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Shiro

"Yes your majesty."

0 · 9,061 views · located in Noraneko

a character in “Into The Woods”, as played by The_Queen

Description

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❝QUOTE GOES HERE ❞
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【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| [url=SONGURL]songname || artist[/url] ||







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{β˜› β’»β“Šβ“β“ Ⓝ⒢ⓂⒺ ☚}
Shiro

{β˜› β“ƒβ’Ύβ’Έβ“€β“ƒβ’Άβ“‚β’Ίβ“ˆ ☚}
Shishi

{β˜› β’Άβ’Όβ’Ί ☚}
13

{β˜› ⒼⒺⓃⒹⒺⓇ ☚}
♀

{β˜› β“ˆβ’Ίβ“β“Šβ’Άβ“β’Ύβ“‰β“Ž ☚}
Unknown

{β˜› β’»β’Άβ’Έβ’Ί ⒸⓁ⒢ⒾⓂ ☚}
Latifa Fluerenza || Amagi Brilliant Park



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❝ INSPIRE US WITH A QUOTE ❞
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{β˜› ⒽⒺⒾⒼⒽⓉ ☚}
Teeny tiny

{β˜› β“Œβ’Ίβ’Ύβ’Όβ’½β“‰ ☚}
Far too skinny

{β˜› Ⓗ⒢ⒾⓇ ⒸⓄⓁⓄⓇ ☚}
Her hair is the color of buttery tulips.

{β˜› β’Ίβ“Žβ’Ί ⒸⓄⓁⓄⓇ ☚}
Her eyes are like blue sapphires.

{β˜› β’·β“„β’Ήβ“Ž β“‚β’Άβ“‡β“€β’Ύβ“ƒβ’Όβ“ˆ ☚}
She has a scar at the base of her spine from where a special chip was implanted and marks around her neck from wearing a collar.


{β˜› ⒼⒺⓃⒺⓇ⒢Ⓛ β’Άβ“…β“…β’Ίβ’Άβ“‡β’Άβ“ƒβ’Έβ’Ίβ˜š }

Shiro is a tiny thing, hardly above 4'3 and weighing next to nothing. The girl is light and graceful as a dancer with slender ligaments and a smooth tummy. Her back, however, is where the true damage shows. It comes in the form of a small scar at the base of her spine, a chip implanted into all servants of the Ashia Palace to keep track of them. She wears a collar as well, a thin piece of metal that has a red and blue light and wraps around her throat like a choker. That, combined with the chip, is what keeps Shiro bound to service.
Her skin is the color of porcelain with a rosy complexion, eyes like crystals, and hair like finely spun gold. The Palace has a habit of surrounding itself with beautiful things and so Shiro fits in rather well. As for clothing she wears what is assigned. The lady in waiting has to wear clothing that suits the court as she dutifully follows the Princess around so Shiro has quite the collection of dresses. Of course nothing is finer than what the Princess wears but certainly they have more color than the other servants.

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β™™ QUOTE β™™
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β˜› β“β’Ύβ“€β’Ίβ“ˆβ˜š

β₯ Singing || Before the Princess returned, Shiro worked for the Queen and would often sing to her.
β₯ Warmth || Being so high up in the atmosphere means she's always cold.
β₯ Snuggling || Shiro likes to curl up at night with the bigger girls in the servant rooms. Now though, she has her own room next to the Princess.
β₯ Dancing || Shiro never took formal lessons, but she likes to make up her own dances.





❧




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❝QUOTE ❞
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β˜› β’Ήβ’Ύβ“ˆβ“β’Ύβ“€β’Ίβ“ˆβ˜š
⌦ Scoldings || Shiro does her very best to keep everyone happy.
⌦ Punishment || The collar works in a way that can sense tone of voice and is activated by key words, therefore punishment is imminent.
⌦ Servitude || It's not easy working in Ashia Palace.






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β˜›β“†β“Šβ’Ύβ“‡β“€β“ˆβ˜š
Dancing || Mostly when Shiro thinks she's alone, she'll dance around the halls like a little ballerina.
Shy || Shiro is incredibly shy and when meeting new people she'll trace the toe of her shoe on the ground.
Hiding || When Shiro knows she's done something wrong she'll hide to avoid punishment.


[center]❧


β˜› β“Œβ’Ίβ’Άβ“€β“ƒβ’Ίβ“ˆβ“ˆβ’Ίβ“ˆ ☚
⌦ Dizzy Spells || Shiro is incredibly weak, she was born with an illness that's common among children in the lower tiers that's treated at the palace.
⌦ Physical || Shiro isn't strong in the least bit, it's very easy to beat her in nearly anything.
⌦ Mental || All servants are raised to be submissive, to roll over for their master/mistress.
⌦ Praise || Shiro loves to be praised.


❧


β˜› β“ˆβ“‰β“‡β’Ίβ“ƒβ’Όβ“‰β’½β“ˆβ˜š
β₯ Kind || Shiro is probably one of the nicest servants you'll meet in the castle.
β₯ Getting Things Done || It's Shiro's job to ensure that the Princess's needs are all taken care of.
β₯ Story Teller || Shiro is a great story teller, she loves to spin tales of old Ashia classics and give them a new twist.
β₯ Lungs || Due to her affinity for singing her lungs are incredibly strong.


❧


β˜› β’»β’Ίβ’Άβ“‡β“ˆβ˜š
Punishment || Shiro is terribly afraid of being disciplined, especially knowing what's programmed inside of the collar.
Heights || Living atop a high castle, Shiro has developed a terrible fear of falling off.
The Dark || Bad things happen in the dark, so Shiro has come to abhore it.

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β™™ QUOTE β™™
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{β˜› β“…β’Ίβ“‡β“ˆβ“„β“ƒβ’Άβ“β’Ύβ“‰β“Žβ˜š}
Clipped wings, I was a broken thing
Had a voice, had a voice but I could not sing
You would wind me down
I struggled on the ground
So lost, the line had been crossed
Had a voice, had a voice but I could not talk
You held me down
I struggle to fly now

But there's a scream inside that we all try to hide
We hold on so tight, we cannot deny
Eats us alive, oh it eats us alive
Yes, there's a scream inside that we all try to hide
We hold on so tight, but I don't wanna die, no
I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die

And I don't care if I sing off key
I find myself in my melodies
I sing for love, I sing for me
I shout it out like a bird set free
No I don't care if I sing off key
I find myself in my melodies
I sing for love, I sing for me
I'll shout it out like a bird set free
I'll shout it out like a bird set free
I'll shout it out like a bird set free

Now I fly, hit the high notes
I have a voice, have a voice, hear me roar tonight
You held me down
But I fought back loud.




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❝QUOTE ❞
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{β˜› ⓅⓁ⒢ⒸⒺ β“„β’» ⓄⓇⒾⒼⒾⓃ ☚}
The Untouchable Tier, Ashia.

{β˜› β’»β’Άβ“‚β’Ύβ“β“Ž ☚}
Abandoned.

{β˜› β’½β’Ύβ“ˆβ“‰β“„β“‡β“Ž ☚}
Born in the untouchable tier, where the sanitary workers resided, Shiro was abandoned. She was born with a common illness among untouchables and a servant found her about to be crushed among a garbage compactor. The servant managed to sneak Shiro into the Palace, getting caught when a child began to wail late in the night. The King and Queen were furious of course, but the Queen took pity on the child, seeing it struggling to survive. Her wide blue eyes softened the royal family's heart seeing as how they had just lost their own daughter and so they took Shiro in, naming her for the purity only a child could have. The royal doctor tend to her and for the most part the illness is in remission, but every once in a while it acts up.
Shiro grew to be a beautiful child and the Queen kept her around, training her. They wanted her to stay cute and small and so they inhibited her growth, making Shiro wear a sort of brace that would ensure she wouldn't get taller than they desired. She was disciplined and conditioned, having the chip planted into her as soon as she could walk.

Originally, Shiro was nothing more than the Queen's pet, a little toy to entertain her and sing when she wanted her to. Then, when it was finally safe enough to consider bringing the Princess back, Shiro's real training began. It involved a lot of discipline and lessons in manners and such. Shiro wanted to please her saviors, without the King and Queen she would have been nothing after all. Shiro grew used to sleeping in a room by herself, waiting for the Princess's imminent return and wondering what she was like. When the day finally arrived, Shiro's job had finally begun, she never imagined just how hard it would truly be.

{β˜› ⓄⓉⒽⒺⓇ ☚}
Shiro likes to cover up her collar with necklaces and bows so it's rarely ever visible.






β’Έβ“„β“…β“Žβ“‡β’Ύβ’Όβ’½β“‰: ⓉⒽⒺ_β“†β“Šβ’Ίβ’Ίβ“ƒ



So begins...

Shiro's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Still Into you || Paramore ||




Cress watched as Kora went over to Shiro and with Corren's permission, lifted Nee's arms and wrapped them around Shiro. Cress's eyes widened, seeing such a tiny display of affection. Kora had previously hated the pup and now, after one therapy session, it seemed as though Kora really did have the potential to get better. "Kora that was... really sweet." Cress said quietly, unsure if anyone could hear her, if she had actually uttered the words aloud or whether or not she had simply thought them. Shiro seemed to calm down a little bit, the pup had squeezed her eyes shut, no doubt trying to focus only on Kora's words and not the sights, sounds, and smells of the room. It was all dizzying, the smell of antiseptic, the sight of a man in a lab coat. It all brought Cress back, but like Shiro, Cress didn't want to think anything of it. "Kora," Cress said, giving her friend a smile. "Thank you for... calming Shiro down." Cress hoped that she'd be able to speak in complete sentences soon.

Corren said something, mentioning that they should put the palace under lock down. "I already have... Xion working on... it." They were going to close down the palace to outsiders, narrow down the staff to who was actually one of them and who was an android. Kora spoke up, saying that there was something she needed to do. "You can't go," Cress said sternly, recalling the last incident. "She used you... Kora she'll do... it again." Once you fell for Narina's pretty words and lacy promises, there was no going back. You could succumb again, or at least, Cress thought so. To break a person by promising everything they ever wanted to them, only to make them destroy it with their own hands; it was a manipulative power her mother had. Heron seemed ready to attack, but Kora reminded them all that she had passed the physical.

Heron wanted to go too, Cress wanted to agree, to make her go with Kora and to find out where Narina was hiding, but Kora insisted that she stay. The blonde knight had some good points, that Heron needed to be here to protect them, but Cress wasn't happy about Kora suddenly being so rational. "I don't want... to risk losing... you." Cress shook her head, knowing that if Kora walked out that door, there was a chance that she didn't come back. There was always a chance, but now so more than ever. "She's slippery," Narina was a snake, slimy with a hint of slippery. Evasive and living underneath the ground. "You fell for... it once there's... no telling how... susceptible you'll be." Didn't Kora understand that they were trying to protect her too?

Kora brought up something else, Aya's chip, Narina had it. Cress's eyes widened, her fire burning brighter. There was no hesitance in her voice, "Go to her." She said, "I believe in... you Kora. You... can fight her." Cress gave a nod of her head and she could tell that the others no doubt would believe that Cress had lost it. That was fine, because this was about Kora, not her. "Go," Kora needed no prompting, she went off on her own and Cress watched the door closed. Shiro whimpered and Heron wheeled Cress over to her. "Shiro it's okay." Cress tried to comfort the pup but it wasn't working, she couldn't do it.

"I'm going to have to sedate her," Corren said quietly an Cress gave a subtle, almost imperceptible nod of her head to give Corren permission to do so. Xion rung again and spoke about the preparations for the lock down. Cress gave her approval and the lock down began. It started with the inside, an announcement that a Tartarian rebel had infiltrated the castle and that all staff, aside from Knights, were to report to their corridors for role call. "Xion will be... conducting that." Cress said with a sigh after the announcement was made. As of right now, Itward was being reinstated as well, since his guidance was needed. There was a lot that Cress didn't know and she was sure that Nee had kept plenty of secrets from her on how running an entire country was done without breaking a sweat.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro visibly calmed at Kora's words, the pup closed her puffy eyes which were red from crying and tried to focus on Kora's words only, taking deep breaths in and out in order to calm her raging thoughts. She was still relying on her pacifier and Ellis, without Nee to really comfort her, there was nothing else Shiro had that would help her spiral upward rather than down. Shiro listened to her and tried to bring herself back up, clinging to the thought that Nee was proud of her, that Nee would come out of shock and be here once again, present with her puppy. Nee suddenly murmured something and Shiro's eyes snapped open, hopeful, but alas, Nee stayed in her state. "She'll come out of it soon." Corren promised but Shiro wasn't convinced.

When Kora left the spiraling grew worse. Had Shiro been in the right state of mind, she would have complimented Kora for making leaps and bounds with only one therapy session. Already Kora had confessed to Cress and was helping the pup with building up the spiral when she disappeared. With Kora gone, Shiro quickly went down again, spiraling in a quick succession downards. They were speaking a prick, then sicence.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝It's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||




"Your sister sold you out for the throne." The masked man said,l cranking up the torture yet again. Narcia wouldn't scream. She wouldn't submit. There was no way Nui would just let this happen. He had to be lying, she trusted Nui with her life. They were twins, they shared a bond, there was no way she'd ever doubt her sister. So Narcia wouldn't scream, she wouldn't give in. Even though electricity coursed through her body and it felt like flames were tingling inside of her with each passing second, the ice girl wouldn't give in. If she cried, it'd all be over. "Queen Nui. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" The masked man cackled and increased the voltage. It was getting unbearable quickly, but Nee had to hold on.

She had to think carefully, she had to clear her head somehow. Think. Nui wouldn't approve of this. She was a pacifist, there was no way she'd ever let this happen. The twins wouldn't ever turn against each other, he was just trying to trick her into believing Nui allowed this. "She.... is... my.... sister...!" Narcia growled, forcing herself through the pain. Then abruptly, the electricity stopped. The masked man walked closer and Nee felt chills running down her spine. "Let's see if you still believe that after I... enjoy myself with that body of yours."

As it turned out, Nee's horrible feeling was absolutely correct. His hands slid up her body, enjoying the subtle curve of her sides and hips, a salacious moan of pleasure coming from behind the mask. Narcia shuddered and then hated herself for showing weakness. Even if she thrashed and struggled, it was pointless with all the chains trying her limbs down. She was helpless. "I won't... lose...." Narcina whispered, because that was as loud as the fear in her body would allow. He let out a laugh and removed his pants, and Nee could almost hear the grin behind the mask.

After hours of being used, the door to the dungeon was thrown open. Nui and Shiro were there, and they pulled him off, Shiro undid the chains and cried and called herself a bad girl, Nui was stomping the life out of the man and crying and apologizing for not finding her sooner. That was when Nee realized. "This... is a dream..." He hissed quietly, the ice returning to her. Nui gave her a stare. "Dream? No, I wish it was, but... I'm so sorry..." Narcia shook her head. No, this was definitely just a dream. "You would... never...kill for my sake... sis."


In the real world, Narcia's eyelids fluttered and twitched.


