ᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴅʏɪɴɢ ꜱᴋʏ | ᴛᴇɴᴢᴀɪ & ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇ ᴅɪᴇᴍ

[Tenzai]

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʜᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ | ᴋᴀɴᴘᴇᴋɪ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​ As if the princess herself could tell that this crime against her companion's warrior spirit was enough to make it a shadow of its former self, Neon's eyes grew wide in surprise, finding Ophelia defending her in front of the woman that stripped her of her confidence in her abilities. "Silence. Neon is stronger than any warrior in my kingdom ever was. I will not allow you to sully her name when she gave me an unforgettable fight." Not only did she offer a special place by her side; the fencer was willing to defend her name. She was far better than any random recruit their team could've found as a replacement for their leader. Ophelia was quickly becoming someone priceless in the eyes of the vampire. Ophelia's warmth had lingered on her lips longer than it had any right to. Perhaps this was not the sensations that came from pure thermodynamics alone but rather a growing sensitivity to her physical proximity and a quiet, growing yearning for her presence. Given the fact that the warrior princess had not only beaten her fairly in combat and that she was attractive enough already, now that she was defending her as well on top of everything else, she couldn't help but develop a genuine crush. She saw Neon at one of her worst states and instead of acting like an ordinary noble, she was willing to fight for her, even when she was outnumbered and even when her body was outnumbered and outpowered by Idra's numerous bodyguards. Though, where one woman's fascination had been born, another's ire was won. Idra hated the thought of this backwater princess without a kingdom speaking to her as if she was her equal. Her clothes had seemed bought from an alley boutique. Her weapon's material was bland, its only redeeming quality being that it was a single grade above common and that its craftsmanship was above average. Behind her fans, her smug grin had shifted to a tense frown as a vein on her head had cracked through her artificial beauty, revealing some of the ugliness within. "Then it seems like your kingdom and name had no one noteworthy to begin with." Immediately, Idra fired back a retort "Then again, its to be expected of a kingdom that only spanned a single planet." "Is this how you usually get by. Bullying, intimidation? Do you think that your words hold any weight for me? You are nothing to me. You've been nothing from the moment I first set eyes upon you. Even the discarded trash could be more useful. To make handmade decorations, for example." An icy fugue had grown in between the two princesses. Once neutral, the team that gave Ophelia a new home had become what ultimately split the two apart. Forced into two opposite sides over Idra's past and over Ophelia's future, the guards and Neon had failed to notice the dark tendrils crawling into the room due to the tension between the two until it was too late. "How fitting of trash to see trash as worthy of decoration. Shame to think that August and Medina are among heathens. Even Shiro deserves better than-" Her voice was hushed as the dark tendril wrapped around her throat. Neon on the other hand had seemed unscathed, being instead, pried free from the grasp of those who's stealth cybernetics had made it hard for even her with her vampiric senses and her own cybernetics to detect. With their bodies held, the light that once refracted around them began to reflect where the tendrils had touched them, revealing her many allies that accompanied her over the sake of pursuing her wealth. Though the vampiress' mind wasn't focused on them. What caught her attention instead was the difference in Ophelia's voice; The taint of her eldritch influence had made the sound the vampire's ears had grown accustomed to near unrecognizable. "Enough. Get your craven hands off my friend. Before I snap your neck in half... I will teach you a sliver of the hell I've experienced. For laying your hands on my Neon, that is a fair price. Your filthy soldiers... pull them back before I leave you without an entourage." Dark threats and ghastly commands had caused Idra to relent. This was not the right place for a princess to fight. With the tendrils giving her space to respond, she delivered her order. "Back off from the snake." Those who had yet to be caught had stepped back, refusing to make contact with the entity that watched over Ophelia. "FURTHER! NOW!" Her voice has spoken with authority, causing those that worked for her to place distance in between them and the two girls. Finally finding the tendrils slowly seeping back into the shadows of the room, once Ophelia returned back to normal, the eyes that looked down at her had vanished, only to be replaced by those that saw her as a genuine threat. She was as Sen said she was, a powerful artifact of a different time, one that was to be respected as such, rather than diminished as a result of her place in history. "And as your senior, I will teach you a lesson in humility. It is clear nobody else has bothered. Let's have our own wager, shall we? Return Neon's sword if I win. It's only right. If you win, I will join you instead. Surely my power will be a boon to your squad. And I'm sure you would relish in the opportunity of having me under your boot. I am not untamed; I know to obey orders. I will swear fealty to you." "... So this was all a ploy for you to get your weapon back?" Idra looked at the two, crossing her arms while whispering to herself a golden wall to form a ward against her darkness. "Fine. If you manage to beat me, I'll let you have her sword back. I was planning on selling it off if I managed to beat her again with it before it lost even more of its value, but I suppose, it would suit me well to place it on a wager." The princess backed up into a spotlight, preferring to stay in the company of the light where no shadows could touch her. "But as for what I get if I win, I have something else better in mind than having something like you with me." Placing both fans in one hand and pointing at Ophelia, the princess had made her terms known. "If I win. I want you to break her sword in front of her. Right in the arena in front of everyone else. August, Medina, and Shiro included." If Ophelia was to become their strength, Idra was going to wield their new friend against them. "I'll see you soon. Don't embarrass yourself too much when I go all out." Appearing unphased from the sudden surprise of her magic, the princess had left the two girls to themselves, letting the sounds of Neon's embarrassing moment play in the speakers as she left. By the time their confrontation was over, Ophelia had found Neon on the ground, brushing the bruise on her neck with her fingers. