The response from Sekai did not take long at all.
To: Talal
From: Sekai
Subj: RE: Need to talk
o.o’ Um… okay, where would you like to meet up, and when? We have a little time before heading to Xenobia-san’s tower, so we can do it now if you would like. Just let me know, I can meet you there. Oh, umm, should… probably ask. Do you mind terribly if Kira and December-san come too? If not, I can ask them to stay elsewhere. ;
~Sekai
The young archer’s question if her companions could come was…unexpected. The dark haired girl had always figured that where Sekai went, so did they. It was an interesting thought to just have the small girl to talk to but then again, neither Kira nor December had ever given Talal a reason to steer clear.
To: Sekai
From: Talal
Subj: RE: RE: Need to talk
Umm… I guess they can come? I just need to talk to someone I won’t try to blow up. Heh. I am at the bizarre with Takua getting supplies. I don’t know where to meet. Is it safe to go back to the hideout in the Gan sector?
She wasn’t sure if she should have said anything about blowing people up but she had hit already sent it so…
To: Talal
From: Sekai
Subj: RE: RE: RE: Need to talk
I can meet you at the bazaar and we can talk there, I know a place where we will be, um, relatively safe to talk that’s around there. o.o; um… I’m… flattered that you feel you can speak with me without wanting to blow me up? Where in the Bazaar are you, I can come find you and then we can talk more?
She inwardly face-palmed at the reply but was still glad that even with that said, Sekai was willing to meet her.
To: Sekai
From: Talal
Subj: RE: RE: RE: RE: Need to talk
Meet you by the kiosk on the west end of the bazaar. And… thanks.
The kiosk was only a few feet away from where the Twin Blade was when she sent her last reply. Waiting for the Archer and her companions to arrive, she used the time to purchase the general supplies that she wanted to stock up on from the kiosk. It hadn’t occurred to her to straighten herself up and just as the Sekai arrived, Talal caught her reflection in the glass of the kiosk. Her hair was severely windblown and her features well, she looked a little worse for the ware emotionally and there wasn’t much she could do to fix it. Emotionally, she was a wreck on the inside and Talal had lost any umph she had to put on the strong face at the moment. Besides, if she managed to ask the questions she felt she needed to, Sekai would know soon enough what her internal condition was.
”Talal-san,” Sekai runs up, looking slightly disheveled and out of breath, but otherwise her normal, concerned self.
”I’m sorry I’m a little late, there was a fight in the entry way, and then it got ugly so we had to go a different way.” She paused for a breath, taking a deep breath before tilting her head to one side and regarding the taller Twin Blade carefully.
”…what happened?”
To say the arrival of the small girl made Talal feel better would be an understatement. Even though it was only a short bit she didn’t relish the idea of being alone in the bazaar. It was all she could do to keep her arms from springing up and encompassing the smaller one now in front of her in a bear hug. Something she really wanted from someone in return at the moment. Between seeing her reflection and it apparently being enough for even the young polite one to question out loud, Talal’s hands quickly reached up and pulled the hood of her covering up over her long black locks and attempted to play down the question.
”Oh! Umm… I can’t seem to find a vendor that sells hairbrushes. Mind if we find somewhere a little quieter where we could may sit down?”
There was a long pause before Sekai finally nodded, seeming to understand an unspoken something and glanced around the bazaar.
”Brushes… hmm, I think I know a good place, come with me. Kira and December-san are there already, I think.” Lost in her own inward issues, the young Twin Blade hadn’t even realized the two companions were not with her. Another pause from the young Archer, her soft gold-brown eyes going distant, sightless, much like what she noticed players would look like when they were AFK. Mere seconds had passed however before Sekai blinked a few times and nodded.
”Yes, they’re there, do you have a preference for a brush or comb?” Sekai began to walk, turning slightly a few steps later to make sure the older girl was following her.
”Brush… I think.” a feeling of surprise washing through her as she responded, thinking how easy it had been to sidestep the question, even if the reason behind her look was what she needed to discuss. Turning to follow, Talal continued with the innocent conversation.
”Were you looking for them as well?” She was actually kind of curious how the others just happened to be near some at that exact moment. Had Sekai sent a flashmail? Was that how they all looked when sending a flashmail even though they were..different from the normal players of The World?
Sekai gave an odd little half-smile and a bit of an embarrassed shrug.
”Not really, I didn’t even think about it until you said something, but the place we’re going to has a lot of things.” She paused again, frowning a little as they reached a crossroads, the young Archer looking uncertain until that odd look in her eyes appeared again and disappeared a few moments later as she too the left path.
”This way, it’s not too far from here. This place is very nice, the ones who run it are, um, interesting people too, but they’re very private.” Her cheeks went pink for a moment, a guilty-sheepish look on her face.
”They’re not on our side, but they’re not, um… on the other side as well. They helped me out when I was going to get in trouble, so I trust them, just a little.”