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❝I hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||




A knight was getting back into action, in all her glory. The wolf knight's eyes burned with determination. She wasn't going to lose to Narina this time. Sure, she was full of insecurities and faults and demons that haunted her, but still, Kora would resist the silky slippery words. She first put on the light armored shirt, custom to each knight's uniform, and the thin sheen of armored padding strapped around her legs. After that she put the black pants on, covering and obscuring the protective padding. Kora then tried and failed to strap the knife launcher around her waist and arm, because she needed both hands for that. Frustrated, the wolf knight squeezed Serpy to let out her frustration. Being one-handed was going to be a chore. Next was the military-style jacket, black with grey lines on the hems, shoulders, and grey buttons lining the front, denoting her rank. Last was the arm band, grey as well. "Lieutenant-General Kohrya Filia, back in action." The wolf knight whispered, brandishing her plasma gun with intensity. "I won't fail this time."

Cress was counting on her to make it back safely, with Aya's chip intact. She promised them that she'd make it back, so that was what she was going to do. She wouldn't give Narina the time to try to worm her way into her head like last time. So Kora hopped onto her bike and draped the bike and herself with the cape, fleeing the palace as Cress's announcement went on about locking it down in the first place. It wasn't perfect invisibility, unfortunately - if you looked carefully enough, you could see the ripples as the cloak changed colors to fit the surroundings. Still, it was the best you could get.

Kora closed her eyes above the city, blocking out all the noise of the bustling civilians, blissfully unaware of the current crisis occurring. She was well known for her perfect memory, wasn't she? But didn't that memory only apply for reading? The wolf knight grit her teeth, focusing. She was blindfolded when she was brought to Narina's base, wherever it was. Her only hints were the feelings of being moved, and the sounds she heard. Where in Ashia Palace could the wind have that exact sound? Kora went down to where she was found in the first place, keeping her eyes shut, following the movements that happened when she was blindfolded initially.

Finally, the blonde knight found herself at a peculiar location. It was Xion's second safehouse, the one they lived in after extracting Nee and Shiro from Ashia Palace, after saving Cress from Itward's perverted grip. Kora remembered the heavy rain that fell that day, remembered how she used the Archon family gun and even killed a few knights in her desperate search for Cress. Kora entered, eyes focused. It was now or never, wasn't it? It was -with that subtle beeping, Kora only had a split second to zip back out as fast as she could, and just on time too, because the entire safehouse exploded. One second later, and she would have fallen for Narina's trap and died.

Panting from the noise, Kora called Cress on her phone, sounding agitated. "...Narina never was going to let me live in the first place." She whispered, zooming back into the skies on her bike. "Had a bomb prepared for when I returned from the mission, even if I killed Heron. She was always going to kill me off." She let out a tired sigh, more out of annoyance than anything. "...I'm fine, Cress, but... now I don't have a lead on where she could be hiding. Be careful. I have a bad feeling."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Still Into you || Paramore ||




Cress wasn't afraid, she was confident that Kora would do her best and return with Aya's chip, so when Kora called, Cress breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes widened at the knight's words. "I knew it," Cress hissed, there was no way Narina would have let Kora live, she was too much of a liability. She would have to send knights to the location of the explosion. "I'm already on it," Heron whispered, speaking into her own holo to dispatch a unit of the angel knights. "Kora please be... careful and come... back as soon... as you can." Cress felt wary, that meant that Narina had no doubt moved and could be right under their noses. "We'll do our... best to stay... on guard." Cress assured her, hanging up soon after so that they could get to work.

"Heron we have... work to do." Cress would do it from inside this room, she wasn't going to leave her sister, not in a moment of vulnerability. Heron took out the tablet and placed it on Cress's lap and Cress began to work. She had never realized that being Queen was so hard and Cress was certain that as soon as Narcia was better and able to take back her position, Cress never wanted to be Queen again. How did little Shiro handle all of this without breaking down? The pup must have been stronger than she looked. "This is stressful." Cress admitted as her fingers tapped away. She could feel her strength slowly sapping away, the stupid weakness coming back. "Don't push it," Corren warned. Cress shook her head. "I won't," she lied.

Xion called again, "I'm about halfway through. So far we've only found about two." That was good news at least, much less than what they had found during the interview with the knight's. "I need water." Cress murmured, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "I'm going to connect your port to a bolus," Corren said, believing she may be dehydrated. He hung the bag on the wheelchair and went through her shirt to her port. Heron tensed, no doubt jealous that Corren got to so causally touch her chest and she didn't. Cress would have laughed if she weren't so tense. Cress didn't know that Corren had slipped some anxiety medicine in as well so that Cress didn't stress and further deteriorate. The tension in her shoulders began to unwind and she sighed, leaning back in her wheelchair and shutting her eyes.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Heron asked worriedly. Cress shook her head, "Not much," she admitted. It was hard to relax with the absence of the two knights that normally stayed by her side. "I'd order you on best rest if not for our current predicament." Corren said and Cress opened her eyes, seeing Nee's eyelids flutter. Was her sister coming back? Cress wondered, hoping that Nee would wake up and be alright. She saw Nee's arms tighten around Shiro, although no doubt that was because of something in her dreams, no doubt unaware that Shiro was actually there, snuggled up against her like a puppy. "Can you feel... it?" Cress asked quietly to her sleeping twin. "How much we... love you?"


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro yipped, chasing her tail and falling down. Nee was moving and Shiro got up, bounding down the hallway after her on all four's. "Up," Nee said, holding a treat. Shiro hesitated, then got up on two's, falling down after taking a step or two. She walked in a circle, then sat, looking up expectantly. "Up," Nee said again and Shiro got up again. Nee took her hands, pulling Shiro along, making her walk on two feet. "There you go," Nee praised and Shiro whimpered. It was different, weird, she didn't like standing on two legs. Nee let her go and Shiro flopped back down, sitting on the ground again. "Good girl," Nee gave her the cookie and Shiro munched it down, then rubbed her cheek against Nee. Nee scritched behind her ears and Shiro mewled, tail wagging.

"Walk?" Shiro asked and Nee nodded her head. "Yeah, we can go on a walk now." Nee was going to have lessons soon. Almost everyday this week Nee and Corren had spent their time trying to teach Shiro to be human. One step at a time, they were currently working on walking and toilet training. Shiro didn't like dresses though, so Nee had let her wear a tee shirt instead, figuring that once Shiro understood the concept of clothes, the girl who thought she was a puppy would probably get dressed. Nee clipped the leash onto Shiro's collar and Shiro bound beside her, going out to the garden. "Okay Shiro, run." Nee unclipped the leash and Shiro bolted to the closest patch of grass, rolling around in it. The shirt also prevented Shiro from tugging at the bandages on her body and kept the wounds from getting dirty with grass stains.

Shiro bound back a few minutes later, looking satisfied. Just then, Narina appeared. "Narcia, it's time for your lessons." The ice queen said and Shiro whimpered, hiding behind Nee. "I'll be taking Shiro today," the woman said, holding out her hand for the leash. Nee hesitated, then handed it over, clearly reluctant. "Corren is waiting for you in the garden." Shiro whimpered and whined as Nee left and tried to follow, but the leash prevented Shiro from going after her. "Come on Shiro, you have an appointment with the doctor." Shiro went limp, trying to stop it, but Narina simply dragged the pup across the marble floor towards the med bay. It wasn't very comfortable being dragged so Shiro tried to walk in the opposite direction, but the collar choked her and so she ended up walking beside Narina.

"All of Ashia Palace's have ID chips." Narina said, "Well, all except you. Until now," the Doctor held up a needle with a little microchip inside of it. Shiro whimpered as Narina brought her closer. The Doctor took Shiro's wrist, wiping it with an antiseptic wipe and injecting the pen into Shiro's flesh. The pup yelped and jumped as the chip went in. She whimpered, cradling it against her. The Doctor put a band aid on the injection sight and Narina took her holo out, scanning the chip. "It's properly registered, now if you ever get lost, you'll always be returned home."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝It's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||




This was definitely a dream. Cress - that was her name, the name she identified with - Cress was definitely not the type to kill, not even for revenge. One of the best things about Cress was that she was a pacifist, unwilling to kill, even if it was an evil person. Some might call it cowardice, but Nee knew better. The harder thing was letting your enemy live. Killing a monster was easy, but letting the monster live and giving them a second chance was definitely something only a few people could do, and her sister was one of them. That was why this had to be a dream, this corpse proved it.

"Cress isn't a killer." Narcia said quietly, willing herself out of the dream. She had enough of this, she needed to get back to lucidity, back to the real world. This wasn't real. She had to repeat that, over and over again in her head. This wasn't real. She was stronger than this, it'd take more than massive blood loss to take out the ice queen. She needed to be strong enough to defeat Narina, something minor like hypovolemic shock was just a scratch in the big picture! "I'm not... weak enough to lose to this!"


Shiro was there, nestled in her grasp. The first thing Nee realized was that her whole body felt horribly slow, and her vision was blurry and she still felt cold. The second thing was that her chest felt restricted, and not because of the bandages, but because the nightgown was too small, her mounds were bigger than Shiro's, and it made it a little bit hard to breathe. Shiro herself was bundled up in a blanket, in her arms, asleep. Nee blinked, feeling sick and nauseous. But she wouldn't give in, she wouldn't puke it out. She was strong.

"...D-don't look... so worried." Narcia muttered coldly. She ignored the humiliation of being made to crawl like a dog, of being naked and exposed for all to see, for being needed to be saved. She couldn't think about it - if she did, then Nee would definitely break down in front of everyone. An Ice Queen didn't need emotions, an Ice Queen was unflappable and unstoppable. Cress was there, a bundle of tense nerves, Heron's knuckles were white from how hard she was clenching her lance. "I'm... Narcia...! Nothing... is enough... to break me."

She needed to focus on business immediately. That was the primary concern. There was no time to waste on her emotions or how she felt. Unlike the others, Nee didn't need to take moments to cry, right? She could bypass it all and worry about the task at hand. "...Una has... Tartaria under control.... for now." She panted. "Not awake... but hologram helmet." A modified version of what Cress had. "...But... Jezebeth will... keep trying. And Narina.... how ... is that going?" Narcia coughed but she pretended she didn't, pressing on. "Androids... as knights. What.. day is it? How long... was It out?"


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❝I hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||




Kora stayed under her invisibility cloak as the fire of the building spread, pieces of concrete and other such materials strewn all over the place. Kora was lucky to be alive, but she couldn't let her guard down. Out here in the field, it was the most dangerous place for anyone. People were screaming, terrified children wanting their parents, and it was understandable. An explosion like this, in the middle of what was supposed to be peace? Anyone would freak out. "I'll be careful." Kora promised, trying to get the nervous out of her voice. "I'm better at sneaking than any of you." You wouldn't expect that of a brute like Kora, but it was one of her skills, after all.

Kora ended the call after Cress said she'd remain on guard. They better - Narina was probably an even bigger threat than Semyon ever was. Semyon was an idiot, he got too overeager in the end stage of the war, he went for the victory before making sure his rear was safe, and that was his biggest mistake. Narina wouldn't make any such mistake, she'd never let such an opening exist. Kora still had no idea how she was even still alive. Everyone saw her die that day, the day when Nio died, the day they took Ashia Palace and crowned Narcia as Queen.

Once knights came to survey the fire, Kora made her escape, zipping through. She lead the knights to the wreckage using the tracker on her flower pin, and with that done, Kora fled the scene with her bike, trying to think. How could she get to Narina now? How could she find out where she was hiding? Once she got to the Sanitary Tier in her search, Kora's phone went off. She picked it up without looking, expecting Cress. Instead, a hauntingly familiar voice was on the other line.

"Kora! Sis, I missed you! Where are you?" It sounded just like her own voice, but it had a different feel to it. It was completely different, despite how it sounded the same. The words were more bouncy, the tone more fluttery. This was Ayanna Filia, an android. Kora felt a crushing feeling in her chest. She wasn't fast enough. "Aya. I killed you before, but... I... I've loved you this whole time. So... this time, I swear to save you! I won't let that woman use you like this!" Aya let out a laugh, a trill of a bird echoing in Kora's ears. "It's been so long! I really want to see you again, sis!"

And as if by fate, Kora found Aya waiting for her at the well. The wolf knight had her gun at the ready. As long as she stayed under the cloak, she could fire off her shot and kill Aya in one blow. Then she could take back the chip. Because no matter what was said, this wasn't really Aya. It was just a copy made from the neural scans of the chip. This was just an insult to her real big sister. So Kora aimed - and that was when she realized. Aya was tracking her using the phone - and in that second, her robotic sister yanked the cloak off of her and tackled her to the ground.

"I'm sorry, but someone's controlling me, Kora." Aya smiled but she didn't look happy at all. "But it's only fair, right? You killed me, so now, I get to kill you, right?" Kora tried to pull away but metallic muscles always beat biological ones. "And that tracer on your head won't work, I blocked it with jammers. But I still love you, though. You still love me, right?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Still Into you || Paramore ||




Cress was failing at typing, her fingers became stiff and swollen, she wasn't sure what was happening. "Let me see," Corren ordered, taking one of her hands. "I'm going to wrap them to relieve the pressure." He took some gauze, wrapping it around both of Cress's hands, restricting the movement even more. Like this, she couldn't type, the tablet didn't recognize her finger prints. "I can't work... like this." She said in frustration, feeling slightly frantic. Even with the anxiety medicine, Cress was still panicking. "Nee please wake... up. I can't do... this I'm not... fit to be... Queen." Cress wasn't going to cry, but she felt anxious and tense. Corren came over again, injecting something else into her port. "For the swelling in your joints," he lied, giving her another dose of lorazepam. Cress felt dizzy, but once more the tension in her shoulders eased.

All of a sudden, Nee was stirring. Cress's eyes widened, hope soaring as her sister's eyes fluttered open. Nee scolded Cress, telling her not to look so worried. Cress sighed in relief, "You scared us," she said as her sister suddenly yelled that she would not break. Cress was glad, Nee was okay, but she was probably holding back. Cress would let her though, because she knew that this was her twin's way of coping. Narcia pushed everything back, holding it back and freezing herself over. Not even Cress could break that ice with her fire, the only one that managed to get Nee to melt was currently asleep beside her, sedated so that she wouldn't become troublesome and begin to spiral.

Nee was already trying to sit up. Heron took the handles of her wheelchair, pushing Cress closer. "Don't push it," Cress warned. "You just woke... up." Nee went on to explain that Una had a helmet, similar to the one Cress had used, to contain the situation in Tartaria. "I have a... feeling that I... know who Jezebeth... truly is." Cress had suspicions that Jezebeth was actually their darling mother, come to take her revenge. How was she still alive? Cress didn't know. Perhaps they had killed an android? Or their mother was a piece of technology, uploading her consciousness into a hard drive so that she could live forever over the internet. Cress didn't share this though, she didn't want to overload Narcia at that moment.

