Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Ren quickly headed out, and Celine set about doing what she could. Which, admittedly, wasn't much. She decided that showing up in her armor wasn't quite necessary; this group seemed far more amiable and understanding, so she didn't feel like she had to stand perfectly on ceremony. Her body would appreciate the down time; she was well used to her armor, but wearing it for as long as she did without rest was ill advised as her body was painfully informing her. She got her pants, shirt, and coat on before deflating back onto the bed as Diya called out, and walked in. "Ren moves quickly, don't they?" She sat up, hair already tied into her usual ponytail, and with both of the ribbons that the rabbit had left her. "As... much as I'd not like to admit it... I can't really move all that well on my own. It's... like after touching the sword, and knowing that we finally have a foothold all the fatigue and everything just hit me like a greatsword... I'm... definitely going to need help moving around, for now."

Jesse knocked on the door, bringing with her a gift from Sophia, which meant that Sophia was also nearby. "That... would probably be helpful... Silica is likely still exhausted herself, and I would... like to give her as much of a break as I can." She then smiled, "Ever the thoughtful one Sophia is... I'm going to have a number of thank yous to say today; to all of you, and to the Tigers. For, now though... Diya, Jesse, could you help me over to where the Tigers are staying? I'm sure that I'm holding them up." Celine started slowly standing up from the bed, reaching out for Diya to steady herself. 

"I've... got my own questions to ask... as well, so we should definitely get a move on..." Celine looked at the sword at Diya's hip, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for protecting the sword while I couldn't, Diya. And also for," She brushed her hair where her new ribbons were, "It means a lot, especially after all of this."

---

"That's... good then, and I, apologize for the rapid barrage of questions, it's just... well, habit, and worry." Tio then blinked as Versaris shifted gears. "Oh, that? Yes, I've made plenty of headway on that... though, it will still be a bit before I'd say it's properly adjusted, and all. It's not exactly my expertise, but I learn quickly~" Adjusting a magical imbuement was work different from much of what she'd done, but she appreciated the challenge; even if the weapon itself was something that concerned her. The necessity of the weapon had been in question, but after hearing about Rosaria, the Celestial Knights, and coming face to face with Tanvir, perhaps an option like that might be reasonable as a fall back. 

"I know, I know, it's just... haah... I'm prone to worry as I'm sure you've noticed, and having a relatively unknown entity who appears to be in the upper echelon of Lufiria's offensive prowess after seeing what the fight the princess gave in her heavily weakened state, and then Tanvir... I just don't want to be caught unawares." Aegean finally spoke up, echoing Versaris's words about Jeremiah. The man really did seem like he would be their best option for understanding anything that was going on. Second to last person was certainly concerning given everything said about Rosaria, but at this point, she was already very concerned. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Mercenary on the Winds

[Billy12510]

Syndra made her way into the dining area where most of the group already was, grabbing some waffles before sitting down next to Nyxied. She gave her new girlfriend a peck on the cheek and said. "Good morning Nyxied." The rest of their group had seemed to be in some kind of discussion before Syndra had arrived, so she decided to ask Nyxied about it. "What's gotten them so lively this morning? I assume it has to do with the tail end of our fight yesterday, but maybe you could fill me in."

[scorri]

"Lady Celine, you have pushed yourself well past what almost anyone would have been able to do in your attempts to fulfill this mission. It is only logical that your body would demand payment once you had your prize in hand." Diya was conveniently ignoring the fact that she had been pushing almost as hard, but she knew she was going to have to pay the price soon enough. Her ears sagged slightly for a second, before she perked back up as Jesse entered the room, forcing herself to stay strong. "We will help you however you need, milady. As for the sword, I was only doing what needed done. If you wasn't it back, just say the word. The other... It is a small token. You deserve more for all that you've done for me." She left it at that, not wanting to dive further into the emotions behind the gift when she was still as tired as she was, and instead set about helping Celine prepare for the meeting.

---

A short while after he had been protesting that he wasn't really an envoy, Koba found himself at the head of a group of knights, heading into the inn. Approaching the Evokers, he sighed to himself. You only have yourself to blame for this. You just had to go and follow Jesse... He cleared his throat, and then announced, "Excuse me, Lady Tio and Elisa, Lady Celine and the knights of the Amaryllis are here to meet with you and Commander Natalya." There. Now he could get away from all of this, right?

