Nanami Touko
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Posts posted by Nanami Touko
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"Mrowwrr! Coming through!" Amera wasn't going to miss the chance to get involved in the fight, rushing past everyone and aiming two punches into the myrm, one into his back and the other against his head!
Amera to 14,12, punch the myrm in the back of the skull
"Tchh... Roxanne, if you could. Help me please." Alvira steeled herself against the pain and pushed forward.
Alvira to 14,15
The first wave had fallen. Not a one had called to her for help. They don't even recognize you. They never cared. These beasts were right. My sacrifice would've amounted to nothing... Kazran. Kazran! KAZRAN KAZRAN KAZRAN!! Electricity sparked at Sylm's fingertips as she moved along behind Alvira.
Sylm to 14,14
"Looks like you lot have the central corridor... Brother, with me, if you like." Cass ran down the side adjoining hall, eyes falling upon two mercenaries. She hoisted a wicked looking axe with a hook near its head, smiling wildly. "You two have those fancy monster gutting blades. Are they clean? You ever fancied yourselves the chance to kill one?" She ran her tongue along the edge of her axe blade, holding it out, ready in front of her. "Why don't you get your feet wet?"
Cass moves to 21,9, equips swordreaver
"Good work, Gean, Aly. Onto the next." It was brutal work, but it was swift, and that was what mattered most. Versaris ran up and spied two men carrying pure weapons... Of course. "You. Me. Let's dance."
Versaris to 5,8, Iron sword equipped
"Even if you did... I..." It was grueling for M to reconcile with what had happened and what she was being told. They could've stopped her, sure. So many could have. So many mistakes. So many dead... "... You're right. Correct, positive, right..." She bit the words out, trying to kill a part of herself, if only for the moment. "Once they free us, I will retrieve my weapon. And I will kill... Crush, maim, kill! All of these insects!" Her rage fought past the tears steaming out of her dark orbs, eyes on the cell doors. "Just you wait. Just you wait. Kazran... Kazran...!"
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"I'm happy you think I'm cute, Marianne." He winked and then leaned back, idly swirling his empty glass around in his hand. "I have my people. They're around... Surely I'd try something else to get on your good side, yes?" He ended up chuckling a little, sighing. "Though I'd say all your sides are good, from where I'm sitting. No, no, let's just say I have some people in Remansburg, and if you're looking for your own, and you think I can trust you... We can scratch each others' backs. Always looking for more people I can rely on, these days. Can't trust AHI. Can't trust CEN," he smile faded ever so slightly as he mentioned the Earth company, "can only trust ourselves. So. Do you believe that I can trust you, Marianne?" Might be coming off a bit desperate, but I can't possibly throw away a chance for more allies. Not with the rebels spread so thin and so disorganized... I have to try everything that I can. So, please bite, Marianne. I can feel caution coming off you like warmth from a heater, but we don't have to be enemies. Not when there's bigger issues...
"Oh, do ya? You think hanging out with other pretty women is gonna get her to forgive you~?" Azame wiggled her eyebrows and then let go of his arm, jogging towards the transport. "Either way, hop in! I hope you like singing, because I'm a slut for karaoke." She winked again and pulled herself into the driver's seat, slamming her communicator into the connector port and already cycling down to her music. "Doki doki waku waku...~" she was getting herself started without the music being on already.
Louise followed after Sia, happy her moment with Leon had gone so well... but, to face the music, or not face the music. "... It wouldn't be right of me to lie to you. I'm sure you already have an idea, but... Chips on the table. Here's my hand..." Louise slipped into the passenger's seat as she talked, letting out a quiet sigh.
"It's not a secret that the both of us having feelings for you, Sia. Unfortunately, there's only one Captain Silverwind. We had some choice words for each other about who was going to end up at your side... I believe I went overboard in my taunting, thus... An apology. You... And Markus, and a few others on the Dawn have been showing me... That I can trust, again. It's fragile... It's small, but it's... Safe, right now. Even if Leon and are are vying for the heart of the same woman... I can still, trust him. To keep me safe and watch my back. I'll do the same for him." She took a deep breath, too afraid to look over st Sia.
"That's what it was. I wanted to clear the air. No bad blood between pilots... If you're upset at us, or me, for discussing such things to the point of getting heated, well... You've every right. I'll make no excuses... But an apology in private would've meant little. After the jabs I flung at him, there would've been no weight to my words. Having you and others hear it, gives it the promise such a thing demands. If I were giving him lip service in front of you all, well, the game would be up the next time I took a shot at him, and my chances with it. Best to be honest, bluntly and openly... Even if it, r-risks, upsetting you." She found herself playing nervously with a strand of her hair, running her fingers through it to try and keep her mind occupied. I'm so sorry, Sia. I'm so sorry that I couldn't see the Dawn for what it was, right away... I've been a fool.
"I don't mind shopping together, so long as we leave the leggings and yoga pants for last..." Selu couldn't help her mind drifting. She'd worn yoga pants before... And they looked amazing on her ass, which meant-- No, stop. Catrin's already going to be all over your lower half later, so let those thoughts wait until then. Luckily, a beautiful blue dress had ripped her away from that, eyes going wide as she inspected it.
"Wwwooowwww... what a gorgeous dress. You think it'll fit...? Maybe they can adjust it if it can't... I'm gonna go try it on!" Selu snatched it and smiled wide, giving Catrin a small wink before disappearing into one of the change rooms.
"Ahh... Young love. How beautiful~" The blue haired fox had made her way over towards Catrin, waving with a sly grin. "You two out on a little shopping date? Cute. So cute. She's a bit short, but, given you two are CEN, she's gotta be at least eighteen, nineteen... And what about you my fine feline friend?" The fox held a hand out to shake, giggling some. "The name's Tokiwa... I work for AHI. On break right now, though. Gotta love the weekend~"
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"... Hey~" It was something else to get this kind of reaction from someone she wanted it from, hiding her hands behind her back and swaying a little bit. "You look good too, Markus. Love the glasses." Aviators, he's such a dork... Ahhh, this is great. I'm so glad he didn't try to dress up and 'match' me or something silly... She was going to stick to her confidence, stepping up and taking hold of his arm, gently pulling him out of the doorway. "So, you ready? Show me around~ This'll be my first real date. Ever... So you don't have anything to beat. Low bar, I guess, is the best way to put it... You got enough confidence to make me smile, Markus?" She grinned up at him, batting her wonderfully accentuated eyelashes. "Then again... Just being with you is enough to make me happy, right now."
"You got it doc." She gave Rosa a pretty lazy thumbs up and turned to leave, before glancing over her shoulder, "that's Miss Manami, by the way." She smirked and left Rosa's office, slowly walking her way out of the med bay... She caught sight of Esther with the therapist again, giving her another wink and a wave. Well, sucks that I gotta share space with Azame after how poorly that fell apart... But it's not like I'm gonna change just because of that~ That goth chick is crazy cute... I gotta run into her after work hours. See if she's down for a little fun, hmhmhm... With a target and her plans in mind, Fumie made for her room. She'd fly through the certs and then check out the rest of the ship.
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"And this switch flips here, this turns on, adjust the seat... Uh oh." Thesephine saw the wire heading down and leaned back in her seat... Hopefully it wasn't one of the engineers. Maybe she could get away with this with one of the pilots? ... And it did seem to be one of the pilots, as a tan man with white hair came into view. Whoa... He's hot. I picked a winner machine-- Not the time, Thessy! "And why should I have to answer to you, hmm? You think you're the authority around here because you're one of the pilots? Hmph! My daddy is Ambrose Adozosi of the Adozosi corporation, and he funds the projects that make these machines real in the first place! So~! As his daughter, I came to test the merchandise. You should be honored to have his child personally testing the systems of your HEX." She crossed her legs and folded her arms, raising an eyebrow at Daeran and smirking with all of the authority she believed she held.
"Now, if you don't mind, I have no plans on taking this for a spin, as much as I deserve to, but I was about to cycle through the systems and make sure everything was running properly. There's NOTHING to do on this boring steel hulk, so I found a way to entertain myself. Shoo, shoo! Out of my way, little pilot."
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"Geez, you... You really would, wouldn't you. In front of someone too, I'd wager... Hhh..." Selu groaned quietly in mild embarrassment and excitement, still beyond happy that someone found her so attractive, but... Time and place, time and place! There was no fighting her, though. Bigger, stronger, an allure that she just couldn't deny... The happiness that Catrin's actions gave her far outweighed the cons.
"I'll make sure to look for myself, too. Promise... If I leave everything up to you I'll just end up in a miniskirt, or something else equally revealing." She stuck her tongue out, the two entering the shopping district proper. Plenty of different stores strewn about, selling all sorts of things; all the amenities one could want, and plenty of escapes for entertainment. "Wow... There's... There's too much. Let's see... I think that's a clothes store?"
Comet Coveralls was a weird name for a store, but it has different outfits on mannequin display in the windows. "It'll do, I suppose? We can always go elsewhere if it sucks..." She pushed in and took a quick glance around... Swiftly and suddenly overwhelmed by choice. There were only a few customers she could see, some lady at the back, another one with some adorable fox ears and light blue hair, but there was just... So many different pieces of clothing. "Ahwahh... Wh-Where do we start...?"
Louise heard him, watched him shake her hand, but... she couldn't really believe it. It was that simple? He could've thrown this all back in her faced, blurted out everything she'd said, ruined Sia's opinion of her so easily... But he just. Accepted it. She'd meant it; this wasn't a messed up game she was playing, but... I really wasn't at fault back then, was I?
Slowly she smiled and let go of his hand. "Hmph... No hard feelings, is it? Remember that, Leon. I'll hold you to it." She smirked, more playfully than ever, turning towards the Captain and walking away. "Shall we be off then, Sia? Either to the embassy, or towards those clothes you're so interested in?" This is all I needed. A place to belong. A place without those that would stab you in the back for... For nothing. I almost became one of them. Thank you Markus. Thank you Leon... Thank you, Sia. I can do this. I can grow...
Azame let out a little sigh, the tension defusing with the handshake, both parties seeming pleased with the outcome. "O, kay~ mission successful, it seems. Let's go complete out own mission, hot shot~ Where'd you like to go first? I've been around Remansburg, I know aaaallll the best spots."
