalities than there needed to be. "But I guess that makes things even simpler than I hop-" She froze as Lucille noticed that Ariana wasn't... human. A tail waved behind her, ears that weren't out of place on a cat. "...What in the world? Ariana... you... you were a monster all this time? Is that... why?" She turned her ungloved hand towards her, "Seems like you might have more answers to this nonsense after all." Being on the move again after what felt like so long at their last stop was disorientating, to say the least. Gabriela barely had any time to adjust to the new changes, including the new companions traveling along with them. A lot of 'special guests' joined the fray, even the princess of Coteon herself. The siren had a lot of questions for her, that was for sure, but the princess didn't seem like she was very keen on talking. Still, that wouldn't deter Gabriela, not one bit. The quiet night was nice.. at least, as quiet as it could be in a military camp. Gabriela had yet to go to sleep, and she was simply staring at the moon, remembering better times. What she wouldn't give to return to those times... Unfortunately, the thoughts were cut short when a loud noise drew her out of her trance. What seemed to be magic was attacking the camp. And you can't have magic without a source. The siren, grabbing her tome, took wing and flew out, but she was not the only winged one here. Several mages, mounted on pegasi, had arrived. Gabriela could do nothing but simply stare at the girl with the red hair. She didn't seem the same as the rest of the riders. Was she their commander? Marina was quick put of her tent when the commotion begain, thankfully she still had most of her belt on as she reached for her new shield. She wasn't quite sure what she'd do with it or if she had to use it but, better late than never if she had the chance to use it. Almost in a flash there goes Ariana sword drawn, instinctually Marina followed, reaching for her own sw-- wait, where were her swords? Thankfully the gun she borrowed from Jade was still there, it was a burden to keep on the belt. They reached a pegasus rider, who had a bit of a distinct look to her, but even worse was the captive Tenna. Without a thought her gun was drawn but... Just a hint of hesitation reached her, just as the hammer was locked back, the gun stayed pointing at the sky, finger wrapped over the triggerguard. Maybe... She didn't have a real response to what had happened, it seemed a bit more of a 'Ariana and Tenna thing' the most she got was the name 'Lucille'. Her hand rested, but she was ready to shoot if she needed. Lavinia had been spending a lot of time with Thesephine these two weeks of travel, a bit like a mother hen. Some nights the vampire went to the demon king's tent, other nights the medusa came to visit the tent the two of them shared. When that happened, Jade would often politely excuse herself for a while, occasionally going to play with Tres, other times just taking a walk or resting against her wagon and maintaining her guns. Of course, a time or two she'd stayed as well, talked some, respectfully, but tonight had not been one of those nights. When the bursting sound of magic spells being unleashed broke the midnight silence, well, that shattered any sense of normalcy the night may have had. There were two options that immediately came to mind: return to her tent and alert the king and her knight, or head directly to the source and see what had gone wrong. Jade's decision was ultimately made for her by simple proximity. Along the course of zombie's return to the general area of the tents, Marina's doppleganger burst out of hers only a short ways away, and from there had taken but a brief dash before loud words from several parties could be heard. Undoubtedly that had to be the source. Time to shamble closer. As she did so, the Hero made an appearance herself, and being more fleet of foot, was quicker on the follow. That was another reason to stay this course, rather than head to summon more help. Pulling up behind Marina, it was beginning to be a bit of a small crowd. No outright hostilities... if one discounted the Coteon princess being held before one of the intruders like a human shield. Curious... And that made things difficult. Waiting and watching, rather than disturbing the peace seemed to be the play here. If the Hero needed saving, she was near enough.(edited) The tremor from the first fireball knocked the quill from Seilan's hand; the second, his logbook from the small table it rested on. Stepping out to investigate the commotion, he caught sight of wings in the sky, and he quickly dove back into the tent for a weapon. Hearing yelling in the distance, he began to run towards it; it seemed the most pressing situation, not that there was a lack of dire situations at the moment. Rushing to the scene, he found himself there too late to prevent anything, though given the apparent paralysis the group appeared to be suffering from his lateness was of no particular concern. Looking to the sky, he cursed his own haste; all he'd grabbed from the tent were a standard tome and his blade, the latter of which was of particularly questionable use. The screaming appeared to have been coming from that princess, held captive by one of the attacking riders, and... ah, that explained the inaction. This was no mere kidnapping; were that the case, the rider would have long since left. Perhaps she intended to attack while they stood there, unable to make a move for fear of the princess' life... or perhaps she had personal reasons. He began to prepare a defensive spell; whatever she intended to try, it wouldn't be pleasant. Xalrei had quickly roused herself at the sounds of a fight, armor discarded in favor of time and mobility, Requiem gripped firm in hand. From the sounds outside, it didn't sound like it would do much to protect her anyway; her armor, being utterly generic, had few runes scribed into it to ward off magical attacks. A glance down at Requiem as she dashed to where she'd heard a scream, one thought on her mind. There's no way they have more of that stupid armor, right? She was the latest person to arrive to Tenna's hostage situation. Her dash abruptly stopped as she saw the spell aimed at Tenna's head, Xalrei's wings flaring open to stop her before she was close enough to provoke the fiery haired woman into making good on her silent threat. A growl rose in her throat, Requiem gripped tighter in her claw. "What the fuck do you want?" There had to be a reason the woman was holding Tenna hostage instead of fleeing with her...(edited) Good, she had backup... That would hopefully make this easier. She didn't want to have to kill Lucille; she remembered the girl's situation. Xalrei wasn't helping, barking like that... But at least she hadn't charged the girl, and everyone else was holding firm. Keep that gun up, Marina... We, can solve this. Peacefully... Hopefully. "Not exactly... The church messed with my leylines; my magic. I'm sure you understand why, with the veil removed, I've decided to side with the Vaians. Hopefully you can see the reality of things and stop this nonsense! Let Tenna go and talk this out!" Lucille's situation was a bit desperate and it left her the church's dog without a need for any brainwashing. "P-Please... I... Ariann-n, na, i-is, right. The church is, w-wrong! This... Wh-Whole damn, inn, nvasion... L-Lucille, r, right? Please. I don't, knnn, kno-know what, Arian, naaa... Is implying, but... If sh-she's right. At all... P-Please, think, to work with us... N, Nnnn! N-Not! Against...!" Tenna was saying as much as she could, stutter worsening with her panic. Lucille visibly flinched. She should have expected that Ariana knew, she was a General not too long ago. "...So you're another one of the Church's famous experiments. That explains everything then, no wonder they want you dead." She ignored the shout from the... Dragon woman, frankly, with Tenebria still shouting and squirming, she was quite done with it. Still, the fact that backup mobilized so quickly might be an issue. Lucille could feel her temper soar, especially as she had the princess, the saint of the church of Ilyrios in her grasp. "I'd appreciate it if you stayed silent, Princess Tenebria. You, of all people, telling me that the church is wrong? Kinda wish that someone of your standing came to that fucking conclusion years ago." Calm down, Lucille, you're in control of this situation, you can make this work out just fine. "I can assure you Ariana... I've come to terms with the reality of things a long, long time ago. I've got a choice to make, and really, between doing this, and... the other choice, it seems obvious to me. So... I'd really appreciate if you made this simple. You know why I'm here. You know my reasons. Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be." Lucille tensed, she realized that even if Ariana did decide to give herself up, the others likely wouldn't let her go quietly. Especially as she realized that there was another, almost identical person amongst Ariana's back up, but the chances of there really being another way out were slim to none.(edited) "... So, if you take me out, will you at least let her go?" Ariana dropped her sword, taking a step forward. She can't kill me... Not with her thunder magic. I know what you went through, and you won't use what you know best... I just need to make it look like she did enough, to give everyone else a chance. "Do it, then! If you're so stubborn that you can't give up being a slave to the very people that scarred your arm, then do it! You coward!" That should be enough... Marina, Xalrei, Seilan, Gabriela... I hope you're fast enough. Much as it hurt her, Ariana couldn't rely on Jade to get to her quick enough, but she was a marksman. Maybe the zombie could drive a bullet into Lucille's arm to disable her enough to get taken down... The siren had heard quite enough. Ariana was right. Despite being apparently 'hurt' by the Church of Coteon, here she is meeting their demands by taking hostages? It was a pathetic sight, really. But now that she was here, there was no going back. She held the tome in her hand, ready at a moment's notice to strike. ''Lucille, correct? Just what exactly do you plan on doing? Do you seriously believe you have any opportunity to flee, with or without a hostage in this situation? You are not the only one capable of using magic, or being able to fly away. If you were so hurt by the church, why would you still act like a subservient puppet to them? Wake up already, or my light will wake you up.'' Saying such things really took a lot of adrenaline out of her, it was admittedly a bit strange to come out of Gabriela's mouth. Marina watched as Ariana brought herself forward, her gun was lowered almost with intention of putting it down. If Jade was there, she was the better shot anyway, she could rush in if she needed. However, there was the sudden outburst from Gabriela too. She did keep a close eye out in case she tried anything with Ariana. "Lucille right? Before you do anything drastic, please... think for minute. I don't know what happened to you, but... think about what you're doing, okay? If Tenna dies, you're helping the church win. Do you really want that, if what they did to you is true?" Her voice was as calm as possible. Truly, she was afraid of what could happen to either Tenna or Ariana. But she firmed herself. She took a breath, "What does it mean to you when even their 'Hero' denounces what they wanted to do?" To say that the Hero and the White Winged woman, a Siren, Lucille believed, were right would be an understatement. What exactly was she doing working for the Church after all they'd done to her? "...Frankly, no, I don't want the Church to win. In fact, I'd rather see the Church and most associated with it scrubbed from existence." Lucille glared at the siren, "I'd love nothing more than to cast this all aside. But puppets have strings. Tell me, what exactly would you do to protect your home, your family? Knowing what they did to you, what they continue to do to others and worse. What would you be willing to put yourself through for that? I don't expect you or the so-called Hero to have any understanding of what that's like, to know that you make a single mistake, everything you know and love will disappear in smoke." Lucille could feel herself trembling now, the gravity of the situation making itself known. Escaping with Tenna after doing what she needed to do would be nigh impossible, especially if the Siren could back up her bluster even remotely, then there was the Hero with a fire arm, the Dragon woman with her wings flared and the unassuming man towards the back who appeared to be a mage. There might have been another, but they were far enough away for her to be unsure. "If I had that option, I might consider it, but my mission was clear. To kill you, and to bring back... or kill Tene-" Ariana dropped her sword and stepped towards Lucille, and then... silence. 'Do it, then! If you're so stubborn that you can't give up being a slave to the very people that scarred your arm, then do it! You coward!' Maybe even before she realized it, Lucille's arm had begun moving. The spell was effortless to her, she probably could have done it in her sleep if necessary. Ariana's compatriots might not even have noticed. But Tenebria would have noticed the loosening of Lucille's grip on her. "You're so dead... Ariana!"(edited) "GHhGKH~!" Thunder was never pleasant, Ariana getting zapped by the spell launched in a fit of rage. She crumpled to the ground, but in Lucille's anger, Tenna managed to do the least she could. "Ahhhhhh!" With a scream, she threw herself at the ground, pulling herself away from the rider's loosened grip. G-Good...! Now... T-Take, her down... Don't... K-Kill... Ugh, this, hurt more than I was... E-Expecting...! The conversation - it could hardly have been called that, really - was already over. Clearly Ariana had hit a sore spot - the one with the hostage's magic was already flowing before he could realize it, catching the electric in the air before he saw her hands moving, the blast hitting her before anyone had been able to even react. He hadn't expected the lightning to have so much of an effect on Ariana - her earlier resistance to magic had colored his expectations somewhat - but as she cried out in pain he found himself moving. Ariana had hardly hit the ground before he was moving, blade igniting from the inscribed silver handle in his hand, the other raised, magic starting to flow through it in front of him. He dimly recognized the princess diving to the side, barely registered the words Ariana had said about how the mage was the church's slave; it may have been that she was deserving of their sympathies, but for now she was attacking without restraint, and it was unlikely that she would be easily taken down. Blade crackling, he closed the distance. Xalrei was tense, almost holding her breath as the others tried to talk down the pawn of the church before them. It wasn't going to work. Lucille could say whatever she wanted to about the church, but, from the way she was talking, the dragon knew full well she wasn't going to back down. To Xalrei's disgust, Lucille's attitude reminded her of herself. Which meant that as she kept getting pushed further and further it was only a matter of time until-- She exploded. Xalrei hadn't processed what had happened until Ariana's shriek hit her ears, glancing over to see the woman collapse. Even if it was the goddamn fake 'Hero' on the receiving end, the dragon was livid. Snarling, a growl on her lips, Xalrei's wings furiously propelled her towards Lucille, electricity dancing across her scales. "You. Fucked. UP!" Requiem forgotten in her rage, Xalrei's claw balled into a fist, fully intent on punching the mage's lights out. Jade frowned as the situation developed. The three main parties all knew each other on first name basis, and the aggressor's language made it clear there was a figurative sword over her head coercing her to do this, by some means or measure. It would have been so much simpler if... no, even if just pulling the trigger was the answer, this situation wasn't great, standing here as they were, so close to all the tents. Down range had to be cleared. Marina had been doing well, in that regard, the pistol she'd lent being aimed skyward, a simple display of threat, with no harm of collateral damage. But in case they'd actually need to fire... Jade began circling around, working to place the threat out of line of any third parties... Tenna excepted, due to unfortunate circumstances. But that bridge would be crossed when she got there. Circling, like a wolf just behind the range of light of a fire, waiting for the right angle, the right time. If she ended up being unnecessary, all the better. But until then... That glowing hand was probably a bad sign. But the dialogue was still open, Ariana in typical fashion offering herself up as martyr. Gabriela and Xalrei's threats. Marina's middle ground. Which would win out? It was the chimera, and Jade did not envy her her prize. True to the discussion of puppets and strings, when the lightning hit the girl she crumpled like a severed marionette. The princess did avail of this opportunity, though, and wriggled free, so that meant that for Jade it was now or nev-- Nevermind, Xalrei had rushed into her line of fire, and Seilan was advancing from the other side. The zombie clucked her tongue, but was inwardly a little relieved. A beating from the fists of a dragon was sure to be less lethal than a bullet, and--crackling energy sword aside--the human mage was a healer. He wouldn't let things go to far, right? Well, on his end at least. There were Gabriela to worry about too, but... "Apparently their sway on her is such that her defeat needs to appear convincing, if any of their eyes or spies escape to report back home. Marina," she called across the way a little to the Hero. "If you would kindly tend to Tenna while the rest of us oblige her? Don't worry, I'll hold the gun back as last resort, should it come to that." Things were not ideal, but this division was a fair shake better than the zombie trying to collect the princess. Heh, just imagine how that would play out.(edited) The attempt to talk down the situation hadn't worked. The strike on Ariana made Marina want to jump in but both Seilan and Xalrei already went in. Marina nodded at Jade's request. "Gotcha," she looked down to Ariana, knowing there wasn't much she could do for her, but she seemed as fine as she could be. She ran her way over to the Princess, "Tenna come on, get behind me." she held a hand out, her shield in the direction of Lucille in case of a potentially last ditch effort. Things escalated very, very quickly. Marina made an attempt at deescalating the situation, but it didn't seem to work as well as she probably expected. Lucille only seemed to get more agitated and seemed like she really wanted to go along with the group to wreck the church, but she somehow couldn't. Someone was probably held hostage, if she had to guess. While Gabriela did feel for her, it was no excuse for her actions. Just as the siren was about to respond, things happened in the blink of an eye. Ariana was hit by a thunder spell, and the others seemed ready to take Lucille down at any time. Xalrei in particular seemed quite bloodthirsty, understandably so. Suddenly, multiple people stood ready to snap her neck at a moment's notice. This was the last chance to talk some sense into her, and if that wouldn't work, it would be game over for the pegasus rider. ''So, there's strings, are there? Tell me, what exactly makes that our problem? From my point of view, how I see it is that you, like a coward, infiltrate our camp following the church's orders and attempt to take a life. That can't just be forgiven by saying 'you have no choice'. The choice you do have right now, is to either try to fight or flee and die, or you stop pitying yourself and join up with our cause against the church, who you dislike so much. Either way, I will be able to show you the light. So, what will it be?'' The tome in the siren's hand was open at this point, and casting shine would be a matter of holding out her hand. Only Lucille could stay Gabriela's hand now with her choice. "O-Okay!" The princess scrambled to get behind Marina as everyone sprung into action, hiding herself, not wanting to see the result. "D-Don't... Kill, her...!" Ariana gasped it out, not sure anyone could hear her, the sounds of battle going on around the camp. A cough as she tried to get herself up to sitting, this would be up to how merciful Seilan and Xalrei were feeling... By the time Lucille's senses caught up with her practiced movements, literally everything had fallen apart. Tenebria forced herself away and off of her pegasus, The dragon woman and mage had both begun to bare down on her at a terrifying pace, the Siren's tome slowly opening. Nothing left to do but to try to - No, Ariana's doppleganger had moved equally as fast, placing herself right in between her and Tenebria with a shield raised high. It should have been so simple for her to have ignore the shield, but she hesitated ever so slightly. Her will wavered at the Siren's words. Could she really surrender at this point? Could she really fight alongside them? ...Were they maybe strong enough to help her? One thing was for sure, Ariana played her so effortlessly it was embarrassing. But, panic set in, "...Villkiss, up!" Lucille pointed her hand towards the rushing Dragon, she'd by far be the most dangerous as she could chase her to the skies, and was moving way too fast. She felt that she could deal with the mage otherwise, so long as she was out of range of that sword. But, wait, could she deal with an attack by both him and the Siren? They knew now how quickly she could cast, they wouldn't waste time to lock her down. And what about the Hero? She was already too damn close. She had to get some distance between them, she could salvage this somehow. Fleeing wasn't an option, dying wasn't an option, and she continued to convince herself that trusting them wasn't an option. It was now or never. She could only hope that Villkiss was fast enough. Marina felt a weight lift off of her when Tenna retreated behind her. Good, she was safe... But it still left this Lucille in prime time to try running? Or was she going to keep fighting? She sighed until hearing Ariana's cry to not kill her again. Marina nodded as she kept a firm stance between Tenna and anything that Lucille could've blasted. As far as she was concerned, she was still someone with some authority to give an order. "You heard her! Capture her, but don't kill her!" Marina called out, a tone without any hesitation, or wavering thought. Marina swallowed her current guilt she was beginning to feel, as she aimed her gun towards the pegasus. If she could cripple the beast maybe that'd stop her ascent. An eye focused, she just had to land a shot on one of its wings. Pop! Even as Lucille tried to escape, Xalrei pursued her up into the air, not intent to let her mark so easily slip away. She'd never moved this fast before, only rarely using her magic without her armor on, and definitely never while flying. If fury wasn't the primary thing fueling her at the moment, Xalrei might have even described her speed as exhilarating. And all of that was speeding towards Lucille like a bullet, Xalrei's gaze locked onto the woman's face, fist ready to punch with all her might. Even as she raised her hand to cast at her, Xalrei didn't slow in the slightest or even try to take evasive action. She was study; even if magic hurt like a bitch, as long it wasn't ice magic the speeding dragon was sure she could brush it off. More words were shouted up at her, Marina was, of course, insisting that she refrain from killing the woman. Xalrei wasn't about to hold back on account of the Hero, and definitely not for the sake of a cowardly bitch who'd dared to ambush them before such an important fight. If she died from a single punch, that was her problem. Snarling as she finally caught up to Lucille, Xalrei rocketed her punch into the woman's face. Momentarily, Xalrei felt extreme satisfaction. The very next second, however, she felt extreme panic as her momentum carried her straight into the woman she'd just socked in the face with everything she had, crashing right into her. Lucille's gaze was focused on the incoming dragon. It felt like she was only gaining speed, quickly overshadowing the charging mage with the sparking blade. With her out of the way, she could retreat into the air, where she'd only have to fear gunshots and magic. Not ideal at all, but much better than what she was about to face. The Hero's call to have her captured caught her by surprise... and then further alerted her to the pistol aimed not at her but Villkiss's flapping wings. In the only moment of clarity Lucille had since the conversation began, she dropped her spell, and grabbed her partner's reins, "Not a chance! Villkiss, down!" She and the Pegasi dipped as the shot rang out, she heard nothing from her steed, forcing her to assume that they'd avoided that. ...Only to remember that there had been a Dragon racing towards her at top speed with no intention of stopping. She'd barely turned to see the scaled fist inches from her face. Not even enough time to have picked a god to pray to. The connection was clean. Sending Lucille clear off of Villkiss, but before she lost consciousness, there was an unusual sensation that something was still carrying her through the air. The crackling of his blade came to a halt as Xalrei abruptly tackled the mage, sending them tumbling through the air to their inevitable collision with the ground. That had probably been plenty enough to subdue her; if the punch didn't do the trick, the fall ought to have. It looked to have been... far from enjoyable, to be sure. He fumbled for the staff at his belt as he ran towards where they'd landed, glancing over at Ariana as he moved. She was injured, but... well, there was little he could do for her at the moment, not without any more mundane healing supplies. She was awake, anyways; if her injury was anything serious she knew more than well enough how to use a vulnerary, she didn't need his help for that. The ones who might need his help, however, had fallen in a heap, and as he reached it it was apparent from her slump that the mage was unconscious, though breathing. "Well... that's about as healthy as a prisoner ought to be while a fight's still happening, I think." He inclined his head a little, turning to look at the other fallen figure. "I, ah... don't suppose you'd like some healing? Unless you're still feeling fine, of course." "Nnhn, g-good..." Ariana had struggled to her feet, slowly coming over to the pile of Xalrei and Lucille. "Seilan... Mn, t-take care of them, then, tie her. Lucille... We, can get her onto our side. Promise... I'll explain when, this fight is over, and, she's awake... Hhh... Need to, heal..." Her piece said, Ariana limped away from them, heading for her tent. She'd made sure to stock up on her own medical supplies, just in case something like this happened. Tenna slowly peaked up from behind Marina, staring at the downed women. "I-Is, it over...?" The camp was beginning to quiet down, it seemed as though the rest of the group had been handling Lucille's squadron fairly well. Xalrei hadn't been prepared, or wanted, to catch Lucille in her arms, but that was somehow what had happened as they tumbled through the air, Xalrei desperately trying to right herself before they hit the ground. Alas, there wasn't enough time, the dragon's wildly flapping wings only slowing her own fall from grace enough to prevent it from being lethal to her and her unwanted passenger. They hadn't stopped moving just because they were falling either, rolling along the ground and landing in a heap of tangled limbs when they finally stopped. Xalrei had wrapped her wings around herself, and subsequently Lucille, preventing anything on the ground from harming them, save for her own wings, which were now tattered and had a few small, but painful, holes poked into her webbing. By the time Xalrei had untangled herself from Lucille, she had calmed down enough to not immediately punch her again; though, her tumble through the air had also significantly humbled her for the moment. The pain was doing a good job of dampening her mood as well. "I would, yes. My wings, first, pl, please..." It felt... Not right, to politely ask for something of a human, even one from Hwein, but she was much more concerned with her webbing scarring and messing with her ability to fly. Marina pat Tenna's shoulders, a sigh of relief. It seemed to be finished. Xalrei's attempt at least led to them capturing Lucille. A sigh of relief. As Seilan approached her, she gave an exasperated but grateful "Thank you," to the Dragonewt, turning to see Ariana flee. Marina called out, "Ari!" She