Setting
Default Location for Into The Woods
Minimap
northwest |
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northeast |
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You are here. |
east |
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Noraneko is a part of 
Into The Woods.
8 Characters Here
Shiro [739] "Yes your majesty."
Ayanna Filia [738] "My name's Aya! Let's be very good friends, okay?"
Cress Winter [738] "That's not a Princess, that's my cousin!"
Ellen Winter [737] "Which me is the real me? What role do I have to play?"
Yui Sylphie [6] "There's no service here!"
Kuro Desmoro [6] "I'll bring the ka-boom!"
Leon West [3] WIP
Azrele Selvin [2] WIP
Start Character Here »
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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||
With Kora protecting Shiro, and Cress handling the knights, Narcia got on Kora's bike, starting the gravity engine. It was still intact, and was perfect for this sort of thing. Her electric knife was still on her body, of course, hidden in her sleeves, the perfect hidden weapon for this kind of situation. Narcia had a feeling she'd be safe, though. This was meant to be a diplomatic meeting, a peaceful meeting, but there was no harm in being prep - "Queen Narcia, where are you going?" A knight was there, one Nee didn't recognize. She tensed slightly. What did he want? "It's not safe to leave the palace alone, not with Tartaria acting up."
"I'm fine. Remain at your post, knight." Nee said coldly, but the knight shook his head, coming closer, sword ready at the sheath. "Princess Cress told me to escort you and stay near you, just in case something bad happens!" The knight then did a bow, descending to his knees. "My name is Pheron Lark, a blue band knight, at your service." A blue band wasn't the lowest rank, but it wasn't necessarily high either. Still.... if this was an order from Cress, then Narcia figured she might as well accept the help. She gave Lark a subtle nod and gestured at the backseat of the bike, and he got on.
Narcia grit her teeth as she flew out over Lake Asphodel. The lake was shimmering bright, as it always was, looking more grey than anything else. Lark didn't say much more, and Narcia didn't know what to think of him. Eventually, though, they reached the shore on the other end, expecting to see this Jezebeth woman. Instead, there was a man waiting, with several Tartarian soldiers. "My name is Astor." The Tartarian said politely, but stiffly all the same. "Representing Jezebeth." Narcia then did her own introduction, and told Lark to stay on guard, but not to attack. "I hope we can have a civil discussion, between peoples." If Tartaria were to rebel, it'd only cause disaster.
Before Astor could continue talking, something incredibly strange happened. Lark had her phone in hand and smashed it underfoot - a light beeping to show that there was a message waiting for her, one she'd never be able to see - and without warning launched himself forward, towards the Tartarians. "On the Queen's orders, I'll kill you Tartarian scum!" Narcia had no idea what to do or think as disaster struck, and her phone was broken so she couldn't contact or inform anyone of anything, either. "Queen Narcia! I'll kill them all!" Lark attacked, slashing through Astor, and the Tartarian soldiers fought back. That was when Nee realized. This was Narina's work, wasn't it? She pulled her knife out of her sleeve, transforming it into a plasma gun, but it was too late, Lark died, revealing that he was a mere machine.
"Put it down, Queen." A soldier grabbed at her before she could shoot, restraining her and Narcia cursed herself for being so stupid. "So, this is proof that you were trying to commit genocide the whole time, wasn't it?" Astor was tending to is wound, looking extremely pained from where he was stabbed and Nee knew whatever she said would be considered a lie. She only hoped word could be sent out to Ashia Palace and the others before it was too late. "You're going to have to come with us."
Damn everything.
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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
Warning signs appeared on Kora's mind when the holo received no message at all. What could it mean? Shiro didn't seem too bothered though, so she just left a message instead. The wolf knight had suspicions rising in her head, but she wouldn't voice them. Not until she was sure. "I don't think cheating matters in war." The wolf knight muttered darkly. No, in war, there were no rules. Rules could only be dictated by the winners, in the end. "I'm already fine. I don't need therapy..." But Shiro looked like she was going to insist, she wasn't going to take no for an answer. It was almost like the pup wanted to do this job well, the job entrusted to her by Narcia, she wanted to make Narcia proud. "...But if you really want to..."
Instead of a talk or a speech, however, Kora was given a box. The blonde queen opened it up, revealing something and Kora tilted her head in confusion. How was a toy wolf going to help rehabilitate her? Shiro, with a bright light in her eyes, explained that it was her very own Ellis, an Ellis just for her. Kora blinked, but then accepted it, finding that giving the wolf a bit of a squeeze helped take the tension out of her head just a little bit. "..Thanks." Kora said quietly, still feeling a little bewildered. "I'll name him Serpy." Serpina Dorones, one of the nicer nobles, who died unceremoniously in exile, all alone, full of sadness and regrets. No matter how cruel Kora was, she still felt bad that she couldn't save the man.
Next, Shiro started talking about love, and almost instantly, Kora wanted to get up and leave. Love? Seriously? This was ridiculous! But for some reason, with how passionately Shiro was speaking, Kora couldn't find it in her to just get up and leave. To her surprise, Shiro knew how she felt about Cress, and Kora's expression darkened, a slight frown appearing on her face, fangs half bared. Even worse was when Shiro told her that Cress loved her as well. They could have had a happy ending, if only Kora didn't commit the unforgivable crime of killing her sister. In another world, another time, maybe happiness was possible. But in this reality, Kora could do nothing but give up on being happy.
"I don't... deserve love, Shiro. Not after the things I did." Her hands were bloody, stained with her crimes. "I killed my sister, and my special spot was turned into an ugly mess, unable to love anyone." She lowered her head, not having the strength to look clearly at her therapist. "...I'm just furniture. I don't deserve to love anyone." Her shoulders shook as emotions tore through. Heron was going to win Cress's heart, and there was nothing Kora could do about it.
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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
"She's not picking... up." Cress said worriedly. Her sister didn't have an ID chip anymore either, so it wasn't as though they could track her. "She went to Tartaria right?" Xion asked and Cress nodded her head. "I'll go," before Cress could protest, Xion ran out, leaving Cress in the hallway. In the Knight's corridors, they were beginning to line up for their physicals. "Xion!" The wisp of orange hair disappeared behind a doorway and Cress cursed. "Princess Cress?" A Knight asked, walking over. Cress was wary, "Do you need help?" Cress's eyes widened, a sudden realization coming on. The knight's didn't know her earthen name. "Stay away," Cress warned. "What's wrong? Do you need me to wheel you somewhere?" Cress knew she was too weak to fight back. "Don't come any... closer!" The knight didn't seem to listen though, one hand was on his saber, each footstep echoing on the tile like a bad omen.
There was a flicker of red, then robotic parts flew. Heron. "Your eyes?" Cress gasped and Heron turned. "Things are still a bit fuzzy, but I'm back." Cress sighed in relief, feeling much more at ease with Heron here. "Who picked out your clothes? It's covering all your good points!" Heron pouted and Cress was so relieved by something so normal that she burst into a fit of giggles that predictably ended up in coughs. "Hey, don't strain yourself." Heron reached out, then hesitated. In the end though, she placed her hand on Cress's back, a safe spot, and lightly tapped it to help her through the fit. Once it was done and Cress sat up, Heron seemed almost angry. "Tch, Xion should have known better than to leave you in the hallway like this." She shook her head, one hand on her lance. "Doesn't she know that you're a damsel in distress?" Cress blushed, looking away. "Am not!" She huffed, which only made Heron laugh.