[JakezuGD]

Natalya sighed in relief that there wasn't much she'd missed so far, though a certain girl present was quick to pipe up. "What happens with the Knights won't change our contract, and they wouldn't be able to keep us from departing anyway. Just a detour that changes when we'll get there, but it won't be a problem for what we've already agreed to, yeah?" With saying that out of the way, and nobody else seeming to be immediately interested in picking her mind, the tiger sat down next to all the others in the big discussion and began wolfing down her meal, hardly caring about table manners while she devoured what was on her plate. Her ears were perked the whole time, happy that she was getting something enjoyable enough that would fill her stomach properly. Worrying about all the things they were mentioning could be saved for later, if it would ever even become a problem for them. After all, the Tigers themselves weren't going to be going into Lufiria, and with how gracefully they handled the situation with Lucille, the Evokers probably wouldn't have that become an issue either, especially if they had the chance to explain to this Jeremiah soon enough.

Elisa nodded to Tio and sat down, acknowledging the question but letting Versaris speak first, which in itself prompted her wife to continue the conversation while getting their food. Though all of that information was very useful for them to know, as well as somewhat frightening to think about, she felt that Tio was overcomplicating things in her head, like she sometimes tended to. "I might not know how to fight against someone who can see your moves before you even think about them, but we're not going to anyway, right? It's one thing to be prepared for everything and another entirely to worry about things that are incredibly unlikely to happen in the first place. We're supposed to be on a diplomatic mission, not preparing to fight Lufiria's generals." She pat the older Evoker on the shoulder, offering her an understanding, if slightly concerned smile.

Though with food now in front of them - and Tasha quite audibly gobbling hers down - she pivoted around to the original question. "Oh yeah, that tome is really, really interesting. Most of it is handwritten, so I have to imagine the princess herself or someone close to her made it, which makes sense because it seemingly leverages some things I haven't seen in any spells before. Some of the switching speed in mana utilization is inhumanly fast, and I'd imagine even someone that isn't Lucille would find themselves casting faster by using it. I'd bet that's part of how it's able to fuse two different types of Anima magic together. Another thing I noticed is that it's almost deceptively easy... Anyone with even a basic grasp of Anima could use it effectively, and it shouldn't be difficult to replicate either, as long as the method is known." She paused for a moment to stuff a bagel in her mouth, pacing herself so as to not chew too rapidly, but by the time she was finished with it, the Knights had showed up, her attention turned to the goose and the people behind him.

Edited April 10, 2023 by JakezuGD

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio sighed as Elisa patted her on the shoulder. She, Versaris, and Gean were right; she was really overcomplicating all of this, there was almost zero chance of actually coming across one of Lufiria's generals, and even if they did, the chance of being able to speak with them was higher than heading into combat against them. "You're right, I know you are, you just... know me. I'm overthinking it, I know." 

She started to eat as she listened into Elisa's findings, and they were quite impressive for the limited amount of time that she'd had with it. "Handwritten... that's rather remarkable then... and from the sounds of it, it's incredibly high level in its design, but simple enough that anyone capable in anima could use it... Lufiria really is just years ahead with magic, aren't they? The switching speed is especially interesting... Oh?" Tio looked up as Koba walked back in, and behind him, was the missing woman of the hour. "Aha... Thank you, Koba. I hadn't realized that you'd stepped out along with Jesse."

Celine entered the hall, flanked by Jesse and Diya. She was slowly moving, leaning on Diya for assistance as she waved her hand. "My apologies, Lady Tio, Elisa, Commander Natalya... I suppose that I needed a lot more rest than I realized, and, still do." She looked across the room at all of the new faces, "And further apologies to the rest of you as well; I'm sure that you've had to deal with Hecatian Knights, and other issues because of the turmoil and for that, I'm sorry. We were introduced yesterday but..." She sheepishly rubbed her head, "I wouldn't be lying if I said that I didn't remember much from yesterday, so it might be better for me to introduce myself again. I am Celine Altair, Commander of the Altair Knights, and, regrettably, daughter of the current regent. I wanted to thank all of you for retaking the Escaflowne, but also, I had a couple questions of my own to ask. Namely... why the Evokers would be here in Hecatia, and traveling with a Glacian mercenary outfit, and other things relating to the blade." Celine turned to Tio. "I was also informed that you requested that we brought the blade, and that you would be allowed to see it for a moment, am I right?" 