"We took care... of the android... infiltrators." Cress assured her. "I took 'em out," Heron said, hooking a thumb in her direction. "Xion is currently interviewing the rest of the staff, so far there's been a discovery of three androids." Heron updated Nee on the situation. "The castle is on lock down, no one can get in or out until the staff have all been vetted." Nee asked how long she was out for, as to what day it was. "It's about dinner... time. You've been... out for quite... a few hours." It was still the same day, only having flown past. Maven still hadn't returned, no doubt still looking for whatever it was Corren had ordered, possibly locked out of the palace for now.

Heron tapped her shoulder, "Cress, I can't follow Kora's signal." Cress looked at her own tablet, seeing that the signal hadn't moved since it's last update on the flower hair clip. "You know what... to do." The fanged knight grinned, whipping out her lane. "I guess I've gotta go save that cute butt." Heron called Itward and Finnley to guard them outside the door and then she left, going out the window in order to bypass the lock down. "I trust you!" Cress called as Heron left, disappearing in the low light. Cress turned back to Nee, her eyes full of concern. "Shiro was spiraling." Cress explained in case Nee was worried for her fiance. "So Corren sedated... her."


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




"You're a good girl," Narina said, stroking Shiro's spine. She was getting measured, two servants holding the pup up with her arms outstretched as the dressmaker measured her. Shiro whimpered, writhing in the servant's tight grip. "No," the puppy whimpered as the tape measure was held against her. The pup didn't know what to think, she hated standing on two's, she hated being held on this stool as the dressmaker measured her inseam and shoulders. "Soon you'll have to wear clothes as well," Narina spoke, "if you're to be by my dear daughter's side, you can't simply prance around in a diaper for all nobility to see." Well, she could, but it would utterly embarrass the Queen. There were fresh bandages wrapped around her body from another session of compression.

From here on out, the pup's body would cease aging, she would be frozen at this stage until death. Since her body hadn't fully matured and due to her size, Shiro would never be able to bare children, her body simply wouldn't be able to carry. "Alright, I'm finished. I should have a few samples ready by tomorrow," the servants dropped Shiro and the pup went tumbling off of the stool, yelping as she stepped on her tail. She whimpered, trying to curl up, but Narina wouldn't let her. "It's time to go back to Narcia," she said, taking hold of the pink leash. Shiro brightened, clasping Ellis in her teeth. "But first," the pup was stuffed into a very short dress, one that she wouldn't trip on, but would at least keep her chest and tiny torso covered.

Shiro broke into a run when she saw Nee, only to get choked by the collar. "No," Shiro whimpered, dropping Ellis and turning in circles in frustrated. "A lady never runs," Narina tsked and Shiro picked up Ellis once more, staying in pace with the Queen. Finally, they reached Nee and she took the leash from her mother. "Thank you for looking after her," Nee said as Shiro rubbed herself against Nee, turning in a circle around her and tangling her mistress in her leash. "Shiro is very good company," the Queen smiled and then they were going, walking in the opposite direction. Shiro picked up Ellis once more, walking alongside Nee. "We're going to see Itward and Aine, you'd like that wouldn't you?"

Shiro yipped happily as they went into the glass garden. "Itward, Aine, meet Shiro. Shiro, this is Itward and that's Aine." Nee handled the introductions, unclipping the leash. Shiro went over to them, sniffing them both, then bounding back over to Nee. "So this is your new pet?" Itward asked, crouching down and holding out his hand. Shiro came over and sniffed it and Itward scritched her behind the ears. The pup mewled happily and Aine giggled. "She's quite friendly." Aine said, eyes sparkling. Shiro turned onto her back, paws in the air. Aine rubbed her tummy and Shiro panted happily. "Now, let's get down to business." Nee clapped her hands together. "Operation, save the Rubbles is a go."

Setting

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝It's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||




For Narcia, when dealing with trauma and the like, if she didn't push herself, then she'd break. She had to become ice, she had to make herself indestructible and focus at the task at hand. If she let one crack appear, if she opened up, then her feelings would overflow and she wouldn't be able to think rationally or logically to solve the problem. There was time to cry alone once the task was done, so she did her best to give as much information as she could. "Not.... pushing it. I can... handle this much." She didn't want to lay down anymore, she needed to sit upright, and Corren helped adjust her position by making the bed bend up to support her back.

Jezebeth herself was a big mystery, and the sooner they figured her out the better. Narcia gazed into Cress's eyes, it seemed Cress was on the same track as well. The others might not be so convinced, however. "Jezebeth... and Narina. They... same goals. They want... another... war to....break out. And Jezebeth... won't show... her face." Narcia panted to catch her breath, but the strength in her eyes didn't waver. "They are... the same." And then Corren's eyes seemed to widen as he pieced two and two together. "Then she's in Tartaria right now..." The doctor said quietly, and Heron reached for her phone. "Kora's going after her, but she's looking in the wrong place. I'm gonna try to reach her."

"You did... good. I knew I could... rely on you... sister." Narcia felt warm with Shiro's body pressed against hers, and the wetness on her nightgown showed that the pup had cried. She should've been able to stay awake for Shiro's sake, to protect her from having to cry. But still, hearing that Cress was handling the androids made the older sister well in pride. "Ruling... is hard. You're... stronger than... you look." Then Heron frowned, agitated, saying she couldn't follow Kora's signal, and with Cress's permission, she dashed off.

Not too long later, something different happened. A holo went off, and Corren reached for it, bringing up Riana on the screen. Her brow was furrowed and she looked furious. "What is the meaning of this?" Riana transferred the files over - and Nee knew before Corren opened them, she knew what they were. Just as expected, a mixed army of Tartarians and Ashian soldiers were on the move, marching on Coriandrum's borders, claiming war in Riana's name. "We're allies!" Riana hissed. "Why are you declaring war on us?" Narcia pursed her lips. She should have expected this. "Not.... us. I.." And right then, Nee had the worst timing to break into a coughing fit.


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❝I hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||




"Of course... I love you." Kora grunted, knowing there wasn't much she could do. She was restrained, and with only one working arm, she was more or less helpless. Here was their reunion, twin sisters separated by destiny. Kora, the younger, and Aya, the elder. They were finally back together, but it wasn't a reunion either of them really wanted. Aya wasn't... really Aya, not like this. Her will wasn't her own, she was just an insult to the original. "This bike of yours is cool!" Aya exclaimed brightly, testing it and draping them both with the cloak. Honestly, it was uncanny how alike they were. Sure, Kora should've expected this. After all, they were identical twins, unlike Cress and Nee who were fraternal. So it was no surprise to anyone that they looked the same.

They were invisible and undetectable under the cloak, so even if someone was sent to help her with the tracker, it'd be difficult to find her. Kora had to find a way to fix this, and she wasn't an idiot. There was no way to break the control on Aya's body. Narina would definitely make sure of that. She needed to kill Aya again, and she'd bear that sin on her soul forever. But if it meant saving and protecting the chip, then it was fine, right? Knowing what data was on the chip, it meant that it was even more important for her to keep it safe. It was the last keepsake of Aya - as long as she kept it close, her twin sister would always be with her.

Eventually the bike stopped at a very familiar location. The well. "I'm going to kill you now, but... no hard feelings, okay?" Aya sounded sad, and it was obvious why. "No matter how much we hurt each other, I'll always love you." Kora grinned, the wild gleam in her eyes subdued. "Same. Even if everyone loved you more, if everyone hated me, the two of us will always be sisters." Aya nodded, and pulled Kora over to the well, lifting her up easily and dangling over the above the well. "You've grown up so much. I wish I could have grown up with you, you know?" Kora nodded. She knew, of course. She wished that every day now.

If Aya weren't an android, she certainly would be crying. "We could have been the best twins ever." Aya said softly and Kora forced a grin. If this was the end, then it was fine. It was a fitting way to die, wasn't it? "Next time, we'll do better, right?" Kora felt the tears shimmering under her eyes. "Let's be twins again in the next life." Kora said, reciting the words she wished she could have said to Aya before the end. After all, this wasn't really her sister. It was just - "...I won't... drop you..." Aya murmured and it sounded pained in her head for some reason. As if the mind control was hurting her. "Aya... you don't... have to. It's okay..." But Aya shook her head, straining against the agony. "I want you to live for the both of us.... I won't let you die... like this."

Even though the grip was loosening, Aya was still fighting the controls in desperation. "I want.. you to fall in love... and be happy... and smile for us both...! We always have the.. next life to be twins... but you're only Kora once! So... don't let it go to waste! I'm... not gonna... drop you!" The wolf knight blinked and then she was crying in earnest. And that was when it happened. "Put her down, you filthy android!" Heron shouted, slashing through the revived Aya and Kora felt herself plummeting as a flash of red burst into the scene.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Still Into you || Paramore ||




Cress felt warm as Nee praised her, saying that she did good. This was the praise only a big sister could give to the younger twin and Cress grinned, "It was a... breeze." She lied with a slight laugh, the anxiety going away, although that was mostly due to Corren's medicine than Nee being awake. There was still plenty to worry about, but Cress couldn't find it within herself to panic about anything. She felt happy, overly so. Why was this? Was it because she and Heron were going to go on a date? Because she could finally use her arms? No doubt it was since Nee was awake, she was okay, being her usual cold self. Nee had the same thought process, that Jezebeth and their mother, she was the same. "We have to... warn Queen Riana." Cress said, certain that Narina would pull some sort of stunt.

As though on cue, Queen Riana, appearing to be outraged by a betrayal that wasn't real at all. "It's not us!" Cress snapped as Narcia began coughing. "It's Narina she's... posing as some... Tartarian noble." Cress hoped that she could make Riana see reason. They didn't have any reason to betray her, not after everything that Queen Riana had done for them. "Those humans aren't... real they're androids." Cress explained, feeling frantic. She had to protect everyone, even though Nee was here, she wasn't well, she was still weak and shaking and Cress had to protect her. It was just like those days on earth, when Ellie was her cousin and Cress would protect her from the bullies. "We would never... break the alliance." Cress insisted, hoping that she would listen.

Just then, Itward burst inside. "We have a problem," there were more androids, marching up to the palace. "Dispatch the knights," Cress said seriously. There weren't many of them, maybe fifty, and Cress was certain that the knights handled it. Thankfully, Shiro was bundled up underneath the blanket so that Itward didn't see her. He nodded his head and left to go help protect the palace, leaving them in the med bay. "Maybe it would... be safer for... us in the... playground?" Cress asked, knowing that, that room was ready to protect them and reinforced since it used to be the interrogation room. There was a knock on the door, Wren had come with clothes for both Narcia and Shiro. Corren took the clothing from her, not allowing the servant inside even though she insisted on being with Shiro.

"You can do other things, the Queens need to eat, go fetch their dinner." Corren said sternly and shut the door on her, it was rude, but there was nothing that could be done about it. "Should I declare... a state of... emergency?" Cress asked seriously. What would they tell the citizens? That Tartaria was on the move to attack? That Narina was back and in full force? Cress didn't want them to worry or panic, there was enough of that with the recent explosion that the knights had managed to put out. "I just wanted... a happy ending." Cress said quietly, knowing that it was likely no one had heard her. Had she stayed on earth she would have lived the life she wanted to, she wouldn't be wheelchair bound or weak. Then again, she wouldn't have Ellie either.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




"You can't come." Queen Narina scolded, locking the pup inside of a crate. Narcia was already in the pod and so, Shiro was stuck here in a cage. She waited for someone to let her out, for someone to take her on a walk and give her ear scritches, but no one came. So Shiro sat silently, wondering when Narcia would be back. She didn't even have Ellis to play with in the meantime, the toy was sitting on the pink dog bed in the corner of the room. Shiro was in the other corner, waiting for Nee to come back. The meeting the day before with Aine and Itward had been fun, at least, for Shiro. There had been plenty of scritches and Aine had fed her cookies beneath the table while she played beside Nee. Nee had given Shiro something called tea that had been far too hot for the pup's liking and then they had gone for another walk.

Hours passed, Shiro waited for her princess to come back. When the door finally opened, Narcia headed straight for the crate, letting Shiro out. "I'm sorry Shi," she apologized, squeezing the pup tight. "I didn't realize she would lock you up in there." It only made sense since unsupervised, there was no telling what Shiro might do. Shiro ran over to her bed and picked up Ellis, clasping the toy in her teeth as her tail wagged. She ran back over to Nee and dropped it by her feet, doing what Nee called the "doggy dance", which was when Shiro stepped around her eagerly, wanting to play. "I'm sorry Shiro, I can't play now." Nee pat her head and then went over to her desk. Shiro picked up Ellis again and followed her, wondering what was wrong.

"Walk?" Shiro asked and Nee shook her head. "Not now Shiro," the pup whined, resting her chin on Nee's thigh. Narcia sighed, scritching behind her ears, which made the pup mewl happily. "I have work to do, so no distractions." Nee scolded and Shiro went over to her doggy bed, sitting down. Nee suddenly had an idea, she picked up a red rubber stress ball and waved it. Shiro jumped up eagerly, looking at the toy. Nee opened the door to her bedroom and Shiro followed her. "Fetch!" Nee yelled, tossing the ball down the hall. It bounced and went down the staircase. "Fetch!" Shiro echoed, running after the ball. Nee sat back down, knowing that as long as the ball kept moving, Shiro would have something to do.

The pup bumbled down the steps, watching as the ball rolled down another hallway. She chased after it, a happy smile on her face. "Fetch!" Shiro yipped as the ball hit a wall and came back her way, going past her. Shiro back tracked, turning around as the ball began rolling down the steps once more. The pup jumped, missing and nearly hitting the side rail. She followed it, finally catching up to the ball at the end of the hallway, when it rolled to a stop. Shiro looked up eagerly, tail drooping when she realized she had no idea where she was. There were people here, all dressed the same, bustling around, ignoring the pup and Shiro whimpered, backing up into a wall.

"What's a cutie like you doing here?" A red haired woman asked, coming forward. She knelt down to scritch behind Shiro's ears and the pup seemed to melt right then and there, dropping the rubber ball. "Hey there little pup, I'm Heron." Her hand moved, looking at the tag on Shiro's collar. "Shiro, hmm, I guess I should bring you back to the Princess's room?"

"Shiro!" Shiro yipped, turning in a circle and sitting down in front of Heron. "Alright, I'll take you back to her then," Heron said and lifted Shiro up easily. "After all, it's my job to protect all cute girls, even ones with dog ears." Shiro licked Heron's face, tasting spaghetti sauce, which prompted the pup to lick all around. "What's that? You want a kiss?" Heron teased, planting one on Shiro's nose. The pup wriggled as Heron carried her up the stairs. "That stupid princess, always losing her toys." Heron dropped Shiro outside the door, knocking on it twice before leaving. Shiro waited eagerly, jumping for joy when Nee answered. "Shiro? Was someone with you?"

"No," the pup whined, bumping her head against Nee's leg affectionately. "Shiro, where's your ball?" The pup's eyes widened as she remembered she dropped it.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝It's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||




Even if Cress said it was a breeze, Nee knew it couldn't have been. Cress seemed a bit paler than usual, and the way her hands were bandaged up couldn't be a good indicator either. Nee remembered what it was like to rule, especially in the lonely months after Narina was first defeated. She was overwhelmed by the work, almost drowning under the weight of all the responsibility. Nee was becoming ice, and if it wasn't for Shiro, she might have been lost to it. So even if Cress said it was a breeze, she knew it wasn't that easy. Still, the fact that Cress could lie like that was proof that she was holding on. Looking down on her or trying to be gentle now would just be an insult to the effort Cress was putting in.