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" Neon shook her head. "Not bad. My throat's sore. Fuckers' got a strong hand on them, but I'm alive." Her blush was still apparent on her face. "You didn't have to defend me like that you know... I... I never wanted to get you into a fight with her in the first place." She coughed for a moment, trying to straighten out the coarseness in her vocal tones. "But... Thank you. For what you said in the arena and... For what you did for me in front of Idra. I mean it, Ophelia. I... really appreciate that." Her bloodied fingers tracing across her lips had led to a gentle kiss over the top of her hand. Even if she could never be her knight, that didn't stop her from trying, especially if it gave the vampire an excuse to taste her blood the same. "I'll let you drink as much of my blood once this is done, so hang in there, won't you? It'll only be a moment. And Neon? Please find Gust, Shiro and Medina and leave. I've fought gracefully so far. I have given you all a fight that is worthy and dignified. But this next match... I'm afraid you won't be able to see me the same way you have once you see me the way that I am when I let anger overtake me." Neon raised an eyebrow, shaking her head. "Please go. I must prepare for my fight. I promise I won't kill her. But... I can't promise anything more than that." "Lia. I'm never going to hate you. Say what you think, but what you did. What you said here. The glimpse I got of you..." Taking her bloodied hands in her own, Neon held her without fear in her eyes. The ancestors of the vampires of the modern day were known to have bloody gods and terrible rituals. Her father was no different. To Neon, the only thing that made them different from monsters were the reasons why they would commit to such magic in the first place, not the capabilities that came with the corrupted arcane. "No matter how bad things get, I'll be right by your side. I can't say the same about the others, but I know myself enough to not care. You'll never be a monster to me. I know you won't." "Monsters would never defend the people they love... So kick her ass for me." ──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​ In the stands sat Neon by herself. Keeping true to her promise, she had asked for the others to not come. While it was hard for them not to want to watch their party member come in person, she had convinced them with her eagerness. It wasn't often that Neon had genuinely asked the others for a favor rather than taking something herself. The fact that she was willing to ask meant that this meant a lot to her, and that alone had made it enough for most but Shiro. To the divine catwoman, there was something that her curiosity could not deny. Whatever was to happen here in the arena, her foresight couldn't read. There was a black fog that prevented her from already knowing the outcome of the fight, and for her, that was more than enough to make it interesting. While Ophelia had waited on the battlefield, instead of having to wait for an announcement for applause, it seemed that she was already a well known face for those who engaged with the crowd fare of the combat sport. She had risen the ranks, making a spectacle of herself in doing so by ensuring that none of her matches had ever become boring. Each was a thrilling clash of blade and spell from beginning to end. Where others were able to predict the abilities of those who were familiar faces, to the crowds, everything about Ophelia was a mystery, drawing their attention to the up and coming rookie that was soon to take on last year's champion. With a familiar cat announcer descending from his floating platform, he brought the mic to his lips. "ARE YOU READY FOR THE FINALE?!" His voice came from various speakers and drones that floated across the arena, giving his charisma amplitude that could not be denied. A welcome roar and the sounds of celebratory cannons were fired in the air. The dragon tribe she had bested the champion of, the vampires that had made a up Neon's primary company, and even the two members of the team themselves had joined in the celebration, cheering on the princess below despite the audible intensity of the crowd's sound being enough to rock the very station itself with their vigor. "PRINCESS VERSUS PRINCESS. TWO DAUGHTERS OF THEIR KINGDOM BEING BROUGHT TO FIGHT. YOU KNOW THEM. THERE'S NO NEED TO ANNOUNCE. CAN I GET A ROAR OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR CONTESTANTS?! OPHELIA! IDRA!" Finally leaving her side of the arena, Ophelia had found her golden counterpart donning armor that was worth planets. Blessed with a gift of divinity, the blonde angel had her fans in hand, only for them to turn into a shield and spear upon a swing. Divine energy had consecrated the ground underneath her feet. This angel had truly acted like the epitome of combat, mimicking the strength of the first hero of the stars. "I'm surprised you came. I thought you'd be smart enough to forfeit." The visor of her helmet flashed with her light as she uttered her syllables. "I wonder if that confidence is born of foolishness or ignorance... Unless, you preferred to ruin Neon's sword, that is." On one sheath in her armor rested Neon's sword itself. Still in the pristine condition that she had left the weapon in upon losing, it seemed to hold the power of her ancestors. "How poetic would it be if it was Neon's blade that did you in, hmm? Don't worry, Ophelia. I won't do you the disrespect of underestimating you again." Raising her shield in one hand and her spear in the other, a glowing bubble had formed around her. "Come. Test your mettle against the epitome of holy construction. Show me the limits of your resolve."​

 