Tio simply sighed, as Celine, despite how she looked, got right into the major details. She knew that they weren't going to get away without explaining themselves; the Evokers traveling with a mercenary outfit was not exactly a common thing. "Yes, I did... The event from yesterday, amongst some other information leaves me... in a bit of a bind. I hoped if we could see the blade, so that one of the Tigers could lay their hand on it again, as they did yesterday. I can assure you that nothing will happen to the blade, but I doubt that we'll get another chance like this."

Celine nodded, "Well, I certainly have no intention of turning you down; the Tigers are responsible for rescuing the blade, so I'm in debt that I don't expect to repay anytime soon. So I'll certainly grant that request. Though, regarding the events from yesterday... I must ask how exactly your group came by the information that you did, and what you know about this whole situation. We certainly have the blade back, but, there's a good chance that the struggle over this relic isn't quite finished yet." 

[Bluemask 96]

Aegean was still slightly confused as the knights entered the inn. She knew that they weren't the same person, the resemblance between Commander Celine and Lucille was way too striking, especially with the added fatigue now adorning her face. Leaning over to Versaris, the mermaid whispered. "I'm not going crazy right, how similar Celine looks to you-know-who?" This wasn't something needed to be said out loud, but Sari was the only person here who could answer that for her.

As the two leaders here continued their talk, the blade at the source of this meeting was brought back to attention. Gean once again felt that tugging sensation she felt during the fight, but her necklace wasn't glowing like before, nor the hairpin. So it wasn't the resonance between us causing that feeling. Gean was almost lost in a trance looking at the blade. "Tio, may I touch the blade too? If it's alright with everyone."

Jesse took a more neutral expression as the discussions began between the two groups. She did flash a brief smile at Miria and chuckled internally at Koba's very quick removal from everything. Jesse did hope the man would loosen up a bit, it was easy to tell he was struggling to get used to things.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Bluemask 96

[Xinnidy]

"Ah." And there Iris went, speaking of their making out so loudly. Üllr blushed, embarrassed of the fact, though he wasn't really sure why... That was normal, right? Though people didn't talk about that much, either. His brain tried to tackle what that meant, before quickly giving up at the mention of an easier objective.

 

"Oh, sure. For you two." Üllr was fine enough figuring out food for Iris... but did Alriana need the same? They looked different, but they were kind of similar, right? Besides, he was pretty sure they both ate anything just fine. "Hm, alright, two plates." Taking a stand, Üllr left his own and went to grab two plates for the girls. Hopefully they also appreciated his own bias for meat, because he was going to add as much as he ate to each plate --surely at least Iris would like it.

...Did they eat more than him or about the same, or even less? Serving others was a novel experience for the wolf boy, he never had to think about these details before.

"Hmmm... hey, is this good?" He turned and gave a few steps back towards the table, holding two fairly meat-filled dishes in his hand, with a few earth veggies.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Xinnidy

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx could actively feel herself quivering at the touch of Syn’s lips on her cheek, and she knew she had it bad. “Ain’t much more to it than that, Synnie, but m’guessin’ things’ll pick up soon-“

And so they did, with Celine’s arrival. Nyx held back as much as she could, to avoid getting noticed too much; she really, really didn’t want to end up arrested or something for shit she’d long grown out of. Gean mentioned something about the Escaflowne, though, and Nyx couldn’t help but pay attention as her psuedo-daughter reached for the blade.

---

The conversation seemed to shift more to things Tanya didn’t have nearly as much input on - namely, things related to the General - so she slipped away for a bit to grab some breakfast - nothing too much, though, given she didn’t have much of an appetite with all her concerns of late. When she came back, with an apple in her mouth, she returned to the Evokers’ side apparently now joined by the lady Altair. Huh.

