Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[Mercenary on the Winds]

It appeared that Miria wasn't finished, even without a blade, she took up a fighting stance, and charged back in. Miria swung with a spin kick, and Jeremiah simply stepped back. He raised his blade to finish the fight, when, suddenly, he felt the temperature of the area he was standing in rise. Nothing had changed, other than the fact that Miria's back was now exposed, but... as the temperature began to rise, perhaps too late, Jeremiah recognized that this was a spell of some sort. There had been little magical presence from Miria, but it was the only explanation, and suddenly her exclamation made sense--too late though. "Damn it!" 

The explosion of flame rose into the air where Jeremiah had been standing. After the explosion, a lull fell over the battlefield, and as the dust cleared, Jeremiah was gone. What remained however, was what looked to be the remnants of the weapon the intelligence officer had been holding. "...If I'd known that you could have done that, I think I wouldn't have restarted the fight." Off to the left, Jeremiah stood, weaponless, a look of surprise on the man's face, "There wasn't a powerful enough magical signature from you, so I wouldn't have ever expected something like that... Perhaps that's a quality of your shroud?" Jeremiah put his hands up, "Considering that I had just lectured you about the loss of your weapon, the loss of my weapon more than enough to call that finished. Especially since you're in no state to continue any further." Another moment, and I might not have been, where the FUCK did an ARCFIRE come from?! Stars above, thank you Virion... Even left Rina's necklace off for this... 

Lucretia was marching this way with Iris under her shoulder, and Versaris and Alriana seemed to be talking now. Whatever they'd been doing before had been expended, and now words were winning out. "Mmm..." If it came to involve him, then he'd handle it then. "Lucretia, can I ask for your assistance with Miria, here?" 

[Nanami Touko]

Lucretia plopped Iris down in front of Jeremiah, the snake girl grumbling and folding her arms, a loud huff escaping her. "Sure thing... You need a touch up too, Jerbear?" She looked him over, looked up, locked eyes with him... And smiled, perhaps too knowingly, before swaying her way to Miria, staff out.

"Hey there, little bear. Mind the sensation, make sure you take things slowly... Looks like you did pretty great~"

[MRDRHAWK]

Tanya knew that she was in for something when Miria and Jeremiah started sparring, but she didn’t think it would be quite so… even. Yes, she knew Jeremiah was holding back quite a lot, but even still, Miria keeping up with him as well as she did was a surprise. It seemed like a nice, even bout…

Then Miria practically exploded Jeremiah, and Tanya’s tail poofed up. As soon as Jeremiah called off the fight, showing he was okay — even if his weapon was definitely not, anymore —Tanya rushed over to Miria’s side. “Damn, little hero! I knew you were cool, but that pose… the explosion… the fact that you actually held your own against someone that strong? You’re just… the coolest!” Tanya almost sounded like Yuria there, for a moment, but really, she was super impressed by the whole thing.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Jeremiah looked down at Iris as the huff left her lips, causing him to raise an eyebrow, "...Have I missed something?" Jeremiah's eyes met Lucretia's and her smile told him that perhaps he was not as calm seeming as he was styling himself. It was a bit unusual for him to be seen through by anyone other than Serena, Catherine, and Tica, but it was surprisingly calming at the same time. Maybe it was that thought that brought the wave of familiarity across Jeremiah as Lucretia started to heal Miria. Jeremiah paused, almost sure that it was his thoughts just drifting to Serena, but as he focused again... the feeling remained. Huh... Why didn't I notice anything like that before? Jeremiah thought back, to when she had healed herself after their first encounter, there had been... something then, but Jeremiah rationalized it as his surprise over seeing such a dead ringer for his wife, and from Mura. Personality, talents, figure... it would shock anyone, but after another thought, he'd noticed it then. He'd been far enough beyond their future opponents, that she'd never used her magic on him, or really near enough to them for him to have caught it again. Surely that's just me missing Serena... why is her magic so similar? That... That wouldn't be possible.

Jeremiah lost himself in thought simply staring in Miria and Lucretia's direction hand on his chin. 

[Nanami Touko]

Miria wasn't that injured, not enough for a mend staff to have trouble. She was topped off in moments, Lucretia nodding and bouncing softly. "Good as new~ Great work against Jerbear there... Hmm?" She'd turned back to glance at him, catching him staring... a heinous smile crept onto her lips as she doubled back to him, poking at him with her staff. "It's no good to stare, Jeremiah. Have I dazzled you too much? Or maybe the Tigers really are hitting you too hard... Either way... You've got a w, i, f, e~ I'm off limits, you know that." She tapped him with her staff and fixed up his superficial wounds, giggling. "But feel free to keep staring, if you must... I know how good I look~"

[Ether]

Roxanne nodded along with Jeremiah's reply, her face beaming even if she didn't interrupt him turning towards Miria. First Tio, and then Jeremiah... Tio could be partially explained away, her interest aligning with Ulara's own technological capabilities more than Roxanne's perhaps, but Jeremiah's praise came directly from trading blows. It was her, her magic, her piloting of the technology that he had acknowledged. A few tears welled up in her face for a moment, but Roxanne swiftly shooed them away before turning her face to Renais, smile still beaming like the sun, eyes just a little puffy.

"They really are unique, only Miss Tio has something similar that I'm aware of. I'm just glad that I can finally do them proper justice." The sheep responded, eyes drifting over to the bout between Miria and Jeremiah as it began to start. Something that quickly became obvious was that Miria was struggling more against Jeremiah to begin with, the instructor giving her a full reset after a botched opening. Roxanne knew that Miria was skilled enough, so it likely meant that her more conventional approach just didn't match up as well against the seasoned veteran. As they began again, Roxanne's eyes lit up at the same time as Miria's blade, lightly hopping in place and clapping her hands together as the cub began to joust Jeremiah in earnest. Her armour, the flaming blade, Miria really was just a delight to watch. She didn't feel much magic emanating from the girl, but a glance told the real story.

Still, despite Miria's best efforts and effortlessly badass visage, Jeremiah swiftly disarmed her, removing her flaming blade from her and asking her to concede. Rather than that, Miria had charged into melee much like Roxanne herself had. And just like Roxanne had, that melee had been followed up with magic, but unlike Roxanne, no one could have seen that magic coming. Roxanne's jaw hung as she watched... she wasn't exceptionally familiar with anima magic, but from the sheer energy of the spell it must have been an Arcfire, engulf Jeremiah seemingly out of nowhere. Miria had turned her back to the man and summoned such a high-level spell, almost succumbing to exhaustion immediately afterwards.

As the dust settled, Jeremiah made clear that he was fine, but his weapon was not, and he conceded the match. Miria's wounds were already being attended to by... not Renais? Another healer had approached, and Jeremiah had asked for her aid which had been quickly administered. The cat that had been conversing with Miria earlier had made her presence known as well, praising her for a job well done. Roxanne had no intention of holding back the same, although she made a point to reign in her excitement just enough not to bowl the girl over, given she had just clearly exhausted herself. Instead, she simply grabbed hold of Miria's hands, shaking them up and down somewhat erratically as she grinned, eyes twinkling.

"She's right, she's right! Your armour was impressive as is, but that flaming sword, an Arcfire? That was an Arcfire, right? You're amazing, Miria! How do you hide your magic so well, I would have never guessed you could do any of that!" Roxanne bombarded the little hero with her appraisal, her prior hopping and skipping mostly replaced with nearly vibrating in place.