[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 ❞
​

"Monsters would never defend the people they love... So kick her ass for me." 'Nobody said anything about love, you idiot...' The cheers of the crowd nearly fell on deaf ears as Ophelia's mind rewound back to the conversation in the lockers, when it was just Neon and her. To think that she was yearning for more, that she regretted leaving the samurai behind to face this battle. In an ideal world, she would've had more time to speak more honestly to the pink-haired vampire, especially after the short but intense fallout they'd had. There just wasn't enough time for them to talk before Idra had come to ruin their moment together, and it only made the princess resent Idra even more for it. While the cute cat announcer did his thing by, well, announcing their names, Ophelia's face contorted with discomfort, looking down at her left hand. She opened and closed it, or at least tried to, but her hand just wouldn't work the way she wanted it to. 'It still hasn't recovered from the fight. I can barely feel it, let alone hold my rapier with it...' To think that her battle with Neon would put her at such a disadvantage. Try as she might, she simply could not feel the bloodflow in her left hand, forcing her to use her right hand to wield the rapier. Yet another reason to resent Idra for pitting them against each other. Even if she didn't know this would be the result, the princess' intentions had been obvious; to weaken either of the two opponents to soften them up when it came time for her to fight them. Even so, Ophelia did not let it show in her face besides a short moment of hesitation as she unsheathed her rapier, holding it in the opposite hand than the one she'd been using so far. "I'm surprised you came. I thought you'd be smart enough to forfeit." "Careful now, Idra. Any more talk like that and I'll start thinking you're afraid of fighting me. Didn't you say the same thing back in the lockers? 'Do yourself a favor and give up now'? Could it be that you're scared? Is it that you are afraid of losing to this thing that came out of an accursed tower? Is your pride so fragile you would use any trick, any cheat to avoid confrontation? Or is it that you're scared now that your little toy soldiers are nowhere to be seen? It's just you and me..." "And that thing that had you cowering behind a little magic wall. Don't worry, I'll only use a fraction of its power to clip your wings." "I don't need any more than that." She watched from behind red eyes as the woman used divine magic to create weapons out of those gaudy fans of hers, her eyes narrowing now that she knew they had a purpose beyond making her look even more insufferable. Still, after all of that, Ophelia couldn't help but let out a small, quiet scoff behind her numb hand. "You look ridiculous under all that armor. Are you that scared of getting hurt?" Contrasting her immaculate appearance, Ophelia had taken the time between matches to patch up the cuts that Neon had inflicted over her body. Umbra's dress had held up well enough, but there were exposed parts around her waist and upper chest area that Ophelia had to wrap up, as well as her arms. She'd particularly tightened up her fingers to make them more responsive, but that hadn't worked. In contrast to Idra, Ophelia looked like she'd taken quite a beating and one might even think she was on her last leg after the last fight. But the eldritch magic that pumped throughout her body not only dulled the pain, but stitched up the wounds with ease and quickness. It was actually unsightly, which was why she'd opted to wrap them up so people wouldn't see the way her cuts healed themselves in real time. It was not the kind of sight that the average viewer could see and not feel sickened by. "Come. Test your mettle against the epitome of holy construction. Show me the limits of your resolve." "I have a question for you, Idra." Rapier at the ready, she held it up while bringing her other arm, still numb and lowered to about the height of her waist, Ophelia's eyes stared straight through the princess, as if she was nothing more than a simple obstacle for her to overcome. There was no respect in her gaze, unlike the grace and honor she'd granted to Leandro and Neon; she held no such respect for someone as disgraceful as Idra, who would sooner use dirty tricks outside of battle than face her opponents head on. "Do you wield your weapons. Or do they wield you? It is like a child wearing a tunic three sizes too big for them. Such equipment is wasted on a coward like you." "I'll release it from the disgrace of being worn by you." With a single stride forward, her body became a blur. While she'd waited for her other opponents to make their move, to observe their battle style before making a move of her own, she saw no need to exercise caution against Idra, jumping headfirst with a speed that made it clear she had been holding back even after all this time. Perhaps her other opponents would see it as a showcase of disrespect, to use anything but her entire arsenal against them, but she had never intended to use this amount of power when she signed up for the tournament. She didn't want to use It. "So much for your pride. Did she anger you that much? You barely know this girl, yet you would suffer the price of my power for her." 'I'll pay any price, just--" "Consider this one a freebie. I look forward to seeing her face twist with horror." Internally, Ophelia sighed a breath of relief as she was spared of the heavy price of using her patron's magic. Her rapier channeled eldritch magic through its blade, striking true against the divine shield, the dark energy spreading into the blessed armament to break it down. Darkness and light battled, the divinity imbued within the shield fighting back against the unknowable as best as it could. The princess jumped back instantly, not letting her guard down for but a second as she followed up with a blast of eldritch energy flying out from the tips of her fingers, one bolt for each striking against the chestplate in a bid to keep a distance between them. "Tell me, Idra," Landing back on her feet a fair distance away, Ophelia took a moment to recover her footing. "Have you ever personally buried one of your subjects? Have you given them their passing rites? Have you laid down flowers on their last resting place?" Painful memories of her past crossed through her mind, causing her breath to quicken. The pain in her chest was unbearable, but she needed this. "Have you had to meet the eyes of a widow as you tell her that her husband remains could not be recovered? Had a child ask you why they couldn't see daddy anymore?" "If you have not suffered along your subjects, don't you dare call yourself royalty!" Divine magic combined with the eldritch, Ophelia's fingers crackling with arcane energy as she cast a spell she'd become most familiar with. A giant fireball shot from her fingertips, flying at blinding speed towards Idra. The same fireball was laced with black energy, making its flames reminiscent of those sent from hell itself. It exploded on impact, engulfing the entire arena in black and orange flames that burnt the grounds without a sign of stopping. Umbra's dress was as good as it got when it came to magical protection; only the uncovered parts of Ophelia's skin seared with burning agony. But it was nothing compared to the agony she'd experienced while all alone. It was nothing compared to the shame she would feel if she let down Neon. "Until... you can resonate with the suffering of others, you will never be a true monarch. Give up now... before I make you regret ever crossing paths with me."