Tanya stood off to the side a bit, while eating her apple, as she heard the others speak on the matter. Maybe if she could give Jeremiah the full story, alongside Versaris, it might help matters, in case they really do end up running into problems with Lufiria. But… surely it’d be okay, right?

---

Sophia hung a good deal back from Cece, Jesse and Diya, deciding that if she couldn’t be by her lady’s side, she could at least protect her rear. Though that came with its’ own challenges, namely Cece’s… erm, rear. Sophia kept getting distracted, which just told her she should have gotten more sleep. But she toddled in just after Cece and the others entered the inn to meet with the Tigers, and stayed guarding the door.

She just had to hope Diya could keep Cece safe, in a more… subdued manner than she evidently could. Sophia wanted to grumble about that, too; what was so bad about liking Cece, a whole lot, so much so that she wanted to keep her safe and happy and warm forever? It just made her a better guard, she figured. But the thought wouldn’t leave Sophia’s mind, so any potential intruders to the inn would be met by the odd sight of a heavily-armoured pouting sheep girl.

[Nanami Touko]

"Hey, great! Just making sure. Yesterday was a lot for all of you... Gonna hope you don't have to go through more of that anytime soon." Marigold gave Tasha a thumbs up, idly stealing a bagel from Versaris' food while he was distracted. It wasn't like she needed to eat, but it was nice every now and then. "Lemme take a crack at folks next time you get into a scuffle, by the way. Axe is gonna get rusty just hanging at my side, and flimsy as I am, it means I can overexert my body as I need to... Might break the arm to cave a man's skull in, but I do what it takes, and it's not like I'll feel it~" She winked at the tiger and stuffed a piece of the bagel into her mouth.

Overthinking seemed to be one of Tio's specialties... Progress on changing the affinity of the weapon was good, though. He expected Jeremiah to be reasonable, but he couldn't expect the same of Virion or especially Rosaria... Then again, of they were to face down Virion, this weapon would be worthless, no longer functioning on humans. We'll have to see how it goes. I expect Virion would be the more reasonable person, either way.

Their missing knight leader showed up soon after their talks turned to food, Versaris turning his attention to Aegean as she mentioned things. Concerning things. "I hadn't thought of it, but... Yeah, you're right. Hmm... But that... There's no way...!" The hair, the eyes, the mannerisms... Even Lucille had... That's impossible-- but is it!? I know Virion is human, not Lufirian, but would he have been Hecatian? Is he seriously related to-- the sound of a chair scraping against the floor as it was suddenly pushed out and away from its table cut him out of his thoughts, eyes darting over to Alvira. "... I'll ask her after we handle the sword."

Alvira was on her feet as soon as Celine was done walking in, joining Aegean's side, quickly. "Me too! I really need to..." She was feeling it again, that pull from the day before. Whether it would do the same as it had previously, she had to try.

Iris actually drooled as she saw the food being brought over, nodding and wiping her mouth. "Yeah! That looks great! I didn't realize I could have as much meat as I wanted while we were staying at inns... Holy crap... Y-Yeah, that's great. Very great. Thanks Ullr!" A good breakfast meant a good day. Hopefully... She eyed Aly, wondering if she would use the food as an excuse to avoid her earlier question.

Syta looked up mid food getting as Celine walked in, waving over at her. "Hey boss! Glad to see you're doing better, or at least that you got some rest." Hopefully the suggestion before they'd all left to rest hadn't shocked her too badly...

Ren walked in along with Celine's entourage, slowly making their way next to Koba as he finished announcing them, gently patting his head. "Great work. Maybe you'll moonlight as an envoy in the future if mercenary work doesn't pan out, hmm? Just teasing, by the way." They winked and capped that off quickly before he had a chance to find any mixed meaning in their words; his earlier misconception had been plain as day.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Nanami Touko

[scorri]

Diya quickly found herself placing a protective hand on the hilt of the Escaflowne strapped at her side, while the other arm remained as a support for the Lady Celine. She knew that it would likely be allowed to be touched by at least one or two of these mercenaries, but she couldn't help but be defensive. "Lady Celine, your orders?" The question was quiet, meant for Celine's ears only, though the Evokers would likely hear it as well given their proximity. Ferid's reassurances about the mercenaries still echoed in her mind, but she couldn't help but hesitate. There was too much going on here for her to trust easily.