[Bluemask 96]

Gean slowly got up from the ground, sitting with a smile on her face. "Oh it's gonna happen Lani. Don't relax or else I'll leave you behind in the wake of my growth, Ms Knight~." Gean was half serious, Lani was an impressive swordswoman after all, but Gean could tell she was growing stronger too. Syta was elated over Lani's win, so much so that Lani's request to spar caught her off guard. The two of them... they were cute together. "Ah, it's fine. I've got plenty of different matchups to try while I wait fo-" Gean was interrupted by a loud boom, and turning towards the source of the sound, she found Miria in a match with Jeremiah, both without weapons and a sorched handle in between the two. "Speaking of, I think it’s my time with the big guy. You two take your time, enjoy the spar."

Gean wandered over to where her little sister and her uncle were getting checked up on. Gean had seen this type of exhaustion on Miria before, but she was surrounded, so Gean would stay back and let the others talk, instead, she walked over to Jeremiah, who was busy thinking. "I take it Miria had a trick up her sleeve? You don't have your sword in hand." Gean stood there leaning on her axe, trying to study her uncle and see what he was thinking.

[GoldsbroTSG]

Miria began to slowly let her guard down. Her explosion melted Jeremiah's blade and he started to concede. She started a small laugh, "Well, that's the trick for that. The fire is usually meant to uh... finish fights." She gave a smile, a bit weaker than normal, but that was from the exhaustion. She exhaled and released the energy that held her armor, and she was back in her regular clothes. Jeremiah's helper, Lucretia came to help and healed Miria back to healthy.

"Thank you, Lucretia, I appreciate that. Yeah I..." She sighed, trying to keep herself afloat, "He's tough, even though he held back." And suddenly she was caught by Tanya, who was exclaiming about how proud she was of the cub. "O-Oh, I mean, it's a--"

Then suddenly, Roxanne showed up, grabbing the cubs hands and shaling them as she also blew up with excitement. Miria started, "Oh right, well me and m-myy--" but soon enough she fumbled forward, now catching herself on Roxanne as the latter had to to her earlier. "S-Sorry! Uh," she used Roxanne to get herself down to where she was sitting on the floor.

"I'm actually not sure about the magic stuff. Everyone who has been able to tell me anything thinks it's... my Shroud acting like a magic conduit. I'm not very good with magic, but my armor allows me to use it in weird ways." She laughed nervously. "And it makes me very tired."

[Ether]

Miria attempted to respond, however it seemed her exhaustion was a little more pronounced than Roxanne had expected, the little knight quickly collapsing into her in almost a mirror to the end of their prior match. Letting Miria rest against her and slowly lowering the both of them to the floor, Roxanne instinctively pat the cub's head, trying to get her to relax. When she was finally on the ground and no longer needed to expend the energy to keep standing, Miria gave what explanation she could, though it seemed that she wasn't overly sure herself. 

"Shroud? Oh, your armour... hmm..." Roxanne pondered for a moment, Miria was channeling her magic through the armour, much like she herself used her own conduits. The difference seemed to be that Miria's innate magic wasn't very pronounced, and was likely being amplified in addition to being unlocked for use. Curious...

"A conduit, huh? Sort of like mine... do you mind if I take a look?" Roxanne asked, curiousity getting the better of her. If Miria said no, she would understand, but seeing things like this was always fascinating. Luckily, the time it took to reach that conclusion also gave the gears turning in Roxanne's brain to catch up to reality, turning towards the cat who had also come forward to congratulate Miria.

"Oh uhh... she could probably use some water and a bite to eat, I think. What do you normally do at a time like this, Miria? Do you need to lay down?"

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Jeremiah's thoughts were swiftly brushed aside as Lucretia turned, and an oddly familiar smile came across her face as she sauntered her way over, and decided that she was going to lay it on as thick as she possibly could in this one moment. Jeremiah felt heat come across his face, before he cleared his throat, "...Yes, I do have a wife, and I continue to be astonished at how alike the two of you are." The man regained his composure, but the blush remained; it had been a long while since he lost himself so deeply in thought that he was just staring idly. Lucretia let her magic flow over Jeremiah, and the feeling returned, there was little doubt about it in this case. "...Lucretia, you might have to tell me about your family at some point. The similarities between you and Serena, certainly possible with how many people really do exist on the continent... but similarities in magic are much harder to rationalize away." Jeremiah looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "To be clear, that is why I was staring... because in actuality... I realized that your magic is similar to Serena's, in a way that I don't think should be possible."

Then Jeremiah transitioned into a wink, "That said, I can quite agree that you can dazzle quite anyone you would like. Serena would agree as well." She'd also be laughing her ass off at me... She'd never let me live that down. Finally, the one he expected to speak up finally walked up leaning into her axe, "Yes, so it seems. I couldn't have expected that Miria would have the ability, somehow, to cast Arcfire. Had I not realized it, I'd be quite a bit more singed than just having lost a sword. So... that mean you're next, Gean?" As quickly as he had spoken, there was a small dagger in Jeremiah's off hand, where there hadn't been but a moment before. "If so, I think it would be better for me to not use a sword against you." 

[GoldsbroTSG]

Miria gave a big smile to Gean as she arrived. It looked like the mermaid was about to fight against her uncle next. She gave her a thumbs up before returning herself to the other two she was with.

"Sure, you could see it, Roxi. Though, I'm not sure it'd work for you. It hasn't worked for anyone who's seen it except me." She started to push herself backward so that she wasn’t in the way of Gean and Jeremiah. Till she was against a wall, leaving out another sigh.

"As for... this," she motioned her hands around herself, trying to signify her exhaustion. "Some food and rest is all I'll need, I'll be better in a few hours. I eat a lot." She laughed, her smile back to beaming despite being so tired.

[Ether]

"Hehe... others have tried, huh? Well, that makes sense... even if it won't work, I'm curious. That was some really impressive magic... an Arcfire is higher level magic than I can use myself, to be honest. Or at least use properly, I could maybe force something if it came down to it but it would probably be a bad idea..." Roxanne noted, gently papping herself on the top of the head and sticking her tongue out for a second as Miria rearranged herself to rest against the wall. 

"Hmmhmmhmm... well if a little food and downtime is what you need, then that's good at least... ahh, but if it knocks you down like that I guess it's really situational when you could actually use it in a skirmish, huh?" Roxanne noted, nodding her head in rhythm with her musing, and letting her pointer finger rest against her cheek once her head stopped bobbing along to her "hmm"s.

[Bluemask 96]

For a second, Gean could have sworn she saw her uncle blushing, after talking to the new healer. Gean raised an eyebrow and smirked, but before she could throw any comments, Jeremiah pulled out a dagger, indicating it was her turn. "Yeah, the little cub is always like that. She's bound to surprise anyone who meets her for the first time." Gean lifted off her axe and readied herself.

"More importantly, I'm ready to show you just how much I've grown, but you probably could tell that by my hair." Gean was a little relieved she only had to deal with one sword today. "Thanks for changing weapons, I've already had that lesson today." She was a bit nervous sure, considering who she was going against, but that nervousness took a back seat to the determination in her eyes as she looked down her opponent.