"Come on, let's head to those physicals." Heron had to report too, after all, and Itward as well, even if he was on suspension. Itward was there, wearing his boxers and Cress looked away, feeling the anxiety build up. This wasn't that time, this wasn't that time, she had to remember. Heron steered Cress away, waving in greeting and then rushing off to a separate area. The medical staff were all giving the evaluations and before they began, Cress had them gather. "We're looking for... anything that doesn't... look human. Faint... lines on the skin... dead eyes." Cress watched from the holo screens. Heron had to report to and so it was only her. As soon as Heron was done she returned to Cress's side, the two of them watching for anything suspicious. "There," Cress pointed and Heron bolted once more.
She returned with a crushed ID chip. "This is going too far," She clutched the chip in her hand, the veins prominent on her skin. "You know them?" Cress asked quietly and Heron looked away. "She wanted to be an MP, no matter how much I tried to talk her out of it. She said she was gonna be the first female on the front lines. She died in Etruria." The burden seemed to weigh heavily on Heron's shoulders. "It's not your... fault. She died... following her dream." Heron put the chip in the incinerator, dimolishing it so that no one else could abuse her friend's chip. There was a knock on the door, the doctor showed up. "We've rounded all the suspicious ones up." He said, showing them to a new room. It was very easy upon closer examination to tell the difference between simple scars and the markings. The real humans were allowed to leave, but the robots. Well...
Heron lined them up and without a second though, used her lance to go straight through them. Wires sizzled, part fried, the robots broke down. "Collect the chips... please Heron." She dug through hands, throwing parts in the incinerator. "That should be it for the knights, they were all told to report here and since they're cleared they'll go back to their posts." Cress was growing nervous for other reasons. Xion hadn't sent any word to her as to Nee's position yet and she had an awful feeling brewing in her stomach.
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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
Kora still didn't seem convinced that she needed therapy, but she did take the stuffed wolf, which Shiro was happy to see. "Serpy is a great name," Shiro agreed, wondering if the name was somehow special to Kora. Ellis came from Nee's earth name, Ellie, modified specially for the puppy. So did Serpy have a meaning behind it? Was it like the Serpina that the Queen favored? Apparently he had been exiled and Shiro hadn't heard anything about him since. No doubt he head sought shelter in Tartaria. It was a shame since he would have been such a good ally, especially since Nee had once mentioned that he was Aine's father and had always liked him. "I hope Serpy can be as special to you as Ellis is to me."
Kora said that she didn't deserve love, not after the things she did. "I'm sure Cress feels the same way about herself." Shiro mentioned quietly, remembering how Nee had felt afterwards. "Used, broken, defiled, I'm sure Cress has felt all of those things." Unlike Cress though, Nee had Shiro to rewrite the memories, to take away the pain and allow Nee to dominate her body in a pleasant way that the two of them could share. "And she doesn't have anyone to tell her otherwise." Shiro was doing her best to try and convince Kora that she should love Cress, that she should show the girl she loved that she was more than just a used toy. "Only you can override those memories." Just like what Nee did with Shiro, taking away the bad memories of the scars and making them good ones.
"Everyone deserves to love." The pup smiled, "Because love means seeing the world in color. Everything is brighter and the person you love shines lighter than ever." Surely Kora saw it? How a person seemed to sparkle when they were in love? Shiro took Kora's hands then, Ellis sitting on her lap. "You're not furniture, you're a lot more important than just a background character." Shiro said, her expression serious. As for her special spot, only Kora could fix that, she would have to summon the courage to let a doctor fix whatever had happened down there. Shiro didn't know, she had never seen it and she wasn't sure she really wanted to. "Everyone does things that they regret. Heron has killed too and I'm sure Cress has done some bad things before." Not that Shiro could name any of them.
"So I'll teach you to confess your feelings. Here, pretend I'm Cress." Shiro looked around, taking a piece of string and tying it into her hair to make it look shorter. "Okay, I'm Cress and Ellis is Heron." Shiro placed Ellis on the floor next to her and looked around, picking up the butter knife and putting it in Ellis's paws to be Heron's lance.
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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||
Gehenna. The abyssal city. Narcia had never been here before, and now, she was sure that she never wanted to either. Being paraded through the streets of Gehenna, the underground capital of Tartaria, she never wanted this again. Astor was once again talking - there was no sign of this enigmatic Jezebeth whatsoever. "This is the Ashian Queen, Narcia Seraphim!" Astor called. He was bandaged up and was leading what was more or less a parade. Narcia was forced to crawl on all fours, naked, through the dirt and grime of Gehenna, to the pleasure of all the onlookers. "This girl is the symbol of Tartarian Suppression! Because of her, we have lost our independence and are just a vassal state to Ashia! Because of her, our King has died, and Princess Una was abducted by Coriandrum!"
Everything was horrible. Nothing was going right at all. Nee could only hope that no one back in Ashia Palace could somehow tap into the live stream that was no doubt being broadcast throughout Tartaria for all to see. She would die of the shame. She didn't want Cress to see her like this. She didn't want Shiro to see her reduced to this state. "Crawl faster like the slaves you turned us into." Astor hissed and one of his lackeys cracked a whip on her back, drawing yet another bloody weld, red liquid dripping down her sides. Her limbs were aching and yet she was still forced to crawl behind the pod like an animal.
"Because of her, our people are starving and our children are dying!" Astor called, and Nee realized. Tartaria, no matter how strong they were militarily, they were all dying out. Gehenna, the capital, looked less like a metropolis and more like the Rubble Tier, a dusty mess of houses atop houses, underneath the ground, a vast cavern of darkness and poverty. "Because of her, our loved ones are dying! We have no health care, no food, nothing at all! And it's all because of the Ashian Queen!"
But they were going to help fix things, Nee wanted to scream. They were going to spread flowers throughout the desert and mountains! She just wanted the two nations to work together and finally be at peace, and this was how she was repaid. The crowd was cheering, leering, throwing things to make it all worse and Nee wouldn't be surprised if her many wounds were going to end up infected from all the dirt and mud. But Narcia wasn't going to make a sound. She wouldn't lose. Cress and Shiro were smart enough to know how to beat Narina, even without her. And so, Narcia crawled, being reduced to a subhuman, but her will remained strong.
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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
Serpy was definitely a wolf. Kora moved a hand instinctively to her head, where the lamb horns were. She wanted to be a wolf but Heron forced her to be a lamb. It was irritating, it was annoying. Kora didn't like it at all. But Serpy here, even as a wolf with those red gleaming eyes, he still looked less ferocious and more cuddly. "I like him." Kora admitted, but she didn't really know why she did. Honestly, lugging around this thing wasn't going to make her seem any stronger or tougher. So why didn't the wolf knight just toss it aside? Shiro's wide, hopeful eyes, that might be the answer.
"Cress... is a good person. A great person." The wolf knight felt agitated at Shiro's words. There was no way Cress could feel all these awful things Shiro was describing, right? But.... it all made sense, didn't it? After what Semyon did, after what Itward did, wasn't it obvious? Kora didn't suffer that fate with Semyon, but she remembered the powerlessness, the disgust at her own body, after Itward had his way with her. It only made sense then, that Cress felt the same. "...Tch. But... still! Heron's... a better... she's.... better than I am."
Overwriting the memories, taking them away and replacing them with better ones. Kora tried to think of Heron doing it, but the more she thought, the more she realized that there was no way Heron was going to be able to overwrite the memories. But Kora wasn't sure she could do it either! She had no experience, she had no idea how gentle Cress wanted it, or if it'd scare her - heck, Kora herself might panic because she didn't want anyone to touch, anyone to see how ruined her special spot was. It was just a horrible mess that didn't even look like it was meant to. It was one of her biggest shames, now and always. "Heron... can't make the memories better..." But who could, then?