 

Cin settled back down next to Siorel, cup of coffee having been delivered, and watched the situation unfold curiously. There was a high interest in touching this sword, something he didn't quite understand. Nothing about it seemed overly remarkable to him, though he knew it was a legendary blade. He draped an arm over Siorel's shoulders and sighed. "So do you have some burning desire to go touch that sword or is the coffee enough for right now?" He grinned at her before looking back over at the group. Both Alvira and Gean... Interesting...

 

Koba let out a small sigh of relief as Lady Celine started talking, leaving him free to start to back away. Before he could actually escape, he suddenly found his head getting pat by Ren, as they quickly began teasing him about his abilities as an envoy. He opened his mouth to retort but, to his shame, all the escaped was a mangled croak as his cheeks flushed red from the combination of the teasing and pats. He finally managed to squeak out a "N, no, I'll stick with what I k-now," before darting away to the corner table he had been occupying before. He buried his head in his hands, mentally kicking himself. Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid! Just act like a normal person around them, you idiot. Get through these last few hours without embarrassing yourself any more than you already have and then you'll be free. They'll head back with Lady Celine and you'll head into Islexia, which has to be easier to deal with than this....

[TheRoon]

As much as Renais enjoyed herself, she finally decided to let go after a quick kiss on the cheek. "Alright, I'll leave you alone for now. Hope you like hugs." She giggled as she pulled back. "I'm going to go get us some orange juice." The pinkette walked off with a smile on her face, she really did enjoy herself. Though she wondered how Liza would react to her having two girlfriends. "Sis has so much to catch up on..."

[Ursali]

Alriana froze up as Iris' curiosity inevitably veered towards 'night activities'; she'd been so tired from how she'd spent the night that she hadn't even thought of any sort of deflection. So she sat there, awkwardly silent and staring straight ahead, until Ullr offered to get the both of them food. She gave the wolf boy a quick appreciative nod and watched as he moved to get there food, squirming some in place. Even just remembering the night was enough to make her squirm in place, a light tint of azure betraying her embarrassment. 

Ullr was quick to return with a mound of meat on both plates. She hadn't realized it until the food was in front of her, but she hadn't even eaten after the battle. Combined with all the after battle 'exercise' and she felt near starving; no matter how exaggerated that feeling was, her stomach still growled. "M, Maybe, I did!" She managed to get out with a huff, her stripes pulsing some with her embarrassment. "M, Maybe did, more..." Before she could say anything more, and before Iris could ask another question, she began to stuff her face with the breakfast Ullr had delivered.

[GoldsbroTSG]

Miria continued at her breakfast after the rest of the table got their food going. It was a nice morning--

The cub's head perked. She was feeling something. It was familiar. It reminded her of the tug that lead her to Lucille the day before. "Wait..." Miria stood up and went to where she was feeling. She saw Alvira and Gean lined up by someone new with the Evokers... no wait, Miria remembers this lady a little bit. She had the Escaflowne. Was that what was grabbing her attention? Was that why Gean and Alvira were there?

Miria approached the group, sheepishly giving a bow. "Apologies, but... May I be able to see the sword as well? It was... I think, it was telling stuff yesterday." And she was too busy being nuked to act on it.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Celine blinked as she had been informed that one of the Tigers would be touching the blade under Tio's supervision. One became three remarkably quickly. Celine looked at Tio, and noticed that Tio was also surprised as the Evoker rose from her chair. Diya also leaned into her ear asking for orders. She whispered back, "Nothing for now, I think Tio will have her own things to say. They saved the Escaflowne, so I am inclined to let them attempt it. Have a little faith, I don't think they'll try anything silly; especially not with Tio and Elisa about. They'd be underestimating us too."