[scorri]

Cin grinned as he watched Miria and Jeremiah spar, and couldn't help the laugh that burst out of him when she finished with her magical blast. Everyone gathering around her seemed surprised, which made sense. He pushed himself up, wandering over to the group gathering around her and grinned. "Finally decided to pull that one out, hmm? You didn't even almost set a ship deck on fire this time too. Good work out there. You too Roxi. It was interesting watching you fight. Obviously, he's pulling his punches, but still. It's good to see so many of us able to hold our own against him." Cin looked back at Jeremiah and Gean, starting to face off, a serious look replacing the smile on his face. "We're lucky to have him here teaching us. After everything that's happened... We needed this. It's a good boost for us and shows us how much further we have to go." He looked down at his fist, flames forming around it as he did. "I know I have a long way."

---

"Ah, wait, I didn't... I mean..." Koba wilted under Jesse's look and sighed. "Y-yeah, I can be your first partner. Sure." He walked back out into the sparring area, wind blade forming in his hand. She always manages to flip it on me... I was looking forward to a rest too... He looked over at Jesse as she walked out to meet him, wings twitching slightly. She was already in her armor, ready to fight. He had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't going to be able to take much more than one hit from her either. He wasn't exactly built for extended close combat but trying to kite her from range wasn't exactly fair either. He settled down, giving her a nod. "You ready? I'll take the initiative then, so watch out!" As soon as she was ready, he darted in, wind blade swinging at his armored friend.

Edited February 10 by scorri

[Xinnidy]

"Hmmm... a long time, then, makes sense." Üllr was pretty satisfied with the answer. Nyx had been pretty natural with the bow, and with her, which was to be expected, but her quickness was still beyond what he expected from a trained soldier. "Joined a group before the Tigers?" It seemed to be what she meant, and was what Üllr took from it. She definitely belied the experience.

"Uh... I learned to punch hard from grandpa. It's all I do. Even when I ate less, it all went there." He did a little flex, throwing a fist into the air. "'Punch again and again, until it's natural.' That was the start..." It's been a while, reminiscing on his old man's techniques. "Owe a lot to that."

[MRDRHAWK]

“Uh… somethin’ like that.” Nyx really wasn’t in the mood to talk about the past when Jeremiah was right fucking there, and she was grateful Ullr gave her something to work with. Although, the bit about eating less concerned Nyx, even if he was clearly doing better.

”Well, hell. Least yer not enough of a twig t’nae break yer arms punchin’ stuff.” Nyx had to admit, the form was good. Ullr’s gramps really knew his stuff. “Helps havin’ a girlfriend t’fight fer, too, don’t it? Makes ya feel like ye got a reason t’fight that ain’t just yerself.” Nyx was only sort of teasing, but there was a sincerity in those words. After all, she believed them too, thanks to Syndra.

---

Tanya was almost worried when everyone started to crowd Miria, but then she started to talk about eating again and everything seemed fine. Tanya ruffled Miria’s hair a bit, gently. “Yeah, I betcha need a refill after all that. You definitely earned it.”

Tanya then looked over to Roxanne, and to, surprisingly, Cin. She wasn’t sure how she’d missed the big guy earlier, but she was glad to see him up and about again. “Hey, you’ve come real far already. Be proud!” Tanya placed a firm hand on his shoulder and gave him a smirk. “Just because the road’s still long, doesn’t mean you can’t be proud of how far you’ve already gone down it.”

Turning back over to Miria, she gave the little hero another warm smile. “Hey, I know I tapped out pretty hard the last time we did this, but maybe after this, we should go get you some spicy food. Whaddya say, lil hero? It’ll be my treat; consider it a little extra reward for doing such a good job.”

[Ursali]

Alriana hadn't expected the hug, tensing up for a few seconds before settling into it, her cheeks softly alight with azure as her forehead rested against his chest. Her tail however continued to flick and roll behind her, much like when she was agitated, the lizard still clearly frustrated. "Mrrrr... No, not jealous." The mention of the man elicited the slightest of growls from her, but not for the reason Versaris suspected. "Know what jealousy is, this... Not it. Have problem with Jeremiah, but this not that. These emotions only about you." The mention of the word caused her tail to stop, a chance at understanding before her. "When you gone when wake up, feel bad. Then don't even see you for rest of the day until night. Then, you so tired barely spend time with...!" Her claws had found her way onto his shirt, grabbing the edges of the v-neck. "Feeling only been getting worse, as spend less time with you. That, loneliness...? I, lonely? But..." She'd never been lonely before, not even when Grelbiria spent days in a row paying attention only to her research. What had changed? What was different? Why did these feelings only apply to Versaris? "I still don't understand..."

[TheRoon]

Jeremiah was as confident as ever given how he returned the tease, something in Renais wondered if he wanted to flex his might. But at the same time she didn't think he was that kind of person. Roxanne took a moment to explain how unique her crystals were, which earned a nod of approval from the pinkette. Something close to Tio's level of magic was certainly something Renais had interest in, she expected a long talk about it with the sheep later. Miria's turn came and Renais gave her best friend a glance and a nod. Skill gap or not, I'll always be in your corner Miria. 

When the match began Jeremiah wasted no time with offense, he was quick alright. Miria had dropped her optimistic expression and gave this fight all the seriousness she could offer. Jeremiah is strong, very strong. But you won't back down from that no matter what. Your strength of spirit is truly amazing, Miria... Before Renais knew it, Miria had used a familiar trick she remembered, something Jeremiah probably didn't expect. An explosion went off between the two, and while Miria couldn't get the man himself she did catch his weapon. It was enough for the match to end. Renais had stepped up with the rest of the crowd, but it seemed like Lucy beat her to healing the cub. "You're very quick to react, Lucy. Thank you." She looked at Miria. Everyone had surrounded the girl of the hour, Renais didn't want to suffocate her much more. So she settled on a thumbs up and a wide grin to her bestie.

Edited February 12 by TheRoon

[Nanami Touko]

"You're..." It wasn't that he was spending time with someone else. It was that he hadn't been there at all. "I'm so sorry." He wasted no time in hugging Alriana tightly, holding her close against him, his face furrowing into something of a pained frown. I've been pushing all of these new feelings onto her and I didn't realize the most simple of things. That if she did get attached, she wouldn't want to be so alone... Dammit. You idiot, Versaris! You idiot... You can't just treat her like anyone else, this is all new. Dammit... He sighed and leaned back enough to look at her, nodding. "I'm truly so sorry, Aly... I'll be there every morning and spend time with you every night. I promise. I should've realized... This is all my fault and I'll never make this mistake again. I promise you." It'd mean less time with Jeremiah, but that was fine. He'd be so upset with me if he'd realized it himself. What kind of partner am I to have missed something so obvious...

---

Iris threw her arms up and then let them flop, before crossing them again and grumbling. "I just wanted to listen to what Aly and Sari were talking about! But Lucretia dragged me away... Something about privacy. Mreh. She's my sister, I should be able to listen, rrrr... He better not make her sad, or I'll rattle him good!" She peeked an eye up at Jeremiah, before shaking her head and hopping up in one single motion, rolling onto her back and then flipping her legs up. "Hahhn... Hey, hey, Jeremiah, when you're done with Aegean, can I take a few swings at you? I'm not mad anymore! Promise, but, y'know... Everyone's havin' fun doing it. It looks fun..."