whistled, and tossed a vulnerary her way. Hopefully she'd catch it. Marina hadn't used it since she left. Her attention went back to Tenna. A warm smile, "I think we're okay. Would you like an escort back to our tent, your highness?" She joked a tad to try and help with the situation. "Wings, alright... Stay still for a moment, then." That had been... unexpectedly humble of her. Not that he'd spoken to the dragonewt much since he'd first seen her around in Tepel, but she was a common enough figure that her... disposition... had made her recognizable, and set some expectations for what interactions might be like. Well, that was of little importance now, anyways. Concentrating on the spell, he lifted the staff as it emitted a warm light, beginning to revert the effects of their tumble. "That should do it. Tell me if the wounds open back up again. And... well, I understand it was necessary, but do try to avoid having to do something like that again. There's not always a healer around, and... there's only so much vulneraries can do sometimes." He set the staff back in his belt, looking over at their unconscious captive. "That aside... shall we go find some rope, then?" Xalrei did as instructed, waiting until after Seilan had finished his work to test her wings with a few cautionary flaps. Nothing seemed to be, or feel, wrong with them, so that was a weight off her chest. Finally rising to her feet after her tumble, Xalrei brushed herself off, silently lamenting all the holes and tiny tears in her outfit as she looked herself over. Dorian wouldn't be happy about this, near death aside. Herself taken care of, her gaze fell to their prisoner, a frown on her face. "What's with me and picking up humans that inevitably get added to the group..." Xalrei complained with a small whine, not necessarily meaning to say it aloud, but also not really caring if Seilan heard it. "Not like I could do it again if I wanted to, armor's too heavy..." She at his, admittedly deserved, criticism. "I guess. Better than leaving her unbound when she wakes up." Well, that was that. Jade felt it could have ended better, but it also could have ended far far worse. With Seilan and Xalrei focused on the intruder, Marina on Tenna, and Ariana on her own wounds, that just left Gabreila and herself. The zombie wasn't sure what the siren was planning to do next, but her own agenda here was clear. The Hero shooting at this latest church follower's steed had taken her by unpleasant surprise. There was no denying it was a valid tactic, but deep in her heart Jade felt that sort of thing was bordering on war crimes, and she breathed happier (figuratively) that it had been made to miss by a quick thinking dive. And now, its rider having been forcibly dismounted, few were paying the winged horse any attention. But that was about to change. Pulling a silver apple from her pocket, and hoping pegasi took well to the fare she fed her nightmares, Jade held it out in front of her as she advanced slowly its direction, calling out the name she remembered the rider using, trying to get its attention, "...tte tte tte, Villkiss. Yeah... don't go flying off please, look, here..." There were several possible arguments for why keeping the beast from escaping was a good idea, but to be perfectly honest, Jade just thought it was neat and wanted to make friends. After having just been shot at, and having her rider tackled off her back, Villkiss was agitated. But oddly, something approached with a click of the tongue. Villkiss backed away at first, but wasn't keen on flying away, not without her rider. Then, it called her name and brandished a Silver apple. It didn't sound at all like her rider, but there was a similar sense of care in its cadence. Confusion, first, then she moved a bit closer, calming a bit as the newcomer appeared to have no ill will. Villkiss quietly accepted the apple from the odd being. Feeling an odd sense of comfort, amidst the turbulent night. Even when the pegasus rider tried to flee, she didn't get very far. Xalrei easily caught up to her and clobbered her in the face. It was a rather impressive sight. She walked over as the two made preparations to take her prisoner, while Jade was instead focusing on her pegasus. ''Wow Xalrei, that was an impressive sight, and i'm not just saying that. And well, that was some impressive flying too. I don't believe i've ever seen you fly like that before. I hope your wings aren't damaged now that Seilan took care of them.'' She took a look at the unconscious Lucille. ''What a fool. Trying to flee even after I told her it was futile. She could have avoided the Xalrei Smash if she wanted to, but it appears she had something different in mind.'' She sighed. ''At least this way, we can interrogate her later. And trust me, I have a lot of questions for her myself. Though it appears that will have to wait until she regains consciousness. I wonder how long she'll be in this state with that hit..'' Gabriela appeared deep in thought. ''Well, let me help you tie her up.'' To The Point Spoiler Bound by the wrists, Lucille's unconscious body had been dragged back towards the camp's main tent. Thesephine was angrily swishing her tail back and forth, hoping for an explanation. What she got was Seilan, Xalrei, and Ariana, dragging one of the riders towards her. "So... Can someone tell me why this one is still alive?" Thesephine had personally dispatched one of the riders, was this one special for some reason? "She... We can reason with her. Get her to join us." Ariana knew why, but it would take some explaining. "She could've done much worse, but her own insecurities about what she was doing held her back. Trust me, we can--" "So you're going to drag every single soldier that you know personally to me, almost die getting them to stop, and then beg for us NOT to kill them for attacking us in the middle of the night, for reasons you refuse to disclose!?" "I... Ah..." Ariana had expected Thesephine to be angry, but not this angry. "Her family is being held against their will by the church... Lucille is incredibly adept at magic, so it would be a huge loss for her to die here. She can say as much herself... Hopefully." "Alright, fine... She will say as much herself. Hey! Wake up!" Thessy grabbed the poor girl's face and slapped it a few times, trying to knock some consciousness into her. "You've got a lot to own up for... You're lucky none of our side were killed." Lucille was startled awake by the flurry of slaps. Wait, awake? She looked up and into the blazing eyes of an irate Medusa. The Medusa was practically shouting in her face at this point, and her tone made it quite clear that she might have been happier if she was - wait, how exactly was she alive? Lucille didn't remember anything after the point of impact having been immediately knocked unconscious, but from that height with as hard she got hit, she should have been seriously injured in the best of scenarios, and dead in nearly all of the others. "I... it might... be easier... for me... to speak... if you... let go of my face... owww..." She practically squeaked out, aware that a single misstep would lead to her likely being cleaved in two. And with her arms bound, she couldn't dare defend herself should the Medusa actually follow through on the implicit threat. "I... I... this... I never wanted..." Lucille's voice trailed off, she found it hard to catch her breath. It was impossible to mask her panic anymore. It all felt a little too similar to back then. She tried to say anything, but she was suddenly rather incapable. "If you never wanted it then you wouldn't have attacked us. Idiot..." Thesephine sighed, claws on her hips. "Get on with explaining why we should keep you alive. You've tried to kill my friends and allies; my patience is thin..." "Just... Just a little bit more patience, Thesephine. Please..." Ari really hoped that this wouldn't come to Lucille's death... "Lucille, please. I don't want to speak for you if I can help it... Just... Explain what's going on with your situation. We can help you out of it... I don't want to see someone so promising die for the church's amibitions. Please." The Medusa, apparently called Thesephine, released her face. Lucille gulped air trying to regain any level of composure. She figured it had to be somewhat amusing to the dragon and mage after how confidently and composed she spoke while she was threatening people's lives. "...Ariana's... right. I'm not... with the Church by choice." She hesitated a moment, unsure if what she wanted to say next would actually make things worse. But at this point, the only thing she could do was to carry on. "My name is Lucille Altair, I'm... only with the Church because they've taken my father and sister hostage, as well as the entire village where we... escaped to. They're... using that to make me, my mother and others work alongside with them to... keep their secrets from coming to light. I've... seen what the Church is willing to do to achieve their ends. Anything... I've ever done to assist the church has been to protect my family and home. I know that's not nearly enough of an explanation... But it's what I have. They've already taken so much... I... can't let them take anything else." "Of all the..." Thesephine sighed, looking away from Lucille, this whole situation. She needed a moment. "Y... Yeah. That's..." Ariana wasn't sure what to say. Her situation was rather dire... Could she be saved? "So, what do we do about this? Ugh, Dyssa, undo her binds. She'd be a moron to try anything here, anyway... Look, Lucille, yes? You clearly don't want to work with the church. So help us out here. You too, Seilan. Gotta be a way to get her out of this mess..." Thesephine clearly couldn't think of anything. "Well... Mmn... I highly doubt we could trek all the way to Coteon and save her family right now... Not with everything pressing on us." Ariana sighed, shaking her head. It was clear enough that the Church had yet again stooped low to force Lucille to fight; not that it was exactly a surprise anymore, but it still frustrated him to no end. Surely if this were so common, the people of Coteon would find issue with it... and yet, it seemed as if their small group had found all the ones willing to fight back. The Hero was no small accomplishment, of course, but... He crossed his arms, thinking. "Well, as far as Coteon knows, she's dead. The rest of the attackers are dead, so there's nobody to report she's been captured, and it's not as if they'll send anyone out to count the bodies. I don't imagine they'll retaliate against her family unless they find out she's still alive." Xalrei wasn't exactly happy that Lucille had effectively only received a, admittedly very hard, slap on her wrists for attacking them in the middle of the night; though, the majority of her displeasure was based on the previous attempt on her life by Coteon around a month ago. Now that she wasn't wrapped up in those emotions anymore, the dragon was a little more sympathetic to the human's circumstances, though one was also more than zero. "Fine, Thessy..." Xalrei grumbled at her sister's command, but obliged, not even realizing that Thesephine had used her real name in front of two out-of-the-know humans. "Be grateful she's in a good mood, human." Xalrei still wasn't up for being civil to Lucille at least, even as her claws easily cut through the rope binding the woman. "So long as no one from Coteon sees her it should be fine, but we're going to Hwein after this, too. Might be time for a disguise..." "Oh... That would work. I didn't think about that..." Ariana nodded along, glancing at Thesephine, wondering what the king felt about the suggestion. "It's about the best offer we can make. So, Lucille. These are your choices... I kill you and you join the rest of the squadron that flew in. You never save your family, the church gets what they wanted out of you as a loose end gets itself neatly tied up by the monsters... Or." She turned back to the girl, staring her hard in the eyes. "You change your hair from that far too obvious red, take on a pseudonym, and help us until we can do what we can to save your family... If they're being held in Coteon, while it might take a few months, maybe even half a year... If you help us, we'll do everything we can to save them when we arrive. What do you say?" Lucille was dead silent. Though, this time it was out of sheer disbelief rather than panic. In a matter of moments, what should have been an execution became the only chance at freedom she'd had since the church came for her family. The only chance she had at rescuing them. For the first time, she'd been given a choice worth taking. "You'd... actually do all of this?" Her voice finally evened out from the squeaking earlier. It all made sense what they were saying, her squadron was dead, and very few people would be able to pick her out without her hair. Well, except... She could only imagine what what her mother would do when she inevitably got the news. And she definitely couldn't write to her under these circumstances; her mother was on a tighter leash that she was. But that was something Lucille could explain later, maybe they were strong enough to deal with her too, should it come to that. She hoped it wouldn't. "There's... there's only one thing to say. I've... been waiting for a chance to strike back at the church myself. If I don't have to do that alone... Then, I'll do everything I can to assist you. I... can even start with telling you that the unit that I was... dispatched from will arrive here well in your battle here, expecting to finish both sides." Though, knowing the church, she figured it wouldn't be nearly as simple to rescue her family when the time came. The last letter she received from her mother revealed that even she couldn't find any leads. "I... won't expect to ever be forgiven," Lucille wiped her eyes feeling tears welling up in them, "But I swear to you that I'll make your effort to trust me worth it." "That's great!" Ariana smiled properly, tempted to hug the girl for the success, but she was probably feeling enough right now. "Good," Thesephine sighed out, rubbing her face a bit. "Then go help clean up this mess with Ariana and Seilan... And I hope you get used to monsters quicker than that jumpy princess. Dyssa, stay here for a bit. I have some stuff to discuss with you about your magic." Thesephine flopped onto her bed roll and waved the dragon over, before shooing the humans and their chimera. "Sure! Uh, Lucille, Seilan, let's go. There's plenty of nice monsters here, Lucille, you'll be just fine." The moon had risen... But their caravan had made it to Mixoco's fort. A massive castled structure of stone. Ithraxl likely had some vampires working for him, keeping watch. Their breaching of the fort would not be silent, but it would be quick, assaulting from the rear. A nearby village housed an armory if they needed to forge extra keys... Hopefully their lockpicks would suffice. Thesephine huffed, staring the place down. "Here we go... For everyone except me." One of the members that Amera had brought along had alerted the king to a force of soldiers tailing their group, who had recently begun doing so. They couldn't have a bunch of people pincering them between Ithraxl's men, so she'd elected to stay back and deal with them before they could arrive. Taking Stholia off of her neck and forming it properly, Thesephine turned to the caravan. "Make your last minute preperations. Your weapons, your armor, your equipment, make sure nothing is out of place! Today we do not fight simply for Vaia's future, but for the future of us all! Stand tall! Fight hard! Take back our country from those that would see it ruined!" With her speech finished, Thesephine headed back towards the road, a scowl on her face. "And I'll make sure that nothing else gets in our way..." Edited April 21, 2021 by SnakeMomMelissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 (edited) Sollowy stared at medusa holed up in their shared tent, an exasperated sigh leaving the annoyed Gathlain's lips. Thesephine had been like this ever since they'd left Tepel, hiding in their tent or exclusively spending time with Tundyssa or Sollowy herself. Normally this wouldn't annoy the fairy, having Thesephine alone in her clutches was a lot of fun, but this stubborn girl still hadn't done what she'd promised to do back in Tepel: speak with Nessraya and try to resolve their feelings. She'd even directly told the Demon King to speak with her general yesterday, but still nothing had been done. They were nearly at Ithraxl's fort, about to march into the dragon's den to dispose of the rebellious ingrate. Who knew what he would do when cornered? If things went poorly, Nessraya could very well die before Thesephine worked up the courage to talk to her! Sollowy wasn't about to let Thesephine make that mistake, to live with that guilt and regret for the rest of her life. Standing up, Sollowy floated over to her girlfriend, draping herself over the girl's shoulders. "Thessy, I know we've been over this before, but you really need to talk with Nessraya before we get to Ithraxl's fort." "Gwah!?" Thesephine jumped in her seat, not having heard Sollowy come into the tent. With her chest pressing into the medusa's back, Thesephine was already blushing, but she lost her fervor when the topic came up. "Ugh... I... I can't. I just, I can't! I'm... I'm scared, I don't... I don't want to hurt her further, or ruin something before such a big, important battle... Can't we talk to each other when this is over...?" A pleading face stared back at Sollowy, hoping the girl would give it up. Sollowy wasn't having any of Thesephine's excuses, staring down at the pleading girl. "And what if you lose your chance during that big battle, huh? I'm not saying she will, but what if she does die? How will you feel? Will you blame yourself, feel guilty? You'll be living with that for the rest of your life, you know." Another sigh, Sollowy wrapped her arms around the medusa, hugging her. "Either you can go over to her yourself, or I will personally drag you over there. Barring you letting me do that, I'll get your sister to do it. She's stronger than the both of us." "Guhhh... Sh-She, she won't die, she's too smart and strong for that. Ughhhh..." Sollowy really would try to drag her out of here, and if she involved Dyssy, the battle would be lost. "Fine! Fine... Ugh, fine... I... I just don't want to hurt her, more." Thessy sighed and pulled herself away from Sollowy's hug, standing up, brushing off her shorts and the leggings she could reach without bending over. "I'll go see her... You can come if you're worried, else, I'll do this myself." Out the tent she went... "Good." Sollowy put her hands on her hips and let out a quiet, "Hmph," as Thesephine picked herself up and and dusted herself off. "Of course I'm coming with! You pulled the exact thing yesterday, Thessy. Then you spent the entire rest of the day with your sister. Don't think I'm going to fall for it twice..." Sollowy floated after the medusa as she left their tent, placing her arms elbow up on the taller girl's head and rested her face on her palms. "I, should probably come along, anyway, Thessy. She probably doesn't like me much, and, if I'm going to attack the fort with her, she needs to know she can count on me." "Ghhh!" Getting called out again so quickly left the snake hissing quietly, as they made their way towards Nessraya's tent. "I get it, okay? I get why you should be there too... ugh, just... Try to keep me calm, I don't want to snap at her, but I just... I have anger issues." Another sigh... They were at her tent. "... N... Nessraya? Are you in there?" A part of Thesephine hoped that she wouldn't be, but they had to have this conversation at some point... It was futile. She knew it was. The map wouldn't change, even though she had looked it over every day on the way here. Ithraxl had to know they were coming, he would have his defenses prepared... they would just need to siege his fort down and break through. But it wasn't as though she could do anything else to pass the time at the moment. A sigh escaped Nessraya's lips, as her eye caught the mirror haphazardly set down across her tent. Her complexion was pallid, her cheeks sunken, bags darkening her eyes. She really should eat something... 'But I'm just... not hungry.' Her mind snapped back, before her attention was drawn away from her own miserable state, a voice at the door. Not a welcome one. Not one of the kind souls coming to check on her, some even insisting she indulge in them... it almost hurt to turn them away. No, this wasn't a voice that sang good intentions, an attempt to cheer her even if it wouldn't amount to anything. This voice was pain. "What is it, Your Majesty?" Again with the 'Your Majesty'... Thesephine let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding, shaking her head. "We need to talk... About us. I can't... We, can't, keep hurting like this. Even if it's for different reasons, we just... Can't. So even if it sucks... Even if it leaves us crying, we need, to talk. If you don't want to talk about it with Sollowy here, I can ask her to leave, just... It needs done. Okay? Can we? I can't stand seeing my friend like this..." Friend, huh? Nessraya bit her lip at that, hard enough to draw blood. A friend would have spared her feelings more than thirty seconds out of a two week march, not instantly snapped at her without second thought. The succubus nearly growled, but caught herself. "I will hear what you have to say. If you brought her here, then I assume it is because you want her present. Fine." "... Then, I'm coming in." Thesephine could tell Nessraya was tense. Tell that she was upset... What was she supposed to do about it? The general had challenged her relationship at first notice, missed orders, Thesephine lacked the patience to put up with that... Their last exchange had gone poorly due to her own immaturity... So, much as it hurt to stifle her anger, she did her best to grip her claws into fists and push it down. "I... Need, to know what it is I can do to help you calm down. Go back to... Being you. from all the years I've known you, not having access to a single woman has never ruined you... Yes, we were close. I know what our fathers were planning, but, I... I never, saw you that way. Maybe because you were sleeping with people weekly... My mind couldn't wrap around us having a proper relationship because of that. I don't, know how else to put it..." "Never, huh?" Nessraya echoed, her face settling into a deep frown. Again with this... "You." Nessraya began, jabbing her finger out towards Thesephine with a scowl. "Weren't ready to provide for me. Until recently, not at all. Even still, not alone. I never held that against you, it would simply come with age!" Once she began talking., her voice wouldn't stop rising. Everything she had kept inside was starting to spill out. "But you'll hold my need to feed against me! My father didn't understand romance until he courted my mother either, always told me such things came with age and maturity for us, but you'll hold that against me too!" She stood from her stool, face contorted in anger. "We've known one another since you were in diapers! Been friends since you were able to perceive what that was! And even when you clearly, obviously hurt me!" Her fist slammed down on the table, scattering the battle map and it's pieces to the floor. "You couldn't spare my feelings a Hess-damned moment! Get yourself together Nessraya, are you not my General?! With a two week march ahead, I faltered a moment and you leaped down my throat! Took until now to even bother to speak to me! You took something I held close to my heart for comfort since I was a girl, and stomped it into the ground!" Sparks coalesced about Nessraya's hands and arms, clenching into fists to contain the magic before it discharged, her whole body shaking, tears finally beginning to stream down her face. A lot of what Nessraya was saying was making sense... A lot of it was pissing Thesephine off. The medusa's teeth grit into a frown, baring her fangs, about to snap... Yell at her in your head, yell at her in your head, yell at her in your head...! Her fists shook with rage as she shut her eyes, trembling, sorting through as much as she could. Yes, I acted rashly! I was upset! The first thing you did was question my relationship with someone I love instead of anything else! What else was I supposed to do!? Accept that you were instantly jealous and smile, nod, pleasantly greet you? You know I have anger issues, yet you chose to prod that, you expected better of me!? Breathe in, breathe out... "... No, I could not. I was angry that your first remarks were against her and I. I should've acted more maturely... You know that's difficult for me. My speaking to you is a two way street, as well. You've been avoiding me just as much, and avoiding eating. I'm not going to pretend I'm handling this well... but don't pin it all on me. We're both being idiots right now." A sigh, her anger had melted enough to calm down her teeth and shake her head out some. "I will hold it against you. I was never explained any of that. Never told about your father's relationships in detail. Maybe he told you, but he never spoke to me, and even if we know each other for that long, Nessraya, we've been busy all our lives; between having to fill my father's shoes, lead a country, learn how to control my magic, I've had no time to sit down and discuss any of this... There was no guarantee that I would sate your hunger, either... And in my mind, I couldn't rest on that. I... Have wanted, what my parents had. I want to know what love is like... You can yell at me, scorn me, or say I took something out of your heart, but I didn't believe you could give it to me. I'm.. I'm sorry." If that wasn't enough, Thesephine didn't have any answers. "I still want to be friends... If we can't... If the bridge can't, be built back up, then I'll accept that. I'll take that blame... And you can be as angry with me as you want to be." Sollowy had left her perch on Thessy's head before the medusa had walked through the tent flap, not intent on riling up Nessraya more than this impromptu meeting she'd forced on her was going to. She wasn't ready for the sight of the woman before her, staring wide-eyed at the shell of a succubus. Even is she fed right now, would she be okay to fight? The state she was in worried the Gathlain. All because of Thessy...? She flinched back as Nessraya pointed at Thesephine, staring to yell at the tiny Demon King. Though, as she neared the end of her tirade, Sollowy felt herself agreeing with the wounded woman, at least with how Thessy had handled their first interaction. Thessy hadn't given her supposed life-long friend a chance, immediately attacking her when anyone close to her would've had the same doubts. It wasn't like Sollowy didn't understand why it would irritate Thessy; the medusa was forced to deal with that from her council after their little 'accident' and immediately before they left. But, Thessy hadn't seemed annoyed, but rather... Cold, purposefully dismissive even, to her friend. It had seemed so unlike her that Sollowy wasn't sure if it was just a part of her being King, and Nessraya her General, or what... A glance at the girl revealed that things weren't going well on this side of the court, either. Thesephine looked like she was about to explode from anger, and, truthfully, maybe she should have. Not because of any justifiable right, but because the restrained rage that trickled out of her mouth felt just as dismissive as what had started this whole mess! Did she have to spell it out for her!? As Thessy continued her... Whatever the Hel this was, Sollowy found herself caring less and less about the background information that was being provided for their conflict. Their past feelings, how long they'd known each other, what Thessy wanted from a partner, or whether she felt Nessraya could provide it for her, whether Nessraya could eventually provide it for her... While their past relations were undoubtedly part of this conflict, they weren't what had caused it. Frankly, it all felt like a bunch of excuses, from both sides. As Thesephine finished, Sollowy was left staring at her incredulously, frustrated out of her mind. "So that's it? That's all you have to say to her?" She'd moved off to Thesephine's side, creating a triangle out of their positions. "Hess damnit Thessy! Forget about her romantic feelings for you for one second! Forget about evaluating her as a partner too! That isn't what this is about! Not, aghhhh..." Sollowy sighed hard, reason catching up to her. Yelling at her girlfriend wouldn't help anyone here, not one bit. She folded her arms, glancing between the two women. "At least, that's not what you should be apologizing for. If you really want to stay friends, then start acting like it. Because I haven't seen anything friendly from you, just you pushing her away." "Of course they were! You could not have known her more than two weeks, appeared with her out of nowhere, and couldn't even fathom that I might be confused or hurt? There is no two way street, Thesephine!" Nessraya retorted, shaking in her place as the tears continued to fall, not stopping once they had started. "I thought we were going to marry, Thesephine... I always thought that... since I was a little girl. Even though I didn't understand love, didn't see the appeal in committing to one person... father told me I would understand someday, and thinking about doing it with you was... comforting... warm." Shrinking to the floor, Nessraya wrapped her arms about herself, shuddering in place. "And you dashed that in an instant. Not that someone like me, a succubus, could ever understand love, right? You still want to be friends? You threw my friendship to the ground for what? Not accepting your statement with no question and perfect composure? For daring to be hurt that someone who I thought a close friend, treated as family, would callously toss my feelings aside without second thought?! And you want to act as though we are of equal fault?! Because I questioned you?!" Even the Gathlain seemed aghast at Thesephine's treatment of the situation. Perhaps that should have made her feel better, but... "I never held your faults against you, Thesephine. I trusted you would grow past them, that we would grow past them, and mine... together. Evidently, we didn't feel the same way. I wanted to learn together with you... it seems you didn't want to even give me the chance... did all the time we spent together mean nothing at all to you?" Now she was on the end of the both of them. Thesephine didn't know what to say, should she just have apologized instead? But it wasn't fair! Her feelings mattered too... Why did she had to say all the apologies, relinquish her pride, suck it up, didn't her happiness matter? Having Sollowy against her points left her mouth hanging open, backing away from the both of them... What was she meant to say or do? "Of course it mattered! I just... I..." What was the solution? She was getting angrier and there was no way she was going to hold onto it this time... "Of course it was because you questioned me! I'm sick and fucking tired of getting questioned over this! Am I not allowed to choose who I be with!? Am I supposed to just feel love for you because Suryd buttered up my dad into suggesting it every Hess damned time it was brought up!? I'm sick of it! Sick, sick, SICK!" She was done trying to pretend she could remain calm, wings flaring, eyes glaring. "Cut the crap! I've been questioned over this by every single person I've come across since I decided I wanted it! Your fucking father, the Hess damned council that are supposed to respect me, the maids even have the gall to mutter about it as they clean the rooms and walk the halls, I'm DONE! And the last people I'm supposed to be able to trust, you and Lavinia, I can't even come to, I can't even get congratulations from, even reserved, even forced, I get nothing but people telling me that this is wrong, FUCK THAT!" Her tail slammed against the ground, claws shaking, she felt her eyes starting to glow, shutting them so she didn't cause any physical pain with the anguish that was accompanying this. