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Post by Kirasath Dravere on Dec 6, 2015 10:15:00 GMT
It wasn't untrue to say that Kira had pride. She had pride in her husband, the mighty Shi-Oda. She had pride in her friends, who worked to make Creation a better place for all. She had pride in the ancient city that haunted her memories, and the life that she had lived in a time before darkness had enveloped the world. But here, now, the only thing that she could have had pride in was herself. Emerald's taunts were doomed to fall upon deaf ears, and Kira went to "fetch the tea" both because manners dictated it and so she could retrieve Bertrand's sword. It wouldn't avail her much, but being armed at all was better than not.
She eventually joined the abomination masquerading as a woman in her seat by the window, offering a cup to her guest before taking one for herself, as per custom. She didn't make eye contact, less out of deference and more to keep her emotions under control. Kira wanted very little more than to leave this abhorrent monster strewn across the walls, and failing that, not having to look at her was an almost acceptable alternative.
Kira made a point to take a drink and swallow slowly, giving her enough time (and endorphins) to calm herself before she attempted to speak. "I fail to see what we have to discuss, Miss Emerald." For the first time since she'd had memories of a life she'd never lived open in her mind, the young Dawn began to intentionally search for a few in order to refresh her muscle memory on how to use some particularly deadly maneuvers with a mundane sword.
It was a bitter irony that, should she have been in a situation where she could make good on all of her intentions, she would be stricken mad and forced to let her most (and only) hated enemy leave unharmed. ...Well...unharmed. She could probably deal with messing up that pretty face of hers.
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Post by Akara on Dec 6, 2015 10:34:09 GMT
"Communication as opposed to unsatisfying and unnecessary violence?" Emerald asked with her brow raised in mild surprise. She carefully picked up her tea and gently blew on it to induce cooling, before testing the waters with a sip. "Mmm - delicious. Thank you."
"I must say, I was a little shocked to hear that you'd abandoned your crusade in Harborhead to make for Rathess." Emerald continued, striking a conversational tone. "Not that I can blame you for such - it's become clear that young Albrecht underestimated your skill when we'd initially met. I suppose that the threat we pose isn't... challenging enough for you, anymore." She sounded almost wistful on that note, leaning her chin on her fingers and delicately stirring her tea. "Truth be told, I agree with your decision; there's more good you can do in Rathess than in the wild jungle. I absolutely didn't expect such a guest at my..."
Emerald trailed off, then laughed softly and waved in a vague circle. "...I like to think of it as my retirement home, to be honest. Not that I'll GET to retire, but you know. Gallows humor at my own expense is hardly a sin, hmm?" Emerald chuckled, shook her head, then sat upright. Sipped her tea. Glanced a Kira. Acted like the Dawn wouldn't be thrilled to put her in the ground. Acted like they were just two women - maybe even friends - enjoying a cup of tea.
Emerald lightly tapped the side of her own head, offering an apologetic smile. "Speaking of - and I fear it is bad form got me to ask - but how is your condition? Young Albrecht implies that you suffer the same apparitions and fits that he does, which is such a pity - a talent like yours deserves the spotlight, but to be overshadowed by the past. How are you holding up?"
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Post by Kirasath Dravere on Dec 6, 2015 10:59:35 GMT
"On the contrary, Miss Emerald," Kira began as graciously as she could manage when speaking to the devil herself. "It's not for want of challenge that I've changed my course, but lack of resources." Setting her glass down, she turned to half-face the other woman, still refraining from looking directly at her. "If this problem could be solved with a simple application of lethal force, I would not allow you to leave this room alive. Creation would be all the better for it, and I could move on and help it in other ways."
Idly, one of her fingers traced a ring around her cup, creating a quiet ringing noise not at all unlike her Singing Blade did when drawn. "But that's hardly the case, Miss Emerald. I am not stopping a single villain, but an army. I am but one woman, and regardless of what others believe I am capable of, I cannot defeat an army on my own." Debatable. Especially depending on the quality of the army.
"I go to Rathess now because I feel there is something there which you can't touch. Something that eludes you, but may be more accessible to me. I am no fool, Miss Emerald. A frail girl with a knife can no more take down the armies of Hell on her own than a fish can live in the desert sands." Kira retrieved her cup, putting the ringing to an end as easily as she had started it. "And when I am ready to stop you, I will not be a girl with a knife."