"Hold on a moment." Tio looked at Gean, and then Miria, "Miria I can perhaps understand; I know she took a direct spell from the princess, and one that I felt from a distance away, so she wouldn't have been able to tell anyone anything until now... but you, Aegean, why exactly would you be touching the sword? I know Alvira's reasoning, even if I'm not at all fond of it; are you going to tell me that you're also feeling this pull that Alvira has told me about, or these voices that Lani and now, Miria, are hearing? I had intended to ask Celine to allow Lani to touch the blade again, to see if she encounters the same phenomena again. I'll say it flat out though: With what happened to Alvira in Cerezia, and Lani at the end of battle, all three of you are going to have to give me a good reason."

Celine tilted her head, "Cerezia? What happened in Cerezia?"

[Nanami Touko]

Mikoto let out a tiny whine as Renais let her go, tails flailing gently. "I love hugs. Hug me any time..." It was nice to feel vulnerable and be able to enjoy it, safe in the company of these mercenaries, the Evokers; safe with Renais... Mikoto melted into the table, sighing. "So fluffy..."

"Coffee's more'n enough... Mmm, don't get the fuss about a sword. I don't feel any pull to it, but my magic's broken, so what do I knoooowwwww..." Siorel swayed some and flopped back against Cin, watching the proceedings.

Iris wasn't paying much attention to what the sword fuss was about, eyes focused on her sister as she said maybe more! "More!?" Iris ignored the food for a moment and leaned into Aly's personal space, sniffing all over her arm. Then she darted under the table and squirmed over to Versaris, sniffing him.

"Hey-- Iris, what the!? What're you doing--" He looked over at the blue on Aly's face, giving him enough of an answer, looking away and blushing himself. The lizard was gone as soon as she'd came, squirming her way back into her chair.

"His smell is all over you, Aly..." Her eyes were wide, staring and slowly leaning towards her. "You did a lot more... I'm impressed." She eyed Ullr for a quick moment before turning back to her food and acting like nothing had happened, happily digging into things.

Ren reached a hand out for Koba as he fled the scene, slowly walking after him to sit with him as things turned a bit serious over the Escaflowne, for most of the group. "You don't have to get that embarrassed, Koba... I was just giving you a little praise."

Alvira huffed. "Look, Tio, the best lead I have is another relic that might belong to one of three countries, and I don't have the ability to willy-nilly go and check them all, let alone would I even get permission to go near them. Whether it's due to my link to Mercuria or not, that sword is calling out to me as well. I'm not hearing things like Lani did, but I can feel it. Maybe if I hold it at the same time as she does, I'll be able to ask whatever being is there about the spear! Get a direction or something. Anything..." She sighed, eyes pleading with Tio. Her track record was grim, but she couldn't just stop trying over that. If she ever gave up, that was when that Bitch-Goddess won. "Please. Even if it's just alone. Anything... I'm desperate."

Edited April 14, 2023 by Nanami Touko

[Bluemask 96]

Tio was reluctant on the matter, which was probably the smart thing in this situation. "Sorry, I did want to speak with you about this Tio, but didn't have the time last night. I thought this tugging feeling yesterday was a different source of magic at first, but now I can tell it's the sword. I can't say for certain if it's a Vira situation or a Lani situation, hell it might even be like that fortune-vision nonsense I told you about from Eibar. I'll follow your instruction, but we should still talk after this." Regardless of whether Gean got to touch the sword, it would be well to talk to Tio about these magic things.

[GoldsbroTSG]

Miria looked to Alvira and Gean as they plead their cases. The cub sighed, patting a hand against her head. "I--" Miria did take a moment.

"Maybe it's selfish, but this could help me figure out what's the deal with my armor." Or me, but that's not part of the conversation. "The princess said something about me and the sword being linked. And the sword said something about it too, and to bring it back, whatever that means. If I can help, I want to. If it helps me, that's even better."

[mcd900]

"Ah, wait up..." Syta had already went off towards the food as Laniva was still pondering it, and she moved to catch up while there was still time--

Or, rather, while she thought there'd still been time. Celine and the remaining members of the Amaryllis had entered the inn, leaving her with a mug of coffee and a single untouched egg on her plate. She quickly forgot about breakfast, though; the feeling from the day prior had returned, a strange inclination towards what could have been none other than the Escaflowne that set her hair on end. She set her breakfast down on a nearby table, giving Syta a bit of a poke to get her attention, then walked over towards the others and the Lady Celine.