 

[Tenzai]

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ꜱᴛɪᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʙᴇʟɪᴇꜰ | ᴅʏɴᴀꜱᴛʏ ᴡᴀʀʀɪᴏʀꜱ: ᴏʀɪɢɪɴ - ᴏꜱᴛ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​ "Do you wield your weapons. Or do they wield you? It is like a child wearing a tunic three sizes too big for them. Such equipment is wasted on a coward like you." Her eyes furrowed at the idea that her taunts were cutting deep into her pride. Her armor was glamorous, befitting of the higher circles of her species, though as a result of it given her young age, many others in Heaven had assumed the same. Her title and her parents had afforded her power and status at the cost of being seen as an inheritor of it, rather than someone who had earned it via her own works. "I'll release it from the disgrace of being worn by you." The first slash came fast, much faster than Idra had expected. However, the holy warrior princess did not move nor stumble. Her divine shield was resolute, acting as a match for Ophelia's carving darkness. "Tough words coming from someone who wasted her years in a tower." Her armor seemed unscathed by the swiftness of her first strike. While she herself might have gotten the question of the divine, her armor was blessed by a holy blacksmith, one that could be seen handling the work of gods. "I've trained with the armor of gods. All you have is nothing but experience with shadows." Despite her words, her boots were pushed back, leaving a trail of shifted dirt from the force of her attack. Her armor was impeccable but her stance had hinted at her dependence on her gear for her success. Ophelia had the speed to go against Idra's resilience. She wielded darkness against Idra's light. "Tell me, Idra," A plume of dust had shot up from where she landed, leaving clouds born of sand around the battlefield. Even though the crowd had cheered their names, to Idra, her battlefield was silent. All that mattered were herself and the woman in front of her and she knew she couldn't afford to lose, especially not to someone so new in name and title. Ophelia was no champion. She was no renowned warrior. She was a lucky human that ruled over a backwater world generations ago, nothing more. "Have you ever personally buried one of your subjects? Have you given them their passing rites? Have you laid down flowers on their last resting place?" "My subjects are eternal. They are perfect. They know not of defeat." A smirk crossed her face from underneath her helmet finding another significant difference between her kingdom and Ophelia's. "Looks like your kind are only good at dying. Quite like your team, how fitting." The pain from her past fight was made apparent, leading to her limbs moving slower than they had when fighting Neon. Though where she lacked in freshness, her vitriol had served instead as fuel for her speed as well as some other unknown dark force. "Have you had to meet the eyes of a widow as you tell her that her husband remains could not be recovered? Had a child ask you why they couldn't see daddy anymore?" Idra grew quiet, hearing the same thought be brought up by her dad before he passed. The painful memory of his lectures alone had caused her to grit her teeth, making her shield grow even brighter with divine resistance. "If you have not suffered along your subjects, don't you dare call yourself royalty!" "What do you know about royalty?!"​ Pointing her spear at the growing amalgamation of darkness in front of her, the princess of light had readied herself to pierce through the corruption that came from Ophelia's patron's boon. However, before she was able to stab through it, the small ball of darkness suddenly grew massive, overtaking her shield, leading to it cracking upon impact and finally... Breaking. With a single attack, Idra's concentration on her defense had cracked, shattering the indomitable protective outer shell that so many others had struggled with piercing through in the past. The fact that she had done so that quickly had caused a roar to take the stands, leading to even Neon standing from her seat to cheer. While Neon herself might have been able to break through the shield, it wasn't without tons of sacrifice to come before. Perhaps Ophelia stood a chance. "KICK HER ASS!" "THATS MY PRINCESS!" "MAKE US PROUD!" "... Clap clap clap. Woooo." Her team had offered Ophelia her hopes as Idra swiped her blade to clear the arena of the dark soot and smoke that clouded her vision. Her armor was still stubbornly standing, though from the looks of it, it was the last layer standing in between her and her vulnerable flesh. "Until... you can resonate with the suffering of others, you will never be a true monarch. Give up now... before I make you regret ever crossing paths with me." The offer of surrender had made the princess laugh. "You're asking me? The future queen of the Northern Sky, to give up? How ignorant you are! Let me show you the power of someone deemed to lord over Heaven." Her spear glowed annoyingly bright, illuminated enough to render those too close and without protection blind. From the channeling of its energy, it seemed that the denial of vision was not its only intended effect as the very air molecules around began to heat up with divine fire. "Try and dodge this if you can." With her massive weapon, she threw a wave of light back in Ophelia's direction. Though her attack was slower than Neon's were, it made up for that lack of speed in size and power, bathing the arena in force as it traveled towards Ophelia. However, while it might've made short work of her if she was unable to rise off the ground, Idra was far from done. Following after her first volley, the back of her armor sprouted wings as jets underneath had given her speed to adjust for her armor's overwhelming weight. It was through the expert use of her gear that made her a dangerous foe to most, one that required Ophelia's answer to her god. Wielding her massive spear, its point reached Ophelia's rapier as she charged, forcing it to bend as it parried away most of its force into the ground, causing the very floor itself to crack, bending light as it collided only to leave behind a glowing mark of consecrated dust behind. "How dare you speak to me like we're equals! Your entire kingdom had lived for only a portion of my father's own!" Massive thrusts had afforded Ophelia enough time to strike twice in between every handheld artillery strike driven into her position. Though with every cut of her rapier, the tip bounced from swiftness alone. Whichever force that existed behind her blade needed to work in tandem with her and her deity. "I will not let you speak ill of it or me! You haven't earned that right!" Becoming disgruntled at the fact that her spear was too slow with her shield unable to block in time, Idra finally let go of the shield, letting it fall with a heavy thud as she wielded her spear with both hands. If she simply let this fight go on as is, neither of them would be able to strike down their opponent and she wasn't going to let someone speak ill of her entitlement to her royalty without suffering the taste of defeat at the hands of her light first. By surviving the first attacks and breaking through her shield, Idra had deemed her worthy of her effort and her fight. "Is that all your tough words have? Is that all your strength amounts to? Don't make me laugh." "If you were worthy of your title, you would've landed a meaningful blow by now."​ Realizing that Ophelia's method of escape was to always remain out of reach instead of casting a shield to protect herself, the princess had shifted her tactic, casting a spell that created a shield which forced her inside. The wall was transparent, too thick to cut through easily without risking herself with another eldritch fireball. "All that talk just for you to disappoint your friends." Reaching towards a sheath that rested at her hip, as she let go of the spear, it vanished into golden sparkles. only to have a certain vampire's blade take its place. "It would be poetic for Neon's blade to be what does you in." A fan of the theatrics, the angelic princess had infused Ophelia's friend's weapon with a shroud of her own light, tainting its darksteel-forged origin with consecration gold. "A perfect end for such an imperfect being." "Be proud that your common blood had brought you this far."​