Corren patted her back and helped her ride through the coughing fit and Cress was talking in her stead, explaining the situation to Riana as best as she could. Cress told Riana about Narina, about the androids, and Riana nodded tensely. "Alright. You aren't the type to lie, not with that fire in your eyes." The Coriandrum Queen said, seeming almost surprised that she believed what Cress was saying. "I'll defend my borders, then. If you need help in killing your former Queen, I'll see if I can lend a hand." Was it just Nee's imagination, or has she softened up after having a surrogate daughter in Una? Riana then ended the call, no doubt to start preparing for battle.

Itward rushed in at that time, and Nee felt herself tense up. Cress, quickly and clearly made the call to dispatch the knights and Itward went to start the fight. Cress really was getting used to it, no matter how tough it was. The playground was definitely the safest location - it was built to withstand an attack for sure. Nee wasn't sure if she was safe to be transported, though, she still felt sick and frail despite her inner strength. Cress finally showed weakness, though, as if it was all getting to her, and Nee gave her a quiet smile. "You did... good. That's the call... I would have made." Nee said. "A state of... emergency... to limit the... casualties of our mother's... stupid game."

Corren then transferred her into a wheelchair as gently as he could. Shiro was thankfully covered in the blanket so Corren just had to connect the wheelchairs together and bring them to the Playground. The door was shut, and Nee was pulled up to do the retina scan and voice check, allowing the door to open. Narcia felt exhausted just from the trip, even with the blood in her body. "I never got to... thank you... yet... for the blood..." Narcia aimed her gaze at her sister, seeming almost proud. "You probably... saved me." As tough as she was mentally, every body broke at some point, and if it wasn't for Cress's help, Nee probably would have died.


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❝I hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||




By instinct, Kora grabbed onto the spear when Heron shoved it down the well. Her mind was blank, even as the scarlet knight pulled her up safely. The first thing Kora did was dig through the remains of the Aya android, wishing she had more time to talk to her. Thankfully the chip was still intact and Kora held it close to her heart before putting it safely in her pocket, shutting it. Then she aimed her eyes towards Heron, whose spear's blade actually looked a little dented. Had she been using it wrong with her blurred vision? Regardless, Kora was angry. "Why?" The wolf knight growled, her entire body tensing. "Why? I had it under control! Aya was - Aya was getting control! I could've saved her! She didn't have to die!"

Heron scowled, shaking her head. It was clear the now-youngest Cherubim daughter didn't want to hear it. "I just saved you, and you're yelling at me?" Heron would always be Kora's enemy. It was impossible for them to get along, Kora would never allow that to happen. "I could handle it myself. I was going to save her." The wolf knight hissed. Aya was hers to kill, Heron didn't have the right to steal it from her. They were sisters, and Heron just barges in and ruins everything. "Can you stop your-" Heron was about to keep arguing, but then her holo rang. Itward came up, looking serious.

"Heron, Kora, you both need to get back to the palace. We're under attack." Heron then grabbed Kora, shoving her onto the bike and the wolf hissed, not wanting anything to do with this infuriating scarlet knight. "Got it, big bro. I'll tear them to pieces." It was annoying how strong Heron was, how confident she always was. Kora had none of that. She would always be inferior. Kora wanted to be able to finish a mission on her own for once, without any help. But of course Heron had to come and spoil it. So they drove in silence, zipping through what was once checkpoints, cloaked behind the fifty or so enemies attacking the defenders of the palace. It was time, and Kora wasn't going to get out done.

With a shout, the scarlet knight jumped out from the bike, spear whirling - but then the impossible happened. Heron missed, and her eyes went wide and she jumped back, clutching at her head. "Damn." Heron growled, looking dizzy. "It's too blurry. Too many enemies. Can't see straight." The wolf knew this was her opportunity. While Heron tried to steady her vision, Kora lunged, even without a weapon - she lost her gun in the Sanitary Tier - and pulled a sword from a knight before slicing him into bits, stomping hard on the wrist where the chip was. This was going to be fun. Since these were androids and not really the knights, there was no reason to hold back.

So, wielding a sword, Kora jumped into the fray, chopping and slicing everything in her path, even with only one hand. But unlike cutting flesh, steel was much harder, so her sword broke. Kora kicked it up and caught the blade with her teeth, throwing the hilt at another knight, and used her head to fling the blade into the eye of another. She was going to need more than one sword to really cut through. So Kora stole two more swords - one in her teeth and the other in her arm and became a whirling hurricane of blades, not even noticing the amount of wounds she was picking up.

Finally the fight was over but Kora in her bloody daze, hardly noticed. She was still swinging her arm down at one knight in particular, ignoring the fact that three swords were sticking through her torso, that one leg wasn't working, and she kept slamming her arm down, hard enough to crack and break her forearm bone. She had a shallow cut in her scalp, and blood ran into her eyes, making it hard to see. Someone grabbed her from behind and Kora felt her knees buckle and she fell backwards. Heron, of course. "The fight's... already over." Heron shouted, trying to snap sense into the girl. "You need to... you - are you insane!? You're bleeding out!"

Kora giggled then. She couldn't keep her balance on her ruined leg anymore, and with her left arm broken and her right hand gone, the wolf was pretty much a cripple until she could get medical help. She struggled for breath, but she still didn't even feel any pain. "...Cress.... did Cress... she my awesome... fight?" Kora mumbled before she slumped over, fainting from the exertion and from her own injuries.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Still Into you || Paramore ||




Cress sighed in relief as Queen Riana said that she would lend a hand to help subdue their mother. She's posing as... a woman named... Jezebeth in Tartaria." Surely Una had updated Queen Riana on the situation that had happened earlier in the day? Night had fallen, the glow of the sun being replaced with a darkened sky. "Thank you for... your support Queen... Riana." Cress smiled as Riana said that the fire in Cress's eyes would not lie to her. Cress didn't think she was capable of performing an actual lie, as a child, her mother had told her that her ears would turn red if she lied and so, whenever Cress had lied she would cover her ears and her mother would inevitably know that the girl was fibbing. Anything more than an, 'I'm okay' when she was actually said, Cress couldn't really utter.

Once Riana had hung up, Nee praised her again and Cress blushed. "I'm just doing... what I think... you would do." Cress admitted a bit sheepishly, wondering what Nee would think that Cress was modeling herself after her older twin. Would Nee take it as a compliment? Cress hoped so. "I'll declare it... then." Cress said and tapped a few buttons on her holo. "Attention Ashia Palace... There has been... reports of Tartarian... Infiltrators." Cress said breathlessly, wishing that she didn't have to be the one to deliver the bad news. "As acting Queen... I am declaring... an official state... of emergency." Cress was panting, this was a lot harder than she had thought. "Please report to... your homes for... your own safety. Thank you and... stay safe." Cress almost laughed at how awkward she sounded in her sign off.

Corren began the transfer. He loaded Nee into a wheelchair and then placed Shiro on her lap, the pup's sleeping head resting on Nee's chest. Shiro looked peaceful, sucking on her pacifier and hugging Ellis tightly in place of Nee. Corren put Cress and Nee side by side, wheeling them both to the playground. Nee did whatever safety features she had placed on it, enabling them to go inside. Corren had transferred medical supplies there as well and began setting Nee up on the bed. He placed her down gently, the four of them locked inside the playground until the situation was over. It was a good thing the hallways had been clear, otherwise Narina's spies may have seen Shiro and known that the pup was still alive, or would have seen Nee and known how bad her condition truly was.

"She claimed to... love us." Cress's hands clenched into fists. "Liar." Nee spoke then, thanking Cress for the blood. Cress blushed again and looked at her lap. "You would have... done the same... for me." Cress said, wriggling in her wheelchair. Itward called then and Shiro watched on the holo as Heron and Kora battled the android army with the rest of the nights. "Kora," Cress ran her fingers through the image, causing it to waver. Kora had two spears sticking out of her stomach and she was limping, yet she fought so bravely. Cress had to hang up, even if they wer only fighting androids, the image of the battle made her nauseous. Besides, she still had other things to do.

"Knight Med Bay... 1 please prepare... to receive the... injured knights." Heron would take Kora there and get her own injures looked at. "I'm going," Corren said. Cress could see the emotions roiling in his eyes, unspoken love for Kora marked clear as day. "We need you." Cress said, shaking her head. "Shiro knows how to control the IV." Corren said, "I taught her how." Cress hesitated, "Go," she decided, knowing that the only one who had a chance of fixing Kora was Corren. "Please save her." Corren left, closing the door behind him. Cress sighed, it was just the twins and Shiro in the playground now. Cress sighed and turned towards Nee "You make this... look so easy."


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro was gnawing on a cookie, the baker having made special bone shaped ones by Nee's request. Nee came out of the bathroom, rolling up her sleeves. "Bath time," her mistress grinned and Shiro froze up in terror at those words. "No!" She yipped, taking the cookie and running to hide underneath the bed. Nee was faster though and she grabbed the pup by the torso, carrying Shiro to the bathroom. Shiro wriggled and writhed, trying to escape, but Nee closed the bathroom door and Shiro didn't know how to work doorknobs. "No," Shiro mewled, trying to escape. She almost ran head first right into the door, but Nee stopped her. "Come on Shiro, it's not so bad." The girl tsked with a sigh. "How about I come in with you?" Shiro walked in a circle, clearly unhappy that she had to take a bath. "It's not my fault you insisted on running through that pile of mud."

Nee knelt down, "Sit," Shiro sat and Nee raised the girl's arms up, taking the shirt she was wearing off. Then went the doggy diaper, into the garbage. Shiro's tail wagged, the girl who thought she was a dog writhed on the cold bathroom floor, not liking the sound of the bathtub filling up. "I'll come in too," Nee said, knowing she was going to get all wet anyways. Nee took off her dress, wearing a bathing suit underneath. She lifted Shiro up, placing her in the bathtub and then stepping in. Shiro nearly disappeared in the pile of bubbles and Nee had to part the foam, the first layer of dirt coming off of the puppy. "See? It's not so bad." Nee smiled and began scrubbing, taking off the rest of the dirt. Shiro howled and yipped, but Nee wasn't going to let her off easy.

"There, all clean." Shiro shook herself off even after Nee had wrapped her in a towel. "You want pajamas?" Nee asked and Shiro yipped in response. "No!" The pup said her favorite word happily, glad to be free of clothing. "Ooh these ones are soft," Nee took out a pair of old clothing from a box, the task of getting Shiro into clothes was almost as hard as getting her in the bath. Shiro looked up, she had been scratching behind her ear with a leg, impossibly flexible. Her tail waggled, still dripping wet from the bath. When Shiro saw the clothing, she bolted, but Nee cornered her. She buttoned up the pajama shirt on Shiro and pulled her tail through the designated hole in the diaper, looping the belt around Shiro's waist so that the pup couldn't get it off since she wasn't house trained.

"Boy am I tired," Nee clambered into bed and Shiro followed, bringing along her favorite toy, Ellis. "Shiro," it was her second favorite word. No doubt Shiro had no idea what these words meant, she was just parroting things she heard. "Come here Shiro," Nee said, patting the space beside her, it was much warmer under the blanket. Shiro crawled underneath and Nee hugged her like a stuffed animal. Shiro licked her face and Narcia made an odd expression. "Ew, Shiro I just bathed." The princess complained and licked Shiro's face in return to see how the pup liked it. Shiro wiggled, yipping excitedly. "No, shhh, Mother will hear you." Nee said, putting her hand over Shiro's mouth. Shiro wriggled again, not liking this. "Goodnight Shi." Narcia said, closing her eyes. "No?" Shiro asked, falling asleep beside her.


Shiro's eyes fluttered open, she was wrapped in a sterile white blanket, Ellis in her arms. "Nee?" Shiro asked, her pacifier falling out of her mouth. She sat up, eyes widening as she saw that Nee was okay. "You're awake!" Shiro celebrated, clear relief in her eyes. The girl began to tear up again, this time it was happy tears. "I'm so happy you're okay."

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝It's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||




Cress handled the Riana situation with apparent ease, and Riana seemed to understand and was willing to help. Cress blushed, seeming embarrassed, but Narcia knew the praise was well earned. "You're doing a good job." The ice queen said honestly. Cress was handling herself admirably well, especially since this sort of thing was something completely out of her usual set of skills. Cress then made the announcement as best as she could, putting all of Ashia Palace on alert. Nee had a wry sort of smile on her face, feeling slightly peaceful despite everything. Of course, there was still more to do. No rest for the weary, and weary was Nee's middle name by now.

After being transferred to the Playground and having their wheelchairs disconnected, Cress was talking about Narina, about their mother, and she didn't look at all happy. Narina claimed to have loved them in that message of hers, and Nee grit her teeth. If Narina could feel love, it'd definitely be a perversion of the word, a disgrace. Allowing something like this to happen to your children was never justifiable, no matter how you tried to explain it. "She likely did it... to make me - us ... despise Tartaria." Narcia said, panting again, still feeling cold and shivery. "If I survived, my anger would... lead to war. If I died, it might... make you... give up on... pacifism." She stared deep into Cress's eyes, suddenly intensely curious. "Would you have... declared war for... my sake, Cress?"

Kora and Heron's battle was shown when Itward called and the ice queen watched it carefully, slightly relieved but not surprised that their two star knights made it out alive - though not really in one piece, either. Heron had a few cuts here and there, not performing at her usual flawless best, and Kora was like a mangled mess of a human, with wounds all over you could hardly count them. With a brief discourse, Corren was given permission to go and tend to the knights, and Cress showed her quick decision making yet again. "She'll... be okay." Nee reached over wearily and brought up Kora's image, pausing the footage. "...None of the... spears are in her... vital areas, see? She'll... survive." Would it make Cress calm down? Hopefully it would, but there was no way to really know.

"I was... trained for it, remember?" Nee scoffed, shaking her head. "...I said before... that you could call me Ellie... That was when Shiro woke up, pacifier falling out, and her eyes seemed to shine with tears as she realized that her lover was okay. Narcia smiled and pulled Shiro in for a closer hug. "I promised... that I would... always be okay. Your ring... and my locket... as long as we have them... we'll always be okay." Narcia felt tired and weak but still happy to be reunited with Shiro once again.


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❝I hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||




The knights were all brought into the medical bay designated for the knights, though there were more injured than expected. After crushing all the chips - Heron made sure Aya's was safe with Kora - the other knights followed suit. Androids were more difficult than normal to fight - their steel and natural armor made them thicker, and they had mechanical joints far more powerful than biological muscles. As such, there were many wounded - too much for Med Bay I alone, so Itward and Corren had some transferred to Bays II and III respectively.

