ᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴅʏɪɴɢ ꜱᴋʏ | ᴛᴇɴᴢᴀɪ & ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇ ᴅɪᴇᴍ

[Tenzai]

ɴᴏʙᴏᴅʏ ᴄᴀɴ ɢᴏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ.
- ᴍᴀʀɪᴀ ʀᴏʙɪɴꜱᴏɴ
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦ ୧・──

✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɪꜱ ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʏᴏᴜ? | ʟᴏᴀᴛʜᴇ & ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴛᴏᴋᴇɴ ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

Let's search the skies for a while
You and I
Collide like two stars for a while
You and I
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦ ୧・──
Battlefields. The final resting place for those unfortunate enough to have been born in this era of war.​

"Any final prayers you wish to make, August. This might be the last time we see her." The last living witch of Autumn stood alongside her two sisters in front of one grave among many. It was no less a mound, only recognizable as their companion's final resting place thanks to the torn scarf hanging from a branch implanted in the ground. There was nothing else they could use around that was more befitting of a headstone for their fallen family. Given the scale of the devastation around them and their deceased's distaste for war, August refused to use anything that was once a part of a weapon or war machine. "Not much point now. There's nothing left but an empty husk to hear our words. Her soul is gone now, Shiro." Dropping down to one knee, the witch uttered a spell instead of a prayer, causing flowers to grow around the dirt pile. "Gone with the kami. I doubt my hopes would change their mind about her soul's direction. She's with the stars now."

Acknowledging that their responsibility to the dead has yet to be fulfilled, the mechanical gears had clicked as they were flexibly contorted while the sanguine cybernetic-samurai crossed her arms. "We still have a debt to pay back, Gust." True to her resolve, the light behind her eyes had appeared like neon stars the way they glittered with conviction. "We can't let her sacrifice go in vain. We still have a mission to complete and some reptilian rebels to take revenge on." While Neon understood the gravity of the loss of a companion, instead of focusing on what they lost, she turned her depression into anger, becoming a fuel that empowered the lethality of her sword. She would be damned to join her sister in the stars without avenging her first. "Sins like this cannot be forgotten. Scars like these can only seal after inflicting the same in return. Don't forget this feeling. Ever. Those rebels have hell to pay."

Slinging her weapon across her back to avoid having her custom rifle's barrel flag against her party members, the divine cat-markswoman approached the others' side, crossing her fingers and closing her eyes before bowing her head. "May the kami of fate and luck guide you, Elaine. I pray we find you again under kinder circumstances in the next life." As she offered her prayers to the same kami that assigned her to this team, her voice was nearly devoid of all emotion, yet her eyes revealed quiet regret. Even with the best of her abilities, she lacked the strength to keep their friend safe. There was still so much more she had yet to reach before she truly embraced the same perfection her kind was known for having; There was so much more to climb before reaching anywhere near the first heroine, Rafaela's, divine heights. Quietly cursing at her inadequacy, as she opened her eyes, she was met with the sight of August now standing and Neon's hand on her shoulder. "Neon?"

"Didn't think you cared enough to get sentimental like this." A smug grin had barely covered Neon's wrath that could be easily read through her eyes. She understood that now was not the best time to turn her anger towards those who were grieving, though she couldn't help but place additional pressure on the grip of her sword. Upon closer inspection, Shiro noticed that even the samurai too was feeling a pang of regret, of what should've been but did not. They all had fault in their partner's loss, though in the end, they acknowledged that death was a risk they all took when fighting alongside each other. The battlefield was an unfair and unforgiving place. "... Let's not keep her waiting, yeah? We came down to this wasteland of a planet for a reason." Turning the subject from their deceased towards the job at hand, the samurai gave her sniper a reassuring squeeze that she wasn't alone, they were all suffering together.

Double checking their objective, blue letters flashed across her irises displaying their responsibility on this planet's surface as she read aloud. "An eldritch artifact of a time of mythos is located here, rumored to be in a tower that stood the test of time. Nicknamed the Echo of Fallen Kingdoms, whatever that is, we need to find it before the rebels do or take it back if its in their hands." While she spoke, more bright blue speckles rained through the planet's atmosphere, reinforcing the scavenging efforts with other allied teams from across the cosmos. It appeared like a meteor shower in the sky, each light being another team just like them. They were far from the only squad tasked with this artifact's recovery in mind.

"We can't afford to have any more of us suffer the same fate as Elaine. I won't let it happen again." The two nodded in response to the samurai's words. With August taking her staff and tome and Shiro slinging her weapon back towards her arms, the three set off back towards the massive, pillar-like structure in the distance. Having nothing else to go off of and with the world made level by the sheer devastation of the fighting, they only had one destination in mind. However, before they left, the samurai waved Elaine farewell. "We'll make you proud, Elaine. Promise."

"See you soon."
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦ ୧・──
The Tower

Rumored tough-to-breach prisons in fairytale storybooks intended to have kept princesses from times of old.
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

Upon approaching the entrance of the intimidating structure, the three girls were met with their first obstacle: A massive iron gate that appeared to have been untouched by time. "Enchantment magic. Magical reinforcement." The witch scratched her chin, inspecting the exterior of the tower. Interestingly, while the surviving trees that surrounded it had been overtaken by long, entangling vines, the roots of the parasitic vegetation had stopped right at the bricks of the building, as though its presence even on the very face of it was unwelcome. Enabling her third eye through the necklace on her body, she saw a familiar alien language inscribed upon its walls. "Runes of eldritch origin. It looks like the rumors are right. Whatever's causing the anomaly must be potent. Looks like we're at the right place."

Scratching her chin, Shiro felt through her satchel, running her free hand's fingers through the various explosives and ammunition types inside. "I believe we have more than enough to breach-" Before she had a chance to finish her statement however, August interrupted her. "We're not risking the artifact with explosives." There was too much at stake here to avoid moving without caution. Other than the powers that might have been held within, there was little known about the inside of the tower beyond here-say and educated guesses. "Just watch my back for a moment, I have an idea." Donning a separate set of gloves, the witch stroked her fingers on the massive door's exterior, casting sound spells on the opposite end to act as a sonar for the entrance's construction and the contents of the room. Sensing where the hinges were located inside and believing that there was nothing of value immediately ahead of it, August highlighted where she wanted Shiro to shoot in her eyes' heads up display.

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦ ୧・──
"Alright, Shiro. I marked your targets. Bring it down."

"On it."
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

Six well placed plasma-shots had sent the massive door thundering down onto the floor below, blowing a shockwave of dust and wind through the room inside. With a dust cloud shot up to block their vision, the trio's augments had illuminated the darkness, taking away the fugue they otherwise would have experienced. Immediately upon entry, the sounds of footsteps had erupted from the inside. "Looks like we got company. Keep your wits about you."

Sensing the impending combat, Neon braced for battle, unsheathing her blade and aiming it towards the many sounds incoming from ahead. Eldritch abominations taking the form of tentacle-laden hounds had slithered from the cracks in the flooring, engaging their intruders as though they were antibodies fighting foreign invaders in their system. Though, in spite of the surprise whatever creator of this tower held in store for them, unlike the would be naive adventurers and nobles that they expected to invade its walls for a chance to rescue its hostage prize, these three were of a different generation. Combat magic was not some form of miracle but another expected weapon that should be prepared for. The galaxy knew how to make weapons out of anyone and anything.

"August!" With her hilt aimed behind her and her blade pointed forward, a jet of light had shot from her weapon's rear, sending her forward towards the first eldritch beast. Instead of aiming for its head, Neon ripped the very legs off the living being with a stroke of her sword before implanting her blade where she imagined its core would be. "Got your back!" Following through with her warrior's advance, the magus casted a spell that quickened the movements of her companions' bodies, turning the warrior into a blur as she finished off her first opponent while doubling the fire rate of the angel beside her.

As Neon fought in the front lines, while the other hounds had sought to flank her, every time they jumped towards her back, they were brought down with a well placed shot fired in advance. "Another down." Behind every trigger pull came a short moment where Shiro's halo had illuminated, giving her the ability to predict where to aim well before she had to pull the trigger. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with, even if they lacked one. Given the recent loss of their friend, they would be damned to let another fall so soon.

With the pack being made short work of, once the last had fallen, a silence had quickly returned back to the room. Holes littered the walls and floors, each giving a window to the dark skies outside. Wiping the sweat off her brow, the samurai took a moment to let her blade and herself cool off. Steam erupted from her body, immediately reducing whatever droplets of sweat that touched her cybernetics to steam. Given the ability to do everything quicker was a terrific advantage against most threats, but naturally, it came with the drawback that she would be acting well above her bodies' limited parameters, leading to her needing to cool down soon thereafter. August and Shiro on the other hand had appeared to be more fine to continue. Quickening spells were far from the most intensive the witch could cast, and though her supplies were running slim, Shiro had more than enough in her backpack to preserve her lethality. Unlike the other two, she was more likely to overprepare than under.

Once they got a moment to rest, Neon was the first to stand up, offering a hand to both of the girls to help them up. "... Safe to say, I think we're on the right track. Monsters like those often inhabit places of power." A smile grew across her face, believing that they were getting close to whatever artifact they were tasked to find. "At least, we know we're not leaving this planet empty handed." The first to take her hand was Shiro. After counting the amount of rounds she had left, she assumed that if they were to come in contact with any more enemies, she would still remain combat capable.

"Good. This gun's been seeing too much action anyways. It would be good to head back soon for repairs." Though, despite her initial optimism when it came to her supplies, due to her being the engineer behind her weapon, she understood when it was getting close to malfunctioning. The barrel was growing increasingly warped due to the volume of superheated high caliber rounds she fired through it in such a short time; Spare parts and custom repair tools unfortunately were harder to carry around than additional magazines.

Meanwhile, as the other two spoke, August seemed to have her eyes turned towards the floor. The tower was odd. The room they were in itself was not made an ordinary shape, curved and sloped as though they were in the cavity of a body. Unlike ordinary constructions, this one had a low thump underneath its flooring akin to that of a beating heart. "Uh... Noctua to August, can you hear me?" The samurai snapped her fingers in front of Gust's eyes, causing her to snap out of her trance. "Huh? What is it?" As she turned back up to her sanguine ally, she saw Neon wave her towards an entrance of a stairway leading up. "Is the floor really that interesting?" Appearing aloof, the witch shook her head while confused.

The vampire chuckled, displaying her fangs with her smile before returning her focus back on the mission. "Finish resting? The staircase is that way and we're not gonna leave without you, you know?" Nodding her head, August took both of their hands to lift herself off the ground, letting her staff and tome float back over to her sides once she was upright. "Sorry, just got distracted. This is the first time I've ever been in a place like this one." Smiling to dissuade their concerns, she brushed her skirt off before walking towards the staircase. "After you." There was no reason to stop now, not with all they lost already on the way here. "Maybe we should send our coordinates to Medina so she could pick us up outside. I'd rather leave than stay here any longer than we should. It's creepy here."

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦ ୧・──
A never-ending staircase.

A high level illusion spell acting as an obstacle to the top floor.
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

As the three climbed the tower together, interestingly, despite walking up several flights of stairs, they were met with the same room over and over again. It was as if the tower itself had refused them access to its inner sanctuary. "August, what the hell is going on here. My sensors are showing that we're not rising in altitude no matter how far we walk." On the staircase leading upward, they found the same skeleton sitting there for the seventh time, only stopping upon reaching it the eighth. "Odd. This tower seems to defy the laws of physics and spacetime." Upon realizing what was happening a few flights before, the cat girl had dropped a glowstick on the ground, only to find it higher up the staircase once again.

Realizing what it could be, instead of making a futile attempt to rise again, the witch borrowed Shiro's knife to inscribe a rune into the wall. Upon piercing the brick, they saw black liquid spill out of it as it was etched upon, being sealed quickly into the shape of the letter she carved. "A labyrinth spell. To think, even the people of back then knew how to use something of this level. Especially to use it like this." The labyrinth spell was meant to capture those too ignorant of the magic arts into a maze, though to have it as a staircase was something even the witch of Autumn wasn't used to. Curious as to what necessitated guarding this much, as August took the vanguard leading the other two up the staircase, finally they were met with different sights as they neared the end, eventually stopping at a door that stood at what they assumed was the top. "Whatever is behind here must be worth the lives of many. A spell of that strength casted by an eldritch being requires great sacrifice or the direct intervention of a god."

"Whatever's hidden up here was meant to be undisturbed. Be careful, alright?"​

"Never planned on being anything else. Don't worry about me."​

"Relax, Gust. We made it this far. I'm not fucking up now."​

Giving each other acknowledgement that they were all on the same page, both Shiro and Neon looked to August to determine if the door was magically trapped itself somehow, only to be met with a shake of her head upon closer inspection. The worst was past them somehow. Now it was time to ensure that whatever artifact lay behind it was safely extracted. [Medina, here are our coordinates. We'll be ready for extraction soon, so be ready within ten minutes of receiving this message.] Shiro communicated to their pilot using her implant, quickly receiving a confirmation in response. [Hear ya loud and clear. And uh... Sorry about Elaine.] From the other end of the call, the cat markswoman heard her emotion through the comms. [It's fine. We'll mourn her properly later, but for now. The mission.] A short paused followed, breaking with the sound of a lighter being flicked open. [Right. I'll be there. Just... Make sure you come back safe. All of you, okay? No artifact is worth losing your life over... See you soon.] The call ended, leaving Shiro mind alone with her thoughts. "Medi will be here soon."

Neon's hand clenched on the hilt of her blade as she approached the door, placing her hand on the door knob while readying herself to strike. "Got it. Ready to breach?" With August's hand's illuminating as she gripped her tome and Shiro's weapon hoisted upward towards the entrance, it was clear that both were ready for whatever was to come. "I'll breach on three." Taking a deep breath, she counted at a volume that only they could hear. "One... Two... Three-"

Crashing through the door, the three made their entrance into the room, finding no more than a woman laying in the bed of what seemed to be an ordinary bedroom. At first, believing that the girl was another one of the eldritch, given the enhanced speed of the samurai combined with the propulsion of her weapon, the strange woman was immediately tackled by the cybernetic torpedo of a woman, Neon. "Hold still and don't fucking move! You reach for anything, cast anything, or do so much as fucking breathe anything that could sound like a weapon, I'll rip you apart myself!" Gripping both the woman's arms above her head, she forced her wrists into a set of magic rope before clasping her hand around the woman's mouth to muffle her words. "Nod if you understand me." A light of a laser appeared at the center of the woman's forehead, being emitted from the barrel attachment of the team's gungineer's weapon. "Even if you get lucky, my friend over there will put an end to you before you blink."

Behind the both of them, August approached, noticing the oddity that was the woman's clothing. She appeared like the pictures of olden times, looking like a breathing far-flung relic of the past. "... Neon. I don't think she could understand us." The cyborg raised an eyebrow. "What the hell do you mean, Gust? Everyone in this day and age could speak galactic common!" Sighing and shaking her head, the witch approached the two women, stopping at their bedside. "Yeah, that's the thing, Neon. Everyone in this day and age. Look, can you leave the talking to me? I could take care of this from here." Placing her hand on her own throat, August casted a spell that allowed her to be received in the fluent tongue of all who heard her before placing another on her ears to translate the words of all who spoke to her.

"Evening, Mrs. Apologies for disturbing your slumber, but we're here to find a magic artifact. Something called the Echo of Fallen Kingdoms." Opening her tome, she revealed a holographic digital image of the woman's kingdom. "It belonged to a kingdom on this planet and it's been rumored to have been locked up in a tower due to its strange but powerful eldritch capabilities. If you know anything about where it could be, we'll be out of your way quickly, but please, speak with haste."

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦ ୧・──
"My friends are not known for their patience. Neither am I should you attempt to harm them or lie."

'This world won't be our grave.'
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞

✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: Cage · SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] · Tiell ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
​

"Milady, please! You should not be going out! It is dangerous!"

"How can I call myself the princess of my people if I'm the only one to remain behind?!"

A young woman who seemed no older than twenty-five rushed past her handmaiden, the click of her heels echoing through the empty, uninhabited halls of the Lampros Royal Palace. Save for a fistful of maids and knights guarding it, there was practically no one to fill them, and had been this way for several weeks now. Every able-bodied person had been drafted into the royal army, leaving behind only those too young and elderly to fight and tend to the fields and shops while the rest were sent to one of several theaters of war. For a kingdom who'd enjoyed centuries of peace under her divine lineage, war had been all but a distant dream. Young men who sought to prove themselves by the sword were faced with the harsh reality of what it was truly like.

Dying was dying no matter the circumstances, and those left behind were the ones left suffering.
​

Her father had left the throne to her as he departed on a white steed, dressed in aureate gold and holding the sword left behind by the first king and the founder of their divine bloodline. "In case I don't return, it is your duty to lead our people in my place, Ophelia. Live up to your name, my little guiding light." Those had been the words he left her with, his eyes somber and yet warm as he caressed her cheek. The only other time Ophelia had seen him make that expression was during her mother's funeral, a momentary break in his ever-stoic demeanor that he put up in front of their subjects. No one but she had witnessed it, so nobody else would know the pain that he hid underneath that aloof, self-assured surface. Ophelia had cried, screamed and kicked as the knights held her back, keeping her from following after her father as he headed for certain death. She had burned a hole through one of the knight's armor with incandescent light, but her father was long gone by the time she'd forced her way through.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

The night prior. . .
​

Unable to leave the palace, Ophelia had locked herself away in her bedroom, refusing to eat anything her maids brought her. How could she continue to eat lavish meals while her people were dying? Every day, she could see the carriages bringing the bodies as she sat by her window. At first, she would personally go and see to the dead, meeting the bereaved and offering her words of condolences. It hadn't been that many when the war first began, yet as it became obvious that the enemy army had more soldiers to spare, more and more Lamprosians would arrive in bodybags. As it became more dire, even the undertakers were drafted into the army, save for a single old man who was responsible for the graveyard just outside the capital.

After some time, people had stopped going out. Everyone who was still around had locked themselves in their homes to wait for the inevitable end.

That night, Ophelia noticed a knock on her door and a letter slid under it. She pushed herself off of her chair and retrieved it, ripping the envelope without care for its contents. What good would it do to read now?

Yet as she read the contents, her eyes widened.

"Ophelia, the war is lost. I'm sorry."

​

Ophelia's lips quivered, her amber hues reading over the words over and over as if her mind refused to believe them or to even process them. The message was simple, but all the more difficult to accept for that same reason. Their kingdom, defeated? For centuries, it had thrived, lead by ancestors that possessed a divine aspect within their body. They alone had the power of magic among their people and so had been worshipped as living, breathing deities that would guide them to prosperity and happiness. Ophelia herself had been considered a prodigy, a miracle amongst miracles for her ability to wield magic as easily as breathing was to her. On her 25th birthday, she would've been crowned queen, allowing her father to live out the rest of his life in peace knowing she'd be the one to lead them.

And yet all of that would be gone now because of an army from another world.

Ophelia's chest swelled with a myriad of emotions. Seething rage at those that would take away the lives of her beloved subjects. Swirling confusion over the reason why this was happening. Sinking sorrow at the loss of her father who had fought bravely for their kingdom and was likely going to die soon. Not that she herself had much longer to live. At best, powerless as she was, she'd be killed the moment they stepped into the throne. At worst, she'd be taken as a trophy by the unknown inquisitors, stripped of her dignity and made to live on as the only survivor. What could she do other than rage, weep and wonder?

"What if you could fight back?"​

"...?!" A voice that was not her own intruded into her mind just as she was falling into despair. It was horrible, a cacophony of voices all twisted and tangled up into a singular one, or like the death yowl of a wolf and a pig and a cat all together. There weren't enough words to describe it, and yet there wasn't a single word that could fit. And it was all in her head, crawling like worms underneath her skull with each word it spoke to her.

"You wish to protect them, don't you? I can give you the power to do it."
​

"Who... who are you...?" Ophelia grabbed her head, digging her nails into her scalp as if she could rip out the voice from her brain. Sweat beaded her brow as she listened, understanding the words despite them being spoken in an unfamiliar tongue. If that was even a tongue to begin with. There was no rhyme or reason to the sounds it was making, yet she could make out the meaning all the same. It was as if the thoughts were being thrust into her brain. It would be closer to say they were being imprinted into her, etched into her mind without her consent. She could feel her sanity slipping by with each second.

"What a pointless question. Do you humans need names for everything? Well, if it's so important to you, you may call me ██████."

"AAAAAAGHHHH...!"
​

What a terrible idea. She felt as if her brain was being stabbed with a hundred needles as it struggled, futilely, to comprehend the name it had just uttered into her mind. She fell to her knees, slamming her head into the floorboards to get the sounds out of her mind. And then, her eyes shot wide open, tears pricking from their corners. Her fair face was pale, the light in her amber eyes gone as she looked up at the ceiling, staring far off into distance. "W-Wait... did you say... power? Power to..."

"Protect them."
​

Though her mind was still reeling, Ophelia's eyes steadied with understanding. Power. That she could understand. But this thing, whatever it was... how wise was it to take it at its word? Why did it come to her? What even was it? As clarity reached her, she could feel what hadn't been there before. A connection. Whatever it was, it needed this connection to talk to her. And by the feel of it, she could close her mind to it and be rid of this horrible sensation plaguing her mind. But if she did... she would be in the same situation as she had been before, still powerless and simply waiting for her death and the death of everyone she'd ever cared about. If her only hope was to let this being in, then it was a small price to pay. Nothing it could do would be worse than losing everything.

If only she hadn't been so foolish.​

"...... I'll take it. I'll take your power. I'll give you anything in return, just give me the strength to protect them."

"Very well."

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
​

"Your Highness, I'm afraid I cannot let you leave. Your father tasked me with your safety, and I intend to fulfill my duty even if I must die."

A man clad in silver armor stood in her way, keeping her from reaching the stables where her steed, Pixie, waited for her. Milet, the strongest knight in their kingdom, had been left in charge of her protection. When he could've been fighting in the frontlines and saving lives, he was instead here, playing babysitter with her. Ophelia gritted her teeth, frustrated over how weak she was to need someone to protect her like this.

However, she'd no longer be helpless.

"I'm sorry, Milet. I must fulfill my own duty as a princess. I will no longer be stuck inside this gilded cage."
​

The warm glow of her amber gaze had been replaced by a cold, crimson glimmer as she raised her hand towards the knight. It took on a stance, ready to dodge whatever magic she would cast at it, only to feel something tangling at his feet. Black tendrils cracked the marble floor of the halls, shooting up all at once and restraining his legs. "Milady Ophelia--!" But darkness enveloped his view, sent flying across the hall and into the wall by a blast of pure force in the shape of black lightning as it struck at his chest and shattered his platemail into pieces. She walked over at him, an expression of anguish twisting her features as she looked down at him. She'd never wished to hurt anyone, but she could not stop now.

Not after selling her soul. Any hesitation now would only be spitting in the face of everyone whose lives were already lost, and those who were risking everything to keep those they loved safe.

"Let's go, Pixie."

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

"Ophelia, what have you done?"

"Only what I had to, Father."​

She stood over a field of bodies, inky, black beasts feasting upon them. She had changed, irrecognizable from the beautiful young woman who'd been beloved by her people, her skin was cracked in uneven ways, horns protruding from her skull and her eyes a dangerous shade of crimson. More than that, her expression was unbothered by the horrors she had reaped upon the enemy army, her dress splattered in blood as she stepped over the corpses, dark beasts following her and consuming the ground she walked over.

"Is it not a princess's duty to give mind, body and soul to her subjects? I simply did what had to be done." Her mind had been broken the moment she took the eldritch god's deal. It shattered into pieces, the god's knowledge pouring into a mind incapable of understanding any of it. It picked up the pieces and put her mind back together in the same instant in which she lost it, but something had slipped through the cracks. When she regained consciousness, she was no longer the same, missing something. What it was, she accepted she'd never know. As she had thought, it was a small price to pay for being able to protect them all.