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay!? I'm sorry that I couldn't be more mature about this, more reserved, more calm, more... Accepting that you wouldn't be all smiles and rainbows, but I'm hurting and I have been for the month that this has been going on! And I'm tired of hurting. It's already hard enough, having to lead this country, having to fill Dad's shoes, having to run everything at this age, and I can't even have... My own, say, in my own love..." It was her turn to cry, she wasn't going to try and be the adult anymore. "I'm sorry... That I didn't, have more patience with you. I'm, sorry, that I lashed out. I'm sorry, that I took away something you wanted... But I'm not, going to apologize for wanting to be with her, and I'm sick and tired of everyone making me feel like I have to. Even if that's not your intentions, even if you'll get over it, even if one day, you'll be able to smile at the fact that I found who I want to love, right now, I can't take it. I've been taking it. I don't want to put up with it from those that are supposed to be closest to me!" "BECAUSE YOU'RE THE KING, THESEPHINE! Because people have expectations of you, and when you turn those expectations on their head on a whim, EVERYONE IS GOING TO QUESTION IT!" Nessraya shouted back, almost standing before collapsing back down to her knees. "Did you have so little faith in me? Did you really think, that if you told me you truly loved her, that I wouldn't support you? Of course I would... I'm not upset that you fell in love with someone else, I'm not upset that it's her. I'd defend your right to love her to my death, if she is who you wish to love..." "The last people you're supposed to be able to trust? You didn't even trust that after a moment of confusion and weakness had passed, that I would have your back! You saw that weakness, one you had to have known would be there, took it as condemnation, and then used that as justification to toss my feelings to the wayside. You don't love me and never had? Fine! I can accept that! It saddens me, but that's fine! But you treated our friendship, the time we've spent, our memories together... all of it like dirt! And that... that isn't fine... it's not... Thesephine. What kind of trust is that...?" "Because they hate me! It has nothing to do with my status! They've never trusted a 'child' to rule! They never will! No matter what I do or say, no matter how well I do it! Don't try to act like this is simply because I'm in charge, you KNOW better than that!" Thesephine felt her anger dissipating, there wasn't much more she could say. "I said I was sorry... For what I should be, and am, sorry for... I don't know what else I can say. I got angry, because I was questioned on this, by the last person I wanted to be questioned by, and I snapped. I'm sorry!" There... There was a lot buried here. Much more than Sollowy had thought she'd get out of Thesephine by riling her up, even if the girl had requested the opposite. But what was she supposed to have done? Let Thesephine end on such a half-baked apology where she hadn't even addressed the issue? That wasn't acceptable, wasn't what needed to happen in this meeting if they were going to resolve their feelings. Silently, not that she would've been able to get a word in edgewise, Sollowy watched the two women shout, scream, and cry at each other. Not once did she look away, even as Thessy began to lash out in her anger, or as she cried. If this was what she had to endure to get these two to understand each other, then she'd do it. In a way, this was all fault anyway, if not for falling love with Thessy then for forcing this meeting; the least she could do was bear witness to their sorrow. Finally, some semblance of calm seemed to be approaching the two of them. Or, maybe, they were just worn out. Sollowy stepped up closer to the Demon King and her General, just shy of blocking their vision of each other, glancing back and forth between them. It seemed, to her at least, that they'd said all they could. Hopefully they were willing to understand each other, else... "Do you both feel like you're starting to understand each other's position, at least a little? Or do either of you feel like you need time, alone or with someone? Even if it's just time to breathe." It was a little late to try playing at mediator, but what else was she to do? Hope that after their screaming match things would magically be better? That all they needed was a good cry? If that was true, great, but Sollowy wasn't sure that would be enough. At least with Nessraya, real damage had been done to her bond with Thesephine. If she tried to force more than she already had out of the medusa, there was no way Nessraya would see it as genuine, either. Please Thessy, say or do anything to show her you still care... "I... I get it. I get it... I screwed, up... And I'm... So sorry, Nessraya." Thesephine slowly opened her eyes, maintaining hold over her magic, finally calmed enough not to stone any of them. "Nessy..." she started, slowly approaching the general, getting on her knees in front of her, getting down to her level. "Sollowy... Is right. I get it, okay? I... I should've, been patient. Calm... Trusted, you. I should have... I expected too much, and you didn't, hh, d-deserve that..." Thesephine felt herself slowly start to sniffle again, tearing up once more. "I'm sorry... Can... Can you forgive me?" "It will... take a bit of time." Nessraya eventually answered, taking a moment to answer. It was difficult... Thesephine seemed to realize that what she had done was hurtful and seemed apologetic. "It isn't as though I can't understand how you ended up in this situation... I'm not exactly unaware of how the court operates. Still... this isn't the sort of damage that can be repaired in a moment... I hope you understand, Thesephine." Nessraya continued, her voice low and a bit hoarse from shouting, eyes turning down and away from the medusa mid-statement. "I know you held no malice, so I will forgive you. The rest...? I can't say I know, yet." "... I... I kind of wish I didn't understand, but I do... I'm sorry. Thank you..." Part of Thesephine had hoped they could hug it out and forgive each other, properly, but with Nessraya looking away from her, the moment tensed up. She slowly got up and pulled her top into her face, wiping up the mess that she was. "I'll... I'll be going, then. I don't want to bother you any more than... I already... A-Anyway, uhm... Talk, later. I, I suppose." She didn't know what else to say or how to put this, feeling beyond awkward and stupid. She turned and left Nessraya's tent without another word, quick to flee from her growing feelings. She didn't want to cry and whimper more than she already had. As Thesephine picked herself and beat a quick retreat from Nessraya, Sollowy hesitated. She had meant to speak to the succubus as well, but after that, Sollowy didn't know if now was the appropriate time. Before she could let herself get too caught up in those thoughts, she faced the General and bowed her head. "...Thank you, Nessraya. She still cares about you a lot, even if she's terrible at expressing it..." Sollowy restrained herself from smiling at her own jab, instead making to turn away and leave after Thesephine. "If you don't have anything to say to me specifically, I'll be going, then..." Her words trailed off, Sollowy not moving from her spot despite her words, waiting for Nessraya's reply. "I know. I've known Thesephine longer than anyone... I can tell these things. And Sollowy..." Nessraya paused for a moment, hesitating before continuing. "Make her happy. Happier than I could... as happy as she can be. She has put incredible faith in you, so for now... so will I. But if you are going to put her... us, through this, and fail to follow through? If you hurt her, break her heart? I'll immolate you personally. Am I understood?" "Mhm." Sollowy nodded, smiling back down at Nessraya despite the violent threat on her life. "You'll have to fight off Lavinia and your father for the right, those two called dibs." It probably wasn't a good thing, but she was getting used to being threatened over Thesephine's happiness. "I'm glad she has so many people who care about her so much to threaten me, in front of her face even. She needs... Deserves, more people like that in her life. I intend to become one of those people..." A slight pause, then a giggle. "Even if I have to threaten violence against myself." "I'll be going then, for real this time." Walking out of her tent, Sollowy paused just before she pushed through the flap, turning back to look at Nessraya. "Thank you, again." And with that she was gone, swiftly following after Thesephine, catching up and floating alongside her. Edited April 21, 2021 by Ether Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldsbroTSG Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 (edited) Sisters? Spoiler The ride had been long. No time was wasted in the journey to reach Mixoco. It was tiring, for Marina especially, who had taken much of her own time helping everyone she could, whether it was setting up tents, firepits... No matter who told her she should rest, she couldn't. A lot of this had been her doing, and she only continued pushing herself. She was exhausted by the time things were finally all together. Now, for her to figure out where she'd go, what she'd do... Then, she noticed a familiar girl entering one of the tents. Speaking of her doing... Marina made her way to that tent. She didn't really know what to do. In reality, she wanted to talk with Ariana earlier, but-- she was afraid of overprocessing and saying something rude, or overextending but... The hero took a deep breath, and made the sound of her clearing her throat. "A-Ariana? May I... May I come in?" Ariana had spent most of the trip towards Mixoco speaking with people that wanted to express their feelings towards her, complain at her, be angry with her, or try to be nice to her... For whatever reason. As she cleaned the weapon she'd been provided in lieu of the holy sword the church had provided, she heard Marina's voice. Another person trying to be nice to her for no explainable reason. "You may... What do you need to talk to me about, Marina?" Marina sighed, relieved that she hadn't been rejected. Funny how she thought about this would go. She took a deep breath, slipping into the tent, she gave the girl a small smile, setting herself on the opposite side of the tent. "I uh... was just checking on you. Are you feeling any better? Considering, well, y'know?" She didn't know the best way to put it, it was awkward, and admittedly kind of funny. Marina wasn't sure on how to talk to herself. "... I'm not physically hurt anymore, if that's what you mean. I've been getting along with the people that want to get along with me well enough... And taking what I need to from those who don't. Do you... Have any specific questions?" She cast Marina a glance... She really was the model of which the church had molded their fake hero from, wasn't she? Same face, same nose, same chin, neck, size... Their eyes were different, but not in shape, only in pupil and iris. "I guess uh... that's a feel we both have," She commented in regards to how the girl replied to people's thoughts, following with a light laugh. She wasn't sure how Ariana felt in regards to that, but... maybe she'd laugh, if they were that similar to each other. "Questions? Um... I mean, kinda...? I just, uh--" It was weird trying to put her words together, weird... looking at this almost bizarre reflection. But Marina didn't want to see it that way. She shook her head, trying to focus her words, "I wasn't here to interrogate you. I... I know what it's like, to feel alone." She points to her own chest. "It feels either tight, or like jelly right here, right? Tingly fingers on occasion, stuff like that?" "Mm." Ariana offered Marina a small smile to her attempt at humor and levity, but she shook her head towards the girl's attempts at empathy. "We... I, may have been based off of you, Marina, but I see my purpose here much differently. Even if I'm alone, it's fine. I just need to accomplish what I can as long as I can keep moving... So long as the flesh is willing, and even if I am hated. It's what I owe to the people of the country... The least of what I owe. So... Mm, I'm, afraid I don't quite share those sentiments. I'm, sorry to hear that you do... Do you need to talk about it?" It must've already been hard for Marina to face herself like she was, but Ariana didn't want to simply rebuke her and have her leave. It was the least she could offer in return for the girl's kindness. Marina thought before she continued. She was caught off a bit by something Ariana seemed she let slip but... that wasn't what concerned her at the moment. There were obvious similarities between them, but their thoughts on how they should keep going was... not the same. Marina moved closed, taking one of Ariana's hands. Taking a breath, "I'm sorry, Ariana. It's because of me that you're here, that this all happened to you." She sighed, feeling the softness of Ariana's hand. It was so soft... "I know some nonsense is going on in your head. Once again," She pointed to herself. "But, I get it... I just-- Mm, come oooon." She whined to herself, "I'm just some dumb idiot whose first thought process was that she can be a sister. And maybe I could help you with what you have going on, but..." She sighed again, "S-Sorry, again," Ariana let Marina talk... But took her hand away once she was finished, looking away from the girl and to the weapon she'd been fixing again. "You did not make me. I'm sure the first person to design a kitchen knife did not make it so it could be used to kill someone, yet I am also sure many a person's life has been taken by one. Whether or not I am here by your genetic material, it was not you who made me, nor was it you who put me into motion." She sighed and looked back at Marina. "You have a nasty habit, Marina... We have one. You try and put the sins of others on your back. You owe Vaia what you did to it... Not what the church has done to it since. You may try to make up for their sins, their crimes, and the things that they will do from now on... But there will come a point where you will break. Just as I will... So instead of trying to take on the weight of everything you think is related to you, even by tangent... Focus on what you can do without shattering instead." Her gaze softened just a bit, trying to smile, even if she failed. "Please. Once you can see me without seeing guilt... Maybe then, I can accept your attempts at playing family. Until then... I am not your sin to bear. Please..." Marina nodded as she listened to Ariana's response. She told the hero a bunch of things she understood, and really, she knew already. But that was a matter of time, once her mind was basically okay with her to let go of her worries and anxieties. Even if some won't ever see either of them that way. "Maybe you're right, and... I do take more than I can carry. But that's just how I feel, who I am. Or just... dumb head stuff, and we're stuck until we can either fight off the bad thoughts or embrace them. Which sucks but... that's how it is." She shook her head, "But, I won't break. Even if I had gotten close, I-- I won't stop pushing myself forward, cause made I a promise to." She sighed, this conversation got so deep into it, and this wasn't what she wanted for her first talk with this girl but... "And I don't want you to break either. Maybe I shouldn't feel so guilty about what happened to you, but... I will. Because I care, sister or not. Maybe I'm... slightly biased, but if I have to, I'll always be there to carry you when you're down." She affirmed, keeping a constant gaze at this poor girl. "If you cannot see my point and will press on anyway, then please don't speak with me." Ariana sighed, still looking away from Marina. "Setting aside if I even deserve to be close with you, what you're doing is beyond unhealthy. I don't have to be made from you to know that. I'm sure if you shared this conversation with the likes of Lavinia, Nessraya, Taliyah, Agni... Tenebria." Ariana gently glanced at Marina, but only for a moment, wondering if any of this would sink in. "They would all agree and say that you are doing something unnecessary, almost selfish, against your mind's best interests. Please be sensible, Marina. If you keep carrying extra guilt that you do not owe, you will break. This is not an opinion... Humans are fragile. None of us could keep piling things on without issue." Marina sighed, looking down at her lap, her hands. "Mm..." She thought about what to say, how to respond, while fiddling with her fingers. In reality, Ariana was pretty right when it came to most points. However... "It's more than that. I hate fighting, all the conflict that started, whether or not because I'm here. And the fear that killing people is the only thing I'm good at. I don't know how much you understand, but I can't imagine you enjoy the thought of pushing yourself until you're bled dry," She pointed out, sighing. "Before you say you don't deserve an opinion on that matter, you do. As far as I'm concerned, you deserve a second chance more than I do. You were controlled, whether you were aware or not. The fact that the church made you aware is disgusting..." Her teeth grit, "But I did make the choice to fight, then the choice to just sit and watch... I--" She sighed, "I-I think I lost where I was going in that tangent, but... the point I was trying to make is, just, I'd rather I'd be trying to talk, get to know, maybe help someone. It's better than fighting, better than nothing at all... And maybe it does sound ridiculous in concept, but I--" She cut herself off, sighing again, "Sorry, I don't want to lead into another tangent." "Nothing you've said was wrong, Marina. It's not what I'm talking about, though..." That was one strong tangent. Marina was trying to explain her feelings on things, but she'd swerved into something else. "This isn't about whether fighting or talking is better or worse. It isn't about whether or not you're only good at swinging a sword..." Another sigh, Ariana stared back at her properly. "It is about you blaming yourself for the actions of others. Don't twist it around into something else. It is solely about you taking on too much as your own fault... You can do all the rest of that as you please, but again, until you can speak to me without assuming that I am your fault... I do not wish to go any further with you. Can you do that? I don't think you can right now." Marina sighed again, she knew her mind dodged something. Now instead of anything, an awkward feeling jabbed at her chest. "Sorry--" She quietly spoke in response to veering off the topic of concern. "I wasn't trying to dodge your point, I-- I don't know." Then the question again, if she can handle talking to Ariana without feeling at fault for her. Marina swallowed, and nodded. "I-I think I can. I'm sure of it," Truthfully, some part of her wanted to feel happy. Someone like her to connect with. She just needed to not have her mind clouded by her fears and concerns. "Honestly, if I didn't try talking to you, I think it'd make the feelings worse. Please, just... one chance. We can talk about anything, anything we want, and if you don't like anything I do... body language, words, I'll leave you alone. Promise." "... Just, one chance, then." Ariana felt her shoulders sinking. She couldn't understand Marina's want to get to know her so intensely. Not a week earlier and Ariana's mind had been made up to kill the girl... Controlled or not, shouldn't that have left Marina on edge? Scared? Worried that the brainwashing could come back? It didn't click... "What... Do you, want to talk about, then? I... I have all of your memories. Comics, these star wars, anime, whatever... I only understand them through the veil of you, though. Now that my mind is my own, they're like... Things I experienced over someone's shoulder. I can tell you that one million, one hundred ninety two thousand, two hundred and ninety three people died on the Death Star, but I have no... Real idea what that all means. What, do you want to talk about?" Marina made a calming sigh, a warm feeling rising up in her stomach. Her whole body really started to relax. A smile built up on her face, she could do this she could. The way Ariana explained things made sense, at least from what Marina could understand. But it was fine. If they shared memories then it was someone who at least understoo- Then her mind was cut off by something surprising. "You know the number..." Her face was in awe. "It's just... one of my favorite obscure facts about Star Wars. I watched the movie with dad once, and I remember... uh, I think it was me who asked. Then, I went and looked it up. Right right, so... In Star Wars, there's this giant station, the size of a moon, made for blowing up planets. Of course, being a moon-sized giant floating building it needs a lot of personnel right? And the main hero is able to destroy it." She shook her head, "A-Anyway, uh... I went to look it up and where I looked had all the personnel separated, so I just... added it up. Then memorized it. I-I hope I didn't go too fast, I just, mmm, I really like Star Wars, and it makes me happy even if it's only a little bit, that someone gets it." "Y... Y-Yeah. Luke Skywalker... Used the force to send the proton torpedos into the exhaust vent. Blew up the whole thing..." It was weird to see Marina so excited over this. Not a bad weird, but, weird. "Mmm... I don't know if I 'get' it... The memories are all disjointed and stilted. I can recall them and see them play out... But I'll never truly 'know' until I get to see it for myself... If I ever, get to see it for myself. I don't know if this world will ever get to the level of technology it seems to need to make those... 