Kora was getting angrier. Why did Shiro keep talking about love and all that? Kept saying that she was the one who was good enough for Cress, the only one who could help her. "She deserves a better person, a good person!" The wolf knight retorted fiercely. "I killed my sister! Heron didn't -" And then she stopped because, Heron really did, didn't she? "...Nio." What else needed to be said? So then... Heron wasn't right for Cress either, then? Kora was feeling confused and distraught now, and then something weirder happened.
Shiro wanted to play the role of Cress, and Ellis was being Heron. But try as Kora might, she couldn't direct her hatred onto the dog. Ellis was too important to Shiro, she wouldn't make the girl cry like that. "...S-so..." Kora gulped, how was she going to go about this?"I... it's n-not that I like you or anything! I don't! I'm not... I.... blah." Already her cheeks were flushing a hot red and Kora wanted to shrivel in shame. Her stump felt weird, tingly, and Kora stared at the phone. Still nothing from Nee. She changed the topic abruptly. "Shiro, we should let Cress know about the androids. I don't think Nee got the message yet." That was another problem. Why hadn't Nee picked up yet?
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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
"Heron there's something... I can only... trust you with." The knight looked at her, her expression serious. "It's Nee isn't it?" Cress nodded her head. "She isn't answering... her holo." Heron gingerly took Cress's holo from her, seeing that all the calls hadn't gone through. "Xion went after... to see what... happened to the... peace negotiations." Xion hadn't returned or called though. Cress stared worriedly at her holo when suddenly, it rang. She yelped, the device nearly falling from her grip. Heron snickered, lifting the holo and answering it. Xion was standing there in a disguise, wearing a scarf around her head to hide her hair. "It's not good," the eye patched woman said. "They're treating Queen Narcia like a dog. I'm going to do my best to break her out." That's right, the rebel leader wasn't some useless follower, she was skilled in exactly this are.
"I trust you... please bring Narcia... home." Xion nodded her head, hanging up. Cress sighed, leaning back in her chair. "There's still one... more knight who... hasn't had her... physical." Secretly, Cress was praying that his wasn't Kora at all, that her friend hadn't attacked Heron and that they could bust the real Kora out and go back to their lives, their peaceful days with the three of them having fun. Cress hoped, but somehow, she knew it wasn't right. A shiver ran up Cress's spine, remembering Kora's words. Her mother had promised her as a prize to Kora for defeating Heron. What would Kora have done with her? Cress couldn't resist, she would have been powerless in that situation.
She never wanted to feel powerless like that again. "Heron when I'm... better can you... teach me to... defend myself?" Cress thought it was about time to learn, that way she wouldn't be able to be put into this position again. Heron blinked in surprise, a grin slipping onto her face. "You've come to the right person! I'll do it, but it'll cost you." The knight winked suggestively and Cress blushed. "Never mind I'll-" but Heron stopped her, cupping Cress's chin in one of her gloved fingertips, tipping her head up. Cress's heart thrummed, not in anxiety, but well, she wasn't sure what this feeling was. "Let me take you on a date." Cress's heart skipped a beat and she blushed.
She looked down at her lap, writhing underneath Heron's gaze, awaiting for an answer. "Fine," Cress decided with a nod of her head. "A date in... exchange for lessons." Heron clapped her hands together, "Great! I'll make all of the arrangements, you just need to show up." Cress suddenly felt nervous. She wasn't sure why though, this was just Heron! The same Heron who had stolen playful kisses from her a dozen times, the same Heron that had dressed her and taken baths with her. It still felt weird, to think that they were going on a date and that Kora... would she be beside them? Would Shiro's therapy actually work? Cress was pinning her hopes on it.
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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
"Heron isn't better than you." Shiro shook her head. "Sure she's stronger or something, but you've known Cress longer, right? You're the one who first found her!" That was a detail Shiro had overheard once before, that when Cress landed in the Rubble Tier during her fast day in Ashia Palace, it was Kora that had found her in the pile of trash, about to get crushed to death by the compacting machines. The story was very dramatized, with Kora sweeping in and rescuing Cress like a damsel in distress. Shiro had quite the image built up in her mind, perhaps misunderstanding the true situation entirely. "I'm sure you're good at lots of things that Heron isn't good at." Shiro racked her brain, coming up with something easily.
"Your memory!" Shiro squealed, realizing it. "You've got a great memory! Even Nee was impressed by how you remember everything." Yes, Heron did not have that amazing storage, capable of remembering every word she had reciting it word for word, probably. "And Heron can't kiss your boo boos and make them better." Only Kora was capable of that! "Or using the invisibility cloak to gain the upper hand from underneath everyone!" Another of Kora's feats. Shiro hoped that Kora understand now, that you couldn't compare because everyone had different accomplishment and Kora did too!
That's right, perhaps it was't a good thing to be having Shiro, a lady in waiting who knew a lot about being inferior smiled. She was playing Cress now after all and Cress was always smiling and laughing. Shiro thought she seemed more. Shiro admired that fact about her, about everyone really. "Kora, I really like you, but there's something else too." Shiro felt good about this, about actually doing somethings
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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||
"It's funny, isn't it?" One of the Tartarian nobles said, watching her crawl through the dirt. Any normal person would have broken by now, "How the mighty have fallen. Nui is next. And then Shiro. You'll all pay for what you did to us." All the pain, the aching limbs, the throbbing slashes on her back from the crack of the whip, the laughing and jeering the humiliation of being fully exposed for everyone to see. A normal person would have broken from all of this. "She can't even speak. Come on, bark like a dog for us, Ashian Queen!" But unlike normal people, Narcia was strong. In fact, there was hardly a girl left in her at this point - just the quiet fury of a blizzard, waiting to strike.
What Narcia wanted to do now was get a look at Jezebeth. Her name was everywhere as the one who was unifying the Tartarian court, but so far, she hasn't seen hide nor hair of the woman. Jezebeth seemed pretty content to just have Astor be her mouthpiece. Astor wasn't the enemy here. Tartaria itself wasn't, either. It was Jezebeth, and the woman still wasn't showing herself. Another thing of concern was that androids were being used, impersonating the knights, infiltrating their ranks. Kora probably already knew about them, so hopefully Shiro was forewarned, hopefully Cress wouldn't fall for it. So many things to hope, but there was no way to know for sure.
Still, there were limits to how much punishment a body could take. At some point, Nee just found that her limbs wouldn't work anymore. So she just slumped down on the dirt, not a peep escaping from her lips. Astor stopped the parade once the chains stopped rustling with the movement of her limbs, looking back at her. "Keep crawling, dog." Astor called, cracking the whip on her back. It burned, it was horrible, but she just couldn't summon the strength to keep crawling. He whipped her a few more times but there wasn't anything left in her. Astor grinned then. "If a dog can't crawl, then it's time for the execution, isn't it?"
Then a familiar horn blared, the horn of Etruria's national anthem. Standing there was Xion, an assortment of Etrurian soldiers, and Princess Cumin herself, and just in time, too. "I'm afraid I'll need you to return my friend, Tartaria." Cumin said in that voice of hers and Nee felt sick - she didn't care if Tartaria saw her in this state, but Xion? Cumin? Who else had seen her? Astor refused, though, slashing the whip down again but Nee didn't feel the pain. Her entire backside just felt numb. "She attacked us first. Thus, she's our prisoner."