No name, huh? I'm not worth it, or... You're trying to keep a low, personal profile. That concern makes sense now. People you were supposed to meet not showing up, hmm... Held back by... Who? AHI? The CEN? You're talking a lot about their ship. Very curious. "Yes, the CEN's Imminent Dawn, first of its class, but not the final one of its line. Not by a long shot... Interstellar travel, the latest in beam weaponry, capacity enough for up to twenty personal machines, living quarters, amenities, enough space to house CEN's most important and influential individuals... They've always got to and stick their noses where they don't belong~" He smirked and finished his glass, setting it on the table and giving it a bit of a spin. "But, maybe this time will be different, yes? I'll have to pay the Dawn's crew a visit. Size up their Captain. See exactly who I'm dealing with..."
He smirked and leaned a little closer. "Who are you, really? Let's play a bit less cat and mouse, and see, perhaps, if we can aid each other, yes?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're rather nervous, despite that poker face... I've got people in the city. If you'd like help finding your friends, I wouldn't mind issuing a search... Free of charge, no strings attached. You're not AHI, as far as I can tell. You wouldn't be out here doing exactly what I'm doing if you were... So I think I can trust you, to a degree. What'll it be, miss dancer?"
Fumie smirked. She knew what the acronym meant in this context, but she couldn't help herself, covering her smile with a hand. "No questions, not about the job. Been doing it at the embassy for a few years, now, so I know what's up, unless a CEN ship is that much more to manage. Your pilots didn't seem in any dire straits as I came aboard... A few of them were pretty cute, in fact~" She kept that goth chick in mind for later. "I've got a computer, so I can take care of those courses when I get back to my room... You want me to go and handle those now, or...?" She adjusted her doctor's coat some, pulling it over her tank top and shorts. She's gotten in shit for her dress at the embassy a few times, but if this Rosa didn't care, that would be for the best. She could start putting those piercings back in too, one by one. See if she noticed and how much she gave a heck~
[You got it, Markus <3]
Miz had finished her face, and next was clothes... A dress was essential. Something flowy, nothing that would hide her body too much, but enough to keep the allure. She understood the draw of her non-human skin tones, and while she knew it would likely bring Markus some trouble to go out looking so appealing... She wanted to look it for him. "Okay... Dress chosen. Underwear, normal. This isn't that kind of date, Markus isn't that kind of guy... Which just, leaves." Miz took her time getting dressed, carefully, brushed her beautiful pink locks again, and then headed out of the room.
[I'm heading on over.]
"Hahh... Confidence, Miz. You keep that Sam hidden for now. She's still a part of you, but right now, you need that confidence they drilled in you. He likes you, so make him love you..." Luckily, the private quarters weren't long, extended hallways, so it was only a few minutes before she was at his room, gently knocking at the door. She tugged some on her dress, flowy, pure white, shoulder straps and frills along the edges of it, a pattern of faint snowflakes adorning it, and a blue sash tied into a bow around her waist to keep it to her figure and let it poof out around her legs more. Legs that it covered up to just past the knee, showing her lovely lower legs and the heels she'd chosen to wear today. "Get ready, Markus... Here I come."
-
Cheryl smiled. "Of course. If you'd like to discuss things, then..." She stepped over towards a door on the other side of the med bay's lounge area, slipping a key into it and unlocking it. A subdued in color room, walls wooden, brown, muted tones, nothing vibrant or extravagant, but not devoid of color completely, just calming, as calming as she tried to be, was visible through the doorway. Her desk, along with a larger couch, presumably for patients, and a small chair, could be seen past her form. Cheryl gently adjusted her turtleneck and brushed an idle strand of hair out of her face. "I'm aware of your situation, to a degree, but I'm not here for that. Just here to talk, and we'll see what comes from that. You can tell me exactly as much as you'd like, and if you're willing, I'll see if I can provide you a solution, or advice to resolve a situation... If you're interested, please follow after me."
She stepped into her office and moved around to take a seat at the desk, slowly fetching out a pen and a journal to write in, adjusting her glasses some. Rosa will have to see her first if she needs an adjustment on her medication, but I can get a feel for that before I send her to the good doctor.
"Ahhh... Haha. Yes, the ambassador..." Azame turned off her flirting and sheepishly moved back towards the Captain. "Right, well... No. That's about all I can say... Because that's all I could find. I was in the area of that combat, searching for him, but I couldn't turn up a single clue. It's... Quite mysterious. He just, up and vanished one day, as far as I'm aware. Maybe the Commander at the Embassy can be of more help to you? He'd know more than me by default, anyway... Just an Ensign with an old robot. I only got assigned to detail on it because we've so few pilots here... Ahah." It was a bit embarrassing to admit how small the CEN's presence was on Callisto, but there was no changing facts.
"I hope that helps a little, at least. And don't worry about your hot shot here," Azame said, returning to her motions and taking Leon's hand. "Silvavolke, yeah? Callsign 'Ignited'? I saw your moves out there, hot shot~ I took the time to get acquainted with everyone's names and callsigns... so let's get along, shall we~?"She began to drag Leon off to one of the transport vehicles, a surprising strength to her grip, along with the squish of something pressing into his arm as she walked. "You lot take care~"
Louise couldn't help the chuckle that left her as the Ensign attempted to practically drag Leon off. She walked after them for a moment, waving down Azame, "wait a moment, Ensign." She took a deep breath and held a hand out for Leon to shake, staring him in the eyes. "I'm sorry. For everything I've said to you. If you can't forgive me, I won't hold it against you... but I felt you were due an apology, and I'd rather it be in front of an audience. I want you to know I'm serious, and not afraid to admit my mistakes in front of others..." She wasn't sure if Sia would ask about this, or how others would react, but it was important for her to move forward.
"Uh... Should I...?" Azame blinked and her ears twitched some, taking a small step away from Leon for the moment.
"L-Look, I don't have any doubts, but... A, Are you really gonna, I mean, while we're shopping-- Ahh-- Mhn!" Selu flushed a bright red as Catrin showed her exactly how much she wasn't going to take anyone's guff on how Selu looked, leaving her stuttering and stammering for a moment. "Y-You can't just, ahhh, c-come on, give me... Give me some warning, geez." She huffed and shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "Ahhhh... hhh... Clothes that I'd like for myself... I'd, like some dresses. Some really nice and flowing dresses. Maybe not, showing any leg, but... Just something nice. Something fitting... I've been stuck in standard issue clothing and pilot suits for so many years, I'm, not even sure what would look good on me... So... Please choose some nice things?" She smiled somewhat sheepishly and took Catrin's hand, trying to pull her along... It wasn't very effective, she was much weaker than the cat eared woman. "Let's get going?"
Ohhhh boy, I guess that glass tip was just enough... Senri steeled himself as she walked over... An air of curiosity confident surrounded her, but... Concern? Nervousness... After a performance like that? Curious. Let's take this calmly, then... "I'm a resident on Callisto. New to this area, that's true... Hopefully I can pass the bar for your standards." He couldn't help himself. "Not exactly waiting for someone, so much as taking in the scenery, the people... It's a terrible hobby of mine, I just, like to soak in the ambience and the surrounding conversations. Perhaps, someone could call it spying, but... Now that I have someone to focus on, you can be sure my attention won't be pulled elsewhere~"
He smirked and leaned forward a bit. "Senri. Senri Takahashi. I must say, your dancing was quite impressive for a place with such a small audience. Tells me that you dance for the sake of it; take real pride in your craft. That, is a lovely feature in anyone, if I may be so bold. And... If I may be bolder, since you've asked me a few questions... Might I have this charming lady's name? Perhaps what you're up to, around here. Maybe you can point me towards a good time. Or we can have one together, hm?" He took another sip of the rum. "They say Remansburg has all the delights one could want back on Earth. Must be some interesting things to do around here, besides get drunk and watch an artist at work..."
-
So this, was Remansburg... Selu took Catrin's hand off the shuttle, stepping down and taking a long look around. Plenty of cars and other transports driving by, people walking down lanes; a surprising amount, to her. It was almost like the cities she'd read about, learning about Earth... "Amazing..." It took her breath away a bit. There wasn't anything like this on Mars. Sure, people had their hobbies, but there weren't... cities. Centers for entertainment. Just cold metal walls and artificial light... She slowly smiled, both from her amazement and Catrin's antics.
"First... I've always wanted to buy clothes. I mean... I have clothes. But it's all standard issue, or military issue, or pilot issue... Nothing... Civilian. Properly civilian, anyway... Fancy and dresses and maybe a nice sun hat... That's what it's called, right?" Her cheeks tinged red slightly, realizing how much of a shut in she sounded like. "And... it'd be nice to model stuff you pick out for me. Just, don't be surprised if the workers at the store assume I'm your little sister or something..." It was going to be a problem, it always was, but she'd brought her ID and was ready to face it whenever it got brought up.
Miz stared at her communicator... She was beside herself. Was she safe to leave the ship? Wouldn't people recognize her? But... she really wanted to. Spending time, just casual time, with Markus... "... Grow a spine, Sam. You finally meet a nice, sweet guy. You get away from that life. You get the chance to experience something you never have before... Get up. Get up!"
[Yes!]
She hopped off the bed and shoved herself into her bathroom. She'd brought exactly one bag of things with her when she'd made her escape... If there was one merit to working for DeVa, it was the lessons they'd drilled into her. Exercise, singing, posing... Makeup. She popped out the eyeliner, the mascara, a light purple lipstick. If she was going on a date, she was going to shine...
I'm fine. This is fine. I'll be fine... I'll... Why are you... No. No no no, don't walk over to me, please just ignore me...! "... ... ... H-Hh... Hi." Vivien shrunk into her sweater, failing to make eye contact with Cia, shivering a little. "I... I just, I... J-just... Was... Just was, looking. At the... Machines. That's all... I don't... I'm okay. Right here... I don't need to, go any further. Yeah. S-Sorry... Should I leave...?" Her mind wanted to, but she was fighting it as best as she could. I can do this I can do this I can do this I can do this...
Despite the idle banter of the AHI folks, the atmosphere was good, the drinks were nice... The dancer was an odd touch, but she wasn't hard on the eyes and seemed to know it. Senri tilted his glass towards her as she looked out, setting it down and joining the quiet clapping as her movements finished. Suppose it wouldn't hurt to... Get to know some of the locals better. For information, of course. Nothing else. Maybe she'll wander on over... poker face, Senri. You already get read by one beautiful woman. Let's not make it two
"... Oh. Hey, cutie~" Azame smiled and began to play with a bit of her hair as Amy walked over, shaking her head. "Captain's still missing, but it's not that bad. Azame Nishimiya. I'm this hunk of junk's pilot." She tapped on her Gen one HEX and chuckled a little. "He's never let me down so I keep him taken care of-- thanks to you wonderful folks~ As for going into town, I'd love to, but... Ah!"