Corren's first priority was Kora, of course. Heron was mostly okay, and Finnley only lost a finger, but Kora took some of the most grievous injuries. "She's like a berserker." Heron growled as Corren worked - other medical staff attending to the other knights - and Corren nodded. "She fights with no regard to her health whatsoever. One of these days it's going to get her killed." Heron's eyes widened a little when she heard the emotions washing off of Corren, the usually stoic and toneless young man looked agitated as he cleaned and dressed Kora's many wounds, putting metal sheets on her left leg and left arm to fix the bone and mend the flesh. He considered giving her pain medication, but the stockpile was running low, and other knights needed them. Kora was stronger than most - so as much as Corren hated it, he knew he couldn't spare any on the wolfish knight.

"Geez, I'm fine, brother." Heron growled as Itward fussed over her, being the overprotective brother he never was when Nio was alive. "Only a few scratches here and there. No biggie." Itward wasn't convinced though, staring her down to get herself examined. The scarlet knight shook her head adamantly, forcing herself not to blink to get the blur away. "I'm not losing another sister. Nio wanted us both to live, Heron." Itward said insistently, but Heron calmly kept her arms crossed. "IT's unlike you to even get a single injury. And your spear's point is dented, you've been overworking it."

Heron was getting annoyed. Honestly, she was fine, a few scratches didn't warrant anything. So she tossed her favorite spear at her brother, forcing him to catch it. "Send it to get it fixed and sharpened, okay? I'm gonna go report to my favorite fiery princess. She's probably worried out of her mind."

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Still Into you || Paramore ||




Cress thought long and hard about it. Would she have declared war for Nee? "No," Cress decided in the end. Sure she talked a big game about revenge and killing, but Cress would never follow through on that. "Because I know... that isn't what... you would have... wanted." Getting revenge and declaring war were two very different things. Sure Cress could get revenge by seeing to it that justice was served, but she wouldn't outright declare war and kill thousands of innocents. "I would waste... our funds and... plant a garden... in honor of... you instead." Cress smiled, knowing that she really would do that if anything were to happen to Nee. Cress wasn't sure she would ever recover if she lost her twin. There was only so much a person could recover from and Nee's death would be the straw that broke the camel's back.

"There's no point... in hating. It's... what festers inside... of us and... makes us do... terrible things." Cress had very few people she hated, Narina Seraphim was one of them. The other things were beansprouts and when weeds took over an otherwise immaculate garden. "Hate is the... darkness and we... are the light." Cress smiled, hoping that made sense. "Right Ellie?" Calling her twin that felt natural, it felt right. There was a flash of warmth in her chest, the thought of her mother's home cooking, of her Aunt sitting at the table, fixing the holes Cress had torn in her pants by climbing trees or the ones in her socks from taking off her shoes while hiking.

Her worry for her friends was so evident that Nee brought up a scan of Kora's body, showing that the spears hadn't hit any vital points. Cress breathed a sigh of relief, "Saw right through... me huh?" She laughed and the sound felt good, right. Even if it wasn't a real situation to be laughing about, Cress had always been known to laugh in the face of danger. She once chased a bear away from her camp sight in nothing but her underwear to protect Ellie. Her laughter reflected that same girl, the one that would climb trees for a chance to touch the sky, the one who bathed in a frigid creak when the power went out so that the others could have the warm water and had claimed she was simply trying to experience nature at its finest. This was that same, insane Cress with the mischievous glint in her fiery eyes.

Nee scoffed, saying that she was trained for this and that was the truth of the matter. Cress had wallowed away her days on earth while Nee had been up here, refining herself to one day rule. There was a knock at the door and Cress struggled to wheel herself over and see who it was. Heron was standing outside and so Cress opened the door, letting the knight in. The door closed behind her, the redhead taking the handles of Cress's wheelchair and pushing her back over to the bed. "I'm glad you're... okay. I saw... you fight with... Kora." Heron scratched the back of her head, blushing for some unknown reason. There was small cuts with large band aids covering the tears in the flesh, no doubt salve used to heal them right up.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Nee was speaking then, saying that she had promised she would be okay. Shiro wiped the tears from her eyes, the blanket falling off of her shoulders to reveal her nude body. Nee was still wearing Shiro's nightgown and Shiro was glad that her beloved hadn't been in the nude. "I'm glad you're okay," Shiro said, still a bit shaken and dizzy from the sedation. "When I saw you there, you looked so small." Shiro whimpered, knowing that it was selfish to make Nee worry about her when all the focus should be on Nee. Her beloved was the injured one and if she requested it, Shiro would kiss all of Nee's injuries to make them better. "As long as we have these things..." Shiro trailed off, looking at her ring that glinted in the low light.

"I had a weird dream," Shiro said when there was a knock on the door. She was gonna go get it, but Cress looked like she wanted to do it. "I dreamed that you were still just the princess and that I was your puppy and you tried to give me a bath, but I didn't like it." Shiro shook her head, knowing that she sounded ridiculous. She wanted to tell Nee though because it had been a fun dream, there had been lots of ear scritches and biscuit shaped treats and Ellis had been there too. Heron came in and wheeled Cress back over to the bed. "Nee, I'm gonna get you a proper nightgown." Shiro blushed, realizing that her beloved was wearing her nightclothes which were rather small and tight and Heron was no doubt enjoying the view.

Shiro grabbed a nightgown from the drawer and blocked Heron's view, putting a proper night dress on Nee and then putting on her own nightgown. There was dinner sitting on the side table and Shiro realized that she was rather hungry, she had skipped lunch after all. "You should drink some juice, it'll help replenish the blood loss." Shiro said in a knowing manner, nodding her head like she thought nurse Aya might do. "Um, but only if you want to." There was a bottle waiting there for her and Shiro took it gladly, knowing that it would fill in the missing nutrients from lunch. Shiro suckled on it, laying down and resting her head in Nee's lap.

There were a lot of plans that needed to be made, they were going to have to launch an attack in an attempt to capture "Jazebeth" and they would need Una's help, otherwise the Tartarian people would believe that Ashia Palace was attempting another assault on them. Shiro knew she wouldn't get to help, she would be in this room, pretending that she was in a coma, while Nee and Cress and everyone else did their best to defeat the tyrant ruler that was trying to strike a match and begin an explosion.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝It's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||




The answer was just as expected. Of course Cress wouldn't kill for her sake. Even if she were to die, Cress wouldn't go to war. That made her smile, and feel greatly relieved. "I'm glad my death... won't be the reason... for you to abandon... your morals." Was it hypocritical to say such a thing? Probably, since Nee hardly cared about the masses of innocents swept up in a conflict. Nee was the type who could overlook civilian deaths and focus on the big picture - on the politics and results of a war, and it was something she wasn't exactly proud of. Narcia was a murderer - she killed Baron Strauss earlier with her own two hands and orchestrated the deaths of many others. "Oh! Not that I plan... on dying or... anything. There's... no way... I'd let that happen."

Darkness and light. In a way, it was an apt describer of things, wasn't it? But in other ways, Nee knew things weren't so simple as black and white. Villains all have their motivations, and no good guys are perfect. Even Narina had her own twisted logic in which she believed she was doing the right thing. Cress likely viewed the world in black and white, but Nee preferred a look with various shades of grey. No one was fully good, nor was anyone wholly evil, either. But still, she gave her twin sister a smile. "That's one way to say it, Cress." She said, slightly evasively.

Nee felt guilt in her chest when Shiro told her how much she had worried her. The pup cried so much, and Nee still felt the dampness on the nightgown - the nightgown that was making it difficult to breathe. She wasn't going to complain - Shiro lended it to her, after all - but no doubt it wasn't the best for comfort's sake. "As long as we have these... our love will overcome... even Narina herself." That was the true and simple of it. It was funny, actually. Even when Jezebeth had he captured, she didn't even bother having the locket taken from her. Was it wishful thinking to interpret this as a blessing for their engagement?

Shiro talked about a dream, a very weird one at that - one where Shiro was a dog, and she didn't want to take a bath, and other fantastical things. Nee felt a little bad about it - Shiro didn't deserve to consider herself to be comparable to an animal, Shiro was an equal. "You're not a dog, you're the same as me. We're both Queens." Nee's expression softened just a tad. "But I'm glad you enjoyed it." Yes, juice was probably going to help - apparently. Nee hardly knew much about health or medicine, all she knew where the vital organs and their locations. But she'd take Shiro's word for it, and reached for a juice pack, sipping it happily.

When went to the room, Nee authorized the door opening for the scarlet knight to enter - looking a little beat up, but already adorned with bandages and gauze. Cress expressed her relief that the knight was faring well and Heron grinned, doing a peace sign with two fingers. "Course I'm fine. Ashia's Fang won't lose to a bunch of scrap metal!" There was Heron, as arrogant as always, and Shiro quickly wriggled the nightgown on and slithered a better-fitting one for Nee to wear, making the ice queen blush slightly when she realized this was Shiro's way of protecting what was hers.

After winking flirtatiously at Cress, Heron turned serious. "Cress, we gotta do something about Kora. The way she fights - she's gonna kill herself one day. She doesn't even think about her injuries until it's too late." Heron grimaced, a pained expression on her mien. "I can't fight as well when I gotta keep an eye on the shrimp, y'know?" Narcia hugged Shiro closer to her, wanting to kiss her once they had privacy. "I think Kora's still working through... issues." Nee said quietly. "Deep seated emotional issues. But... at least she isn't trying to kill us anymore." Nee poked Shiro on the nose, an imaginary boop sound emitting from it. "All thanks to Shiro here, of course. You did good with her."

Nee then turned her attention to Cress. The next step was going to have to happen, and soon. They needed to hunt down Jezebeth - Narina - and take her down before any more damage could be done. Narcia thought about the chessboard, focusing on what moves Narina had taken so far, and that was when she figured it out. "Once Narina... realizes she can't... corner me and... force me to declare war... she's going to... target the other... rulers... and kill them to... put their land... under our rule." The ice queen narrowed her eyes, and the room felt much colder. "Her first step... is likely... Coriandrum. Killing Riana and... Una will... give her all of... Tartaria's might." A bitter taste was in her mouth. "All for Ashia's domination... of the Eastern Continent."


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❝I hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||




The knights weren't in the best of conditions. With the recent attack on Ashia Palace, there were many injured, and as a result of the Tartarian War, medical supplies were running out. Corren knew that trade would have to be done if they wanted to keep their knights alive. He would have to petition the Queens later and ask them to open a trade agreement with Coriandrum - weapons tech in exchange for medicinal supplies. They way things were looking, they wouldn't have enough military-grade first aid kits to keep everyone alive.

Itward was doing his best to keep everything organized, and Xion was helping, bringing in doctors from the lower tiers and their civilian-grade medicine to try and help. It wasn't optimal, but it was better than no help at all, and it promoted teamwork throughout the tiers, one step to bringing Ashia away from four segmented tiers and into becoming one singular machine, all working together for a common goal. Oddly enough, Heron's fanclub of cute girls were also trying to help, spreading the word to not hate Tartarians, but to hate their politics, trying to make people see that Ashians and Tartarians weren't all that different.

"I'm fine now, I gotta train more." Kora growled to Itward, wanting to be free to practice. Like she was, she wasn't strong enough. Kora needed more training, she needed to hone her technique and become even stronger. The wolf knight was panting as she tried to escape the medical bay - even though she was bandaged up and her bones weren't in severe enough condition to need anything more than the metal sheets, her body was still worn out from all the fighting and stress. Itward sighed, as if babysitting this unruly knight was digging into his time with Xion. "You shouldn't move. Doctor's orders." Corren's orders, before he and Maven got to work on other knights.

Kora shook her head, unhappy. "If... I don't get stronger, I won't be able to protect anyone." The wolf insisted, angry that no one was thinking about that. "The stronger I get, the more people I can keep alive." Itward then kneeled to her level, but his face wasn't friendly at all. "Lieutenant General Kohrya Filia. That rank isn't given to just anyone." This was irritating, there were too many people here, the whole place looked cramped and it was annoying. She already knew what Itward was going to say, anyways. "Your skill in combat, strategy, medicine, and quick thinking make you worth dozens of knights."

The second-most superior of the military branch (highest being Cress, funnily enough) sounded almost exasperated, trying to explain a simple concept to an ignorant child. Kora, however, wasn't satisfied. "So my life's worth more than normal knights, then?" Itward let out a sigh, and he nodded his head. "That's exactly it, Kora. You're stronger and smarter than most knights, and you have a close correspondence to our royal family. You are invaluable. That's what you want to hear, right?" For some reason, it felt really nice to hear that she was so needed. Maybe Shiro wasn't lying after all, then? Kora then grinned wildly at her captor. "Then if I train more and get stronger, I'll be worth even more, right?" No way was she gonna sit here and do nothing when there was training to do.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Still Into you || Paramore ||




Cress knew what they had to do next, they were going to have to infiltrate Tartaria in order to capture Jezebeth AKA Narina. It wasn't going to be easy, they would have to be disguised. Perhaps getting the Princess Una's blessing would be imperative for the people's cooperation? If Una ordered it, maybe the others would hand Jezebeth over willingly? Cress wasn't sure. Jezebeth had been asleep for a very long time. Cress was thankful that her people had received her well, no doubt due to her nearly dying for the cause of freeing the lower tiers, but Una didn't have anything like that underneath her belt. No doubt the Princess was loved and respected, but shady characters would attempt to turn her into their good little puppet.

No doubt their mother was one of these shadowy figures working in the dark. She was priming her strings to sink her claws into her next victim. "We can't let... her get to... us." Cress said and even with the breathlessness there was determination laced into her voice. "She thinks that... just because she... has her robot... army that she's... got a chance." Cress looked up at Nee then, a smile on her face. "We'll prove to... her who's the... best!" Even if Cress described it like that, the world was not black and white. The world was a tumultuous shade of beautiful, vibrant colors. People didn't live in shades of gray and navy, they were a variety of technicolor clothes, skins, and personalities. It was the world that Cress had chosen to live in.

Heron came in then, being her usual, flirty self that made Cress's cheeks turn a tinge of red that nearly matched her eyes. Just thinking about the fact that soon they would be going on a date, it made Cress blush even further. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even her beloved twin sister. Truth be told, there hadn't been time to tell anyone that she and Heron would be training together. Then the matter of Kora was brought up and a certain emotion flickered through Cress's eyes. Guilt perhaps, or maybe regret? "I can put... her on medical... leave until she... heals up." Cress said, knowing that Kora wouldn't be happy. The knight had sustained major wounds, she would need time to mend. Even if Cress did put Kora on medical leave, or temporary suspension, she knew that Kora would simply overlook the order and show up to fight anyways.

Cress brought up a good point then, that Kora was still working through her emotions, emotions that Shiro had brought to light with her stellar puppy therapy. Cress was sure if you put Shiro in a puppy costume, it could melt even the coldest of hearts. Even Narina, who apparently showed her love by kicking her daughters in the sides. Nee explained something else then, that once Narina began to grow desperate she would target the other nations. "I think Una... may have grown... attached to Riana." Cress said contemplatively, "Even if she... doesn't show it... I'm sure Una... is grateful." Cress looked out one of the fake windows, showing a nighttime landscape. "I know I... would be."