 

[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 ❞ "Looks like your kind are only good at dying. Quite like your team, how fitting." ​ "You may be right..." Ophelia smiled bitterly, finding no lie in Idra's words. "But it is through my kind's deaths that we continue to grow. Though we may never reach the heights of the divine, my kind continues to muddle through, finding their own way. As I'm sure those four will, whether I'm there or not. That's the kind of people they are." She did not let Idra's taunts get to her, instead glancing towards the stands, where the four stubborn girls remained despite Ophelia's request for them to not be around for the fight. She should've known they wouldn't leave for any reason, but she still sighed with a shake of her head. "What do you know about royalty?!" ​ The princess smirked, knowing that her words had found effect in the once indiscernible angel's exterior. It seemed that they truly were a match made in heaven - diametrically opposed, never to find each other agreeing on a single thing. Every word that Ophelia uttered got under the blonde's skin, just as every word spoken by Idra fanned the flames of her anger, making her magic flare ever higher with each moment that the battle went on. With her shield shattering, Ophelia's confidence only grew ever higher, her sardonic smirk deepening as she gripped her rapier tighter, readying herself for another bout once their exchange had ended. Of course she didn't expect Idra to surrender, but the fact that she responded to the offer was enough for Ophelia. The fact that she would even give the statement the benefit of a response meant something. What that something was would only show itself with time. Time that Idra was not willing to give her. "Try and dodge this if you can." Like usual, the angel gloated before she was even done making a move. The human princess stood ready, though her feet were wobbly from her fight against Neon still. Whatever reaction she would have wouldn't be as swift as it had been when she fought against Leandro or her vampire companion. True to her word, Idra's attack blinded her, forcing Ophelia to jump in one direction. She barely missed the brunt of the attack, sacrificing her left arm to the divine fire in order to not be scorched completely. It had already been left useless from her clash with Neon, so she decided that it was a worthwhile sacrifice. She didn't pay any mind to the pain of divine magic burning her to her eldritch-touched core, as if it was nothing compared to what she had endured. It was not enough to dodge, however. Idra's overwhelming strength left her with little options. It was the best she could do to parry the spear, keeping her body safe from being impaled by the divine weapon. "How dare you speak to me like we're equals! Your entire kingdom had lived for only a portion of my father's own!" "And yet for as long as they had me as their scapegoat, they prospered! It wasn't until... until...!" She could not rebuke her. It was her own fault the kingdom had fallen; how could she claim that her kingdom was any better when they had suffered? And Ophelia had borne witness to every second of it, courtesy of her patron? With the difference in strength growing apparent, Ophelia's rapier fell to the ground as she herself fell to her knees, stabbing it into the hard floor beneath her. She gazed up at Idra, her chest heaving with exhaustion, as if she'd given it her all. The angel's furious, righteous onslaught had left it clear that the difference in strength was overwhelming even for her. And with the shield brought up around her, there was no place for her to run, for her to hide. "If you were worthy of your title, you would've landed a meaningful blow by now." "I never claimed to be worthy of my title, Idra." ​ [Ophelia shook her head with resignation; yet another misunderstanding between them. While Idra claimed pride over her title, Ophelia only found shame in her own. She only continued to carry it out of a sense of shame - a reminder of who she was; and what she had done. She was the reason her kingdom had fallen, when her desire had only been for it to prosper. In the end, she let herself be seduced by dark power. It brought peace, but it also brought shame to her father's legacy, and taint to her lineage. Her red eyes looked up from the ground as she let go of her weapon, exchanging it for another. In that moment, Ophelia's eyes lit up with understanding that this was what Idra had wanted all along - to cause a rift by not only forcing her to break Neon's blade upon losing the match, but by making said blade be the one to take her down. The theatrics of it all could only draw one reaction from Ophelia. "Ha... hahahaha..." It was soft at first, barely but a small giggle. "Be proud that your common blood had brought you this far." "A piece of advice, Idra?" ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: Mili - Paper Bouquet ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ "Never monologue. And never let go of your weapon..."