But for some reason Cumin was still grinning, and Xion had her gun out, ready to attack if need be. "Be that as it may, I'm sure it was an accident." Cumin said pleasantly, and Astor still wasn't accepting it. "Her tyranny ruined the glory Tartaria could have been." Astor was glaring now, beyond furious. "She hasn't paid back yet. The rage of Tartaria's citizens must be felt!" But then Etruria's soldiers moved - but to everyone's shock, instead of wielding weapons, they wielded baskets of food and medical care and clothes and other things, distributing them all around.
"Hate only makes more hate." Cumin said quietly. "I'll extend Etruria's helping hand to make things better!" Xion moved forward then, undoing the chains that bound the ice queen, wrapping a jacket around her for modesty's sake. She was going to need to get her wounds cleaned and looked at, and fast. "You have Cress to thank." Xion whispered, but it seemed Astor still wasn't satisfied, even with the care packages. "You can't just bribe us with goods and food!" He roared, but Cumin smiled back pleasantly. "I thought it was a long-term agreement of us giving you our surplus?" The Etrurian Princess looked full of light.
But of course, there was a limit to everything. "Dragon Knights! Kill the Etrurian Princess!" Astor roared, but then another voice broke though, shimmering slightly. Narcia recognized it as a hologram but to everyone else, it looked just like another human. The young princess Una was there, staring them all down with her passionate green eyes. "Belay that order, Count Astor." Una commanded, and none of the knights moved, they all remained still. "I am the Tartarian ruler, not some Jezebeth woman. You all answer to my authority, now that my brother and father are gone." There was a stunned silence and Xion carried Nee over to Kora's bike, gently putting her in the side car. "Tartaria is to maintain close bonds of friendship to Ashia, Etruria, Frelia, and Coriandrum from now on. In return, they'll send us food and supplies until our land is fertile again." And no one could challenge little Una's authority, a girl hardly older than Shiro herself.
"Let's go back to the palace." Xion whispered, then looked back at Cumin and Una with a nod of the head. "Thank you for your help." Cumin smiled sagely as the bike prepared to leave, her soldiers still handing out care packages. "Of course! It's the least I could do in return for what you did for me." Una nodded, but didn't say anything more, and Nee wondered if that brief loneliness in her eyes was just imagined or if it was real.
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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
Hugging Serpy, Shiro seemed intent on lathering her in compliments, telling her ways that she was better than Heron and Kora wanted to chew on her lip and disagree with everything that was being said. There was no way she could compare to Heron at all, no matter what Shiro said. "You don't get it." Kora growled, shaking her head. "It wasn't me who saved her, it was Aya!" She was furniture, she wasn't good for anything, why was Shiro trying to convince her otherwise?
Then Shiro started talking about other things, like her perfect memory, saying that Queen Narcia was impressed - and nothing ever really impressed that coldhearted girl - about how Heron couldn't overwrite Cress's traumatic memories, about many other things and Kora shook. Was it all in her head, then? No, that couldn't be it. Otherwise, what was all of this pain for, then? What was the point of any of this in the first place? Kora spent her whole life being overshadowed, being seen as unwanted, inferior, and even now, it was deeply ingrained within her. Panic rose in her chest and she covered her ears with her hands. "Stop! I know it! I know I'm not good for... anything! That's all I've ever known!" She was shouting now, over Shiro, she didn't want to hear Shiro's kind words. "I don't deserve... you being so... nice to me..." She explained it, she didn't want Shiro to think she was upset with her or anything.
Then there was a knock at the door, and the holo rang. Corren was on it, once it was answered. "The coast is clear. It's safe to open the door." The scholar was speaking in his usual voice, mostly monotone, with hardly no emotion behind the words. "I need to check Kora to see if she's an android." Kora tilted her head, annoyed. "I'm not, though." She muttered. "How could I be?" So when Shiro opened the door, Corren took Kora by the arm, and dropped a book on Shiro's lap, something about Earth-wedding traditions.
The examination itself was weird and Kora didn't really like it. A few questions here and there, and then him looking over her whole body. It was lucky that the wolf knight was unaware about his feelings because otherwise this would be even more awkward. Once it was over and she was confirmed not to be an android, Kora knew something was up. "What's the damage? Are the others okay?" She asked, eyes narrowed fiercely. For a physical to be arranged, there had to be an incident. So Corren assured her that Cress was fine, and that they got rid of the rest of the androids, so then Kora realized. Narcia must have gotten hurt, then. "Your hand will be ready for you by tomorrow." Corren said, and then called Cress to inform her that Kora was all clear.
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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
"I've got her, have Corren prep the med bay." Xion said through the holo and Cress sighed in relief "Thank you Xion," Xion signed off, focusing on driving then. "I hope they... didn't hurt her." The thought of Nee being hurt, of someone touching her sister like that again made Cress furious, but she didn't have anyway to channel these emotions. She couldn't just let them out. "Hey, the important thing is that she's okay." Heron said, placing a hand on Cress's shoulder. "It's only been a few hours," Heron reassured her. "So the damage can't be too bad." Heron didn't know though, she had no idea what a man could do with a woman's body in a matter of hours. "They'll pay," Cress's hands balled into fists, the fire burning in her eyes. "Hey," Heron knelt in front of her. "It's not Tartaria's fault, it's this Jezebeth."
"No," Cress shook her head, pulling away. "It's our mother." No doubt this was Narina's ploy, take Nee away from the palace and let the androids take over. Little did Narina know, they had eliminated the spies and reinforced their defenses. There was another call on Cress's holo and Heron picked it up for her. "Kora isn't an android," it was a relief, but also, a disappointment. "Thanks Corren," Cress tried to get a smile out of him, knowing that Corren no doubt knew by now that Kora didn't reciprocate his feelings. "I need you... to prep the... med bay for... Nee's arrival." Corren nodded his head, signing off to go get the med bay ready to receive their queen. "You're doing great," Heron said with a supportive grin.
"I'm just doing... what I think... Nee might do." Cress admitted. "Only with a... little more emotion." Heron laughed, the sound reverberating across the halls. Cress had a sheepish smile, it was the truth. She was doing her best to manage the knights and be the substitute ruler until Nee came back since Shiro, who was their other queen as well as the next in line for power, was technically out of commission until Narina was defeated. "Being a princess... is freaking hard." Heron laughed again, a happy sound that was nice on her ears. It was exactly how Heron was supposed to sound, full of life. Even with the two of them reunited, something still didn't feel quite right. Kora. Her presence was an empty beacon in Cress's heart.
The words Kora had spoken the night before emanated in her heart. Kora had tried to kill Heron because Narina had promised Cress to her as some sort of sick prize. Cress just had a sudden idea. "What if we... send Kora back?" Heron abruptly stopped, eyes wide. "Are you insane? She nearly killed me with only a few words, imagine what spending time with her would do?" Heron was right of course, but in a way, Kora was the only one she could trust with this job. "A double agent." Narina apparently trusted Kora, she had been sharing information with her, so what if they used that to their advantage? "We'll see what... Nee thinks. After.... all she is... the queen." Yes, Cress was no longer going to have any authority when Nee came back.
"Let's go greet... them." Heron took the handles of the wheelchair, "It's a good idea." She admitted, reluctance in her voice. "But what if she betrays us again?" Cress felt a chill. That's right, Kora had been so easily swayed by her birth mother. "Never mind." Cress shook her head. "It was stupid... to suggest it." That was the end of that.