Louise nodded. "Taking in the city is certainly a good way to learn what we need to, to deal with things going forward... I must say though, that does sound an awful lot like heading into the city just to have some fun... I suppose, as they say, when in Rome." Louise let out a playful sigh and smiled. "I'll make sure to change into something more civilian before we leave, then... And, it looks like your ensign has encountered the engineering team before you could find her~" Louise gave them both a quick salute.
"Ah! Captain! I've been waiting for you~ Pardon me, miss." Azame hopped to attention, things shaking as they would, saluting the captain and smiling wide. "Ensign Azame Nishimiya reporting for permanent duty, ma'am! The embassy has had me and a nurse transferred to the Dawn. She should be up in the medical bay getting acquainted with your staff... That's all I had to report, eheh... I'm happy to be a part of the crew... Speaking of, hello crew~" Azame whistled at Leon as he began to walk past, waving him over.
"If we're free to enter the city right now, Captain... It'd be best we go out in pairs, yes? Given the conflicts and everything... How about it, handsome? Mind tagging along with me?"
Louise blinked, covering a smile and a scoff with her hand. "Yes, pairs would be best..." She'd planned on stopping Leon to speak with him for a moment, but it didn't look like she'd get her chance to with everything going on.
"... Oh. Hey there... You one of the pilots?" Someone with pointed ears, long ginger hair, and freckles down to her shoulders poked her head into the room, addressing Esther with a smile. "I'm Fumie... Fumie Manami. I've been assigned to the Dawn just today; I'm a nurse... Suppose you wouldn't mind coming in for a checkup~?" There was a certain playful tone in her voice, one perhaps not professional enough for the atmosphere.
"Do we have a guest-- oh, so we do. Hello, Esther." Cheryl had heard the talking and poked her head in. "What's she here for, Manami?"
"Esther," she winked at the girl before turning to Cheryl, came in here asking for a psych appointment. Which would be your domain, I believe... I'll get back to learning where everything is with Rosa. You have fun talking to her. Bye, Esther~" She turned and walked back into the room she'd come out of. "Rosa, where were we on introductions to your setup?"
Cheryl raised a bit of an eyebrow at the sudden interaction between the two, but shrugged and stepped out into the lounge. "I'm Doctor Cheryl Hart, Esther. I've been primed on all of the pilots, so don't be too shocked I already know your name... So, if you'd like to come into my office, we can have that meeting right now. If not, you let me know when best it would work for you, alright?" Her voice was calm and gentle, her eyes meeting Esther's, a soft smile sitting on her face. "Comfort is paramount when it comes to these sorts of things, after all."
-
Cassandra was happy to see Roxanne back on her feet, but what came next defied expectation. The woman swiftly and surgically turned one of the knights into a pile of gore with her light magic, shredding through his armor and his body all at once. It was a gruesome sight, doubly so due to the woman's anger fueling her motivations, but Cass couldn't help a smile. "Yeah. Yeah! You see that, you scum!? That's gonna be all of you in the next ten minutes! Hahahahah~!" Now this was carnage! This is retribution! All those years that she'd suffered with Kazran's men beating against their walls, killing their people, trying to hunt her down-- and worse! "Now you all die! Now you ALL die!"
The killing had begun... Sylm's eyes looked up at the men falling in front of the mercenaries. Some of them he recognized... But none of them would hesitate to harm her, would they? "None of you cared... None of you care now. That's just how... Islexia is." With a simmering rage inside of her, Sylm stalked towards what was left of this hall's vanguard.
Sylm to 13,10
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As the ship came into the dock, spying another, Roxanne basically vaulted off the Maelstrom, Cass holding a hand out to stop the sheep before deciding better in it and chasing after her. The sight was... Tough. Whoever they had chanced meeting with hadn't waited, it seemed. Charged forward, and given their ship was still here and there weren't any sounds of merry celebrating coming from above... She walked up alongside the curled up ball Roxanne had become, placing a hand on her back. "Hey. Hey... I'm not gonna mince words. I'm not gonna try and make this easy for you. If they're gone... There's no bringing them back. What you need to do is take all of that sadness, regret, anger and hatred, and bore a hole into Kazran with it. Maybe your captain got jumpy and struck before she should have, but if he wasn't here, there wouldn't have been a need for this in the first place. He dies today, Roxanne. There will be time for tears after that." Cass unclipped her axe and walked forward with the rest of the mercenaries, some of them already charging into the fray.
"That wolf's got fight in him... Alright. Hey! HEY! You WORTHLESS lot!" Cassandra looked down the stairs into the dungeon-like caves, grinning wide, sharp teeth on proper, full display. "I'm gonna kill every last one of you pig fucks! Rip out your throats! Smear your blood along the walls! Eat your guts and then send your bones down to the bottom of the sea! My name is Cassandra Meredith Gaffney, and you and that vile filth you call a Master have FUCKED with me for the LAST TIME!"
Cass to 16,9
"Come and kill me if you think you can!"
Krystal had taken to one of the corners while the pirates group had attacked, hiding away from it all, only poking her head out when it was all over and Vermeil was shouting for her through the halls. "Ughhhh, why meeeee, why todayyyy... Why ever, ghhhh... Gawds, what a mess. There's blood everywhere... At least they got rid of the bodies, bhh, guhh... Gonna hurl, this sucks." She could hear his demands nice and clearly all the way down the hall... No point in going to meet with him-- and now someone else was shouting, their voice echoing through, the... "Oh. Oh no. Oh dear. Not another group... Uggrrrghhhhnn..." She felt her stomach churn. Today was becoming a truly terrible and awful mess... "Just gotta do my job and keep my head down... That's all... Then things will go back to normal, hah~ Not that normal is much betterrrrrr... But it's better than watching a bunch of Clouded throw themselves at death. Gawd, why does anyone bother? Just let Kazran run amok until Nicolas cleans him up." She muttered the end of that to herself, slowly walking off towards the cells, trying to ignore her growing anxiety. "Just a pretty succubus... No need to fight me. Just gonna tell some folks when their execution is scheduled for... Ignore me, please..."
Alvira was surprised that Cass had just tossed her title out there and everything, marking herself as a serious target for Kazran's people... "Brave. Or foolish... Either way, well said. They die. Starting with you."
Alvira steps up to 14,10 and ices Sword Armor #1!
"Dance for me, you bastards! Show me what working for a slug like Kazran is worth!"
Amera's ears flicked and her nose squirmed. The smell of blood was strong here... There had been serious fighting before they'd arrived, enough to coat the place in the stench of airborne iron. She quickly shook her head and narrowed her eyes, trying to focus on what needed to be done. "Gotta keep up with Seila... Keep her safe. Get these bastards... Okay. Just deal with it, Amera. You've got this...!"
Amera to 15,8
Versaris wasn't sure what to say. Roxanne was a mess, but there was fighting to be done... Cassandra had said what he'd thought of, in harsher words. These people needed to die. There would be no mercy for anyone willingly working underneath Kazran. "Aly, Gean, with me. Be careful, be vigilant. Don't do anything unnecessary... The same goes for me. We get rid of these people without losing a single one of ours and send a message to the man upstairs: the reaper has come and his time is at an end. Now, move." His voice was quiet, but steel, not close to calm. He just needed to channel that anger at the appropriate sources...
Versaris to 5,3
Sylmaria had been living in a daze for the past while. The days seemed to wane in and out, nothing felt real. She was still alive. Was she event meant to still be alive? If she'd just, shot Owen... All she had to do was... But it was too late. Far too late. Even if she did it now, the Tigers were here. They were charging. They were going to fight until one side's light burned out completely... "Giovanna..." The only thing keeping her moving was her friend. She wasn't here-- wouldn't be here. She'd be upstairs along with... "I'll kill him. Kill him kill him kill him kill him...!"
M had sat crossed legged, slouched over, ever since they dropped her into this cell. She had no words for the few that had survived along with her. She'd fucked up, and while they'd put more than a dent into Kazran's forces... What did it matter? They hadn't killed him. They'd lost so many, on her orders, and... For nothing. People would be replaced. His power would return. He would do whatever he wanted with them, toss them aside...
"... What?" They were right. Footsteps. Shouting. Cassandra? "What?" M sprang up, her energy returning to her for a moment, long enough to run up to the cell door and slam her face again it, trying to hear anything else. "It's fighting... Fighting, shouting, combat... It's... The Gaffneys. Did, did Roxanne..." She fell back against the floor, slumping into her pile. "I... I should've... I could, have... Ahh... Ahhhh..." I should've waited... Roxanne. Roxanne! You made it! But I wasn't... I couldn't... I'm so sorry...
-
"Yes, Alouette. Today was... Quite something." Between meeting some of the woman's immediate family, and her disgusting fly of a betrothed, Ichika had met far more people than she'd expected on this journey, and had far too much excitement for one day. The treat was sudden, but amusing, Ichika smiling gently. "We match," she said to the red head with a smirk, nodding a small bow towards Mikhail. "Thank you for the treat, Mikhail. I hope your rest is well." Ichika let out something of a sigh, picking herself up from the table. "I think rest is a good idea, yes. If we are to be moving out in the morning, I will excuse myself. Pardon me, everyone." She bowed properly and turned to leave, pausing to glance back at Alouette. "I had something to tell you, but it can wait for the morning, if you are too tired. If not, I await your knocking at my door." With that finished, she made for the stairs and let out a very tiny and composed yawn.
-
Sylmaria had nothing left for herself. Her wounds were open, bare and bleeding for anyone to see. She couldn't close them, so she'd focus elsewhere. Focus on what mattered. "I'll kill him. I'll gut him and crush him and rip him to pieces... Like he'd do any less of he got his hands on me. Mark my words Kazran... I will see you writhe." Her claws sunk into her arms as she gripped them in anger and frustration, biting her lip hard and shaking a little... as the moment subsided, she leaned back against the wall and looked up to the sky. "So beautiful. Watching over a place so ugly..."
I want to see it. You getting angry. Truly angry... Please show me one day, Renais~ "Of course we can! We can be together any time you'd like~ All you have to do is ask, silly... We'll do whatever it is you're interested in, okay? Whatever comforts you wish to indulge, I'm sure we'll find something we can all enjoy together~" The fox was all smiles, genuine smiles, nothing like Jeremiah has received. "You just say the word..."