Lucretia scoffed at Jeremiah. "You folks really keep thinking I'm related to this Serena lady, but, I'm from Mura. I'm Muran... If she's Lufirian through and through, then there's no shot, y'know? My parents are both Muran bred, born and raised." She shook her head, amused, but unable to believe it, despite Jeremiah's claim. "Still, I'm happy she's not the kind to get too jealous... Because even if that's why you were staring, you were staring pretty hard. The red on your face gives it away, Jerbear~" She didn't bother to quiet her words, knowing Gean was nearby, knowing she'd get a kick out of them, and hoping Jeremiah would get even more embarrassed. "If you're dead set on connecting me to your wife, we can talk later. I'll give you that much, 'kay~? And speaking of giving..."

Lucretia swayed her way up to Cinaed, gently slapping her staff against him. "Here you go, big guy. Looks like everyone's running Jeremiah ragged today... Maybe he's not as tough as he looks?"

Someone suddenly pushed between Lucretia and Cinaed, Siorel, hanging off his arm, looking dead tired. "My CinCin..." She didn't really realize what was going on, yawning and squeezing up to him tighter. "Cinaed~ Mhnn, you're extra warm... Were you training? Mmm... Oh. Looks like everyone's training... Right. Right, you mentioned this. I hope it's going well~

Just then, the doors to the main castle opened, Sylmaria walking back out with Owen, Tio and Elisa in tow. The dragon spared a glance towards the rest of the group before looking past them, heading for the training dummies...

Taught to Hate

Spoiler

Despite a moment of struggling, eventually, Sylmaria gave up and resigned herself to being carried. At least it was away from all of those disgusting freaks, accompanied by only humans, now. It was at least comforting to know she wouldn't have to divulge all of that in front of any of them. As she was set onto the bed in a room away from it all, away from her moment of failure, the beasts and their training, to harsh torture of being watched… She looked up at the two women who had decided to indulge in pitying her, as well as the man she had been meant to kill. Her eyes fell on him longer than the others, trying to understand him, in some way. Why do you do this, Owen Gaffney? What drives you to pity things like me? The world would be a better place if we were all wiped out…

“... My name is… is Sylmaria Hunter. A wretch that couldn't even live up to her life's purpose. I… I…” She shivered and hugged herself, keeling over. “I thought I wanted to die… Do this. Make my country proud… And stop living as a mistake. Be the Islexian I was born and raised to be… But that damn, woman…!”

She let out something of a sighed whimper, shaking her head. “Kazran ordered me to do this. And I said I would, so long as he… He promised Giovanna would be safe. But I can't… She… dammit…” She sunk further and shivered, squeezing herself tighter. “She's… the only person who has been truly… Kind… To a thing like me… I can't trust her to be okay, under the care of someone like him. I couldn't agree to never… See her again. Someone that would care about me… This, mess of a being…” She muttered off into silence, unable to speak further for the moment.

The walk to their location was appreciated, Tio needed time to gather her own thoughts, and shunt away her own emotions at this point in time. Certainly, she had killed people with her magic, the knight at Liste, one of the riders in the mountains; she was no stranger to it. However, this was markedly different, and it always left Tio incensed. Because it was so painfully familiar. It was so easy to flashback to so many years ago in the frigid northern wastes of Glacies to the lone girl trudging through the snow, alone, hungry, and desperate. The insults, and punishment hurled at a little girl who knew nothing of what her home was burned to the ground for, who knew nothing of what her father was masterminding, and yet she was marked. They all were, but she was the only one who lived, the only one who was left to carry the sins of a world that she never understood. 

It had been so heavy that the first time that Tio found someone willing to shelter her, willing to see the girl beyond the fears of her heritage, there was only one request on her lips: “Please kill me.” The older woman looked down on Tio in that moment, with a wry smile, and words that still never left her ears rang out. Dear, you’re still breathing, after all you’ve endured, you’re still breathing. You could have given up, resigned yourself to the cold, thrown yourself into the flames, but you walked instead, forward, onward, here. You didn’t give up because you have a future you want to see… I won’t take that from you, but I will do what I can to help you get there.

So hearing Sylmaria’s plight, knowing how similar it was, infuriated her, but for her to be upset now was being selfish. Sylmaria didn’t need any of her own story, “...Perhaps Kazran isn’t as foolish as he makes himself out to be. His plan would have worked. Not one of us would have expected a–” Tio paused, a moment, “You, Sylmaria.” It may be best for the moment to avoid riling her more… There is an entangled mess, and trying to pull at it will only make it worse. 

Tio took a breath, “Might I ask you… if your friend sees you as the woman, and not the ‘thing’ you believe yourself to be… Is she not also an Islexian? Was she not born and raised in the same place as you? She sees you as you are, a woman worth respect.” Tio then frowned, “But from the sounds of it, she’s still with Kazran at this very moment, and not aligned by choice, yes?” 

“... Yes. She is.” Sylmaria slowly sat up, looking away, not wanting to meet their gazes. She couldn't answer Tio's questions about what Gio saw in her. She'd never understood why she'd sided with her all those years. Anyone with half a brain would've seen the truth of Sylmaria's heritage and ratted her out as she deserved, but Gio not only kept it a secret, she even helped her disguise herself… I never did understand her. And I don't think I ever will…

“Kazran… Found out I was a beast several years ago. To keep me alive, Giovanna offered her services as a soldier, and convinced him that I would make a good tool due to my magic. It… Has been an honor to serve Islexia, despite knowing I should have died that day. To be able to live on and give back to my country, despite the mistake of my birth…”

She never questioned her faith in her homeland… But Kazran… “That man… Is nothing but a coward and a braggart. He's strong. There's no doubting that… He could cleave anyone here in half, and still have strength to spare for plenty others. But that's all he has… Otherwise, he's a lecherous pig. An idiot. A coward. He views magic like it's from beyond this plane… Even though he could crush me with his bare hands, he always flinched whenever I'd look right into his eyes. He doesn't understand my powers…” She sighed. Venting her feelings about the man was rather calming, even invigorating. He was truly worthless. 

“Giovanna… She's probably been told I'm dead. And that Kazran will keep her safe… But I've seen how he looks at her. I know exactly what that bastard is planning! And if there's anything I can do with what's left of my life it's get her away from him! I… I might be a complete failure. By birth and actions, but at least… At least if I can keep just her, safe…” She pulled her eyes up again, to Owen. “He's afraid of you. Of what you've built… Can you do it, little lord? Can you end Kazran?”

Something about the way Sylmaria spoke was deeply disconcerting. To see how nakedly she was instilled with this self-loathing, with only one person willing to stay by her side and protect her… little wonder, with how Clouded were treated in Islexia, outside his place, but still.

“I’ve heard much and more about Kazran, but I must say this surprised me. That he would just turn your life to these beliefs… then again, this is the law of the land in these places.” Owen did his best to keep his expression neutral, understanding the volatile nature of the woman’s feelings, and picking up on Tio’s self correction, yet… he wanted to push a little more, to dig into her understanding, as well as to show his ideals, for what little she could be made to understand.

“Sylmaria Hunter, I’ve spent my little time as regent working to fix the bridge between humans and Clouded in this land, Kazran has been an obstacle in my path since the first, and I fully mean to bring him my final answer in these next days. I will bring him down, with myself if I must. There is no future for Eslcas otherwise.” Pausing, Owen looked her in the eyes again, trying as he could to understand the feelings swirling inside her. They were so divorced from what he understood, and those he knew… “My people count on me, and many others have joined arms with me for this purpose, and if we succeed, I’ll vow to get your friend out safely.”