That caused the Twin Blade to raise an eyebrow. What kind of trouble and when? Talal wasn’t sure about trusting them. She had seen that backfire before. With a bit of hesitancy in her voice,
”ok. Are you sure you know where they are? It’s easy to get turned around in here.” It was obvious small talk but the dark haired girl didn’t want to raise anyone else’s eyebrows by beginning their conversation before reaching their destination. She had already put on a big enough show earlier and didn’t care to do it again. Sekai had made a face at the question and turned towards the taller girl again, pointing to the distant line of white canvas tents in the distance.
”Kira’s letting me know which way, she knows I get lost easily here.” Judging by her face and the not so subtly mild sulking note in her voice, it’d happened on a number of occasions, and the Long Arm was quite fond of teasing the little Archer about it.
”They’re, um… what was it they said they were…” The white haired girl frowned a little, puzzling over what appeared to be trying to find the proper term.
”Um.. people who draw up the looks for clothes and costumes? I forget what that’s called. Sekhmet-san and Sobek-san are nice, if… um… a little, you know… energetic about what they do.”
Okay, that was a sudden change in topic going from getting lost back to the folks that ran the tent with the hairbrushes, but Talal understood well the need for subject changes and let it go. It looked like they still had a little ways to go and she was out of small talk ideas.
”I need to ask you some questions, but I am not sure they should be asked…, she paused and lowered her voice so that hopefully Sekai would be the only one to hear her
”…around those who are not like us.”
A curious look appeared as the white haired girl slowed down and turned around to look at the Twin Blade again, her short stature allowing her to sort of peek under the hood the woman was hiding under.
”Those like… oh.” Understanding took over and she considered a few things before shaking her head.
”They are like us, they’re just… neutral? I think is the best way to put it… as long as they have customers, they don’t care, not really.”
Not
exactly what Talal meant considering they were still walking through a crowd of people but after a moment of thought, she found herself reaching the same logic with the tent owners as well so didn’t bother to correct the young girl. Sekai was tentative, a nervous smile appeared as the young teenager ducked her head a little.
”It’s the only place I know that’s kind of safe here, they’re stronger than I am… though not as strong as Demorian-san, I think. Somewhere in the middle.” Her smile grew a little, lighting her face from some of the uncertainty that’d clouded it
”So that means they’re good people, I promise.” Another blush stained her cheeks as she shifted her weight a little and plucked at the mid-thigh length hem of the gown she wore.
”…besides, people who can make such pretty things like this… they can’t be bad people, not in my experience. Bad people don’t make them because they can’t see them, if that makes any sense.”
Slipping the hood back enough so her face could be seen, Talal processed what had been said.
”So… they are also in comas?”
Sekai seemed to think about that a moment… and gave a bit of a helpless shrug as a result, although her expression seemed to imply it wasn’t something she thought too hard about.
”If they are, I haven’t heard them say it. They also may be very, um, smart AI too, like Kira and December- err, December and Zorya-san are.” She paused, eyes going distant again before they blinked, back to awareness.
”Kira says she doubts they’re AI, but that she could be wrong too, because they both have black eyes and that makes it really hard to tell who’s human, who’s not sometimes.”
Still so much she didn’t understand but she had already had discussions with Sekai about Kira so that part at least wasn’t so foreign of a concept to her. The idea that there was an somewhat easy way like looking at the eyes, to tell AI’s from humans was an interesting thought though. Talal simply nodded.
”Well, comatose, stuck in The World like us is kinda what I meant but it’s okay. How much further?” She really didn’t like talking in the crowd. Too many things were in the works and she didn’t want to jeopardize the group or anything else if she said the wrong thing out loud.
Sekai turned back, walking a little further with a frown, peeking in through one tent’s door way only to hastily back out and walk pointedly away from it. Her face was, quite frankly, the color of fire and a hand clad in blue fabric reached out to haul the girl passing by inside a different, though equally plain looking tent with a yelp of surprise from the Archer and stunning the Twin Blade to the point that sadly, she didn’t even react. After a split second’s pause, Kira’s head poked out and amber eyes landed on Talal almost making her let out a yelp of her own.
”In here.” A grin on her face that reminded the Twin Blade a little too well of Takua’s new friend, err, pet?
”She always almost walks into that other tent, it’s become a running gag with her.” A muffled, humiliated sounding ‘shut up!’ was heard from inside, along with the sounds of laughter from others within as well.
It felt odd to see them in such a light mood all things currently considered, then again… perhaps it was just because the dark haired female was just so confused, worried, upset and generally frustrated beyond belief that it was beginning to feel… like the normal way to be. Entering the tent, Talal smiled and nodded, her humor kicking in to shield her from the uncomfortable feeling she was experiencing.