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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
Shiro had her work cut out for her, no matter what she said to try and convince Kora, Kora rejected the idea. "But that version of Aya is still you in the end." Shiro pointed out. "Even if you try to deny it, it's true." There was a knock on the door, Shiro bound over to it, peeping outside. Corren was there and since he gave the signal that the coast was clear, Shiro opened the door. He came inside, telling Kora that Cress had ordered a physical for every night. "It's probably the loyalty test," Shiro assured Kora. "Nee said that Cress was going to conduct it since she's the knight's manager now." That's right, Shiro had been at the meeting when Nee had appointed Cress. Their only other witness was Heron, who had sworn loyalty to the crown again and again. Heron had also promised that she wouldn't fail in protecting Cress and knew that the penalty for failure was death.
Once Corren gone, the therapy session resumed. Shiro took Kora's hand, clasping it in her own. She would have taken both, but she felt odd holding Kora's stump. Corren had promised her hand to be ready by the next day though, which was good. "Kora, everyone deserves to love." Shiro tried to think of an example, then realized, it was her alone who could relate to Kora in this way. "We were both abused and didn't think we would ever deserve love." Shiro explained, she let go of Kora's hands and pulled up her nightgown, brushing aside her long blonde hair to show Kora all of the scars. There were marks along side it, proof of Nee's love left on her body. Nee had said that only she could look and Shiro blushed, glad that she wasn't exposing her whole self, only the scars on her chest.
"I didn't think I could ever be loved." Shiro blushed, wiggling under Kora's gaze. She lowered her nightgown, suddenly remembering that she hadn't had any panties and blushed a deeper shade of pink. "But Nee showed me differently!" There was a point to this all, Shiro hadn't just exposed herself for nothing. The little pup was holding Ellis against her again, a slight tinge of color left on her cheeks. "Even with our scars, we can still be loved. It doesn't matter what our past was like, only what our future will look like." The pup tried to smile again, she wanted Kora to understand that love was okay, that it was natural and something amazing.
"You see it too don't you? How the person you love seems to sparkle." Shiro took Kora's hand again. "How everything seems so much brighter when they're around." Shiro hoped that her emotions were getting across, that Kora understood. "Taking the first big step is scary, but sometimes, you have to take it."
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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
As they flew back over Tartarian territory, back over the shimmering Lake Asphodel, Xion was glad to answer any questions Nee might have had, huddled in a jacket, feeling feint and weak and nauseous to boot. The one-eyed woman called Cress to inform her that they were returning, then explained what happened. Xion sent word to the neighboring Etruria of the situation and Cumin was ecstatic to be able to help. Riana caught word of it and decided to throw her support in as well, by sending a hologram of Una. Which, of course, brought about the question of how Una was even awake - she wasn't, not really. But she's able to move about in hologram form with a modified version of Cress's helmet. If anything, Una's condition was slowly deteriorating, but Riana hopes that with enough time, being allowed to experience the world and catch up on the years she missed in her hologram should help.
It was odd, though. The more Riana tried doting on Una and treating her as a daughter, the more the lost Princess retreated and focused on studying and learning. It was almost a reversal of Narina and Narcia - Narcia wanting to play with Itward and Aine, and forcing her to study and read until she couldn't bear to look at letters anymore. Una Malachite was shutting herself off, focusing entirely on learning how to lead Tartaria in the right direction. "On a brighter note, Etruria is doing well." Xion explained, with a small smile on her face. "Cumin and Kail seem to be doing better, after being allowed to properly mourn their parents."
Nee wasn't feeling well, of course. She felt cold and clammy all over, and her back was completely numb. It was difficult to really think properly, as if thoughts were slow and didn't really work. She only absorbed a little of what Xion told her, and didn't have the strength to try and talk or say anything at all. She was sweating profusely despite how cold she felt, and a heavy sense of nausea was in her gut, ready to burst. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and she drifted off into sleep more than a few times - but rather than sleep, it was more akin to an almost unconscious state, but not quite asleep either.
"Hypovolemic shock." Corren said quietly as he took her into the medical room. He did some tests on her and made the diagnosis. Narcia passed out around this time, and Corren and Maven both got to work. Still, even with epinephrine pumped into her via an intraveinous line, there was a problem. The Seraphim family line possessed Type O blood, and as such, most blood donors won't quite work. And in Ourania, Type O was even rarer than on Earth. "Cress, I need you for a blood transfusion." Corren said, calling her. "She's in critical condition, and needs your blood." There was a brief pause. "Should we inform Shiro?" He asked the fiery princess.
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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
That was a horrible and stupid waste of time. Of course Kora wasn't an android, she would have known! Ridiculous. With that done, she was put back into the Playground, back for more mindgames with Shiro. She had to think - Aya was her? The Aya in her head was a part of her? "Doesn't make sense." The wolf knight muttered. How could it? She and the fake Aya were both two completely different people, weren't they? Aya was sweet and loving and forgave everyone, Kora was brutish and cruel and loved to fight. There was no way they were the same, not even a little bit. But that begged the question - where exactly did Aya come from, then? Did it count as 'a part of you' if you created the persona as a defense mechanism against abuse? The textbooks never really went into detail about that.
With one hand held, Shiro kept talking. Shiro told her that everyone deserved love, and deserved to feel love as well. "Narina doesn't deserve love." Kora said with a low growl, infuriated. "Semyon didn't, either. My father doesn't either." She stared fiercely into Shiro's clam blue eyes. "If you do bad things, you don't deserve anything. If you hurt people... then you deserve to be hurt as well." Revenge was the ultimate equalizer, the one thing that put everyone on the same level. But then Shiro brought up a strange thing that Kora had never really considered before - at least not in this way.
Both Shiro and Kora were abused throughout the majority of their lives, and they both thought that they didn't deserve love, as a result. Shiro was shown the light, with Narcia's help - and still, Kora had no idea anyone could melt Narcia's ice, not even Shiro, so it was still an odd thing to her - and now Shi had the love of her dreams. There was still a difference, though. "You didn't... hurt anyone, though. You've never hurt anyone. You're innocent, you know?" Kora felt her breathing speeding up. "...Sure, you can... put aside your past, but I can't... because I'm still guilty. I need to be... punished for the bad things." For killing Aya, for betraying everyone.
"After what I did, Cress couldn't love me anyways." Kora knew this was true, and it depressed her more than ever. "...Maybe, maybe in the past, maybe... but now, it's impossible, isn't it?" Even now, Kora wasn't sure how much of Narina's influence, how much of that snake's poison was still in her mind. Wasn't she still a liability? What if there were more unconscious triggers placed in her head, just waiting to be activated, for her to lash and kill again? "You're... a good perosn, Shiro. I'm... not." That was the main difference between the two blondes, and it was undeniable.
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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
Cress's hands were balled into fists. Heron was pacing, back and forth, footsteps echoing down the hall. They were waiting by the rear entrance for Xion to make a return with Nee. Maven came down with a stretcher and together the three of them held their breath, unable to feel at ease until Kora's gravity bike came into view, carrying Narcia in the side car. "Narcia!" Cress cried in relief, finally feeling able to breathe. Maven rushed over with the stretcher and together he and Xion loaded Nee on, her sister curled up in the tiniest ball, unmoving. "Nee?" Cress whispered, wanting to reach out but feeling afraid, so afraid, of how fragile Nee looked in that moment, naked and covered in blood and dirt, framed underneath the halo of artificial light.