Even if they looked at her with disdain.

Every soldier stared at her, crying in fear as she approached her father. To them, she was no longer Ophelia Lampros, princess of the Lampros Kingdom and 33rd heiress of the throne, but simply a monster that had taken her skin. Her eyes softened as she gazed down at her father, a decrepit, weak king that had been prepared to die with his people. He looked up at her in turn, glaring up at the monster that had taken her daughter. "YOU FOOL! Seduced by a monster? That is your legacy?!"

"A thousand more prosperous years shall be my legacy, Father. I don't expect you to understand, but--"

"ENOUGH! Stop speaking! You have brought shame upon our lineage! I shall restore our honor by striking you down and striking you from our history!" His arm thrust forward, a spell circle forming underneath her feet. It was one of her father's strongest spells, keeping that which stood over it in place. But to Ophelia, it was like trying to be held back by a thread. Her expression did not change, her hand rising and reaching out to him.

"S-Stop...!" He cried out pathetically, crawling away as fast as he could, but tendrils wrapped around each of his extremities, locking him in place as Ophelia's bloody palm approached. He shut his eyes closed, flinching as he expected his life to the end the moment she touched him. But it did not end and it did not hurt when she did, her soft palm pressing against his cheek as a smile reached her eyes.

"So be it."

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
​

After such an overwhelming victory, the enemy army had left, never to return. Witnessing the horrors that they had, only a fool would try to return. Everyone knew that they now had something unspeakable in their midst. And the one who had brought it to them was Ophelia, the one person sworn to be their guiding light. A dark age was to follow them.

She was offered a 'fair' trial as her father's last kindness to her. But it was far from it.

She was called a demon seducer, a greedy usurper, and a hundred other names by the ones she'd protected. But she did not weep, for she didn't regret what she'd done. She knew that taking Its deal would only lead to her downfall, but what did she care as long as those around her prospered? She didn't try to defend herself, keeping the fact that she'd not killed a single one of her own, nor that she could've killed her own father and claimed the throne for herself. None of that mattered because it would not change their mind.

As she stood on the precipice, she looked down at the abyss. The Wailing Maw was believed to connect to the underworld, a place where demons and devils came from. King Olvara, the first king of the Lampros Kingdom, was said to have purified it with divine magic, leaving it but a simple, empty hole. Now with a demon of their own, it seemed like an appropriate place to be her last resting place. No one would dare to wander here, and even if they did they would find nothing but her bones.

"Find happiness. That's all I ask for."
​

Her last words echoed in everyone's minds as she was pushed, a single tear falling from her eye as she felt her body in freefall, darkness swallowing her as she fell for what felt like days.

Splat.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
​

Death, however, would not have her.

The pain was excruciating. She was sure every bone, every organ in her body had been broken, yet she was still conscious. Or was she dreaming? Ophelia couldn't tell. She tried to breathe, but she had no lungs to do so with. She tried to move her arm, but her bones had been shattered into dust.

"Are you surprised?"
​

'I suppose not...' This time, the discomfort Its voice caused her when it spoke into her mind was gone. She could feel it crawling in her brain ever since she'd taken the deal, but whatever it had done to her mind had made her numb to it. The pain, however, was a different thing. She was sure it could make her numb to it as well, but there must've been a reason why it didn't. 'Is this it? My penance...'

"This is our deal."
​

Though cryptic, Ophelia understood. This was not to be her final resting place, but her prison. The eldritch magic that had destroyed her adversaries began to repair her, each tissue being brought back in place. Each blood cell was retrieved, each piece of bone returning to its shape. It wasn't until she was brought back to her eldritch-touched form that the process ended, but the sensation of death would forever scar her. "So... what is it that you-- Ack...!" The black tendrils that had repaired her wrapped around her neck, stealing her voice. Human instinct took over, her hands reaching for the tentacle suffocating her, her eyes shot wide and her skin going pale as she was deprived of oxygen. 'What... what are you... doing...?'

"Taking my payment."

Crrkkk.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
​

Time meant nothing to that who was eternal. Ophelia learned that the hard way. At first, it was unbearable. The unending pain of dying was enough to break anyone, no matter how strong-willed they were. But it didn't let her break.

The endless darkness had given birth to a tower that pierced the sky. Though it looked to be made of brimstone and brick, it was in fact made of the same flesh that every other creature it created was born out of. It pulsated under her feet as she walked through the halls, every wall ridged and etched with unending, senseless patterns. Every bookshelf filled with flesh-books that contained glyphs that she was given the ability to read, though she'd long stopped doing so, for they were filled with tales of every member of her former kingdom. How they lived... and how they all died.

In the end, they had prospered for a thousand years just like she'd wished, but were then swallowed up by some unfathomable disaster. A mason crushed by the very stone he carved. A baker burnt inside of its oven. A priest offering salvation to the innocent in the form of a sacrificial dagger, before putting it to his own throat. She'd read each and every book thousands and thousands of times. What else could she do when eternity was all she had left?

"Ophelia."
​

'Mmm...' Nowadays, she'd taken to slumbering. She hadn't awoken for about a hundred years, simply laying in her bed and letting dreams be her respite from her existence. In the end, she would always awaken, but the few glimpses of a different life were enough to offer her a bit of comfort before she was thrust back to reality again.

"You have visitors."
​

Visitors. Right. Every so many years, there would be those who'd come to this planet, Olvara, seeking something. Some kind of legend. Most times, they'd be swallowed up as soon as they reached the surface and It would put the images of their deaths into her mind. But there were heroes who could not only survive the surface, but actually make it to the tower. They were the unlucky ones, for It wouldn't give them an easy death. However, every few hundred years, there would be those exceptional enough to actually make it all the way to the top of the tower. Those were visitors.

It allowed them to live if they were impressive enough, only to have them meet her and then crush them right in front of her. The first time, she'd actually believed they could take her from this prison, but after the fourth or fifth time, she'd stopped hoping.

Ophelia simply turned in her bed, throwing a blanket over herself. 'I won't play your games anymore.'

"You still think you have a choice."
​

She knew she didn't.

It happened in an instant. The door breaking, the screaming, her being tackled down. Red eyes gazed up at the strange, metallic woman who was screaming something at her. Ophelia didn't understand a single word she spoke, but the language of violence was universal. She didn't bother to struggle or resist as her wrists were tied to her back, her crimson gaze set on the woman and then over at the source of the light over her eyes. She regarded them both silently, unfazed by whatever threats they were slinging at her.

'If only they were good for those threats, whatever they were.'
​

The sound of a second voice grabbed her attention, watching as the dark-haired girl walked over. She was calm, for the lack of a better word. Ophelia's eyes lit up at the familiar sight of spellcasting, feeling the magic in the room shift as she cast whatever spell she did. All of a sudden, she could understand what she was saying. Her lips parted with her surprise before she shut them back close, her cold gaze following the girl.

"My, is this how you treat a princess?" She uttered dryly, rolling her neck around slightly, an audible pop echoing off the walls. She sat up, awkwardly pushing herself up to a sitting position with her restrained hands. Dark locks hung over her eyes, her red gaze piercing from behind them. She looked at the projection of her kingdom, her eyes softening. "There is no such thing as an artifact residing within this tower. Nor anywhere else in this world." She answered softly, looking back up to the girl. She inhaled deeply, struggling to keep her voice from quivering. No matter many millenia had passed, it never got easier.

"I'm the only one left in this world."
​

She closed her eyes, biting back the tears that pricked at their corners.

"I suppose you could call me an echo, however," She added wryly, her lips turning up in a sardonic smile, her eyes hollow as she looked down at the floor. "It's a kingdom. There was only ever one. And then there wasn't."

She breathed out through her teeth.

"I am Ophelia Lampros, 33rd Princess of the Lampros Kingdom. I am the last light in this world."
​

The princess spoke proudly, returning the three adventurers' hard gazes with her own.

"And you were already doomed the moment you stepped into this tower."​

 

[Tenzai]

✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ɢʟᴀꜱꜱ ʟᴜᴍɪɴᴇꜱᴄᴇɴᴄᴇ | ᴀᴢᴀʟɪ ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──・୨ ✦ ୧・──
Their First Encounter​

"My, is this how you treat a princess?" Speaking as a lady of regalia and reputation, if not for her lack of life made apparent in her body, the witch wouldn't have been able to distinguish her from a storybook princess of the tales of old. However, something was amiss in her stare and her movement, leading for August to believe that the woman in front of them had suffered a terrible fate not recorded in the history books of her home planet. Curious as to what had become of her since her time imprisoned in this tower, a flicker of light appeared in her eyes. [Stand down, Neon. Let me handle this.] Delivering a subtle message to her party member, the samurai nodded before pulling herself off the bed to give the two some space.

"If not for everything we faced reaching you, I'm sure we wouldn't have resorted to such measures. But alas, the galaxy above is looking for the artifact you possess, princess." Looking outside the window, she saw the meteor shower raining through the planet's atmosphere, each falling star crashing into the ground below. "Both to use as a weapon of war and a weapon of peace." Clutching her tome close, August refused to take herself off her alert state. An odd energy was being emitted by the princess, the same given off by the entire tower itself. Despite her ability to navigate the magical nuances of the eldritch, she understood that the magic of the void was a powerful but dangerous source of spell power, one that is known to easily corrupt those who fail to heed its many warnings.

To believe this princess would have been able to live among these other eldritch wardens for so long without so much as a single scratch from their tendrils or fangs would have either stood testament to her magical ability... Or what was more likely, her affinity with the eldritch. She might have been one of them, another monster taking the form of something familiar. Though unlike the many adventurers that sought her power in the eons that passed before, this was not the first time the witch had encountered such a strange being. In all matters eldritch, she took proper precaution in ensuring that her team too would not join the ranks of the fallen and corrupted. Underneath their layers of clothing were runes that warded off the psychic and the dark. "I apologize for waking you up at such a terrible time, but given what it cost to find this powerful boon, we don't plan on leaving empty handed."

"There is no such thing as an artifact residing within this tower. Nor anywhere else in this world." Disappointment. Upon sensing her lack of a lie, the witch sighed, already preparing to give the other teams nearby the notification that the rumors they received were all false. However, what was said next had brought a curiosity to mind. Old tomes might not have been the most accurate, but they wouldn't have written these many warnings over a fictional dark power. Something must have scared them well enough for them to believe that all this time spent droning on about a weapon capable of destroying empires and armies was worth the effort. If there was validity in their words and her tome didn't detect a lie in the princess, then there must have been some slight translation errors when it came to the description of the artifact.

──・୨ ✦ ୧・──

If the artifact was not an object... Then it could have been a person.
──・୨ ✦ ୧・──​

"I suppose you could call me an echo, however, it's a kingdom. There was only ever one. And then there wasn't." The pieces were finally falling into place. This world, once dominated by a single empire which took over the great expanses of the very land and oceans left barren after eons of degradation, held only one structure left standing. This lonely vault, the tower they stood in, was befitting of holding a nightmare they deemed worth sealing for generations. Even if its construct was odd given a kingdom that pushed the ideal of purity and never forsaking one's soul, it made sense for them to forge a tower like this one to hold that which they deemed too powerful for mortal hands. "Then it seems we found the place where we needed to be. What is your name princess?"

While the two spoke to each other in alien tongues, Shiro kept her eyes and cat ears facing the staircase on the way up. There was little doubt that they were still far from the only living creatures in that tower. On the way up the stairs, they found several other locked rooms, each holding its own slew of dark secrets awaiting their emergence to the known world. Given that and their brash entrance, their willingness to rewrite the eldritch runes that were set in place for centuries, and their gung-ho approach when it came to those who got in their way, it was most likely that their breach into the building had been seen by the forces which guarded the tower, leading to her remaining vigilant with her rifle pointed downstairs.

"Sense anything, Shiro?" Upon giving the two some space, Neon leaned back beside the door, keeping an eye out towards Ophelia should she try to pull anything on her witch companion. Shaking her head yet feeling like there was something reacting to their presence in the darkness, instead of investigating herself, the gungineer reached into her bag to pull out a floating drone that served as her distant eyes and ears. "You're bringing out Horus?" Curious as to what got the angel so careful, she turned her head for a moment to peek where Shiro had her sights placed. "Mhmm. The very ground is rumbling. Something is trying to reach us quietly. However way we're getting out of here, it won't be through where we came." Upon tossing the drone into the air, it unfurled itself before going invisible, casting a second monitor display on the angel's right eye to display what it's camera could pick up.

"There's never any rest for the wicked, huh?" As Horus explored the staircase below them, Shiro's eyes were met with an interesting difference from before. The doors that they passed on the way up were gone, as though the very landscape of the tower had changed in their time spent up in the top floor of Ophelia's keep. The torches that once lit up the various sections of the stairway were all unlit. As it proceeded deeper into the dark depths of the tower, eventually its microphone picked up an odd sound. The scuttling of many small feet, each echoing off the walls as though it was the tide of an ocean coming in. Without having to delve further, it found the source of the sound, an all encompassing moving darkness that sought to devour whatever object was unfortunate enough to get in its way. It was a horde of dark insects, their number unknown. The sonar capabilities of Horus could not accurately depict their depth, truly giving the dark, living wave the description of a bottomless ocean that sought to drown them alive. "... We need to get a move on. Now."

[Medina. Change of plans. Arrive at these coordinates at the requested altitude. There is a tower with a top floor window. When you come here, we'll need you to blast at the very window I mark when I order you to.] Recognizing the danger well before it approached, the markswoman pulled out a set of incendiary explosives from her pouch to hand over to the cybernetic warrior. "Blessed flame grenades? Holy flash bangs?" For a moment, Neon gave a strange look at the angel, only to find her tail tense from the sense of impending doom steadily approaching them. Instead of interrogating her for the reasons as to what got her so nervous in the first place, their chemistry had allowed the samurai to respond quickly. "What do you need me to do?"

Fleeing the eldritch storm, Horus had returned fast enough to arrive first, folding upon landing into the open space in her backpack. "Pull the pin and throw these when I give you the signal." Shiro's magi-tech halo illuminated brightly with the color of her eyes, revealing to all in the room that she was using her divinity. Even August, despite being focused on the conversation, realized the action that was soon to be approaching, readying her spell tome in advance to cast whatever spell they needed in the moment. "No sooner or later, please. We can't afford mistakes now." With a nod of her head, the samurai gave her the affirmative, taking her hands off her hilt while she stared down the stairway leading down towards the abyss below. "Don't worry about me. Just make sure you can do what you need to when you have to."

"I am Ophelia Lampros, 33rd Princess of the Lampros Kingdom. I am the last light in this world."

──・୨ ✦ ୧・──

──・୨ ✦ ୧・──

"Don't mistake us for victims, Ophelia. We're too stubborn to die now."​

The trio that stood in front of her were not the kind to let fate alone dictate their endings. While they have faced dire circumstances in the past many times over, somehow, their heads combined had granted them grace from the goddess of luck and fortune, Santana. Together, they were greater than the sum of their parts, each offering a strength to cover for each other's weakness. Combined with their faith in each other built up over countless successful missions despite the odds, their team was inseparable, known for embracing these sorts of circumstances rather than running away from it. "Be glad that we found you in this barren wasteland. Perhaps its by fate we've caught your light." Taking her hand and helping her out of the bed, the witch granted her a pleasant smile. The fact that she didn't respond with outright hostility was a good sign that she was someone they could work with.

[Shiro, I've arrived.] Outside the window, the sounds of thrusters had made itself known as their pilot rotated her engines to hover at the requested altitude. A beam of radiant light cast from spotlights in the front of the ship had broke through the shadows of the barely lit room, shining the presence of the stars on this tower. [To all who are within proximity of the window, I'd advise you take a step back.] Sighing in relief at hearing the familiar voice, August led the princess by the hand away from the window that offered a glimpse of her barren world outside. "While we might be far from the heroes you expected to tear you away from this cold, dark place, I promise you, we're much more resilient than we look."

"Neon! Now!" Shiro exclaimed, sensing the rumbling coming within proximity of their position. As if the tower was determined to not let Ophelia's echo escape its clutches, the scuttering of its hive defenders' sound had grown deafening to the sensitive ears of the cat woman. "To think, these assholes just don't know how to quit." Pulling several pins out from the several grenades she held in her hand, Neon lobbed the volley of explosives down the staircase, only to be met with a light brighter than sun paralyzing the torrent of insects with the sudden shock of light. Nearly immediately after, smoke had plumed from the staircase as the shrieking of chitinous bodies broke through the sound of flames. The volume emitted from the cacophony of sound had shook the very tower they stood upon, acting as though the building itself was groaning in pain from the sudden surprise of the intruder's resilience.

[Weapons charged. Firing.] Given the signal from the angel, the undead dog pilot fired a charged cannon shot right at the bricks that separated the room from the outside, tearing apart the final obstacle in the way of their freedom from the tower, rocking the foundation of the building they stood upon. The very bricks that were torn asunder had bled black, giving credence to the idea that the tower itself was alive. Though as soon as the weapon was fired, anti-ship rounds were thrown from great distance towards the location, casting explosions in the air right beside the tower and the ship. It was now or never. Given the intensity of the incoming rebel fire and the eldritch hive recovering from its initial shell shocked state, it was unlikely that they would get another chance again to see her, let alone recover her.

"We're taking you with us, Ophelia. Whatever comes next, we'll figure it out together. Come now. Let's leave this place."

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

"Let's go already! We can't afford to waste anymore time here!" Understanding how dire their situation was, the witch raised her hand towards the air that lay in between the ground of the bedroom floor and the opening loading bay of the ship, using her spare hand to open her magical tome to weave her words into a spell. "Lauda Caelum!" Wielding her mana to meld the very construct of reality, the rubble from the explosion and the surrounding bricks were beckoned to her command, forming a bridge of hovering rocks that forded the gap in between the ship and the hole in the wall. "Hurry! I don't know how long I could keep hovering here!"

The first to cross the gap was the samurai herself, using the last of the fuel in her blade while clutching her markswoman companion with her other arm to send them both charging towards the cockpit of the ship. Upon seeing them make it onboard, the witch had attempted to follow them, leading the princess by the hand only for a stray shell of an anti aircraft round to rock the ship. The explosion it dealt had caused the two women to fall from the sky once the witch had lost her concentration after being made subject to the impact from the attack.

Though, as they were falling, quick to respond, Medina had steered the ship around at an angle to catch them, veering faster than the speed of gravity on her planet to ensure that they wouldn't be left behind. August on the other hand was fortunate enough to reacquaint her sense of balance, looking around and finding herself at a lower altitude compared to the princess. Thinking of what spells she could cast from her tome that was attached to her clothes, she realized that even if they were caught, the impact would severely hurt them, leading to an ideal spell in mind: Feather Fall. Using a minor fire spell to angle her body where she could catch Ophelia once she slowed down, upon reaching her trajectory, the witch had casted the feather fall spell, only to catch her companion falling a couple seconds later. "Ach... Gotcha..." August smiled while in pain, wrapping one arm around the princess' back.

Upon detecting her dropping altitude slowing, Medina understood what August casted, turning the ship around to catch her while they were slowly falling in the air. Seeing the two steadfast approaching, Neon grabbed onto a hook near the end of the open cockpit, extending her arm towards August's own, finally catching her and pulling the both of them inside. "They're safe inside now, Medi. You could pull up. Do us a favor too and get us the fuck off this planet." Giving the thumbs up from the pilot's chair, Medina turned the ship around and angled it upward to avoid the massing anti-aircraft rounds, giving those on the inside a glimpse of the tower as the cockpit closed behind them. From the sight of her bedroom, eldritch beetles had poured out from the opening in the wall like a waterfall, pulverizing whatever furniture was left inside with their weight before devouring the splinters of the furniture she used for thousands of years.

Once they reached the atmosphere of the planet, Medina set the ship on autopilot back to the station where they were first deployed. While the recovery of the artifact was one of the main objectives, it was far from the only one. The procurement of this planet from its rebel owners was the second reason why there was so much being deployed planet-side. "So this is the "artifact" that we were sent here for?" While the windows leading outside were surrounded by a sea of falling blue lights, the pilot left her seat and approached the witch and their newest arrival. "Mhmm. I'd like to believe so. Other than the fact that she's a person and not an object, I think she fits some of the description that the books tell of her."

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

"Ah, and I suppose introductions are in order."

✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴀʙꜱᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ | ᴀᴢᴀʟɪ ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

Using the same spells she cast on herself in the bedroom, the witch brought her hands to the echo's neck to enchant her voice while placing her other hand on the echo's ear to understand what they were saying. "Could you hear us now?" Speaking in galactic trade common, the August sighed in relief seeing Ophelia be able to react to her words properly. "Good! Given the time it'll take before we reach the citadel, I believe right now is the perfect time for you to get to know the rest of us, especially if we're going to have to be working with each other." An optimist by heart, the witch had went first, believing it best to humanize each other instead of seeing her as nothing but a tool. "I'm August, the last witch of Autumn. I'm the spellcaster of my team." She curtsied politely, before gesturing Ophelia's attention towards Neon.

"Oh... Yeah. I'm Neon. A void shade samurai. Don't start any problems for us alright?" Crossing her arms, she appeared the toughest of the three. Her muscles lended well to her lean, cybernetic form, achieved through many days spent training in body to achieve greater heights as a swordswoman in this future era. "We've lost enough trying to reach you, and I damn well don't plan on sacrificing anyone else over you again." Still spurned by the loss of Elaine, she wasn't in the best of talking moods. While she spoke, fangs had made their appearance in her mouth, revealing her species as a vampire.

"Shiro. Team gungineer and markswoman." Unloading her rifle and inspecting it for damage, as soon as she was in a safe place to do so, she disabled the trigger on her firearm before disassembling it for full inspection. The halo on her head and her cat ears had given credence to her being a hybrid form of divine and beast kin, both affording her a unique combination of genetics that allowed for her talents as a scout and a sniper to be best brought out. Interestingly, she didn't give much more information than what was requested of her, believing it was more than enough to communicate who and what she was to the team.

"Medina, but you could call me Medi." The smallest of the four was the dog girl pilot who floated towards their side. "I'm the pilot and medic of this little bunch. Out of all the teams that I flew before, this one's my favorite!" A warm smile grew across her face, happy that the others were back in a place of safety. She was far from a fighter but her skill behind using ships was unmatched by anyone else in the team. "Hey, is it true that you're really a princess? Like... From olden times with the nobles?" Hovering towards a compartment nearby, upon opening the drawer, a pile of books had spilled from its interior, only for her to pick up one that held a character on the cover with a dress similar to hers. "I've read all about people like you!"

Upon hearing what she was, the other two had casted a curious glance at Ophelia. "Give her a moment to introduce herself, yeah? I'm sure you'll have all the time for questions while she's staying with us." Treating Medina like her younger sister, August stroked her head before turning back to the princess. "I know you introduced yourself to me before, but I think it would be nice for you to do it again, but without the concern for well... The tower and all that. Who are you? What were you before? ... And what got you caught up in a tower like that one?"

Curious, the witch tilted her head as she took a seat beside her, pulling out a notebook of her own to write down some information about her. While both Medina and August both had access to digital compendiums for their reading and writing needs, there was something more meaningful about the feeling of something physical that they couldn't help but prefer. "Oh... And apologies if everyone's in a sour mood. We've lost someone dear to us on the way to you." Interestingly, there were only four seats in the back of the cockpit. "Don't take it personally. Its just the way things are in the galaxy nowadays."

"You're never guaranteed tomorrow."​

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞

"Don't mistake us for victims, Ophelia. We're too stubborn to die now."
​

Ophelia's jaw tightened. If only they were the first ones to say such words, she might've believed them. But she'd grown far too jaded to let herself hope. She couldn't even look the girl in the eye, her own gaze eluding hers as if she was staring directly at the sun, the light blinding if she let her eyes linger on it for too long. When forever lying in the darkness, even the dimmest light was blinding.