”Looks like you are very comfortable here. Do we have time to chat before Demorian sends out a search party?” Smiling a little more, she hoped it would distract from her odd sense of humor.
”We got time to spare, worse comes to worse, we’ll just tell ‘em we’re running a little behind schedule or had to go looking for Sekai since she got turned around again.” A sharp elbow in the side seemed to catch Kira’s attention and she caught the girl’s arm before she did it again, leaning down so that her face loomed in front of the blushing Archer’s.
”Do it again and I’ll reconsider my earlier threat, understand? Sekai sufficiently quelled for the moment, Kira gave Talal a nod and a curious look.
”Little one said you need to talk and that it sounded urgent, she wouldn’t let me listen in on your conversation on the way here, so what’s up? Need me to go beat the shit outta that punk Wavemaster for you?”
Oddly enough, the two shop owners- one dressed entirely in scarlet with the head of a lioness, and the other naked from the waist up dressed in what looked like a replication of an Egyptian skirt or something with the head of a crocodile, had gone in toward what was presumably the stock area to give them a semblance of privacy. Talal’s face began to blush a little at the mention of ‘the punk’ as Kira so eloquently put it. Looking around the Twin Blade found the closest chair and sat down.
”Umm… no, th- that won’t be necessary. But thank you for offering? That is kind of what I needed to talk about though.” Removing her hood, Talal began trying to comb through her hair with her fingers.
”I don’t exactly know how to ask this so here goes… How do you figure out how The World has affected you?”
Kira frowned, as did the pink haired Twin Blade, appearing unsure of what the young girl had meant. It took Sekai a few moments to realize what she was asking as well, her expression suddenly going to understanding almost immediately afterward.
”Um… not to answer a question with a question, but… um, if Talal-san doesn’t mind, what kind of affected… are we speaking of? The, um, pss… um…” A look to Kira for help, the silvery-blue haired woman giving the girl a nod and said nothing as Sekai looked relieved and returned her attention back to Talal.
”Um, Psychologically, sorry I couldn’t find the right word and had to ask Kira… or are you talking more about… like what Zan, Nemera-san, Sihe-san, Demorian-san, Nighthand-san, Sheena-san… um, Canti-san and a couple others can do? A nudge from Kira and a not unkind looking reminder.
”You too, you know. Whatever the hell they call it, it’s gotten you something special too.” Kira looked to Talal and gave a slight nod.
”Special abilities, right? Things you, and the others, can’t do but are able to. Zan’s example was a good one, he was able to change his form.”
Talal nodded to Kira.
”Yes. The special abilities. Every one that I have seen are all so different. How do you know what to try or… use?” The original question may not have seemed like such an urgent matter but they were getting ready to face a tower and she needed to get a handle on things first.
A considering look was leveled at Talal, Kira taking point from Sekai as the small Archer decided to busy herself looking for a brush or comb to help the Twin Blade with her hair.
”I don’t know, that’s the short as shit answer and also the most honest anyone’ll give ya; no one knows for sure how it works.” The tall woman shifted her weight, folding her arms over her chest and continued to regard Talal with a mix of curiosity and the usual analyzing look that’d replaced her normal teasing and mischievous one.
”Could be anything from the… code or virus, or whatever technical bullshit they call it that they introduced to my world mutating your character and, as a result, granting you a unique special ability. Others may just develop because of the individual’s personality or, hell, maybe the damn thing can read a person’s heart and grants ‘em a wish or something.”
A small clattering sound and Sekai looked up, embarrassed as she help up a brush and walked over to hand it to Talal.
”I’m… still not sure what mine is, or even what to call it. But I seem to be able to… forma contract, of some sort, or an agreement with someone in this world who is a natural citizen, like these two…” She paused again, looking to December, the pink haired woman giving her a knowing smile and a gentle nod, as if reassuring her of something during a silent conversation.
”So they’re my um, party members, to an extent. They usually walk around, um, like they’re ghosted until I summon them to help me in a battle, and then they can use items… not spells, and I think that’s all. But they can be solid if there’s no combat going on.”
Not sure she liked the way that Kira was looking at her, Talal looked to the side a bit and listened. She was very appreciative of the brush and smiled at the Archer.
”Thanks for trying to explain it. I had asked others that basically told me the same thing. I guess I was just hoping there was a more cut and dry reason behind it all. I apologize if I have wasted your time. I would also like to understand the connection you all seem to have but that can wait for another time.” She paused, slowly running the brush down the length of her long hair.
”I think I’m starting to develop… something. I though I knew at least the type of things to watch for and possibly use, but after what happened in the bazaar today…” she trailed off at the end, looking blindly forward lost in thought, brushing the same grouping of hair slowly.
”I call it a blessing.” Sekai turned pink again, shyly smiling from beneath her bangs as she continued, her fingers twirling over one another in what appeared to be a nervous habit.