They went to the elevator, riding up silently until they reached the med bay. Cress waited outside the room, Heron leaning against the bed beside her. Xion dismissed herself to go file the papers about the android knights that Heron had demolished. "She'll be okay," Heron assured Cress, ruffling the Princess's hair. Even as she said it though, Heron didn't sound so sure. "She was so... still." Narcia didn't look like ice in that moment, she looked fragile, more like a glass doll than an ice sculpture. A few moments later, Corren came out. "Shock, so that's... why she's so... quiet?" Corren nodded his head grimly. Cress knew very well what shock could do. After the car accident, she had walked around for a week in a daze, trying to find her father, which was why it had taken so long for the search party to find her.
"I have O," Cress said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Take mine," She rolled up her sleeve, knowing that this was a life or death situation. Heron wheeled her into the room where Heron was and there was a question as to whether or not they should inform Shiro. "Yes, absolutely." Shiro was Nee's beloved. No doubt the pup would be able to bring Nee out of this state and back to herself. "Heron, please-" she started and Heron grinned, baring a fang. "Already on it," the knight said and hustled out of the room, leaving the princess and queen. Corren wheeled her closer and Cress held onto one of Nee's bandaged hands, looking at the cracked and broken nails from being forced to crawl on the ground like a dog. Cress squeezed Nee's hand lightly, her fury apparent. "I'll make them... pay." She seethed, knowing that she wasn't actually going to do anything because she was a peace loving pacifist.
Nee was the only person suited for taking revenge and she was the one who had been hurt. "Ready?" Corren asked and Cress nodded her head. He tied the tourniquet around her arm and Cress hissed as the needle was inserted. Seconds later, crimson blood began seeping through the tube and into the stand. "Don't worry," Cress assured Nee with a weak smile. "It's my turn... to take care... of you." She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Nee's. It only took a few minutes for her blood to fill the bag, Corren took the needle out and dressed the wound, rolling Cress to the other side of the bed since his equipment was on that side. "Narcia, this is your twin's blood." Corren informed her in that monotone voice of his. "I'm going to start it through your IV." Cress watched as the plasma slinked downwards into Nee's veins.
"Can you feel... it?" Cress asked, "how much I... care about you?" She knew Narcia wouldn't actually be able to feel anything, but Cress wanted something comforting to say in case Nee was present and listening. She was dressed in bandages, her torso wrapped up. "Some of the lash wounds were very large, so I had to use sutures to shut them instead of salve." The fury was building up again, her fire smoldering, framed in bright red eyes with thick black lashes. "They'll pay," Cress spoke, her voice shaking from anger, or maybe blood loss. Maven came over with a juice box and instructed Cress to drink. "I can't get... the stupid straw... in." She grumbled and Maven laughed, coming over to assist her. "No," Cress said sternly. "Help Nee."
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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
Shiro sighed, this was hard, a lot harder than she had anticipated. "Kora, everyone does bad things." The pup said, wanting to go on the slides and play, but instead, she was stuck trying to convince a girl to chase after her love. "I'm sure Cress still loves you, after all, love is what happens when a person falls for every bit of you, not just parts of you. She knows what you did and she accepts you." Shiro tried to explain. Otherwise how could Nee have ever fallen for her? Shiro was weak and useless, she shook a lot and cried even more and yet somehow, Nee still loved her. "Love makes a person strong and what you did, you did out of passion. I read it in a book!" Maybe Shiro would have to read up on some behavioral therapy books in order to better understand the map that was Kora's mind. Then again, the pup wasn't really sure if she wanted to.
"I made mistakes too," Shiro wasn't as innocent as Kora might have thought. The pup had once hurt someone by tripping and spilling tea all over them, causing some major burns. Although more than hurting others, Shiro had hurt herself. Falling down the stairs, on the hem of a dress, cutting herself on paper, jumping at her own shadow and hitting her head. Yes, thinking about all of those painful things made Shiro whimper. There was a knock at the door and Shiro jumped, taking Ellis with her and going to see who could be visiting. It was Heron and she sighed, "coast is clear Shiro, open up." So Heron did. The knight came inside, regret in her eyes. "It's Narcia, she um... she's not doing too well Shiro." Her heart dropped, those words, it felt like a blow directly to her heart. "Nee is... not okay?" Heron nodded her head. She picked up the invisibility cloak and glanced at Kora. "You come too."
Shiro wriggled underneath it, holding tightly onto Ellis and her pacifier. Just hearing those words, Shiro was on the verge of a breakdown. Heron was leading them, holding Kora by the arm so that the prisoner couldn't get away. Shiro felt tears blossoming in her eyes, thinking of all the things that could have happened that may have lead up to Nee not being okay. They walked in silence, going to the Royal Sick Bay and entering. Inside one of the rooms Heron gave a nod to Corren and he ordered Maven to go and find some impossible medical treatment. So Maven went off on his impossible quest and Corren closed and locked the door. Once is was safe, Shiro removed the cloak, rushing to Nee's beside. "Nee!" Shiro whimpered, clambering up onto the bed with her. "Nee, what happened? Who did this to you?"
Shiro was crying, tears running down her cheeks. She looked like a loyal dog, sitting at the foot of Nee's bed, waiting for permission to touch or lay next to her. Shiro met Corren's eyes and he gave her a curt nod. Instantly, Shiro wiggled in between Nee's arms, gently touching her face. "Nee?" The pup asked, trying to look into her eyes. "She's in shock," Corren explained. "I'm giving her a blood transfusion, but I don't know how long it will be until she responds." Shiro burst into a fresh set of tears, wondering if this was somehow her fault, because she was a bad girl and hadn't been by Nee's side.
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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
Even though her eyes were open, Narcia wasn't really conscious at all. Her mind was a foggy haze and she was unresponsive to pretty much everything around her. It was as if her mind refused to register anything happening before her eyes. Those crystal orbs were glassy and blank, and if not for Corren's medicine, the shivering would have only grown worse, more violent. Simply put, she had lost too much blood, and her body was shutting down to try to preserve whatever it could. Her heart was no longer pumping enough blood through her body to feed her organs. If not for the blood infusion, she could have easily died.
Nee and Nui were both studying together, lazily laying in their shared room. They were having difficulties - Nui seemed to fail on every level in terms of foreign politics, while Nee couldn't for the life of her figure out anything relating to biology at all. "I'll answer your biology questions if you do my politics." Nui said with that mischievous twinkle in her eye, that slight curl of the lips. They did these sorts of exchanges before. "The faster we finish, the faster we can play with Aine!" But then that teasing giggle began, her fiery twin was starting to have fun yet again. "Though you might prefer to spend time with that Shiro of yours, hmm?" Narcia shut her eyes. "I - it's not as if I feel anything special for her. She's just my lady in waiting." Nee said coldly, but was already handing over her biology assignments for Nui to fill in.
Then the door opened and both girls felt cold running down their spines. Their mother, Narina was here. "You girls." Narina clicked her tongue, shaking her head, and the twins both knew what was about to happen. "How many times have I told you to stop cheating on the assignments? How are you supposed to jointly rule Ashia Palace when I retire?" Nee knew what she had to do, and it was perfect. "Mother, if Nui and I are to jointly rule, then that means, we can rely on each other and use each other for our strengths, can't we?" Nui then pitched in, grinning widely. "Yeah! Nee can do politics, and I can handle botany and animals!" It made sense, right? "And plus, Heron's a noblewoman, and she just plays with that blonde knight all the time! I want to play too!"