Alvira stood upon the deck of the ship, going through her tomes and equipment. Rather than any anxiety, she was almost excited. These were truly awful people working for a truly awful man. She needed such arenas to truly calm down in the face of what she had to face going forward. "Hahh... Hopefully we land sooner than later. I'm not cut out for boat rides... And I want to get started as soon as we can." She snapped her book shut and looked out over the waters, hoping to catch a glimpse of something...
-
"It would be my pleasure, Captain. And don't worry. I trust you'll be protecting me as much as I'll be looking out for you. I've seen you handle a rifle. You don't need me to do much~" Louise happily followed along with the Captain, giving the rest of the crew a small wave as they left. "Yes, that woman piloting the Gen one HEX model... Ensign Nishimiya, I believe she said her name was? I wasn't aware she was still present, seeing that she reported herself as a member of the embassy, but... Maybe she had something else to report?" Louise shrugged and folded her arms as they walked, thinking things over about the city. "What did you have in mind, by the way? I'm aware you're still in work mode, so I've no plans to try and side track us while we're out... but where are you heading first, at least? I'm not sure there's much we'll be able to ascertain from Remansburg itself. I feel that Toki has her claws in about every corner of the capital, given her confidence... I'd be shocked if she was unaware of any of the goings on."
-
Louise hadn't expected Sia to look right at her, feeling her smile grow and letting a small wave return the captain's look. It wasn't the most proper, but she had said they were all dismissed...
"[Acknowledged, Captain. Transferri‐‐ Transfer complete. Please review it at your leisure. If by your wording you mean to say you are leaving the ship, it would be best if you took--]"
"Iiiiii can handle that, Hannah." Louise spoke up, already heading over towards the Captain. "The robot was about to make a good point. We should all be traveling in pairs, at minimum, if we're leaving the ship... If Sheszacosh is so deeply buried in AHI's security, it wouldn't do to have one of us assaulted, or worse, taken, and then written off by yer, yes?" It wasn't a terrible excuse to try and spend some more time with the Captain. "I'm confident I can keep the both of us safe, if you don't mind me accompanying you." She'd have to take a moment to get changed, but that wouldn't take long. "And we do need to speak with either Iskra or Esther at some point... Get an idea of how exactly these abilities function, as to get a leg up on our funny fox."
Kazue got up and left immediately, walking out of the meeting room with nothing but determination on her face. She was headed for the gym, and needed several hours spent hitting the punching bag. Her fists ached. She wouldn't be able to get answers, not yet, so she at least needed to hit her feelings away for a while...
Vivien stepped into the hangar, medical mask on, sweater over her regular clothes, but she wasn't drowning in layers this time... She was definitely panicking, that was for sure, but... I wanna be more normal. Normal means, leaving the room... So I need to leave the room every now and then! Alrenne, would be happy to see me trying. So... so I gotta try... Luck would have it that the pilots weren't out and about yet, which was a bit of a relief. The engineers were all moving about the floor, checking on machines... "It's like a movie..."
Across the hangar, someone let out a loud sigh. "How long are they gonna be in that meeting... mrahhhh..." Azame was leaning against her mech, idly flicking at the brim of her sun hat, tail dragging across the floor behind her. "I need to talk to the Captain... But I can't just intrude mid meeting, even if I'm a pilot here now... Just had to get back during talks, didn't I. Hahhhh... At least Fumie is out of my hair~ Good. Bitch. Good riddance... I guess I'll just have to think up what to do after I get to seeeee the Captain. Hahh..." She idly tugged at the tied crop top that was struggling to contain her, making some small adjustments, then doing the same to her jorts. "Gonna hafta look into some new clothes, too. Is the estrogen getting to them again? They can't possibly keep growing..."
-
Versaris nodded at the situation. Whatever had gone on between the three seemed resolved so far... Hopefully Aly would explain it all in detail when this was over, or even after Kazran when Jeremiah had left. For now... "Let's do this... Aly. Just like with Luthier, but together this time. You trust me, right?" He drew his sword and smiled down at her. "You go first... I'll keep you safe, as best I can, and you keep going. Think I've got it in me to stop him once, at the least... Give you time for a couple of good strikes. Sound good?" Hopefully it did, Versaris holding his sword up, ready. "And lastly... He's right. Don't hold back. Go at him like you're trying to kill him, or we won't stand a chance..."
Alriana watched as Jeremiah moved to the other side of the field, pondering if a sneak attack while he was moving would be enough to land a hit. She quickly shook her head, remembering what had happened to the Undergrounder that hadn't even been aiming for Jeremiah's neck. As much as she wanted it to be that easy, so that she could be prideful about it, that was nothing but an unrealistic fantasy. She nodded at Versaris, drawing her dagger. If she was meant to be going all out, but remaining herself, then the added weight of the sheath wasn't something she'd have the capacity to adjust for. "You asking for lot. Voice does want to kill him. Making me balance edge of myself and voice. Pointless if lose that fight, won't be 'me' that won."
"Better be okay with losing then," came her taunt from their end of the battlefield. She lowered herself to the ground, the muscles in her legs tensing, preparing to launch her towards the lufirian like a Jeremiah-seeking arrow.
"Then you'll just have to shut that bitch out. You might not want to hurt Jeremiah as much as she does, but you want this win more than she could imagine." Versaris felt like he'd missed something since the last time she'd mentioned her voice, but it mattered little. "I only work with you, Alriana... If she wants to butt in, she'll find our footwork doesn't quite match, and I'm sure a mistake like that could cost more than a scar. If she's smart, and she can hear me, she'll stay right where she is."
He huffed and nodded... They were as ready as they were going to be. Alriana wasn't as fast as him, per se, but her initiation wasn't something he could keep up with... He broke into a sprint first, Aly lunging after Jeremiah with all of her regular ferocity. It was straightforward, but it was effective; even Jeremiah would struggle with such a zero to one hundred... But not enough, as, savage as her knife slash was, he managed to sway out of the way of it-- but Sari was there too, his sword colliding with and pushing Jeremiah's away, letting Aly swing at him again... to no avail. Sari had lost his balanced parrying such a move, and so, wasn't able to stop the next swing, the flat of the blade knocking her back a good ten feet.
"Hahh... Okay..." Versaris was on pins and needles. His hand was shaking, his eyes were racing to follow Jeremiah. "Again... I'll lead, this time."
Versaris and Alriana both came in together, hard and fast, they knew exactly what they were up against. Any one would have struggled with Alriana's frontal assault; she was a bullet, one that would track blood, and strike more effectively then even the most seasoned sniper's round... but Jeremiah shifted slightly, so slightly that Alriana could make no adjustment as her blade sailed past him. Jeremiah swung to counter, but found Versaris's sword instead. If there had been time, he would have smiled, but even that much of a slip would have seen the smile ripped from his face by Alriana's second slash which Jeremiah once more narrowly avoided. He caught Alriana on her way by, launching her back, and resteadied his stance.
"Close, but not enough. There's something there, but you'll have to find it." Jeremiah took up a defensive stance, if the two of them were content to come at him, then he'd let them come. For a little while anyway. If the time arose, he could see how well they handled him striking at them directly.
"Mhmm..." Alriana let out her standard quiet noise of agreement, deciding not to tell Versaris that the Voice was beyond boiling at his words. There wasn't much time to dwell on it anyway, as he had started the charge so to speak. The creation rocketed like a bullet towards Jeremiah, but not once had any of her opponents been quick enough to dodge her when she was moving this quickly. Her slash went wide, the creation sailing past Jeremiah as Versaris blocked the swing of the man's sword. She scrambled to rocket into the man a second time, but all her rashness got her was a harsh hit that sent her sliding back.
Just the one hit was enough to make her sore; had Versaris not broken her armor already then just that one hit from Jeremiah likely would've been enough. "Rrrhgh...! You go this time. Should be able stop him at least once. You better when at close range, anyway. Once you hit him, should be easy to copy."
It seemed like they were going to go with the same sort of plan; that was understandable given how effective it had been. While it hadn't hit, it definitely would have made quick work of anyone else who they turned their ire on. Well, it was for the best for them to get all of their plans down now, and try to make them work against an opponent well beyond them. He wasn't going to let them connect for free, and just from the sheer force of Alriana's swings... he didn't want to find out what would be broken after taking blows like that.
Versaris took the lead this time; Jeremiah's slight dodging wasn't going to work here, but he had a better idea of where Versaris was going to plan his strikes. He closed the gap, and Jeremiah met him, throwing off Versaris's attack enough to slide beneath it, but Alriana was so much faster than even her strikes earlier showed. That defensive desire, that protective instinct propelled her as she lunged to block his counter. Jeremiah chose to evade--had he struck, Alriana would have taken his hand, a poor trade. Versaris was on him once more, but this time he was able to slide to the side, and just as he had with Alriana, send the man flying with a strike of his own.
Jeremiah let out a breath, these two were not to be trifled with for much longer. They were adapting to each other a lot faster than most. Even if it was to be expected, they were still outpacing what he had expected from them. Jeremiah pointed his sword at Alriana, "One more chance before I put an end to this. The both of you are surpassing what I expected out of the two of you... I suppose that is what love is capable of." Versaris came the closest to striking me earlier... if I can handle him, then making quick work of Alriana shouldn't be difficult... that would have been the case if not for her protective instinct... how to handle this with this handicap...? If I deal with Versaris, what's to say that Alriana doesn't overperform? Troubling...
"GHhn...!" Versaris wasn't as tough as Aly, by a long shot; that swing from Jeremiah had nearly taken out his whole arm. It would've taken his arm had Jeremiah been swinging with intent, but he was still going easy on them in a sense... It was taking all of their serious effort to even land a swing on him, while he was still swinging with sparring in mind; the flat of his blade, hold back on more of his abilities. "Okay... hah... Aly, you're, up again. I'll stop him, no matter what... You just have to hit him. That's all you have to do, and I'll be with you the whole time." He took up stance, again, no matter how much his arm stung, no matter how tired he was swiftly getting. There's no world where I take him on alone, but with Aly... With her, we still have a chance, we still have a shot at doing this! "I'm with you!"
"RhRAhh!" It had taken a lot, almost everything, for her to deflect one of Jeremiah's swings, her arms still stinging from the severity of the blow. She'd never once actively protected someone in a fight before, but at least with Versaris it felt natural, her body moving almost entirely on instinct. She struggled to keep her grip on her dagger firm, exhaustion beginning to set in, but as long as Versaris was still standing she would make herself manage. "Fine... But only cause, this is a spar. Talk like this in, a real fight, and knocking out and taking you away..." She steadied her stance as her eyes left Versaris and flicked back onto the Lufirian. If this was their last chance, she wasn't going to lose.