'movies'." "Mhm," She agreed, thinking about that too. If things went as her mind thought, she may never see anything of those things again. But she'd have those memories with her as long as she could keep them, wouldn't she? Maybe even Ariana too... Maybe... "Well, uh... Maybe if we don't get movies here, we can always write it. I don't... remember everything by heart, but maybe one day, I could novelize Star Wars to some degree. They already did that back home... sorta, so, it could work." She gave a reassuring smile. "Sure, a book may not be as glamorous as a movie, but you make due with what you have sometimes." "Isn't that plagiarism?" Ari couldn't help the joke, smiling a bit-- "I, oh..." She'd caught herself smiling, dropping it immediately, frowning, looking away. "Uhm... Y-Yes. You could probably do that... Given how fantastical it all is, it would probably sell very well... And you could live out the rest of your years without worry." A wry smile this time, it was nice to hear that Marina was thinking about the future. That meant she wasn't going to give up on surviving all of this. "I wish you the best of luck with that." "I mean, I guess," Marina replied, laughing. Shifting a bit to a more comfortable position, but she noticed the way Ariana looked away. She could read Ariana's body language to a degree, she understood the way she reacted to stuff. "Hey," She inched herself over to Ariana, wrapping an arm around her, "Come on, I'd need an editor. And who better than the other person who knows what's going on in here?" She asked, while clearly having it's optimistic feel about it, there was the hint of seriousness in the tone. "I-- M-Marina...?" Ariana wasn't used to bodily contact yet. Not after having been bound and held down by Nessraya... It wasn't like the general had done anything perverted or wrong to her, but the feeling had been incredibly uncomfortable. It was making Marina's sudden affection difficult to accept, Ariana looking far away from her. "I, er... If, you need the help. I suppose... Maybe." She didn't want to agree entirely, either. She hadn't planned on living into the future like Marina had... Marina carefully removed herself from the other girl, giving a nod. Even if it was only a maybe, it wasn't a no. It meant the little hero could have hope for Ariana to have her own chance at a future. "Well, if I decide to do that, I'll save a spot for you," she gave a smile. She'd says something else, maybe try calling Ariana 'sister' again but she thought that'd be overstepping that boundary again. "What else do you remember? Or that'd you'd like to talk about?" "I... E-Everything that you, know. Uhm... Look, Marina. I... I'd like some space." She quickly cleared her throat to further clarify, not wanting to upset Marina. "I'm glad we're not trying to kill each other... I'm, glad that you seem to have been able to keep to the promise you just made. I... I'm not, ready to be this friendly, yet. I was... Trying to kill you not too long ago. Maybe you can move past that... Give me a little more time. That's all... Just a little." There were nods. She was disappointed, but... it made sense. Ariana had a lot going, just like her, both had their problems with their guilt. "I gotcha, don't worry," She replied with a smile. "I'm glad too, and-- just one more thing." Marina motioned back over, wrapping Ariana into a full hug. "Thank you for the chance," She sniffled a bit after that sentence, her hug tightened a bit, before finally, letting go. "S-Sorry, I'll go now." She crawled her way towards the tent door. "If you need me, don't hesitate, okay?" And with that, Marina slipped out of the tent. Standing up and starting to walk away, she felt... something warm and itchy on her face as she sniffled. Her smile was beaming as she felt the tears on her face. "Mm... My sister, huh...?" She whispered to herself. Ari really hadn't expected Marina to hug her again. The uncomfortable feeling remained, but she didn't want to chastise the girl again. She simply smiled and let Marina go on her way. "I'll... Try." With a sigh, she was finally alone again... She turned back to the weapon and continued tending to it. She'd be using it soon... It needed to be in the best condition it could be. Friends Forever Spoiler Marina finally got herself to sleep. If only it wasn't one of those again. Despite all the mental fighting, all the support, these dreams refused to go away. More of the campaign in Vaia, the knights rampaging while she watched, her nightmares binding her by chain to a pedestal while she pleaded for whomever could hear to stop... Physically, under covers she was shaking immensely, a combination of heavy breathing and choked cries escaped from her lips, seemingly trapped in the trance she was caught in. Tenna hadn't expected Marina to want to stay with her, but it made the saintess happy. Having her friend so close by brought a comfort and warmth that she couldn't get from anyone else here... And nothing else would happen! Tenebria was too much of a coward to jeopardize her friendship with Marina over lust. Something else was happening, though... The girl was shaking. "Marinn, n-nna...?" Tenna cursed her stutter and slowly rolled over... A nightmare...? Tenna didn't want to jostle her awake... What else could she do? "Uhm... Uh, m-maybe..." She slowly began pouring healing magic into Marina, gently resting a hand on her shoulder. "Shhhh... It's okay..." A strange feeling passed through Marina as the dream kept on, it was a soothing feeling. Why is she soothed right now, nothing made sense! Suddenly, a jolt, and she awoke with a loud gasp. She was in a tent, it was dark... that soothing feeling still going. She turned around and noticed the locks of red hair. It was Tenna. Almost like a dream. "T-Tenna..." Marina had tears rolling down her face, but it was unclear if they were visible im that dark. Suddenly, she grasped the other girl into a hug, afraid to let go. Quiet cries escaped from her, unable to make any words. "M-Marin-- Nyah~?!" A yelp of surprise, Tenna held her hands up high, not wanting her brain to risk anything. "I, uh, s-sorry... I, just... Mm... A, Are, you okay...?" Slowly, incredibly, she brought her hands to Marina's head, holding it gently. "Y-You're, crying... Wann, nnn-na... Talk?" Marina calmed down some, as her breathing slowed. Her embrace wasn't as tight as before but she was still so scared. "A-Are..." Marina tried to fight her tears, the sudden anxiety that filled her poor head. Truthfully, even if she was quick to join the group, Marina didn't think Tenna should be here. And seeing Marina so close with monsters... "Tenna... are y-you mad at me...?" "Wh-What? N-nNnnn... NO!" She finally managed to squeak out the word, giving in and hugging Marina tight. "I could, nnn, never! You'll always, be my f-friend! Always... Wh-Why, would you even, think...?" Marina tried her best to better compose herself. Sniffles escaped, small coughs, "I-I..." She gripped Tenna's shirt. "I-I can't imagine, what you felt... Seeing me with monsters. I thought about it, every d-day... I was positive this was where I should be, but--" She buried her face in Tenna's shoulder, "I d-didn't want to drag you into this... I was afraid y-you'd hate me... B-because I b-b-betrayed you..." The wetworks started again. "I'mmm s-s-s-sorry...! I'm s-so s-sorrry..." "... Mari..." Tenna sighed, petting her friend's hair... She took a deep breath, closed her eyes... And focused. "I don't, hate, monsters Marina... I... Am just afraid, of them. For what they did, to my, mother..." Her focused speaking was still a bit stilted, but she didn't want to stutter this. "You... Are just, fine. Being here. With all of them... I'll, get used, to them. I promise... S-So, please... Don't ever, think I'd h, hate you..." Marina's gripped lightened once more, relaxing once again, "Mhm... O-Okay..." She smiled, a big sniff to try and calm herself. "Thank you T-Tenna... so much..." She kept her hug, it was nice, having her friend back. She rubbed the princess's back a bit. Her breathing finally calmed. "I'm glad I kept my promise to come back... J-Just..." She had a giggle, "Didn't expect it to be here..." "It's... Okay. You're, h-here, nnn, now. That's all that matters... Marin-na..." A hefty sigh, the girl seemed to have calmed down considerably. "I'm right here, so if you want to try sleeping again, it'll be okay. I'll be right here... You don't have to worry. Okay...?" "Mm..." Marina nodded, finally letting Tenna go, lying back in her bed, trying keeoing her breathing steadied. "I... I have these bad dreams now... What I did and let happen..." She sighed. "No matter how much someone says it’s okay, or... how much I reassure myself, they keep coming back. I'm sorry, it was just... really bad tonight." Marina pondered. She'd be with Tenna most likely the whole ride to Mixoco, but, "H-Hey Tenna... do you still have my locket?" "O-Oh... I'm so sorry, Marinnn, n-na..." Tenna pet her back... Until the question came up. "O-Of course." Reaching into her sleepwear, Tenna pulled out the locket she'd been wearing around her neck since the day Marina gave it to her. "Why wouldn't I hold onto it...? Silly..." "It's not your fault, don't worry. I just... it's so you know, so next time I hopefully don't freak you out again." She nodded. And she still had it, good. "Nono you're right, I was just making sure." She smiled, "Hey Tenna, I know I said before that I'd have to get it back, but... I want you to keep it," her smiled lessed a tiny bit but she looked over to her friend. "Due to... my place in this, I won't be able to always be there." She tried a reaffirming smile, "I hope that at least, with the locket a part of me will always be with you. I hope that's alright..." "... What do you mean, won't always be there...?" That wording worried Tenna, grabbing Marina's arm and holding it tight. "I-I'm staying here! I'm nnn-not, going an, nn, nywhere... So why would you, say that...?" "Wh-Whaa--" suddenly Tenna freaked out. Did... did Marina word poorly, or did Tenna not understand? She responded to her arm being grabbed by grabbing the same arm gently. "N-No Tenna, I mean... like with Ariana. I'll be here, but... I can't promise I'll always be able to run to your aid." She tried her best to smile, "But... I'm not gonna leave you again, I promise." "Ohhh... O-Okay. Hahhh... Okay." Tenna sighed and calmed down considerably. She didn't need Marina to play guard dog with her, hopefully. She just wanted to make sure that Marina wasn't going to run off, again. The past three months without her friend around had been horrible. Like she'd been living in a void. At least now, light could come back to her world. "Mmn... Then, sh-should we get back to sleep...? I don't want you, t-to be tired... Come the, mornn, n-ning..." Marina sighed in relief. Thank goodness, Tenna's reaction was better than previously. Once again, it was proposed to go back to sleep. Marina nodded, "Mhmm... that's probably a go-oood... i-idea." She yawned, letting her mind drift off, "T-Thank you Tenna. Thank you for... still being he--" Marina went silent, the calm sounds of her breathing echoed in the tent... Her arm still locked onto Tenna's. "Okay... M... M-Marinn, na...?" Tenna tugged... Her arm wasn't coming free. Collapsed down against the bedroll, Tenna was trapped, staring at Marina, unable to turn away from her without waking her again. Oh God. Oh Ilrios. Give me strength. Give me, strength... She shut her eyes, trying to focus on any other noise the night was going to produce. Edited April 21, 2021 by Silver Gallade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Wraith's best friend? Birds chirping, the sun shining through the canopy of her tent... heh, a proper tent instead of just an exposed bedroll... she had finally hit a good contract, she only had to keep it going now. Another warm thought to accompany the warm morning, the warm sun, the warm, soft- Wait a second. Shifting on her bedding, it became quickly obvious what warm, soft thing was pressed against her back. Again. "Sukiiiiii." Nisha moaned groggily... it wasn't that she particularly disliked the beastkin's company. She clearly meant no harm, and the sensation was... pleasant, that much was certain. Still, that Suki kept entering her tent and bed without invitation or even asking permission was... concerning. This level of familiarity was, well, downright unfamiliar, and the behaviour was starting to become consistent. "You're in my bed again." "Nyeessshhh..." A groggy response met Nisha's statement, Suki cuddling up to her tighter now that she'd been awoken to a point. "I, warm... Good bed. Good comfort... Sleep together, good~ We do more, yes..." No explanation why, just more hugs, snuggles... And a sudden licking at Nisha's cheek. "Wan~" "Nyuh!" Well that woke Nisha up to be certain... the licking was new. The cuddling and snuggling was at least standard Suki faire, even if that was still unusual to the wraith. "Well sure, it's comfy, but it's a little uhh... forward, don't you think? I'm not really used to this soft of affection." Nisha admitted, blushing a bit. She didn't really have it in her to get mad at Suki, especially when she just laid it all out like that, but it didn't make the situation any less foreign to her. "Mmmmnnnn... When I, live... In forest. Wolves, all sleep together... Big pile. Nice and warm... Since coming, to Tepel. Always sleep, alone. Amera always kick out... Not comfy. Not nice... You never, kick out of room, even if, complain. So... I want, return to how it feel... It, very nice... It, good..." Suki ended her words with a whine, hoping they weren't going to be met with disappointment. "Ah... I see." Nisha replied... it was hard to say anything against that. Suki was just wanting what was comfortable to her, and the person she was closest to, Captain Amera, didn't seem to want to oblige her, not that she could blame the girl for having reservations of her own... probably even more nuanced in Kasrian's case, considering that she seemed to be interested in taking part in General Nessraya's affections... "That makes sense, I guess. But why me, though? It's not like we've known eachother that much longer than the rest of the folks here... and you're in my bed enough that there's no way you've had enough time to try out other people." Nisha asked, unable to stop the impulse to pat Suki between the ears, that whine immediately getting to her. "Mrrrhhhhhhh..." Suki nuzzled into the hand petting her, panting quietly. "You... Always nice to me. When training. When sleeping. Always pets... Always hugs and, let, me snuggle. Strangers... Maybe I, try hug later. For now, you most comfortable." Suki smiled and nuzzled against her hand more, sighing. "You extra nice on, warm morning. Always give pets, even when complain. Maybe... You like warm wolf in bed, hmmm~? Heheheh~ Complain, but... Enjoy warm hug. Yes~ That you. Try to complain away feeling of warmth enjoyment. Yes~" Suki giggled and hugged Nisha tighter, wagging her tail. "You, no only complain, yes? Surely... Thank me for giving comfortable warm." "It's not that it doesn't feel good, I'm just... not used to this sort of affection, like I said. I don't usually like people getting so close up into my space... you've really managed to disarm me here, Suki." Nisha replied with a light sigh, not of exasperation but of admittance. "I suppose I have missed out on that sort of thing, so thank you. You're just so genuine, I don't feel like I need to keep my guard up around you, so much. And if it helps you get comfortable... I guess it's okay. Just... it might take me a while to get used to this sort of thing." "Mmmmm... Can, help with your comfort?" Suki leaned over Nisha a bit, getting a good look at her face, ears twitching, giving her a few sniffs. "Tell you, something? Share secret? Drop own guard? Anything, help you, be more comfy." Suki wasn't that great at being anything other than honest. Selfish was probably her next best trait. She was always hugging and cuddling whoever she wanted, not asking or waiting, just trying to make herself happy and comfortable. It was the best when people reciprocated, and she at least understood that no meant no (with anyone that wasn't Amera), but... "Mmn... I, stop, if you want. You complain... But, never say no... So... Always try again. And again... But... If too nice, say no, then... S-Say now, while I ask. Tell to my face." "No, it's... it's alright, Suki. Like I said, it's not that I mind so much, it's just... different. So, as long as you're okay for me being surprised in the morning until I get used to it, I don't mind. You are comfy, and if I'm helping you out, that's good too. Just... if I can make one request, no more trying to pick me up, okay?" Nisha replied after a few moments, ruffling Suki's hair a little bit. "In here it's fine, but I'd really prefer to walk on my own feet." "Mmnn... Okay. No more pick up... Outside!" With a giggle, Suki hugged the girl and snatched her off the bedroll, pulling her up and on top of herself. "Hahaha~! You so light! So fun to carry! No more outside, but pick you up inside is fine, you say so!" Giggling again and setting her down, Suki cuddled up to her again, hugging Nisha into her chest. "Yes, good~ Okay. Compromise... I okay with this." "Wah!" Nisha squeaked as she was lifted, but was set back down before she could really get much of a complaint out aside from her startled initial reaction. "You really take a mile when I give you an inch, huh? Geez..." Nisha muttered, letting herself be cuddled afterwards. What a troublesome wolf... "You're lucky that you're so damn cuddly, you know that?" "If you not say no... I do as I please~ Yes, heehee... I, big bad wolf. You... Not so red riding hood. Hmhmhm~" Another giggle, Suki hugged her close and shut her eyes, yawning, stretching her legs out some. "Mmmm, more sleep? Or, morning training? Orrrr... Stay awake, cuddle. I super cuddly. Softest wolf, yes~ Best pillow... Best pillow, kind that loves to hug back." "Mmm... I was a bit startled when I noticed you, so I could... do for a little more rest. It's still early, anyway." Nisha admitted, cradling her head into the nape of Suki's neck. "So if you're offering... I think I'll take you up on that pillow." "Okay... Mmn... Nisha, special friend. Really... Mmn... How say." Suki frowned, trying to put words into her mouth. It was hard to fabricate sentences the way that most others did, even Amera, beastkin as she was, spoke so much better. "Give... Moment." She closed her eyes and furrowed her brows, really trying to dig into how to put this together. "You... Put up. With, my... Worst. Behavior. A lot... Amera, says... Mmhh... I am, t-too grabby. Need to... Understand personal. Space. You... Let me, be me. I... Really appreciate, that. Nisha... Special." A sigh, the wolf gave up, words too hard to speak any faster or more clearly. "Common... Difficult... Awwoooo..." "I... think I get what you're trying to say, Suki. I kinda feel the same way. You're... I can tell you don't have any ill intentions, you're just really genuine. I guess I feel... safe? I'm not used to feeling safe, it's nice. I... wouldn't let anyone else do this." Nisha admitted, a short flashback to a small puppy eating food from her hand playing in her mind. Was it just a weakness for dogs? Maybe... "Eheheh~ That, make me happy. Thank you... Mmmm... Sleep~" Suki yawned again and tugged the sheet they'd been using back over them, cuddling up night and tight. "Warm... Comfy. Good..." "Yeah. Thank you too, Suki." Nisha echoed, letting the soft, warm feeling engulf her. This... this wasn't so bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorri Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 A Sharing of Secrets Spoiler More than a day had passed since they had set out from Tepel, and Bladen was laying in the tent he was sharing with Asami, staring up at the cloth masking the sky, content but contemplative. He had fulfilled his side of the bargain the two of them had made, but was only now gathering up the courage to ask the questions that he had been promised answers to in exchange. Not that he had any issue with his side of the bargain. Far from it even. Glancing over to his side, he couldn't help the goofy smile that crept onto his face. Asami was laying there, still asleep for now, and even now, after everything, he was still in awe that he had someone so beautiful laying next to him. Truly he would have been content to just curl up against her and go back to sleep... But he shook his head, banishing that thought for now. There were things he needed to know if this was going to continue after all. Secrets that needed to be shared, futures that needed to be avoided. Still, he was gentle in his moves. He brushed a lock of her hair out of her face before leaning down and gently kissing her forehead. "Hey, sleepy head, good morning. Time to wake up, alright? I've got some questions for you, you know..." He pushed back a little, giving her space enough to wake up. "You really are more beautiful than the dawn..." It was quiet, but knowing her ears, she would hear. Asami's ears gently twitched as Bladen kissed her forehead, the half asleep fox snuggling closer, burying his arm in her chest. "Mnhhnm... You're, nnn... Fuckin', right... I'm gorgeous~" She'd decided, for a moment, to ignore his mention of talks... She couldn't ignore it forever, though. "Hhhhnnn... Just... Gimmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeee... Five more cuddle minutes, with the pretty boy... Mmnhn, warm..." Her tail snuck out of the blanket to give her a bit of cooling, swaying slowly inside the tent. "Really wanna get into this right away... No tact, no tact~ After that lovely night, that nice kiss, your sweet, sweet words~ And you just really wanna know... All about... Tamamo." Asami flinched as she said the name, before her hand slipped out of the covers and fingers pressed hard against Bladen's mouth. "Don't repeat that. That's the only time I'll say her name, okay? So please, remember, and think about it as much as you want... But you're never to speak it, alright? Nod if you understand, hun..." "Well if you ask so nicely..." he mumbled, wrapping his arms back around her. It wasn't like he was opposed to this exactly. The blush that had appeared at her calling him pretty was hardly the point here, as he settled back under the blanket, watching her tail sway back and forth. "Well, I mean, I figured we could get back to that aft--" His promises were cut off as she said a name and then immediately forced her hand against her mouth, stopping the Fallen mid-sentence. Tamamo... He nodded, not understanding but agreeing. A name he could think about, but not say aloud. A strange thing indeed. And while it was likely connected to things he wanted to know, it wasn't going to be fruitful to pursue it here. He knew that much. So instead he nodded again, meeting her eyes with his steady gaze, making sure she knew he was serious. When the pressure on his lips eased, he smiled at her. "So, as I was saying. It's still early. Questions and then maybe some more snuggle minutes, promise. But, yes, I want to just get into it. Not because of... forbidden secrets. But because I want to know more about you. I think you know I've fallen hard and it's all for someone that I know so little about. I know that you know so many things, so I just want to know a small fraction of that amount of knowledge about you. It only seems fair. Like... Where are you from? What's your family like?" Not exactly an innocent question, that second one. The fortune was too heavy in his mind, mention of sisters being at their fight, for him to be only interested on a surface level. "Where I'm from, and my family, huh?" Asami felt herself flop, sighing, resting in the renewed hug. "RIght for the unfun questions... Mnhnrrr... I'm from Ayane's country. Nanbu. We all are... Were. I hope you don't mind old ladies, Bladen, because I'm almost five centuries old~" A curious cock of her eyebrow was joined by a fresh smirk, staring at him, bringing herself closer. "Do you like older women, Bladen~? Like to get taken care of... By someone that knows exactly, what, she's, doing...?" A giggle, her tail wagged harder, chuckling into the hug and resting against him further. "Mmm... My sisters are either wonderful of deplorable. Miss who shall not be named is made up of all of us... Seven others, besides me. Then... T, herself. Should we all be brought together in the same place, she will absorb is all, regain her proper power, and set about destroying the world once again... So... I'm not quite inclined to be meeting with them, right now~ I quite enjoy my freedom and individuality... Not looking forward to ever being a part of that mess again." She watched him, now, waiting for reactions. That was a heavy mess of information to dump on him and he likely would have more questions after. "Well I didn't mean to start... Ah." Ah. Five centuries. That was a lot more than his few dozen years. "That's..." Older women, being taken care of... "I mean, I don't mind... I... Bwuh?" He was red, trying to stare at anything but her, relieved when she giggled at him and moved past that subject. Though the fact that he was in a relationship with someone older than his parents wasn't exactly going to be leaving his mind any time soon... "So nine all told... You and the others... The tails? That's what Circe called you, wasn't it? Tail..." He shuddered at the image she spun. A creature absorbing Asami and her sisters, destroying the world. "Well... I won't let it happen. I quite enjoy having you be here as an individual too. And not having the world destroyed." He tightened his grip on her for a second, as if trying to ward off the dangers in her story. "So then that vision... Of us fighting and your sisters being there. I mean, you can talk all you want about being useless in a fight but... If you've been around for 500 years and are part of some world destroying creature, that can't be entirely true. And it wasn't a friendly fight... Could it have something to do with all of this? Because... I would do anything to keep that from coming to pass. To keep you safe and not fight you." He was taking this surprisingly well. "Mmnh, well... I don't enjoy fighting, so I keep it simple. The rest is under wraps... And I'd rather it stay there~ So... Mmmm, do your best, Bladen. I'm not quite sure why Circe's crystal saw us fighting... But, I believe in your ability to stop it, should it come to pass~" Another sigh, she was comfy, warm, hugging someone she liked, and still laying on their bedroll. "Ahhhn... Unless you have more questions, I want a round two." Her legs slowly slid between his, coiling closer. "Won't you appease your pretty little fox~?" She really hoped he didn't have any more questions... But she was ready to shut the gears down if he did. "I will, I promise. I don't want to fight." He was considering his next question when his train of thought was... interrupted. "I... ah... Well, I mean..." He gulped, trying to hold on to what little self-control he had left. "Questions, right, I..." She was so warm, pressing up against him so sweetly, the promise in her voice... "I... They can wait, you know. S-so, round two, and then... more questions, later. Yeah?" It was really a moot question. She was going to get her wish, he had lost that battle of wills. Not that he had really tried hard to put up much of a fight. "Good boy~!" Asami licked her lips and in seconds was on top of him, tugging the covers over them completely... -- "Ahhhhnnnn~" A heavy stretch accompanied a moan from the fox, leaning back against the bed roll, smiling wide. "Mmhhnn... What a wonderful morning~ Mmmm... Go ahead and ask me whatever question you want, Bladen... Feel like I could tell you anything, right now~" The contented smile on Bladen's face easily matched Asami's as he watched her stretch. Again, he couldn't help but feel so lucky. He reached out, snagging one of her hands in his as he leaned against the bed roll as well, gently tracing his thumb across the back of it as he contemplated his next question. "Glad to make your morning so good, even if I did ask all the hard questions first, heh." Hard questions first. An easy one next then, maybe. Or at least something that wouldn't push at her personal history. Well, or at least the sensitive parts of it, since the whole point of this was to learn more about her. "How about this then? You say you know all about my home, my people, my village. How did you learn all of that? Did you ever come visit? Did... you meet my parents if you did? I mean, neither are as old as you but-- Err, I mean, ah. Well. You know what I mean?" "Don't make me eat you up all over again for being so cute," she joked, almost threatened, rolling over to face him again. "Mmm... I never visited, but like I've been telling you, it's my job to know things~ So while I never... Cordially stepped foot inside your village, I've... Been there. Been through the books... Your records, some eavesdropping... Maybe some... Thievery..." She could feel herself shrinking away from him as she spoke, whimpering quietly. "I-It's just espionage work! Don't... Be mad... Please...?" "Mmm, eat me later," he mumbled, knowing this one at least was a joke. And then she answered. And it was almost like a gut punch. He didn't know why. He should have expected it. It was her job, like she said. But still. Spying. Checking on them. Listening to private conversations. Theft... He realized his grip on her hand had tightened and he quickly released it, looking at her, really looking, seeing her almost scared... "No, I... Hey, no, come here. Here." He closed the distance between them again, holding her against his chest. "Look, I don't... You did what you had to do, right? I don't... I don't have to like it to understand you were doing your job. And, if I'm being honest, knowing what I know of my people, if you or someone else had tried to get the same info in a more honest way..." He sighed. But still, there was one thing. "But... Thievery. What... what did you take? We're not exactly a rich village or anything. What did we have that was worth taking?" Oh, thank Hess he bought my puppy dog eyes. Asami smiled against his chest and hugged him tight, putting the look back on as soon as they were looking at each other again. "Oh... Well... Mmn..." She slowly sat up and rummaged in her yukata... Somehow, she always managed to pull what she needed out of it. "Here." A book. A tome? It looked old. "Took it from the village elder's house... It was all locked up in a fancy chest. It looked like crucial information on how to use your special magic... And, it's back in your hands, so I suppose... No harm, no foul~?" "Huh." He reached out and took the book. He flipped through the first few pages, only half looking at them, before closing it and putting it back down. "I mean, I'm sure they'll still find a way to be upset. They usually do. Though, then again, given everything else that's happened recently... Perhaps a book on ancient magic most of us can't even use anymore won't be that important comparatively." His mood dampened somewhat, he sighed, thoughts of his father making their way back into his mind. Not now. There's time for grief later. Later. "Well, either way, I'm sure they'll be happy if I bring it back some day. But I may as well use it for myself in the meantime, right? Heh. Can't have my magic controlling me, right? Oh! I used it, in the last battle! Twice actually. I mean, it wasn't entirely intentional. But. It's something, right?" "Wait, really~?" She leaned back down and ran a hand into his hair, petting it real good. "That's wonderful! Terrible I was elsewhere when it happened, I'd've loved to congratulate you in the moment... But that's really good~ Great work, Bladen." All's well that ends well... "Maybe that'll make you feel better about having it work... Getting it more consistent~" "Mm... Is that all... For questions, then? I'm hoping you feel a better knowing... Well... Pretty much everything. Ah, but~" A knife slipped out of nowhere, suddenly pressed gently against his face. "Gonna... Have to be serious with you, Bladen... Mm... If you ever tell anyone about... T. You're going to be in trouble. Okay?" No joking around, no lilt in her voice. The knife slipped away and vanished like all of her other implements, smiling and resting against him. "Good~ All settled..." He closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of her hand in his hair. Mmm, praise. It felt good, to be praised for something that he was trying hard to improve at. The feeling good was suddenly cut short by the feeling of cold metal against his cheek. His eyes flew open, staring at her serious face. "Ah. Yes. I get it. She's secret. You're secrets are your own. I know, I promise." The sudden switch between levels of serious were hard to follow, leaving him unsettled. And yet... It was still nice to have her resting up against him. Exchanging of Notes Spoiler It had been almost a full day since Ayane's talk with Ariana. Well, talk was a weak word for Ayane right now. It was quite an experience for the oni. She had managed to get her emotions off her chest, but she was wracked with worry. "Ngh..." She walked along the camp and rose her right hand to her temple with a groan. 