"Fate..." What an unkind word. To someone like her, a princess whose own destiny had once been to guide her people, words such as fate and providence rung hollow. Ophelia reached for her chest, feeling a pang throbbing in her bosom at August's words. She could not face her knowing what was coming.

She had been feeling it for a while now. Whether it was her connection to It or the fact that she'd lived in this tower for thousands of years now, Ophelia could feel the slightest change in the tower in her very own bones. Why it would bother to come all the way from the bottom wasn't something she could question. Its sadistic games were far beyond anything Ophelia could comprehend. If its intention was to crush them, it could've done so the instant they had reached her. Giving them a chance, or the illusion of one, was simply cruel, though it would not recognize it as so. It only knew suffering as a form of entertainment, and people as its toys.

"Come now. Let's leave this place. This is no realm befitting of a princess."
​

"...!" The force of the blast and the debris flying in every direction caused her to flinch, her eyes shutting closed as she lifted her arm to shield herself. As her eyes slowly fluttered back open, she couldn't believe her eyes. The star-speckled sky greeted her back, the gloomy, dark walls replaced by a sight she didn't believe she'd ever see again. Her lips quivered, the sight enough to make her question whether this would truly be different. She met August's eyes once more, allowing herself to regard the witch with red, glimmering hues. Confusion met hope, her head turning toward the cybernetic samurai and the gun-wielding catwoman before then turning toward the door, the rumbling only growing more and more deafening as it approached.

"Will you go?"
​

A strange question rung in the deepest recesses of her mind, the worming reaching for her thoughts as if they wished to consume them. As powerful as It was, it could never fully trespass where she didn't allow it. In moments like these, it could do nothing more than ask. How ironic that a being with power beyond comprehension would be stopped by something as simple as a human's mental barrier. 'Why do you act as if I have a choice?' Her eyes narrowed, offended that it would even imply she had any agency. It had never asked before, so why would it ask now? Never had it given her the impression that there was any hope for her to leave before. It had only ever been her that was foolish enough to hope, yet now it wondered?

And yet it had not killed them.
​

Ophelia hesitated, turning toward the haphazard bridge the witch created out of debris, the strange metal construct hovering parallel to her room, her cage, reflecting the moonlight. It shone like a star, promising freedom. Her feet moved before her thoughts did, her court heels clicking against the black masonry as she reached a hand out toward August. Only the moment she stepped outside the tower, she felt a pain like she'd never experienced before striking at her head.

"Ughhh...!!!" ​

A punishment for leaving her cage, no doubt. For daring to dream of freedom when she'd not paid her debt in full, not yet. An eternity of suffering was her only right and anything more was nothing but her human greed. She reached for her head, holding her skull with both hands as a deafening screech rocked her being to the very core. The screams of every member of her kingdom as they perished locked her in place, her feet planted on the bridge underneath her. It took all the strength she could muster to not fall to her knees. This suffering was her penance for allowing herself to be touched by the eldritch, to be seduced by the power it offered. The souls of her subjects would drag her back down if she ever dared to hope for something more.

And then the ground underneath her gave way. "Ah..."

Again she was falling.
​

The last time she'd felt this sensation was as she was pushed by her own father into the abyss that had become her home and prison. In all the eons that she'd endured here, she'd never once fallen. Her feet had remained firmly on the ground. It had granted her that one mercy; to never feel herself falling down and to never experience that horrible sensation as her body hit the ground. Ophelia looked down to August before she shut her eyes tightly, bracing for the impact. While she would not die, she could not bear to witness the witch's grim fate.

But the impact she felt was not a deadly one. Instead, she felt a warmth against her, a hand wrapping around her. Ophelia's red eyes shot open, her lips parting in a silent gasp as she met August's gaze for a third time. "Wha..." Before she knew it, the two of them were on the strange metal craft. Her feet touched the ground unsteadily, grabbing onto the wall as she gazed out to the tower.

Even now, it would not give up its pursuit. The top of the tower extended out towards the ship like a gaping maw, black tendrils reaching out to it in close proximity. No matter how fast it was, the ship would never outrun an eldritch god, and it was hellbent on taking what was its possession back. Were it not for her intervention.

"Stop..."
​

A silent plea left her lips, the wind blowing against her hair. The tendrils slowed considerably.

"Are you going?"
​

The voice asked again. Ophelia hesitated, casting her gaze to the trio that had just risked their lives to retrieve her. While she did not know what future they held, the princess did know she was sick of the present she had.

"I am..."
​

She answered back as the cockpit closed. The tendrils stopped their pursuit, returning to the tower, the gaping hole of her bedroom closing back up as if it had never been breached to begin with.

"Very well, but do not forget..."

"You will never escape."
​

'I know.' Not so long as their connection remained. And that would only happen when it was done with her. For all she knew, those thousands of years of torment had been but a moment in Its eyes. She would never be free.

"Ah, and I suppose introductions are in order."
​

At least for now she could have a moment of peace. Casting one last look toward the tower as it grew smaller in her view, she turned toward the ones who had saved her, foolish as they were in their decision. They had only put themselves in the god's view by taking her with them, subject to its horrible whims, whatever they would be. She nodded to August as she cast the same spells on her that she had cast on herself, wondering for a moment why she hadn't just done that from the start. Though, considering how whimsical It could be, it was probably best not to meddle with the being's 'belongings'. It had become rather quiet after they left the surface of the planet, though Ophelia knew something as simple as that wouldn't be enough to escape it.

She wasn't even off the planet. Not truly.

She gave each member of the group a nod of acknowledgement as they introduced themselves. While August seemed rather accomodating and amicable enough, the same couldn't be said about the other two. If she was bothered by Neon's standoffish greeting, Ophelia did not show it, simply closing her eyes and drawing in a short breath as she grabbed her left arm with her right hand, making herself smaller. "I have no intention of 'starting' any trouble, though I cannot promise it will not follow you as long as I am here."

The cat markswoman was even more curt than her pink-haired compatriot, seeming more interested in her gun than in conversation. She reminded Ophelia of the royal guards, so absorbed in their duties that they would forget their manners. A soft exhale left her nose, the memory inspiring a moment of amusement in her before she turned to the next.

Medina more than made up for the others' shortness, veering toward the other extreme were it not for August's timely intervention. Ophelia's lips pursed, perturbed by the girl's enthusiasm as much as she was endeared by it. She forced a small smile, tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I'm sure the tales are much more romantic than reality." She uttered softly. She remembered her own innocence being robbed of her, having grown up on similar books of princesses and knights and dragons, only to be faced with a hard reality after her mother's death at a young age.

Finally, she let out a sigh when August passed the baton back to her. Of course they would have questions, though Ophelia didn't know if the answers she had would sit well with them. "Very well, once again..."

"I am Ophelia Lampros, 33rd Princess of the Lampros Kingdom. Guiding light of my people. Extinguisher of their hopes."
​

She did her own curtsy, pinching the skirt of her dress between her prim fingers and lifting it up slightly as she put one leg in front of the other and bowed slightly at the hip, lowering her head to them. It was a dignified yet practice motion as if she'd done it a thousand times before. And she had, often having had to introduce herself to nobles and other noteworthy individuals in her kingdom. Even the herald of her kingdom's invaders had known her name, bringing with him a declaration of war and a demand of her hand in marriage to the king of their people in exchange for their people's lives.

Before addressing her questions, she acknowledged August's words. So they'd lost someone close to them. That would certainly explain their hostility, though Ophelia hadn't necessarily held a grudge over it. They would not be the first to shoot first and ask questions later, though few had the patience to ask questions at all, blaming her for the loss of their comrades. Most believed she was the source of the eldritch abominations haunting the tower and attacked her. All of them died before they could realize their mistake.

"I'm sorry. Losing a loved one is never easy. It wouldn't be true love if it didn't hurt, after all."
​

She took a moment of silence to honor this person, unknown as they were to her, before she continued on. "Caught up is not... quite the right word. That tower... it was built around me. My people, my kingdom, were attacked by an unknown adversary. We were too weak. They looked to my father, to me, for guidance, and yet we were not strong enough to protect them. When all seemed lost, I was approached by the thing that created that tower. I took its deal; my future for my kingdom's future. It gave me enough power to decimate them and then some. I believe I could swallow a planet whole with relative ease if I truly wanted, though..."

The strain of it would certainly break her down mentally and physically, but it would build her back up. It wouldn't just let her die. It hadn't for eons, and it would not allow it now. "So I suppose, in a way, I am what you sought, though I do not know if I am what you want." She sighed, shaking her head. She was not the one who would decide that, but them. She could only hope they would not come to regret their efforts. She was tired of crushing people's hopes. She was tired of this existence of hers that only brought pain to others. If she could wish herself away, she would do it in a heartbeat.

Ophelia stepped away, looking out to the stars as they flew by. In her youth, she had always dreamed of being among the stars. Her father had always called her his little guiding light. To her people, she was like a star shining among them all. Now, she couldn't even muster a twinkle in her own eye, let alone light the way for others.

"A dying light like me could never guide you to where you need to go."​

 

[Tenzai]

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──

Unhappy Endings.
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──
✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴘʀᴇʟᴜᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴛᴀʀʟᴇꜱꜱ ɴɪɢʜᴛꜱ | ꜱᴄʜᴏʟᴀꜱᴛᴜᴍ ᴘʀᴏᴠᴏꜱᴛ ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

Unlike the tall romantic tales that the crew's pilot grew enamored with, the princess that stood in front of her lacked the same gusto that came with her rescue. There was no joy brought upon the very taste of freedom in her voice, as though her soul had already died before it had a chance to live. She appeared far from happy, however this unhappiness was not born out of some disgust for her rescuers, but rather out of an apathy for the very universe that allowed this terrible fate to exist in the first place; The very same that made her subject to the dark machinations of her eldritch god. Space was cold. Existence had no meaning. Whatever kami watching from above who dictated the best and worst of reality were uncaring to the plight of mere mortals. Truth was, bad things never needed a reason to happen.

"I have no intention of 'starting' any trouble, though I cannot promise it will not follow you as long as I am here."

"We've been through worse in the past. Don't worry about us, yeah?" Neon was the first to respond to the summoned silence that came from having her speak. While there was a level of initial optimism that came from surviving an ancient trap as unique as the one they faced in the tower, there was a quiet understanding between them that, until they made it to the station, their mission wasn't over. Accidents and punishable mistakes only came when they were relaxed. "Just worry about yourself."

"Mhmm." Thankfully, Shiro seemed at ease for the moment. Her angelic blessing had given her the ability to predict ten minutes into the future. While it served as fuel for many sleepless nights, the others took comfort in knowing that they were able to trust her should the worst be arriving. "Besides. We'll deal with what happens when it happens... But I'd appreciate knowing in advance, what the hell is so damn interested in you once we make it out of here." Still scanning the princess for any hostile intentions, the samurai was wary of the odd scent of magic still lingering on their captured target's body.

"I'm sure the tales are much more romantic than reality."

​

"I... Um..." Feeling like she was at fault for ruining the mood, the ghost began to slink back, shrinking in size. "Sorry if I miss-assumed things about you... I didn't mean any harm." Noticing her anxieties acting up, August walked to her side to stroke her head. Due to her genetics as a dog girl, her mind was quick to ease in its tension, relaxing the moment she felt a familiar hand rubbing her head. "Don't apologize for what you didn't know. You didn't do anything wrong, Medina." Working as the glue that kept this odd family together, the witch was well aware of the weaknesses of each of its members, responding quick whenever she found one of them troubled. "I'm sure she appreciates your warm welcome." Upon the completion of their introductions, it was the princess' turn to reveal who she was. With eyes opened wide at the perfect orchestration of her granting them her courtesy, they grew silent for her to speak interrupted.

"Very well, once again..."

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──
"I am Ophelia Lampros, 33rd Princess of the Lampros Kingdom."

"Guiding light of my people. Extinguisher of their hopes."
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

The moment she uttered her name, both August and Neon squinted their eyes towards her. The witch had done her research on the kingdom as a whole, determined to have her team be the one to discover their artifact. Though interestingly, she recalled the princess of that generation went under a different name. [...Neon, does the 33rd princess have any sisters?] Carefully navigating the subject to determine the truth, if her words were true, then it must mean she was scratched out of their history books, made an unknown to avoid having future generations repeat the same mistake.

"I'm sorry. Losing a loved one is never easy. It wouldn't be true love if it didn't hurt, after all."

Neon on the other hand had the entire generational catalog on a database, downloading it should August need some assistance during their travels across the wasteland of her planet's surface. [Database suggests that her father only had one child to inherit his throne. Either she's lying, or she doesn't know the truth.] Keeping their dialog to themselves, they listened as she continued, noticing a subtle shift once the loss of their fallen was brought up. Cracking through her apathy was a visible sign of grace to the fallen, and upon a short moment to mourn their dead, she continued.

"Caught up is not... quite the right word. That tower... it was built around me. My people, my kingdom, were attacked by an unknown adversary. We were too weak. They looked to my father, to me, for guidance, and yet we were not strong enough to protect them. When all seemed lost, I was approached by the thing that created that tower. I took its deal; my future for my kingdom's future. It gave me enough power to decimate them and then some. I believe I could swallow a planet whole with relative ease if I truly wanted, though..."

The truth. Nothing about the construction of the tower had been listed in the records of the history books. Future generations beyond that of the 33rd have stated that the tower was always a part of their existence, treating its contents as an artifact that must not be unearthed and its tall walls as a vault to lock whatever existed inside within. Though, as she spoke, the crew that surrounded her had put up her guard the moment she brought up the intensity of the power she was able to call forth. Whether the ruins of the kingdom was her doing or whether that was the consequence of her choices, they didn't know, but the scent of eldritch taint on her body and her odd level of youth given her species had brought truth to her claim that she was much more than just a princess. She might be a weapon.

"So I suppose, in a way, I am what you sought, though I do not know if I am what you want."

"Isn't it a little weird that you mention this much power, and yet, you've remained locked up in that tower all this time?" Quick to respond to the curious thought, the cybernetic vampire let her thoughts be known. "If you were such a capable spellcaster... Shouldn't you have been able to break yourself free?" August remained silent, understanding the weight of a pact with an elder god. Should she have gotten so involved with a primordial power that they decided to forge a contract with her, it was likely that this strength was used against her, robbing the soul of its rights if not taking another cost just as extreme. Approached by other deities, she was offered similar contracts, only to refute them in the aspiration of making her magic her own, even if it was far less potent than the heroes in the galaxy.

Before Neon got another chance to get another word in, the witch raised her hand to quiet her before shaking her head. There was a time and place for everything but throwing allegations here and now wouldn't serve any purpose. Sighing, the vampire returned to her seat before inspecting her sword, preferring to distract herself if she couldn't have her way when it came to speaking.

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──

"We found you for a reason, Ophelia."​

"Whether or not you believe your presence here is deserved or not, we don't regret our decision in finding you." Despite feeling at odds given the sacrifice of those who passed on before them, her presence was meant to prevent the deaths of many more soon to come. The war that ravaged the galaxy took its toll on the many caught in the crossfire. Ambitions and pride had given rise to rebellion against a universe at peace, and right at the center of the solution were those unknowingly capable of bringing about worlds of change with their presence and power. The heroes that fought above were all people from across the stars, each with varying circumstances and settings as unique as Ophelia's own. Should the faith that their commander have for this artifact not be for naught, then August assumed that there was a higher purpose for them expending all their resources to discover her. "Maybe its too late to save your people, but its not too late to change your fate."

Medina nodded her head. The people within the ship itself were taken from all walks of life. Neon was a mercenary who came from a company known for their affinity with privatized violence. Hired by the empress to bolster the ranks of the heroes and generals she chose to act her will, she was given a second purpose, transcending her future as a criminal to becoming someone the innocent could draw upon for support. August on the other hand was a witch who was discriminated against for her humanity, being seen as a lesser race when it came to the galaxy as a whole and especially when it came down to the schools of magic. If not for her efforts during the war itself, it was likely that she would have remained an outcast. Shiro interestingly was an angel who grew fascinated with the technology of the realms beyond heaven, choosing to become a divine pariah to chase that which brought the mortals close to the same level as the angels themselves. Together, they were an odd bunch, yet in spite of their diverse backgrounds, they found a way to meld well together.

"I believe in you, Ophelia. I don't think you're as bad of a person as you think." The small dog girl shot the princess a kind smile, refusing to let her first introductions end on bad terms. A princess itself from the romantic era was a rare enough sight in the first place. To have one be willing to treat them with respect, unlike those that existed within the faerie courts or the vampire realms, had given Medi the hope she needed to see her as more than a monster. "Don't put yourself down, okay? The others here... Myself included, we're not exactly among the most well liked either. Not that I'm saying that your suffering is anything to be compared to, but... I just want to let you know... I think we could understand."

"You're far from dead, Ophelia." Upon finishing her inspection of her weapon, Shiro's ears perked up at the conversation the others had. Feeling a need to speak after hearing of her thoughts on herself, she spoke up. "As long as your lungs still hold breath and your heart still beats blood, you're capable of change. Don't question the value of your life to us." Staring through the princess, the angel stood up, unbuttoning her seatbelt as she approached. "If you were truly not worth the effort, I would've forced everyone else to leave you behind." Pragmatic when it came to her reasons, similar to Neon, Shiro didn't sugarcoat her thoughts. However, where they differed was in how their emotions influenced their responses. Neon was led by the heart while Shiro was led by the mind. "... But alas, that didn't happen. The strings that dictate our future lead to you, regardless of what you believe."

As Shiro spoke, her ears twitched upon hearing the sound of the ship's automated messaging system play in the speakers. [Arriving soon to the Argenti Citadel. Please keep your seatbelts on while the landing is taking place. Thank you very much.] Sensing the rumblings of the ship as it began to slow once being caught in the station's gravity well, Medina floated back towards her seat while the others did the same to the seats nearby. "With whatever comes next, we're handling it together. You included, Ophelia." Sitting next to the princess, the witch clicked her seatbelt in for her, aware that she might not know of its purpose given the difference between their times. "Perhaps, once we report you over to the hero stationed in the citadel, we could go for a bite to eat." Slowly kicking her legs as she thought of the ideas of what restaurants to choose from the station, the ship began to rumble quickly before slamming once it made landfall on the station. "Oh! Looks like we're here."

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

Once the cockpit had opened up, the five inside were met with a cool breeze that came from the station's climate system. "Took long enough." The first to approach the exit was Neon herself, stretching after what felt like an eternity spent planet side. "Well, it took a little longer than usual with the thrusters all damaged." Scratching her cheer, the pilot floated outside the ship to inspect the damage from the attacks they endured outside. "But, at least we're able to make it. With the reward money too, we should be able to get the stuff we need for the repairs. Shiro, if you can?"

"Of course. We can't afford to deploy with damaged equipment." Now landed, the catwoman reached for a suitcase underneath her seat to stow away her weapon in components. out of harm's way, she was given a moment to relax, only for it to be taken away by the sound of footsteps approaching their ship. "Here, let me help you with that, Ophelia." Before joining her girls outside the ship, the witch helped the princess out of her leather straps. "Can't have you being stuck here, now can I?" Chuckling, as she offered her a hand to stand up from the seat, she overheard the sound of bickering.

"Oh? Missing one. Let me guess, she fucking left you because you couldn't afford to keep her around?" Rotating cybernetic gears had made their noises known as Neon grew infuriated with their unwelcome guests. "Or is it... That you were all failures who don't even have the talent to return back in one piece against these shameful rebels. Shame really, that the heroes would hire a group of outcasts like you. Then again, Sen was always known for taking in stray hounds."

Before she was able to muster a punch, Shiro held Neon's fist, seeing the armed bodyguards of the blonde princess ready to strike her down. "Go ahead, punch me. We'll see where that takes you." Laughing, she taunted the samurai before turning her eyes up towards the witch and their newest arrival. "Oh! How lovely, the human had made another human friend. Autumn~" Calling her true name, the witch turned away to avoid garnering any more unwelcome attention than she had already. "Make sure you treat this one better than your sisters, yeah? Would be a shame if you lost your pet because your magic isn't enough, you Noctua dropout~"

Clenching her fist, the witch wore a smile on her face to mask her anger. "Gust? You okay?" Quick to note the subtle changes in her emotional state, "I'm fine. I'm fine, I promise." Careful not to channel her anger into fuel for her spells, August took slow breaths. "Sorry that you had to witness all this, Ophelia. I promise you, this station isn't bad... Even if some of its people are." She whispered quietly. Medina hovered over to her side to check in on her. Even if she was the weakest among the team when it came to direct combat and conflict, that didn't mean she was useless. "Meds, you my offer still stands. You're always free to join the better crew. I'd advise you do it before they end up getting you killed too."

"Can't you learn how to shut the fuck up you, spoiled bitch?" Finally having enough, the samurai yelled, partially because she was frustrated with their rival princess and partially because she couldn't stand watching her own family be taunted, especially right after the loss of one of their own. "You're lucky you have your fuckboy, gold digger guards on you. I bet if I asked, they wouldn't know your real name, would they, Idra?" Smirking, Neon shook off Shiro's hands. No one was going to disrespect her team like that without getting some bite in return. "What are you planning on doing about it, huh? Gonna hide behind them? Say you're feeling threatened? I bet, once the tournament happens, you're gonna prove yourself nothing but a disappointment when you go against us. I can't wait to have an excuse to punch that smirk off your face without anyone stopping me."

Visibly flustered and angry with how things were going, as she raised her hand, her mercenary bodyguards readied their weapons. However, as soon as they pulled their triggers, their guns jammed, shocking them with cyan sparkes. "I'd prefer it if you'd save your rounds for the enemy, Idra. Don't give me a reason to force you on garrison duty." A human with prosthetic arm walked towards the four, stopping once he was within range of Ophelia to inspect her from up close. "When I heard that someone like you was coming here, I had to see for myself. It's a pleasure to meet you." Giving a pleasant nod over to the rest of the crew, he offered his hand to shake.

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──

──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞​

"Isn't it a little weird that you mention this much power, and yet, you've remained locked up in that tower all this time?" Ophelia sighed. This was about what was expected, really. It wouldn't be the first or last time she'd be met with skepticism. To be fair, it was a reasonable doubt to have, if not one founded on misgivings. "If you were such a capable spellcaster... Shouldn't you have been able to break yourself free?" "..." Ophelia's eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched and the grip on her own arm tightened. There was a subtle change in her demeanor, though given how perceptive they all were, it would not be difficult for them to notice, she was sure. This was where she would have to plead silence, as she simply couldn't tell them the truth. Not without dispelling whatever illusions they had come to believe.

That the cage she'd been imprisoned within was one of her own making.
​

While It had been the one to create it, it was only because of her own decision that she was stuck there. And only because it allowed it that she was now free. Technically speaking, at least. Even if she did explain to them why she couldn't have left until now, Ophelia couldn't explain why it was only now that It had opened up her little birdcage to let her spread her broken wings. Anything she said would only be met with further skepticism and mistrust. Who would ever believe her story, anyway? It was better to let them believe what they wanted if they were just going to doubt the things she said.

"We found you for a reason, Ophelia."
​

"Hmmm..." Well, she couldn't argue against that. Though they'd yet to give their reasons for braving that tower on the shaky promise of an artifact, it was clear they were either desperate or resolute enough to risk all of their lives for it. And she couldn't fault them for that either, seeing as she'd spent millenia suffering within that accursed tower. If there was anyone who knew what drove a person to make such poor, risky choices, it was her. It would be simply hypocritical of her to criticize them or doubt their determination. Even if she did doubt that she could be anything but an additional risk to them. Honestly, she had half a mind to stage an escape right about now, pushing herself to the void of space just so she didn't have to risk the guilt of letting them down. Or worse, killing them. "Maybe it's too late to save your people, but its not too late to change your fate."