​ As if her earlier docility had been nothing but an act, Ophelia's red eyes glared up at the supposed victor. "I think... under different circumstances, under a different sky, you and I..." She stared straight up, letting out a sigh that made her chest feel light. "... could've come to an understanding. Maybe... I could've seen you as a friend. Who else could ever know the weight that a crown bears? All dream of holding it over their head, but none know the feelings of inadequacy that come with it... And yet..." "Every word you say... every sentence you form... every time you look down on me, or on those that I care about..." Ophelia dodged to the right, barely evading the downward slash of Neon's blade by Idra. The divine light scorched her yet again, but there was something different than a moment ago. Where Ophelia's arm had been rendered completely unusable by Idra's attack earlier, it was now completely fine. Her arm was completely exposed, not even Umbra's superb threadwork being able to withstand Idra's attack, but the human's arm was completely fine, other than the sizzling as the muscles and skin reformed in real time. "IT PISSES ME THE HELL OFF...!!!!!!" ​ Imbued with every bit of eldritch magic that her body could handle and more, Ophelia swung under Idra's arm and smashed her fist straight into her visor, letting the recoil of it send her flying against the barrier of her own making, but not before she used the opportunity to snatch Neon's blade from her filthy angel hands with her other hand. It was better used in her hands, a person who was more acquainted with the dark arts. She pushed down the sword on the ground next to her rapier, creating a small but powerful eldritch barrier around both of them to protect them from what was about to come next. "So you have learnt to use your armor and weapons to a masterful degree. I'll take back my words about your gear wearing you. However..." Eldritch magic crackled in one of her palms, while the other crackled with her own, divine magic in the form of pure, unfiltered and unformed energy, glowing an ominous red. She pushed both hands together with some difficulty, as if trying to press magnets together while they were on the same pole. "... You're still naive! To gloat over an enemy you have not yet defeated. To assume you know every trick under their sleeve. 'Appear weak when you are strong, appear strong when you are weak'. Even as a child, I knew this. Yet you... you're nothing but a stupid child if you think something like this will stop me from using magic...!!!" She pushed both palms forward, sending the ball of chaotic magic straight towards Idra with blinding speed. Even if the angel were to put down the barrier in an attempt to run away, it was too late; the explosion would catch them both in its detonation. The barrier broke regardless, sending Ophelia flying back against her own barrier, where both her rapier and Neon's sword remained unscathed. She could feel every bone in her body shattering from the sheer force of the explosion, but they reformed within the same second, leaving her insides to crackle as punctured organs and muscles healed themselves back in an instant. The pain, however, could not be avoided. It took a moment for Ophelia, who had grown used to pain by now, to recover as she stood back up, putting down the barrier to retrieve both blades from the ground. "And one more thing..." "I'm ambidextrous. But I'm sure my acting lead you to believe my right hand is weaker, no?" ​ Ophelia smirked, giving Neon's sword a few swings to get used to its weight. It was a lot heavier than her own rapier, but she had some extra strength thanks to her patron, so it was hardly a problem for the time being. "I'm actually most comfortable when I have two blades in both of my hands. Thanks for the gift!" The princess mocked, tapping her boots on the ground beneath her. "Now that I've shown you a few more of my tricks..." "Shall we kick it up a notch?"​ Using the debris that her earlier blast had created around them, the princess took inspiration from a certain spell her witch friend had used to help her not too long ago. The stone and concrete rose from the ground, levitating at varying heights and distances around both of the princesses. One moment, Ophelia was on the ground. The next, she was a blur as she hopped onto a nearby piece of debris, before hopping onto the next. She jumped around several times, adding an element of uncertainty as to which direction she would attack from before mimicking the way Neon used her own blade against her to propel herself towards Idra. She imbued Neon's sword with her patron's magic as she slashed at Idra's back. "You won't mind if I get a little serious now, will you? After all, you're the one that wanted this!" With even more speed than before, Ophelia jumped away to a piece of debris that was high up in the air before Idra could trap her in another one of her barriers. "I wonder how much it'll hurt when I beat you with Neon's weapon?"​