'What do I do now...I can't believe I just let it all out like that. What's wrong with me...' She kicked a nearby rock along her path. 'I let my anger take control again, after I said I'd work on it...but it is what it is. I can't ask Ren for advice, he wouldn't approve of this at all. But he's so good at this sort of thing too...' Ayane wasn't sure who to ask. Her anti-social persona made it difficult to get to know other people in the army, and she hadn't had much time to fix that yet. It didn't help that gossip might spread if she asked the wrong person. "...mm...ah!" But thankfully one person just came to mind. She remembered a certain angel around a damned fox: Bladen. He was quite good with a sword from what she saw, so she kept her eye on him from time to time only to notice he was with Asami. He had to have been a real lady killer to keep someone like her by his side, perhaps one to rival Ren himself! So maybe... '...what the hell. I have no other options.' With a reluctant sigh she went out to find the angel. Bladen was walking back into camp, stomach growling. He had been on guard duty for the last few hours, helping to keep an eye out for any possible attackers. The fact that they were not only slowly approaching enemy territory, but also had two members of the Church's forces had him on edge, looking around every bend with suspicious eyes. The chances that they reached their destination completely unmolested seemed extremely unlikely to him. Still, his guard was done, and it was time to get some food. He also had plans to spend some time reading the book that Asami had given to him, hoping to find some answers to his magic in there, perhaps taking him down the next step to unlocking its secrets. He spotted Ayane as he walked, seemingly upset. Not that this was an especially abnormal state for the oni, but this seemed different some how. Less like anger and more like... distress? He waved to her, calling out, "Ah, Ayane, hello. How... how are you doing this evening?" "Oh!" There he was, the playboy himself! Ayane was a little caught off guard when Bladen approached her, she was still inside her own head. But she didn't let it show. The oni took a moment to clear her voice before she addressed Bladen. "I am well, Bladen. You needn't concern yourself with me...although..." She paused for a moment and started to approach the angel. "I did have something to ask of you, if you have a moment. It's...well..." Her poker face finally started to break, that didn't take long. "...mm...you seem to have some experience with relationships given the company you keep. Asami doesn't seem the type to be easily impressed after all...what is your secret?" Bladen was ready to nod and move on, aiming for some dinner, since it seemed like Ayane didn't want to share, but just as he was ready to move on, she changed her mind. A small internal sigh, his stomach grumbling slightly, he nodded. "Of course I have a moment, what do you need?" She seemed... concerned, as she started to ask her question. A rather surprising question. Awkward even. "Ah, well, I... Well. Uhm. That's a really good question. Why do you ask? I don't really have much experience, it's really just Asami. It sort of just... happened, you know? I mean, I liked her, she was teasing me... I kissed her? And she liked that and now we're just... kind of a thing, you know?" It just...happened? Really? There was no way. Someone this good looking had to have had some charm to him. "...are you sure?" She crossed her arms. "That seems...a little disappointing." She took a sigh to herself. Ayane almost didn't want to believe it, but it's not like Bladen had any reason to lie. "Well I have a...I met someone recently, and I discovered I have some feelings for them. But truth be told I am completely clueless when it comes to relationships." She grumbled a bit, almost ashamed to admit it. "It's so easy to fight with a sword, to enter the heat of battle. But this is something I've never had experience with. So I had hoped you knew something..." "Ah... I'm sorry. I wish I had more, but it really just... I mean, I don't get it either, to be honest. She really... should be with someone better, you know? I'm just an idiot teen basically, but for some reason she likes me and--" He slammed his mouth shut, cutting himself off. He was here to help her, not whine about his own insecurity. Asami liked him. That was all that mattered. The why could be figured out more later maybe. "Oh! You met someone, that's awesome! When did you meet them, back at the fort? It had to have been... Hmm, who is it? We've gained quite a few new members after all. Oh, is it that Nisha lady? She seemed quite skilled with fighting, it would pair you two well together." He nodded along with her though. "I get what you mean, with feeling clueless. It's easy to feel that way, trust me. Fighting is simple. You have the motions trained, you're reacting to what your enemy does. In love, in a relationship, it feels so easy to get lost. But you know, in some ways, it's kind of the same?" He felt like an idiot describing it this way, but maybe it would help her. "Like... in a sword fight, sometimes you have control of the fight, sometimes your opponent does. In relationships, sometimes you take the lead, other times you sit back and let the other control it. You take a risk, move in for the attack, for the kiss, or the confession. It... You move back and forth, flirt, grab a hand, steal a kiss... Does any of this make any sense? It feels like I'm saying nonsense..." It had made more sense before he started saying it out loud... He certainly was selling himself short. He was so nice too, Ayane wondered if Asami was playing the poor guy. But it's not like she can know for sure. He began asking questions about Ayane's chosen partner, which gave the oni a small blush. "Aaah well...you don't know them very well. They're brand new yes, but...don't worry about it." That was the point where Bladen started going into the basics of combat. Something Ayane knew by heart. But then he started to draw comparisons between that and the relationship problem. "Hm..." She quietly listened to Bladen's words and nodded along. "...oooh!" And suddenly something clicked. "I understand now, it's like a duel! But you and your opponent battle each other with wordplay and...k.kisses? Not with weapons..." She stuttered a little. "I suppose in that sense I should practice. After all, I could barely hold a sword until I trained enough to keep my grip..." "Hmm? So they are new, interesting. Come on, you can tell me. I know you and Asami don't get along the best," which, as he said it tickled something in the back of his brain, a reminder to maybe ask her something after all of this, "but maybe the four of us could do something all together? After our fight obviously. Maybe it would be easier for you if you had company too. I know, for me at least, it's much easier to be more relaxed around Asami if there are other people around too. It helps... Temper expectations? I think? There's just less pressure that way, so come on, it could be nice!" It seemed like somehow his words had helped her feel better about the whole thing and he nodded excitedly, glad to have been able to do something useful in this confusing mess of a thing. "Yes exactly. You're never going to be good at a thing unless you practice. Even natural skill can only go so far if you never use those skills. So this is... Sort of like that." "Be with her in public? Well..." She thought for a moment and...no no NO! That would be a terrible idea! "Tch...Asami and I...well by now you must know about her slap mark. I'm the one who did it..." She looked aside with a scoff. "She and I just cannot get along. She...hm..." The oni stopped herself before she went on her rant. Despite her disdain for the fox's know it all attitude she at least had respect for Bladen, so she cleared her voice and turned back to him. "My apologies. I won't speak ill of Asami before you, she makes you happy after all...I would hope." Bladen frowned, looking at Ayane. She'd seemed... Something seemed off but... "Well I mean, I know she didn't want me to get upset about the slap, so I don't know if she holds it against you. But if you don't like her, that's fine." He didn't understand it, but he also didn't went to get in the middle of it either. "Still, even if it's not with me and Asami, it's not a bad idea. I'm sure someone would, maybe your cousin and Gaby? They seem friendly recently, so maybe that could be a nice evening." Surely it wouldn't be weird to go on a double date with your cousin, right? "Really it's just... Nice, right? You get a nice evening in a more relaxed situation than just one on one and you show that you care about that person. That you're not hiding them. You know?" Hopefully what he was trying to say came through. "Hm...perhaps but...well..." Ayane seemed a bit hesitant. Truth be told, spending time with Ari would become incredibly difficult if she kept it under her hat. She didn't like hiding things as if she were ashamed, but she also didn't want to open this up to just anyone. "Ren is busy with his own issues. We've decided to separate while we deal with them but..." She observed the angel. He really was nice, even to someone who refused to open herself up entirely. Maybe... "...Bladen. I can trust you right?" She asked. "I can tell you who it is but...swear to me here and now you will not tell a single soul. Whether you believe me or not you can't repeat any of this." Ayane looked him dead in the eye, not upset mind you, just serious. "Please?" "Oh, huh. I hope everything is ok between you and your cousin. If you want to talk about it, let me know..." He knew the two were close, the only real family they had from what he understood, a pain he could understand. To lose family... He sometimes he wished that some part of his family was a part of the group, though he knew it was better they were not. With how few of his kind remained... Better to not put any others at the same level of risk that he was these days. And then it got serious. What was going on that she needed him to swear secrecy? Who had joined that... "Yes, of course, I won't tell..." Who would she be afraid to share... It couldn't be, could it? But then again, she had been human once, perhaps there was not the same barriers that there were for most monsters... "Are... Is... Did you fall for the princess?" It was the only thing that could make sense with her making him promise this... "Did I fall for...Princess Tenebria?" She took a step back. That was unexpected to be sure, Ayane hadn't even had the chance to talk to the princess. If anything she wanted to stay as far away from Vaia's politics as possible, so conversing with other members of royalty was completely out. "I...no I did not I fell for..." She stopped herself and took a sigh. "...well you did promise, and...well it's..." She looked aside, struggling a little. She was almost afraid but... "...it's...Ariana..." A mumble came out. Seems like she was still struggling with herself. Up until this point, even when the possibility of the princess being involved had come up, Bladen's attitude had been friendly, open, interested. All of which changed in the second that Ayane said Ariana's name. The emotion fell from Bladen's face, the smile gone, replaced by a blank mask, hiding all his emotion. A few times a muscle twitched in his clenched jaw, as though he were going to say something before thinking the better of it. Finally, he opened his mouth. "Well, then. I take back what I said earlier. You're right. Keep this a secret, don't be out in public with her. Now. I should really go get some dinner." He started to walk off, back stiff, wings drawn in close to his body. It's different for her. She used to be human. Rules don't apply the same way they apply here. The Church doesn't have the same meaning... He stopped, an almost inaudible sigh escaping before he turned back to Ayane, concern having replaced the barely hidden anger from before. "You do realize that this is insane. Right? You have to realize it. She slit your throat. She's an agent of the Church sent to murder members of our group, with no other purpose. Fought innocents along the way. Killed them. Just like the Church always does. And you... You can never trust her, you have to realize that." All of the sudden the air between the two shifted. Bladen's outgoing persona suddenly sharpened into something not far off from what she sees on him during war, it was almost staggering how fast things had changed. Ayane's own expression was one of surprise. "Aaah...Bladen..." He started to walk along, and she just stared. She knew that her decision would be met with resistance from some people, but she didn't expect Bladen of all people to be one of them given what she learned so far. 'Did...did the church do something to him?' But Ayane couldn't back down, especially after Bladen called her out on it. She had to explain herself. So she approached the angel and steeled herself. "...it's true that she was an assassin sent by the church, and it's also true that she slit my throat. I know that all too deeply..." She rushed up to Bladen's side quickly. "But I...when I came to Vaia I did so with nothing but my blade, my clothes and a desire for revenge. I was forced to become a monster so I abandoned my humanity to seek out the one who ruined my life. Ren had reappeared in my life, but even still I couldn't let my focus become blurred. Because of that I couldn't get close to anyone, I couldn't be myself around anyone..." She looked aside. "Despite her intent, Ariana allowed me to live as myself. If only for a few brief moments. Yes she intended to use me, but she didn't want to kill me...and I didn't want to kill her. Even through intense rage my body refused to..." She put her hand to her chest. "For the first time in...I can't even remember, I felt something..." She had nice words, trying to explain her choices. Choices he couldn't even begin to understand. The history of this land weighed heavy on him, made heavier by his personal history, a loss too heavy to let go that was laid at the feet of the Church. Revenge too, though his personal revenge had been sidetracked again and again. First by the Hero not being the monster he expected her to be, then by these endless tasks in front of them. Once again, a small part of him wondered what good he was doing by staying with this group. A thought for a different time though, something too difficult to be handled now, not when there was a whole other set of problems in front of him. "So even though she used you, because she promised you that she didn't want to kill you, despite slitting your throat, despite leaving you in her wake to be put in danger by reflected magic, despite then coming to fight against our group again, it makes it all ok? Just because a lie makes you feel something doesn't mean it's worth chasing after." He shook his head. "The Church... The Church is a monstrosity. The things they do, the people they hurt, the dead innocents they leave in their wake, I can't possibly expect you to know. So maybe that's the problem. Maybe, for you, feeling something is worth ignoring everything that she represents, ignoring the chance that this could all still be some sort of a trick." He closed his eyes, let out a sigh. "I have no power to stop you or to change your mind. I just don't want there to be a 'next time she slits your throat' but I can't help but fear there will be. No matter what promises she makes about being free from the Church's control." Bladen's words weighed heavy on Ayane. Like a waterfall crashing down on a monk in training, real weight that wore down at a person. Strangely she didn't feel angry, if anything she felt sad. For Ariana, for Bladen, for anyone the church had done wrong. "The church...they did so much harm in Vaia. It seems as though you know it very well yourself. Did they do something to you, Bladen?" She lowered her hand. Ayane didn't want to be involved in Vaia's business, and that especially included the church. But things had changed quick. "I am not unfamiliar to the tormented cries of the people. Oni have ravaged my homeland time and time again with their greed and lust. Perhaps the two are not too far apart in that regard. That being said Ariana has sins she also carries, and she won't simply allow herself to walk away free from those sins. Despite how I feel I won't pretend nothing happened either, she has to answer for the things she's done. Just as I have to answer for my failures. Ouka is only here because I failed to stop her after all." She looked down at her hand. "The blood of my people is as much on my hands as it is her own." Then she clenched that hand into a fist. "But as long as I'm alive I will do what I must, and I know Ariana feels the same. She looked me dead in the eye just as I'm looking you in the eye right now." She took a pause to keep herself composed. "I know you can't trust her, and I'm not asking you to...but I just needed to get that out there now that you know the truth, Bladen." Had the church something to him? He let out a bitter laugh. "My race is ancient. Ancient but small. We hide from the world, alone in our village. We did not even respond to the calls to protect our King the last time a Hero ravaged this land." He slumped against a nearby tree, staring down at the ground. "So we couldn't let that happen again, we couldn't let our King be killed without doing something to try and stop it. So the warriors of my people set out to fight. I was... not invited. I was too young, too inexperienced, too precious as one of the young generation. As you may guess, I ignored that ruling." He sighed. "My father found out the last day before the fight. He had me hide instead of being involved in the fight, which... is the only reason I'm still alive. The rest of my clan's warriors, over half of my people, were slaughtered by the Church's forces. By the Hero's forces." He pushed his hand against his eyes, forcing the tears to not come out. It wasn't the time, it was never the time. Too much to do, too many enemies to fight. He couldn't let the pain overwhelm him right now. And Ayane's words were making a little bit too much sense. He didn't want them to, not right now. "We can't change the past. You with Ouka, me with doing nothing to stop my family from dying. ... Or her with her actions I suppose. So maybe she's telling the truth. I don't trust that. There's too much of a history behind the Church to trust they don't have something up their sleeves with her. But. If you... If you really like her, if you really feel for her... Just. Be careful. Please." Ayane quietly watched Bladen as he brought his past forward. An ancient clan hidden from the world, one that answered the call of the king. His people had been slaughtered by the church. Hearing more and more about the church's deeds only made Ayane's hatred grow stronger, first Ari and now Bladen. No doubt everyone has a story to tell in the army that involved their handiwork. She watched Bladen almost lose himself to his despair, and rose a hand in concern. "Ah...Bladen..." But she kept where she was, allowing space between the two. For the angel's sake. She listened to his words deeply, and took a nod toward them, as she did her best to keep her own expression from looking too sad. "...I will, Bladen. You have my word. I won't allow it to happen twice..." After a moment she rose her head to the angel and took a gulp, trying to look past the moment. "...to go this far for someone you don't know very well, you're quite a good man Bladen. Thank you for having my best interests in your heart, truly." She bowed her head a little. "And I'm sorry you had to reexperience such a painful memory...one I know as well." Ayane related to his loss, it seemed like the two were more similar than she thought. There wasn't any more he could say. The two of them understood each other here. Ayane would continue down her path, and that would be ok. He would continue to be wary, and she would understand that. He was about ready to say goodbye when a thought entered back into his head. He hesitated and then quietly asked, "Your... pain. How much of it is because of... ah... the tails?" The silence between the two was a bit staggering, but Ayane respected the atmosphere. Just as she was about to say her goodbye Bladen spoke up first. "...the tails?" She rose her head to him. "Did Asami tell you that name? That isn't something anyone outside of Nanbu would know of. She must trust you far more than I thought." "She didn't... exactly. There was this fortune teller, back in Tepel. She called Asami 'Tail' when we visited her and... mentioned her sisters in my fortune. Along with, well, me fighting Asami herself, with her sisters being there." He hesitated, realizing how bad that sounded and rushed on. "But it can change. The future I mean. It's not set in stone, just one possible option. But she called Asami tail, like I said, and so... I asked her about it." Surely this didn't count towards the threat from earlier, right? Not only was he not saying the name, but Ayane clearly already knew about all of this. "She... said a name. One that I'm not allowed to repeat, but I'm guessing you might know. And she explained some of what happened. How she and her sisters are all to be kept separate because of what could happen otherwise. And how she doesn't want to... reunite... with her sisters. I guess I just... Is that all part of what happened to your people?" "....." Ayane's expression turned a bit sour hearing all of this. Fighting Asami and her sister? Was that...the future? 'The name she's not allowed to repeat...she has sisters, and they're all to be kept separate. Uniting...may allow...' Ayane stared out toward the forest, like she was looking at something absolutely dreadful. Clearly there was nothing there, it was more something she had realized in her mind. Something she should have realized a long time ago but was too consumed by her own mission until recently. 'That explains why she knows so much. Why she's in eastern clothing, why she knows me and Ouka...but just how much does she know? And why is she...' She suddenly realized that she left Bladen hanging, he was sure to be suspicious by now. So she cleared her voice and reset her expression to neutral. "...Bladen, please answer one thing." She turned her head to him. "Is there a fox clan in Xensat? Anywhere in Xensat at all? Even a small one?" The look on Ayane's face almost made Bladen flinch. Something he had said had made her upset, that much was clear. But her sudden question wasn't one he was expecting. "F-fox clan? I mean, I don't know, like I said, my people aren't exactly out in the world, so there might be..." She had to be asking about Asami. Right? "I mean, Asami is the only one I've ever met but also, uhm, she said that she was from your land. Not here. Which is why I was assuming you knew about, uh, T? Like I said, I promised not to say her name, so I'm not going to, but." 'I knew it...for once I wish I was wrong...' All the questions in the world couldn't avoid that truth, and the truth was Asami is one part of Nine-Tails, the kitsune goddess herself. The being that powered Kazuya's ambition, and the very same goddess sealed within the Mirror of Kisaragi. But how? Did Ouka undo the seal on the mirror already? No, Kazuya would be waging war on all of Xensat by now, and word would have reached the group quite easily. "..." She took a sigh and turned to Bladen. "Nanbu has a lot of history, you see. You perhaps know about the oni invasion, it's the reason why I'm here. Well the land also has an evil goddess, a kitsune goddess in fact." She paused for a moment to pace to the other side of Bladen. "And that T word Asami told you not to say is the first letter of her true name, which you won't learn. Saying her true name gives her power, so the people of Izuna simply call her Nine-Tails, after the nine tails she possesses." Bladen nodded, listening to Ayane's story. "That... Fits with what Asami told me. Though, uh, about that name... She did actually... Say it. But made me promise to never say it to anyone. I think it slipped out. But I can call her nine-tails instead, that's easy enough." It was nice, really, to have something to say beyond just T. It seemed too easy to slip that way. "I'm sorry that your land has suffered. The oni... Nine-tails... This world has so much hurt in it..." Ayane...must have missed that. "...keep to that promise, do not let it spread under any circumstances." She simply nodded. Bladen respected the weight the name carried, so that was good enough for Ayane. It's only fair considering he understood her as well. "Yes it has. There's been so much bloodshed in my homeland. The oni that waged war on Izuna is named Kazuya Hibiki. He wasn't any stronger than your average oni, that is until he took the power of Nine-Tails. The strength he gained from absorbing her spirit allowed him to destroy nations and raise an entire oni army with ease. It took the Kusanagi, and our fellow clan, the Kisaragi, to stand up to his reign." Bladen nodded. "I see. It seems the Nine-tails has much to answer for... Is this why you don't like Asami? I mean... At least I'm guessing you don't. Given everything earlier..." She had seemed quite intent on not spending time with Asami after all. Though perhaps that had just been because she was still trying to hide Ariana... "Unless I'm wrong about that, in which case I am sorry for assuming?" "Hm...well I suppose it would be." She spoke with folded arms. "Asami knew a lot about me, far too much in fact. Seeing someone know so much about my situation and not do anything infuriated me. But...now I know why. Considering my clan and the Kisaragi sealed Nine-Tails away in the sacred mirror I can understand why she doesn't like me." She took a sigh. Reality really did settle in by this point. It all made too much sense. "If that's the case...I wonder why she wanted me in this army in the first place. Was it really just to defeat Ouka? I know Marina has a lot on her plate but if the army tried hard enough they could have beaten me to the punch. I'm almost helpless alone in this foreign land after all." Ayane remembered everything she had to go through to get to this point, Vaia was quite dangerous even as a group. "So she's part of your land's greatest enemy..." That had to be an awkward situation. Suddenly his whole issue with her being interested in Ariana was put in an awkward perspective. "Huh. I... Don't really know what to say to all of this... So if the Nine-tails was sealed... How is Asami here?" She had an interesting point too. "She had her reason, I'm sure. I mean, from the sounds of things, the reason she exists in her current form is the seal... Even if I don't get how that works." This all was a strange situation. And was giving him even more questions about Asami. Not that he could really ask her right now. "And perhaps... She wants you here because you know the threat better than any of us. You know best how to clean up the mess? Or... Something?" "Ouka currently has the mirror containing Kazuya and Nine-Tails, perhaps she tried to unlock it herself and was only half successful. Thus Asami and her sisters were born...perhaps not all of them though." She spoke out. "I'm no magician, but that does make the most sense to me." Then the next question came up. "I suppose so. Defeating Ouka without me isn't impossible, but it's incredibly difficult..." 'But does Asami really want me to clean everything?' The only way to really know would be to ask her she supposed, she'll make that a goal for next time. "I'm afraid I know everything you do at the moment. I think Ouka is here to find a way to break through the seal, she would probably need a lot of magical power to make that happen." Bladen nodded. "I guess... We just need to take it one day at a time. I'm sure that we'll find out more about the Nine-tails as things go on right? And Ouka... I'm sure we'll stop her before she does anything too bad, right? You've got friends to help you now too, you're not on your own." He smiled at her. "We'll avenge your people and protect this land, ok?" "Ah, yes...thank you Bladen. That means a lot to me." She nodded at him, trying to form a smile herself. 