”Um, from this world, anyway. Sure, most here in Yamiyo have their abilities… but they are… I think what Dien-san called ‘hacked’, they are illegally gotten, even granted by another. With mine… it was king of like that, though there was a, um, compatibility prerequisite, I think.” The finger twirling stopped.
”If… it helps, think of it as the answer to a prayer, or a wish to help more in some way that you felt you were unable to contribute as the person you were before becoming… trapped here, until the day we break out.” The young Archer’s face seemed to darken a little, her tone taking a rueful turn at the end and her eyes drifted away from the woman sitting down. Kira, however, didn’t let it slide and spoke up.
”You mentioned that twice now, somethin’ happening at the bazaar and the way you’re being odd at the mention of that damn kid. What’d he do this time that set you off into thinking your special ability’s waking up?” Kira paused, thoughtful as she shrugged and answered the comment Talal’d made before the black haired girl could answer.
”We’re tied to Sekai, that pink haired wench, the black haired bitch you haven’t met yet and hopefully won’t any time soon, and me. I was her first,” a wicked smile accompanied the proud statement.
”So I kinda know more than others. We can talk to each other without flashmails, kinda like a more intimate form of telepathy or something like that.”
Between Kira and Sekai, December keeping quietly to herself, there was plenty of information to be had. There was just a night and day difference between how it was given. Kira’s explanation of the way they communicated, at least cleared up the odd blank looks and the fact that Sekai kept responding with comments from Kira even though the Long Arm had not been traveling with them through the bazaar. One thing in particular though, sparked the Twin Blade’s interest but required more of an explanation.
”Before I tell you what happened, please expand on these ‘hacked’ abilities. So what you are saying is that everyone here in Yamiyo has ‘hacked’ abilities but we are the only ones in comas and shall we say naturally born abilities due to how we exist here?” She paused, trying to put the puzzle pieces together thinking she needed to clarify more what she had just said.
”They all can still leave the game at will. They are regular players like we once were?”
”Like I said before; no fucking clue how it works, it just does. Some bastards are hackers, they can fuck with the data in your character and manipulate it into something else, something good or bad, just depends on if you’ve pissed the bastard off.” At this Talal wasn’t sure if Kira was annoyed with her questions or with the idea of hackers. She hoped it was the latter. If anything it meant they shared something in common and that she hadn’t pissed the Long Arm off.
”I don’t know numbers, and I don’t like asking people crap like ‘you get yours from that tent down the way, or you get yours natural’ like we’re talking about some chick going in for a boob job.” Sekai groaned a weak protest at the analogy, but stayed quiet other than that once Kira shot her a baffled but still irritated look as if to say it was as good an example as any to use.
”As for that second question? Not fuckin’ likely. I doubt many players here are able to leave Yamiyo, much less my world the way you guys used to be able to, and with help, will again once we whoop the shit outta the mastermind behind everything.”
The Long Arm’s expression went steely and cold.
”In the old days, before I chose Sekai, I could do things that I can’t now, because of my contract with her. Those were things I could do naturally, I didn’t have to think about it, they just showed up and I honed my power. Others don’t wait that long and they have someone else give it to them, like it’s a piece of armor or a new weapon.” Kira’s posture seemed to relax a little, whether or not it was a good or bad thing was left in the air.
”I guess I shoulda said that in the beginning; everyone I’ve met who winds up stuck here develops something. Maybe it’s my world’s way of trying to make up for trapping you here, maybe it’s something given to you so that you get the fuck out and return things to normal. Either way; two types of abilities are what I see- those given to you by someone else, and those that come on their own naturally.”
Talal just nodded at Kira. She had never seen the silver-blue haired woman in such a chatty mood before. Apparently, and thankfully, her irritation earlier must have been directed at the hackers and not at the Twin Blade. Still, admittedly, Kira’s tone was a little intimidating. At that, Talal switched hands with the brush and began working on the other side of her hair, her mind trying to file away all of the offered information, matching it up with the bits and pieces she had already gathered. However, it was time to keep her end of the deal and let them know what happened in the bazaar earlier.
”Takua did nothing wrong. In fact, he was trying to help.”
A skeptical look was given to the girl.
”Sure, and that he’s done nothing wrong means you’re either lyin’ and trying to protect him, or he didn’t do anything wrong for once and you’ve got an odd way of wanting to thank him by wanting to blow him, or someone else up?” A soft laugh came from December’s side of the room as the woman approached, jade eyes glinting with amusement.
”Maybe you and she are more alike than you thought, hm? Sounds like your way of thanking someone for their assistance.” Ignoring the heated glare Kira sent in her direction, the pink haired woman smiled comfortingly at her fellow Twin Blade.
”What that one is trying to say, is something went wrong in your talk, or you wouldn’t be so aggravated. Here, let me help you with your hair, that way you can focus on the conversation.”