"RAhhHHH!" She leapt at him with a sudden cry, bounding across the field with Versaris just behind her, directly at Jeremiah. At the last moment she tried to feint, dropping low to the ground, but though some means unknown to the lizard he had seen through it. The flat of his blade stopped only a hair's width from her, Versaris' arms shaking as he struggled to hold his mentor's blade in a lock with his own. the not-elf's eyes screaming 'DO IT'!
"HRaHHRR!" She lunged at the man with everything she had left, maybe even more, her head rocketing into his gut and toppling the man once the rest of her body made impact!
They gave it one more go, they just needed something more, something to break through. But exhausted as they now were, Alriana's attacks were simpler to see through; there wasn't the same coil as before, likely meaning that the girl wasn't going to come at full speed, and sure enough, she chose to feint, Jeremiah dodged once more, "I did say once more, so that will be that, Alriana." When Jeremiah's blade hit steel, he'd planned for it, he'd wanted Versaris to come in closer, so that he could finish them both in a single swing, except, Versaris didn't try to strike again, instead, deftly pinning his blade with his. It was too quick, too sudden, and just perfect for the creation.
Jeremiah stepped backwards, breaking away from Versaris, getting ready to draw another of his swords, but for the first time all afternoon, Jeremiah was a fraction too slow. Alriana became a rocket, and he was her target, her head crashing into him, and sending the both of them back. Jeremiah hit the ground with a thud, catching Alriana to make sure that she didn't go tumbling after it all. A moment past, and the pair were together in a heap. "...Genuinely. The saying goes use your head, but it's not supposed to be taken literally... that's twice now today. Unbelievable. All of that, correctly dodging your weapons, and it's your head that ends up taking the win? Amazing." The older man grumbled, before moving the lizard off of him, and sitting up, "Well. I suppose I never said how you were to land the hit, so I believe that is a victory for the both of you. Only just is still a victory in the end, you both fought well."
Versaris gasped as Alriana took her chance a bit too literally, body slamming Jeremiah and sending the both of them rolling away, forcing himself after the two. Lucretia was after him in short order, the fight more impressive than Kise's on some aspects. Jeremiah didn't look like he was taking things easy on either of them, so seeing them keep up, to a degree, and even land an, albeit shoddy, hit on the man... The Tigers truly had a spectrum of power.
"Alriana! Jeremiah! Are you..." Jeremiah was sitting up, seemingly fine, Aly flopped next to him for the moment. He knelt down next to her to start helping her up. "I guess that's one way to do it... Really using your head. Hah... But, we did it." He smiled down at her, as Lucretia let out a serious huff, staff aimed at all three of them.
"You people need to chill out! You're making me work overtime AND you're doing stuff that's well beyond what 'sparring' and 'practice' should be! Don't make me sit you all down and start a lecture, honestly..." She rolled her eyes some, moving from Jeremiah, then to Alriana, leaving Versaris for last. "You really are his student, huh? Going above and beyond like this in a situation like training, gosh, gosh... At least you're all alive."
Kise watched Renais skitter over to her, almost raising an eyebrow, half expecting some scared words of panicked anxieties over the fight with Jeremiah... But she didn't seem bothered. Now, at least. The fox let out a triumphant little huff, patting the space next to her against Akai. "Of course I don't mind~ And of course, I knew I'd be fine... That foolish Luthier only got ahead of me because I let him; I'm not so far behind these people as to truly lose to them. You've got to have more faith in my abilities, Renais..." Her tails swished a bit, smirking in smug confidence. "I'm only going to get stronger, you know... It's all I can do~ Keep you and Gean safe, and grow even more competent. I'm sure the next time I see Jeremiah, he'll balk at just how much I've grown." She idly checked her nails as she boasted, giggling a bit.
"You know, I'm a bit surprised I manage to do as much as I did to him... I nearly took him off his feet with that little blast of magic. If I had a stronger tome, or the tail Luthier stole from me... Ehehehe, I can only imagine how shocked he would've been~" Akai whined at her a bit, Kise rolling her eyes and sighing. "Yes, yes, I'll be good... It was just a test! Just a test. Goodness, you worry almost as much as Renais does." Her eyes turned from the wolf to the healer, smiling more softly. "But, I suppose I can't blame you. Not after what happened recently... Seeing me covered in so many wounds was likely rather upsetting, so I'll let it go this time. However, I'll never let that happen again. Promise~ So have some faith in me."
"Wha-- Hey! Laniva! I'm not, she, ahhh!" Syta fell to an even redder level as the cat threw her under the cart, watching the sheep leave them to their devices... she slowly scowled at Laniva and then weakly punched her arm. "Now she's gonna think I'm a pervert! You, you jerk... I'm gonna get you for this later, you hear me?" At the least, the effects of Kisara had warn off, Syta picking herself up and huffing. "You could've just said I tripped and was too tired to get up right away... Ugh... Th-This isn't the image I want to give other people... Dammit, Kisara, dammit, Lani... Rrhhn..."
Alvira smiled over at Tio and then Roxanne, both of them congratulating her in short order... She flex an arm, shakily, a bit exhausted from the continued forcing of fire out of her body, but she had to test her current limits. And I have to keep pushing them. If I can get past this on my own, before I meet with Fomalhaut, I'll be all the stronger for it... It's time for some more meditation, tonight. "Thank you, both of you... I'll make sure that I keep trying. She can't keep me out forever; this is my magic and I won't have anyone stopping me from using it, not Goddess or anything." She nodded, more confident than ever. Between her success here, her reaching Fomalhaut those few nights ago, surviving the Underground... You're going down, Mercuria. Then I'll meet my aunt, learn my family, and make my place in Lufiria... I'll give myself, my siblings, Tasha, and everyone here the life we all deserve. I can do this. I can definitely do this...
There it was again. The mention of this poison... When did it start? And why had it stuck... Just, because they were different? When did things change? She didn't know. Didn't know more than what was taught in Islexia... Her tears slowly quieted, arms hugging around her knees, face buried against them. "Go away," she whimpered, trapped with too many outside sources of realization, clashing with the big and painful inside source. "I... They've been hurting me, for almost ten years. I've, been, hurting myself, for almost ten years... It can't... It can't be because, they're all, wrong. It just can't... Because if it is, then, why... Wh-Why have I been... I can't..." She couldn't reconcile her own self harm to this truth being forced upon her. The worst part, the bent nail preventing her from shutting this coffin, was that the more she thought about it, the more she knew, Giovanna would agree. She'd agree with everything these people were saying. She'd been preaching it since they were kids...
"This whole country... It should all just, go up in flames."
-
This was a sneaking mission of the utmost priority. Getting into the hangar was surprisingly easy... the hard part would be getting into a HEX without being immediately spotted. She snuck around some of the weapons and ammunitions crates, keeping low, watching the engineers... There was one machine that they didn't have eyes on for a good twenty seconds in their movements. That would have to do. They all seemed very busy, anyway... There had been that recent battle, so maybe things were still getting restocked or setup. It didn't matter much to her.
"Alright... Let's get in there." Sneaking around the hangar and then slinking up to the floor controls for the HEX, she popped open the cockpit and then immediately hid behind the console as the wire to ride in came down... Just have to wait for that gap... Almost there... And go~ Up she went, scrambling into the pilot seat, leaving it open. The engineers would assume the pilot had come by to run their own checks, surely~ "Now, let's see what they've got in these new generation models~"
-
"... Th-That, can't... You can't... No..." Sylmaria had hoped, prayed for him to agree with her, to admonish her existence, to call her the beast she was. He was Islexian! Born and raised! Not soft like these northerners and Lufirians, not a broken mess that thought they were fine, he was the pride of Islexia... And he was saying she was wrong. He's just like Gio. He thinks I'm perfectly fine... I, she, he, I-I, I can't, I can't be okay, I can't! She shrunk as he continued to talk, holding her hands against her head, curling into a ball. She clasped her hands over her ears, the sensation of the scales enough to make her stomach churn, but she didn't want to hear more-- it was too late, either way, but she needed to pretend she could forget. Giovanna had already been too much. Her mind cracked. That same old wound. It kept cracking and throbbing and hurting and--
"Uwahhhhhh! Stop! Stop being nice to me! Stop caring! Stop treating me like I'm normal!" She began to sob as she wailed, the truth being pushed on her too much to handle, that old wound finally shattering and the pain she'd been shouldering for so many years crashed through. "Then why!? Why did... Why did I have, to hurt... For so long...! If I hadn't, h-had G, Gio, I... I wouldn't... I'd..." Already be dead and happy about it. Fuck... Fuck, why... You're all wrong! I can't be, okay! I can't! If I am, this... Pain, is all for nothing...!
Marigold grimaced. The weight of their kindness had been too much for her, but it was necessary... To a degree. There was no telling if she'd just reseal the old wound or let it bleed that poison out of her. As their lord stepped closer to listen, Marigold slipped out of Kieran's shadow, quietly, walking over to him. "Shh," she motioned with a finger, leaning close to Owen. "I let Kieran out, so get mad at me if you wish... I figured he could use some fresh air, and to face them for what he'd done, but... I guess he's being good for something else."
-
"Sylmaria," she replied, looking over at Tio and Elisa. They were the strongest mages from Glacies, were they... So that insane display was the limit of northern magic. Still, it was an insane limit... Sylmaria and Giovanna were looked at like freaks for their control over the mana in the air, so people like this... With known titles, they were likely well regarded, well respected. And they don't look like monsters... Their hair glows, sure, but that's not really enough to label someone a Clouded. Even my features, while subtle at first, grew into what they were by the time I hit adulthood. So if either of them was a monster, a clouded, a beast... It would show. Somewhere. Even that axe fighter had the faint marking of scales on her arms... Hahhh... If that's how magic is treated elsewhere... Magic done by humans... I just... I don't...
She let out something of a whimper, glancing up at this complete stranger. This Islexian native, working for Owen... Fully human, by the look of things. "Am I vile?" she suddenly blurted out, eyes staring up at his with a furious well of pain growing behind them. "Am I disgusting? Am... Am I, a mistake? I... I have, to be. I have to be! It doesn't... It can't be right unless I'm, wrong. I have to be the problem... Otherwise... No. No, I am. I am... I'm disgusting. I'm the freak. I'm what's broken. I am. I am..."