​

 

[Tenzai]

"A piece of advice, Idra?" Advice? Who was she to offer the princess leagues over her advice? "Never monologue. And never let go of your weapon..." Crimson hues stared with intensity back at the angelic warrior. The sigh that followed was akin to someone dealing with a nuisance rather than their greatest enemy. "I need not try my best against you. Now that I've seen your works in all its power, it's safe to say..." "You're a lot more disappointing than I thought you would be." ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴠᴀʟʟᴇʏ ᴏꜰ ꜰᴏᴏʟꜱ | ᴍᴀʀᴢᴜᴋᴜ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​ "It seems that the most dangerous part about you is your choice of words." Refusing to take her advice without being seen as an equal, she continued to gloat, believing that she held full advantage with Ophelia being trapped within her bubble. Its gilded surface was impenetrable from both directions, inside and out. "I think... under different circumstances, under a different sky, you and I... could've come to an understanding. Maybe... I could've seen you as a friend. Who else could ever know the weight that a crown bears? All dream of holding it over their head, but none know the feelings of inadequacy that come with it... And yet... Every word you say... every sentence you form... every time you look down on me, or on those that I care about..." Believing this moment to be the perfect opportunity to strike her down, Idra swung with Neon's blade, whiffing towards what she believed to be her wounded side. However, one clear look had hinted that in the time she had spent speaking, Ophelia regenerated her strength, taking full advantage of the princess' pride. Underneath her helmet, she gritted her teeth as the stubbornness of her opponent's body, finding it annoying to face another opponent similar in resilience to herself. Her armor was made to be impenetrable, a stalwart tool against all adversity. Its greatest weakness was the wielder inside of it. "IT PISSES ME THE HELL OFF...!!!!!!"​ "How unbecoming of you." Ophelia's anger was something she deemed unlady-like. "If your body could heal that fast, then it just means you'll bear more of my punishment. You'll simply lose for longer." Idra swung again, finding her divine fire scorching her opponent's body a swing earlier being a good sign. Though, as if she had expected it to come, Ophelia had moved at a cross angle that was hard to see given Idra's visor's sight limitations. With her hook sent straight into her visor, the sudden momentum had caught Idra off guard, forcing her armor against the shield itself. [Armor integrity at 70%] Regardless of what her armor warned, her own body was much more fragile than its divine reinforcement. With Neon's sword dropping as she was sent in the opposing direction, both glowed with a dark hue as they fell under her god's protection. "So you have learnt to use your armor and weapons to a masterful degree. I'll take back my words about your gear wearing you. However..." [Warning. Level 5 eldritch magic has been detected in your vicinity. Warning. Level 7 eldritch magic has been detected in your vicinity.] Standing herself back up, as her armor warned her of what was to come, she prepared to plant herself in place to prove that her magic would not move her. She was a massive target, one that was heaving from the pain she felt when her armor had been used against her, turning it into a painful, brunt force prison. By now, Idra was coughing, each contortion of her chest being heard from the speakers on her armor. "... You're still naive! To gloat over an enemy you have not yet defeated. To assume you know every trick under their sleeve. 'Appear weak when you are strong, appear strong when you are weak'. Even as a child, I knew this. Yet you... you're nothing but a stupid child if you think something like this will stop me from using magic...!!!" Dark sparks had led to sweat dripping from her brow as she felt her survival instincts scream for attention. A chill had ran down her spine finding the rapier wielding mage risking herself as she prepared a high level eldritch spell befitting a battlefield rather than that of the arena. With each flung spark came a loss of color from their surroundings, only to grow more rapid from its channeling before finally being released in a blast that broke her concentration. [Armor integrity at 50%] The wall had shattered. Her armor, while still standing, was showing signs of wear and tear from steam shooting out of the exhaust ports for having its electronic components be overworked to the point of heat exhaustion. She couldn't deny that her body was in pain. As she stood up once again, Ophelia could see her joints wincing. Regardless of how strong the armor was, the blast had reached Idra inside. "And one more thing... I'm ambidextrous. But I'm sure my acting lead you to believe my right hand is weaker, no?" With her weapon in her enemy's hand and her body recovering fast from the sudden snap of her bones, now it seemed like Idra was on the losing end. Her body was moving slower, as if each limb was just as heavy as her lance, and surprisingly, she was quiet. The sting of her wounds had placed her priority away from her gloating. Unlike her former opponents, this one had the power to hurt her through her divine construction. "I'm actually most comfortable when I have two blades in both of my hands. Thanks for the gift! Now that I've shown you a few more of my tricks... Shall we kick it up a notch?" And she was far from done. The dust and debris had lifted itself, beckoned by her mana and will to act as a bridge for the eldritch princess to hop across. With each shard of rubble, orbiting around the woman who could barely move, she was given freedom in her attacks, allowing her to strike Idra from any angle. "You won't mind if I get a little serious now, will you? After all, you're the one that wanted this! I wonder how much it'll hurt when I beat you with Neon's weapon?" 