'If only it was that simple...' What did that even mean? She'd lived her entire life before the war believing it was her destiny to lead her people to a new golden age, and yet it took but a single army to change that practically overnight. After that, it was by a god's intervention that she would save them, only to be subjected to a fate worse than death. And now she was in some strange voyage where she didn't know the destination to, or whether she could do anything these girls hoped for her to do. Her fate had been changed multiple times already, yes, but never by her own power. No matter what she wished for, she was powerless to do anything. If it hadn't been for her pact with an eldritch god, they wouldn't have even bothered taking her with them. It was only because it was convenient for them that she'd been broken out of her cage.

"Not that I'm saying that your suffering is anything to be compared to, but... I just want to let you know... I think we could understand." She would never scoff at them for saying something like that. Ophelia believed that her suffering was a consequence of her own actions and thus, she didn't deserve or want any of their pity. But perhaps... she could allow herself to understand them back. The princess struggled to meet Medina's gaze, ashamed of her own words. The dog girl's expression flashed back in her mind, causing her chest to tighten with deep guilt and embarrassment. She'd been raised to be better than that as a princess, yet she'd let her own feelings take over in that moment.

"... But alas, that didn't happen. The strings that dictate our future lead to you, regardless of what you believe." "Haa... are you sure you are not a troupe? Such aureate words are not enough to woo a princess such as me, I'm afraid." She cracked a smile, still jaded and sarcastic, but also genuinely amused at how sincere they were. At some point in the past, she would've been the one to lift weary spirits with her words, inspiring those whose wills had been broken. In fact she had, multiple times during the war, addressed her people in public speeches, using her own natural-born charisma to rouse them. Even before her pact, she had sinned against her loyal subjects by recruiting them into the army and convincing them to throw themselves into battles where only death awaited them.

Perhaps fortunately for her, they were close to arriving to their destination, wherever that was. She still didn't quite understand where it was they were going or what they were even on, though she was sure there would be plenty of time for them to educate her. Ophelia turned to August,her lips parting at the mention of food. In reality, she'd long stopped paying attention to the pangs of hunger that riddled her body. It was not as if she would die of starvation regardless, and whatever food It provided for her tasted of tainted, rotten meat no matter how nicely it presented it. If she was going to hurl it back out, she may as well not eat at all. "... I suppose that would be good." There was a distinct tinge of pink in her cheeks as she looked away, not wanting to seem like she was looking forward to it. It was not proper of a princess to seem anything but cool and aloof, and habits like that were hard to kill, even after millenia.

"Oh! Looks like we're here."
​

Ophelia craned her neck towards the window, inadvertently pulling on the seatbelt that was keeping her safe in the case of a crash. It strained against her sudden movement, pulling her back in and keeping her in place. She had half a mind to snap it in half and free herself, but stopped herself when she saw the witch approaching. She watched intently as she worked the mechanisms of the strange restrainment device, wondering why exactly they would just have those and keep people in them. Weren't they more suited for a dungeon or a torture chamber? "Thank you." She whispered with a nod of gratitude to August as she pushed herself off the seat and wandered over to the exit with the others.

She walked intently toward Medina, hesitantly tapping her on the shoulder before she could get too far. "Medina, I... wanted to apologize for before," she swallowed her pride, not that she had much of it left, as she uttered her words softly, lifting both of her hands up to her chest and clasping them together in a faux-prayer motion. "Your words did not offend me. In fact, it has been a long time since someone cared for my title. If it would be alright with you, perhaps I can tell you some of my kingdom's legends later? They were thousands of years old even before my imprisonment, but I still remember them to the letter." This time, her smile was warmer, kinder, though only momentary as the commotion further ahead caught her attention.

She may not have known anything about the universe at wide, but it didn't take a savant to know when trouble was brewing. She walked up behind the group, joining them in their midst as this new, and thoroughly unwelcome, creature approached them. Whatever warm atmosphere the group had cultivated was suddenly gone, the air chilly as the blonde woman sought to systematically tear them down. Although she didn't understand half of what she was saying, she could understand her rubbing salt in the sound of their recent loss. Ophelia didn't flinch at how she used the word 'human' in such a derogatory fashion, any words she could possibly target at her sliding off like water off a duck's back.

But she couldn't forgive her for belittling her saviors. "Kami may be immortal, but they are not quite as eternal as unpleasant people. You do not need to apologize, August." It was not her that needed to apologize regardless, though she doubted this person had a pleasant bone in her body to do so.

It seemed things were going to get nasty from the start. Seeing Neon be the first to blow a fuse was not necessarily unsurprising, though it was a little unexpected. She supposed if anyone would fall for provocation, it would be her, given what little Ophelia had seen of each of them. Rather than try to defuse the situation, the princess prepared for the worst.

It looked like her chance to prove useful to them would come sooner rather than later.

​

Her fingertips thrummed with power as she began to channel its magic through her body, her eyes scattering over the group of soldiers as they raised their weapons at them. When diplomacy broke down, it was only natural that violence would take its place. That law hadn't changed even now and they were more likely to witness a new pantheon of kami rise before violence was removed from people's vocabulary.

However, before she could impale them all on black spikes or smite them with red lightning, a new face arrived to meet them. The soldiers seemed confused about their weapons that had apparently malfunctioned. Maybe that was why Shiro seemed so fixated on her own? Were weapons of this time much more prone to breaking than the ones from her time? It would stand to reason that they would exchange stability for more power if that was the case, though a trusty sword seemed more favorable to her.

"When I heard that someone like you was coming here, I had to see for myself. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ophelia relaxed when this new addition to the group showed themselves to be more agreeable than the prissy blonde bitch, though she still regarded them with a healthy amount of suspicion and cynicism. To say her first impressions were not very pleasant would be an understatement.

"To think, a princess would be the artifact we're looking for."
​

"A common misconception, it would seem. I am not an artifact, though I am a relic of a long time past." She tilted her head at him curiously as he outstretched his arm, looking down at it for a moment. The posture was not quite what she was used to when nobles came to pay her respects to her by kissing the back of her hand, but perhaps customs had changed in the eons that had since passed. "And my title of princess is of little value, for my throne and crown have long since weathered away." She stretched her own arm out, taking his hand gently.

"Hopefully I will not regret being taken from my perch in the tower. I must say I am not entirely impressed if this is the quality of person I am to expect from now on."
​

She cast a narrow gaze at the woman, Idra as Neon had called her, as she expressed her immediate displeasure. "Would it be that everyone was as chivalrous as my heroines, but alas, not everyone can be so kind it would seem." Then she looked over to the girls, not quite smiling, but her red eyes glimmering with a hint of warmth before she turned back to acknowledge the man again.

"But I'm afraid I'm being incredibly rude." She sighed, remembering herself. To complain the ear off of a stranger was not like her. She'd truly lost her mind if this was how her first conversation with a person she did not know was going. Perhaps her manners really had corroded away with time if she was so quick to express her discontent.

"May I have a name to thank for this pleasure?"​

 

[Tenzai]

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɪ'ʟʟ ɢᴏ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ɢʟᴀᴅʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇꜰᴜʟ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ | ᴏᴜᴛᴏꜰᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──​

Upon having their hands meet, he shook hers out of a respect for the power he sensed from her. "Good. That makes you easier to work with then." Titles and bloodline meant nothing to the human hero. Instead of seeing the worth in people through their backgrounds or familial accolades, the man that stood in front of her preferred merit. Talent existed among all walks of life, though those who often found themselves suffering from the judgement of terrible beginnings were a mostly untapped pool of prodigies that he took advantage of. If few other heroes would welcome these people into their ranks, he would take them with open arms should they prove useful, loyal, and reasonable. "I'd have my concerns if you tried to hold your title over me, unlike some people." Idra crossed her arms, giving him a moment to speak out of respect for his rank.

"Hopefully I will not regret being taken from my perch in the tower. I must say I am not entirely impressed if this is the quality of person I am to expect from now on. Would it be that everyone was as chivalrous as my heroines, but alas, not everyone can be so kind it would seem. But I'm afraid I'm being incredibly rude." The man shook his head, sighing as though dealing with these sorts were something he had grown far too accustomed to. "Don't worry about being rude. The galaxy is full of these assholes, but its also full of half decent people the same. You just have to know where to look for them." Looking over her shoulders, he gave her rescuing team a knowing glance, proud that one of his teams had managed to accomplish this feat over that of one of the other heroes.

"You think he's talking about us?" Medina whispered as she turned towards August, only for the witch to return her a proud smile. It was that hero who took her in despite how destitute of a state he found her in after being captured from a betrayal of the rebels. Once fighting on the opposite side of the war to defend their homeland and coven from imperial authority, all it took was her seeing how bad the rebels had become for her to surrender herself alongside the few other souls fortunate enough to have survived. Recruited from prison, she was given a second chance to rebuild and study with his investment and interest. To the witch, the hero that stood in front of them was more of a father figure, a misunderstood idol that held enemies in high ranks. "I'm sure he is, Medi."

"May I have a name to thank for this pleasure?"

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────

"My name's Sen. What's yours?"
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

Before Ophelia had a chance to respond, tired of the way she was being treated as though she were nothing more than a thorn in this hero's side, Idra interrupted. "Of course you would side with the peasants. Only the kami knows why the empress titled you a hero." She rolled her eyes, drawing her own fan to cover the unlady-like look her lips made underneath a synthread veil. Her bodyguards on the other hand had looked uncomfortable, recognizing the very feats that made him a name in Heaven to begin with in the first place. Stubborn in his existence, the fact that he was alive despite the galaxy's malice towards him and his kind had marked him a prominent figure among the demons in hell as well the indentured species too.

"I side with people I believe are useful, Idra. Don't forget. You were chosen by Gabriel, not by me. I don't care if you die." As blunt as he could put it, Sen refused to give her pride an inch. She was frustrating to deal with, similar in pride to the angels that deemed his soul beyond redemption. Despite being considered on the same side when it came to the Empress' attempts at galactic reconciliation, given the scale of the conflict, there were many who held different opinions that made up her retinue. "You're but one of many. Nobles like you put a shame on the founding ancestors that actually deserved that title. Whatever legacy you will leave behind for your next of kin to inherit is wealth and an attitude, things that don't matter to me."

"You wouldn't know what useful looks like if you think they're better than me. No wonder why Rafaela can't bear to be seen with you." The sound of her name had struck a chord with the human hero. It was one of the few ways she was able to genuinely piss him off. As soon as she spoke those words, the bodyguards had reached for their spare weapons, drawing their gear with the expectation that Sen would not leave her insult without a fight in response. However, depriving her of a notable death at the hands of a hero, Sen responded with cold logic. In truth, she was someone who was forgettable, much unlike the people that she disrespected only moments earlier.

"They brought back a person of interest. You bring nothing but your family's name. If you deem their merit useless, then you're three steps below them... Beneath the worth of the very floor you stand on and the very oxygen you breathe... And don't you dare bring up her name here." A tattooed brand labeled two in roman numerals glowed on his face, veins contorting as though he was being punished for the mere thought of her. Snapping his fingers, an army of invisible drones had unveiled themselves, each with weapons ready to fire. Onboard weapon systems have also gone online, as though the station was unwilling to let their unwanted guest get away with threatening him without some form of retaliation.

"Me and my people have built this station from the ground up. If you truly wish to die over a reason as vain as pride, you could join many of Gabriel's people: Dead and ejected into the void, marked as an accident to avoid having him seem like a bad leader." His eyes had glowed vibrantly, daring her to give him a good enough reason. As if the others in the station recognized his anger, the station's docking bay grew quiet, swiftly moving away from the line of fire to avoid being made a potential casualty.

Upon finding herself outgunned and outmatched, the undead princess turned her back to him, waving at her bodyguards to follow her back towards her golden ship parked right beside Medina's own. Before leaving however, she spat on the ground towards him, turning her face one last time to the hero and their team as she stepped aboard the loading bay of her small floating castle. "Tch. Don't think this is over. Just watch me, I'll come back with the planet we're assigned to capture wrapped around my fingers."

Sighing in relief once she was gone, Sen pulled out a syringe from his bag to inject himself with painkillers. "I'm glad the rest of you are okay. Sorry about the loss of your friend, Elaine. I promise you, we won't let her sacrifice won't be in vain." Waving at the crew to follow him, as he turned his back to the princess, Sen began to make his way towards where the food was located onboard. "But I'm sure you all are hungry. You've been deployed there for quite a while. Come. We'll talk about it over food."

Before following him, Shiro's eyes were still held onto her weapon and Medina was still distracted by the damage on the ship. "We'll go ahead and catch up with you later. We have some work to do here first." August nodded her head, patting Medi on the head. "Don't go shopping for replacement parts for too long. I don't think you'd be able to work well on an empty stomach. Shiro," Following Neon off the ship, the witch motioned her head towards Medi as she grabbed her massive toolbox. "Can you watch over her for me?" Upon hearing her command, the catgirl's ears flickered. "Of course. I'll keep her safe." Smiling to the pair as their group split, both August and Neon waved goodbye at the two while they headed over to where the station's shopping wing was located. "Well, can't keep our boss waiting, now can we?" With a smile on her face and a rumble being emitted from her stomach, Neon's motivations were as clear as day. She was hungry.

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
"Ophelia, huh?"

Discussions over dinner.
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋᴘᴏɪɴᴛ (ɴɪɢʜᴛ) | ᴀᴢᴀʟɪ ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

Sitting at a table for four, August sat across from Neon and Sen, giving Ophelia a space by her side to eat. In front of them sat a feast of different dishes from across the galaxy, with the biggest course of them all being a stew sitting in the center of the table. "Oh, boss! You should've seen it! It was like we we're in a fucking fairy tale storybook!" Now out of combat and far from danger, Neon's demeanor had changed significantly. Instead of being incredibly serious or angry, she seemed excited and proud to share what they experienced throughout their journey, devouring her meal in between sentences. "But, my gods was it weird. The tower we went to..." Tossing a device onto the table, upon the pressing of a couple buttons on its touch screen, a hologram displayed the recording she took with her eyes. "... It changed on us. Hell, it even bled when Gust stabbed it too."

"So you came from a living, arcane tower? How interesting." Curious about the defenses that protected what the books called a dark artifact, the hero swiped through several scenes that played on their way up the tower. From the battle at its entrance with the eldritch hounds to the infinite staircase, his mind seemed to be occupied with a potential what if. Given the extent to how much her existence was deemed a curse on those who possessed her, he doubted that she would have been accessible just from a few traps like that alone, though he kept the idea to himself. The princess in front of him was solid evidence that they found something there; Something worth taking an interest in. "Can you tell me more about the place that held you?"

As Ophelia spoke, Sen scanned her vital signs for any signs of an anomaly. Going from x-raying her body to tell whether she has a strange amount of organs to registering magical readings from being within her proximity, once his scan was complete, he gave her a smile. There was no doubt that she was related to the eldritch. Should she learn how to navigate her powers properly, there was no doubt that she could be a boon by his side. "Oh, and I could see the mark August put on you, so I made a little something for you to wear to help you grow accustomed to this world." Reaching into his lab coat, he withdrew a necklace with a cybernetic chain attached. "This would help you translate your words for others to understand, while translating the words of others into your language." Created through a combination of tech and magic, the human revealed himself to be a capable engineer.

"If I may, Sen. I'd like to ask if its okay for her to stick by our side." Thinking about the possible experiments that other scientists and magicians could subject her to, the witch felt as though she could keep Ophelia safe by her side. Especially given that they were the most familiar faces she had in this new world, if she is as truly dangerous as the storybooks say, then she felt personally responsible for keeping her in check while giving her a home. She knew that Elaine would have preferred it this way as well, to treat Ophelia like a guest instead of some object. "I mean, if you're planning to ally ourselves with her, then someone needs to show her around right? Someone to teach her how the galaxy works and operates? I'd really like to introduce myself as a candidate if its possible." Taking a sip of her tea, her and Sen exchanged a stare as his brain calculated who would be the best fit for her.

"Well, there are far worse alternatives and I'd much rather be you than Idra. As long as Ophelia's happy with you, then I only have three conditions." Sen raised his first finger, turning off Neon's holo-projector with his opposite hand so that nothing would get in the way. "First and foremost, I'm going to need a promise that you both and your team will follow my direct orders. No questions. No buts or ifs about it." Noticing Ophelia's reaction, Sen added onto it. "Don't worry, I'm a lot smarter than you take me for. What I mean is, If I give you a command to run, you run. I will not risk your safety needlessly."

With a nod of her head, he brought up his second finger. "Secondly, your team will be held accountable for her actions. If Ophelia commits a crime, that will be on you and your team's reputation, got it?" Remaining firm in her decision, the witch agreed once more. If the princess was someone that was able to understand her while also being someone who could apologize when push came to shove, August believed she was someone befitting of her team. "Of course. I fully intend on having her join us as a part of the team. Given Elaine's passing, as second leader, I promise you that we won't let you down."

For a moment, his face grew stern, losing immediately the familiarity he had with August and Neon upon reaching his final ask. "And finally, should she prove uncontrollable, I trust that you would be the one held responsible for her, yes?" August turned over to Ophelia, remaining quiet for a moment. While she did call them her saviors, there was still a question about what her true opinions of them were. Though, as if she truly believed her own words when she said she found her for a reason, August nodded her head once more. "I don't think we'll ever come to terms like that, but if the worst comes to shove, then I'll handle it when the time comes."

Returning back to his past demeanor, Sen poured some soup into his bowl to join Neon in the feast. The restaurant they sat in was an all you can eat buffet where the waiters arrived at tables to take more orders. Though, if there was too much food still around, it would lead to them skipping out on more freshly cooked portions. "Good. Now all that leaves is you, Ophelia." Turning his attention towards the princess, he placed his elbows on the table while resting his chin on his interlocked fingers. "You'll need a place to stay and people to take care of you in the meantime. While August might be offering, there are other people onboard who could take care of you too... Though, I doubt any would take that much of an initiative as your friend there." Content with the witch's conviction, the hero reaffirmed her faith.

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
"So, what will it be?"

"Do you wish to to stay with your saviors or do you want to find someone else?"
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞

"My name's Sen. What's yours?"
​

Ophelia sighed; having to introduce herself each time was starting to wear on her. So many people, so interested in learning about her. What for? As far as she was concerned, she was nothing more than some old relic of even older times. Nothing new could be gleamed of her, though people could certainly strive to learn from her mistakes. But if they were in her position, what better choices could they make? She'd been thrown into an impossible situation and given but one possibility. Despite all of her agony, Ophelia had not once regretted her decision. The only thing she regretted was that she was a toy to the gods of this universe. If they were looking down at her, she was sure they were all snickering and ridiculing her.

She let out a breath of relief when her conversation was cut short by the vainful woman if only because it meant that the attention was removed from her. At the prospect of continuing to talk about herself, she would take any excuse and reason to dodge it. The less they knew about her, the better. She could only pray their interest in her would wane after some time. Maybe they'd wisen up and realize she was too much of a risk to be advantageous to them. Maybe they'd just throw her back into her accursed world where she could continue to wallow in her self-misery.

Maybe she would wake up from this nightmare and be back in her room at the castle, where her biggest worry was who she was going to marry and how the summer crop was growing. And maybe she could go out to the courtyard to clear her head and continue to mentally prepare herself to be a queen, the weighty crown on her head both a symbol of power and responsibility.

The princess gripped at her own arm tightly, feeling as her neatly-clipped nails bit into her skin from over her dress, the tip of her canine digging into the inside of her lip so hard she could taste iron. The so-called hero's and the woman's voices became muffled, their bickering deafening to her ears as she began to sink back into her despair. The shock of this new world was slowly beginning to wear away, the reality of her situation starting to settle. The shiny new coat could only distract her for so long before her mind returned to its natural state; overwhelming and overpowering gloom. A sinking deluge of despair.

She could never be free.
​

The worms crawling in the back of her skull served as a constant reminder of her status as a prisoner like no pang of hunger and clinking of chains could ever hope to. Not this hero nor the next, nor any god willing could ever change that for her. She let out a soft, wavering breath as she reached for her chest, pushing away that pain that needled into her thrumming heart, all but a mockery of what a real heart would sound like. Ophelia closed her eyes softly, calming herself in a moment.

She grounded herself in time to catch the last bit of the pair's argument, watching coldly as the woman began to walk away and then turning her attention to Sen, noticing with curiosity as he stabbed himself with a strange needle. For a moment, her cold eyes lingered on him, questions apparent in her gaze. Not just about the thing he'd just put into his body, but about everything surrounding their meeting. She'd only just arrived here and she felt like she was more lost than when they were in the vast void of space.

It wasn't as if she was completely clueless; her god, in its vast 'generosity', had 'offered' her equally vast knowledge of a million things. Offered because she hadn't been given a lot of choice in the matter before it shoved it all into her brain, unconcerned with how painful it was. She knew the basics of how the universe worked on a fundamental level, but everything here was an unknown. This did not look like any planet she knew of. Certainly, the metal floor underneath her unsteady feet were a good starting point to satisfy her curiosity.

But the promise of food was a little more pressing. Her stomach rumbled at the mention, her first proper food in several millenia had to be worth something. Unlike the roseate-haired swordswoman, however, she was less enthusiastic about it.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

"Ophelia, huh?"
​

Honestly speaking, she was starting to get a bit sick of the sound of her own name. It wasn't as if that was a particularly rare feeling though. Even before this, people were often so interested in her. Particularly sleazy nobles who hoped to ingratiate themselves to the king through her -- or worse, those who thought they had a chance to bed a princess -- would overuse her name to a sickening extent. At least this time nobody was trying to sweet-talk their way into her bedroom. Specifically because she didn't have one anymore. Even though her feet were killing her and she could really use a change of wardrobe.

The princess was happy to let the swordswoman take the initiative in the talks. She wasn't sure she could offer anything of value regarding her 'rescue' to begin with, as all that she'd done was talk a bit and then have the wall of her bedroom blown out before she fell down and nearly crashed into the ground. It really was like some sappy fairytale as the ones Medina had mentioned if one forgot about the horrible, malformed living tower. Actually, she was pretty sure she'd read one like that too.

Of course, she could only dodge talking for so long before the conversation actually returned to her as the subject proper. She nearly flinched as Sen turned his words directly at him, having been pinching bits of food for the last few minutes. She couldn't afford to eat in droves after not eating for about a thousand and five hundred years (she'd counted). It was a pity because the food was really tasty.

"It is a sordid tale I'm in no rush to retell..."
​

She uttered softly behind a sigh, shaking her head slightly. "There was once an abyssal rift where that tower now stands. Legends say it was crawling with demons before the first Lamprosian king slayed them all. When I... The tower was built around me. A shrine of sorts. The god that I made a pact with made it to be my perch and my cage." Ophelia was conscious of her own words, speaking slowly so that she had time to pick the right ones. They didn't need to know the whole story. So she wouldn't tell it.

It was not a pleasant tale for her to recall either, as evidenced by the lull of her voice.

After a moment of silence, she reopened her eyes, casting her gaze on the necklace Sen offered. Out of habit, she regarded it with a bit of suspicion; it was not rare for nobles to try and bribe her with gifts of pure silver and gold. Ophelia was not exactly a materialistic woman, so such gifts rung hollow to her. Out of respect and necessity, she primly pinched the necklace between her fingers, raising it over her head and hanging it on her neck. Her fingers brushed over the metal for a moment, listening to Sen's explanation. "I must thank you. Though... I would like to learn the language properly. I can only manage with these crutches for now." Besides, with such a piece of jewelry, it could easily be torn off of her in a moment of frenetic action. Or worse, she could simply forget it and be unable to get it. Either possibility could leave her just as incapable of communicating with others.

With the conversation shifting towards the subject of what they would do with her, Ophelia quieted down and looked over to August, pitching in with a request. It didn't surprise the princess that she would ask to be the ones that were stuck with her after all they'd said, but it was still something she could not exactly respect as a wise decision. Rather than interject with her own input, however, she simply listened. She picked up her drink, sipping on it quietly while August explained her case to Sen. She cast her gaze down to the melting ice cubes in her drink, steadying her breathing as the girl went on.