Elisa had taken a backseat to everything once she’d set Sylmaria down, knowing that Tio was going to be personally invested in seeing things through here, but still keeping an ear out for anything that she might be able to help with. Being forceful about countering her beliefs wasn’t going to work when they were clearly so deeply rooted, but at the same time, she had to have some doubts in the darkest reaches of her mind. She wouldn’t have stopped herself if there weren’t, even if they were all related to this Giovanna.

Although the attention was on Owen for the moment, she could at least offer her own perspective regarding what Sylmaria had said about the current situation. “It sounds like Giovanna is in danger, if not of her life, then other far more humiliating deeds. For our part, we can assure you that the people we’re affiliated with are strong enough to deal with Kazran. We were ambushed by the Underground some days ago, and despite repelling them, they managed to capture a few of us… but instead of saving themselves, the Tigers assaulted the Underground’s base, and retrieved everyone.” She hoped the example was illustrative enough, even if it had been an incredibly tough time for everyone involved. They still pulled through, and that was the important part, especially since Kazran’s forces weren’t going to be any more merciful. She could keep her comments about the other parts to herself, at least for now…

“They… What?” Sylmaria stared at Elisa with her mouth agape, shocked by the news, then glanced between Owen and Tio, and that squirrely looking healer near the door… None of them were wearing lies on their faces, leaving Sylmaria with nothing to do but believe the claim. “That’s… I see. Maybe they really can handle Kazran… I was about to call your words nothing but empty and pretty notions, but if you’ve got people like that under you, maybe you can actually kill that man. Good luck… If…” She shivered, holding herself again.

“If… You need more help, I’ll do whatever I can to save Giovanna… But don’t get it twisted, Owen. My way of thinking is not because of Kazran. That man is an idiot. If he’d been smart, he’d have tried to abuse my trust to his ends… I might’ve ended up blasting you properly, if he had. But, he’s too stupid to do anything but swing an axe… How I feel is how every proud Islexia should feel. Monsters are a sickness. I am a part of that sickness… And we must be wiped out if the world is to recover. My parents taught me this growing up… And they abandoned me once my horrifying truth was revealed. As they should have. I bear them no malice for their decision; I would have done the same.” She sat up further as she talked, finally sticking her nose up towards the little lord. In her mind, he was the true freak, giving these creatures so much of his care…

Tio scoffed, “Ah, my least favorite kind of person. I suppose that I shouldn’t be surprised that Kazran meets that threshold.” Tio couldn’t quite hold back all of her barbs for the man, especially knowing that he had Sylmaria’s friend close by, and had perverse interest. A worthless man, through and through; she was almost glad that the Tigers were going to deal with him. “Yes, the Tigers stormed one of the Underground’s bases, and rescued all inside, including the child you spoke with outside, Jane.” Tio shook her head, and sighed, “She seems to see something in you too. Shy little thing, but she popped right out with you. I think that’s worth far more than you think it is.” 

Tio couldn’t quite hide the twitch of her lips, or hand, as Sylmaria regaled them of where her beliefs stemmed. It was one thing to be indoctrinated in a foolish, incomplete ideology that should have died off hundreds, if not thousands of years ago. It was another thing to be so taken by it that one would abandon their own child. Tio swung around facing away from Sylmaria, doing her best to quell the tempest of emotions. Her shoulders rose, “I can think of many people who could be wiped out if the world was to recover… and I don’t think I’d find monsters on that list. Islexia remains behind the times as it has always been. To wipe out the monsters would be to plunge the world into a cycle of never ending suffering; it’s no secret why it is only now, hundreds of years after the purges ended, that our world really is beginning to advance forward. People like Kazran would take us back to times like those, and it will take people like the Tigers to push back against it, push back against the notion that clouded, and monsters are what need to be purged. The idea that monsters need to be wiped out… That is the idea that has to be purged.” There was a long pause. The flame still burning brightly within the older Evoker, but contained now. “I don’t know what Owen will say, but I have a feeling that Natalya wouldn’t balk at a chance to take you along. If only to prove you wrong.” 

“Yes, that would not be the first I’ve heard as much.” Owen had heard much like Sylmaria’s bile, much in his time of following his father’s steps. Many who had tried to dissuade him and turn him to the old ways, to see the ‘light’ of Islexian belief. Sylmaria might have been a real threat with the proper push and a snap, but he couldn’t let her words go uncontested, not when so much of what his built was anathema to it. “If you would bear with me, Sylmaria, I’d like to ask you one thing: What sin have you committed on birth that made your upbringing just?” He knew he was pushing it, with Sylmaria’s state of mind, but still… “My sister and I were born of the same mother, on the same day, moments apart. I am fully human, as you can see… and she is not. Both of our parents? Also human.” His glare strengthened. “What kind of sick gods would damn my sibling for life, for the audacity of being born in the wrong place? What sins of the father does she have to bear, so far removed from Lufiria and the wars that broke Islexia down?”

Owen stepped back, taking a deep breath. “Your beliefs are yours to cling to, Sylmaria. I am well aware how the rest of the land sees me, yet they are the ones who remain divided, broken, warring. I mean to prove it with Kazran’s head, and if you still consider me a traitor to Islexia then… Well, a second assassination attempt is not as easy as the first.” He paused, letting that sink. Far from his most diplomatic outing… but the matter was truly that close to his heart. “As for your friend, I’ll relay it to Natalya and plan accordingly. One less ally to Kazran is a number in our favor, moreso if they are not there of their own will.”

“Yes, here it comes… The bleeding hearts.” Sylmaria groaned and leaned back some, folding her arms. “Your sister is like me. Both of my parents are human. We've no lineage of this mutation. Yet, here I am, disfigured and dismayed, broken at my core, a beast against anyone's will. It's a disease, Owen. It's something that must be cut out entirely, so we can't chance anymore being born like me… I'm sorry your sister was so unlucky as to be afflicted with it… I mean, seriously. Being born with, or growing into… Having parts of animals coming out of your body? Seriously? And you want me to think of this as normal!? It's a perversion of nature! Open your damn eyes!”

She growled and huffed, reeling herself back in, looking away. “I don't want your sermon. And evidently, you don't want mine, so leave it. Leave me here or put me in a jail cell while you wait for the day you strike at Kazran. I may believe wholly in Islexia, but only in an Islexia led by competents. If only I'd been born working under Nicolas…” She sighed, shaking her head. “Maybe he'd have put me to proper use instead of being so afraid…”

Elisa turned her head away, the slight moment of relief from having Sylmaria realize they might be able to help her for real giving way to her correction about her circumstances. She knew that it’d make Tio explode, and she herself had nothing to say to any of that. How could she, having had practically the opposite problem? All that her chiming in would actually result in was venom for being given too much of a good thing. Seeing her wife like this hurt, all because she was one of the only other people who knew exactly what had happened back then, and why it heated her up so much. Diplomacy was practically out of the window with both Owen and Tio being so vehemently against everything the dragon believed in… At least they had gotten her to agree to come with.