Initially, Kirasath toyed with the idea of simply ignoring the question. After a moment, though, she decided there was a way she could answer. "Albrecht's soul is stronger than the Hell he has been subjected to. It struggles against its chains, and it forever will, no matter what you subject him to. That is his 'condition.' I have a different issue entirely." She set her cup back down on the table, then turned and met Emerald Glass' eyes for the first time since she had walked in the door. "Because in the recesses of my mind, I can perfectly recall what it felt like to strangle the life from your masters and cast them down into non-existence with my bare hands."
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Post by Akara on Dec 6, 2015 11:33:44 GMT
Emerald absorbed all of this, then replied with a small, resigned sigh. "Kirasath, I know I could not expect your friendship - but I was hoping we might at least be civil with one another, moving forward." She complained in a mild fashion, sipping her tea before setting it aside delicately. "This world is rife with brutal, indelicate beings who think no further than the point of steel on their hip - and while I won't pretend to be heroic in contrast, I do admit that I was hoping for better from you."
Emerald unfolded her legs as though preparing to stand up. "But here you sit, in my home, weaving violent threats into every breath, and even your idle gestures. With every word, your half-baked education becomes clearer and clearer, your prejudices and lack of experience and knowledge revealed. Say what noble things you'd like of Albrecht - but he became what he is by choice, just as it was his own decision to have his heart replaced by unfeeling metal." She explained simply, tilting her head to one side with a mild frown. "The siblings of my masters fell to yours, yes - but did you intend to offend me? However much you despise the Yozi, Kirasath, I assure you that I hold them in still-greater contempt."
Emerald stood slowly and gracefully. "You are young, Kirasath. Your eyes are keen, but they have yet to see far. I suggest you begin to choose your friends more carefully, as well - for all I've done is offer help to those who asked for it, and under my own protest. It was Albrecht who silenced dissent, and he reveled in it. The seed that lies bonded to his soul is no more divine then my own, his merely has the luck of having once been your friend." Those last words were about as dripping with distaste as was possible without making a mess on the floor. "No, I will not be lectured in my own home. Search your vaunted Queen's memory, see if she ever deigned to dirty her hands with the two thirds of our kind made to handle work from the shadows."
Emerald frowned in an almost contemptuous manner, though she looked more disappointed than anything else. There was no telling how much of it was ruse, however. At least some of it. Then she did an entirely inadvisable thing and turned her back on Kirasath, pulling her coat back on over her shoulders. "As a final offering to sway you from a blood-soaked destiny, missus Dravere, I will permit the lively house spirit to stay - provided you personally return once a decade, on this day, to ensure it is well fed." Emerald stated evenly. "I look forward to the day where your bravery is tempered with enough grace to favor such a contemptible creature as myself with the simple courtesy of tea. See that you are off of my land within an hour, or I shall notify the mortal authorities."
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Post by Kirasath Dravere on Dec 6, 2015 12:02:35 GMT
If Kira had been at all affected by what she had heard, it slid off like water off of a waxed ship hull. Emerald stood, but the young Western lass sat, still drinking her tea. "In my country, there is little socialization between men and women. It's just as well, as I've noticed that men seem to lack the grace and 'experience' to keep up with subtlety." She shook her head and let out a sigh of content, more at the warmth of the tea than at the topic of the conversation. "I, meanwhile, merely lack the patience. You speak of hospitality and insult me with every breath. I bring you tea and sit with you when requested. You speak of communication and harry me for information. I answer your every question honestly and directly, rather than lying politely as I have been taught."
Turning on her chair, she faced the woman preparing to leave, her head leaning to one side as bluish-violet hair fell in a marvelous cascade. "And now you threaten me with weaponizing innocents against me, rather than airing your grievances to my face. You banish me from your home, yet demand me back through extortion." It was...somewhat bizarre to see Kira smirking. Especially when it was definitely Kira and not a dead woman crudely wearing her flesh. "The cracks in your facade of civility are as noticeable as they are manifold, Miss Emerald. As we are in private, away from the eyes and ears of others, etiquette requires that I bring your flaws to your attention, so that you might repair them before you are next seen by others."
She took a quick sip of tea, her grin finding a good middle ground between innocent and impish. "I'm afraid you're neither as charming nor as witty as you think you are, Miss Emerald. But I'd love to sit down and have tea again in the future. Should your pride allow it." Kira did her absolute best (which was considerable) to affect Emerald's accent as she echoed her words. "I will be gone from this estate, as requested, within the hour. That much, at least, you can celebrate as a victory."