What rubbish.
​

In the end, they were not all that different from the posturing knights of her kingdom that made themselves bigger than life to earn their titles. They spoke of forging one's own paths and other platitudes the same as any other person, yet they didn't seem to realize their own hypocrisy in priving the princess of her own agency. Whether there was a choice between getting probed and poked or sticking to a band of mercenaries, all she had to do was brush away the paint and see them both for what they were; just another cage for her to be stuffed into. She was a pretty bird, she would admit. She was sure they would feel good about themselves watching her as she preened herself for them. If she was a kinder, less jaded woman, she'd play along with their game of shining knights and act a little more grateful, but she was just a bit too weary to play nice.

Conditions? Responsability? Accountability? Words, words, words. They were all just words and words and nothing more. Anyone and everyone could wag their tongue and make it sound pretty, but in the end, words held no significance in front of all that Ophelia had been forced to witness. The voice that whispered nonsense into one ear and undeniable, unrefutable logic into the other knew that their words were just that; pretty, shiny lip service. It took all of her will to not just slam her fist into the table and scream.

When they were done talking, talking, talking, Sen once again turned his tongue at her. She looked up from her glass, the cubes melted and watering down her drink, she set it down before pulling in a deep, steadying breath.

"Please stop acting as if I'm anything but a tool to you all."
​

She closed her eyes, allowing herself to speak plainly for the first time since she'd met them. Though she'd done nothing to conceal her jadedness, she had still clung to those silvery words she'd learned to recite from the moment she'd learned how to speak. She caught a gasp in her throat, realizing that the feeling brewing in her chest was frustration. Smoldering frustration that was screaming to ignite into a righteous, burning anger. "I do not wish or have need of someone to answer in my place," she continued, the frustration giving way to a catharsis she was a stranger to. "I am my own person. I do not need others to take responsibility for me. I have my own pride, both as a princess and as myself. My decisions are mine and mine alone. I do not need your platitudes-- nor your hollow promises."

"Though we may both feel pain and grief, do not think that connects us."
​

They could not understand, no matter how much they wanted to, even an inch of what it was like to be in her place. It only made her more indignant that they would try to act as if they could. "I do not understand what motivates you all. You do not understand what I've been through. That is fine. You have a use for me, that is all I need to know." She paused, letting her crimson eyes crack open and falling upon August. "I thank you for your compassion, but there is no need for it; I will act of my own accord."

"Whatever threats you may cast in my direction cannot compare to what I've already been through. I am not your pet nor your prisoner."
​

"And I will choose to align myself with you for now. Even if I'd rather be back in that tower." She looked away, taking her fork and stabbing it into a meatbun before bringing it to her mouth, the savory oil spreading into her tongue and streaming down her tongue before she continued.

"I will remain with you all for now."
​

And finally, quietly, Ophelia gave her answer. "Make no mistake; I am grateful to you all. And that gratefulness will be repaid with the power you're all so enchanted by. But please do not ask more of me. My heart can no longer offer its sympathy; it died along with my kingdom."

 

[Tenzai]

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
"Please stop acting as if I'm anything but a tool to you all."
✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ | ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴛᴏᴋᴇɴ ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

A wave of silence overtook the table as Ophelia vented her frustrations. Feeling as though she exchanged one cage for another, as she spoke, while August had felt guilty for acting again without the explicit consent of those around her, Neon didn't bother while her food was in front of her. Sen on the other hand didn't seem disturbed by her announcement of her truth. In fact, she was a reminder of how he felt about himself to the other heroes.

"I do not wish or have need of someone to answer in my place, I am my own person. I do not need others to take responsibility for me. I have my own pride, both as a princess and as myself. My decisions are mine and mine alone. I do not need your platitudes-- nor your hollow promises." Made subject to generations of unspoken torment, the witch beside her had muttered a quiet apology repeatedly, realizing that she herself had not changed despite the loss of her many coven sisters. It was her fault that they had met their doom in the first place. Given her lack of knowledge on their newest arrival, it was likely that August herself would spell doom for her too. She was a cursed being, a flaw among an immortal sect of casters. "Though we may both feel pain and grief, do not think that connects us."

Upon hearing those words, Neon's hand gripped her metal dining implements to the point where they bent out of shape. They were hard for her ears to bear, given the fact that they lost one of their own while on the quest to find her in the first place. Though, before she was able to vent out her anger, Sen gave her the look that commanded her to ease her own heart for now. While their newest guest felt safe enough to share her truth, he wasn't going to have anything interrupt her. The human hero nodded his head, listening and recording her words to memory. In truth, there was nothing binding her to them, and likewise, nothing binding them to her. The mere suggestion that August wished to take personal responsibility for her was a surprise, though not an unwelcome one. She had a sensitive heart, much more than those of the people he would've offered in her place.

"I do not understand what motivates you all. You do not understand what I've been through. That is fine. You have a use for me, that is all I need to know." As she turned towards August, she was able to see her head turned away, unable to return her crimson stare due to her own eyes displaying her flood of emotion. "I thank you for your compassion, but there is no need for it; I will act of my own accord. Whatever threats you may cast in my direction cannot compare to what I've already been through. I am not your pet nor your prisoner. And I will choose to align myself with you for now. Even if I'd rather be back in that tower."

'Oh?' The last part of her statement had brought an interesting thought to mind. If returning back to her tower was something desirable, then he believed he had something in mind that could help motivate her to accommodate the idea of living in these new conditions. "I will remain with you all for now. Make no mistake; I am grateful to you all. And that gratefulness will be repaid with the power you're all so enchanted by. But please do not ask more of me. My heart can no longer offer its sympathy; it died along with my kingdom."

"I'm... Going to excuse myself for now. Something just came up. Haha..." Chuckling uncomfortably as she stood herself up, August quickly excused herself from the table, giving a polite courtesy to them all before leaving. With hurried boots, she left the restaurant to avoid ruining their dinner any more than she had already, believing that she was an unwelcome presence within their midst. "Neon, if you can." As if he experienced this before with her, Sen requested her sanguine teammate's assistance, only for her to sigh and nod her head. "Fine, the food better be here by the time I come back though." Heated enough to understand that she would only regret what she'll say next, Neon avoided Ophelia as she left the table. "Of course, don't think we could have all of this to ourselves." The hero waved her off as she ran towards August, leaving the two behind to their lonesome.

As if, he had a switch be pulled once that team had left him alone, the veil of familiarity dissipated to that of cold calculation. To the people who he believed he held the loyalty of, he was kinder than what the rumors about him had them to believe. But to those who had yet to show their mettle, he didn't care about their opinions. "Let me give it to you straight. The station you're standing on is more than just a floating castle. Its a weapon." Pulling out a holographic display of his own, he displayed the inner workings of the ship and its construction's and deployment's intention.

"We were here to take out several rebel strongholds on this planet, looting whatever weapons, artifacts, and equipment they managed to scavenge up from the remains of the empire that once dominated this world, presumably yours, before establishing a garrison of our own. However...." With the lights in his eyes flickering as he went through the several simulations he made in preparation of absolving this planet from its captors, he brought up one where the planet cracked due to the weight of a heavy beam. "Should it be deemed not worth the sacrifice in saving, then its destruction is an option."

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
"So, here's my deal for you, Ophelia.
Not for your saviors; Only you."
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

"I can tell something powerful lies dormant in you, something too strong to ignore. So how about, you help me take back your planet with your ability and I'll return you to your tower where you could remain in peace. No dealing with intergalactic politics nor going through the hassle of alien intrigue; How does that sound?" Regardless of losing what he deemed could be a powerful asset, Sen had no spare patience and little space within his ranks for people who didn't seek the same goals as he did. If she wished to be treated as a tool that was meant to be disposed of, then who was he to stop her? "I'm not exactly the type of guy who'd waste time trying to convince you of something that I'm not. Just because we're called heroes doesn't mean we're good people. We're only those the empress-to-be had entrusted with relinquishing the tyrant emperor's hold on the galaxy."

Pouring her another drink, Sen turned towards the entrance of which the other two had left. "If it were any other hero, they would either have left you in the tower to be left a casualty from some stray heavy ordinance, would have captured you to experiment on you and investigate the source of your magic, or they would have deemed your existence too much a risk to allow to exist. Then again, would it matter? It's not like all of you is here in the first place." Shaking his head upon realizing that he was droning on, the human poured himself the rest of his drink.

"You know? I don't blame you for responding the way you did earlier. All of us have our own demons that follow us wherever we go." Despite his body reacting little to it, the brand on his face was still burning with the same intensity as it did earlier. Rising smoke had come from where divine light had touched his face, punishing him for a heretical thought alone, of the girl he shouldn't have fallen in love with. "Hero, princess, noble, or not, while our pain might be different, that doesn't mean we're beyond connection. I've been told by a friend that suffering binds people together in the hopes that, by working with each other, it comes to and end." Reaching into his pocket, Sen tossed her a flash drive. "Do me a favor and get that back to August, yeah? It holds the description of her next mission, the elimination of a rebel captain in the ruins of a castle."

"As much as I wish to give them all more time to grieve, we can't afford to stop now, else others will suffer the same fate."
​

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
"I thought I'd be better than this."
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

Hidden within one of the bathrooms of the Argenti Citadel, the witch stared daggers into her reflection, cursing the fact that she hadn't changed even with the loss of her coven and the loss of Elaine. Pounding her fist at the glass in an attempt to punch her own image, by the time that Neon showed up, she grabbed the witch's hand to prevent her from hurting herself even further. Her knuckles were bruised and tears had run from her eyes, finally showing the extent of how much Ophelia's words had gotten to her. She was at the end of her rope.

"Let go, Neon!" She tried to shake her hand away from the samurai to no avail. Neon was the strongest out of the team physically, and she wasn't afraid of using that contrast in power to keep the people she deemed her family safe. "Its not your fault, Gust. You can't blame yourself for what you didn't know." Despite the rush of heated blood being pumped to her extremities, the vampire remained calm. Adding more fuel to the fire was not going to do either girl any favors. "Their deaths weren't your fault."

"I was the one who started it in the first place! If I wasn't there, they wouldn't have died, Neon!" A gust of wind had overtook the bathroom, pushing the samurai back, causing Neon to fall into a roll. "If it wasn't for me getting in danger, then Elaine wouldn't have intervened! She wouldn't have put herself in harm's way!" Survivor's guilt. Not only was she the last to survive the rebel betrayal of the coven itself, but she had another instance again that happened recently. It was hard for her to navigate the feeling of loss, feeling as though she was to blame for this accursed fate befalling all who she surrounded.

"Shit, calm down! You're going to end up hurting someone else at this rate!" Caught within a storm of her own emotion, her heart was too stubborn to listen. The potency of her magic was tied to the strength of her heart and soul. Whatever she felt strongest about, whether that be her own anguish or the love she held for the people around her, magnified the arcane energy she wielded around her fingertips. Though, at the end of it all, she didn't wish to hurt anyone. The strongest of her winds had avoided Neon the closer she advanced, only stopping once her arms were clutched around the witch's in a hug. "Gust! I've told you before and I'll tell you as many times as it takes to get it through your thick skull! Whatever you're going through, we'll deal with it together. So calm down alright? You're not alone, and we're not dead. Isn't that what matters?"

Letting one of her hands go to wipe the tears off their new team leader's face, Neon sighed in relief once she noticed her friend calming down. "Take a breath and listen to me. I'm not going anywhere, whether you like it or not... So tell me, what's on your mind." Letting go to lean back on one of the sinks, Neon crossed her arms, wiping off some of the excess fluid that came from Gust's tear drops off her shoulders. "... I'm a terrible leader, aren't I? Elaine would've known what to do and say..." Looking down at the ground, August couldn't help but feel guilty at Ophelia's response. "Every time I open my mouth, I feel like I'm making the wrong decision. What do I do, Neon?" The samurai closed her eyes for a moment to ponder the best response to her question, only to wrap both her arms around the back of Gust's head and pull her close.

​

"That's all we can do, right? I mean, that princess likes you a hell of a lot better than she does me so that's a good sign." Neon chuckled, feeling her anger loosen at the sight of August's vulnerabilities. While she was once spurned by her feeling of disrespect, it paled in comparison to the feeling that came with her friend getting one step closer to rediscovering herself. "My best?" Looking up at the cyborg of a woman, she was met with the comforting gaze of one of the girls she trusted the most. Despite their first meeting being so brash, it was that unapologetic honesty she held towards those she surrounded herself with that made Neon a welcome part of the team. "That's right. Your best. As long as you're doing that, no one has any right to judge you for when you fail."

Neon's stomach growled, causing a small fit of laughter to erupt between the two. "Now let's head back to the others, yeah? I'm starving and I doubt our food's gonna stay warm if we stay here any longer."

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞​

"I'm... Going to excuse myself for now. Something just came up. Haha..."

Though clearly a lie, Ophelia didn't bother to call it out or make an effort acknowledge it as August awkwardly and rushedly excused herself from the table, her eyes shut softly and her expression cool and detached as this was but an expected reaction. If she realized the look of anger in Neon's eyes fixed upon her, she made no hints of it, simply reaching for her cutlery the moment the warrior excused herself as well. Left with nothing but chilling silence, the princess felt, for the first time since she'd left her tower... strangely at ease. Thousands of years of isolation did something to a human mind, much different from the horrors that she'd come to become numb to after so long. Tragically, being alone was more comforting than being surrounded by people who would accept her with open arms.

It was because they were fools to simply take her in the way that they did. She couldn't stand by their naivete.

Of course, all good things had to come to an end, one way or another. That silence that gave her comfort would soon be broken again by this supposed "hero". His cold gaze was met with equally cold, empty eyes. "Let me give it to you straight. The station you're standing on is more than just a floating castle. Its a weapon." She looked at the holographic display with open disinterest; she'd be unable to understand them even if he explained, but the word 'weapon' was enough for her to comprehend his point. Perhaps that was why she'd felt such dissonance when first stepping into the station. Or perhaps it was the cold steel that surrounded them all, uncaring for the life that it harbored. For as horrifying as it was, the tower she'd called her home was living, breathing and often unpleasantly warm by comparison.

Everything else was the same old song that she knew; annexation, war, destruction and the ravaging of lands. Ophelia would've been impressed if she hadn't heard it all before. As much as she looked back to her old kingdom with nostalgic, yearning eyes, they weren't nearly as ideal as she liked to remember them. The kingdom, far and wide in nature, hadn't always been like that. It was her bloodline's divine magic that gave them an edge over the other magicless people, might making right and subjugation their version of justice. Before the invasion by otherworlders, her father had been dealing with their own version of a rebel uprising, though it would never reach the level of widespread destruction that this war of theirs apparently had at full swing.

The word 'destruction' rang in her ears, her red gaze rising to meet Sen's. Perhaps he believed that would get a reaction out of her. And it did, though not necessarily in the way he might expect. "Do you believe holding my planet hostage would have me begging to help you?" A mocking smirk that did not reach her eyes tugged at her lips, her head tilted slightly to the side. "Unless your toy here," She tapped her foot on the ground beneath her. "Can kill a god, I wouldn't bother. You will be swallowed up, little hero, in your hubris just like every other hero before you and every hero after you."

"You are not the first "hero" I've met, nor will you be the last. Your name will be forgotten by the eons. Your little fairytale will come to an end just like every other. Your face will be but a blur in my eyes."
​

She laughed coldly, raising her hand to her lips to cover such an unsightly display, her dignity foremost in her mind even now. She let out a sigh, the smile fading as quickly as it had appeared, as if it had been but a mirage. She gazed down at the plate of food in front of her, allowing Sen to continue. It was not a bad deal, all things considered, but did he truly have the influence to make such an offer? If these people were so desperate to have the planet or destroy it, were reclaiming it prove too much of a hassle, why would they allow her to go back to the tower? They would just see the tower as yet another obstacle. And besides, it wasn't as if It was one to entertain neighbors. There was a reason why all intelligent life had been wiped away, with only flora and fauna allowed to coexist with the tower itself.

"So kind and yet so tough. Is this the part where the princess bows her head and thanks you for helping her? Mmm, it does so remind me of the bards' tales of ye olde times. Well, it's not as if your little mercenaries gave me a warm greeting. My hands restrained and held at weapon's edge. And that exchange you had with that woman from before... why, you all remind me more of brigands and bandits than some band of freedom fighters or what be it that you purport yourselves to be."

"Keep your deal, little hero. I've had my share of dealings to last me a lifetime. And why should I negotiate with that whom is but a speck in my eyes?"
​

She waved her hand as if she was brushing off Sen's offer. Or swatting it away like an annoying bug within her view. "Idealistic rubbish. We also had idealists in my time, no need to rub yourselves on the back. The reality is that time washes all away. Your suffering is but a sigh in this universe. It will erode away like dust. I will forget it before long." Ophelia caught the flash drive, turning it in her hand for a moment before setting it down next to her plate.

"A castle?" It couldn't be... could it? But what other castle could there be? For the first time, her interest was piqued. To think there could still be a semblance of a castle after so long. That the bricks hadn't turned to dust and the metal gates rusted away was a miracle in and of itself. "Well, it should be better than sending them to that tower. Do you usually send your people on suicide missions, or was this one special?" Ophelia asked, raising her brow at the hero. She didn't expect an answer, however, nor was she that interested in it regardless, going back to eating after a moment of silence. She would really appreciate it if that was it. She couldn't eat in peace with all this chatter going on around her.

Cold silence greeted them again, the discussion seemingly over. The princess herself, though well-versed in the art of making small, inconsequential talk, had focused all of her attention on eating. She picked up a new piece of food right after finishing the previous one, primly cutting each meal properly before taking it to her mouth and chewing thoroughly. After each bite, she would bring a napkin to her face and clean off any bits and sauce that may have clung to her face, keeping herself clean without fail.

After some time, they were joined by the two again. Ophelia only lifted her eyes to look at August for a split second, but she noticed the redness at the corners of her eyes, the telltale sign of crying, as well as the bruises on her knuckles. Clearly, she'd been hitting something, though what it was would be hard to determine. A pang of guilt struck at her gut, her brows creasing with discomfort as the two sat down.

She didn't bother looking at Neon, decidedly more unconcerned by the swordswoman. She could deal with whatever ailed her on her own, for all Ophelia was concerned, but her words hadn't been uttered with the intent to hurt. It was just that reality often hurt even when one was aware of it. Denial was one hell of a shield and, once stripped away, all that one had been pushing away would come like a deluge of drowning sorrow and anger.

"Mission." Swallowing what she had in mouth, Ophelia pinched the flash drive Sen had handed over to her and set it down in front of August. She could not bear to meet the witch's eyes, hiding herself behind her eyelids as she slid it over, her slim but long fingers returning to her side of the table before another second passed.

"My..." She cleared her throat, grabbing a glass of water and swallowing down help herself talk a little more clearly. "The Lamprosian Royal Castle is a treacherous place for the uninvited. But I know it like the back of my hand. I should be able to guide you to where you must go. And I will do it of my own volition."

She looked to Sen, her brows furrowing together slightly. "Not through empty threats or hollow promises. I won't let you lose anyone anymore." Though it was painful, she lifted her gaze up to August, looking her straight in the eyes.

"If pain will break you down like this, then it would be better to not feel at all. If grief makes you stronger, then you should remain weak and never grieve. That's what I believe."​

 

[Tenzai]

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
Hubris.
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

"Keep your deal, little hero. I've had my share of dealings to last me a lifetime. And why should I negotiate with that whom is but a speck in my eyes? Idealistic rubbish. We also had idealists in my time, no need to rub yourselves on the back. The reality is that time washes all away. Your suffering is but a sigh in this universe. It will erode away like dust. I will forget it before long."

Ophelia's eyes lacked the luster of interest as she spoke, paying credence to his guess of a lack of faith in his words as she waved his request away. While the hero was aware that he would receive pushback for his offer, he couldn't deny that to a stranger who didn't know him for his reputation, his offer could be seen as no more than an empty threat, easily done away with through the might of the unknown. Instead of being angry at her rejection or the coldness of her response, relenting as he took his conversational defeat. He was not known for his charisma, only his ingenuity in the face of overwhelming odds. "So be it. I suppose I couldn't blame you for the way you feel. My methods are far from kind." He confessed.

The princess reminded him of a certain pair of angels, one he hated and one he loved more than anything else. "But don't assume that I don't have sway with the empress. Especially over a barren planet such as this, if given good reason to, even the soon-to-be queen would leave it undisturbed. Personally, I'd prefer you as my ally, and likewise, I hope you could eventually see me as one too, but for now. I won't push you any further. All I ask is that you don't serve against your friends in the meantime while we figure out something that works between us."

In order to accomplish any great feat in this galaxy, the kami that held authority over it dictated that there was need for sacrifice in order to achieve the impossible. Blood needed to be spilled to attain each planet, station, and star. In a better world, there would have been room for negotiation; Of no need for war or bloodshed for factions to settle their differences. However, that world was not this one, those with the power to influence the strings of fate had dictated it so. Moving away from the conversation, deeming no point in continuing it, as he tossed her a flash drive that held the details of the next mission, an odd shift in her eyes had caused him to take interest in her response.

"A castle?" Raising an eyebrow, Sen placed the hologram of the remains of her home for her to view in full clarity. "Well, it should be better than sending them to that tower. Do you usually send your people on suicide missions, or was this one special?" Sen shook his head. To him, each chosen member of his cohort was far more valuable than the allies his heroic companions tried to set him up with. Unlike them, he had personally selected each out of a belief that they all had something special to contribute, only needing the right kind of help to bring that ability out.

"Usually, I prefer my own to handle tasks far from the front lines. Subterfuge, supply lines, magi-tech development and the like. Me and my people aren't meant to be the main force that deals with rebel strongholds. But... Given the sudden risk of an artifact falling into rebel hands, one potentially cataclysmic in scale, we couldn't refuse this opportunity to prevent disaster." Remaining honest with her despite their conversation turning cold, he didn't see a point in lying, especially if her team would speak the same. "I'd rather be the one to personally handle you than have some other rebel or thoughtless hero try to turn you into a weapon against your will."

With all that being said, as the conversation grinded to a halt with the princess focusing on eating, Sen stood up from the table, believing it best to give her some time to acclimate to the new conditions on her own. "Take however long you need to eat. Its all paid for already." Before he left however, he paused to give her his final thoughts. "But don't forget, my offer still stands. If you do manage to help us take care of the rebels on your planet, you could make it your own. I never cared much for the title of claiming lands for myself. As long as you're willing to work with me, that's more than enough. I'd rather not have to destroy any more planets if I could help it." Eventually leaving Ophelia on her own, the other girls had joined up with her again after a couple minutes had passed.

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
"Sweet, the food's still hot!"
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

Quick to switch gears from comforting the witch to eating her food, the vampire pounced quickly on some of the leftovers while nearby staff topped up their plates with more food. Ignoring her previous hostility towards Ophelia, now that the princess was able to observe her closely without disruption, it was clear that she had a one track mind. When it came to living a life so closely tied with death, the cyborg was taught by her vampire mentors within the void shades not to think too hard about the dire circumstances of her situation; Only enough to make the best decisions she could in the moment.

August on the other hand sat across from Ophelia upon finding Sen missing. It was hard for her to look in the eyes of the person she thought she "saved" from the tower, especially after overhearing her honest opinion about her unwelcome intrusion into her life and her apparent lack of autonomy even after being "freed." Still, she thought it would be unbecoming of her if she couldn't at least speak to her with a smile. Mustering whatever emotional strength she had in her heart to try and recover from her mistake, she tried her best, offering the princess a sad excuse of a smile, unable to mask the true feelings of her heart well. "Uh... W-where's Sen?"