There was, however, one thing that struck out to her about what Sylmaria said, something that she could present a logical argument to as probably the only person currently capable of such in the room, and because their research lent to knowing much about mana, magic, and the history of its use. Averting her gaze from the incensed two and focusing on the girl, Elisa kept an entirely neutral tone and expression, wanting only to give her some food for thought. “Choice of leader aside, I’m not interested in sermons in either direction. We’re researchers, and I’m originally from Kansei, so we have access to quite a lot of historical documentation, far more than your average person would. And in all the hundreds of years of records we’ve studied, Monsters, both full-blooded and not, have always been present. You don’t have to answer this, and I think I know what your answer in this moment would be either way, but if they have existed for as long as written records exist, is it truly unnatural?” It was a hole worth poking, even if it wouldn’t really do anything.

If that was to be Sylmaria's take on things, then there was no reason to continue. Owen hadn't let his stance go unspoken, and that's what mattered to him, in the face of her beliefs. "I've only reason to put you in a cell if you intend to continue Kazran's mission, but I'm confident you wish to sew your friend more, as you should." He stopped looking at her, this kind of twisted self-perception was fatiguing to think of, even if he had no stakes in Sylmaria's life –feelings that were better left buried, for the sake of his productivity.

"I will leave any further matter with regards to her in your hands, Evokers." He acknowledged the two with a hasty nod… his first time directly addressing the Evokers of Glacies, he realized. "I cannot imagine better eyes to watch her, my understanding of her magic is far from ideal. Also…" Owen mustered his will to look towards Sylmaria once more. "Outside these walls, at least while in my lands, keep your thoughts on Clouded muffled. I'm sure it doesn't merit saying, but disturbing the peace will not help either of us."

“... Tch.” Sylmaria had no real answer for Elisa, short of a wild claim that history was fabricated. What she’d been taught was that, because the Islexians were tricked during their war with Lufiria, the cleansing could never come to fruition. That it was something deep and wrong with the world that needed to truly be fixed as its deepest point… But Islexia was too fractured for it to ever come to fruition, now. “She’s not my friend… She’s just… A fool, that clung onto the wrong person. And she doesn’t deserve to live in despair of my death, while being turned into Kazran’s plaything. That’s… That’s all it is.” It clearly wasn’t all, but Sylmaria wouldn’t admit it, not so easily. 

“Fine… I can keep my mouth shut. I have no need of your town, anyway… Unless you’d rather I find my own amenities, in which case, the least I will do is not cause further problems. May I… Once the be– … Mercenaries, outside, have finished their training, may I make use of the training grounds there?” She had to make sure her magic was working if she was going to drive it into that foul man.

Tio was glad that she had decided to turn away from Sylmaria as she spoke. Sylmaria’s words turned Tio’s flame into a conflagration that wanted nothing more to burst forth, and simply tell her how wrong her words were. Elisa’s words kept her from simply exploding, though, steam was almost billowing out of her ears. “A… case could even be made that humans are the unnatural ones… given how more in-tune monsters and clouded tend to be with magic, with the very pulse that grants the world life.” Tio was doing everything in her power to keep her voice measured, but frankly, at this point, she wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with this for much longer. 

Tio finally turned back to Owen after he gave his ruling on Sylmaria, and allowed her to be free even after attempting to assassinate him. Risky to be sure, but Tio’s rational mind saw it as logical–it would give her time to acclimate to the reality of what she was suggesting. She would be alongside the Tigers to rescue her friend, and they would have to figure her out. On the other hand, the flame wouldn’t have minded keeping her locked up for the time being… “That’s… fine with us, Owen. I have my own questions about her magic–judging even from the spell that she tried to use earlier… It's not traditional magic. It’s something different.”

Tio then looked at Sylmaria, “Last thing. You’re a terrible liar. Just hearing all of your…” Tio held her tongue. “You wouldn’t do all of this for her if you didn’t feel something. It’s not pity, believe me, I’m far better at noticing that than you believe. Just call her what she is. She’s your friend, and the Tigers will help you to save her.” Tio shot a look at Elisa, a warning glance that she was on the verge of boiling over. “If we’re going to allow her to roam, I second testing her magic. It would be best to let the Tigers finish up… I can’t imagine many of them will take well to… well. However, if she’s going to join forces with the Tigers, she’ll need to get used to how they operate at some point. Their strength is their cohesion, after all.” 

Sylmaria rolled her eyes. “Are you done? I'm tired of listening to you. If you want to see my magic so badly, then let us do that, instead of listening to you prattle on. You're not going to convince me of anything, so stop bothering to try.” She gave Tio a tired and annoyed glance. Whether or not Sylmaria truly believed in what she was saying, the truth of the situation was she'd lived through Islexia's feelings of her kind, and pretty words from some titty monster weren't about to sway her. “Shall we?”

"Yes… it's not an impasse where words will suffice. That much is clear." It was a shame to see someone so indoctrinated, but that was to be expected. Many people outside Eslcas held those beliefs… and Clouded probably had to hold to the same self-hating principles to have a place in their society. A lot to work on… if Eslcas' perception was more positive, then maybe… Owen took a step back, "As long as you can stomach some supervision, you may use them. The next few days will herald the end of Kazran's influence… I pray you keep your eyes attentive on what is to come."

Though happy that Sylmaria looked to be taking her question seriously, it really didn’t help to have Tio come in afterward to try to push the angle even harder, getting a slightly exasperated look from Elisa. Sure, she knew why her wife was being so pushy and insistent about this, but as was obvious from the dragon’s reply, it was having the opposite of the intended effect. Just great. Right as it seems like we’re finally getting our rest and spirits up, we find a person practically designed to piss Tio off, and in a way where she can’t do anything about it.

Regardless, they had to keep things moving, and she could hopefully calm Tio down some before they were to observe Sylmaria’s magic proper. “If you don’t mind a little hands-on assistance with your training, I can use my power to give you pointers and analyze how your magic works. Assuming you’d like that, anyway.” Elisa nodded to the dragon and put an arm around her wife’s shoulders, gently pulling her toward the door. That earlier look told her staying any longer was going to be bad for their health. “C’mon,” she said, quieting down to address Tio. “I get it, alright? Deep breaths, dear.”

"If they want to see my magic that badly, then they can see it." She hadn't answered Elisa's offer to aid, a little too annoyed with the woman's wife at the time to speak further. If she felt there were tips that she could offer, she'd listen, at least, to the humans. She spotted another dragon panting nearby one of the dummies... One burned down, but given her red scales, that fit. She furrowed her brows and took up stance against one two down from her, not wanting to be close to one of her own kind. "Hhn..." Her magic always felt a little bit out of control, like it lacked a proper shackle to her body, so she had to focus extra hard whenever she cast. She also didn't know what to call what she was about to do... It wasn't fire, ice, wind, electricity, earth, light, shadow... It was just mana turned into energy and she could fire it from her palms. "Mhn...!" Without a word, she sent a blast of force into the training dummy, knocking parts of it away. She turned to Tio and Elisa down the field, folding her arms. "Well? I can do this as much as you need to figure me out."