Marigold watched this creature swing between sadness and resolution, feeling some shock of sympathy. I... know what that feels like, girl. Maybe I've got it worse than you, but it's not a contest. Either way... I get it. You wake up one day and everything... Is wrong. But, you won't hear it from me, will you? You'll only hear it from yourself... That's how I was. I didn't care until I gave myself a reason to care. Hopefully... hopefully whatever Kieran cooks up helps you get over that wall. You're already wrestling with it, so... Marigold had no idea who this dragon was meant to be, but if she wasn't in shackles, she wasn't a problem.
Sylmaria took a deep breath, stabilizing herself. "I was sent to kill Owen."
Marigold almost choked on her spit, catching herself mid swallow and forcing herself to deal with the shock as to not reveal herself.
"But I couldn't... do it. I spoke with him and these Evokers... I'll be helping you all to kill Kazran. Make myself of some use..."
Versaris didn't fight it as Alriana scrambled out of his arms, letting her down without a fuss. "I haven't, Jeremiah, but I've got a secret weapon this time. Something that you left back in Lufiria." He winked, hoping his teacher would catch his meaning. Before they could get into things, Alriana demanded an apology to her sister... "Hmm. So something did happen... And neither of you told me? Goodness. Am I so untrustworthy? Well... Considering it was with him, I suppose, you might've been afraid I'd take his side." Without any information, this wasn't Versaris' fight to stick himself in, so he folded his arms and watched with a calm expression. Jeremiah could handle himself, assuming Alriana's demand was reasonable. She might've pushed buttons she can't understand, too.
-
"A more selfish man would probably be happy to have someone that was happy just being with them... Or maybe it's selfish of me to try to impose hobbies on you? Either way, we'll have to figure out some more things you enjoy, beyond just reading and being with me~" He winked and didn't bother putting her down, carrying her towards Jeremiah. "Jeremiah! Now that you've begun to wrap things up, we'd be happy to kick your ass~" He smirked with confidence, finally loosening his grip some to let Aly down if she wanted. "Hopefully the fox didn't take everything out of you, but even if she did, I won't hold back. You deserve nothing less, right?"
Lucretia sighed. "I just fixed him up. Don't you dare ruin all that work, okay?" She shook her head; some of these people were addicted to fighting... "Well... It's Jeremiah, so I shouldn't be too worried, but still! Make sure you don't do anything crazy, or I'll have to throw myself in to stop things, and neither of you will enjoy that.
Versaris wasn't surprised that Lucretia was being protective of Jeremiah after he'd saved helped her through the country, but it was a little amusing to see the spitting image of Serena mothering over him. How nostalgic... "We won't rough him up... Too badly."
-
"Tch. Showoff." Kise scoffed quietly at Elisa's performance, but Alvira was enamored, eyes going wide and a smile following.
"Wow! That was great! Holy crap..." She spared Jesse a glance, still smiling, almost looking at her for tacit agreement that what Elisa had done was extremely cool. "Let me try, let me try!" Even if it was taxing, Alvira truly felt motivated, stepping up to one of the few remaining dummies. She took a deep breath and focused, finding that hallway to her fire, going past the locked door... She felt a small twinge of pain; this definitely was not combat viable, but in a situation like this where everyone was around and she was safe....!
Alvira produced a small orb of fire, finally throwing it at the dummy, the sphere expanding at its base and erupting in a similar pillar of flame... But the dummy remained after, albeit burnt to a crisp. "Awwww... Hahh, hh, I mean... I didn't think I could, really match you... but whew, that gap sure is something, huh?" Alvira had managed an Elfire, knowing full well that Elisa's spell was a few tiers up from that. Still... "Kinda wish we'd bumped into each other first. I... didn't get along with your wife all that well, but... Just nice to have a real fire expert to aspire to."
Sylmaria had gotten broken out of her conversation with the man as the explosion of fire obliterated one of the dummies... Elisa, that woman with Tio from before. But, she was human? Sylmaria didn't understand, mouth slightly agape. H-Huh? What? How... We're-- I, humans aren't... That kinda of magic, isn't... The sight shook her core a little. Islexia had taught that magic was truly the power of the beasts, and such feats were a sure sign of infection. Even Giovanna's magic was scrutinized, but at least she used tomes. This, was... I don't like this. I know these people for a few hours and they're already cracking parts of my worldview. Stop it! Stop making my life harder than it is! Dammit...
-
Marigold hadn't gone far, but it was no surprised Kieran hadn't noticed. She'd placed herself in his own shadow, trudging along quietly behind him, eyes digging holes into the back of his head. You're always too slow to react and realize how wrong you are when you say things, sometimes. Too extreme! You just need to find a middle ground you dumbass... ugh, getting me this frustrated. This is all your fault, Kieran. She glanced past him at the dragon he was speaking to, raising an eyebrow. Huh. New face...
"H-Huh!?" Sylmaria hadn't expected to be approached by anyone, let alone a man, shrinking away some on instinct. It was that or aggressing on him, and she'd caused enough problems today... Besides, he seemed human. That was safe. "I... No. Not really... But I'm not injured, if that's why you're asking... Not... Anywhere that won't heal itself, at least." She sighed heavily...
A hand slipped into the bandages on her legs, untying it to reveal gorgeous obsidian scales that adorned her legs in perfect matching patterns for each side. "Doesn't matter how many times I rip these off... they always come back. But it would be a hindrance to do so right now, and risk infection or a worse injury before we storm Kazran. They'll have to wait..." She gently began to undo the ones on her arms as well, the scales stretching out across her forearms to her finger tips, painting a wonderful juxtaposition, her pale skin and white, silvery hair contrasting harshly against the pure black of her scales.
"What's your name? I didn't see you when I arrived... Are you with the mercenaries, or lord Owen?"
-
"Mmhhnn, what are you so worried for, Renais~?" Kise smiled, playfully, gently batting at her staff. "Just two people giving it their all... We're both alive, aren't we? Hmm?" Renais was always so sheepish... So concerned, so quick to panic. It wasn't a good look. Kise's eyes drifted from her, towards... Oh, my. Ahah. Ahahah~ Not too concerned with your uncle, are you? Were you confident he'd win? Or... Kise winked at Aegean and licked her lips every so subtly, before yawning and picking herself up. "Hahhh, what a pain, having to move, but you've still got people to coddle, yes~? I suppose I should get out of the way... I did lose, after all~" She let her tails fall behind her and began to slink away from the training grounds, brushing her fluffs of tail against Aegean, before plopping back down against Akai. "Thank you, Jeremiah! It was quite the insightful experience." If you're the weakest, then I've got quite a ways to go, but... I could feel it. It wouldn't have killed you, but a bit more and you'd have been on your knees... And THEN I could've killed you. So close... Tread lightly, Jeremiah Noire~
"Alriana..." Versaris knew she couldn't see him, but he was smiling so happily, hugging her even tighter, only for a moment; he didn't want to squeeze as tightly as she had. "That means so much! I mean... You, know that now, I'm sure you get the weight of... Of those words, I... I just... I love you. I love you so much...!" He almost felt like laughing a little, too excited, too pleased, he wanted to hoist her up and spin around-- he couldn't help himself, grabbing on tight and standing up with her in his arms, spinning around a bit; he wanted to hoist her up, but she was so latched against him, he couldn't possibly get her off of him. "I'm going to make you the happiest woman on Amaranth! Because you've just made me the happiest man... I love you so much~" He finally started chuckling a bit, the biggest smile on his face. "What would you like to do today? All this training is almost done. We could go out to eat? Find you something in town to wear? Lounge around and chat? I can get you another book! Or we can find the best spot in town to watch the sun set... Whatever you want. Anything~"
Iris had remained floored as things went on, trying her best to ignore it. Kise's magic was dark magic, it was powerful, frightening, and all over, a future that could've involved her in a terrible way. She shook her head, sitting up just as-- "Ullr!" she sprang into his arms and latched on tight, almost knocking him over! "Heheheh~! Heyyyy... I'm doing just fine. Just didn't wanna get up yet. Jeremiah sure is strong, huh!? Like, sheesh... I can't believe how much this guy can handle... Even, that." She gestured towards the fox, huffing a little. "So rude of her to fight seriously when this is all supposed to be training. Honestly... Mmmn, anyway, what about you? You feelin' okay? You do some training~? I've just been roaming around, bugging everyone..."
-
Marigold stayed quiet until they got outside, thinking about how she wanted to word this. When Kieran whistled in Lucretia's direction, she rolled her eyes, but then stepped in front of him, arms crossed. "Kieran. I want you to listen to what I'm about to say carefully, and really think on it... I... We, nearly lost you to your own decisions. I'm not going to lose you to those decisions again... So, resent me if you want. If someone threatens you with violence, I'm getting in the way." She tensed up a little and looked away; she hadn't wanted to go back here. She'd never been so emotional before that talk between them in the cell, and now that she'd roused these feelings that had been buried since before she 'died', they were stronger than ever.
"You hear me? I'm not letting someone take you from me, whether it's because you decided you 'deserve it', or because they want revenge! You can get yelled at all you want, and that's where it ends! I'm not... Nnghn..." She sniffled and suddenly turned around, shaking her head. "You're so fuckin' stupid. How come you couldn't be this honorable and straightforward before!? Ugh... Whatever. Go watch tits mcgee spin her stick around or whatever else gets you stiff." Too embarrassed to remain, Marigold walked for the nearest shadow coming off the fort and faded into it to let her feelings calm down.
Speaking of 'tits mcgee'... Lucretia was doing her best to keep up with Cinaed's flurry of fists, handling them for a time, but his paced picked up both rapidly and randomly; all of a sudden it was like she was trying to stop three arms from breaching her guard, leaving her squeaking and focusing hard on defense, but he just kept swinging faster, until...! "Ouch! Ack... G-Geez! That was pretty intense for training, don't you think?" She smiled, ruffled as she was, slowly sitting up. "Goodness... Well, I'm something of a healer, so I suppose I shouldn't have expected to win, but geez, you really picked it up there, big guy!"
"Whew~ Go Cinaed!" Siorel smiled and cheered lazily, waving her arms in the air for him. "You're doin' great hun~ Keep up the good practice." Really, it was just nice to see him moving... He was quite the sight to behold~
Lucretia gave Roxanne a nod and a wink, quickly picking herself back up. "Alrighty... Whew. That was fun~ Nice to stretch the muscles properly now and then... Can't let them get lax on me. Here you go, big guy~" She winked his way and tilted her staff to heal him this time, slowly spinning it back against her arm. "Looks like everyone's winding down... Hmmm?"