Una and Cress shared a lot of similarities. They both had been trapped in their bodies, in excruciating pain and unable to communicate with anyone outside of their own heads. The two of them had been treated by Queen Riana for an illness no one else could even begin to explain. Cress's eyes widened at a sudden realization. "The illness in... Tartaria, could it... be that Narina... was poisoning them... to keep them... weak?" Ashia Palace provided water to the desert country, they were dependent on them. "Our water supply." She tried to convey her thoughts in as little words as possible. "The pipes."


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro nodded her head, the feel of the ring on her finger a comfort. "I know," Shiro said, "But you looked so broken." In the end Shiro hadn't been able to do anything for Nee but cry. Cress had saved her by donating her blood for Nee. Shiro couldn't do that, she had simply whimpered and spiraled and had ended up being more trouble than good. Shiro wished she could have been useful, she really couldn't do anything, she was an awful lady in-no! Shiro wasn't a lady in waiting anymore, she was a Queen and she had to start thinking like one. Corren had fixed Nee, her beloved was still here, perhaps still a bit shaken, but otherwise present. Shiro closed her hand around her ring so that she would stop nervously fiddling with it.

Nee said that she wasn't a dog. Shiro wiggled, she knew that, but the pup couldn't help thinking like that. "I'm a queen," Shiro repeated, trying to sound sure of herself. "An equal, just like you." Shiro smiled, seeming a bit unsteady, as though she didn't quite believe it herself. "It was fun, we did a lot together and even though I've never seen Aine, she was there, and Itward too." Shiro looked at Cress then, "Sorry, um, you weren't there." The Princess smiled anyhow and didn't seem to mind that she had been excluded from the dream. It was an alternate reality, no doubt what could have come true if Shiro hadn't been abandoned by her parents and Nee hadn't been sent to earth for her own safety.

It was weird to think about, if Shiro had ended up not being abandoned, no doubt she would have been kidnapped from the sanitary tier. She wasn't sure what could have happened next, but she did know that kids, especially ones like her that had such doll like looks, weren't left alone. They were snatched up, taking to various places and forced to work in brothels, or escort services. Some were sold as slaves to noble houses and still others had augments put in place and were sold like prized pets. So her dreams weren't so far fetched, if Shiro hadn't been abandoned she could have ended up as a little pup sitting in a box in the Tower Tier, looking for a family to take her home.

Heron came in then and Shiro wriggled, changing nightgowns quickly so that Nee wouldn't be exposed to Heron. Cress was different, Cress was Nee's twin, but Heron was known to be a little too touchy-feely in the wrong way. Shiro leaned back on the bed, her head on Nee's lap as she drank from the bottle that had been provided for dinner. Nee was drinking a juice box, an important source of energy for replenishing the blood she had lost. Shiro was simply trying to replace the nutrients she had missed by skipping lunch. Shiro felt Nee's hand on her head, praise for helping to fix Kora. Shiro smiled, blushing, "I just had to make her realize that she isn't furniture."

Shiro had used to think the same way, that she was no good, just a side character with a tragic backstory. Nee had made Shiro realize that she could be more than just a lady in waiting, a dog for everyone to kick around. With Nee's help, Shiro realized that making decisions for herself wasn't all that scary, that she wasn't a dog or a servant, she was an individual and even though Shiro had trouble with deciding what she wanted to do, she had hopes that one day she really could be an equal to Nee. They were talking about war things again, things that Shiro didn't have any knowledge of and so she was going to remain quiet until something she could add to came up.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝It's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||




Nee felt at ease with her lover at her side in the bed. They were both queens, even without the wedding making it official. Everyone recognized Shiro as queen, and even if they didn't, no one was willing to challenge Narcia's authority on the matter. They were two sides to the same coin. Narcia was cold and could focus on the cold calculus of ruling, while Shiro was more down-to-earth, and could more easily connect to the civilians and find out what'd win their hearts. "Together, we'll make... a perfect Queen team." Narcia said wryly. Shiro's dream definitely sounded interesting. "Aine would have loved... to meet you. You two would have... been great friends. Nio, too." The three would probably spend their days doing charity drives and peace talks and other such things. It was sad that a friendship between the three would never get the chance to develop.

The sisters were working together, fire and ice in tandem. They wouldn't lose, not to someone who could only wield ice. Narcia nodded in agreement, knowing that more than ever, they couldn't waver. They needed to enter Tartaria and snuff out Narina before she could find another hole to hide in. "Now that we... know her tricks, we won't fall.. for the robots again." Nee was thankful that the other nations didn't employ ID chips, so if they kept destroying the salvaged chips, it'd mean Narcia would eventually run out of androids to build. That was probably why she was usurping Tartaria from within - a supply of hungry, desperate civilians, all of which with a deep hatred in their hearts. "Our crosshairs are now... all focused on Tartaria."

Nee almost let out a laugh, and Heron seemed a little more at ease, but still concerned all the same. "I don't... think Kora will... like being on... medical leave." Knowing how bloodthirsty the wolf knight was, it'd take a lot to keep her under control. "She'll hate us if we go to Tartaria without her." Heron muttered darkly, her usual candor gone. Heron was disturbing like this, when she didn't sport that usual goofy smile on her face, it didn't look right at all. "But she's a loose cannon. It's best if she stays on defense with Itward and the others." So it was pretty much decided that Kora would be left out of the current mission.

The day was winding down, and the more time they spent planning, the more time Narina had to orchestrate Una and Riana's deaths. That couldn't be allowed. "In a few days... Cress, I think it'd be best for a... very specialized botanical team to enter Tartaria with Una's help." She felt a deep sense of anxiety and unease as she said this, knowing it was going to be incredibly dangerous. "....But do not take any risks if you can avoid it at all. And never, ever get separated." Nee then patted Shiro's head gently, knowing the pup would be relieved she wasn't going to the frontlines this time. "Shiro and I... will maintain Ashia in the meantime. I'll need Shiro to... organize events to... ease the knight's anxiety and make them... happier." From all the stress and war, and Tartaria's alleged attacks, morale was at an all time low, especially with medicine being reportedly on low supply. "An event to raise... the knight's spirits." Nee knew something like this was completely out of her expertise. Only Shiro could do this.


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❝I hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||




There weren't many things more depressing than the medical bays after a battle. Instead of cheering knights, ready for the next fight, this time, it was just full of morose, sad people, eyes distant as peace seemed like an impossible goal. It was pathetic. The knights were comprised of lots of former nobles - people who were used to sitting around with luxuries and ease - as well as Towers, who were still pampered compared to the grit of the Rubble Tier. There weren't even Sanitarian knights. As it was, there was one knight talking, gathering people's attention, and Kora tilted her head to listen, wishing she could go fight and tear Narina in half. "It'll be okay... Aya." Kora whispered; her sister's chip in her clenched fist.

"There is no end to this war!" The man shouted, known as Brug Mansia, one of the higher ranking officers within the Ashian military ranks. "Everyone we know will just keep on dying, there's no end to it! All of Ourania will be wrapped up in another war! Innocents will die, many at our hand! Why even bother continuing to fight? This is the end of days, a war to end all civilization!" His eyes were wide, and Kora figured he was just some random nutcase, a conspiracy theorist that wasn't worth anyone's time. "Queen Narina has returned and she'll start a war bigger than all the others! There's no hope!" Mansia shut his eyes, taking a deep thoughtful breath. "All we can do is abolish the Monarchal system and-"

Kora was about to interrupt but someone spoke first. A voice, male, calm and concise. Kora recognized him as one of the newer knights, someone from the Sanitary Tier - the only Sanitary knight, to be precise. He aimed a half grin at the man, and that was when Kora realized. It was the nobles and Towers who were listening. The few Rubbles were mostly ignoring it - they were used to crazy talk like this in desperate times. And it seemed this Sanitarian also wasn't falling for the bull. "Someone shut this idiot up." Haar Lagnia said, overriding Mansia's cult-like words. "I've no love for the Queen either, but you'd think there's better things to do than to spread fear and get your panties in a twist, huh?"

Despite being injured and stuck to a bed, Lagnia seemed to have the biggest presence in the room. "In the Sanitary Tier, there was no such thing as hope. Only experiments, only dead children, only knowing that if you ever loved someone, it was often the best option to kill them painlessly. And you wealthy brats with your holophones think that this is hell? You're in for a rough surprise, kiddoes. You ain't seen nothing yet." Haar let out a cackle, and there were quiet murmurs throughout. Itward was organizing the able-bodied knights, and Corren was visiting the other rooms, so Kora pretty much felt more or less alone, as she should be. Tensions and frightened whispers were only increasing and the wolf knight wondered just how girly and pathetic most of these knights were compared to her.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Still Into you || Paramore ||




Cress's eyes glinted with mischief as Nee suggested that it was about time to go on an exploratory botany mission. "You've come to... the right girl... Ellie." Cress winked, seemingly excited. She wiggled in her chair, the circles underneath her eyes indicating just how tired she truly was. Cress, however, was already buzzing with ideas of desert type plants that she could plant. She'd have to analyze soil though and there was, of course, the fact that they were really going to be there to stop Narina. Cress could do two things at once, plan a beautiful garden at the city center and apprehend the woman who claimed to be Jezebeth. "Yes, Una and... I have much... to discuss." There was indeed, the two were absurdly familiar and Cress couldn't wait to get a crack at her. She knew that Una was under heavy protection and in a medical coma at the moment, the helmet was her hope to catch up with the outside world.

The next few days were spent healing. Cress had gotten a fever, which Corren said was from stress and was bedridden for a day, so Cress used it to plan and manage the knights from bed. She ordered flower pods and soil, things she would bring with her to Tartaria. Cress put Kora on medical leave, ordering her not to fight, then it was time to begin training. Heron wheeled her to the place Corren had told them, she hadn't even known that the palace had this room, but of course it had something like this set up. Two hand rails, set close together, it was time to start walking again. It was hard and her legs protested, but they were stronger than before and Samia's PT helped keep Cress in good condition, her muscles had deteriorated, but the bones hadn't atrophied which was good news.

"I'm going to... walk." Cress grinned and Maven stood between. She was wearing sensors, although she wasn't quite sure why. Corren and Heron stood over to the side. Cress had visited Kora earlier in the day, eating was still an impossible task and so Cress had skipped breakfast and went to have a catch-up session with the blonde knight. Now she was here, hobbling between bars, her legs feeling stiff and weird underneath her. "Move," Cress growled, but it was something of progress. She did two hours, then took a break, then did two more hours. By the end, Cress was walking, although it was hard and she forced herself forward, pushing herself far past her limits. She had to meet with Nee, there was still so much she needed to do, but Corren ordered her back to bed for fear the fever would come back. With her immune system in shambles, something like the common cold could kill her.

Finally, it was the day of the mission. Cress awoke and moved herself to her wheelchair, no longer needing the oxygen tank to breathe thanks to lung exercises Maven had drilled her in. She was nearly free, there was only the wheelchair left. "What to wear," Cress debated in front of the large closet. This was probably the first time that Cress had ever spent more than three seconds debating clothing. Heron awoke then, having slept beside her. She had kept good on her promise in trying to teach Cress the good things about love and had forced Cress to take a bath with her the night before, saying that princesses didn't wash their own backs or something of the sort. "Ugh, why does it have to be morning?" She groaned, rolling out of bed. "It's nerve wracking," Cress spoke up.

"You've been training with me and Kora," well, Kora was technically on bed rest so she simply yelled at them from the sidelines. "I know, but I haven't done anything since the rebellion." Heron hit her shoulder, nearly knocking Cress out of the wheelchair. "You stopped Riana from marching into Ashia, you kept the people from cutting off Tartaria's water supply, and you beat this illness in the ass. You think you've done nothing?" Heron was incredulous. "Ellie's done much more," Cress pointed out, knowing that it was the truth. "Even Shiro's done more than me!" Cress shook her head. "I have to get my head in the game." She hadn't done all of this training for naught.

"I already packed for us and picked out your clothes," Heron winked and Cress rolled her eyes. No doubt Heron had picked the most revealing and impractical clothes she could find. Cress was a little nervous about leaving Kora here with Nee, but with Shiro to ask as the intermediate, she hoped they could get along. Heron handed Cress her clothes, just as she predicted, they were feminine, but matching what the knight's wore, something that Cress would have never picked for herself. Heron helped her into it, then it was time to go. "Finally, back into nature." Cress's eyes glittered. They were taking an airship, not the Agneystra since that was far too large and impractical, this one was smaller and could host Cress, Heron, the knights, and the other scientists that were joining them.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




"An activity for the knights..." Shiro trailed off. She fell asleep soon after, blissfully dreaming about things like spider cakes and warm lavender baths, laughably predictable things that only the little up would think about. She had Ellis in her arms and her pacifier in her mouth again, head still resting on her beloved's lap. She looked so small and fragile in that moment, a testament to how small and fragile she really was. If the pup had a tail, it would have been gently wagging in the low light of the bedroom and Shiro snuggled next to Nee underneath the blanket, curled up beside her, the crook of her body fitting perfectly in with Nee's. It was amazing how a child could somehow act so grown up, but sometimes, it was a good change in perspective to put a child in charge.

Shiro didn't know what she was doing. She was simply hoped for the best. For the knights she had arranged a private appreciation dinner for them and their families. Shiro was thinking about those two little children, the ones who she had met in the Rubble Tier that she hoped moved up to the Tower Tier to live out their parents dreams. Did her own parents have dreams for her? Did they spend her mom's pregnancy picking out baby clothes and little matching socks? Or had they always known they would throw Shiro out? Could it be that her parents had a name picked out for her too?

Planning parties was not as easy as they made it out to be. Planning a benefit for the knight's was even harder. They didn't even know that Shiro was up and walking around, much less not actually burnt to a crisp in some horrible attack. She had to work from the shadows, using Xion as an envoy to carry out her wishes. Shiro felt like a spoiled little queen with Wren spoiling her, Nee by her side when she wasn't working, and Xion running between errands to come into the playground and collect updates of table settings, menus, flower arrangements, etc. It was going to be a grand affair, something that the knights would be buzzing about for weeks. It was lucky that things like flowers and food were in large surplus, there was no need to carefully calculate things like costs and most of the people working it were not only the staff from the palace, but volunteers from several tiers as well.

Shiro yawned, it was time to get up for the day. Shiro decided to prepare everything today, knowing that Nee was going to be very stressed since her little sister was leaving. So Shiro clambered out of bed, preparing the breakfast trays. They had taken to taking baths at night, which Shiro found saved them a lot of time in mornings. So Shiro went to the selection of clothes Wren had brought in for her, Nee's entire closet was hung up, but it would look suspicious for Shiro's things to be moved into here as well and so Wren stealthily brought in clothes for Shiro and did the laundry. The pup went to get dressed, wriggling out of her nightgown and folding it neatly before tucking it underneath the pillow. She picked an outfit from the pile and put it on quietly so as not to disturb Nee's rest.