Admittedly, not knowing how the trio were… was related the right word? Talal was having a hard time following December’s sense of humor. She nodded with a sorrowful look on her face though when the pink haired Twin Blade hit the nail on the head. Indeed her talk with Takua had not exactly went the way she had hoped and then ended just like most of their other discussions, except this time her frustration had actually injured the boy instead of her simply backing off and stewing over things. When the offer was made to help with her hair, she handed over the brush with a little hesitation.
”We… have not communicated well for some time and I admittedly have not… adjusted well. I have been basically just trying to keep from breaking, but I failed.”
There was a silence that filled the room as December used deft, smooth strokes through the other Twin Blade’s long hair, pausing at moments to manually pick through a tangle or snarl so that she wouldn’t be hurt. The silence made Talal want to run and hide. She was surrounded by females who had time and time again proven their strength, both emotionally and physically. Although she couldn’t help but wonder just how deep the connections went between the trio. The way they acted around each other was as if they were… family; but not in a sister-like fashion. She had never been close to other girls, typically having had mostly friends that were male. NEVER had she had another girl brush her hair either. It was an odd feeling but soothing at the same time.
”Is it that you haven’t adjusted well, or that you’ve been refusing to adjust, and thus broke beneath the inevitable once you realized the truth?” The jade eyed woman asked after the silence stretched far too long for her liking. She knew from the conversation streaming back and forth between Sekai, who’d physically flinched and currently looked smaller than she normally was as a result of the older woman’s words, and Kira, who was currently torn between jumping to the Archer’s defense, and agreeing- however reluctantly- with her. Another thoughtful pause as she continued brushing.
”They sound like the same thing, and even feel like it, as little as I’d like to admit it from personal experience, but they are quite different in the long run. Perhaps your communication difficulties stemmed from that? He serves as another reminder of why you are here to begin with, and though you want to help him and be of service, you find yourself…” She paused again, searching for the proper word to describe things.
”… lost, so to speak. In more ways than one, I suppose.”
When December spoke, her words were like a knife cutting through soft butter; soft with purpose yet making a dent in the young girl. It was like December had somehow read through all the garbage cluttering her mind and found a way to put it into words that made sense. At this, Talal crossed her arms and wrapped them around her waist, practically hugging herself.
”I am… lost in more ways than one.” She paused, the wheels grinding to find the right words to explain the feelings inside.
”I know I cannot do what I set out to do by following Takua into the Eventide Crescendo. He didn’t want me hurt. I didn’t understand that at the time and was stubborn and went anyway, thinking I could handle whatever was thrown at me.” Another pause.
”But I was wrong.” Her voice began to waiver as her emotions began to well up inside again.
The brush continued its steady strokes as December listened, as the other two listened as well.
”And now you do have an understanding of the dangers, unfortunate as it is, and are having to now face the consequences of those actions, however well intentioned they were.” A brief, but small pause.
”Much like the very person you had followed to begin with; he too discarded the warnings and chose his own path, as you have done, and has since paid the price, time and time again, for his actions and decisions.”
”So you’re at the breaking point,” Kira’s voice broke in, sharp in contrast to December’s motherly, comforting tone. Her expression was stern and unyielding.
”you’ll breakdown, you’ll cry and have one hell of a goddamn tantrum. Happens to everyone in some way or another, take it form me on that. What’s more important is what the hell you’re going to plan on doing after you’ve broken.” Her eyes narrowed.
”You going to stay broken, or you going to build something new out of yourself?”
Talal didn’t like Kira’s tone at all and began shaking her head, her voice raising, getting louder with every frustrated word.
”No… No… NO! You’re not understanding!” The girl kind of growled.
”Grrrr…. I can take the physical pain of getting hit, or even ghosting for that matter. I will always fight!” A slight but notable hum formed in the room. Small, lightweight items began to vibrate, barely but noticeable if watched. The corners of fabric flipping up ever so often.
”So fucking speak up and quit letting people talk for you. What’s making you break, huh? What’s got you so twisted up you can’t deal with anything? Kira retaliated, eyes flashing as Sekai reached out and caught her arm. December looked calm, though intrigued as she felt the tingling on her hands and forearms, watching the brush moving on its own away from the dark haired woman’s scalp.
”Is… it the unknown, Talal-san?” Sekai asked quietly, the first time she’d spoken in a while, her eyes focused on the Twin Blade for a moment before they moved to some of the small things in the room, and then to the brush in December’s hand.
”… Talal-san, take a deep breath, I think… your ability is responding and thinks we are threatening you.”
Frustration and anger at Kira’s unrelenting tone turned to fear as she followed Sekai’s eyes to the items on the tables and then what the young Archer told her to do and why. As her fear grew, so did the strength of whatever was causing the air to move around them. The smaller vibrating items were now starting to move around as if they were caught in a gust of wind. All of the women’s hair began to lightly swoosh.