'But if Asami is a tail then I...hmm. Bladen...' But she kept her expression positive, even as her worry for the angel started to rise. She actually started to like him, which suddenly made things more difficult. "We'll keep in touch, Bladen. I have a lot I need to think on, but truly. Thank you for listening to me. I'm not the best at social activities, but this helped ease my mind." She bowed her head. "I owe you for this, Bladen. Thank you for keeping my secret as well." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Logistical Nightmare Nisha had plenty to think about on the road to Mixoco. Those heavily armoured Coteon knights from back in Tepel... hell, even some members of their own troupe if things went really South... she was used to taking out targets in a single engagement... long, drawn-out fights with a heavily armoured enemy were almost a guaranteed loss for someone like her. Even if she got the jump on someone like that, well... it didn't matter if she couldn't land a decisive blow. Taking a stance across from one of the training dummies erected in their night's camp, Nisha looked over the set of armour she had placed on it. It was the thickest, sturdiest piece she could find among the stuff set aside for target practice... the closest she was going to get to taking a swing at someone like a holy knight. Moving in towards the target, fading out of view not only out of habit... in a real fight, she would have to approach from an angle that let her get in stealthily anyway, so this was a practical exercise in that regard, Nisha swung her axe down on the heavy plate. A satisfying crunch to be certain, as the weapon sheared into the platemail and the chain beneath, rending into the simulated flesh of the target... "But would that be lethal...?" Nisha asked herself, as she wrenched her weapon free from the mangled armour, the axe's head noticeably damaged from the raw ferocity of her practice swings. If they survived, well... that much recovery time would be the end of her. She missed the soft targets that street thugs tended to provide... guys like that stood no chance of surviving that kind of hit... "Whoa." Aithlin leaned into the training area and whistled, staring over the massive hole that Nisha had put into that armor. "Pretty heavy hit there... Too bad about the damage to the axe." Aithlin stepped in properly, wearing the armor that had cursed her, having gotten used to walking around with it. "You're, uh... Nisha, right? Didn't get to see you in action during the assault on the fort... They let me sleep in, against my wishes... So I'm glad I get to see you in motion now~ Deadly, as I'd heard from little whispers, here and there." Mostly Amera and that wolf girl... "But, uh... Can't help noticing how much it hurts your weapon to swing like that. You need to go full bore to get that result? Can't just be a bit more... Gentle?" Likely not, given the girl's size. "Oh, oh, you're a wraith, right? Just, as an aside. Kinda surprised by the amount of undead in the group, even if I accidentally added plus one to that number... Gotta stick together with your fellow immortals, right?" "That's right. Aithlin, wasn't it?" Nisha replied, turning towards the new arrival, the elf adding that she too was undead. Someone like that was even more of a nightmare scenario... looking over Aithlin's armour instinctually... trying to put down a full-fledged undead through that much plating? It'd be damn near impossible. "I suppose it does, doesn't it?" Nisha replied, looking down at her weapon. She had always figured that they degraded so quickly because she had never learned how to maintain them like a soldier, but maybe what Aithlin was saying held some merit afterall. "It's just how I learned how to fight... you can probably tell by looking at me that I'm not super sturdy... if I hold too much back for my weapon's sake and don't take out my target fast, well..." Nisha made a cutting motion across her own neck, before leaning against the battered dummy. "Doesn't help that I never really had a chance to learn maintenance stuff, I guess. I was just thinking after seeing those heavily armoured Coteon Knights, well... someone like that is a nightmare for me. Unless I can find damaged spots on the armour, I can't do much against guys with that sort of equipment without putting myself on the chopping block." Nisha added with a sigh, a small smile creeping onto her lips at Aithlin's enthusiasm for finding another undead, but it didn't last long. Would she still care for her company when she found out that she was only half? Lavinia hadn't cared, but she didn't know much about Aithlin. "I can't say I've met too many other undead before joining up with you guys, either. Well hey, any reason to not get stabbed is a good reason to me." "Hmmmmm..." Aithlin took a few steps around Nisha, looking her over, rubbing her armored hand against her chin. "Yeah, you do look pretty small... I guess it doesn't help with swinging axes. Well! I can't fix that, but I can at least show you how to take care of your weapons, if you want. Whetstones, and all that... And maybe you can stick to fighting squishier targets so you don't have to put them all the way through their paces." Aithlin chuckled quietly, heading over to one of the racks they'd unloaded off of the wagons. "Right, okay. Whetstone. Sandpaper." Aithlin got herself comfortable on one of the nearby stools, patted her knee, and placed the whetstone upon it. "Bring your axe over, yeah? I'll give you an example and then let you give it a try yourself. Make sure that you can get it done before I leave it all to you... Sound good, Nisha?" "Well, that's the plan. But I'm already pretty good at chopping people down without armour, so I figured trying to get some practice for the just in case would be good. Hopefully I never have to use it." Nisha replied, following Aithlin over towards the maintenance equipment, just a bit behind her. A lesson on basic weapon care certainly couldn't hurt. "Sure, if I can make them last even a bit longer, it should help in the long run." She added, turning the handle of the damaged axe towards Aithlin, sitting down on the stool next to the elf and watching her. "Heh, good. It should make them last a little bit longer... Though, with how hard you swung that, I'd be more worried about the handle than the blade, sometimes." Taking the axe and putting the wounded edge against the whetstone, Aithlin paused, getting it into place properly and making sure Nisha could see it. "So the, uh, bevel-- the slope on the blade-- that's the part you want to press against the stone... Once you've got it nice and flush with the bevel, just..." With one smooth motion, Aithlin pushed the blade against the stone, grinding the edge down. She flipped it over once she'd gone along the axe's entire edge, slowly bringing it closer to Nisha to see. "You want a nice, clean line like this... Well, it doesn't have to be super clean, but that's where you start. Just need to scrape down the dull section to make it sharp again. And once you've done that..." Sandpaper met the bevel this time, Aithlin slowly rubbing it against it, nice and flat. "Just give it a good finish. There's more you can do, with a workshop. Finer grit, some water, more layers... But for a quick and dirty job, that's all you need to do to make sure you don't blow the blade in a single battle. Hopefully... You get all that?" "So you're grinding down the damaged parts so that they don't get worse, and sharpening the blade so that it cuts more easily and doesn't need as much force." Nisha observed, the basic idea made sense... if she kept swinging with the blade chipped, that section would make cracks in the head and the whole thing would fall apart faster. By grinding off the chipped area, she couldn't... fix the axe exactly, it would still have a shortened lifespan, but she could stop the damage from accelerating. "I think I got it. It seems fairly simple for a basic touchup on a simple weapon." "Good. Your turn." Aithlin flipped the axe and held the handle out for Nisha to take. "Not just gonna take your word for it... Grab the whetstone and show me you picked that up from just one look... You got real pretty eyes for a wraith, you know? Most of them ones I've met were all dulled... Then again, they weren't exactly sane undead... Well, that's, a whole 'nother bag you prolly don't wanna hear." "Okay. Yeah." Nisha replied, grabbing hold of the handle and, slowly and carefully, beginning to copy what she had seen Aithlin do. The comment on her eyes was... a tad unsettling. Did she know already? Or was it just an observation unrelated to the fact she wasn't full-blooded? It was difficult to tell... "You think so? Well... I guess I'm still young in the grand scheme of things... I... don't know a whole lot about... what being a wraith means, to be honest. Mostly just that if my arm comes off, it can be put back on and I won't die from it... y'know?" Nisha replied, the distraction enough to- "Oops." She added with a wince, having cut her finger while distracted. So much for getting the grinding technique down... "You could probably lose yer whole head and be just fine, you know? I can-- well, I'm a dullahan now, so that's cheating, but! I'm pretty sure Lavinia could, too... She's a vampire though... I guess I don't actually know where wraith falls on the whole spectrum of undead, but... Oh, whoa, whoops. Probably shouldn't talk while you're trying to sharpen something. Ahhhh..." Aithlin fiddled into a pouch hanging off of her armor, pulling out a small trip of gauze. "Gimme your hand, gimme your hand... I don't expect all undead to heal the same, anyway." Aithlin bit off a strand that was thin enough to wrap over Nisha's digit, holding it out. "You can try again after with less words being traded. Better focus." "Maybe... I'd rather not have to find out, even if I can. I don't think my regeneration could hold a candle to either of you, at any rate." Nisha chuckled just a bit, holding her hand out to let Aithlin bandage her up. It wasn't a bad cut, so it would likely heal in a relatively short time, but it was still a bit of an embarrassing amateur mistake. "At least something like this shouldn't really be a big deal. There are some benefits." "Well... I can't say I've had complaints about becoming undead. Yet. Maybe something will crop up in the future, but as far as I understand, the best kind of undead to be is a magical one... And a dullahan is as magical as they come~" With a smirk and a chuckle, Aithlin tied up Nisha's thumb nice and neat, little bandage bow on top. "Alright, alright... Round two. No interrupting this time, promise." Dullahan, Dullahan... Aithlin kept saying that word, and it clearly was some sort of undead, evidently she had used to just be an elf, and it was magic that had made her undead, turned her into this dullahan. It felt... a little awkward to ask directly though... Nisha really was out of her depth in regards to this sort of stuff. A different question then, maybe. "I'll be more careful this time. Mmm, but Aithlin, I was wondering-" Nisha began, also going back to grinding her axe on the whetstone, making it a point to keep her eyes on her work... she could still speak to Aithlin while looking at the axe, she just needed to keep her attention in check. "-why do you always wear that heavy armour around? We haven't had any raids on our camps, the scouts have made sure of that. It must be exhausting to wear that all the time." She seemed to be paying more attention this time... Even if she was still talking. "The armor? I just got used to wearing it. Makes me feel good, to be honest... You see, this armor is what turned me into a dullahan. I, uh... I'm not that bright when I run into treasure. Gotta wield it. Test it out. Look at it... Found this and my brain said, 'what's the best way to appreciate armor? Put it on!' ... Well, I put it on, my head fell off, the group luckily saved me, and now I'm undead." She shrugged, chuckling a bit. "Wearing the armor makes me feel... Better? I think it's recharging my undead batteries, or something. So while we're traveling, I just make sure to keep it on." "Wait, really? That's pretty crazy..." Nisha remarked, almost taking her eyes off of the axe, catching herself before she gave her finger another cut. Looking back down at her task, the grinding stage... seemed to be done. "I don't like the feel of heavy armour, but I guess it isn't tied to my life force or anything like that... double can't relate, I suppose. Next is sanding it down, right?" Nisha added, holding the axe up so that Aithlin could get a look at it. "Yeah! Good work for a first go. Just gotta make sure you stay flush with the bevel... It'll take some practice to get an amateur level down, but this is better than it was before. Sanding time... Aaaaaand, don't worry about it. I couldn't relate to undead at all until recently... Still flinch in 'pain' sometimes, even if I don't feel it. The body is just used to it... Well, nothing I can change until I acclimate to not feeling pain anymore. Suit's really good for that too, by the way! Can't just accidentally cut myself and bleed without noticing if I'm all armored up... Huh, wait." Aithlin cocked an eyebrow, staring at her thumb. "Wraiths still feel pain? Talk about a bad deal." "Yeah, I figured it would take some practice, as long as I have the basics, I can work on it over time." Nisha replied, taking the sandpaper and beginning the next step of maintaining the axe. Ah, there it was. Aithlin had noticed that she had reacted to the cut, finally... if she had been full-blooded, that wouldn't have been an issue, but- "A little bit. From what I hear from the properly living, I feel a lot less pain than they do, but it's not all gone. Like I said, my regeneration isn't anything like what you or Lavinia have going for you... something that you guys could heal off and walk away from might still kill me." "Whooaaa... Damn, that's even worse than a zombie... That must suck. Being undead and still feeling pain and not being... Well, practically invincible. Isn't that the trade off? ... Am I just, really lucky?" Aithlin sighed, feeling a bit bad for Nisha now. "Well, don't sweat it. That's what all this armor is for, yeah? I'll keep you safe!" "I mean, I'd rather be like this than a zombie... no offense to zombies, but I don't think that'd be a good look for me. Honestly... yeah, you seem like you lucked out really good. I don't know where dullahans place on the tier list of undead, but it seems like you don't have a lot of downsides." Nisha mused... she liked her skin tone still being almost human, even if she burned easily, and while her limbs would come off if they got hit hard enough, she held together way better than the zombies she had met. "I'm still hard to kill, just not as much as you guys... and well, it's apparently not a wraith thing but a me thing... the only thing my parents left me I guess, I can do this." Nisha added, slipping into Aithlin's shadow and completely disappearing from view. "So y'know, it's not all bad. Apparently one of my parents had this kinda magic, and I inherited it. I guess it kinda makes up for me being a little deficient as far as being undead goes." "Do what-- Nisha? Huh!?" Suddenly she was gone! "Wh-Where'd... That's, a real nice trick... Geez, uh... My only trick is that my head comes off. Don't think you want to see that one... Can you just... Stay there, until you get tired of it? That's kinda crazy..." Being able to completely hide inside a shadow would make a flimsy undead survive much longer than they had any right to. "As for other undead... Zombies aren't that bad. Jade looks pretty good, for being magically re-raised. I think you'd be fine... Though I will admit, the pale skin is a great look~ Especially with the red eyes. Piercing. Good combo." Re-appearing in her stool, Nisha gave Aithlin a quick nod. "Mmhmm... well, as far as I know, anyway. I've never stayed in hiding so long that I couldn't do it anymore, but there might be a limit... if a shadow moves really fast, I might lose it, but I can hop to another one pretty quick, so that usually isn't a problem. And uhh... I think I prefer head-on as a look." The wraith replied, a light giggle escaping her lips as Aithlin complimented her. "It's good, right? I pass as human as long as people don't pay... too much attention. I grew up in Hwein, so... well if I looked too obviously undead, I probably wouldn't have made it. They aren't like Coteon, but well... humans are still humans." "Humans are still humans, but... I can't say I've seen much undead prejudice down there. Unless... There's something you're not telling me? That's fine, if you don't want to. Just know you won't have any trouble in this group. We all love Taliyah, after all, and she's a halfbreed. Don't expect to run into any discrimination or anything, Nisha... Besides, you're way too cute to hate~ Bet a makeover would do you real good... Some nice brushing, a good dress, some gentle blush... Real knockout." Nisha visibly flinched as Aithlin hit the nail directly on it's head. She wasn't about to confirm or deny, but there was no way Aithlin wouldn't be able to make the confirmation in her head, between Nisha's reaction and the fact that her undead attributes were... lacking. "Y-yeah, I-I'm not worried about that. A makeover, huh..." Nisha replied, trying to swerve the subject away from that little minefield. Looking down at her own clothing, clearly old and having gone through myriad mending over the years, the idea of a fancy dress and getting all dolled up... "It sounds nice, but I don't think I could ever really afford something like that. Even if this is the best job I've ever taken, there's still... way too much I'd need to buy before I could really worry about that kinda fancy stuff. I'm not raking in that kind of gold." So it was like that, huh? Aithlin gave her a bit of a pitiful smile, slowly putting a hand around her shoulder, pulling her in for a half hug. Between her reaction to mentioning Taliyah and the girl's apparent lack of money... She'd led a hard life, hadn't she? "I'll take care of that when we get to Hwein. Call it a girls day out on the town. We'll get a nice makeover and some fun clothes, 'kay?" A gentle rub on her arm, hopefully Nisha wouldn't feel too... Alone, here. "You've got friends here. Promise." "Okay, yeah. That sounds fun." Nisha replied softly, allowing Aithlin to get a bit closer than she would have normally been perfectly alright with. Was it because they were both undead? The dullahan had seemed to be mostly interested in her for that reason, so maybe that cancelled out her dirty blood... but then, there was also Suki, and Lavinia hadn't seemed perturbed... "Friends, huh?" Could she trust it? Seemed too good to be true. She was already being treated better than prior experience suggested a mercenary had any right to be... hitting the sort of jackpot that would make her feel comfortable wanting even more than that? There had to be a catch, right? "Yeah, friends... You don't wanna be? I mean, that's fine. I know I come across a bit more forward than others, so... I get it, if I'm pushing your boundaries here. Just... Don't wanna see someone that doesn't deserve it stuff themselves away into a corner. You know?" "No! No, I didn't mean it like that, I do, I just... I'm not really used to having friends, you know? Err..." Nisha replied somewhat frantically, shrinking in her place before slipping into Aithlin's shadow. How embarrassing... "Whoa... Gimme a warning for that, almost fell over there. Heh... Take your time, then. You must've had it really hard for a long time... To be so worried about making a friend like that." "Something... like that." Came the reply from the ground beneath Aithlin. "Well... I'm gonna get up and get something to snack on now, okay, Nisha? Just giving you a heads up... You can stay in my shadow and hang out, or if you're feeling brave enough, come along with me out of it... Let you make the choice. But, it was a nice talk~ Glad to get to know you a bit better." Aithlin smiled and got herself up, walking towards the camp's food storage. Hopefully Nisha's shell wouldn't stay as hard as it was forever. "Something to eat sounds good... I think." Nisha replied, following along in Aithlin's shadow for a few moments before cautiously rematerializing. She didn't seem to be holding that embarrassing outburst against her, so it was probably fine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanami Touko Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 Live and Let Live It had been some time since the army had left Tepel to begin their operation on Mixoco, they had only stopped from time to time to set up camp once night fell. Wouldn't do to journey under the darkened sky when you don't know what's out there. Ayane found time to break away from the company to seek out a certain cat girl, she had a lot she needed to get off her chest and now was the best chance she could have. After some prodding around she found Ariana's tent with the hopes she would still be in it. "....." The oni didn't go in right away, in fact she lingered for a moment. There was so much that was on her mind before this, and all of the sudden those questions were nowhere to be found. Was this fear? "...tch." She bit her lip a little as she tried her best to fend off those thoughts. This had to be done, or she won't be able to move forward. So with that settled Ayane leaned in to the tent and called out in a soft yet firm voice as to only draw her target's attention. "...Ariana, it's me. Ayane." She paused for a moment to let her answer back. "We have much to discuss. May I enter?" Another visitor... Hopefully with good intentions. Truthfully, Ariana had been avoiding the oni after apologizing and explaining her situation to the rest of the group. No place to run now, though... They would talk as Ayane wished. Ari let out a sigh, swallowing her own fear. "Yes... Go ahead. We... Do, don't we?" There it was. Half of Ayane had hoped she would say no, but it appears all the fire that she had before was entirely snuffed out and Ayane knew more about fire than anyone. At least according to her memory. With a light sigh to herself she had entered the tent and stood before Ari. "..." She watched her for a moment with eyes filled with a mixture of emotions. Anger, frustration, some regret too. But after that moment, she closed said eyes to cut off contact with the cat girl, she consulted with herself in her mind to keep it reined in. '...no, don't let it control you...keep control.' Of course Ayane was still mad at Ariana, but she didn't want to settle this with pure rage alone. She wanted to keep control over herself. With another breath she opened her eyes, but this time they were softer. She still seemed serious but now she was aware of herself. "I'll be the first to admit I have difficulty controlling myself, so allow me to make this easier." She undid the buckles around her treasured sheathed katana and laid it against the tent wall, then stepped away from it to approach Ari. "...I can't help but feel naked without that, but I'll get used to it." Ariana felt herself scooting back a bit as Ayane entered. The oni was much more imposing now, not a fellow warrior, but a woman with a grudge... A grudge that Ari had fully accepted, but didn't know when to expect. It was when Ayane set down her sword that she let go of the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I, uhm... Thank you. I..." What... Did, they have to talk about, anyway? As far as Ariana was concerned, she'd given Ayane her owed apologies, and expected the oni to never want to see her again. What did she need? "If... You needed to hear it again, I am... Incredibly sorry, for what I put you through. Even if I wasn't in the right state of mind... I still remember it all. Even if I thought you would've been fine next to Nessraya, if the general had chased me, or, put herself out with her own magic... You could have died. I don't... Deserve your patience, Ayane." Ayane just let her say her piece with folded arms. "...you seem very different from before, it seems reality had hit you much harder than I expected." But after a moment she relaxed those arms. "It certainly hit me. Truth be told the moment you slit my neck I wanted nothing more than to take revenge...but when the time came my body froze." She turned her head to the side as she narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't sure why I couldn't, but it appeared you left an impression on me...and uh...hm..." She sighed. "I truly hate my inability to express myself, it's a damned curse I swear...!" She grumbled to herself, though she didn't seem to care if Ari could hear that or not. "I... H-Huh?" An impression? Was their little date really that special to the oni? "I... Well... Mmn..." How best to put this into words... "... I'm relieved that you didn't kill me. Not because I get to keep on living... But, because if I had died, I wouldn't have been able to make my promises and goals. I wouldn't be able to give back to those that I've wronged... So thank you, for giving me the chance to repent, Ayane. As... For yourself... Well..." Ariana ended up thinking back to their date. Being under the church's control had made her much more... Bold. Now that the veil had been lifted, some of the comments she'd made were making her blush. "I... M-Meant, everything I said, that day. Even if I was, using you to explore the city, I-I... You're, a wonderful person, Ayane." Her own whisper in return for the oni's hushed anger. "!" There it was. The complement that made Ayane shake inside, a wonderful person. Taliyah called her that, but coming from Ari seemed to have a stronger effect. Ayane hated it. "Ngh...t.thank you..." She responded as she tried to keep her composure, it was hard to pretend to be serious with such a red flush across her face. Ayane still wasn't sure what these feelings were. Were they friends despite Ariana's intent? She was under the Church's control though. Did she actually fall in lov- '!!!!!' Ayane's inner expression didn't look great. She had to change the subject quick before they got worse. "It's good that you meant all that, yes...but about your promises and goals!" She yelped out to try to move forward. "I have my own of course. I still need to hunt down Ouka and take her life, I only wish it were far more simple than I had planned. But what are you fighting for, Ari?" She really was cute, wasn't she? For a stone cold killer, her heart melted pretty easily with praise. Ariana meant it, of course; this was no game to her. Much as she didn't want to, she felt a smile creeping in. Just for a minute, I'll let myself be happy. Just a minute... "I... Want to fight against what plagues this country until I can't, anymore." She put it as bluntly as she could, looking away as her smile faded. "I've hurt too many people, Ayane. You included... Even if one day, you forgive me, I doubt most of the people in this country will. That's alright, though... I want to fight as long as I can to give back with the only thing I'm good at. Even if I'm not praised, or it gets me killed... I owe it to Vaia." The smile was kind of nice to look at, it's a shame that didn't last long. The air had changed when Ariana stated her goal, and it was something Ayane had...actually sympathized with. If anything she had a small feeling this may have been her path after everything was said and done during the meeting. "Fight your heart out until you die...I know what that's like." She spoke out. "I had failed my own people, I thought the nightmare ended. But it was only the beginning, and my carelessness cost the lives of so many." She took a sigh. "But fighting until your own life is snuffed out...is that really a goal you want to pursue, Ariana?" Despite sympathizing with her view point she couldn't help but feel something was off. The church didn't know all that much from the overseas nation, only understanding what onis were, and specifically what Ayane's goal was. Their eavesdropping tool had learned them as much. Knowing that Ayane was fighting a similar battle left her feeling... Better, about aiming for such a thing. Less stupid. "Is it, what I want to pursue...? I..." Ever since the church's control had been taken away from her, this had been felt like something she could choose to want. It was something she had to do... Did, she want to do it, though? "I... I don't know. I've never really... Thought about that. But, I must do it. Even if I wish for a different life down the road... I can't walk away from the pain I've caused. I need to make it better..." It seemed like she had some doubts, despite Ariana's goals perhaps she didn't want to die. "When I left Izuna I had done so believing I was the only one left. All I had deep down with my hatred for Ouka. I made it my life's mission to take her down, even if it demanded my own life in return..." Ayane took a sigh. "But things have changed slightly. I have someone I want to see live till the end, and I want him to have the good life he deserves. My cousin Ren has been by my side throughout all of this, it's thanks to him I wasn't completely consumed by my own rage." She brushed her hair back a bit with her hand. "Don't get me wrong. I still want to kill Ouka for everything she's done, but I've realized recently that I can't afford to be careless with my life anymore. I don't think you should either, Ari." "... I'm sure you don't. You and Marina both... But I won't stop until Vaia is back to normal. As normal as I can help make it... If I die along the way, then I die. No one will mourn a creature like me disappearing back to whatever I was made from." She looked away from Ayane now, biting her lip. How could they possibly want her alive now? Being so cordial, even friendly... "Why do you care so much, Ayane?" It was time to turn this on her, staring at her, a small frown on her face. "I tried to kill you... Tried to kill Marina." Slowly, she crawled across the tent floor, tail wagging unbeknownst to her. "Why do you care so much about the mistake of magic living for as long as she can? For all I know, I could croak tomorrow... Creation magic is dangerous and unstable. I can't be healed by magical means. Why... are you questioning me so hard on this?" Without knowing it, Ariana had crawled over to Ayane completely, staring her hard in the eyes, inches away from her. "Tell me." Power had suddenly shifted! "!" Ayane was caught off guard by Ariana's crawl, she fell on her behind with a grunt and backed up ever so slightly. If Ariana hadn't noticed the oni's blush before she absolutely can now. It was an entirely foreign look on her face, a look of confusion and fear. Ayane could feel her own heart race, not like it usually does during the heat of battle, or when she's truly upset. This was caused by a feeling she couldn't describe. "I...ngh..." 