As for the rest, she had learned exactly what Kira had wanted her to learn. Come get me, monster.
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Post by Akara on Dec 6, 2015 12:17:42 GMT
For the first time since she'd appeared that morning, Emerald gave something that, by all accounts, appeared to be a genuine reaction - a smile. Maybe a smirk, but definitely with its roots in smiling. Well done. "I shall see you in ten years, then." She replied, retaining some of her previous - and doubtfully sincere - warmth. "Or perhaps sooner, yet. We shall see."
And with that, Emerald was gone. The Sun was already well past rising and into risen, the room returned to a more normal atmosphere, and it was as though the conversation had never happened. Heck, it hadn't even taken very long - the tea was still warm. Akara was still snoring. The birds were singing cheerfully outside. It was amazing how little the world seemed to care, overall, that the two had been mere moments from violence almost that entire time, but that was the breaks.
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Post by Kirasath Dravere on Dec 7, 2015 3:28:25 GMT
When her "host" finally left, Kirasath finished her tea and stood to find some paper. Her handwriting was honestly closer to calligraphy, which might have been a bit too classy for a simple note, left folded near the lot of baked goods she'd just slaved over for an hour or three. It wasn't anything complex. Just a quick explanation that she would be waiting in Chaing-Dav proper, rather than on the estate. With that taken care of, Kirasath dressed herself properly, fixing her hair and clothes for a day outdoors. She grabbed her coat on her way out with a quiet sigh. It had been good to be in a house again, but...this life was beyond her now.
Kira passed a bit somberly beyond the edge of the mansion's boundaries within the allotted hour, then busied herself with the colorful Guild-run marketplace. Everything anyone would ever need for an expedition to Rathess, except protection from the dangers there. Guild mercenaries were hardly Exalted, and would do little to keep the average greedy treasure hunter alive, should the stories Kira had heard of the lost city have been true. Even so, the amount and variety of equipment here was pretty incredible. If she had had access to some of these spices that burned like fire last night, she could have made quite the interesting smoked fish.
Within a few minutes, the girl found herself a quiet place out of sight of anyone who might be interested and sat down to relax and reflect. Or, as was the case, shudder and hold her knees to her chest. Emerald. Of all the rotten timing, she had to be right here, right now. Kira had made a genuine friend and was helping Creation, just for Emerald to show up. The one woman who she couldn't contend with, save to put on a brave face and let her have no traction. Even now, two meetings in, she still hadn't managed to even land a single blow, mentally or physically. She may not have had much of an ego, but the young Solar had slowly become accustomed to being able to overpower any obstacle with ease. That this revolting woman continued to elude her was...not terribly inspiring.
Hopefully Akara would find her soon, and bring Kwatyl, as the note had requested. Kira was swiftly running out of patience for Chaing-Dav.
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Post by Akara on Dec 7, 2015 4:38:35 GMT
It didn't take Akara long to find Kira - the woman's absence in his space had been noted pretty quickly, and he'd found an abandoned breakfast long before the Dear John she'd left behind. Thankfully, the second explained the first - and Kwatyl, perhaps glad to enjoy some fresh gossip, had been forthcoming with the rest. As a house spirit, he wasn't exactly shy about dropping eaves, and the two Solar had absolutely earned enough of his regard to warrant some facilitated communication.
It was also lucky that Kira, with her blue hair and haunting good looks, somewhat stuck out in a crowd.
As she was sitting out of the way with her knees drawn up, Akara sat himself down beside her and placed a bundle across his thighs. Wordlessly, he opened it up to reveal the breakfast she'd left behind, along with a modest selection of spices and other cooking aids he'd taken as a part of his payment. Even if it was Kira who'd taken on the real burden of the job.
"Didn't feel right to eat without you there." The dereth explained, adjusting his dress so folded legs kept the bundle upright and stable. "Kwatyl told me what happened. Although he wouldn't come with me, he sends a message that you're a 'respectable warm-blood,' in his eyes." He added, before putting a hand on Kira's shoulder - comfort, camaraderie implied in the gesture.
"Would you like to talk?"