”No, not again! I… I need to go… so you don’t get hurt… just like he did! This is what I needed to talk to you about, not the other stuff. That… was supposed to stay buried!” Her weight shifted on the chair as she eyed the door and began quickly plotting a path.
Several things happened at once; December and Kira blocked the path out, and Sekai stepped forward enough to get Talal’s attention on her.
”Talal-san, it’s okay. I,” she paused again and tried another method.
”Talal-san, listen. You’re not in any danger, and your, um, special power is reacting because you are afraid. It’s responding to you.” Kira and December were prepared, neither of them looking ready to budge, though they nodded to one another, a plan already in place should the panicked Twin Blade try bolting.
”You don’t get to run, you came to us, you’re gonna do it our way; confront it and whatever happens head on.” A cocky smile on her face took some of the sting out of her words, but only a little.
”Just aim it over at the harpy here or me if you’re that afraid; we can take it- unlike that punk kid.” December just gave Kira a sideways look before her attention fell back to Talal.
”If you leave, you risk being attacked when your power goes awry and injures someone unrelated. You will stay, because anything that happens can be healed with little trouble, and we can begin discussing what comes next. But first, take a deep breath and imagine a calm place.”
Their words were not necessarily wasted on deaf ears. Talal attempted to listen through her panic. Her fight or flight instinct was on high and still set to flight mode, although they were right and
she had come to
them for help. Her eyes quickly moved about the room looking for another way out, but the only other door led to where the tent’s owners had disappeared to. She tried to breathe as instructed, but ended up almost hyperventilating instead. The sharp words from Kira and her obvious dislike for Takua brought the dark haired Twin Blade’s focus squarely on the Long Arm. Without any warning, everyone’s ears began to ring and a sound wave hit Kira dead on; Talal taking the opportunity, bolted for the exit.
”You sound just… like… VESICA!”
Kira took the wave head on, the 25+ levels that she had over Talal helping to reduce the effect. Flinching as the damage was done- but Kira gave the other girl a particularly feral grin in response, her amber eyes glowing brightly as she summoned her spear into existence.
”Newsflash, that damn cat sounds like me; she used to be mine before she decided to go use that damn kid as a scratching post. But enough about her, she’s not important,” Kira rolled her shoulders, looking a little wind-tossed, but not particularly rumpled or affected, though the skin around her chest and collarbone seemed to be pink from impact. She smirked, giving a one handed gesture to beckon the girl closer.
”You’re too pent up, time for you to get some of that out. You got me to step back a little, I wanna see if you can me me bleed; and hey, I promise not to use the mean end of my spear too, just to make it more even.”
Kira’s eyes flicked to December.
”You, be ready to interfere if she tries to bolt; Sekai’ll let you use her since I’m out right now. We’re gonna settle this one way or another, even if it means one of us sits on her and the other knocks her on her ass until she gives in.” December rolled her eyes, looking rather put out by the turn of events, and the fact that she’d been reduced back to a spiritual form, fairly transparent at that too, and gave a look to Talal.
”We can discuss this, if you would calm your fury and fear, you’re only harming yourself by running from it, it’s another inevitable, you know.”
Her chest rose up and down heavily from the adrenaline that coursed through her body. A combination of the fear of the unknown that Sekai spoke of, the feeling of being out of control with her new abilities, not to mention not really knowing what said abilities were yet exactly, and the rage she was feeling toward Kira for the blatant disrespect of her friend and mentor. Not necessarily a lethal combo, at least not for Kira. It was sure to get the young Twin Blade in trouble though since impulsive rage and fear never ended well.
”He is not a punk kid!” Stopping mid-flight to the door, her blades drawn, Talal sprung towards her opponent.
December merely sighed and resigned herself to watching the fight, as Kira seemed to have summoned it on herself. The Long Arm’s expression didn’t change much, the feral smile only growing satisfied as Talal sprang towards her with blades drawn.
”Sure he is,” She waited for the blades to fall before parrying with her spear, intentionally being insulting as she tapped the flat of the blade against Talal’s thigh.
”He’s not an adult in his country, he’s irrational, doesn’t think and recklessly throws himself without a good goddamn,” Her spear spun, the flat of the blade tapping against Talal’s other leg in the blink of an eye.
”reason or consideration of his life- just like a punk kid who thinks it’s all a big goddamn game.”
Rage had taken over everything else; Talal completely fixated on Kira and her words. Her skin tingled as she tried to parry and dodge the Long Arm’s spear to no avail, getting slapped on the legs like a child. She crouched to the ground, on leg stretching out in a leg sweep.
”It’s NOT a game to him!” The area around them hummed a sound like that of an electrical panel.
Kira’s eyes flashed, glowing brighter in color as she gave a bit of a hop to avoid the leg sweep, bringing the flat of the blade down a third time, against her left shoulder- this one hard enough to sting and shave a few hit points off.