Cass spotted their illegal entrant returning, but with Owen being alright, she didn't want to press the issue. He'd tell her later... For now. "I think the whole lot of you are rather impressive, ladies." Cass had wandered towards their new sheep friend, eyeing up her pointy ears, before glancing along towards Miria, nodding. "Especially that fire! Damn. Might knock you down, but with all your friends beside you, and whatever you hit getting turned to dust, I can't imagine it's that dangerous, yeah? Just don't use it in a serious one on one... Would hate to see your pretty head leave its shoulders." She winked, before casting her eyes back on Roxanne, hands on her hips. "And you! You aren't even with the Tigers, just came along from nearby on someone else's wishes to blow this fucker Kazran up, but you're hiding some serious skill, ain'cha? Wish I'd known someone this cute and strong was hiding around here... I'd have tried to invite you to the castle much sooner~"

Edited February 12 by Nanami Touko

[JakezuGD]

With the strange situation seemingly settled, Tasha had turned to simply observing how the group handled their training. Though Jeremiah was clearly holding back, it looked like the lot of them were holding up pretty well, in the other sparring sessions as well - paying extra attention to their new ally in Roxanne, since she hadn't quite seen what she was capable of yet. And boy, could she put on a show! More magic stuff that went over the tiger's head, for sure, but it looked very impressive and atypical in just about every sense, at least as far as she'd seen other magic-users do their thing. Kind of similar to what Miria could do, but far more focused on the magic... and hell, they might not be even slightly related in technique, that's just what it looked like to someone practically illiterate at magic.

And speaking of magic, a glance off to the side had her notice Alvira resting, as well as an extra crispy training dummy. Less of a surprise than if they hadn't talked about it before, but the fact that the dragon was feeling well enough with her original affinity to obliterate a dummy with surely meant things were properly on the up-and-up for her. Though she had half a mind to just go over and give her a hug, she figured her duty here was to keep supervisory watch, since Owen had been momentarily indisposed... or at least, was for a while, as the group came back soon enough, and the troubled white dragon beelined to the unharmed dummies seemingly to train herself. Best not to get too close to her for now, given the earlier heated comments. "So, hey, Owen, what's the deal with her?" Tasha asked, figuring the Evokers were probably going to follow the girl.

Frustrated as Elisa was, it had paled in comparison to the downright righteous fury her wife, and even Owen to an extent, had launched into in that discussion with Sylmaria. Tio was right, sure, or at least by any reasonable measure she was, but that had been a matter there simply was no calming her down in, even if pushing it was obviously only causing more pushback in return than achieving anything. Regardless, the dragon was about to show them her magic, so she might as well actually do her job whether it involved her special abilities or not, only offering Tasha a small shake of her head with the same exasperated look she'd given her wife earlier as they passed her by. That girl was a terrible mess, one tangled so badly neither of them was probably going to make much headway in fixing.

That aside, getting to actually see what Sylmaria's spells were like was exciting in and of itself from the scientist's point of view. Setting aside her feelings for the distorted views that were expressed for the moment, Elisa honed in on the dragon's mana signature, looking closely at the effects of the magic she used, only to figure out that it... wasn't really a spell as they understood it in orthodox terms. A seeming lack of elemental affinity, and an almost concerning lack of form on top of it, besides just being a blast of projected mana. "It's certainly nonstandard, that's for sure. Not many people can actually utilize a raw form of mana in casting, nor does it look like it has the same kind of properties that most normal spells do. Does it feel strange for you to use in any way?" That inquiry was more about trying to figure out if this odd form of magic had some sort of inherent downside to it, given that it deviated from standard magic in composition... but as she processed everything and came a bit closer to Sylmaria, part of her mana flow had a strange sense of familiarity to it. Huh? That's... really weird. I know I haven't seen anyone use raw mana like that personally before, but it feels closer to when Tio uses Luster Purge than anything else...

[Ether]

"Thank you, Cinead. The Moonless- Jeremiah's skill is legendary, so you're right that his insights are invaluable. I'm quite impressed with what I've seen of the Tigers as well... this is quite the opportunity. Thought it might depend on ambition, the road to improvement never truly- Oh! Let me-" Roxanne began, addressing Cinead as he approached. Cutting herself off midway through her spiel as she realized the man was still wounded. As she was halfway through grabbing her staff, one of the other healers beat her to the punch, mending the large dragon back to health. Scratching the back of her head sheepishly, Roxanne let out a quiet chuckle.

"You could have just said something, I would have healed you before sparring with Jeremiah. My apologies for not noticing your wound earlier, Cinead..." Roxanne apologized, making note that apparently Miria had nearly caused an incident with her ability before. It wasn't entirely surprising, the deployment method seemed peculiar, and it was a strong spell. Easy to potentially miss something seemingly innocuous in the blast radius.

Little time to ponder it too deeply though, as their little gathering soon gained another plus one. Turning to the new arrival, Owen's shark of a sister, Roxanne's ears twitched slightly, both at the boisterous voice and at being observed directly. As Cass continued her appraisal, Roxanne couldn't help but blush a bit, a tinge of pink reaching those ears at the battering of praise.

"Err, well... not quite enough it would seem. If Jeremiah taught me anything, I think it's that I rely a bit too much on shock and awe, getting rid of an opponent before they can get a read on my magic. Heehee... well, not hiding really, I chartered a ride on a trading vessel from Old Asqua. Regardless, I'm sure someone of your standing has better things to be doing... I'm just your average monster, really." Roxanne shrunk somewhat under the attention, ears flattening downwards in embarrassment, though the pinkish-red tinge didn't fade from them. 

[GoldsbroTSG]

There was a circle forming of people telling Miria how well she did. She could only really nervously laugh as questions and compliments arose. It was a good moment, after the doubt that had been simmering since the ambush. She gave a thumbs-up when she noticed Renais, then turned herself to Cin, who brought up the first time she showed off her fire trick.

"Y-Yeah, good thing we're not a boat anymore." She smiled, with a small chuckle. "I also got to use it in an actual fight for once." Then back to Roxanne, "I can still let you see my necklace at some point. We never know if someone else can get something out of it."

Tanya offered some food after they dispersed, and she gave a nod, "You said food, say less." She stuck her tongue out, "Tell your coin purse I'm sorry." She retracted her tongue and gave a smile.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio was glad that she wasn't a water mage, or perhaps a thunder mage, otherwise, she likely would have had storm clouds above her head. Sylmaria's racism was one thing, and the most expected thing, honestly; the Islexians were very set in their ways, and their hatred of monsters and clouded. A once upon a time justification, but over twelve hundred years later their fire hadn't extinguished. It was the same for places like Mura and Karavel, Hecatia and Kansei had been improving but circumstances saw them backsliding. Even Glacies, her home, she'd seen the racism, even dealt with similar. That thought brought a scowl to her face for a faint moment, before doing her best to seem as even as she could in her least-than-amiable state. This was not the default state of the world, and even if she was wrong about that, it wasn't the way forward. It was the sheer callous disregard for herself, and other monsters and clouded that got to Tio the most beyond the... rather infuriating similarities that the dragon had with her own situation. Her parents drilled the shlock into her, and then abandoned her the moment they realized that their child was not the human they thought she was. They simply... cast her away as that man did that night almost twenty years ago. Tio felt like she could have almost seen that bastard's sneer on Sylmaria's lips when she agreed with what her parents did to her. She didn't remember everything from that night, but she remembered enough to know to curse his name when her home, and everyone she'd known for years was gone, swept away by the incensed populace that he and his assistants had brought down upon them, and then left her to carry their sins. At least Elisa was taking the lead on this one, Tio almost missed Tasha's words offering perhaps the flattest glance possible before continuing after Sylmaria. 