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Post by Kirasath Dravere on Dec 7, 2015 5:04:18 GMT
No Kwatyl. That was unfortunate. Kirasath accepted the hand on her shoulder a bit more readily than her hesitation yesterday would have alluded to, and in fact doubled down by leaning her head against Akara's shoulder for support. "Dealing with that woman...drains me. Had I know she was the one who hired you, Mister Akara, I would have warned you far earlier, and we would be on our way with Kwatyl in tow." Her lips affixed a complicated expression. "He isn't safe there, now. No one is."
Explanation. "The woman I spoke to is Emerald Glass. I may not have met any other Lawgivers before you, but I have met plenty of Exalted. Children of Luna, knights of death, Chosen of the Maidens...my experience has not been lacking." Her arms clenched tighter around her body. "Miss Emerald is a breed of Exalt known as 'Infernal.' Like all of us, she is a champion of powers beyond my understanding, but her origin is demonic. I know very little about her kind, but I have fought them many times. They corrupt and infest, giving full credence to the Immaculate belief that we are Anathema."
Kira sighed and closed her eyes, attempting to rest her mind for a moment. "No matter what I do, she is one step ahead. No matter what I say, she is unfazed. It is supremely unsettling to be faced with an opponent who is beyond your reach when you are not beyond theirs." The last sentence was accented with a shudder, and the blue-haired lass finally sat up. "Had she not threatened to put innocents in my path, I would still be there. I care little for what she does to me, but I will not risk the lives of others."
She could have taken out a full platoon without shedding an ounce of blood, but harm was harm, and innocence was innocence. The guards of this city had committed no crimes that she had seen, and even non-lethal self-defense was to be avoided if at all possible. Her husband's sword would not be sullied with unnecessary violence.
Enough moodiness. Kirasath picked up a bit of bread and took a bite, making sure she swallowed before speaking. Anything less would be horribly rude. "I will need to leave this city very soon, but my companions are still here, gathering supplies for our next destination. For months now, I've seen a city in my dreams. It shines like the daystar and magnificent creatures walk its streets. We make our way to Rathess, both because I am drawn to it and because we...have unfinished business there."
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Post by Akara on Dec 7, 2015 5:25:16 GMT
Akara's expression darkened slightly, though he gave his next words serious consideration before speaking them aloud. Changing the mind of a lawgiver was no small task, especially when they had selected that destination as a matter of fate or something similar. "Rathess is... Not a destination to take lightly, my lady." He finally pointed out quietly. "The Illuminated have bandied around the idea of liberating it for years, but every attempt to do so has been a catastrophic failure before the city itself has even come into sight. Sometimes by natural hazards, sometimes by this Cult of the Giving Hand."
Akara slipped his arm around Kirasath briefly, gave her a squeeze, then proposed his hand in feeding himself. "I have spoken with this Infernal - to my shame, I did not detect her corruption until it was made apparent to me. For that, I apologize. I have dispatched a message to my organization to place Kwatyl's land - and her movements - under observation, as long as we have the bodies to do so. As she is indeed an enemy of Creation, someone in power will be notified if harm comes to that place." He promised gravely. As much as he might like the idea of liberating Kwatyl, the little spirit did not seem to want to leave... And rousting Emerald Glass before she'd come under his jurisdiction was a line he was unable to cross.
Akara flipped his hair back and turned his attention more fully to Kirasath. "Kira, we are well-met, and I should like to regard you as a friend, and ally." He stated formally. "Moreover, I would be honored to be held in similar regard - so please take the advice of a friend who asks that you delay your excursion to Rathess, if only by a few months." He insisted gently, laying a hand over Kira's. "If a person such as Emerald Glass is beyond the reach of us both, and there is little doubt that she will be there to oppose us, should we not spend time preparing for the conflict?" Akara asked, leaning forward the slightest bit, eyebrows raised. "I speak of training, and the mustering of fellow Sun-warriors - and both are matters that I can assist with."
He sat back and released her hand, ripping a pastry in half - offering Kira one half, the other for himself. "If nothing else, consider that it will take you many weeks of grueling travel and disease to even reach the city. Months, perhaps, leaving you in little condition for an extended campaign against the dangers there. With my help, that dangerous travel may be reduced to harmless days of leisure." Akara added, allowing himself to sound only a little smug. "And you may rely on my aid, of course - provided we are both allowed a couple months to train. Rathess is a crucial part of our collective heritage, and taking it should be the labor of several shining blades, held in unison."
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