Finally it was time, the fake windows were showing morning and so Shiro went over to Nee's side, nudging her gently. "Morning Nee, it's morning."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝It's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||




The next few days weren't very much at all. Corren instructed that Narcia not walk, so she was still recovering - but hopefully it wouldn't be long until the stitches dissolved so she could move again without risk of tearing them open. She expressed frustration lots of times - especially to Cress, who knew what it was like to not be allowed to move - and she also felt more guilt because Cress visited her often but Nee hadn't visited her much at all in the first few months of her bodily imprisonment. At least Cress was on the path to freedom now, at least she was getting there, bit by bit. But even in the times where Cress was otherwise busy, she had one constant companion at her side. Shiro.

Shiro was everything Nee could've asked for in a partner and more. Shiro was almost always with her, and Nee made sure to express thanks to her as much as she could. Corren allowed her to bathe as long as Shiro made sure she didn't move too quickly or anything. Shiro was hard at work planning whatever she could to bring morale of the knights back up. Kora reported the situation - they were getting desperate, tired of the war. They wanted peace, and they wouldn't last much longer at the current rate. It was unsettling how quickly the nobility clamored on about deposing the monarchal rule. How desperate were they to end this war? How much more could the Untouchable knights handle?

There wasn't much Nee could really do except talk more with the other foreign royals. Cumin says that things are going well on her end. Her people are treating the Tartarians with integrity and respect and is continuing to give the surplus they had, which was a feat, since Etruria itself was still undergoing heavy repairs. Even the young and slightly bratty Prince Kail was hard at work, making sure the Etrurian soldiers had a modicum of respect and maintained true. Riana was working as well, tutoring and pampering Una whenever she could, even though Una seemed far more willing to study than to play.

It was morning and Nee awoke tiredly, wishing her stitches would hurry up and dissolve. "Good morning." There was some anxiety, of course. Was everything ready? She fell asleep last night during talk so Narcia wasn't entirely sure what the plan was going to be regarding the assassin's cloak. "The cloak, Shiro. Will it stay here with you, or will Cress be taking it with her?" She still didn't get time to make a replica of it, so for now, it was just the one. Nee reached for an outfit from her bed, thankfully the dresser was right beside it. "Mind helping me dress up in... this?" It was kind of formal without actually being a dress. She blinked tiredly. "Then can we visit Cress and see her off?" She'd always be worried while her sister was gone, but sadly, it was necessary. If they didn't act, Una would lose control of Tartaria.


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❝I hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||




Kora knew she was overworking. She was angry, beyond angry still that this was happening. So with loud music blaring into her hears from her headphones, Kora snuck out of her barracks and went out to the garden to fight and practice her moves, step by step. She did this with increasing fury as time went on and the sun started to rise. She was angry. Instead of going on the quest to take out Narina for good, Kora was supposed to just sit back and twiddle her thumbs and hang out with the depressive knights that couldn't handle a little desperation? This was ridiculous! Kora was a fighter, she wanted to go too, but Cress didn't allow it. So dressed in some of the first clothes she managed to buy with her own salary, Kora trained, obsessed with getting stronger.

It was fine until someone plucked her headset off of her ears, giving her a blank expression. "Geez, give it back, Cress, you idiot!" Kora growled, spinning around with tired limbs to see not Cress, but Haar Lagnia, the only knight from the Sanitary Tier. An older man, but Kora couldn't really tell how old he was. At least in his thirties, probably. What was he doing here, anyways? "Tch, whaddya want, anyways? I'm just training. Like a knight should. Got a problem with that?" She didn't have time to play friends with anyone. She needed to get stronger, faster, she needed to finish up healing already. A cruel smile curled up his lip. "What's a little girl like you doing as a knight anyways?"

Kora clenched her fist, glaring. So that's what it was, huh? "Doesn't matter that I'm a girl. I can beat all the knights here." She could, too. Kora had natural instincts for combat, and she had the rage and blood thirst to go with it. Haar grinned at her. "The obvious example would be Heron Cherubim. Ashia's Fang... that's what she's called, right?" No, Kora didn't want to think about her right now. "Heard from the others that you're from the Rubble Tier, huh? You think that's sad? That you felt suffering?" So he was here to just pick a fight, then? Kora's body still wasn't fully healed, but she wouldn't lose.

"Save me the Sanitary sob stories." Kora growled. There was no need for him to know about Aya or any of that. She was just some other knight - and his superior, to boot. "I'm a Lieutenant General, so you better treat me with respect, ass." Haar laughed, assuming a stance with his guards up. "It's just a little ridiculous that a little kid like you is some high ranking officer." He laughed harshly, and the wolf knight was ready. "Rubbles always think they had it rough. Ever thought about the Sanitary Tier?" Kora smirked, fists clenching, body tensing. "Shut up, private. Let your fists do the talking!"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Still Into you || Paramore ||




"I'm fine, I'm fine." Cress waved Corren away. He was worried about how her port would fair since she was still receiving medicine, weaning off of pain meds. "Heron will take care of it, she remembered everything." Cress said and Heron squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Got it all stored up in here," she tapped her temple. "I'm not worried, I trust you." Cress smiled and Heron blushed, "as the protector of all cute girls I'll do my duty!" Heron said, slightly flustered. Cress didn't think that, that was an emotion Heron was capable of. No servants were coming on this mission, only a handful of designated personal that all had extensive training in combat. Of course there were also the Royal Scientists, many of whom began as knights and worked their way up the ranks in order to have their university paid for.

Corren was still being fussy, Cress didn't know that he cared so much. "There's also the food," he said, showing Heron the bags that went through Cress's port. The EN, enteral nutrition by parental feeding. Cress had trouble keeping anything down, so it was still necessary. Her stomach had just restarted, but was heavily protesting anything thicker than broth. "I wish Kora were coming along," Cress sighed, "It'd be just like the old times, the three of us, wreaking havoc upon an unsuspecting country." That wasn't what they used to do at all, but that was beside the point. Cress had that gleam in her eyes, the rebellious one that spoke volumes for what she was probably going to end up doing.

"Don't forget these," Maven tucked in a few sheets of paper, Cress didn't even know that they had paper here. "Your leg exercises," he said with a bright smile. Maven seemed happy that they were going, no doubt believing that he would get more time with Corren. It was too bad Corren hadn't noticed how Maven felt about him, hopelessly in love with a knight that would never reciprocate his feelings. Cress felt bad, but for someone so smart he sure could be dumb. "Don't stress," Cress sighed, "I told you guys, we're okay. We'll be fine," one of the scientists going with them was a doctor too, so Cress trusted that he would be fit for treating them in case of an emergency.

She didn't expect much to happen though, at least, not in the beginning. If "Jezebeth" began stirring up trouble, Cress would demand an audience with her and not the man named Astor. This was of course, exactly their plan. Go in disguised as voyagers seeking out to beautify the desert, stir up trouble with the locals, then visit this Jezebeth and take her down. There was still some nagging doubts in the back of her mind, that Jezebeth may not be their mother after all, or that she was another of her birth mother's puppets. There were a multitude of possibilities, but either way, this Jezebeth character had to go. She was a nuisance and trying to usurp Una's reign.

Then there were the people that supported her, but once their Shepard was gone, the sheep would disperse and go back to their grazing. It was all a matter of how they played their cards and hopefully, they would play them right. "We can do this," Cress said to herself with a smile. "What's that?" Heron asked, turning around. Corren was giving her a fifth briefing on how to apply basic first aid. "Nothing, I'm just ready to go." Heron nodded her head, all that was left was saying goodbye to her sister. Would Nee be coming down to the dock? Or perhaps saying farewell from the playground? She had to say goodbye to Kora too, and Shiro. "Let's start going to the docks." Cress said, cutting Corren off. He sighed, "alright, I trust that you've been listening." He glanced at Heron who was scratching her hair, no doubt having absorbed nothing.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro smiled as Nee awoke, hoping that she would see a happy face in the morning. "Good morning," Shiro said, hugging Ellis to her side. It was a good morning wasn't it? Things were running smoothly, albeit the knights were stirring things up, no doubt looking for an outlet for their tension. The dinner was tonight and Shiro could practically feel the buzz of excitement in the air. The pup of course, knew that no one took her seriously, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to give it everything she had. Shiro had spent long hours planning and hoped that the night would go off without a hitch. Of course, Shiro herself wouldn't be able to attend, but Xion had promised that she would take plenty of videos and there was going to be news coverage too.

Nee asked a peculiar question then, about the invisibility cloak. "I don't know," Shiro shook her head. "I think Narina may have found a way to bypass the technology, so maybe keeping it here would be better?" It was a tough call, choosing between betrothed and your twin sister. Shiro didn't envy Nee one bit for having to make tough calls like that. She just hoped that Nee could keep a clear head and pick the best option strategically. Shiro was envious, she couldn't think strategically, she could hardly think for herself and still had a long way to learn what freedom truly was.

"I don't mind," Shiro smiled, helping Nee out of her pajamas and into the clothing. "You look like a nurse from one of those holo dramas." Shiro giggled, the sound similar to the titter of a little puppy playing for the first time. The holo dramas Shiro was speaking of were very old, they didn't film things like that anymore, Narina having diverted the expenses to other such things like the development of the Untouchable Tier or to purchase more material for finery and jewels. An incredibly selfish act, the holo dramas were highly coveted and now reruns were the only things that they had as a reminder of the short stint of actors and actresses on the rise. There were of course, still theaters that you could pay to go see stage plays at, but they weren't widely available to those on the Rubble and Sanitary Tiers.

"They'll be leaving soon I think," Shiro said, her head listing to the side as she thought about it. They were schedule to leave soon and then Shiro would have Nee all to herself. Well, not really since Nee was very busy working and healing. "Oh! Let me get the wheelchair!" Shiro went over to the playground, pulling it out from underneath and bringing it to the bedside to help Nee transfer. "Don't hurt yourself, you don't want your stitches to pull." Shiro said, helping Nee ease into the seat. "Do you mind holding Ellis?" Once there was confirmation, Shiro placed Ellis on Nee's lap and then realized that there was another problem. "Um," she wiggled. "I just remembered, it'll look suspicious if a ghost is pushing your chair." Shiro said, embarrassed by her short foresight.

Thankfully, there was a knock on the door. Wren. "I came to take the laundry," Wren said, bright blue hair lighting up the room. "Wren! Thank goodness you're here!" Shiro cried, hugging Wren. Instantly the woman went on guard, "What is it? Is the Queen bullying you? She isn't abusing you is she?" Shiro shook her head. "No!" She mewled softly, wiggling underneath Wren's gaze. "I um, need you to push her to the docks." Wren sighed in relief, ruffing her hair. "Don't scare me like that, I thought she was doing something untoward to you." Shiro covered herself in the invisibility cloak, gingerly taking Ellis from Nee's lap and following Wren out to the docks.

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Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝It's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||





The cloak was one of their best weapons, and Narina had to have known it by now. It was risky to keep relying on it, but there was no doubt that it was a useful tool. Still, Narcia knew sooner or later, it would become useless. Already, Kora was lead into an ambush even with the cloak on, so Narina was definitely planning against it. "Maybe we should leave it here then, for you to use just in case, then." Narcia said quietly, nodding her head. They'd need to find another way to keep Shiro hidden and safe. She was wriggled into the outfit she chose, something sleek yet still practical - though honestly, she wasn't going to be doing much moving around anyways. "Holo dramas... we should open up the market for that..."

Shiro looked more like a Queen than she did right now, but Nee didn't really mind. She wasn't in the mood for dresses, for once in her life. Something like this felt nicer for the moment. Her intended took the wheelchair and helped her on - Nee was careful not to move too much during the transfer so that her sutures would remain in place. "I'm being careful, no worries." Nee said quietly, nodding her head in thanks. Shiro really was incredible, and the ice queen would never stop appreciating her. "I don't mind." She smiled and accepted the little stuffed puppy, but of course, there was another problem. Who would push her to the docks?

Wren answered that question, entering the room after Narcia opened the door, and Wren was her usual overprotective self. Narcia didn't find a need to explain herself, and Shiro draped herself in the cloak, taking Ellis, and Wren sighed, taking the handles of the chair. "Thank you, Wren." So they went quietly to the Docks, and Narcia was turning things over in her mind, trying to figure out the correct way to go about things. A botanical research time - all of which were combat-trained and ready, would be sent to Tartaria under Una's invitation. There were many goals to achieve, each were of vital importance. They needed to protect Una's secret so no one suspected she was just a hologram. They also had to find and execute Jezebeth and Narina. Of course, being botanical research, turning the barren desert into a lush greenland would definitely help, and it'd help mend relations between the two peoples.

It was hard not to worry, though. It was definitely going to be dangerous. Cress and Heron and the rest of the assigned team were already there, preparing to board the research vessel. It was armed with basic self protection, just in case. It could stealth and escape quickly in an emergency, but with most of the Dragon Ships decommissioned, it wasn't like that that would be a problem. "Cress. Remember to stay safe. As strong as Heron is, she isn't infallible." Heron cracked a crooked grin, arms resting behind her head, lance compressed to it's baton form on her belt. "Come on, Nee, don't look down on me like that!"

Then Nee reached tiredly for her phone. "I trust you to defeat mother and end it all. But please come home safely, okay?" With that said, Narcia dialed a number, and someone appeared on screen. "Dammit, Lagnia. Gonna take this c- you tricked me!" Kora appeared, looking as if she was in the middle of a fight with someone else, panting slightly, sweat on her brow. Her amber eyes burned furiously. "I've got nothing to say to you, Cress. You made your choice." There was nothing but anger and hurt in her eyes and the call ended before Cress even had the chance to speak.

Narcia shrugged, muttering that she'd talk to her later, knowing Shiro was likely to get through to her. The ice queen then extended her arms, looking more like a frail, clingy infant than a Queen. "One last hug before you go?" This was her silent cue for Shiro to stand between them and hug Cress too, if she so wanted.



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❝Even now, the smiling savior is a façade.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#949495 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #B2AC8E】

|| Keshin || Asami Imai ||




"It's almost time, Una." Queen Riana called, and Una was still flipping through her brother's journals depicting his months of ruling. Semyon had done many awful things in the name of peace, and as much as Una missed the kind and protective older brother, she knew he was gone now. She didn't even get to say goodbye. She was in her room, the glass coffin was moved and plugged into the room Narcia and Shiro once slept in during their stay in Amethysia. "You should transfer to the disc in Gehenna." Riana was like a mother, acting as a replacement for the family Una lost during her long sleep. Even now she was sleeping - only existing as a hologram. Of course, there were additions to the tech, thanks to Narcia's input. The hologram could solidify at the extremities - so she could touch things and hold things to make it easier to fake it. She could also materialize sharp edge-knife type constructs around her hands to fight if she ever found need to. Another change was to modify it so that Una could wear the helmet all day, as long as she had a proper eight hours of sleep.

Una nodded, face expressionless. No matter what Riana did, it couldn't replace the family she lost. It wasn't that Una didn't appreciate everything the Coriandrum Queen was doing, but the silver haired girl couldn't see her as a mother. Una had her work cut out for her, she didn't have time to do mother-daughter things. She was the Queen of a ruined country, so she had to do whatever it took to restore Tartaria to glory. The people were desperate, and they were unlikely to accept her this easily. Una hasn't ever done anything to deserve her position - she simply inherited it. She's been in a coma for most of her life, since she was a child, so the girl knew she needed to work hard to make up for the time she lost, and to become the Queen Tartaria deserved.