"Um... I'll, defer to your judgment on this, L-... Tio. I don't really know what will happen with or without other people touching it, so..."

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio's eyes wandered through the three newcomers as they explained their cases stopping on Miria, "You also heard the voice? And the Princess said that you... were possibly linked?" What the hell does that mean? Did the princess know what was going on? Tio sighed, that meant that she now had two of each, Alvira and Aegean feeling something pulling them towards the blade, and both Miria and Lani actively hearing voices. Miria even being told that she might be linked--whatever that meant--with the blade.

Celine's question was the most pressing, and did a good job at explaining her discomfort with Alvira's potential involvement. "Celine, this is going to sound crazy--it still does to me--but Alvira," She gestured to the red head, "Has, as far as we can tell, found herself tethered to a... god. A being whose magical presence was unlike anything I've ever felt before. Stronger than Elisa or I. She confirmed as such when she used Elisa as a conduit to speak with another god, Fomalhaut, and found herself held by the other god that we were talking about, Mercuria. She's strong enough to extinguish Alvira's flame... and is why I'm still rather hesitant to allow her to touch the blade, especially if others are to touch it as well. I have no idea how strong, or dangerous Mercuria is... but, Alvira did also mention that she felt her flame surface, even if only for a moment, by laying her hand on that blade. With that in the air... I have reason to believe that what Lani described yesterday is also related, albeit in a different manner."

Celine just blinked at Tio. "...You're serious." With the little that she'd known Tio, she knew that Tio was not someone to posit hypotheticals that she couldn't understand. The fact that she was using god, and admitting that she had little idea about everything that was going on was proof that she wasn't joking. Celine looked at Diya, and then to Syta, and then finally to Ren. "...Frankly, this does surpass the craziest thing I've been told in the past year or so, but, the previous crazy thing that I had been told was absolutely true. I don't know what's going on here, but, if you think the Escaflowne can shed some light on that, then I have every duty as Commander of Knights, and as the Regent's daughter to acquiesce. I will defer to your judgment, Tio and Elisa... with one caveat." Celine pointed at Alvira, "I request that she also be allowed to touch the blade, even if you're concerned." 

"...I'm sorry?" It was Tio's turn to blink. "I, Celine, I'm not--"

"I have exactly one reason." Celine held her hand out and a flame appeared. "You said her flame was taken from her, and that touching the blade allowed her to feel it again for a moment... This fire in my hand helped me, helps me to stay sane, because even as much control as Artorius has over the province, the knights, me, this is mine, and no one is capable of taking it from me. I... don't want to imagine that something is capable of doing that to someone, and how frightening it is to have an integral part of you taken away. Promise that, and I promise the blade."

Tio's hand reached for her forehead. There really was nothing she could do or say here. Turning down the offer on the possibility that something happened with Alvira and Mercuria would also have the repercussion of keeping Lani and Miria from gathering their own answers. Even looking like she could barely hold herself up, she still maintained that razor sharp edge of hers. "...Fine. Fine! I can only hope that my worries are unfounded. Just leave it up to fate, I suppose." Tio huffed slightly. She knew it was probably the only way for Alvira to get her own answers, but with what Mercuria did, the fact that she was just occasionally speaking with the dragon seemingly at whim... I just hope that she's not going to get herself hurt... but perhaps it would hurt her more to do nothing when a chance, not matter how fleeting, is in front of her. Just... relax, trust in their judgment, trust in Celine's judgment... 

[Nanami Touko]

Versaris' eyes went wide for a moment as Celine spoke. She's a fire mage too, is she? That's making things fit even more conveniently. I'll have to speak with her about this once proceedings with the sword are finished.

Alvira felt herself tearing up a little as Celine spoke. To have someone hear everything she'd gone through and immediately, not only understand the pain of it, but to push for her to try something that might help, was a bit much for the early morning dragon. "Th-Thank you, Lady Celine." She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, swallowing away her tears for the moment.