"Mission." Noticing a flash drive made by the hero who hired her and her team in Ophelia's hand, August reached out to grab it as the princess slid it across the table. Upon closer inspection, there was a custom built plug that was intended to fit inside their holo-devices. "Oh... It's not often that he wouldn't sit with us to discuss it. Did I... Ruin the moment?" Shaking her head, Neon gave the witch a gentle nudge on the side before taking the flash drive from her to place into the side of her neck. "You know he has thicker skin than that, Gust. I'm sure he's just really busy. I mean, we didn't give him an ETA of when we were going to come back after all... Now let's see what we have here..." Once the cyborg downloaded the information, she shared it with the other members of her team, eventually leading to August displaying images of the intended castle on her display.

"So we're going from tower hunting to castle devling this time. Fun." She uttered sarcastically. "At least, we don't have to look around for it with the coordinates already put in." Grabbing a skewer of fried fish, Neon took a deep bite while August swiped through the different images. It was a massive structure, one that would easily take multiple teams to discover. Interestingly, they were far from the only ones to be deployed there. Several trusted others were going to make their entrance upon various points in the castle, each with the two goals of claiming the natural defensive position from their enemies and scavenging any magical artifact that may still lay inside. "And it looks like we're far from the only ones to be heading there too."

As they inspected the plans for the castle, the two of them turned over to Ophelia as she spoke up. "My... The Lamprosian Royal Castle is a treacherous place for the uninvited. But I know it like the back of my hand. I should be able to guide you to where you must go. And I will do it of my own volition." Nodding her head upon hearing their new friend offer her help, the sad smile began to contort towards something more genuine. Even if there were still tears dripping from her eyes, it didn't take away from the emotional shift she felt in that moment. "Not through empty threats or hollow promises. I won't let you lose anyone anymore. If pain will break you down like this, then it would be better to not feel at all. If grief makes you stronger, then you should remain weak and never grieve. That's what I believe."

As the princess raised her head to meet the gaze of the witch and her vampire companion, she was met with a smile from both of them. 'So she does have a heart.' Neon thought to herself. "Very well, we'll leave the directions to you. You're the expert here." Content with August's find helping them out, she didn't harbor much more complaint. They were to be aligned in goal, even if their alliance for the most part was temporary. If something was to go wrong, she'd complain about it in the moment instead of well in advance. "I'd rather not be caught off guard again if I could help it."

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
I wouldn't prefer it any other way, Ophelia.
Thank you.
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

"I really appreciate it." August on the other hand was just content with having Ophelia work with them by her own choice. They had a vacancy left behind by the woman who wished the best for them all, Elaine. While August might have had large shoes to fill, she knew that she would fare a poor replacement if she tried to replace all that her predecessor did well. Thus, it was important for her to simply learn how to best work with everyone's roles rather than employ others into positions where their weaknesses would be placed under pressure and scrutiny.

Though, despite her initial hopes, there was still a concern about team chemistry and how effective she is under pressure. With a new addition in their midst and with the presumption that combat was inescapable, she needed to know how capable Ophelia was when it came to meshing well with the rest of them. "But alas, I'd rather choose to feel grief than to not, even if it hurts. If I didn't, I wouldn't be any different than a machine. Their sacrifices would've been in vain." Her eyes glazed upon recalling the day she left her home world for the first time. Try as she might to forget them to reduce the pain, she couldn't change the influence they had on her heart. They were too important to her for her to ignore.

Aware that there was still some work that needed to be done before she could feel confident enough to deploy her team, August shifted the topic of the conversation to something else while Neon finished off the rest of her meal. Even if her heart was a storm of emotion, she had to uphold appearances of maintaining control while others looked to her for instruction. "We should try and get you prepared for what's to come before we face whatever's there. Maybe test you to see where you stand in terms of strength and get you a set of equipment that could help magnify those strengths and cover your weaknesses too!"

Swallowing her food, Neon spoke up despite having messy lips. "We do have a deadline before we have to deploy. Four days." Drinking down a spare glass of cider to wash it all down, the cyborg burped before continuing. "Should be enough time to get some sparring and shopping in. Maybe a little more than that too. The ship should be fully repaired and ready to go by then." Stretching as she stood herself up, the samurai turned towards the exit.

"I'll be training at the gym for the tournament until then. Can't have that fucking bitch take this one over us. Call me if you need me- Oh!" Realizing that Ophelia had no way of contacting the others should she get lost, Neon reached into her bag to grab a spare phone. "Hey, Lia." Already having a nickname for her, she slid the device across the table. "I was going to trade this in since I got something new recently, but you could keep it. Talk to Medina or August about how to use it. Till then, catch ya both later."

"Hey wait-" Her words failed to reach what her mind wished to say. 'Don't leave me here alone.' Without giving August a moment to stop her in her tracks, Neon was gone, leaving the witch alone with Ophelia. Anxious about taking any more of her choice away from her, her mind was paralyzed with trying to find the best choice. If she offered her opinion, it would lead to her heartfelt care potentially being misconstrued as another way for her to strip Ophelia's autonomy; If she remained quiet, she didn't know whether she would make good company; And she sure as hell couldn't leave Ophelia alone on a strange space station so alien from the world she always knew.

Feeling damned if she did and damned if she didn't, instead of fully coming to a decision, another idea came up: A happy medium. What if she decided for herself? "..." Though as she looked towards Ophelia, her words remained stuck in her mouth. There was still an incredible awkwardness that formed between them that had yet to be overcome. 'If Elaine were here, she would know what to say...' Thinking about what Elaine would have done, she could only feel herself collapse. Following her lead was much easier than exploring the fugue on her lonesome. However, if the way forward was through this fog, then remaining silent would do little to help.

"Ophelia... I wanted to properly apologize for the way I treated you. What I've done was wrong of me. I... Never intended on taking away your freedom of choice." Genuinely apologetic over her actions, she felt it was right to ask for forgiveness of the sins she committed against Ophelia. Troublesome starts only multiplied the complexity of navigating a relationship where trust was necessary for survival. Bowing in an act of prostration over their table, she didn't care about how her appearance would look to others. As she did so, quiet mutterings over why a human would do such a thing for another had made themselves known in the background. "You deserved better of me... Of us... And yet I selfishly took you away from your home and brought you to a place where you don't feel like you belong... And for that, I'm sorry."

✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʙᴇᴀɴɪᴇ | ᴄʜᴇᴢɪʟᴇ ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
​

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞​

'Ughhh...' Their smiles were too bright for her to face head-on, her head lowering to keep herself from meeting their eyes as she went back to eating shortly after speaking her piece. Her brow furrowed; it seemed they'd somehow found a convenient twist to what she'd said. She didn't mean to be kind or considerate when she said she wouldn't let any of them die -- it was more like a promise to herself than anything else. It was part of the pride that clung onto her like a piece of seaweed, something that simply refused to disappear from her mind. She would not rest easy if she did not at least return the favor after being saved from the tower, whatever good that did. She still didn't understand why It would allow her to leave, but she feared what it would do to the universe at large if she allowed herself to be its beacon.

"I suppose we are all free to suffer as we wish. Just don't let your suffering be in vain." She squeezed out a lopsided smile at August. What good did suffering for the sake of others do? Ophelia had suffered for so long, for so little. In the end, she had suffered a million times over for the sake of her people and had nothing to show for it. She was as hollow as the space above their heads, except there weren't any twinkling stars to light the void inside herself. Instead, a deep self-loathing was the only thing to fill her up, the dread of existence the only sensation she could afford to feel. It had taken everything else and, in its gluttony, it desired yet more. She had nothing left to give and still this life of hers asked for more. She wanted to call the witch a fool for suffering so pointlessly, but only she could make such a judgement. It was not up to Ophelia to decide how naive and foolish she was, even if she disagreed with her on a fundamental level.

Instead she swirled the wine in her glass, staring down at the spiral it created. She was unable to say more, feeling like the words she could utter would only turn to venom the moment they left her lips. She'd forgotten what it was like to feel hope, and so anything she said was laden only with a black despair. Blacker yet than the tendrils her patron would wrap her enemies around. So black that the concept of color was foreign to her. She took the wine to her lips and wet them, letting the semi-sweet, semi-bitter liquid slide down her throat as August spoke up again. She tilted her head at the girl curiously.

"Equipment?" The mention of it was strange to her. Were her powers not enough? She supposed they had yet to see her use them, so it would be a good idea to at least show them the extent of what she could do... but she also worried that she might cause undue damage if she showed the potential of what her patron could do through her. And her own magic... It may have well extinguished the moment she took the pact. While she could still feel the fount of power that was native to her bloodline, it was but a spark weathering the storm of dark power that coursed through her veins. Ophelia frowned, unsure of how to respond and so she didn't. Instead, she took her fork and stabbed a piece of roasted pork from its resting place on a plate and brought it to her mouth, chewing on it a little too passionately for her own self-imposed grace.

Four days. Could she even count days anymore? She had spent too long in the darkness, hadn't seen the sun for so long that she forgot what it was like to be bathed under its light. Would four days be enough for her to prepare herself to confront her past? Would she be able to face down the throne that she had abandoned, and that had abandoned her in turn? There was nothing there anymore, but would the ghosts of her people haunt her the moment she put her feet upon that hallowed ground, so horrible and depraved as she was now? Her skin was as it had been before it happened, yet her eyes remained a bloody crimson, touched by the eldritch and shown things no mortal should ever be subjected to.

Following a few steps behind, Ophelia had been caught in her own reverie when Neon called out to her, throwing a strange device at her. The princess fumbled to catch it, letting it bounce on her palms a few times before she finally got a good grip on it. She stared at the black screen reflecting her own face, now realizing that this was the first time she got a good look at herself in eons. She quirked her brow at the swordswoman. "Lia?" Her gaze lingered on the pink-haired woman as she left, her silhouette becoming smaller as she grew more distant. 'How awfully familiar of her.' Even her closest retainers would never dare to speak to her so casually, but she supposed that was a time so far, far from her that it didn't matter anymore.

It would take some getting used to to be spoken to as a regular girl.

Still holding the device in both of her hands, she turned to August as she called out to Neon in desperation. It didn't take a genius to realize that it was probably because she didn't want to be left alone with Ophelia, especially after what the princess had said. She turned away, words failing her yet again. What could she say to dispel the awkwardness that she had created between them? The rift that she had forcefully made deeper simply because of her own pride? She lectured Sen about his hubris, but was it not hypocritical of her, given that she was a prisoner of her own?

Less than a minute must've passed, but it felt like an hour before it was August that broke the silence. Ophelia's head turned to look at her, listening intently to what she had to say. "Apologize...?" The word escaped her before she had a chance to stop it, her lips parting slightly as she moved to protest, but couldn't. She let August finish, as it was only proper for her to do. "..." Another long moment of silence. Thoughts swirled through her mind, the familiar sensation of crawling moving to eat them up. "No." She answered softly but firmly. Her fierce eyes met August as she turned to fully face her.

"There is nothing to forgive, August. Please lift your head."
​

"I'm the one that should apologize," She let out a long sigh, wresting the pride that clung to her chest and kept the words from leaving her. It took great pride to stand firm by one's words, but it took even greater grace to realize and admit one's wrongs. That had been one of the many lessons her father had taught her. One she had failed to heed for so long that she'd forgotten all about it until now. "While I hold that I am my own person, my words were insensitive. You have yet to allow yourself to grieve, and still I salted your wounds. I should've been... kinder. To lose a loved one is the hardest ordeal one could be put through, and I stomped over your feelings to make myself bigger."

"I'm sorry."
​

A small hand reached out towards August, the distance between them feeling like an infinite void, yet so close she could feel the witch's warmth against her fingertips. For the first time, the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile not filled with bitterness, but with genuine warmth.

"Can we start over, just one more time?"
​

No more pretenses, no more titles or putting on airs. This time, she wanted to speak without any of her past weighting her down. Just this once.

"My name is Ophelia. Just... Ophelia to you, if you would."
​

If she was going to stay with them, for however short that tenure would be, Ophelia wanted to be known not for her past, but for what she could do now. Whether August took her hand and shook it or not, Ophelia pulled it away and held it to her side, her fingers curling as she lifted it up to her chest once more.

After a short moment of peace, uncertainty suddenly took her once more. She frowned, looking around. "And, uhm..." Once the moment had passed, Ophelia was slung back into reality. She gulped softly, fidgeting under the sleeves of her dress. "Would it be alright if we headed to a clothes shoppe first? I can't help but feel like a different breed of cat amongst you all."

And just like that, the air of royalty left her, a sigh and her slumping shoulders giving a better look to the kind of mundane worries Ophelia could have. Nobody liked sticking out like a sore thumb. Well, she was sure there were those that thrived in the attention, but Ophelia hated being the center of it. What a curse to be the princess and future queen of a kingdom for someone who preferred being a wallflower.

"You people certainly dress strangely..." ​

 

[Tenzai]

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
"There is nothing to forgive, August."
✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄᴇ | ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴛᴏᴋᴇɴ ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
You might be the one to take away the pain
And let my mind go quiet
And nothing else is quite the same as how I feel when I'm at your side
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

"Huh? What do you mean? Was my sin beyond forgiveness?" Confused by the sudden shift in attitude, feeling as though she hijacked her conversation, as August prepared to bow her head once again to offer another apology to remedy the rift that formed between them, she was interrupted midway through by a softened tone. "Please lift your head. I'm the one that should apologize," Lifting her head, she found Ophelia's crimson eyes meeting her own. No matter how hard her anxiety could search for any sign of distaste, hate, or apathy held towards her, the witch could find none. Nothing existed behind those eyes but a sense of grace, of mercy to someone suffering.

After a long sigh, upon turning back to the witch, Ophelia found that she earned her unwarranted attention. Kindness was something August never took for granted; Not in a galaxy stuck in strife and especially not after the loss of their team leader. Elaine toted the virtue of finding value and hope in others, regardless of how bleak their circumstances might be. While the message was for the most part ignored by the other members of her team, August and Medina had absorbed her values.

"While I hold that I am my own person, my words were insensitive. You have yet to allow yourself to grieve, and still I salted your wounds. I should've been... kinder. To lose a loved one is the hardest ordeal one could be put through, and I stomped over your feelings to make myself bigger. I'm sorry." Realizing the gravity of the words she received, as Ophelia offered her hand instead of merely shaking it or offering a slew of other apologies, she did what her heart felt was best. Pulling Ophelia using her hand across the table in a place where no food would disturb their closeness, she drew her into a warm hug, returning the genuine warmth of her smile with the physical warmth of her own.

"Can we start over, just one more time?" Nodding her head while her chin was placed on Ophelia's shoulder, August reaffirmed the princess' faith in her. "I'd really like that. I'd like to start things on the right note with you." Clinging onto her for a while longer, the witch appeared to have wanted a hug of her own too, using the breach of distance as an excuse to be close to her. In truth, her heart was still in turmoil, leaning onto whatever pleasant feelings were offered her way. "You looked like you needed a hug... And I know I really need one too."

Before Ophelia had a chance to pull away, August clutched her tighter. "Please... Bear with me a little longer please... And forgive me for my selfishness." Clutching her arms tightly around Ophelia's back, she took in her warmth for a little longer before finally letting go. Without being able to hide it any longer, tears were present in her eyes. Though unlike before, a smile had protruded through her pain. Even if Elaine's sacrifice occurred so soon, it didn't meant that there was no good news to come of it. If she were still around, she would have been proud to see how far she came in accomplishing her mission for her. "T-thanks for letting me indulge in your kindness princ-" Without letting her past become a barrier to her future, Ophelia interrupted her. "My name is Ophelia. Just... Ophelia to you, if you would."

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
"Its a pleasure to meet you, Ophelia. I'm August.
I hope we could be friends."
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

Upon giving a genuine second chance to set things straight in between them, the witch displayed a smile as bright as the stars above. With their stomachs filled and their talk with Sen already coming to an end, as the waiters and nearby drones took away their dirty dishes to clean the table up for them, August tilted her head at the sight of her new friend looking a bit embarrassed from how different she appeared from the rest of the crowd indoors. With her hands fidgeting across the seams of her dress as she was given odd glances by other passersby, the witch checked in. "Hmm? Is something the matter?"

"Uhm... Would it be alright if we headed to a clothes shoppe first? I can't help but feel like a different breed of cat amongst you all." Finding how human she could be underneath the veil of nobility to be cute, Gust reached out her hand to take Ophelia's, tilting her head towards the door in a gesture to get the princess to follow her. "You people certainly dress strangely..."

The witch chuckled upon hearing them be called the odd ones despite herself being so different. "Of course! I know a few shops at this station that you might like! And don't worry, many stores around here stock more than just synthetic gear." August pulled her jacket back to show that it was made of some sort of silk-based cloth. While underneath it was a synthetic undershirt to maintain her warmth even in exotic environments, there was still an organic look to her fashion. "And if you don't like what you see in stock, some of the spider craftsmen around here even take commissions!"

Taking her down the different hallways and across various escalators, elevators, trains, and portals, as August took Ophelia over to the commercial part of the station, she was met with species of many kinds, of robots, angels, demons, and different beasts, each utilizing magic as though it was an ordinary part of life. Surrounding her was an interesting blend of magic and engineering, leading to a difficult distinction as to where the magic ended and the science began. "Don't worry about the distance Ophelia. As long as you're beside me, I promise you, you won't be lost." Comforting her all the way through the exploration of the alien world on the way to their destination, as August passed by the different teams and locals, she was met with passing smiles, each recognizing her familiar presence on the ship as something welcome.

Eventually, they were finally able to make it over to where Medina and Shiro said they were heading to earlier. Above them, as they approached the entrance to the massive wing, they were met with a holographic sign in front of a sliding blast door which read: Shibuya Street. In front of them was a massive sprawling mall with goods that came from all over the galaxy thanks to the assistance and sponsorship of corporations seeking to make their wealth in wartime. Armed guards stood in front of each of the storefronts, both displaying the wares of the store inside as well as maintaining order as a part of the station's police force.

"The clothing section should be this way, but if you're curious about something, feel free to ask and let me know!" The shopping wing had always brought the witch comfort whenever she visited. Every single time she came back after a long mission, she was met with a plethora of new corporate store faces alongside that of the locals peddling their crafted goods. As she passed through the crowded hallways which held the most in-fad weapons, armors, and magical items in stock, they eventually made it over to a quieter section of the mall where the smaller stores were located. Here, unlike that of the most popular corporations, many passion projects were held from inspired craftsmen and family-run storefronts. Standing around them immediately were three clothing stores, Sage's Stitchings, Umbra's Offerings, and The Crossing, and a magical artifact store, The Arcane Curios.

The storefront of Sage's Stitchings held the cosplay outfits of various popular figures in fiction and reality, very much distinct from that of the ordinary lay person. Among them were outfits that looked very similar to the one Medina and Neon wore. Umbra's Offerings on the other hand had a slew of fashionable clothes for traditional witches and warlocks of modernity, similar to that of her companion witch, August. While Ophelia had a chance to look around the storefronts, August seemed to be glued to her clothes for a moment before pulling out her phone and taking a picture for future note.

The Crossing's display held the greatest contrast in its own inventory. On one end, there seemed to be clothes tailored to match that of ordinary uniforms and on the other, there were robes of priestesses, laced gothic wear, and armor. Interestingly enough, upon closer inspection, all three stores sold their clothing in sets instead of individual pieces. "Don't worry about the price, okay? Given our completion of our job, we got paid for helping bring you back; A little bonus too since... Well, dangers and all that."

Now given another angle to see August, with her bangs pushed by the flow of the air conditioning conjuring cool air nearby, holy bandages covered in divine symbols had made themselves known. She didn't make it out unscathed before meeting Ophelia in the first place. "And we all decided to put half of what we all earned into getting you something nice to start with! Think of it like a welcoming gift! Can't have you getting hurt or feeling uncomfortable!" Noticing Ophelia's eyes directed at her forehead, August waved both her hands to try to reduce her concerns. "Oh! This? Its not that bad so you don't have to worry yourself over me okay? Right now, we're focused on you!"

As she attempted to cover it again with her bangs and with her witch hat, as her thumb pressed against her wound by accident, she winced, revealing a cloud of dark energy escaping from her wound as well as others hidden on her body. "Tch." Whatever they had faced on the way up the tower which took their friend away had most likely used some sort of cursed weapon on them. "I'll stop by the doctor after this, so don't fret. Medina said I'm not in danger." Too stubborn to let her own condition ruin her first ordinary day with her new friend, the witch decided to endure what ailed her. Though without the adrenaline that came from combat or an unstable emotional state to blunt its feeling, she had become subject to the consequences of their ambush.

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞

"I'd really like that. I'd like to start things on the right note with you."
​

A faint smile teetered on the princess' mouth, her cold hand tingling slightly as the warm of another person touched her for the first time. August had taken her hand when they were escaping the tower, yes, but that was more out of necessity than intent. This was different in a way that was uncertain for her. And then-- "Wh-- What are you--" Taken aback by her body getting pulled all of a sudden, she went slack by instinct, her muscles relaxing so that she didn't get hurt out of reflex. She felt small under August's arms, arms lifting upward and hovering over the witch's back, unsure of what to do. Her eyes went wide, her mouth slightly ajar. Would it be alright to return the hug, or was it better to just let it happen? In truth, the princess had never been one to receive affection from others. People were afraid of touching her even before she became what she was now; as if they would get seared if they dared to get too close. Only two people had been bold enough to hug her before, and they had both known her from the moment of her birth.

Slim, small fingers touched August's back, gently gripping the back of her jacket. Her eyes softened, a small twinkle in her eyes as she allowed herself to relax into the warmth of someone else's body for a moment. They slowly and softly shut, shaking her head at the witch's words; how could she say no when the witch herself felt so fragile under her palms? It felt as if the poor girl would shatter into a million pieces if she so much as blew hot air at her. "If this was my old kingdom, you would have been tossed to the ground with seconds. You really are foolish..." She muttered against her hood, but her voice was far from disapproving. Maybe a little sarcastic, but that was simply Ophelia's own vocal quirk. She was no longer a princess now; the throne was long gone. Right now, she was but a regular girl in a wide, wide universe.

A regular girl that was the vessel of something indescribable, yes, but that hardly made her special. She'd never been special.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ophelia. I'm August.
I hope we could be friends."
​

"We'll see." An aloof smile played on Ophelia's lips as she pulled away, brushing a brunette lock behind her ear. While she didn't believe in looking toward the future the same way others did, she wouldn't discount future possibilities. A good first step may just be enough to create a future where that could happen, but reality could strike their hopes down just as easily. For August's sake, Ophelia could only hope she wouldn't add to her anguish. She'd had enough of letting others down. She'd had a thousand lifetimes to tell where she'd gone wrong. She only doubted that she could take the right steps to never do it again.

She was most happy to let the moment pass - truly, heavy, sincere moments had never been her forte anyway - and move on to something a little... lighter. She nodded along, relieved to know there were some businesses that could provide what she desired. And then her head stopped at once, August's words taking a moment to sink in properly.

"Did you say... spiders?"

​

Out of all things... spiders? Ophelia had braved nightmares beyond mortal comprehension, read books that defied logic and witnessed impossible shapes. She had learned the horror of the spiral and survived it, had witnessed colors that could not be described. But in centuries and thousands of years, she'd never been able to confront her one true fear; spiders. Logic told her that if they were capable of selling clothes, then they shouldn't be that scary, but all it took was but to imagine those furry, long legs and her own couldn't stop themselves from shaking. "... I'll take the seen-teh-dic ones. I am not a spoiled princess to be picky of the material my clothes are made out of..."

... Except when said material came out of a spider's butt. Then she did have cause for protest.

... No, that wouldn't do. She couldn't just brush away anything that didn't agree with her perception of reality. Her mind had been forcefully widened too far for her to succumb to such biases. She knew that, but she couldn't help but grip her arm tightly, rubbing it up and down to soothe her own anxiety as she walked beside August. She lifted her gaze from the ground, watching the hustle and bustle of this strange society unraveling before her. It reminded her of the castle town's marketplace, filled with people running their businesses and children running around, chasing after one another. Her chest ached at the memory, stabbing her heart like a chilly icicle. "I'm not worried." She muttered stubbornly, looking away. "I am just reminded of things I'd rather forget. I've been caged for too long, it seems..." What was a bird who'd forgotten to stretch its wings to do when suddenly faced with a wide blue sky right in front of it? As cold as that cage had been, it was less intimidating than the freedom presented before her.