While the fight with the Belrose had run its course, the fox that had been waiting on the sidelines seemed to be... Radiating with magic. Lucretia's eyes went wide, but it was far too late--
Kise had been watching Syndra's paltry attempts at controlling dark magic... She was young, so it made sense. Still, it wasn't much of a show... She wanted to see what a true Lufirian general could really do. There's always the chance I'll be trying to do this for real, later... I have to see how much I can do to him~ Her tome began to lift out of her hand, floating beside her, a crackling aura of black and purple energy sliding out of it. She took slow, light steps towards Jeremiah, grin widening with each motion.
"Jeremiah~ Since you're done, it's our turn... You know, you're supposed to be this all powerful, menacing force, yes? 'The Moonless Arbitrator', was it? Jeremiah Noire... I'll admit, I've been away from Lufiria for too long to really do much research into the forces there, but you definitely interest me... What makes you so strong? So powerful? I'm really, really curious... I'd like a taste. So let me have a bite~!" With a sudden flourish of her claws and a wide eyed grin his way, the nosferatu spell surrounded his body and stole his life's energy, Kise slowly giggling as the feeling enveloped her. "My! What a flavor! I'd like to savor more!"
Syndra had talent, that much he could be sure of, but whether it was nerves or something else, she could not get her dark magic to land as she wanted it to. Jeremiah opened his mouth to begin giving his remarks to the mage, when, he felt the much stronger pulse of magic approaching. Kise appeared to not be waiting for much, marching to the beat of her own drum as it were. Jeremiah stepped away from Syndra as she was tended to, and switched swords once more. "Yes, the title of Moonless Arbitrator is mine, and I think you're giving me too much credit. Though, maybe that makes sense; the others are far stronger than I am, so I don't see myself as all powerful. But if I've piqued your interest, then I have to say that I'm doing well for myself. The interest is mutual; it's rare to see a Kitsune, I've only met a handful, Tamarinne being the most prominent of those..."
Kise wasn't waiting for him to wax poetic as she immediately went into combat, with the spell surrounding his being. It should have been simple to escape, but the Kitsune really was a league above the Tigers. For the first time so far, Jeremiah found himself on one knee from the attack. "...Hah... Okay. I see that I'm not going to have time to talk." Jeremiah stood up slowly, and then, was standing in front of the Kitsune, "So let's dispense with the words."
Her smile faded, her eyes growing wider, the man suddenly in front of her. She went to cast another spell, but her tome was knocked aside, his sword coming down. She caught his retort with her hand, the blade cutting into her, but it brought back her smile-- her tails were flaring, her aura was radiating, the magic that made up her being was protecting her to a degree, enough to enjoy this! "Not much of a gentleman, are you!" She swung for him with her claws, but the man dodged, easily. Her eyes darted after him, yellow dots chasing this specter! "You can't escape my eyes, even if you can escape my hands, Jeremiah!" Another claw swung for him, going wide, as they began to dance across the training grounds...
His attack was swift, and the Kitsune's retort just as swift, she'd lost her tome, but she'd taken his strike with a smile, and tried to strike at him with a claw. A simple sidestep was all that was necessary, but there was magic radiating from her tails, and it was strengthening her being. Unusual... Magic typically doesn't work like this... "I'd say I've been gentlemanly enough, I did allow you to strike first, no?" Jeremiah kept an eye on her tome as he dodged her attacks; she didn't leave many safe openings with her strikes, they weren't wild, like the feral look in her eyes would have suggested. Her magic was extremely strong, dangerous to take something like that again. Quite the someone you've found, huh, Aegean? Well, I guess we'll see how far that goes in a moment...
"Hah! Allowed~! How quaint! Don't overestimate yourself, Jeremiah! I can tell-- I can smell it, you're on your last legs... Just, one, strike~!" Kise kept flinging her claws after him, knowing it wouldn't be safe to go for her tome, eyes chasing the man, fast enough for him, but her body was lagging behind. That damned torturer... The tail he took from me, was it truly too much loss!? Rrrhghnn... I'll have to have my revenge the next time we meet-- No one fucks with my tails! The moment of frustration gave Kise further motivation, rolling out of the way of a swing, lunging at him, dancing between each of their strikes-- "Just... Rrrhhn, stay still!"
Jeremiah's eyes narrowed slightly, while it certainly was the case that her spell that nearly laid him flat in his overly lackadaisical state, there was an understatement of his own capabilities. Something that he was going to make very clear as Kise found a space between his attacks, and lunged at him. It had been the first, and only opening she'd given him since he'd taken her tome, and it was going to be the only one. Jeremiah stepped to the side, and his sword moved as if it were hand on a clock, Versaris had seen it only one before--a demonstration of what was possible with enough training. "I think that's enough."
Jeremiah closed the gap, first broke her guard, and then, a flurry of meticulously placed slashes, near invisible to the eye, all landed upon Kise. Jeremiah stopped the final one as it came for the side of her neck, "Allowed wasn't the right word, I apologize, that was a mistake on my part. But it was not an overestimation of myself, it was an underestimation of you, and I won't make that mistake again," he returned the sword to his sheathe, and glanced over at Aegean.
It was over in a blink, a sudden motion, then a flurry of strikes that her eyes couldn't follow. It all hit her at once, her legs shaking, her magic unable to protect from it all... She glanced at the sword beside her neck, shaking, but still smiling. "Hhahh... Hah, heh. Heheheh... Thank you. Jeremiah~ I'm happy, to know you'll, take me seriously... Should we clash again~" She leaned back to get away from his sword and completly collapsed on her side, tails flopping behind her. "Whoa... G-Goodness, you really, aren't a gentleman... Ngmhn, what a maneuver~"
"Jeremiah!" Lucretia hadn't been fast enough, only catching up once the fighting had ended, her staff pouring into him. "Wh-What...?" She had no idea why such a sudden fight had broke out, but it had ended as quickly as it began, with both of them alive, somehow...
"Mmghnh, he's just a jerrrrrrk... That really hurt, you know? Gosh, and I barely got to taste you..." Kise whined from the ground, slowly flopping into her tails, staring up at the sky. "Tamarinne, huh... Mikoto would've been plenty curious. I'm just glad to know she's okay... Give her my regards, if you see her, Jeremiah~"
"What does it feel like? Mmm..." Versaris Rested his head atop hers as she held close to him, thinking for a long moment. He was distracted for a second by a sudden conflict between Jeremiah and Kise... It almost looked like a serious problem, but after a few seconds and a certain motion from the man, he knew things would be alright. "It's... Scary, sometimes. I'm always thinking about you. About what I can do to make you happy... About how you're feeling. About keeping you safe, and keeping you at my side. I think about the times you're angry, and how cute you look... And the few times you've laughed, and how much it fills up my heart. This... Is the first time I've seen you truly cry, and while a part of me was excited to see you experiencing a new feeling, I, just... I wanted with every fibre of my being to spirit away your concerns, your worries, your pains... I, just..." He let out a sigh and hugged her tight.
"I just love you, Alriana. No matter what happens... No matter how tough the future might be, for the both of us, as long as you're there, I know I'll always have a reason to keep trying. To keep pushing. You, are... My everything. My only regret is I didn't meet you sooner... If only I'd known the perfect person was hiding away, with a mercenary company in Glacies. How could I have known? But I still wish I had..."
"S, Sorry, Lani, I... Hold on, uh..." Syta struggled, but with a hefty push... Things felt fine? She glanced up at the healer who had fixed her fatigue and flushed crimson, hiding her face behind a gauntlet covered hand. "I-It's fine! It's, uh... You've, you've got the wrong idea, we wouldn't, I'd never... Uhm... Th-Thank you for, healing me, but, er, you should, she'd the one that really needs... The, yeah..." Syta pointed at Laniva and stayed buried behind her hand, unable to face someone having seen them like that. Kisaraaaaa!
Khahahahahahah! Hihihihihihi~!
Ohhh, you bitch...
"Your positivity will not rub off on me." Sylmaria gave Tio a tired stare, shaking her head... It was then she noticed the fighting going on across the field, that man who'd been training all of the mercenaries and some fox, thing, going at each other... It looked like real combat, though, Sylmaria glancing between them and the Evoker at her side. "Is... Are things, fine?" She looked back and things had ended as swiftly as they'd begun, but she could feel the magic that had emanated from the fox, and it wasn't something your average fighter could handle. That would've killed Kazran if he'd been off his guard... Wh-Who are these beasts? What the fuck... How, how do you expect me to believe something like THAT is meant to be natural? Ugh... Frightening. These creatures are so fucking scary! She held her arms and shrunk a bit, shaking her head again. "N-Never mind... I'll... I'm just going to watch whatever fights are left. I guess... If you figure something out about my magic and are still feeling your pity... Feel free to tell me." Sylmaria quickly retreated from Tio, finding a quiet spot against the perimeter wall, planting herself against it and hugging her knees. Please be okay, Gio...
-
"[Lieutenant Commander,]" Hannah's eyes beeped red and she spoke up, turning her head in his direction, "[due to the company's nature as a CEN research facility, we are allowed the broad strokes. It appears to be a facility focusing on research into high performance boosters at HEX size. Any names or further details are unavailable through AHI's connections. If we are to find out, we will either have to contact them, or arrive in person."] She saluted Bonner and then turned to Sia, shaking her head. "[Captain, I was not sent any data resembling a time. My apologies.]" She finally turned to the XO, saluting. "[And my apologies for heading off your question, XO. I was already speaking; it seemed logical and efficient to continue with my knowledge.]" Her eyes turned away and she returned to her idle position near the door, staring off at nothing.
Louise sighed. She'd planned on changing back into her uniform, but with the sudden call for a meeting, she'd put everything back on she'd worm at the shooting range. At least her leg was still covered under her skirt... She needed to go into that focused on nothing else, lest she be thrown off and have a moment of panic. Just because Sia was nice doesn't mean everyone else will be... No. No, I need to trust them, just... Just, not right now. Not during a meeting. Maybe after, if at all... She shook her head; she couldn't keep thinking about this. It was already enough to be ignoring her eye as best as she could.
"If this was issued as a sort of challenge, I see no reason for us to back down. We can't allow a radical force to do as it pleases, not on this moon, and especially not at a CEN facility, no matter if it's loaned land or not. And if Hannah is correct... They're likely using the Dawn's movements as their signal. It's hard to miss such a ship taking off and setting down... But, if we leave it behind to approach with just HEXes, or God forbid on foot, we might end up severely outgunned and with no avenue of escape should things take a turn for the worst. Alas... If we're to take them seriously, part of that involves playing right into that woman's hands." She didn't like it, but it wasn't like they had much of a choice. This Tokiwa was likely using the Dawn as her signal, but, if the ship took too long to move... There's always the possibility she'll see our inaction as a sign to enact her plans anyway. We probably can't react in time... Hahhh... What a pain. Truly, what a pain. Not that I expected this to be smiles and rainbows, but... She glanced at the captain and smiled slightly. At least there's someone worth fighting for, here. I'll do what I can to keep everyone safe... I can't imagine her face if one of the pilots came back dead.