Narina gave them both light taps on the head. "In an ideal world, that would be the case, girls." Their mother said in a stern tone. The scolding was about to begin, and Narina explained that their plan wasn't really going to work out at all. "Sometimes, you won't be available to help the other with such a problem comes up, and then you'll have issues. You both need to learn how to handle any situation with intelligence." The stern look slowly morphed into a gentle smile. "After all, you're both destined to make Ashia great." Narina let out a cough and Narcia went to prop her up with her shoulder before she could collapse.
"Mother, you should take better care of yourself." Narcia said quietly, Nui taking the other side. The twins worked together to put their mother flat on the ground. Narina's condition was worsening as time went on, and their father died a few months ago in the ongoing war against Tartaria. Even with Coriandrum doctors visiting and checking, there was nothing to be done. Narina was dying, and soon the twin daughters would be orphaned. "I-i-t's...okay." Narina smiled weakly at her two daughters. "I know... you'll both make me proud...."
"I love you both... my precious, irreplaceable daughters..."
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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
Shiro was still talking to her, trying to convince her to go and confess her feelings. Kora already technically did confess them, didn't she? She did it just yesterday, on the steps to the palace. Kora announced and withdrew her feelings in one sentence before launching her attack on Heron - her failed attack that didn't make anything better. If only she killed Heron, if only she succeeded, then maybe she'd finally be useful, then maybe she'd have found her worth. But if what Shiro was saying was true, then didn't she already have worth? Then... what was the point of all of this suffering? Why did -
She couldn't think like that. It hurt too much to think like that. "I.... Shiro, it's... impossible..." It had to be impossible. There was no way Cress could like a wretch like her. Furniture - but Shiro said that she wasn't furniture, that she shouldn't call herself that. The wolf knight almost laughed when Shiro said she made mistakes too. Trying to picture Shiro murdering and torturing people just didn't work. No, the pup definitely didn't do anything on the same scale as Narina or Itward, that's for sure. But then Heron came with news of Narcia, and Kora's worst suspicions were proven correct. "Knew it." Kora hissed bitterly. Heron then grabbed her arm as Shiro went into a panic under the cloak.
Maven was sent away and Shiro was allowed to take the cloak off. Narcia really didn't look to be in the best of shape, just like a fragile leaf that could be blown away with the gentlest of winds. "Tartarian scum." Kora said under her breath. Sure, she didn't like Nee very much, but Narcia was still one of them. Narcia was an ally, no matter what the personal feelings between them were. So if Narcia was hurt, it was the same as all of them being hurt. Cress, according to her bandage, already had given blood, and Kora went to check the data on the machines to doublecheck that everything was in order. "More...." She murmured when suddenly Heron grabbed her by the wrist.
"What are you doing?" Heron snapped, pulling her away from the machines. Kora wrenched her wrist away, glaring at the knight she hated the most. "She needs a tiny bit more epinephrine to correct her cardiac output." Kora explained, and Corren went to check and perhaps with a little bit of pride, he adjusted the dosage entering Narcia's system. Shiro was on her intended's bed, crying and whimpering and Kora grimaced. "Shiro, you don't have to cry. Nee's going to be very proud of you."
There was Cress, fumbling with the juice pack, looking shaken by what she saw, anger burning in her eyes. Kora shuffled over to her, pulled the juice pack and used her teeth to jab the straw into the hole, handing it back to the princess. "If you need help, it's fine to ask for it, idiot." The wolf knight said sourly, then she sighed. Even with everyone here, it didn't matter. She'd do it, if it meant making Cress not look so unlike her, buried under the stress of taking charge and giving orders. "I'm getting my hand back tomorrow, and I proved that Heron ain't invincible. So... d-don't be... afraid to... rely on me... okay?" Her cheeks burned but she kept her eyes steady on Cress's. Cress was once taller, but now they were the same. "I... l-like you.. after all."
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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
Weak, she was so weak. She couldn't help anyone, all she could do was sit back in her wheelchair and watch the world spin around her. They were going ahead again, leaving her behind. Even Narcia, in this state, was doing things stronger than Cress could. They were going to keep walking ahead and Cress would have to crawl forward to catch up. She was pathetic. Her head was spinning, she couldn't even open this juice box, couldn't get the straw to punch through the little tin bit. Back on earth, when they were kids, Cress always opened Ellie's juice box for her since her cousin had always struggled with the punching through bit. Now, it was opposite, except Nee wasn't opening juice boxes, she was laying on a small white bed, looking like fragile glass. Cress shouldn't have let her go alone, she should have had Xion or Itward escort her. This was all her fault, if only she had done something differently.
Her hands were shaking, weakening further. Cress was just about to throw the juice box away in frustration when Kora came over and even missing one hand she punctured the straw through the hole without any trouble. Heron was on guard, one hand on her lance the entire time, in case Kora tried something. Kora called her an idiot and Cress's cheeks burned with shame as Kora lectured her about it being fine to ask for help. Her cheeks burned even more, but this time for a different reason as Kora said to rely on her, because she liked her. Cress's heart skipped a beat and she swore she could hear Heron grinding her teeth. "Kora..." her cheeks turned even brighter and Cress turned away, taking a sip from the juice box so that she wouldn't have to speak.
"Cress I may need more blood," Corren informed her and Cress nodded her head. "Take as much... as you need." She said, fine with it as long as it was for Nee. Shiro was crying, the poor pup sounded heartbroken at seeing her intended in this condition. It was heart wrenching and Cress hoped that she would never have to sound like that. Nee would be okay, she had to, she would pull through. They were all counting on her, they all loved her. Cress couldn't imagine her life without her, sure she teased and sometimes wondered why Ellie had to die, but in the end the two were twins and had a bond that could never be severed. Losing her twin would be like losing a half of herself. Cress would never feel whole.
"Please Nee be... okay." Her holo rang and Cress jumped, dropping her juice. "S-sorry!" She stuttered, nearly falling out of her wheelchair as she tried to pick it back up. "Whoa," Heron said, lifting Cress and easing her back down. She picked up the small yellow carton and disposed of it. Cress fumbled for her holo, seeing that it was Xion. "We have a situation," Xion said, lifting up the head of an android. Cress gasped, not recognizing it to be robotic at first. "They've infiltrated the servants too." Cress swallowed, trying to gain her bearings. "Please begin the... interview process." Cress said, "I'm trusting you... Xion." The eye patched rebel leader nodded her head, signing off. Cress suddenly felt like she never wanted to look at another piece of technology again. "They're everywhere." She sighed, leaning back in her chair. It was around lunch time, but Cress was nowhere near hungry after vomiting up her breakfast.
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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
Kora told her not to cry, that Nee would be proud of her, but Shiro couldn't help it. She had already begun to spiral and was hiding in Nee's arms, burying her face in her beloved's chest and quietly sobbing so as not to disturb anyone. As a servant, you learned to hide your tears and cry when no one could see unless you wanted to be punished. There had been a few times when Shiro messed up or got frustrated or stuck and ended up with a lashing because she had burst into tears in front of Queen Narina or her guests. Shiro had been whipped before, she knew the pain, the burning, the blood. The fact that Nee had to suffer this, that she had been whipped like a servant, it broke Shiro's heart. Nee was a queen, she didn't deserve to be treated like a dog.