In a way, it was simply too much for her to take in. Red eyes scanned over the storefronts, taking into note the various symbols over each one. While the necklace hanging from her neck allowed her to understand the spoken language, it seemed that it didn't extend to being able to read. It was all but a jumble of strange scribbles, circles and squares and everything else. She blinked a few times, her eyes eventually returning to August. She was her anchor, and spending too much time looking without the witch within her peripheral vision made her stomach drop with anxiety. Even though August said she'd be beside her, Ophelia couldn't help but check every few moments. She needed to know she was there.

"Well, I would appreciate something a bit more ergonomic..." The princess looked down at her clothes, frowning slightly at them. While she had no trouble with how much skin they showed, she couldn't deny that they were much too flowy for her to move around comfortably in them. It was fine for laying about in bed or reading in the library, they were hardly the most optimal clothes for dungeon-crawling or battle. And not to say anything about her high heels. She could walk around in them just fine normally, but if she did so much as sidestep or try to jump out of a projectile's way, they'd likely snap under her weight and break her balance. And maybe she was getting a little self-conscious about the gazes she was drawing in.

She looked around, taking into account each storefront. While there was a store with clothes similar to the ones she was wearing, Ophelia found her interest drawn to the one with clothes that were similar to August's. It was only now that she had a moment to take a look at the witch and appreciate her sense of fashion. While there was no doubt in her mind that the clothes also held some practical value, the value in selling the role of a reliable spellcaster was more impressive to the princess. It was nothing like the enchanted clothes that the soldiers of the Lamprosian Kingdom wore, so bulky and uncharismatic that Ophelia would rather not remember.

"Hazard pay. I'm familiar with the concept." Ophelia sighed, disillusioned. Juicy bounties were often enough to have people forget the risks to their health and lives. So many people valued riches over their own wellbeing for many reasons. Some for simple greed, and others because it was the fastest way to bring bread to their families' mouths. She knew, because Ophelia had been the one to personally hand bags filled with gold coins to the bereaved families of heroes who had lost their lives just to bring security to future generations.

But she also wasn't one to make light of their kindness. She would not turn her cheek at their offer, since it was what they wanted. And besides, she doubted August would take no for an answer. It was better for the two of them if Ophelia simply accepted. Looking over the stores once more, she took a moment to consider her options as she cast her gaze over August again, catching sight of the bandages hidden under her hair. Crimson hues widened, turning her body towards her benefactor and opening her mouth to speak her concern when the witch cut her off.

"Oh! This? Its not that bad so you don't have to worry yourself over me okay? Right now, we're focused on you!" Ophelia furrowed her brow; already being coddled again? She would've thought August would do better than that. Her lips tightened. Why did they even resolve to start over again if they were going to hide things like this from one another? Though maybe she was not in any position to complain about omissions, given what she herself was hiding from them. But it was different. This was different. "I'll stop by the doctor after this, so don't fret. Medina said I'm not in danger."

"I don't find stubbornness attractive, Gust. Far from it. I like good girls who are honest."
​

Her gaze was cool as she tilted her head to the side, swaying forward slightly as she leaned over to get a better look at the bandages. Though she knew not the glyphs on them, she could feel the divine magic resting within them. They reminded her of her grandmother, her father's mother and the greatest healer to ever grace the Lampros bloodline. A single touch from her could heal even the most mortal of wounds or reattach limbs. "I'm not here to be coddled or reassured. I deal only in truths, blunt and cruel as they may be. You are... five thousand years too early to pass such an obvious lie over me." She smiled, reaching her hands out cautiously, her eyes searching August's for approval. She didn't want to touch her without her permission, after all.

When she found it, Ophelia reached for the bandages, gently unwrapping them from her head. Her eyes narrowed with recognition and guilt as she scanned the wound. 'You hurt her.'

"Is it not my right to burn a thief who steals from me? She's lucky I didn't rip her tongue out."

'You have no right. Undo it.'

"No."​

A lump caught in her throat; powerlessness. Once again she was reminded of her own uselessness. What was she doing, asking It as if it would listen? It never concerned itself with others. Only with her. Only with her suffering. This was just another way to make her hate her own existence. It might never heal, no matter what they did. 'No, I'm not entirely powerless. Even without your help...' "August, I will not let you suffer because of me. I cannot take away your grief for others. But I can't add to that grief. I will not allow it."

She touched the wound on her head, feeling over it. "Now, what was it she said...? Think of pure white... from the bottom of my belly and..." Tapping into the potential she'd not once wielded since the moment she made that accursed deal, Ophelia felt the magic within her blossom once more. It fought against the raging black tempest, all but a small flicker of fire. It coursed through her body, the warmth enveloping her all at once and then focusing on the tip of her fingers and passing over to the wound, the black, eldritch magic fizzling away after a few seconds. She could feel its indignance raging in her mind, invading the recesses of her mind as she tore its grip from her companion away by force. While the wound itself would take time to heal, the cursed magic would no longer cause her pain. However, she could still feel Its grip on August. There were other wounds.

However, as much as she would've liked to remove all of them at once, it seemed this was about her limit for now. "Ah..." She felt it before she saw it, the feeling of something warm running down the lower half of her face and dripping down from her chin. Blood. Like exerting a muscle she hadn't used for a very long time, using her magic had caused her body to suffer, and It raging in her brain did not help. She felt a little woozy, but nothing she couldn't handle.

"I suppose asking you not to worry would be in vain, yes?"
​

Ophelia smiled as she brought a hand to her nose, wiping away the blood with the sleeve of her dress. "Call it revenge for making me worry in turn." She narrowed her eyes in a cheeky smirk as she pulled her hand from August's forehead and lifted the bandages to her. "I'll take care of the other wounds once we get back. Will you be able to bear with it for the time being?"

 

[Tenzai]

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
"I'm sorry- I just... I didn't want you to worry about me, you know?"
✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɴɪɢʜᴛᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴘɪᴛᴀʟ | ᴀᴢᴀʟɪ ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
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"I must look ugly right now, don't I?" She chuckled sadly at her own disgust. Used to being the one to hurt others despite trying her best, to her it always felt, no matter how hard she tried to be useful, August was prone to saying and doing the wrong things. It was the same with her sisters in the coven, the same with Elaine, and now it seemed as though it was the same with Ophelia as well. Hoping to have left their past behind, even now, her heart still had seemed to have lingered on the subconscious fear of making another mistake with a girl she wished to call her friend. However, instead of being met with ridicule or disgust as she expected, as the witch closed her eyes embracing for another torrent of less-than-kind words, she felt a warm hand press irradiate its heat her cheek only to open her eyes to a warm smile. Ophelia wasn't going to let their new beginning start poorly.

"I'm not here to be coddled or reassured. I deal only in truths, blunt and cruel as they may be. You are... five thousand years too early to pass such an obvious lie over me." Nodding her head as though she wanted to tell the princess, she willfully allowed her to touch where she was sensitive, August took Ophelia's hand and brought it to her bandage, unwavering in the trust she was willing to invest in the woman in front of her. With her bandage unraveling, a dark curse had made itself known on her body, and while the bandage had resisted its effects from worsening her condition, it didn't improve either. Without being given time to find the right care yet, August chose to endure its influence, afraid that if she let others know of how it impacted her body, they would've retreated far earlier leaving Elaine's sacrifice in vain. "I was afraid... I'd only make you feel worse if you knew."

"August, I will not let you suffer because of me. I cannot take away your grief for others. But I can't add to that grief. I will not allow it." Unbeknownst to the conversation happening in her head, with whatever Ophelia had in mind for her body, she accepted it with open arms. If she wished for worse, Ophelia wouldn't be treating her body so tenderly, let alone give her eyes that looked forward to a tomorrow with her. Their relationship had only just begun, and there was so much more yet to experience. "... Thank you, L... Lia." A blush caressed her cheek as she met the shorter princess' gaze, leaning into her touch no matter how much her curse willed it for her to hurt. "You're a lot kinder than the others take you for. I really hope they get to see this side of you one day."

"Now, what was it she said...? Think of pure white... from the bottom of my belly and..." With a small radiant light being emitted from her eyes and body, the princess had casted a spell rarely known by witches like August. Pure in its intention, it lacked the eldritch energy expected of the stories about her, remedying August from the touch of darkness. However, it appeared to have come at a cost. Upon noticing her blood spilling from her nose and her body losing its sense of balance for the moment, with a small gust of wind and a spring of momentum from the witch's boots, August breached the distance in between them to catch her, using her spells to pull Ophelia closer while using her feet to push her towards her. "Woah! Hey there, I got you."

While the curse mark was only one of several on her body, due to her efforts, the witch's face had become clear of corruption. "Ah... I suppose asking you not to worry would be in vain, yes?" Uncaring of the blood now staining both of their clothes, while it darkened the fabric of Ophelia's own, it seemed to have run off of August's as though her dress was resilient to the sticking of fluids; Its material was waterproof, though as if expectant of exploring areas where rain and other exotic liquids would be the norm, it was made resistant to those as well.

"... I guess we're both pretty bad at making each other not worry, aren't we?" Chuckling as she pulled Ophelia into a hug once more until she believed her friend's footing was stable once again, upon feeling her hand release her cheek, she finally let go. "Call it revenge for making me worry in turn. I'll take care of the other wounds once we get back. Will you be able to bear with it for the time being?"

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"I've been through worse before. This much is nothing."
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Walking over to the storefront where she appeared most interested in, August waved Ophelia over as the door in front of it opened once the sensors detected the witch's presence. [Welcome back to Umbra's, Miss Cinderblossom.] "How about I buy you a dress here and we call it even? Think of it as a thank you for the magic! Preferably we could find something liquid resistant like mine in the case your nose bleeds again!" Walking in, as the two girls entered the store, a set of dresses of various types were highlighted depending on where their footsteps were within. "Oh! And don't worry about things like sizes. The clothes here auto-fit! So everything you see here will look good on you, though the lights would show you what the seamstress here would recommend!"

Beside them, the clothes that seemed the most flattering to August had highlighted with the colors of her eyes. Upon entering the store, their physical features had been scanned into the customer service AI's systems, granting its prediction as recommendation to what it believed its potential customer would prefer most. Though, while she browsed through the store's inventory, several displays were shown, each reading illegible symbols that were no more familiar to the princess than hieroglyphs of a forgotten era.

As August became more and more absorbed into finding another outfit to make for a welcome addition to her wardrobe, the sound of carefully tipped needles had approached Ophelia from behind only for her to turn around to the sight of a cybernetic spider-girl descending from the ceiling. Strings had extended from a couple of her extended limbs which sprouted from her back, each tendril being used to summon more material to weave into clothing. A mask had covered her face, hiding the multiple eyes that peered from within. "Ah, an outsider. Welcome."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, August ran over to Ophelia's side, noticing her reaction. "Oh! Ophelia! Don't be nervous, she's a friend! And, Umbra! Its nice to see you." Bowing politely and retracting her spider legs back into her back, she appeared as an ordinary courtesan, beautiful in aesthetic and in physical dimensions. "August, its my pleasure to find you here again. My deepest condolences to your recently departed." With a perfected form of a bow, she lifted her gaze back to the two girls standing side by side.

"I see you found yourself someone new. That's good. Miss..." Scanning through her face, she realized that she was new to the station. "... Ophelia? That's quite a lovely name. I am Umbra Eldenwood, a fae spider seamstress hailing all the fae realms." Offering her hand, regardless of Ophelia's response, whether she took it or not to shake, from the sound of her voice, she seemed genuinely happy to see the two together. "You find yourself in good company. Not many have a heart quite like August's. Welcome, and I hope we find you here for a while." Examining her from the sides while she spoke, the many eyes behind her mask examined her from different angles, each in pursuit of the perfect dress to make for her. "Hmm... Something eloquent yet protective. Maybe something bold or confident, something convicted without a need to speak a word."

Legs had sprouted from her back, each summoning strands of her own mana to be manifest into beauty. "Beautiful. Covered in thorns yet seeking something different. My, oh my, do I have such a perfect subject." Engrossed into her own thoughts, August didn't seem to be bothered by the spider's quiet mutterings to herself. Due to the witch herself being a weaver of magic into purpose, she saw Umbra the same way except with that of her soul into material. Every seam had a purpose, every string a meaning. Regardless of whether she was able to understand the full length of expression she displayed in her works, she was able to respect the beauty of her process, watching her idea manifest into something solid.

Within the span of a few minutes, the spider had forged a dress that flattered her, bringing out the native beauty of her body without sacrificing too much in the way of modesty. Given a style familiar to that of the witches and magicians of this time while being inspired by the dresses she made mimicking the expression and styles of the past, she was given an original blend of times: Of a woman that existed between both past and future. "Here. Something just for you. Usually, I'd charge triple for custom work like this, but given your relationship with my friend here, I'll charge you the same as whatever is displayed on these shelves." Retracting her legs once her job was done, she placed the dress in Ophelia's hands before retreating back to her space behind the counter.

"Well, if she thinks it'll look good on you, then who am I to say otherwise. She has eyes for fashion much more complex than my own." Peering over Ophelia's shoulder at the dress, she smiled as she looked at Ophelia's reaction. "Ooo. She must really like you if she wanted to put that much work into it! I wonder if I should get a matching set too!" Hurrying into a nearby aisle, August reached over to grab one that matched in color yet appealed to her style that was recommended to her. "Ah! Perfect! Come on! Let's try these on!" Genuinely amused at the prospect of having someone else on the team wear an outfit that came from one of her favorite shops, she pulled Ophelia over to where the fitting rooms were. In the corner of the store, there were a set of four rooms each with a special set of glass that would block view from the outside once the door was locked within.

"I'll be back in an instant, alright? Oh! And when the door closes, if someone is in the room, it'll auto lock so don't worry about someone peeking or coming in!" Taking the room right beside hers, as the witch hurried inward to try on her new fit, the glass wall had masked the view of the inside, though the sounds on the other hand weren't muffled. "... Oh... Oh my. This is... Wonderful."

Zipping up her outfit and applying the straps, as she looked into the mirror inside, her clothes auto adjusted to her form quickly, giving her a snug fit without disturbing her comfort. Her skirt was a bit higher than usual, though the socks that came alongside it rode well up her thighs, leaving no part of her lower half exposed. With a white jacket, a set of long gloves, and a tie to match her top, she was given the full ensemble. A few poses had gotten her to blush at herself, revealing another side of her that she didn't think was possible in her former clothes. Once done, as she folded her clothes neatly before heading to the front of her room, she found a small bench where she sat with her clothes folded in her lap to relax in the meantime, eventually seeing the door in front of her shift before it opened. Striking a pose to try and make herself look better, the witch embarrassedly asked, eager for her response.

"... So what do you think?"​

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞

"I've been through worse before. This much is nothing."
​

'That's just it, isn't it? Surely no one should be subjected to something like this...' Ophelia sighed within her mind, not letting her dejection show on the surface. For August to say something so sad so casually was simply not right, but all the same it was just the nature of the cold world they lived in. Such a smile shouldn't have to be mired by suffering, yet the witch shone brightly all the same. How much brighter would she have shined, had she not been subjected to the pain that she so proudly spoke of? "Well I suppose you won't take no for an answer regardless, so I'll gracefully accept such a gift." The princess smiled ruefully, letting herself be guided into the store. She looked around, curiosity overtaking her ever troubled expression the moment they were surrounded by dresses. "Is that so...? How very... convenient." She muttered shallowly. In reality, she was unfamiliar with the concept of clothes not fitting, given that all of her dresses were tailored to her exactly measurements. She only ever wore things the best tailors in the kingdom had made for her specifically, although it did sound nice to have something that would fit perfectly to her right out the gate.

She hummed as she allowed herself to pull away from August for a few seconds, checking the dresses individually. She was tempted to reach out and touch them just so she could feel the texture on them with the tips of her fingers and be able to tell which one would suit her best, but she didn't want to be disrespectful to the tailor and touch their work without permission. Instead, she simply looked, absorbing herself in the different styles of clothing. Whoever the tailor had been was clearly creative, threading various styles, from one-piece dresses to ensembles of different pieces that all meshed together perfectly. They clearly took inspiration on the modernity at every corner of this place, while some paid homage to more archaic clothings like hers. They were still tinged with a more contemporary style, but she could see the inspiration.

"August, who is the one responsible for these--" At some point, she was able to tear herself away from the dresses and turn back to the witch, a bright smile on her face as she found herself curious for the genius that had managed to fuse so many styles and make them work. Her red eyes, sparkling with wonder, fell on the woman's face first. 'Ah, but of course such a talented weaver would also be so beautiful,' Her mind understood it as a fact that this was the woman responsible for so many pieces of art with ease, her mouth opening to speak her graces and respect for such masterful handiwork. Then her eyes wandered to the rest of her, her body freezing all at once when she saw...

Eight legs.

​

A primal, ancient part of her brain activated, sending a thousand danger signals to each nerve in her body. When people spoke of fight-or-flight responses when people were scared, they forgot about the third option; freeze. One might say the third option was the most realistic of responses, as humans, so complascent in their peaceful ways, forgot what it was to face danger in their comfortable lives.

Ophelia didn't think she had a comfortable life, but even she could not fight her first instinct as she came face-to-face with what she could consider her one archnemesis. No, not even It could inspire such terror in her.

"YAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.......!!!!!!!!!!!!"
​

Her scream pierced through the walls of the store and to the halls beyond, echoing and bouncing against the walls. Perhaps they would even carry into the void of space, to be heard as an echo a thousand years from now in an infinitely-distant planet, long after she was gone from this place. "A-Awawawa,,, what... who... why..." Spiders could speak? They had developed intelligence enough to communicate with other similar races? Why... and why was August so relaxed about this?! They were... they were going to eat them! Like they ate those poor ladybugs that fell into their webs! Ophelia was going to die! Not even It could save her!

'Ophelia?'​

Noticing her stress, the princess' patron hardened her mind long enough for her to calm down enough that she wasn't trembling all over. The one good thing about sharing space in her brain with a being beyond understanding was that, well, it didn't have the same sensitivities as a human. Although she could feel its tangible confusion, Ophelia was, for once, grateful that she had something to ground her. "M... m... My apologies. I don't know what took me over..." Ophelia bowed her head deeply, all at once appalled over her reaction. It was so unlike her, far removed from her aloof, calm and collected demeanor. She knew exactly why, but to speak it plainly would be nothing short of rude to the seamstress.

Her body still felt like it was on pins and needles, a shudder running up and down her spine as the arachnid woman observed her. "My pleasure, Lady Umbra..." Ophelia reached her own hand out, barely clasping Umbra's hand in it before she pulled away. It didn't feel chitinous like she expected, but the princess could not make herself hold it for more than a couple of seconds before she felt another scream bubbling in her gut. "Yes... I'm truly blessed to have met her first, of all people in the universe." She, however, regained some of her composure when the topic of conversation moved to August, her mind setting itself at ease when she remembered the witch's presence. Before she'd known it, the girl had become a bit of a comfort to her mind, her eyes searching for her for reassurance before she nodded to herself and swallowed her fear.

She didn't quite understand what the spider seamstress was muttering to herself, though it did remind her of how artists in her kingdom would absorb themselves in their creativity, forgetting all around them in favor of the world within their minds. Suddenly, she felt even more guilty for how rude she had been, her gaze softening and her lips tightening as she gripped at her chest, the pang of guilt hitting her all at once. To have let herself judge someone simply by their appearance... Ophelia really had let herself go after all this time, hadn't she? 'I need to be better...' She sighed to herself, closing her eyes for a moment as she beat herself up mentally. When she opened them next, there was a dress sitting on her palms.

She stared at it wide-eyed, looking up from it to Umbra and then to August, who was already running to grab a set for herself too. "I... I can't, after I..." She looked to Umbra like a wounded dog, her lips quivering, biting back tears in the corners of her eyes. She gritted her teeth behind her lips, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out in a shaky sigh. "Thank you... next time, but next time, I will pay full price for your work. It is only fair." She gave a resolute bow of her head before scampering off to the fitting rooms with August. Nodding at her explanation, the princess disappeared into her own room.

Once inside, she was faced with herself. She hung the set Umbra had given her on one of the hooks on the wall before she turned to the mirror, pulling the straps of her dress and letting it fall to the ground unceremoniously. She stared at herself, letting her fingers run through her own skin. Not a single blemish, not a scar or crack on her skin. She'd seen herself before on other reflections, but this was the first time she could look at herself in a mirror. It was as if she'd never taken to that bloody battlefield, never taken that monstruous form her people had forsaken her for. She touched her cheek to see if it really was herself. An illusion? But her eyes stared right back at her, the amber hues stolen from her in place of deep crimsons, bathed in the blood of her enemies, her people and herself. Her gaze narrowed as she wordlessly turned to the ensemble hanging to the side of her. Could she really turn a new leaf when the roots were steeped in deep, dark red? Would the petals not blossom in that dreadful bloody hue again, no matter how many times she plucked them away?

'At least with August, I'd like to... be someone else.' She swallowed down her pain, taking the outfit and putting it on without another word.

"Sorry, I... I'm not used to dressing myself..." When she stepped out of the room, August was already waiting for her. Ophelia brushed her hair behind her ear, smiling self-deprecatingly, hugging herself with her other arm as if she was embarrassed.

And she was. Honestly, she didn't think she did Umbra's outfit justice. It was just too good for her. How could she ever hope to do it justice? But Umbra had made it just for her, and it would be supremely disrespectful to turn it away. Besides, it felt like it was part of her body. She could feel the magic it was weaved from, as if the threads had been pulled taut from her very own fingers. She'd just have to grow into it, she supposed. Speaking of growing into it, it did feel a little tight around the chest, though not to an uncomfortable degree.

Done lamenting her own inadequacy, Ophelia let her eyes wander back to her companion, taking in her clothes properly. She couldn't help but let her jaw drop slightly, her eyes tracing the silhouette of her figure, completely and utterly complemented by her jacket. "Wow..." she let out a soft sound, her lips drawing tight as she flushed at literally being left speechless. She quickly cleared her throat, coughing a bit to herself in hopes that it would make her seem a little more composed.

"It suits you perfectly. If we were in a ballroom, I would not think twice of asking you for a dance." She smirked coolly, letting her arm drop from across her belly and to her side. "But I don't suppose you are familiar with the dances of olden times." She added with a soft chuckle, letting herself sit next to the witch, old dress laying on her lap.

"Uhm, August...?"
​

Letting a single moment of silence hang between them, the princess looked forward. Her dark locks framed her face, obscuring her eyes.

"I want you to know this means more to me than you could ever imagine."
​

"Not just the dress, or the food, or the honesty between us. I... I didn't think I could feel... normal anymore. Regardless of whether I deserve it, and I don't think I do... I'm grateful for these small moments." The words left her mouth, leaving her with a light sense of relief. She'd been holding onto this for a while now. "I know this will end sooner or later, but... I'm happy right now. I haven't... felt happy in so long. It's kind of scary, honestly. I'm expecting to wake up all of a sudden in my bed back in that tower. It wouldn't be the first time a sweet dream of mine would end abruptly like that. I feel foolish for allowing myself to feel like this, but..."

"I just wanted to say... thank you. For this moment."
​

Ophelia let out a soft, hollow laugh, shaky and small. Any second now, she'd be back in that dimly-lit room, laying on the pulsating, living bed. She'd taste the bile in her mouth and remember that she'd never be free. "Haa... Well, now that I've ruined it... Maybe we should head back. I don't want the others to start wondering if I kidnapped you."She let out another soft chuckle as she pushed herself off the bench.