Kazue was sitting at the meeting table, staring down at it. She was off in her own world, thinking too hard about why Tanvir had been there. Why... And what did he mean? That they tried to get rid of him... Why would anyone... If, you are the world champion, you are a star! You are everything for the circuit... I cannot understand... Just... She let out a quiet sigh, furrowing her brow. Questions would achieve nothing, not without someone to answer them. I will get him to answer me the only way a fighter knows how. With my fists. If he cannot do that much, then I will no longer care... So speak to me, Tanvir. Hit me with your feelings. Make me understand what has brought you so low...
-
Versaris gave Jeremiah the briefest of nods. Alriana was the most important thing in the world right now, and nothing else would get more than a sliver of his attention. It didn't help that what he wanted to say was a concept so abstract that, even if he knew she was feeling it, there was no way to form it into an explanation. It made him happy, and sad, all at once, to see her like this. "Aly..." Her hug was tight, it almost hurt. He didn't care. "Aly, I... I don't know how else to say this, but... That's... Just, love. It's cliché to say. It's sappy... It's probably not the answer you're looking for, but... That's... All a part, of love. And it makes me happy, to know you care this much, but it's devastating to see you so hurt."
He held her tight and let her weep. This was likely the first time she was going through something like this. Going through something so confusing and heartbreaking... "I'm sorry that I've done this to you," were his first choice of words. Was it worth her suffering for her to understand love? Should I have been more gradual with my feelings...? I'll never regret falling for her, but... If keeping it inside for longer would've made this easier... There was no changing the past, as much as he pondered on it. All he could do now was be here, for her, and never turn back on his promise. Sorry, Luthier. I wanted to kill you, but if we meet again, I'll be turning tail, no matter what you say. I've got something much more important to live for. "I'm here. So let it out. Say everything you're feeling... No matter how much it hurts. It will pass..."
While Lani's swings might've hurt Syta's body, Kisara felt nothing, only controlling the vessel; with her magical control it was no issue turning pain off for the moment... And in the swings of combat, that extra bit of focus could decide everything. She let Lani's swing knock her back enough to give her the space to succeed, the fireballs coming from Syta's form so much stronger than her usual magic. As Laniva crumpled, 'Syta' cackled, strutting her way towards the fallen knight, climbing onto her, sitting in her lap... A finger stroked along her cheek, lifting up her chin. "Magic is plenty fun... And not the only kind of fun I could show you--"
It was then that the magic wore off and Syta came back into control. It was a roller coaster of emotional reactions: first the panic of hoping Laniva was alright, then the extreme embarrassment of what Kisara had done with her body, THEN the exhaustion of the fox's control... She gasped, squeaked, turned red, and nearly passed out, collapsing against Laniva in a fit of gasping for air. "Hahh... I, uh... Doesn't, f-feel like I won-- I'm SO sorry, for what, she... Ahh... Geez, K-Kisara... Why...?"
Iris blinked. "What, no sword? You goin' extra easy on me JayJay? What the heck?" She huffed a little, but her playful indignance did not mirror the severity at which she suddenly struck, legs bending until she was nearly crouching, springing like a missile at Jeremiah! It didn't do much, as he stepped out of the way, but she caught herself in a swift roll, springing at him again, catching him in the shoulder! "Heh! How's-- ghrgmm!" She was immediately walloped for two hits, spinning back onto the ground. It took a moment to catch herself this time, shaking her head. "Ullr hits harder than that!"
She swung, missing again, but her fists were flying now, used to their weight, colliding with his shoulder again, then his chest, before another pair of fists went her way... They felt lighter, even if they'd definitely impacted. He's taking is extra easy on me! He really is! I hope you're not feeling pity from before, Jay, I swear-- wait. In a mid fight moment of clarify, taking another hit, Iris realized, He's not taking it easy on me... He's trying to teach me. Duh. DUH! That's what all this training is about, stupid! She spat a small bit of blood out of her mouth, before chuckling a little. Her claws swung, they hit, and a final swipe of her nails across his clothes was the point at which Jeremiah held up his hands for them to stop.
Iris flopped to the floor, immediately, panting hard. "Hehhhhhhh...! Ullrrrrr... H-Hits wayyyy harder than, you... Bhghhhn... Butyoustillhithard..." She muttered her final words, glancing towards either healer. "Izzer a white mage in the audience...?"
"Maybe... And maybe he'd let me fight him. I don't wanna hurt him by accident, though. I'm actually a pretty bad person to spar with... I get way too into it. The teeth aren't for show... And accidents can happen." She shrugged, then turned her eyes to Iris' match... It was surprising to see the small little thing spring around so easily. Maybe it was due to her size, maybe it was due to her legs. A combo of both, perhaps? Either way, she was swinging her mitts around with relative ease... Wait, are those actually her hands? An... interesting mix of parts. What kind of monster was she, again...?
Cass didn't have time to go up and answer, the lizard collapsing after the conflict, asking for a healer in a rather peculiar way. "Errr, Renais, Lucy, you're up."
"Busy!" the woman called back.
"Welp. Renais-- Oh, wait, duh. Roxanne! You're a healer too, right? Mind fixing up the poor thing?"
Kise giggled and kissed Gean on the forehead. "I'm quite pleased to know you aren't upset with him. That will make this a much kinder experience for him~" She slowly slipped out of Gean's embrace and stretched, tails fanning behind her. "Hahhh, you're free to rest here, or come watch... I'll make sure Jeremiah understands how serious I am." The fox made her way over as the fight with the little lizard had finished, bringing her tome out as she walked up next to Syndra.
"You're next, yes, Syndra? Best of luck... If you wish to see an example of the high end of dark magic, you should stick around when you're done. Jeremiah~!" Kise called over with the fakest smile. "When you're finished with Syndra, I'd like to take a crack at you. Your niece is curious... Hopefully you won't hold back against someone like me?"
"Not interested because they're monsters, not interested because they'd beat your ass... Or not interested because you have your eyes on someone, finally. Ehh? Ehhhhh~?" Some parts of Marigold hadn't changed, ribbing him with her elbow before strolling down the hall ahead of him, whistling. She tossed the keys back on the sleeping guard, who snorted, sniffled, and promptly fell back asleep. "Damn, like a log. Bet he could sleep through an assualt on the fort without stirring..."
As they left the dungeons, Marigold shrugged. "Anyone puts a weapon in your face, I'll put one in theirs. They don't have to like you; they don't even have to forgive you, but this is the only way forward... And if they'll try to deny you that much, they'll get a piece of my mind. No ifs ands or buts." She smiled up at him and then returned to her whistling, hands lazily held behind her head.
Tio's words were washing over her like a wave. So much of it she'd heard before. So many sympathizers. So many people killed by her hand, Giovanna's hands, Kazran's soldiers, the man himself... It didn't matter. None of it mattered. If she couldn't even be a martyr for the country she loved... But do I truly love it? I was born here. Raised here. Told to fight here... I had talent. A reason to keep growing. And then... It all, just... and it still... She felt her brain going in circles. The only constant she couldn't refute was Giovanna. This mystery piece of an unsolvable puzzle. This peg that didn't fit in any hole. She didn't make any sense. They'd grown up on the same things, the same teachings, the same feelings and knowledge... But she could still look at what Sylm was and smile. Genuinely. It hurt, so much. Every time she smiled, something inside of the dragon cracked; split apart. She'd cover the wound. Fix it every time... And every time, it would split back open, only to be covered again, and again, and again...
"See for myself what Owen and these people accomplish..." Was there a chance? Was there a possibility that she was wrong? That Islexia was wrong? That monsters weren't the problem? ... No. Not because this woman says so. Not because Kazran threw me away. Not because Giovanna is kind to me. These are all single things. I am one person. If she wants to make me believe in her inane ideals... "Then we shall see what happens to little lord Owen Gaffney when Kazran is slain. We shall see if his ideals last, and make change, or if Nicolas snuffs him out for becoming a problem... You're smart enough. You know the Belrose family hasn't stepped over here because they don't care to waste the resources. Because Kazran can handle it. So if he can't... Then we will see how true your words really are." She finally shrugged off the woman's embrace, sighing heavily. "I... Will play my part until then. Use this curse. Kill his men. Bring harm to him... What a wonderful dream you have, Tio. But it's still... Just a dream." She shook her head.
"Besides. You and yours will be leaving as soon as he has been dealt with~ So whatever Owen achieves with you all... If he can't hold it alone, it will truly not matter. Hold those hopes high. For that is all you can do..."
Imminent Dawn: Callisto
in Roleplay
Posted · Edited by Nanami Touko
Senri let out something of a surprised scoff, leaning back and shrugging some. "Doesn't that make things easy? She's my boss!" He leaned back in and joined her whispering, "along with her niece Lucille and their faction of rebel forces... Seems like we can trust each other, Marianne. Allow me to reintroduce myself... Senri Takahashi, right hand and tactician to Alouette. A pleasure to meet you, my fellow fighter in the crusade against 'that bitch in the tower'."
He leaned back once more and let out a sigh. "I do hate the dance, but I'm willing to take the gamble now... That all the anxiety you're feeling was towards trusting me, not using her name as a bid to trap me. Hopefully I'm right? Hmhm? I'm afraid I'm barred from combat," he snickered, "no real skills on my end. Hahh... Haha. Now that the tension is gone... Shall I make that call, Marianne?"
Sia had responded better than Louise could've dreamed. A slap on the wrist compared to what her mind had cooked up. It filled her with determination. "You've nothing to worry about, Captain. I'm done believing the crew is out to get me or that they'll stab me in the back. I'm going to nurture this fragile trust into something strong and powerful... Something that holds the squad together. The only thing you'll hear Leon and I arguing about is the best sauce for chicken. Promise." She stuck her tongue out a bit and leaned back into the transport's seat.
"Let's head for the embassy and get a proper lead on things... Where Virion was last seen, any further information, anything on the rebels in the area... And see if we can piece together something, or learn something we didn't. Miss Shezsacosh's little mission for us..." That fox was still plenty annoying, but they had to play into her hand, for now. When they could turn the tables... You'll regret not killing us, Tokiwa.