"Uhm... I'll wait. Until Gean and Miria and Lani can touch it, and then, Lani, of you're okay with it, I'd like to touch it with you again... Oh!" Alvira turned and dashed over to Tasha, staring up at her. "If anything weird starts to happen and it looks like I can't pull myself away from the blade, just tackle me off of it. Hard as you can; full body take down. Last time when Elisa was helping me, I was frozen and couldn't pull myself away, and I guess everyone was too shocked to try anything... So I'm giving you the heads up! Please do whatever it takes to separate me from the sword if something goes wrong."

 

[Bluemask 96]

Gean smiled softly as Commander Celine gave her reasoning for allowing the group's request, with particular attention to Vira's plight. The flicker of fire magic did stir up memories, even if Gean knew they weren't the same person. The Shiva's never were stated outside of Lufiria as far as I know so there's no w- well we don't know much about him, except for some of the less favorable rumors they would throw out at balls. That's a stretch though, and not something to bring up at this exact moment. Gean could ponder the possibilities of some wacky coincidences another time. "Thank you Lady Celine, and thank you Tio for taking this chance." Gean felt like she should do something for the Evoker, considering all the hell the Tigers throw on her. "Well lets get this over with then." Gean approached the bunny knight in possession of Escaflowne, slowly since they were still holding a wary expression on their face, and reached a hand out to the sword.

Jesse kept silent as the talks proceeded, yesterday's events were already strange enough. Now there were talks about gods and odd sensations. Miria was apparently being called to by Escaflowne, and thought it might help her figure out her armor. Jesse found it odd, she felt nothing from the sword despite being around it after things had settled. Even now she felt nothing when looking at it.

"L- Diya I'll hold Celine, go on ahead." Jesse wrapped her arm around Celine's waist and shifted the commander onto her. It wasn't all that taxing, farm life and a routine of moving hay amongst other duties made the young knight quite sturdy, despite her performance from the other day.

[Billy12510]

Syndra was sitting, eating, and taking in the conversation around the Escaflowne. Frankly, Syndra thought the idea of Escaflowne "talking" to Aegean, Alvira, Laniva, and Dame Miria was a little absurd. Gods and talking swords? What manner of fairy tale did I miss out on hearing? Still, even if Syndra was skeptical to the whole thing, the four of them didn't have a reason to all come up with this similar enough reason out of nowhere like this, so perhaps their experiment would assuage their concerns. Regardless, Syndra was putting herself on alert, just in case things got a little messy.

[mcd900]

Laniva listened quietly as the Lady Celine dictated her terms; it was a surprise that she was so welcoming of so many people making contact with the blade, and the condition she had set was rather unexpected as well. Her story was heartfelt, certainly, and while Laniva couldn't quite relate in any literal fashion the meaning of her words rang clear. It resonated with Alvira strongly, clearly; the dragon was moved to tears.

"W-With me? Um, sure... Does it matter if it's specifically me? I... don't mind, but I'm not quite sure I understand why me..." She nodded, hesitantly, taking a deep breath to try and mentally prepare herself to touch the blade again; this time, hopefully, retaining more lucidity during the experience.

[Nanami Touko]

"Eh? Cuz..." Alvira was waiting for Tasha's response, glancing back at the tiger, then the cat, blushing ever so slightly; it was embarrassing to admit this so openly in front of everyone. "I-It resonated really strongly with you, and... And y-you're my friend. So I trust you and wanted to... See if I'd be able to connect to what I felt more, with someone linked better to the blade. If that's fine..." She huffed. It was difficult to so plainly say it was because she just liked Laniva, but it wouldn't do to make the cat suspicious.

[mcd900]

"O-Oh. Oh! Okay... that's fine." Laniva blinked slightly, thoughts grounded once again. She'd been so lost in thought about the blade, and the voices, and the meaning of it all that rather simpler explanations had escaped her. "Um, thanks, Alvira... I, I trust you too. We can try it together. I hope it helps..."

There was a bit of an inkling that the question had rather caught Alvira off guard, between her hesitation and her huff. Her ears flicked a bit, at somewhat of a loss as to how to continue... well, there was always 'touch the blade', but she was still getting ready for that.