"And August? I'll pay you back for everything. A true royal never forgets their debts."​

 

[Tenzai]

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✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴅɪʀᴇ ᴅɪʀᴇ ᴅᴏᴄᴋꜱ | ꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ ᴍᴀʀɪᴏ 64 ᴏꜱᴛ ── ✦
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While the witch had left the two women behind, while Ophelia had displayed the face of a princess who recognized when she did wrong, instead of meeting with some sort of apathy or cold respect like one of her subjects, she lifted her mask to reveal the bottom half of her beautiful face to show a smile. "Don't cry. It would be a shame for a mistake to tarnish your beauty. All's forgiven, as long as you treat yourself and your friend there right." Looking over her shoulder at the hat that peeked right above the aisles towards August's position, the seamstress smiled before drawing out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears that formed at her eye's edges. "Wear that dress with pride. It was made just for you."

Finding her response to August quaint, Ophelia reaffirmed her first given discount as the right business decision. It was the same tactic she used to form a relationship with the Autumn Witch just a couple years prior; To still find her around with people she could smile beside was a welcome treat to the eyes. "Thank you... next time, but next time, I will pay full price for your work. It is only fair." Upon receiving a polite bow, the seamstress offered the two girls one of her own. "Then make sure to stay safe. I wouldn't want one of my favorite customers and her friends to go missing. I like seeing happy endings. The galaxy deserves more of them." With her legs extended once again, upon walking towards the wall, the tailor climbed her way to a ceiling compartment that allowed entrance into a secret workshop away from the eyes of those visiting.

"Sorry, I... I'm not used to dressing myself..." Once given a moment to change, as Ophelia exited her room after changing. "That's fine! It looks great on y-" Before the witch was able to utter out a response to the sight of the princess in red, Ophelia's lips moved first to give praise. "Wow... It suits you perfectly. If we were in a ballroom, I would not think twice of asking you for a dance. But I don't suppose you are familiar with the dances of olden times." A flush of the cheeks had made itself known on her face as though the Goddess of praise and worship painted the witch's face herself. "T-thanks! I was going to say that your dress looks r-rather fetching on you yourself!" Trying to avoid being drawn too much towards how well her outfit flattered her curves, as August lifted her eyes to the princess, she gulped upon seeing her smirk once she realized that she meant her invitation in its entirety. "Oh! Uh... Aha..."

Chuckling embarrassedly at the compliment, upon giving a moment to settle her own heart through a few steady breaths, August responded. "Maybe you could teach me sometime! I wouldn't mind being able to learn how to dance with or like a princess!" Grabbing the hems of her skirt, she bowed in an attempt to properly courtesy, only to find herself feeling foolish for even trying. She was never one good at formalities back when she handled the duties of her coven in front of the public eye. Whenever the nobles came around, she always let her elder sisters handle the talking while she herself remained invested in the halls of their massive library. She imagined before that all she ever needed was a good book and her family; Not the respect of strangers. "Well- I'll try my best to at least!"

"Uhm, August...?" Tilting her head upon hearing the sudden shift in tone, the witch asked. "Hmm? What is it, Lia? Did I suck at curtseying? Or is it... That I was so great at it, that I left you stunned!" Feigning a confident smirk of her own, the witch had felt more like friends with the princess rather than coworkers. Through spending time like this, she hoped to create chemistry where there was none in the past, similar to how Elaine did with the rest of the girls on the team. "I want you to know this means more to me than you could ever imagine. Not just the dress, or the food, or the honesty between us. I... I didn't think I could feel... normal anymore. Regardless of whether I deserve it, and I don't think I do... I'm grateful for these small moments." Noticing Ophelia open up, the witch remained quiet, listening to every word she had to give. If she was stuck in that tower for so long, it was unlikely that she had so much interaction with another person, let alone someone she could call a friend.

"I know this will end sooner or later, but... I'm happy right now. I haven't... felt happy in so long. It's kind of scary, honestly. I'm expecting to wake up all of a sudden in my bed back in that tower. It wouldn't be the first time a sweet dream of mine would end abruptly like that. I feel foolish for allowing myself to feel like this, but... I just wanted to say... thank you. For this moment."

Smiling, August walked over to her to give her a hug once again. "No need to thank me for doing what I want to. In fact, I should be thanking you for giving me a chance, and not only that, but for giving me a second chance as well." Pulling her close, the witch leaned her head over Ophelia's shoulder, not minding her chin's contact with her princess' bare skin. "Its not often that anyone, let alone a stranger would be willing to offer that much, and yet you did. So thank you for that. Thank you for giving me a shot at being your friend."

Despite her waiting to wake up after being made subject to her new friend's kindness, nothing appeared to have changed no matter how many times she blinked. Whatever was happening to her was true in the moment. August's warmth was real. Her words had weight to them, warming her skin where her body didn't itself. The strength in her arms, the feeling of her breath, and even the way she would tremble as she wrapped her arms around her were much more of an experience than any of her most lucid dreams could allow. As she attempted to pull away the first time, August didn't let her go for a moment, only breaking once she felt it was right to. "Just a little longer. I don't want you to think that I'd second guess my choices when it comes to you, Ophelia."

"Haa... Well, now that I've ruined it... Maybe we should head back. I don't want the others to start wondering if I kidnapped you." Hearing her joke had caused her to lose the tension in her voice and the strength in her arms, unburdening the princess from her grasp. "Don't worry about that, yeah? They would only be concerned if I went another three to five hours without checking in with them. They know how I get when I'm around Shibuya Street." Nodding her head over to the dresses beside her and the magic shop across the walkway, the woman hinted at her proclivity on shopping for things that aided her in the delivery of magic through outfits, implements, trinkets, and other fashionable accessories. "And August?"

"But don't think of this as a debt okay? I'd rather you be with me because you want to, not because you have to!" As Ophelia sat on the bench nearby, August joined her side, amused at their new looks in the reflection. "Wow, we both look good. Oh! I promised you that I was going to show you how to use that thing right? Can you pull out the thing that Neon gave you?" Remembering Neon's offer, as Ophelia withdrew the holo-device, upon feeling it in her hand, she noticed a display appear in the air above it.

"You could use this to get in contact with us! We all have implants, so you don't have to worry about one of us not being able to get the message." Taking a picture of the two girls in the mirror with her eyes, the witch sent Ophelia the image to show her contact information as well. "So you use your finger to-" Noticing Ophelia's confusion, she chuckled, being reminded of her own confusion the first time she left the coven as well. "Here, let me help you out with that." Taking her hand, she motioned to where the contacts were located. "So you see this? I just sent this to you! This is where you receive messages, and this is where you-" Noticing the past text history had yet to be formatted, as Ophelia tapped an icon by accident, it revealed a picture of each of the girls at a haunted house on a beach planet. An image of August drained of color in her swimsuit was made present for both of them to see.

"AHEM, SO ANYWAYS!" Swiping quickly away from the group chat with a blush on her face, the witch had shown the rest of the functions of her device. From being able to ask it questions to its use as a translation tool, a shopping tool, and a camera, while there were many more features she could've shown, August simply resolved to the basics for the sake of time. "I know its a lot to take in all at once, but I recommend you experiment a little with the apps I showed! I think Medi is a better teacher than me though, so if you have any extra questions, feel free to ask her too!"

Looking at the clock on her phone and realizing the time, August stood up and stretched before extending a hand to pull her friend from the bench. "Looks like its about time we meet up with the others soon. We'll be automatically charged once we leave so we don't have to worry about waiting in line." Leading her out of the store, before they headed out, August turned around and smiled. "Oh, and before I forget to mention. Thanks for hanging out with me, Ophelia. I had a lot of fun." The brightness in her smile was only eclipsed by the warmth in her eyes. After hearing Ophelia's genuine thoughts and her shared happiness, the witch was beaming with a soft radiance. "I'd really like it if we could do something like this again sometime."


Upon leaving the confines of Umbra's shop, as the two returned back towards the shipyard to meet up with the others before it got late, a few things had aroused their attention. An advertisement for a fight in the arena over a grand prize of a brand new set of armor was present all throughout the hallways, revealed through virtual fliers. "Huh. I see why Neon was so keen on it. I don't think her armor fared well in the last deployment. Then again, I think she might be more into it to teach Idra a lesson after their last fight. It was a tie!" Scratching her chin at the thought of participating herself to boost their odds, as they continued walking, they found a limited time event occurring nearby. "Speak of the fucking devil-"

Standing close by to Ophelia, she kept her eyes focused on her friend, steering far away from the sight of ghosts nearby running a haunted house. Hovering around were many of its staff, each eager to scare the species of the galaxy as a form of entertainment in between their deployments. In front of it stood a line of people including many undead, each in wait for the thrills that lay in store within. "Nope, no! I deal with enough already o-on the battlefield. B-besides, this won't scare me! I'm brave!" Stuttering from her fear despite dealing with the occult directly as a result of her magic, as one of the souls hovered behind her, as she felt its cold on the back of her neck, she yelped.

"Ah!" Immediately, she clutched onto Ophelia even as the ghost giggled before floating away to haunt someone else. As she eventually calmed down, a faint blush remained present on her face well after letting go of the princess. "Please don't tell the other's about this. Neon is gonna force me to go if she heard about it." Placing her two pointers together, August seemed too embarrassed to speak, only to calm down once they made it to the ship's dock. [Welcome to the shipyard, August. Neon.] Recognizing her device, the AI that dwelled within the camera system offered its welcome. "Oh, we need to get your name updated on your device. We'll take care of that soon, maybe... After we find a place to relax for the night!"

Once they returned back to the ship, the two girls heard the sound of clanking and wrenching from their resident undead pilot's tools. "Can you hand me the plasma drill, Shiro?... Shiro?" Waving at the two, Shiro greeted them before responding to the dog girl's request. "You're back! We got the ship for the most part fixed up. All that's left now is just doing some work on the engine but we could save that for tomorrow!" With oil staining her cheek and her jumpsuit unzipped down to her stomach, Medina wiped the water she sprayed herself with off her body to prevent the warmth of their ship from heating her up too much.

"You both look good in those new outfits." The angel complimented them in a cool voice, showing the barest inklings of emotion. "Wow! You look pretty sick in that! And you look cute August! Like one of the magic college students!" Scratching the back of her head as she searched her mind for an appropriate response, as others filed out of the shipyard in search of their assigned rooms, Shiro noticed the sudden shift in their proximity. "It looks like we should prepare for bed soon. Some rest should be good for us after all we've been through today." As August and Medina nodded their heads, the witch turned towards Ophelia.

"Oh, right! You don't have a place. If you'd like, you could also sleep in one of our own! There should be enough space in each one of our rooms for you to easily get enough to sleep in, but if you want to be by yourself, the ship does have a rack you could use too!" Medina crossed her arms. "I don't think that's any place for a princess, August. Even from the cockpit, I could tell that her bedroom was a lot more comfy than our ship... Anyways, Neon's currently out and about so it'll just be us for tonight! Have any plans?"

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞​

"Eh, that thing? Sure..." Ophelia did as August asked, reaching into one of the various pockets in her outfit, where she'd stuffed the phone into. She still didn't know its purpose, but it was clearly useful for something if August was bringing it up again. Maybe she could be a little more useful than the swordswoman had been in enlightening her. She looked down at it, twisting it slightly in her hand, trying to figure out its function on her own at first. She nearly jumped in surprise when the display came up. "Oh! Uhm..."

'In-plants...? Do they have plants inside of them? Whysoever...? Ah, well... I suppose people of this era have a myriad of strange practices...' The princess nodded along, her face scrunching slightly as she did her best to understand. So basically, these in-plants, whatever they were, allowed them to... get messages? So it was sort of like that strange pair of stones that her father had always kept. One was always with him, while the other was generally left with someone he needed to communicate with on a regular basis. Usually one of the generals he sent out to subjugate smaller nations. She tapped the way August guided her to, eventually coming to a screen that was filled with those symbols that she couldn't tell apart. She could, however, recognize the images. She tapped half-curiously and half-instinctively, not expecting the image to get bigger. But when it did, she stared at it. Forgetting how much skin they were all showing, Ophelia noticed how all of them were... smiling. Not the same way they smiled at her, but rather vibrantly. Like they were having fun.

Ophelia's eyes narrowed slightly, feeling something that she'd not felt in a long time. Envy. As much as August smiled and laughed with her, she couldn't help but feel a bridge's distance between them still. And Ophelia knew it was her own fault for the most part, having built up thick, hardened walls around herself. Even though she said she wanted to start over, she knew that it was all just lip service. It was selfish of her to want more than this. The kind of smiles they had in that image were not something she could hope to get.

"Perhaps I would do well to learn how to read as well. These symbols you have for a language are indecipherable for me. Although I..." There was one way to get that knowledge within an instant. All she had to do was ask It for help and it would simply shove the information into her mind. She might faint from the overload to her brain, but it was not something that she was unaccustomed to. Still, part of her wanted to see just how far she could get without its help. How well could she fare without having to ask for another favor? Besides, it had been eerily quiet since she'd healed August's wound, as if it was mad at her. It would be best to not risk angering it further for the time being.

"Please, I'm the one who should be thanking you. And..." 'I wish to apologize again.' The words caught in her throat, just stopping short of saying them. Apologizing now would only mean going back several steps, wouldn't it? They'd already gone past that. Yet, August's wounded gaze flashed in her mind again, her words cutting her deeper than the curses burning at her skin. "Never mind." She looked grave for a moment before composing herself, letting a cool smile play on her lips at August's suggestion. "Of course. Maybe the others could join us next time--"

'Next time.'
​

The phrase gave her pause. Next time? What was she saying? If things went well after this mission they'd been assigned to, there would be no next time. She'd go back from whence they'd taken her and the status quo would return to normal. August, Shiro, Neon and Medina would all be safe without a god of chaos and suffering in their midst, unpredictability its name and destruction its right. Everyone she had mentioned their late comrade in the same breath as her, as if Ophelia could somehow be a replacement to her. But the way they spoke of this girl, Elaine, Ophelia could never take her place. The princess simply could not inspire the same level of hope. It was better this way.

And it was better if August didn't know until it was time for it.

"Next time, let's all go somewhere together."
​

She tried her best to smile, but it was forced. Ophelia turned away, hoping August wouldn't see it. She'd probably be able to tell something was off if she did. Thankfully, her attention was taken by another sign. While Ophelia couldn't read it, she could recognize its significance, the sight of warriors universal no matter the language. A tournament. Her own kingdom oft hosted such events, whether it be knights of their kingdom or young warriors seeking recognition. Ophelia had even participated in some of them in secret, donning a mask and using a glamour to turn her hair a piercing red while wielding her trusty rapier. She had done it once or twice, trumping over their best knights with ease. A little stab at the wrist was all it took to get even the strongest warrior to drop their weapon.

She'd stopped once the rumors of a red warrior reached her father's ears, who demanded they found such a powerful woman to add to his retinue. That had been around the time she was fifteen or sixteen. While she may have been a bit out of practice now, the movements could never be forgotten.

While she was off in her daydreams, August turned to her with what she could only describe as a ghastly complexion, much like the one in that image with the skin and everything. "Spirits...?" Ophelia frowned slightly, confused by how troubled August seemed. If her words were true, then surely something like this was no problem? The ghosts certainly seemed friendly, despite their best attempts at being scary. They looked kind of cute, actually. Still, just like Ophelia was with spiders -- the mere thought of them still sent a shiver down her spine, although she had made an exception for Umbra -- August seemed to have her own weakness.

Ophelia did not deem to tease or comment on it, but she stared intently at the haunted house. Thinking back to Umbra's store, she tried to remember the symbols on the various outfits she had for sale. One, two... she did her best to cross-reference with her memory and, after a bit of math, realized that this 'haunted house' would be around for a while. With some hope, it'd still be here when they made it back from planetside.

'Hope? What hope am I holding onto?'
​

Confused by the contradictions in her own heart, all she could do was brush them aside. Like other bothersome thoughts, they would go away if she simply ignored them.

"Hmmm..." Ophelia softly hummed at August's request to keep this a secret from the others, leaving it vague whether it was a yes or a no. It was more of a maybe for now. It could be fun to leave the witch in suspense for now. She certainly was cute when she looked just a little troubled. More like a regular girl than someone who'd seen so much bloodshed she could write her tales in crimson.

"Hard at work, I see." She waved back, tucking both of her hands behind her back as she leaned over to watch Medina work for a bit before she straightened back up. "Thank you both, although I feel like the clothes are wearing me, rather than the other way around." Even in all of her years as a royal, she'd never worn such high-quality clothes before. It felt strange to feel inadequate in them. She'd have to do her best to do them, and Umbra, justice.

Ophelia watched the exchange between August and Medina, one offering various options while the other exclaimed her bewilderment. The princess smiled and laughed awkwardly, scratching her cheek. "I appreciate it, Medina, but you don't have to be so mindful of me. My title is worth less than copper now. At least with you all, I'd like to just be... Ophelia."

✦ ── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: Letter · Yutaka Hirasaka ── ✦
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

"Just another regular, boring girl in this world. Yes, that's what I'd like."
​

For a moment, there was a quiet, reflective sadness in her eyes as she looked down. She didn't believe that something like that could become reality. But maybe she could lie to herself for as long as she was here. She turned that frown into a smile, looking back up at the three of them.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Ophelia. Though, I guess you can all call just call me Lia."
​

She giggled, her smile hollow, failing to reach her eyes.

"As for my plans... What do you usually do? I think I'd like to see... what it's like as usual. I'm not... particularly picky."

"What's it like on a normal, unremarkable day for you all?"​

 

[Tenzai]

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɪ'ᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʙᴇ... ᴏᴘʜᴇʟɪᴀ | ᴛᴇɴᴢᴀɪ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​

"Just another regular, boring girl in this world. Yes, that's what I'd like." For the first time since the pilot had gotten to know her, Ophelia spoke to her not as a princess, but as an equal. The sudden change in her showcased attitude had complemented what shifted with her new, tailored appearance. While she might not have been a new person, the sight of her smile and her awkward laugh alongside her flattering threads had made her feel that way. Even Shiro could not remain frozen, displaying an increasing upward crease of her lips and a relaxing of her facial muscles from the typical glare she held. "W-well... I just wanted to make sure that we were being accommodating and all. Even if you say that, to treat you not as a princess, you're still our friend and you deserve better than the ship to sleep in."

Shiro nodded her head but for more out of practical reasons. Noticing the faint scent of blood emanating from her wrist and nose, she had enough reason to assume that the princess nose bled. "After all we've been through, it wouldn't be wise to strain yourself needlessly over pride. Our bedrooms will offer your body comfort, A place to recover from the strain. Maybe even more than what your past bed could provide." Treating her exactly as she asked, a normal girl in these times, she was met with the same conviction to treat her well. They all understood the ails of being a woman in conflict. Due to them being so used to being uncomfortable, they didn't take the small comforting opportunities for granted, making the most of their downtime in between missions.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Ophelia. Though, I guess you can all call just call me Lia." However, to give her a nickname so soon was something that not even the angel could predict. Being genuinely shocked, Ophelia was met with the her first sight of Shiro displaying another emotion other than apathy: Confusion. "L-L-Lia?" Medina's words stuttered through her teeth, only for her to see August nod her head in agreement. "its not a trick, Medi. She means it."

Believing that what August had done in the short time they were away was a miracle, the dog girl walked over to Ophelia to give her a hug, not realizing that the smile didn't exactly match that of her eyes. Shiro on the other hand, as soon as she noticed that the smile was falsified, had returned to her previous state. She didn't need to know why she was hiding her true emotions, but the fact that she believed she was lying had made the angel hesitant to shift too far in her stance. However, she wasn't going to ruin the dog girl from having a good time if she was safe. With arms clenched around the princess, Medi's tail wagged with intensity. "Its nice to meet you too, Lia!" Despite herself being cold to the touch, her smile was brighter than the star her planet orbited around.

"As for my plans... What do you usually do? I think I'd like to see... what it's like as usual. I'm not... particularly picky. What's it like on a normal, unremarkable day for you all?" Without needing time to put much thought into it, the cat girl responded quickly. "It depends. If none of us are hurt, I spend most of my time at the shooting range training others. If not, due to weather or some other unforeseen circumstance...." Blushing as though she was embarrassed, given her peculiarity to always answer any questions given to her by the people she accepted as members of her team, she answered honestly. "I spend time at the arcade. It helps a lot with honing my reaction time..." Turning her eyes away, she muttered the rest of her truth. "...and I can't let her take my high score."

"Oh! Uh... Yeah, it really depends for me too." Without letting her go, the dog girl took in Ophelia's scent as she spoke, familiarizing herself with it to treat it as a source of comfort. "On who's free and what's the weather looking like outside." As she spoke, her ears flickered, listening to the sounds of the many ships landing and rising nearby as well as teh sound of the intercom should another announcement be made while she spoke. "If one of the others are free and there's no work to be done, I just spend my time with them. But... If everyone's busy, I go on walks or uh... Floats, haha." Once Medi inscribed Ophelia's scent to memory, she gave her new friend space to adjust and fix herself after having her clothes end up ruffled. "If the weather doesn't allow for it though and everyone else is busy, then I focus on repairing our gear or building something new!"

Pointing at her collar before pointing at her watch, like the many technological parts of her outfit, they all held the same aesthetic. "I actually made these myself! Even these nifty wristbands!" Pulling her watch away from her sleeve, a futuristic wrist band appeared from underneath, matching the same that was on the other girls on the team. "I'd like to make you one too when I have the chance! Actually, I could probably make it for you right before we head out on the mission! How does that sound?" The dog girl was happy to find more ways of serving the people she called family. Given how familiar August was around her, she hoped that through these acts of kindness, she would be able to do the same. "It might not match the clothes you have on, but I could paint it if you'd like!"

Shaking her head, August, smiled at the excitement that their pilot displayed. It was cute to see her so fond of someone else. "Don't worry Medi, I think just making her the wristband is more than enough already." If not given a place to stop, the witch understood that Medina wouldn't finish until she believed it was perfect; A.k.a. Never. "But for me? Hmm..." Turning her head back to where they came from, she thought about Shibuya street.

"I usually go shopping for myself and everyone else, but if I don't feel like I want to? I spend most of my time at the library. If you're interested in learning anything, whether that be how to cast a spell, how to build something, or how to fit in better in this world, I think that's the best place to go. They even sell books from time to time!" Raising her tome, she displayed its leatherbound construct. Yet, as she opened it in front of her, Ophelia saw holographic pages bound within that didn't seem to have an end to its limit as she flipped through the book. "Pretty cool, right? I store all my spells in here and... Well, we do still have some extra money from the quest reward. If you'd like, I could even get you one too!"

"But as for Neon? I think she prefers being in the sparring areas most of the time if not meditating, at the gym, or in the smithy." Neon held a more traditional warrior lifestyle, using her time to hone her own edge in both soul and body. Despite her being far from the most intelligent out of the other girls, she was among the most fearless and determined. In physicality when it came to her team, she was second to none. "Swear she's a sword nut." August chuckled, thinking of the many swords she bought and used over the years of working together. "Then again, she breaks a sword once every two missions. I told her before that she swings too hard but she never listens." Shiro rolled her eyes, before planting them back on the princess and the ghost girl. "I think she's training hard right now to beat Idra, Shiro. She's still bitter about losing the last time."

Regardless of how much Shiro and August felt about it, Medina was right. Having the best swordswoman of them lose to their bitter rival in a show of blades was embarrassing. While she fared well against the rapier's initial blows, Idra was unfortunately a very talented fighter backed by a strong education and piles upon piles of credits granted by her parent's inheritance. Not having parents from an early age, yet being too rich to fail, the gilded princess had made herself capable to spite those less fortunate than her. Neon on the other hand was a street rat made a swordswoman once the war began and the galaxy was willing to train people from the street. "Its no wonder why she's not around. So, let's root for her." Returning their conversation back to a positive note, Medina's smile turned into a sly grin. "... And August, I heard there was a haunted house nearby and its still too early to head back to our rooms now. Do you wanna go?"

"H-h-HELL NO!"

"Well, how about we let Ophelia decide?"​