'My chest is on fire...she's so forward now...how do I...' She had continued to struggle with herself. If this were Ren he'd know what to do. But she...no. She had to handle this herself. To hell with keeping her emotions bottled up! "...no one will mourn for you? Do you believe that...?" Ayane responded, stared her back in the eye as she slowly tried to regain herself. "I am not good with people...it is a weakness of mine. Other than my cousin I had no friends to call my own when I had reached Vaia. Until I met you. Yes, you befriended me to get closer to the Church's goals...but you did mean every word you said. It reached me, and...I couldn't bear to take your life. I just couldn't." She sat up a bit to peer over Ari a little, but the oni's red eyes were still locked into the cat girl's greens. "I would mourn for you, very deeply. I may have lost my humanity...but I still have my emotions, and like it or not you have an impact on me now..." She continued to blush, but now she was a little less skittish. But only a little... "You would mourn for me, would you? I wonder why. You've only known me for a few days at most... Why are you so attached?" Trying to get Ayane to be more honest and open, Ariana climbed onto her lap, staring her down. "I need you to tell me. Your words are selfish and empty right now. You're just attached because I showed you a modicum of affection... So what if I did mean everything? You'd let anyone get this close to you, simply by showering you with some praise? No matter how much you're bad with people, surely you aren't this easy, are you?" She sighed... Ayane was so pretty, but it felt terrible, to abuse her honesty like this. It was getting her to say what she meant, but it felt... Dishonest. It's not like, I... Wouldn't appreciate being with someone like her, but I don't deserve that. I don't... "Come on. Be honest." Ariana's constant prodding got Ayane on the backfoot once again, and it only got worse when she got on her lap. "Mm...!" Selfish and empty? Were they really? Was Ayane just going crazy? 'I can't back down now...not after coming this far...!' Ayane took Ariana by the shoulders and pulled her face in closer, and with a deep dead stare in the eyes once again she called out. "What's wrong with me caring for someone I'm attracted to?!" .... "...!!!" Ayane gasped at herself for what she said. But...well it's out there now, so... "...don't sell yourself short. That one day did a lot...for me." Her face could not be any redder, Ari might even notice tears in the corner of her eyes. "You wronged me, but taking your life while I have these feelings growing in me...it would tear me apart inside if I didn't at least tell you what it was. Maybe it is selfish, or hollow...but I don't care. I've been told I'm stubborn anyway so one more person still alive telling me that won't make a difference." She took a breath. "I really like you, Ari. There's nothing else to it." "I... I, oh..." It seemed her prank had gone too far... Ayane wasn't embarrassed, she was serious. "I... E-Er..." Now that the shoe was on the other foot, she didn't know what to say. She hastily crawled off of Ayane, flopping back, almost onto her back, holding herself up, eyes on the oni. "I... I didn't..." Picking herself up... She crossed her legs, looking away from Ayane. "I'm... S-Sorry, for pushing you, that... Far. I... I was just, trying to get y-you to be honest... I... G, Got you, to be too honest." Ariana was feeling her own face burn up some, sighing hard. "I'm... I, don't... Deserve that kind of affection, Ayane. I... I'm, happy that, I stirred that in you, but... You deserve someone much better, than me." "...hmph." She growled a bit and looked aside, still a bit heated herself. "You did all that to get the truth out of me...damn cat." Ayane was upset that this all ended with her spilling her guts so to speak, but that doesn't mean she's going to let it go like this. Seems like her competitive flame was turning in a different way. "And now that you have the truth..." Now the oni was the one crawling toward Ari. Her red eyes were dead center on her target, unflinching, unyielding. "You know you can't just leave this as it is...I can't at least." She lightly stroked her finger nails across her cheek and held it, as her face came close. "So tell me..." She leaned in as her eyes glowed in the dark tent. "Who's not being honest now?" "Wh-What?" Ari backed up as Ayane got closer, pushing up against the tent's wall with nowhere else to run. "L-Look! It's not, about either of our fe, feelings, it's... You.. You need someone that doesn't... Isn't... I've, done so many terrible things! To you, even! How, can you... I-I'm, you, need better!" She didn't want to push the girl, she didn't want to push hands on her after everything she'd done, but she had nowhere else to run... "Be selfish!" Ayane sternly expressed. "If I can be honest with myself so can you, screw what you've done to me!" She didn't back away, she held her ground, as well as Ari's cheek. "If you want to start making things up to me then start now by telling me how you feel, no pussy footing around!" She grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes. "Do you want me to back off of you? Do you want me to never speak to you again? Talk to me, Ariana!" "Eek!" Ariana hadn't expected such a strong approach, from anyone! She felt small, meek, but she felt like giving Ayane the wrong answer would set her on fire, or crush her under this pressure... "I-I... I, I don't..." She was struggling. Her feelings of martyrdom, her want for friends, how much Ayane seemed to care. Even if her care was shallow and new, even if it was just beginning, it was strong. "I..." A hefty gulp, Ariana finally looked away from her. "I, don't... Want... T-To be, alone... Anymore." Finally, an answer. It was behind a weakened voice and spirit, but it was an answer Ayane still respected. It was enough for her. "...good..." Her stern voice finally softened as she leaned in toward Ariana, her intense gaze also softened. "Then..." Her lips met Ari's, very slowly, but they finally made contact. Ayane was lucky Ren was such a ladies man. She had walked in on enough of his dates to know how to kiss and what it meant, at least on the surface level. She was still entirely green. But she was still a competitor at heart, and she used that drive to learn in the moment. "H-Huh...? Aya, ne-- Mmh..." The last thing she'd expected as a kiss. When Ayane had said attracted, she'd thought the woman meant skin deep. This was more than that. It was gentle and affectionate-- she even knew how to be that, when it mattered? "Mnhf, mm..." Hands slowly met Ayane's shoulders, pushing at them slowly, not trying to remove the oni, just, the last vestiges of Ariana's defiance and denying having their last stand. Those last vestiges would be met with Ayane's resolve. She wrapped her arms around the cat girl and refused to let go as the kiss got deeper. She shut her eyes and let herself go, as their lips kept together. She was not going to stop anytime soon, that was clear. The oni was far too stubborn. Ayane...! She stopped pushing on her, hands falling limp against the girl. She didn't have it in her to fight this confidence anymore, not when it was stealing her lips. I... I don't understand, how you don't hate me... But I can't fight you anymore. Not on this. Not like this... As for the rest... Ariana set it aside for the moment. She would think on it more, later... For now, she couldn't think of much. "Mmhn...!" After a minute, Ayane finally broke the kiss, but not the hug. She took a breath, as she watched Ari with another blush on her face. "...mmm..." She took a look aside. "...well, you've seen my resolve. This wasn't easy but...well..." She wasn't sure what else to say after her powerful front. "...I have to say your lips are nice...very soft and...well yes." "Mmnhahh... A-Ayane..." Her body was struggling between hugging her back or sitting still like she had been, but the tension broke at Ayane's comment, Ariana managing a giggle. "You really, are a warrior, through and through... Heheh." A sigh, she melted in place, resting against the oni. "I can't promise that I won't throw my life away, Ayane, but... I won't... Keep fighting you on being close, to me. Clearly... You won't give up, no matter what I say. I can't fight that... I don't want to." "Ah?" A laugh? That was very unexpected, she had to admit. But it was something, a breakthrough one might say. She felt Ari lean against her and took a sigh of relief as she rubbed her back and tightened the hug. "...I still don't agree with you throwing your life like this...but truth be told I'm exhausted just trying to get through the front gate so I'll leave it for the moment..." There's that warrior lingo. "I know this seems...very sudden. I don't know how to be anything but forward. But I at least want to keep going...I want to know more of you now that the church no longer has you." "... Okay... I'll... I'll do, my best, to stay alive. Even if I keep fighting... I'll stay alive, to fight more, and talk to you. I can't promise I know much more than Marina... But... If you are going to keep fighting with me on this, I don't want you getting hurt in the line of my own choices." Another sigh, but it ended in a smile, this time. "For, now... Uhm... You need to go back to your tent, Ayane. I... Er... I-I need some time to think. About... E-Everything. Please..." "Ah...right, right." She let go and pulled back a little, still flushed. She could feel her heat die down rapidly now that everything was said and done, and now all that was left was embarrassment for herself. "V-Very well, Ari...well you have a good night then...if you need anything you know where my tent is and uh...well good night then!" She got up and bowed her head a bit. She tripped on herself slightly as she tried to retrieve her katana. But she composed herself before she could hit the floor. "...good night." She repeated, not remembering if she said that in the first place. With one last voice clear she took her blade and left the tent, still as red as a tomato. "Good night... Ayane." Ariana let the girl leave without a word of mockery or laughter at her antics... And then flopped onto her back, face in her hands. "Lord Ilrios, what have I done...? I don't deserve... She, I... Ohhhh, Hess..." It was going to take a stroke of luck for Ari to fall asleep that night... 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Michelaar Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 A Girl With A Dream Spoiler After another long day traveling and setting up camp under her belt, Marina minded her own business to a degree. To her, she admittedly had a lot on her mind. Specifically, these blossoming feelings she's gotten after being smitten by a particular oni princess. Quite literally the girl of her dreams... The poor hero wanted to talk to someone, get some advice but... who could she really go to? Ah, just in the thought there was Gabriela. She recently got together with Ren didn't she? Maybe she'd know something? Sheepishly she approached the siren, "U-um... Gabriela?" She asked, to try and spark a conversation. Yet another day has passed, and Gabriela still felt as if she had done nothing of any purpose. She had become used to being seen as just ''that traveling mercenary hired by Asami.'' As if she was just some soldier who could be commanded by the wave of a hand. Was there nothing the siren could do to make herself useful or stand out? While she was just sitting on a log thinking about just that, her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. It was the hero. After what Gabriela had learned from the fortune teller, Marina just became more and more curious. The church has some nerve if he thinks taking Siren as 'angels' was an acceptable thing to do, yet this girl is their personal soldier? Well, she did seem a little easy to manipulate, but could that be all? ''Oh, Marina. Hello. What can I do for you?'' "H-Hi." She replied with a wave. She was about to go in with her thoughts but, she did recall events from awhile back, and remembered when she was concerned about what happened in Aensbrook. As much as the topic of Yukari started at the top of her mind, she wanted to show her concern. "I-I know it was awhile ago, but... back in Aensbrook when, you suddenly... for lack of a better term 'flipped out' on the shopkeeper? Are you alright?" She probably was and probably forgot about it, but to Marina it was better that she addressed it, and maybe she'd learn something about her companion. "I know it was awhile ago but... I was, still am, concerned." ''Huh? Aensbrook? Shopkeeper?'' What was she talking about? Aensbrook was where they were a while ago I think... oh. That. She didn't think Marina would remember such a thing. Gabriela had done all she could to forgot that moment, and she was not going to tell her about the emotional stress she had been under at that time. Not that that was an excuse to act so rude to a shopkeeper of course, but it was her truth. ''Oh, I had honestly forgotten about that. I am... not so good with people.'' That was of course a lie, and not the most convincing one, but she had nothing more to say about that. She would rather leave those bad memories in the past, where they belong. ''You don't have to be concerned for my sake. I can handle myself.'' "Oh," was her initial response, in a regretful tone. "I get it. Well, uh... if you ever have anything you'd like to t-talk about, I'm a good listener!" She tried to smile in response, wanting to offer her help to someone she saw as a friend. Then a yelp, "Oh, but um... r-right. I... I needed some advice." Marina's fingers tapped together, trying to figure the best way to make out what she wanted to say, "Mm... uhm... There's uh... someone I like..." She was able to start, "But, I've... never really liked someone like that before. And I..." She stomped her foot, frustrated at her inability to get her words together. "I need some help on what to do... and hoping, when we have time, I want to... look nice for a date." It finally escaped, her face blushing, embarrassed. She simply threw a fake smile at her, thinking that was it, but it appears she had more to say. Advice on love, huh? That was certainly part of her expertise, but she didn't think the hero of all people would have any trouble attracting mates. Then again.. Marina seemed pretty timid. Gabriela simply smiled. Genuinely this time. ''Very well, I'll give you advice on what to do. However, I would propose ourselves a little... exchange. If you answer my questions, i'll help you. Do you agree?'' Marina gave a light nod in response, "Some questions? S-Sure, I'm all ears." It wasn't like the hero had anything she was hiding... well, aside from the whole Dream Princess thing but that was for later. Gabriela closed her eyes and sighed. ''When were you still in Coteon.'' She seemed a little hesitant to ask. ''Did you... see anyone like me? White wings, probably light-coloured hair?'' Marina must have spent some time there, surely. She could easily have seen some of these 'angels'. "Like you?" Marina had to think about it. Wing people? "Um..." Now she thought about, that did raise a bell. "I... I think I have. There would be one or two when I'd be escorted around the city." She tilted her head, but continued, "I didn't... really meet any, but... Why do you ask?" So there were siren in Coteon. This practically confirmed Circe's story. However, Marina can't elaborate, as she didn't meet any of them, as she said. The one person she was going to get answers from was princess Tenebria. And she was going to get them. ''Oh, simply for my own investigation. You have helped me greatly. Now, how about I help you with your love life, hmm?'' She couldn't help but smile a little. ''Of course, I could start with the whole ''be yourself'' business, and while I do agree with that.. that is not enough. I didn't get an infamous reputation, with a scolding from Lavinia to boot by just being myself. For one, what is the best outfit you own? Show it to me!'' Gabriela was really in her element now. Marina nodded, a small smile developing as she heard she helped. Then, one more like an excited child when the siren started giving advice. Be myself... Too be fair, being a timid individual with knack for being headstrong has seemed to work for now... at least she thinks. And... Oh... Her best outfit... Marina simply looked over herself with her arms slightly out, as if presenting. The poor jacket and shirt, stained with stitches and blood still... "This, well... it's all I have..." Gabriela simply stared at her a bit. ''.....'' Trying to look into the Hero's eyes, seeing if she was being messed with. ''These... rags are all you own? But.. they are stained with blood and have stitches all over them!'' She was admittedly a bit surprised when compared with the Siren's own, admittedly too full closet. ''When next we get a chance, we are going shopping. I would offer to lend you some of my dresses, but.. I don't believe they would fit. Plus, they are specially made so that my wings can fit through them.'' Gabriela sighed. ''I apologize for any rude words that just left my mouth. So... next. How well versed are you in the subject of make-up?'' Marina nodded to the first question about her clothes... It really was embarrassing, "I d-do gave my old garb but that's... even worse than these. B-But I still love this jacket," a jacket she had gotten because of Gabriela, and oh how she loathed the idea of the coming summer and she'd have to live without it. Marina's eyes practically glew a bit, the siren offering to take her shopping, it got her excited really, maybe she'd actually get more than just stuff for Yukari, but just having more to wear in general. Then, the glow disappeared again, almost afraid to answer the next question, "I-I'm... not well versed. Back home, m-my mom would help me look nice for something fancy..." Gabriela sighed once again, a heavier sigh than last time. ''Your mother sounds like a very smart woman. So be it, I will have to teach you how to 'look fancy.' I will make a woman out of you yet, Marina.'' She looked proud of that statement.. for some reason. ''Now, i'm a little afraid to ask this, but... how much experience do you have in the field? Have you ever had a partner before? Have you ever had to use your charm for something like this?'' More nods followed as Marina felt grateful at least a tad. Gabriela offered teaching her to look fancy. She's never really wante it, so... it'd be nice to see what she was capable of looking like. Then the next question, continuing to pile on the things Marina's had no experience with. "I... uhm... mmm..." Her face reddened some more, as she looked down, trying to not show how embarrassed she was. Sigh. Of course. ''Fine. The first step to perfection is practice, practice, practice!'' Gabriela looked around, seeing who was around. ''Well, hit me with your best shot! Try to seduce me!'' Let's see what the girl already knew of charming people. "S-Seduce you...? Uh, alright..." Marina wasn't entirely sure how this would work. She's never really... tried hitting on someone, at least not from what she remembers. Thinking hard, the Hero focused her breathing. It was just... saying really nice things, right? Marina was already pretty good at that. "Gabriela... I... think you're very sweet, and... y-you're super pretty. Like, it's almost criminal how beautiful you are, and i-it makes my heart feel all tingly, and I-I... hope I'll be able to be as p-pretty as you..." That was.... bad. Horrendous actually. If this is what she was going to charm someone with, it was going to be a complete disaster. ''Uhm... Yeah..'' She looked disappointed. ''What did you stutter for? You have to be confident in yourself! You shouldn't say things like ''Wow, you are so pretty, I hope i'll be as pretty as you...'' I don't want to hear anything like that, understood?'' She seemed a little intense. ''Ahem. This depends on the type of person you're asking out, but from your words i'm guessing you want to ask someone out on a friendly and romantic date... so why don't you try that again, but this time, with more confidence!'' This was going to be some work.. but the siren was determined to succeed. "A-ah...!" Marina was caught off guard by the scolding, but... what Gabriela said made sense. Maybe that wasn't the best approach. Okay... iiiiin, ouuuut... Marina took a deep breath again. She wanted to get this right, so badly... "Okay, be confident, be confident..." She softly muttered to herself. "Gabriela? Would you..." Oh nonono, I lost it, uhhh... It's okay wing it, wing it! "Would you like to go out for dinner sometime?" There, something short, to the point... ''That was better. Not perfect, but much much better.'' Gabriela looked slightly proud now. An achievement! ''At this point, I would say 'yes', but I suppose one suggestion I have is to sound just a little more confident, and less unsure of yourself. I suppose what I can suggest is to practice it to yourself when you have some spare time. It worked wonders for me when I was traveling as, in Lavinia's words, ''A rogue siren''. Those were the days alright! Anyways.... good job, I think that's all for today. This is to be continued when we have a chance to go shopping. We're going to find you the best dress there is.'' Gabriela winked. The hero's smile gleamed at the compliment. She was able to pull it off, at least to a degree. Of course, more confidence is something a bit harder for Marina to form but... if she tried hard enough she should be fine. And that was it for today on the love advice. Marina nodded, suddenly coming up and hugging Gabriela, "T-Thank you, Gabby... E-erm, is i-it okay to call you Gabby? Or do you prefer Gabriela?" While surprised at the hug, she returned in kind, hugging the human girl, who was clearly still much younger than her. ''Haha, you're welcome. Oh, you can call me whatever you like. Gabriela or Gabby. Maybe I can call you... Rina?'' "Rina? Yeah, I like it." She smiled, her hug tightening a degree after Gabriela's return. "Really, t-thank you Gabby. I... I really didn't know what to do, and... I appreciate it." ''That's alright.'' Eventually she let the hug go. ''Could I ask you a little favour? I would appreciate it a lot if you would please not mention to anyone that I asked you the question earlier... about the siren in Coteon.'' She looked nervous. ''Also, if you have a way I could get in contact with Princess Tenebria, I would really appreciate it.'' Also letting the hug go, Marina took the mental note, "Yeah, no problem. Lips are sealed." She gave a thumbs up. "And as for Tenna, sure." She smiled, "I think she'd be willing to help." ''Thank you so much, Rina! You're a great friend! Now if you don't mind, could I be alone for a while? I have a lot to think about..'' She really needed to think about what to say to Tenna. She had to know something about the other siren. Her glance at her when they first met confirmed it. "You're welcome..." A great friend? Me? Marina shook off the doubt in her mind, as she had a big smile."You're a pretty great friend too," she said in a sheepish tone, but the confidence in the statement was clearly there. "But right, I'll leave you be. Thank you again, Gabby. I guess whenever you want to talk to her, just let me know," and off she went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Replacement Amera was at her wit's end. This entire trip, Nessraya had been down... Ignoring all suggestions of helping her feed, just, ignoring her in general. Ignoring the whole group. It was because of Thesephine... Amera could tell that much, at least. As soon as the demon king had arrived, Nessraya's mood had plummeted... Was it because she'd shown up with another woman? Why would Ness care about that? She even told me as much, she doesn't get love... She wouldn't be upset because someone else settled down, there has to be something else to it. Finally, curiosity got the cat... And with a tail thwap or two at the general's tent, Amera made her presence known. "Heyyy... Nessy? Can we... Talk? Gonna be up front about this... You haven't been yourself these past weeks, and I'm getting really worried. For a lot of reasons... Can't you confide in me over what's wrong?" That had been... unsavoury business. Well, drastic times called for drastic measures, and if she had been taking safe amounts of magic from their band, she would never have gotten back to strength by Mixoco. The usual methods were preferable, but taking magic more... directly, from people whose survival wasn't a factor... it was enough to leave her feeling back to strength, even if her complexion would take a few days to recover. Turning her head at the voice outside her tent... Amera. The catfolk was perceptive, and her slump had been... impossible not to notice to anyone paying the slightest attention. It wasn't surprising that Amera was asking of it, and well... at least now was better than before, even if it still wasn't a topic Nessraya was thrilled to broach. "Mmm, it is... complicated. I don't know how well I can explain it, but... come inside, Amera." Come in? That was a good sign. Complicated was not... Amera slipped into the tent and got herself comfy on the ground in the middle, sitting on her knees, hands on her lap. "Okay... So... What's, going on then? Saw you slink off earlier, too... You kinda smell like blood. I don't think you went hunting for sport, so I... Guess, you found some unsavory folk nearby? We are closer to the fort, that's not too surprising... Mmm, and you seem okay. Physically. I won't worry... On that. So... Uhhh..." There was no easy way to broach the topic, so painful and up front it'd have to be. "Why's the Demon King got you all upset...?" "Well... you probably noticed I haven't been eating. They needed to be dealt with... and I needed more magic than this group could reasonably provide safely. The situation worked itself out cleanly, I would say." Nessraya admitted with a sigh... she had taken off the bloodied clothing and bathed, but the smell had clearly lingered enough for Amera's sensitive nose to pick up. "Mmm... Thesephine and I have been close for as long as she has been alive. Close friends... practically family. I was... surprised to see her engaged in a relationship with someone who she had known for so short a time, and things were said on both sides that really shouldn't have been." Nessraya answered... it likely wouldn't be enough to sate Amera's curiousity, but Nessraya was as of yet unsure how much detail she was willing to, or even really should, share. "Ohhh... Is that really all? Like... Mmn..." It felt so hard to pry into Nessraya's life, but, weren't they close? Hadn't they been friends as kids? More than friends, as time had passed... So why was she so apprehensive about asking what was going on? It's like there's a wall. A wall she doesn't want to let me past... It's not like I don't get it, but... I'd be open to her about anything in my life. Am I wrong to expect some of that