”No? That’s funny, because he fucking admitted it when we called him on his bullshit from earlier!” There was a level difference there, and it was going to get more apparent until Kira decided she’d had enough and ended it in what would probably be a fatal strike.
Thoughts streamed fluently through the young girl’s mind. It wasn’t true. She would never believe that it was. Especially now that he had shared his secret with her. He would have not admitted to something if he was in a good place at the time. He must have been off kilter. But he had trusted her with that secret, so it was her job to convince the woman without giving anything away. Sizing up the AI, she wondered what was behind the glowing eyes.
”You really think that intimidating people into submission is going to get you the truth? You’re more gullible than I thought!”
”I don’t have to intimidate that little pain in the ass to get the truth,” Kira retorted with a harsh laugh as she dodged, avoiding blow after blow until one managed to get her. A small triangle piece no bigger than a bottle cap, flew off of the Long Arm’s outfit, swirling in the air in front of them. Talal couldn’t help but smirk a little, feeling a small sense of accomplishment against the higher leveled opponent. Another sound wave was sent towards the woman.
”I get what I want because I’m,” she took the wave like it was nothing to her, stepping into it just like the first one, allowing it to push her back as she stepped forward again, this time settling her stance into one that Sekai knew all too well; Kira was going to settle it in the next two hits, at most. Tossing her hair out of her face, she bared her teeth in a parody of a grin and aimed the spear point at Talal.
”I’m the one they fuckin’ asked for help. They trust me to do what’s best for ‘em, and that’s why I know that brat needs his shit rode like nobody’s business, not coddled and handled with kid gloves.”
Rage and adrenaline can only take a person so far and it was getting obvious that because of all the extra activity and unintended use of the Twin Blade’s new abilities, she was getting winded; no pun intended. The dodge and parry continued at a furious rate between the two women, both intent on winning the battle and not necessarily the physical one. Even through all of this, the Long Arm’s words held some resemblance of making sense. Talal couldn’t even come up with a good retort against the last statement because even
she had come to her for help. Well, not actually Kira but she supposed that when you go to one, you go to all with this particular group. She only had one last thing to say and then it was time to end the cat and mouse game. Talal positioned herself near the door. She could feel the fatigue coming and really didn’t want to be around to be laughed at by Kira when it happened. The best thing that had come of this was that the young girl finally realized that whatever her abilities were, they were definitely tied to her emotions.
That might be a problem but for now, she started thinking about everything that made her made and waited for the emotions to take over hoping that once she was out, she could bring herself back into check. Mini whirlwinds began forming in the small tent, the time was now.
”Just because…” she swung
”… they asked you for help…” she dodged, then parried a swing of Kira’s spear and swung again
”doesn’t mean they trusted you! I don’t trust you! Trust has to be earned!”
At the last second, Talal noticed that she wasn’t alone in this fight. Sekai had somehow partied up with her. Why would she go against Kira? The Twin Blade glanced at the small Archer, shaking her head side to side, hoping the girl would not interfere. Talal didn’t want her caught up in what she hoped would happen next, and by hope she meant that she hoped she had enough umph left to pull it off
and make it past December.
Kira blocked the moves, parrying and returned the assault silently, chipping away more and more of the Twin Blade’s health in retaliation. She looked bored now, the smile having vanished completely as she just the other fight herself into the ground and didn’t seem to care when she started hovering a little above the floor. The few inches were not really what Talal had been hoping for. Whatever had fueled it before, wasn’t there now
”Now who’s gullible? You think that Takua actually decided on his own to tell you what’s been plaguing him? You think that Sekai, December and I don’t know anything about that little shit? Think again; we;’ve known what’s wrong with him far longer than you.” A smirk appeared on her face as she raised one hand, gesturing in the standard ‘bring it’ manner.
”Now, come on, hit me with your best- or are you afraid your best isn’t good enough?”
Kira didn’t particularly are what it was she took out of the girl as long as her point was put across. Talal would not win, and that was Kira’s point; there was nothing she could do, alone, with no control over herself, her emotions, her power as it manifested- and no semblance or even the illusion of control over her own heart or destiny. It wasn’t acceptable to her, and she would make that point abundantly clear before they parted ways. She wouldn’t allow another of the Army of Darkness, another person who made
her little one cry out of remorse and guilt for, to go the way Takua had and end up getting herself ass over end into something particularly stupid because she hadn’t been thinking straight.
Honestly, some lessons just had to get taught the hard way, and there could be no better teacher than her… well, experience, but Sekai wouldn’t be alright with that and would meddle until she wound up hurt again –
also unacceptable.