There was an even bigger, insurmountable problem, though. Similar to Riana, who was barren, Una couldn't give birth without passing the ailment down. It was passed down by Tartarian mothers, in their uteri, so there was a very high chance any child she'd bear would suffer the same - assuming she could even create heirs. She could try adoption, but historically, that only caused more ruin in the long run, as many people wouldn't accept the adopted child as having the right to rule - or worse, families forcing their children to study and learn in the hopes that the monarch would consider that child worthy. Whatever the case, Una was never going to have children. The Malachite line would end with her.

"I'm ready. Wish me luck, Riana." The Coriandrum Queen gave her a sad sort of smile, and nodded. Early on, Riana said that it was fine to call her mother, but Una never once found herself able to do that. Once transferring her consciousness to the disc set up in Gehenna with Cumin's help, Una found herself in Gehenna, as the last Malachite still alive - if she really counted as alive. There was a message on her holo from Narcia, telling her that the research team was on the way over. Then someone knocked on the door. Una had two main retainers to serve her, both of which had combat training. They were, incidentally, her childhood friends back before the coma, and they were the only ones in all of Tartaria who knew her secret.

To the left, taller than her, with vibrant orchid hair, was the maid, with a cup of cactus-juice tea ready. "Good morning, Una." Thyella said, doing a little curtsy. "I'm so happy you're back to us. Jezebeth is going to run us into another war." Next to her, even taller, was the butler, Orthrus. Unlike the sunny and bright Thyella, Orthrus was always a snippy, sarcastic sort. He was always kind of cruel to everyone, but still one of Una's treasured old friends. One of the perks of the helmet was being able to reunite with them. "Yes, because Tartaria can really survive another war." Orthrus grinned, a crooked gaze in Una's direction. "We should have Una give handshakes to the starving infants! That will solve everything!"

Una didn't really smile, because even if she could make her fingers solid, she couldn't really hug them or touch them or play with them at all. She was just a hologram, more like a ghost than anything. "I'll do what I can." Una said, trying to sound natural, but it was difficult. Once she excused Thyella and Orthrus, Una made the call, connecting her to the research vessel to contact Princess Nui. "We've spoken a few times before, Princess. I'm looking forward to meeting you." Of course, when Una thought of how a Queen should be, her first instinct was to look to Narcia Seraphim of Ashia. Narcia was always cool, calm, and collected, so Una did her best to try to act the same way. Hopefully she was doing a good job, hopefully no one noticed that she felt overwhelmed and afraid of everything. She was just acting, it was only a trick. Every word was drowned in anxiety and fear. "With your help, Tartaria's Desert will become beautiful again."

Because Una knew with absolute certainty that she wasn't fit to rule. She was just a hack, it was only luck that gave her this position. She never wanted to rule, she would've been satisfied just supporting her brother and helping him. Being responsible for the lives of everyone in Tartaria... Una knew for sure she wasn't cut out for the job. But she also knew that it was her responsibility. Everyone was counting on her. Without her, Jezebeth would start a new war. So no matter how much Una wanted to run away and hide back in her coma and avoid this, she knew that if the world was to be peaceful, escape was no longer an option.

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Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Still Into you || Paramore ||




They were waiting on the docks. Heron was overseeing the loading of everything onto the airship while Cress sat in her chair, feeling bad for being mostly unable to assist. She had been training with her chosen weapon, even though Corren had insisted that a princess didn't take up such tomfoolery, whatever that meant. Cress wanted to though, how was she supposed to train without a weapon? It was ridiculous. Cress had wanted to train with Kora, but apparently her asking Heron first was "her decision" and Kora had been avoiding her since. Thinking about it placed a painful pang in her chest, there was no decision of any sort, Cress loved them both dearly and she had already told Kora her feelings. Kora, however, was not willing to listen to anything she said, so Cress left it alone, figuring that Kora should sort through her feelings.

"You're the one that chose your sister, dummy." Cress whispered, twiddling her thumbs. "Did you say something?" Heron asked, coming over to her. "No, I didn't." Cress lied, shaking her head. Heron gave her a strange look, going back to helping load bags of soil that would fertilize a portion of the desert. Cress sighed, looking ahead to see if her sister would be coming to say goodbye, or if she had slept through the allotted time before they had to leave. Cress didn't blame her, it had been a very long night last night, trying to get all of the last minute details in order. Cress waited for her in the wheelchair, wondering when she would finally be free of this chair. Cress suddenly felt the creeping sense of anxiety, her shoulders shaking. It came in one fell swoop, crushing her chest, making it hard to breathe.

She had to calm down, he wasn't here, well, Itward was walking towards her, but he wasn't touching her. They were both in clothes, Heron was right behind them, she would protect her. Still, Cress's hand tightened around her chosen weapon and she felt a slight sense of relief. Cress sighed, trying to smile up at him. "Hey, came to see us off?" Itward gave a curt, professional nod. He hadn't known she was the princess then, neither had Cress. She had believed herself to be Ellie's cousin, nothing more, nothing less. Heron jogged over, grinning at her brother. Itward grabbed Heron's arm and tugged her to the side, no doubt scolding her for something or another. Heron rolled her eyes, "I got it, don't worry." Heron waved him away and rejoined Cress in waiting to see who would wish them a farewell.

It turned out, there was a trio, sans Kora, coming down the runway. Nee, Wren, and Shiro who Cress could see from the little ripples as the invisibility cloak changed to match its surroundings. "Hey Ellie," Cress smiled. It was good to call her that again, even if Ellie was no longer in existence, even if her precious cousin had turned out, in the end, to only be Narcia. Ellie had merged with her in some ways, but other qualities were lost. "I know," Cress said, sighing since as soon as she got here, her sister started lecturing her. "I'll be as safe as I can." Of course that was a hard promise to keep since they were getting thrust right into the thick of things and Cress had a tendency to attract danger and run right into the thick of things.

Nee turned to lecture Heron then and Heron waved her off, saying that she knew and was acting in typical overly confident, Heron fashion. Nee attempted to call Kora then, "Kora!" Cress waved to the holo but Kora looked at her and growled, stating once again that she had made her decision. "I didn't make any decision you stubborn runt! Get some rest or I'll come back just to kick your ass into bed!" Kora hung up then and Cress sighed, leaning back. As much as she joked, Kora was no runt. She was taller than Cress now, having shot up like a bamboo shoot since her legs were back in working order and she was eating proper food. It was crazy what a diet could do to a person.

"Well, I better get on the ship." Nee requested one last hug and Cress nodded her head. "Of course!" She managed to stand up, leaning over to hug her big sister. "I'll be back, so don't worry too much." Cress assured her, feeling Shiro wrap herself around her too. "No hug for me?" Heron asked and the wavering figure moved, Shiro trying to hug Heron underneath the cloak. "Better head out before Heron starts teasing your pup." Cress said, knowing Nee would not be happy with that. Heron wheeled her up to the loading ramp. "This isn't the last you've seen of us Ellie!" Cress yelled, acting like a super villain in one of the cartoons the two of them had watched growing up on earth. "I'll be back!" The loading door closed, making a hiss as it sealed them inside.

The airship lifted into the sky, raising high above Ashia Palace and beginning the trip to Tarataria. It would only be two hours, but still, there was much tension. This would be their home during their tour, their HQ. There was too much of a risk to stay in hotels or whatever sort of hospitality they had up here, Cress didn't know, she had only ever stayed in hideouts and castles. There was an incoming call. Cress had switched from a wheelchair to a spinning desk chair that she pushed around with her feet that weren't cooperating as much as she would have liked. "Princess Una," Cress gave her friendliest smile. Princess Una's eyes looked dead, as though there weren't a flicker of life within her body. "No need to act so timid, I don't bite." Cress said with a slight laugh. "You don't have to thank me, I do this for fun." Cress said, the two acting casual just in case there were traitors and the line was tapped. "I'm eager to make your acquaintance as well, we just took off and expect to be arriving there soon."


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro was thankful that Wren was here to wheel Nee and didn't seem to make a fuss about it. She was, after all, being paid by Nee so there was no need to bite the hand that feeds you. Shiro followed along slightly behind them, nearly missing the elevator and bumping into a wall on the way out because she had been busy ensuring that the cloak didn't get stuck in the door. Shiro bustled off after them, hugging Ellis tightly and trying not to make a sound before she remembered that the cape absorbed any sort of sounds she made. Shiro really didn't like being underneath it, it was almost like she wasn't there at all and she felt panic at the thought of never being seen again. Shiro knew it wouldn't happen though, because once Narina was out of the picture, she would never need to use the invisibility cloak again. Unless it was for hide and seek or something of the sort. The thought reminded Shiro of Nio and then the pup felt sad.

They were at the dock now. Wren walked quickly and Shiro was panting, having to nearly run with her little legs to keep up. Cress and Heron were there and the twins began to speak to one another, asking not to push it, assuring she wouldn't push it when both of them knew she definitely would, then the final goodbye hug. Shiro jumped into it, getting pushed into Nee's lap as she stood in the center of the hug. "We'll miss you," Shiro said and when Cress sat back in her chair, Shiro went to hug Heron goodbye. "Hey, don't give Nee a hard time." Heron said, ruffling her hair beneath the cape. "I won't," Shiro promised with a smile, knowing that Heron couldn't hear or see her.

It was time to go back up to the playground for breakfast. Once they were safely in the room and the door was locked, Shiro took off the cape and hung it up, going to sit by the table. "The cape is so long, I tripped a few times." Shiro admitted as she bit into a scone. There were bruises on her legs, marking from bumping into things and falling down. Shiro seemed to have a terrible hobby of falling into things, tripping on her own feet, and was terribly clumsy. It was a wonder how she could get anything done with how she was always falling over. The pup took a sip of the tea, feeling the warm drink snake down her belly. "It's good today, it almost tastes fruity." Shiro noted.

"Are you going to be at the benefit tonight?" Shiro looked up to ask Nee. Shiro wouldn't get to go, even though she had planned the entire thing. "I think you should, you should represent both of us." She smiled, lightly touching the ring she had strung around the ribbon on her neck so as not to lose it since she had been on a streak of losing things too. Shiro wasn't wearing her crown, but that she knew was in the jewelry box in the bathroom in order to keep it safe while she couldn't wear it.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝It's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||




Cress was going to go to Tartaria, and be the starring role in this chess game. Unlike last time when Narcia was both the chessmaster and the winning piece, this time everything depended on Cress, and to a lesser extent, Heron and Una - although technically, Nee knew Una was going to be mostly useless. The girl is comatose, only able to communicate through being a hologram, and had no experience or natural talent with ruling. But if they lost her, the only way to prevent Narina from getting control of Tartaria was war, and she wanted to avoid that if at all possible.

Because she respected Cress, there was something she needed to tell her. "Don't expect much out of Una." Narcia said quietly. She and Una have been communicating for the last few days, and Nee realized one very important thing. The child was absolutely not fit to rule. She tried too hard to sound like she had everything under control and ultimately had no idea what she was even dealing with. "She'll try to appear tough but is completely out of her depth." Nee then winked, wishing she could stand. "It'll mostly be up to you and Heron to get the job done."

The hug was nice and Cress promised that this wasn't the last time they'll see each other. With that done, and the ship flew off. Wren took the handles and muttered something about having to buy more potatoes for the pantry. They returned to the Playground and Shiro was freed from the cloak again, sitting at the table and saying that the cloak was too long. "Once this is over, you'll never need it again." Nee said, remembering what Corren told her. She was going to need seven to ten days, and it's already been a few, so hopefully either today or the next, she'd have full mobility again. Nee reached for the tea and took a sip at Shiro's compliment, enjoying the taste.

"Of course I'll be there." Nee said with a smile, already having her phone in her hand. She was almost constantly in contact with Cumin and Riana and their respective affairs - the three Queens (though technically, Cumin still hasn't had her Coronation just yet) sent group text messages at mostly all hours of the day, becoming both closer friends and closer allies all at once. "You won't be lonely here alone, will you? Even though you're the one that planned the whole thing..." Nee frowned sadly, wishing she could kiss Shiro. "I'm proud of you, you organized this whole thing. I'm sorry you won't get to be there and take the credit for it..."

Then there was a call. Corren was there on the holo, and he did not look pleased. "I just thought I should inform you. Kora broke the back of one of our knights and claimed she was training him in a fistfight." Nee blinked, then groaned. Kora was going to be a pain. She should have just said she wanted to go and tried to convince Cress to let her, instead of doing idiotic things like this. "That's Cress's department, Corren." Nee muttered, so Corren nodded and went to probably call Cress, his image cutting out.



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❝Even now, the smiling savior is a façade.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#949495 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #B2AC8E】

|| Keshin || Asami Imai ||




Princess Nui of Ashia. Narcia, of course, told her everything she needed to know about her. Told her about how kind hearted and pacifistic she was, how brave and courageous she was, how moral and intelligent she was, how much she sacrificed in order to bring peace to Ashia during the end of Queen Narina's reign. Nui had so many achievements under her belt while Una really didn't have anything like that. Brother and father never made her study or anything. When they found out she was sick, they let her have fun and freedom up until the pain was too much, so she never had to learn anything. And now, that kindness was coming back as a curse.

"I'm not timid." Una lied, being stiff, still wishing she could actually touch and feel things. Even with hardening the extremities of her hologram, she couldn't feel the things she touched at all. There was no warmth or anything, just a vague floating feeling, as if she wasn't really alive. "Thank you for offering to help. W-we - Tartaria needs help. I'll -... - we'll try to help as much as we can, as well." Already Una was feeling flustered. There was no way she could match up to Nui at all. She shook her head. Narcia told her before that Nui once lived as a hologram as well. Maybe Nui could give her advice on how to adjust to that? "Princess Nui, about being a ho-" No, no, she couldn't, there might be spies on the line! She was told to keep her status a secret, to pretend that she was already healed from the ailment. So she had to change the topic before it sounded suspicious.

So the Tartarian Princess faked a cough. "Sorry, my apologies. Nui, what I meant to ask was that I hope you're aware of the dangers of coming here." No, you idiot, that wasn't even asking a question at all. Una almost blushed in frustration because she was such a failure. "Because of our falling birthrate and the affliction we have, Tartarian men are growing desperate. There h-have been reports of men abducting women and-" That was when someone else cut in, who she was informed was Heron Cherubim, the most famous soldier in all of Ourania.

She flashed an almost dangerous grin, and Una knew it was a clear sign to shut up. "So, we have food and supplies here. We also packed lots of medicine for anyone who needs it." The knight said abruptly, interrupting Una in the middle of her warning. There was something overbearingly intimidating about the wild redhead that she couldn't do anything but listen. "Make sure to set up people to help distribute them around, okay? Fixing Tartaria's gonna go one bit at a time." Una bowed, then remembered halfway through that bowing wasn't suited for a Queen, so she did an awkward little spasm that looked ridiculous. "...Thank you for the assistance." She said robotically, blatantly ignoring the pile of paperwork she had no idea how to dig into.