At least her necklace was still there, they hadn't taken the locket. Shiro was glad to see that Nee still had it around her neck, laying gently against her porcelain skin. Nee wasn't meant to be a China doll, she was meant to be a fierce and cold, indestructible statue. She only showed her soft side around Shiro and yet now she looked so weak and fragile. "It's okay Nee," Shiro whimpered, hoping that Nee could hear her. "I'm here, I won't leave you. I won't ever leave you." Shiro took off her nightgown, no one should see Nee so exposed. The pup managed to get it on Narcia and hoped that being clothed would help. Corren sighed and took out an extra blanket, wrapping it around Shiro. The pup then buried herself in Nee's arms, hugging Ellis tightly since she was afraid to hug Nee.
Shiro heard something though, Kora, admitting her feelings to Cress. It seemed that Shiro had struck a chord within her after all and the pup wanted to be happy, but she couldn't, not with the way Nee was. At least she had some success, a small break through. Maybe having Kora follow Cress around would be better than therapy with Shiro. The pup wanted to spend all of her time with Nee after all, nursing her beloved back to health like Nee had done so many times with her. This was because she was a bad girl wasn't it? She hadn't been there to throw herself in front of Nee's assailants, she hadn't been able to take the whippings for Nee. She was going to be punished wasn't she? Shiro was a bad girl, a very bad girl for letting this happen.
Shiro put her pacifier in her mouth, knowing that her thoughts were only going to get worse. She was a bad girl, they were going to take her eyes weren't they? Narina would come and stick needles in them, she would steal her eyesight and burn the bottoms of Shiro's feet so that the pup couldn't run away or hide under the bed. She would be stuck in that corner, the room made of metal and one way mirrors. She would be there, unable to escape in the darkness as the punishment only grew worse. They would stick her with needles full of hallucinogenics and do all sorts of mean things so that Shiro could never love Nee, so that the two of them could never be together. Narcia was a queen after all, she could never love a dog.
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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
Queen Narina died that night, and both Narcia and Nui were pronounced the joint rulers. Usually in a situation like this, the siblings would start a civil war between each other and their supporters in order to gain total control of the throne, but Nui and Narcia's love for each other meant that they didn't have to. There were a lot of nobles who wanted a war to break out, but the Cherubim and Dorones houses were the only ones not to push their support for one or the other. Archon, typically known for scholarship and medicine, supported the pacifistic Nui while Sandalphon, one of the houses that specialized in servant training, preferred the cold and calculating Narcia. Tensions were at an all out high between the noble houses, each plotting against the other to force the princesses into taking action.
They didn't even get the chance to truly mourn, instead being thrust into a proxy war in the making. Instead of noble houses fighting for their princess of choice, they instead took the opportunity to try and kill the members of houses they were naturally opposed to. For example, the head of the Cherubim family was killed not too long ago by the Berulet house, forcing Itward to take charge. The knights were being fractured as well - especially ones connected to noble houses. The only ones who really remained loyal to the crown rather than their families were the knights from the Tower and Rubble Tiers, forcing them to rely on the likes of Kohrya and others like her for a working force. To make things worse, Tartaria saw Narina's death as the perfect opportunity to go on the offensive, and King Mephisto was gleeful to take advantage of the occasion.
"Nui, things are getting worse." Narcia whispered. Shiro was with them, serving tea quietly - not because she was ordered to, but because she didn't know what to say to help make things better. "....We might have to do something drastic." Nui looked pensive as she read the damage reports, shaking her head sadly. Ever since Narina died, Nui had lost her mischievous charm and looked morose more than anything, her fires a dull ember instead of the smoldering flame it should've been. Nee wasn't going all that much better, but she hid it under her ice. "I don't know." Nui cried. "I don't know anymore! Ever since mom died... everything's just... it's so awful..."
Narcia pressed her hand on her twin sister's wrist. She was the elder, so it was her job to comfort Nui. "...It'll be okay. Whatever happens, we're going to work together. That's what mom would've wanted, after all." Two daughters, lost in a political struggle, but in the end, they'd always have each other.
While Narcia was still unconscious, there was one phrase that passed through the veil, to the real world. "It'll... be.... okay... together..." But she remained just as unconscious as before.
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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
Things were happening incredibly quickly. Kora didn't get much of an answer from Cress, but any chance to annoy Heron was worth it. With a half smile, Kora went back to lean against the door, crossing her arms, knowing there was nothing she could really do to help Shiro. Still, Shiro gave her a good attempt, so the wolf figured she might as well try. Kora walked over and with Corren's permission, moved Nee's arms so that they wrapped Shiro in a hug. Nee even managed to say something in her half-asleep state, words that seemed comforting. "You're a good girl, Shiro. See? She loves you." She pointed at the ring, not directly touching it. "The ring is a promise, right? Nee isn't the type to break a promise to you. She'll be fine, and she'll always love you."
It was out of character for Kora, definitely, but Shiro put an effort to help her so she might as well do the same. Corren was speaking quietly to Cress now, with an almost urgent tone in his voice. "We should put the palace - and especially this room - under lockdown for now." The scholarly doctor suggested. "And only those who know Shiro's secret should be allowed in this room." Kora groaned. A lockdown was going to be troublesome. "In that case, I gotta go do something." Kora muttered, still in her prison gown. Heron stiffened right then, hand ready to attack but Kora raised her hand in surrender. "I passed the physical, you moron."
If the palace was going on lockdown - no one allowed out or in - Kora desperately needed to get out of the palace. It was a matter of the utmost importance. It wasn't betrayal, but she wasn't sure if there was a way to convince them of that. "Then I'm coming too. To make sure you don't do what I think you are." Heron growled, stepping towards the door, but Kora pulled herself away from the scarlet knight's grip, glaring fiercely. "You have to stay here and protect Shiro, Narcia, and Cress. You're strong, so that's your specialty. I'm slippery, so I'm better used for other things, aren't I?" She took the cloak from where Shiro dropped it, taking it for herself. "Shiro probably won't wanna leave Nee's side for now, anyways."
Heron didn't look like she was just going to accept that, though. "Last time someone went off on their own, they turned into that!" Heron pointed at Nee, but Kora just shook her head. Of course she wasn't going to let that happen to her. "You're better off here! As long as the servants are androids, Cress needs someone strong like you to keep her safe!" But from Corren's face, it seemed he wasn't going to let her go, either. Kora sighed. Fine, she was going to have to explain it then, huh?
"Look. Narina has Aya's chip. I'm gonna get it back before she turns her into an android too." Kora narrowed her eyes, looking at Cress specifically. "Imagine if she had Nee's chip. That's what it's like for me." Two sets of twins. Cress had to understand, right? Corren then stepped forward, and put something on her hair - it was the blue flower pin she usually wore. "There's a tracker in it. That way we can rescue you if you're in danger." Kora scoffed. "Nothing's gonna happen." The knight hissed and left the room, draping herself in invisibility once again, gun in hand.
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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| 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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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| 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.
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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| 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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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| 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."
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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| 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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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| 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."
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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| 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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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| 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?"
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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| 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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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| 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."
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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| 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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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| 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.
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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| 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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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| 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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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| 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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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| 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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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| 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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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| 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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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| 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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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| 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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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| 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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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| 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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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| 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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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| 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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βLet your soul take you where you long to be.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| 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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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| 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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βIt's time to break the umbilical cord. I don't need you anymore.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| Rolling Girl || Hatsune Miku ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#4ca2b8 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #8b4cb8γ
|| 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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βI hate you. I hate myself, I can't stand it anymore. Please look at me, please look at me!β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| Crystal || Of Monsters and Men ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ:#30b818 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #d1ca00γ
|| 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.