December seemed to have vanished, and Sekai was looking oddly serene, concern still in her eyes, though something seemed off about that as well… and had managed to silently replace where December had been standing to block the door. Her bow was out, held in front of her by th curve in a loose grip that was likely deceptive in nature, given the Archer’s class and her ability to fire an arrow quickly when need be. Talal felt like she was back at square one only this time she was ready for a long nap, and of course there was not time for one. She knew she was ready to break; no longer was there enough strength to keep whatever measly façade alive that she thought she had. The swings stopped and the blades were tucked away safe as the Long Arm motioned her to bring her best. One might of thought she was giving up until Talal crouched down mustering the best snear/glare she could and positioned herself like a linebacker ready to tackle. What did he see in her that made him feel he could trust her with his secret? Here she was so open about it, assuming the Twin Blade knew exactly what she was referring to. Why? The feeling of a tear forming told the dark haired girl it was now or never. What the Twin Blade didn’t know was that Sekai had done that very same ‘gonna tackle’ move at a couple of different points. Sure, Talal was probably built better, more sturdy and less delicate than Sekai, but regardless, it’d backfire the same way and only injure the dark haired woman rather than the Long Arm herself. Amber eyes glinted slightly, acknowledging the something the other probably hadn’t wanted her to notice- and waited for the girl to attack. Lunging toward the Long Arm, Talal stood part way and then jumped up. Instead of aiming for Kira however, she aimed for the stack of crates next to her, using them to turn her around with a bit more velocity than before and she made one last ditch effort for the door.
Which, really, would have gone better had she not been so damn obvious about the feint. Or maybe done it to someone who
didn’t expect things to happen differently than anticipated. Rolling her eyes as the crates tumbled, Kira lazily spun around, playing with the inches of air under her feet and smiled as the definitely looking dishelveled and tattered up woman made a dash for the door. Sekai moved almost automatically, with a couple jerky movements that hinted that something wasn’t
quite as normal with the timid, soft-spoken girl as her arm swept out to the side, the gilded edge of the metal bow catching the fleeing Twin Blade hard enough in the gut that Kira sort of cringed, feeling minorly sympathetic out of the sense of pain that’d likely caused, and knocked her back. If it didn’t knock her on her back and take the air out of her lungs and daze her, Kira thought with an amused look as she watched, the twenty five levels of difference didn’t even remotely feel as big and different as it had when she’d been around Talal’s levels and got her shit whooped in the old days.
Before Talal could even catch a glimpse of the daylight beyond the door of the tent she was aiming for and having been played with like a rag doll, out of nowhere came a pain so sudden and intense that she thought something was going massively wrong in the real world. Thrown backwards and unable to breathe, the Twin Blade landed not too softly on her ass and slid into the legs of a nearby table. A little dazed, she took several small painful gasps of air as her lungs allowed and glared at the small Archer in disbelief. An attempt at standing was failed without even the intervention of the others; her foot giving way and sliding out from underneath her. Talal’s glare, meeting the white haired girl blink for blink, noticed something off. Something about her eyes.
”As admirable as we all find your defiance, and dislike of the… princess over there, I don’t believe we have finished speaking yet, and it is quite rude- as I understand it- to just leave a conversation unfinished because of a mere disagreement.” When Talal heard December’s voice come out of the small girl standing over her, it was a little eery. The formalness was almost too much for the dazed girl to handle though; making her think to hard to listen to the overly worded statement. Still, she couldn’t help but cringe and halfway double up again due to the pain when the bow was removed from her stomach; wrapping her arms around her waist once again. The sound of a carefully nocked arrow glowing with soft white light grabbed her sight before staring down the snowy-haired Archer’s eyes- now lacking a pupil- briefly before her head dropped; long black strands of hair hung down and hid part of her face.
”Now, from my observations, when things are not particularly stressful, you seem to be a reasonable woman, why not return to that and clear the air, hmm? I assure you, it’ll be much less painful for you and much less aggravating for Kira and I… not to mention less worrying for the dear girl currently very concerned about you here.”
Not sure if it was the pain, her failure to win the fight, or just her mind giving way to the inevitable, tears dropped from both eyes as the girl nodded in agreement to the request. The air around them settling quickly, most likely from the lack of concentration and energy the poor girl had left. Slowly the beaten, battered and now bruised Twin Blade sat herself up a little and leaned against the table leg. Drawing her knees in close, she spoke softly; a huge tinge of embarrassment and pain heard clearly.
”I… don’t know where to start.” She attempted to adjust the sliced portions of her pants to cover up where Kira had managed to break skin during their fight.
A long period of silence passed before a quiet, soft voice broke it.
”Ola Repth.” White-blue light swept through the tent, healing all within range of their injuries and restoring the players’ hit points to full once more. Still softly speaking, the little Archer settled herself into an uncomfortable but formal looking position on her knees, sitting with a properly straight back that had to have been taught from childhood.
”…maybe try from the beginning? Sometimes… sometimes it helps just to start completely over.”