Just focus on her magic for the time being... She has no reason to believe what you're saying, and why you're saying it... You've been in her same boat before Tio, you know what it will take for something to get through to her, and you're not that person. You'll need to leave it to someone else, for her, and your own sake...

Sylmaria stopped, and then cast her spell, only, Tio couldn't really call it a spell. It was magic certainly, and there were the trapping of a spell, but, as Elisa pointed out in greater detail than she could have, the blast was more just a pulse of mana, no element, no focus, just pure magical energy. "...Odd. That's different from before... the sparkling was reminiscent of thunder magic. Hmm... We'll have to see it more. Certainly a unusual style of magic..." Tio couldn't really stop herself from being more terse than normal, but the intrigue over Sylmaria's magic was at least starting to win out over her disdain. "I second Elisa's question. What does it feel like for you to use that?" 

---

Jeremiah smiled at Iris's grumblings over being taken away from Versaris and Alriana's conversation which appeared to be taking a more personal bend. It had bothered him a little back when they had argued. At no point had Jeremiah mentioned Versaris, or even his intent, but it was one of the few things that Alriana brought up herself, adamant that he was to stay away from him. He ignored her, of course--she had no say over anything like that--but it had prompted some more thought, and from her reaction back in the Underground's hideout, Versaris's words about her... there really was only one thing that they could be talking about, only one thing that would had caused her to react the way she did, and it wasn't their argument. You really do know so little, don't you, Alriana? Perhaps that informed more of your anger that night than you, or I realized... 

"I can imagine, Iris... that conversation is between him and your sister, that's sometimes how those things are supposed to go." Jeremiah chuckled, it was oddly similar to how Rosaria and Virion were when they first started to fall. Though of course, Rosaria was more in denial than simply not understanding her feelings. Jeremiah then shrugged, "If you would like, Iris, I'll let you take your chance after I'm finished with Aegean. I'm glad that you're no longer upset." 

Lucretia seemed a little taken aback by his request, immediately telling him what he already knew, but the similarity was there. "There is something I was told back when I but a fledgling in intelligence. You don't find a coincidence twice; you first find a coincidence, and then you find a lead. Perhaps it is impossible, but that's why we look into confirming it, because in the event it's not... well." There was a thought in the back of Jeremiah's mind forming, but that would be a question he'd have to ask her later. He simply needed to confirm her age. Jeremiah then shrugged off her return jab, "I can't deny that I was. We all have the things we enjoy, and our moments, no?" 

Last, but most certainly not least, was Aegean, her hair tied back into a single ponytail, tied with the ribbon. Jeremiah smile turned into a smirk, "Well... I hadn't expected to Mahalia here... You really have grown into her spitting image, though perhaps I should have expected that given Catherine did the same with Serena." Jeremiah then gestured for Aegean to begin, "I'll be honest, this wasn't the way I wanted to see how you've grown, Aegean, but in the end, this will do just nicely. Come on then, Miss Levion, show me what's happened in these ten years." 

---

Elsewhere, still in the dungeons, Kieran poured over medicinal books. It was preparation for the fight to the sure, but there was a new bend to his search, and his practice. He knew he wasn't going to find anything of use to him for his new goal, but that goal was going to be years in the making. It was going to take far more than this to achieve what he wanted to. You're really fixing to do this... After one heart to heart... Geez, really make you wonder what you would have done if she was stacked... Trying to undo immortality... or what the hell happened to her... You really prepared for something like that? Or are you just gonna give up again? 

Kieran clicked his tongue, and continued going through the tomes, taking in what he could. "Reality is... I can't give up even if I wanted to. I made a pledge, ya know? Said I'd work until I made it all up, and I can't go back on that..." His words drifted through the lonely cell, only the flipping of pages to mask his intentions. 

[Nanami Touko]

"That's because it was thunder magic. Watch." Her control of the next two spells was much higher, almost completely there. One was the familiar crackling that she'd been prepared to use on Owen, a dome of thunder crashing down onto the dummy and the grounds surrounding it. Then another spell, thunder, purple in color, it seemed to latch onto her target, and instead of recasting it, she focused and it went off again already attached to her mark. "Mmm. There... Much easier. When it's attuned to an affinity, I have no issues. It's simply the first one, and... this one." She turned her eyes onto Elisa, a sudden flash in them. The woman would feel a chill down her spine, as the shadows around her grew deeper, the air grew cold... and moments later, returned to normal.

"Those two are the only ones where I truly have to focus, else it feels like I'll lose control of the spell's form and have it fly off or fizzle... As for what I just did to you, don't worry, it has already worn off. It doesn't last very long, but... it seems to alter fate around a target. A few seconds where striking a fatal blow becomes much easier... I don't know what to call these, but they are, my magic... For whatever that's worth." Sylmaria held up a claw and a small orb of that first spell slowly began to form in her palm. It made her hand shiver and tremble slightly. The mana itself was pitch black, surrounded on all edges by what seemed to be a shell of white, which looked as though it moved around the ball of black mana with one's eyes, if they were to spin around it. "If you've any ideas... I wouldn't be opposed to hearing them. I don't know why I was cursed with this power. Other dragons don't have odd magic like this, not even other white ones." Not that she'd seen in Kazran's employ, anyway.

---

Iris simply nodded and let Gean and Jeremiah have their space. She'd have her answers soon enough, hopefully both from Aly and Sari, and for how well she could fight against Jeremiah.

Cass couldn't help a smile and a chuckle at the faint shades Roxanne was turning, watch her ears droop some. "Cute... You're more than a sheep, huh? Interesting. Maybe when you're all done training here, we can discuss where you're from. Privately." She raised an eyebrow and then glanced back towards her magical accessories. "Shocking or not, magic always impresses me. Handling a man like Jeremiah is beyond all of us, so don't hold yourself up against him. I can think of plenty of places you'd be better held up against... Anyway~ You're all doing really well. I'm glad this training is working out. It'll be nice to see it all put into action against Kazran~"

---

"You made a pledge, huh. Geez. Never seen you this serious." Marigold manifested outside of Kieran's cell, sitting on the stone in front of him, staring through the bars at the man. "Maybe we should've put you through the ringer earlier if it was gonna inspire such change... Not that I'm upset to see it, but, sheesh... We could've used it before~" She melted into shadow and slid into the cell with him, flopping next to him this time, eyes on his books. "Whacha readin', anyway?"

[Bluemask 96]

Koba seemed dejected for a moment but, acquiesced to Jesse’s challenge. "Good. Thank you for being a good guy." He quickly took his own stance and fired off a blade of wind, much faster that she was expecting. It hurt, but Jesse’s armor did it's job protecting her and she brought her lance up for a strike, finding her purchase at Koba's hip. She could tell her strike hurt, but Koba’s speed at spell casting was impressive, and was able to sling a second shot into her as she struck him. "Hahh!" Jesse pressed her advantage, delivering a thrust straight at Koba’s shoulder, and that thrust was enough to decide the match, the mage falling to on knee.

---

Jeremiah had taken notice of her hair, and was ready and waiting, which was all Gean needed to hear as she moved in. Midway into her approach however, she finally clicked into what her uncle and Lucretia were talking about. Wait what about her and auntie? It wasn't a question she voiced, but it was a strong enough question to distract Gean, her swing missing her Uncle completely.