back? "Okay... It, really feels like you were chewed up pretty hard about her being with someone else. Your whole... Aura, I dunno, how you carry yourself and everything changed immediately when they showed up. I don't know if you got into a fight, or if there's something more, but, c-can't you tell me what's going on, properly? I... I-I mean, am I not... Are, w, we not close? I spent my whole life trying to catch up to you... H-Here I am! And it feels like, despite all that, you're still... So far away." "Oh, Amera... we are close, yes. I will tell you... as I said, it is complicated, and not something I'm fully sure how to explain..." This was what she had been afraid of, but if she kept trying to keep things, it would only get worse. "Ever since we were little, Thesephine and I... well, our fathers wanted us betrothed. After her father passed, well... things never went much further than that in an official capacity, but mine always kept the idea close to heart. I always had the expectation that I would be her Queen consort, once we were both of proper age." Nessraya shook her head a bit, a sigh escaping her lips. "I was confused when she introduced Sollowy, as you might imagine. She had... been through a lot, in the Capital. The court was not pleased with her decision, and when my reaction appeared for a moment to echo theirs... well, she took it poorly. Said things to me that were... quite hurtful. To call it a fight would be, a bit of an understatement." "... Oh." Betrothed. So... Even if the chance existed now, originally, all this work had meant nothing. Nessraya would've been married off to the King and all the training, fighting, work, leading... That, she'd done just to get here, would have meant absolutely nothing. She felt her stomach drop. Considering Nessraya was so upset and confused about it, she'd wanted it too, didn't she? There was no way to tell... But the anxiety welling up in her was making her assume so. "I... I-I, uhm, I see... Er... I'm, s, sorry that, you had to go through that..." She was already clamming up, looking down, eyes unfocused. I... I never had a chance to begin with, did I? The change was obvious as soon as that word had left her mouth. This was... going to be difficult. "It wasn't that she was with another person... it was confusing that it was so sudden, but her love is her own to give. I support them fully, seeing the love they have for one another. What upset me was, well... she immediately put me under fire for inquiring with surprise. I had always been willing to overlook her flaws, things that would change with time and maturity, but it felt like, in that moment, my own flaws of similar nature were absolute, impossible to overcome." Nessraya explained, floating down to Amera's level, placing a hand on the cat's shoulder... should she be affectionate, in a moment like this? These particular sort of emotional moments weren't her forte... "She didn't treat me like her oldest friend, but as a stranger, cold, disapproving, distant. It hurt that someone I had known and been close to for so long would act as though all of those years had meant nothing, at the drop of a hat. And that hurt spilled out. I... I know that hearing what I said before clearly is not doing you well, so please... voice what you must. I don't want to hurt you, Amera." Amera felt herself flinch away at the hand, coming back to reality... Nessraya was there, finally spilling her heart out. It didn't make things any less painful. It was only by chance that she now had any chance, and Nessraya herself had said that she didn't plan to be with any one person. Thesephine was that important to her then, wasn't she...? "Voice... What I must, huh..." The beastkin didn't want to hurt Nessraya, but her own heart was starting to ache. "I never, h-had a chance, did I?" A wry smile, she could feel herself starting to tear up. "Spent, years, working my way up into the military. Not a noble, so I had no easy way in. I've had to break myself over and over again just to hold some rank that had the chance of seeing you again... I finally get to, see you again. Didn't matter, though, did it? Haha... Even if the chance has come about, as a result of you getting hurt, you, were already set on marrying her, weren't you? It wasn't going to matter what I did or said... And I was so excited about trying! What an idiot, haha!" The smile was starting to break down, she could feel the tears starting. She was so tempted to flee, not hear whatever Nessraya had to say in response. No matter what it was, it was going to hurt... It already hurt. No matter how things ended up now, she was always second fiddle, in the mind of a woman that didn't understand love in the first place. "Hess, what have I done with my life...? Ahah..." "Amera... you had a chance. While I grew up with the idea in my head, I never truly... still don't, really understand. My father said it was something that would come with age... he didn't understand love until he had been in relations with my mother for some time, himself... but that fact was something Thesephine couldn't accept. Regardless of what I might have thought my future was going to be, she never had any interest of that sort in me. That betrothal was never official, and eventually she would have voiced her dissent, and dissolved the whole thing." Nessraya began... hoping this was the right thing to say, to do. As Amera started to cry, the succubus pulled her into a tight hug. Tenderly stroking her hair and back, she could only let the girl weep. "You've done plenty, Amera. You've accomplished so much, starting from so little... even if I'm not what you expected, or what you wanted out of me, that doesn't lessen your achievements. I want you to know and understand that... your accomplishments are your own, and they are incredible." But they were all done to be with you... I don't care about how much I've done, or how amazing it is. I... Amera sat there, motionless, letting her tears run themselves out, not sure how to feel about this hug and all the comfort. What did it all mean? She still had a chance, a chance at what? To be the replacement? "You... You still, wanted to be with her, didn't you? I... This c-can't just be... Because she said some strong words at you. You're bigger than that... You wouldn't go weeks without feeding. Weeks pushing everyone away... Just because a friend said something overly harsh." Amera had a different idea of how Nessraya was. Perhaps the general truly was that weak, that such a comment sent her this overboard, but Amera couldn't help but assume there was more under the surface. "So... What, do I keep working to become? Secondhand love? I'm... I, need to think... I can't..." "The idea of ending up with her was... comforting, I'll admit that. It felt familiar, I didn't understand what the appeal of a committed relationship was, but even if it wasn't something I felt like pursuing, the idea that she'd be there like she always had, it was a pleasant thought. But Amera, I'm not in love with Thesephine. She was a close friend, like family to me... my father wanted to bring her into the family officially someday of course, but after she lost hers... well, in a sense we filled that gap as best we could, in private. Ugh, what I'm trying to say, is..." Nessraya paused, trying to find the right words. How could she explain what she felt if she didn't have a frame of reference to compare to? "I love her, but I am not in love with her. She is a precious friend to me, and having her discredit and attack my feelings was very, incredibly painful... but my father always told me that when I fell into a true, romantic love... I would recognize it as such. So Amera, your dream, what you've been chasing, there's nothing secondhand about it. You're a precious person to me in your own right, you know? And that goal of yours? To make me feel about you, how you've felt about me? I'm not there yet, but if you pull it off, it will be the first time. And I've seen firsthand how driven you are when you have a dream you want to make reality. Look at everything you've done already." "I-I... Okay...!" Amera couldn't help herself, squeezing Nessraya into a tight hug, crying against her shirt. It was relieving, even if a bit late, to hear how Nessraya really felt... That her efforts hadn't gone to the waste she'd begun to think they were headed towards. That she still had a chance; that she didn't need to be the step in, to feelings that had gone unrequited. Now she mostly felt silly... But she couldn't have known, they hadn't spoken about any of this until now. Best that they did, before it became something too far gone. "I-I... I love, you... Nessraya. I have, for, s-so, so long... I'm... Mmhnm..." She sniffled back some of her tears, nuzzling up against the general, squeezing her tight. "Thank you...! For telling me, everything. I... Tha-Thank you..." "I'm just glad that you seem to be feeling better, Amera." Nessraya replied, a relieved sigh escaping her lips as she began to tenderly pet Amera as the catfolk snuggled up against her. "You'll understand when you're older, sweetie... how unhelpful, father. I could really use some of that understanding... my lack of it has been making things difficult lately. I'm just glad that I was able to explain properly despite it... I'd hate to have hurt you like this over a fumble like that." "I-I... Mmm..." Amera slowly began to calm down, still hugging her tight, sniffling the last of her sadness away. "To me... Loving, s-someone, means that, you light up whenever you see them. You always want to be around them... You, can be near them, and just be happy that they're there. Don't even have to talk, or anything... Plus... Th-The whole plethora of, all, the... Mmh... S-Sexual stuff, that comes along with, being attracted. For me, anyway. I don't know, if it'll work like that for you... But it is pretty mean of your dad to find it and not, share any of it to his daughters." A huff, Amera didn't want to let her go, but... "I-I... I shouldn't, keep you, should I? But I just... You're so soft, and warm, and being here m-makes me feel so much better... Hhhh..." "I see... it sounds nice. Mmm... I don't blame him, as unfortunate as it is. He said for us it just... clicks someday. Trying to force it along historically doesn't accomplish much. Probably biological... if we got too attached to a single person while we were still growing and require more magical intake, it could be bad for the survival of our race as a whole... and it's less important to have varied sources of magic once we've matured fully." Nessraya mused, petting Amera's hair as she seemed about to leave. "You don't need to go yet if you don't want to. With how distant I've been as of late, people aren't really coming to visit in droves, and being stuck in my tent all the time has given me ample opportunity to go over the war plans." "I don't want to go. I want to stay right here with you, cuddled up next to you, warm, and comfortable... I love it here. I love being in your arms... It brings back good memories. Memories I don't, ever want to go away..." Another squeeze hit Nessraya, the cat lifting her up towards the bedroll in the tent. She set herself and the general down on it, resting against her further. "Mmn... If you need better energy... Than the stuff you had to get earlier, I don't mind helping. Not at all... If you want to just rest here... Talk, and be together, I'm more than happy to provide that too... I wanna stay this happy." "Then you're free to stay as long as you like, Amera." Nessraya smiled, allowing herself to be picked up and moved. "Mmm... perhaps like this, a while longer. It's... nice. And I did sort of... gorge myself earlier, if I'll be honest. Give the magic some time to settle, before taking in any more~" "As long as you want, gorgeous... Mmn... Tell me about how you're planning on tackling things at the fort. I have an idea in my head... But I wanna hear your perspective. So I can help you with whatever it is you're planning..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcd900 Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Pointers Spoiler It was the second night of the group's travel to Mixoco, far quieter than the first. Between recruiting Ariana, planning their attack, healing everyone, packing, giving the few remaining mercenaries from his group their orders to defend Tepel... it had been exhausting, and he still hadn't had a good night's rest between watching from the walls for the past two weeks and the battle. Having set up his tent for the night, making an effort to finally, finally get some sleep, he found himself restless. Idly thinking back to the last battle, playing out scenes from it in his mind - that arrow had hurt - he recalled an remark, made almost offhand towards him, that he hadn't found the time to question till now. It was still early; now was as good a time as any to ask Erephis about what she'd meant, he supposed. He sat up, pushing the cloak he'd been using as a cover aside, and set out from his tent. Walking through their camp, he caught vague snippets of conversation from tents he passed; some voices in hushed whispers, some... well, a little more excited. Reaching her tent, he lightly knocked on its flaps. "Sorry for the interruption... Erephis, do you have some time? I wanted to... ask about something." "Hwah!?" Erephis had dove into another book for travel. Which Witch is Which: Potions And Other Hexes, some light reading and another topic to look into when this was all over and she had the free time to explore other sectors of magic. She hadn't been expecting company, let alone Seilan... He'd been such a nice person to talk to, though, that after the initial surprise, she'd calmed down fairly quickly. "Y-Yes? Ssss, sir, Ssseilan? Feel free t-to come in... I wassssn't expecting a guesst, but I don't mind having you vissit. Er... Ah, uh, b-because we're s-sssuch... All, the common, magical interessst. Yesss..." "Ah, right... I did want to talk about that a bit, but actually there was something else I wanted to ask about." He stepped into the tent, the book she had in hand catching his eye. It wasn't much of a surprise to him to catch her reading; back at the store in Tepel she'd given the impression of being quite the bookworm. "You... don't have to call me 'sir', by the way. I'm neither nobility nor a knight, so... no reason to, really. A-anyways... back during the battle, you said something to me about 'getting pointers from the other one', and I didn't quite understand what you meant by that, but... well, I'm willing to learn whatever you want to show me. Oh, and... I can tell you more of what I know as well. If you're curious, that is." "... O-Oh. Ahh... I sssee." So the other... Had commented on his magical form. She'd probably meant... "Uh, jussst one moment." Erephis uncoiled herself from her corner slightly, moving over towards a bag set against one of the tent's walls. Fishing through it and finally smiling, Erephis produced a ring. "H-Here. Uhm... There's no real, way to improve your ability to cassst magic directly, without teaching, and the like... But, thisss ring, it channelss your magical cccircuitsss... To casst the sssspell, mrahhh... T-Tongue... Cast. The s-spell, in a quicker and more directed manner. It should improve your, ability to hit things. Sssome." Seilan acquires an Eagle Ring! "Ah, I see... thank you, that's very kind of you. This ought to help greatly; I've always had a bit of trouble with my casting, in that regard." It was... very generous of her, to be sure, thought it hadn't exactly answered his question. He wasn't sure if there was something he wasn't meant to know, but it had been a bit odd how she seemed unsure about what he'd mentioned. "Still, I am a bit curious about what you meant by 'the other one'... I can't deny that you seemed a bit different that day, and... ah, I hope I'm not prying too much. If it's not something you wish to talk about, I don't want to sour your mood in turn for what you've given me." "The other one..." Erephis sighed, leaning back onto her tail. She moved to take her glasses off-- No, of course they wouldn't come off. "Uhm... That other... Erephiss... Isss... The real, me. That one, that... Isssn't, held back by these Glass, es..." She took the word slowly, too many Ss to force that out without sounding like a hissed mess. "Ahh... I-It'ss... A long, ssstory. I'm not sssure, you want to hear it, either... I'm... I'm not a good perssson, S-Seilan. A monssster... Through and through. Jussst... Uhm... If you really want to hear it... Promissse, me... That we can sstill talk, and, discusssss... Magic. After. No matter what..." "...I'll listen. I'm not sure what you're going to say, but... your past doesn't have to determine who you are, I think. If you want to be a better person now, Erephis, then perhaps you're not so much a monster as you think you are. There are other people here trying to prove the same thing..." He paused, sighing heavily, preparing himself for what he might hear. Perhaps it was grave; perhaps it was far less serious than she thought; either way, Erephis was clearly worried about what he might think of her, so it deserved careful listening to. "Okay, I'm listening. And I promise that we can still talk about magic, or whatever else you like, afterwards. I wanted to show you something that might help with what you were doing with that staff... but, afterwards." "... Alright. I killed my family." She smiled, painfully, and sat back on her tail. Best to get the gist of it out right away. "... I... I ressearched too far into dark magic. And... Eventually, it wasss all I could focusss on. For too long... I got, too abssorbed. In a sss... Specific, tome. It drove me to madnessss... And in a fit of rage, fueled by the contentss... I killed, my parentsss. My sss... Sisster. All, of the resss... Searchers, I had been working with... I hadn't realized what had happened until the magic left me completely." She sighed, hugging herself, sniffling a bit. "You'd think I'd be a sss, s-sobbing messsss, or ss, something, right?" The gently pointed at the glasses, chuckling. "That'sss... What these, are for. They dull the memoriess... Dull the emotionssss, related. Dull my magic... When, I take them off... Everything is vivid. I become a different perssson... Like the mons-sster, I really am. Only capable, of killing and, dessstroying, things. Ugh... You're the firssst, persson, in a while, that even bothered to assssk. It'ss... nice to get, it out, every now and then." He was unsure how to react, at first. He considered consoling her, but was caught off guard by how matter-of-factly she was speaking of things. After what felt like a long moment in thought, he reached out and patted Erephis on the shoulder, gently. "So that's why, I see. You needed your glasses off to fight, that's why you were acting differently that day... I'm sorry. That must have been unpleasant for you." He paused, considering his words carefully. "...You probably hate to take them off... When I think of you, I think of the side of you that wants to learn about many things, not the one that wants only to fight. I think that's who you really are, Erephis, not the monster you say you are." "I can't take them off," she corrected, giving them a good tug to show him. "No one can.... Sssave for Thesssephine and, the general. I'm glad you think of me that way, Ssseilan... Really. It'sss... Niccce, to have, friendss... People that I can talk to about magic... I really need to transssmute thissss... Stupid, tongue, into ss, something less, troublessome..." She sighed, smiling a bit more happily. "Tell me about what you had in mind for that ssstaff. I'm already forgetting what we discussssed... Sso, besst we go back to something blissssful. Ahhh... I really am... Sorry. About the hissing. It's, difficult to talk with thiss... Without having it, stick." "It's no trouble to me, I don't mind... well, if you think differently of it, it's not so simple to be relieved, is it... Well, ah, let's see here..." He reached to fish around in - no, wait, his cloak was back in his tent - reached for a pocket, fishing out the hilt of his blade. "There we are. I don't think anyone here's seen me use this yet, actually. Here, have a look at it." He flipped it around, holding it out to Erephis. "It's silver; that makes it a good conductor for magic. My brother made that for me . Well, I did the inscriptions myself, he's not quite magically oriented... that aside, when I channel magic through it, it forms a blade. I was thinking about it, and it's somewhat like what you're doing - placing the magic of one object into another. A tome to a blade for me, a staff to a tome for you. I was hoping it'd spark an idea." "Sssilver... With an ensscribed... O-Oh...!" She slowly took the hilt, giving it a look over. The inscription for thunder was dug into the hilt rather meticulously, it made sense... Why hadn't anyone... Why, hadn't she... No, I know why I never thought about it. This is far too personal, but... So long as someone knows how it works, anyone with enough magic should be able to work the method. "I-It'd be very heavy for a tome, but... Thisss, would work, perfectly! Enssscribe the sspell into a ss, slab of silver, channel the bersserk sspell through it... It'd be short range, but... Mmn, thiss is perfect. Th-Thank you, Sseilan." Erephis hissed with glee, smiling wide. "I'll, need to get s-ssomeone to create a proper tablet for thisss, but... mmn... That r-really liftsss my ssspiritss. I was sstruggling really hard to, make a tome for thiss work... Heheh~" It was a rarity for Erephis to be so genuinely happy, the end of her tail wagging close to Seilan's leg. She had cheered up, remarkably so; he was almost tempted to comment on it, but withheld from doing so, deciding it would be best not to dwell on things. "Ah, good. I'm glad I was able to help. It's a shame that we likely won't find a silverworker soon, it'd certainly be nice to have the spell for what's to come... Well, it is what it is. If the plan holds, we'll be heading to Hwein after all this, so perhaps I could have my brother work on something for you in his workshop." Actually, I could take this idea further, can't I...? It's not as if that's the only spell that can be inscribed... "Hmm... that gives me an idea. Maybe I should ask him for something, too, while I'm at it... that might just work, too." He couldn't help but catch a bit of her good mood; now he was contemplating new ideas, as well. "That would be wonderful, Ssseilan~" Erephis was grinning ear to ear, not noticing her tongue hissing out gently, unable to contain her good mood. "Mmm... Ssslab with the ssspell engraved into it... Jusst have to input the necccessary, magical energy... Poof~ Sspell comes out... Even a ssssspell like thiss~" Erephis had several ideas in mind now, especially if this worked. She needed to test it right away... He couldn't help but laugh; Erephis' gleefulness was certainly a thing to see. "Haha, you really do love this kind of thing, don't you? Well, I can't say I'm too different. If you want any help testing what you're planning, I'll gladly help you. Ah, perhaps another time, though - tomorrow's another day of travel for us, and it's getting rather late." I hope everything goes well... I don't think this is the type of research that can end that poorly if it goes wrong, but... well, I'll simply have to make sure it does. "Good night, Erephis." Writings from the Walls Spoiler Avril 22 - Mardi We came under attack once more from Vaian rebel forces today. During the attack, Captain Virrin and the rest of our cavalry forces began a countercharge against the forces outside of Tepel's walls, and were routed without opportunity for us to assist them. Effective immediately, I have assumed command of our remaining forces here. The enemy is more well-equipped for a siege than anticipated - each time they approach our walls they bring yet more troops, and they have no shortage of siege weaponry. The walls have been battered badly, and civilian homes have been destroyed. It is unknown when we will be reinforced by Vaian troops; and it is a matter of course that we will not receive any support from Hwein, seeing as we were the ones sent for aid. Effective strength: Foot and armored troops - 8 Archers - 7 Mages (including myself) - 2 We are making use of Tepel's ballistae, of which we have 4. We also have the support of the town's militia, though we are attempting to not deploy them. Tepel may produce good equipment, but in the end they're not fully trained soldiers; this is just their home. Captain Virrin didn't leave any casualty reports already completed. Evidently he planned to survive and write them afterwards. Avril 23 - Mercredi Enemy scouts were spottted distant from the town's walls. We repelled them with long-range magic and ballistae, but it seems a safe assumption that an attack will come soon; they have almost certainly taken stock of our deployments, and it is impossible not to see our forces here are dwindling. Effective strength is as before. No losses today. Avril 24 - Jeudi The rebels have taken up positions outside the town and are besieging the town. They have not made a push into the town, and are periodically using their siege weaponry, leaving us little time to rest. No casualties among our forces today, but a few houses in town have been destroyed. The enemy appears to be rather lax with where they're aiming. Avril 25 - Vendredi The enemy retreated after a long battle today. After several hours of ballistae and catapult attacks starting early in the morning, they charged the walls. We were assisted by the fort's captain - Amera - and her forces in the defense of the town, but we lost many in the fighting. It's difficult to defend against enemy cavalry charges once they reach the town; we simply don't have the forces to hold the line if they come at us without hesitation. It is impossible to hold the town with who we have left - either Vaian reinforcements come before their next attack, or their assault will result in the capture of the town. Effective strength: Archers - 4 Mages (including myself) - 1 Avril 26 - Samedi A medium-sized Vaian force led by General Nessraya has arrived to support the defense of the town. After negotiating some with her and other Vaian representatives we've reached an agreement for Vaian support in liberating Hwein from Coteon's troops in exchange for our assistance in defeating their rebels. We won't get a better offer; to be truthful it's a generous offer given our current combat strength. Beginning today we're essentially mercenaries under Vaian command. It's important that we have a good showing, lest Vaia decide to be halfhearted helping us, even if our presence was critical for defending Tepel. Avril 27 - Dimanche A major battle occurred today. Coteon forces intervened violently in a rebel attack on the city; the Vaians had an impressive showing. If they help us repel our occupants, the outlook seems positive. From this point onwards I intend to join their group as an envoy, the remainder of who we came here with will continue defending the city. In total, that's 3 archers, operating ballistae. Tepel should be safe if the general's group is able to carry out their next attack. Grim as it has been, I don't intend to be the sole survivor of our group, so they have to stay behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ether Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 Nessraya frowned as Thesephine finished her speech. It was rousing and all, but the King's final words put a foul taste in her mouth. It wasn't as though they hadn't become aware they had been tailed, but there wasn't time to stop and deal with their rear so close to the fort. But this... "Are you certain, Thesephine? I am... more well suited to dealing with crowds than you are, since I can regenerate my wounds. Perhaps it would be better for me to hold the line, and for you to command our assault?" 'And were the worst to come to pass, I am more expendable than you are...' __________ This was it, huh? Nothing left for it but to get any last-moment preparations out of the caravan and get into position. One light ease of worry for Nisha was that she had managed to find an impressively heavy bow among the convoy... hopefully it would ease her worries about heavy armour just a bit, and at least she would be out of striking range using something like this, even if it didn't do the trick. At any rate, it looked like the King was going to stay behind and cover the rear. Or perhaps the General? "If there's a lot of them, wouldn't it be better for more than one of you to stick behind, anyway? The corridors within the fort itself will probably end up being chokepoints too small to force everyone through quickly anyway... and it'd be better for both sides if this flank didn't fall down." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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