'Shit. I need to give my armor some time to recharge.' With her energy dedicated to her shield capacitors, she couldn't wield her magic as well without her armor having more energy to spare as a catalyst. Though, before it was given a moment to charge, strikes from above, behind, and below had rendered her batteries overwhelmed. "Ach... Oof... Mhmphf." She was but a sitting duck, a punching bag for the very sword she had stolen from the vampiress a year ago. Their duel had begun to turn into an embarrassing display once it was made obvious that she was too reliant on her armor; That without her father's gifts, she was nothing. [Armor integrity at 40%] With each passing moment, her armor was losing its combat capability. [Armor integrity at 20%] Soon, it would be stripped of her, leaving her with nothing but her own flesh to handle Ophelia who only seemed to be gaining more momentum now that the tides of battle were shifting in her favor. [Armor integrity at 5%. Shutting down.] Quietly, she muttered a prayer to any god that would listen to her for strength befitting that of a queen. However, as if the gods were made aware of her taking their gifts for granted, none had come to her aid once the last swing had knocked the armor off of her, unveiling itself into a metal box that landed to her side, leaving her in nothing but her jumpsuit. Without her armor in the way, Ophelia was able to see the bruises she had left on the supposedly perfect princess' body. She was not immune to her attacks despite her best attempts to act as such; In truth, she was just as ordinary as most others in the galaxy, save for her overwhelming sense of pride for a species whose gifts she inherited instead of earned. Taking her sidearm, she attempted to make a last ditch attempt at gunning down the princess, only to have the weapon knocked out of her hand. Nearly defenseless, the princess bit her tongue hard enough to bleed, hating the feeling of so many eyes on her watching her at such a vulnerable state. "Why won't you understand your place?" She swung her arms with terrible posture, being easily dodged before feeling the blunt side of Ophelia's strike. She was but prey to be toyed with; A terrible woman who had yet to be met with the consequences of her pride. "Take me down. Stop playing these games with me." She thrusted her arms again, causing the angels in the stands to look away from her shame. They were meant to be the epitome of species when it came to combat; Not victims who were incapable of defending themselves. "Do me the honor of a proper defeat, Ophelia! What are you scared?!" Throwing her hands in a wild display of disgrace as she charged forward in heels that never belonged in the arena in the first place, taking merely a side step for her to end up falling to the ground, covering her once perfect face in a layer of dust. Coughing, as she attempted to get up, she eyed the shadows of the princess she looked down on, finding herself now being the one to be in the position beneath her. Their fight was over. The posturing she had delivered had come to an end. Now it was merely time for Ophelia to decide how she wanted to end this fight. With the eyes of the crowds from both in person and online looking towards her, her own found family watching from the stands and the very hero that ordered them to find her in the first place observing her as well, Ophelia was given the spotlight to decide the fate of the woman that had done so much damage to her team before. "What do you think she's gonna do?" Medina tilted her head, sitting crisscrossed on her seat with popcorn in her hand. "I don't know." Given the sheer amount of distance in between them, Shiro was unable to rely on her future sight to determine the fate of the princess below her boot. "Oh no, I hope Lia doesn't go too far." August seemed nervous, watching how her magic was beginning to corrupt her speech. However, Neon was of a different mind. "What do you mean? Have you forgotten what she did to us last year?" The vampire samurai had yet to forgive her for the wrong she committed. "She hurt us, Gust. She hurt me. Made me a fool in front of everyone." She sighed, remembering the feeling of loss. "The rights of the defeated go to the victor. Its up to her to decide what she wants to do. Whatever happens, Idra has no right to complain if she can't grant grace in victory herself." Gripping her skirt, nervous as to what Ophelia would do, the witch was of a different mindset. At the end of the day, they were still allies fighting on the same side of the front. While she wasn't against Ophelia teaching her a lesson, she didn't want her to be unnecessarily cruel as well. "But Lia isn't like Idra! She's better than that." Both women had faith in the princess from different directions; Neon was proud of her combat prowess, finding her victory to be the work of perfect cinema. August had seen Ophelia for her humanity, remembering the joys they had in the peace. "Then lets leave it up to her to decide, Gust. However she delivers her lesson, I'll accept her. No matter what happens, she'll always be our Lia."

 

[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 ❞ "Why won't you understand your place?" "I'm trying to. Gods know I'm trying to." ​ "But I know it is not kneeling before you. Not in a million years, Idra." The princess that had spoken about disappointments less than a couple of minutes ago was now screaming at her like a petulant child who had lost a game and was now throwing a tantrum. Ophelia's boiling yet cold rage was incapable of retaining that heat when he saw Idra like this, when she saw her for who she really was - a girl trying her hardest to fit boots too big for her. It cooled to a simmer, but refused to fully leave her as it was now accompanied by an aloof sense of pity. "Take me down. Stop playing these games with me." "Not yet." Her eyes left her opponent - a careless mistake against someone capable, but a luxury she was afforded against someone powerless like Idra - and looked to the crowd, searching for that head full of pink. So much for saying she only fought for herself; here she was, trying to find the best way to honor her friend. The same friend she had blasted away and cursed off just the night prior. A small scoff left her lips, not out of disdain or mockery towards Idra, but towards herself. What a hypocrite she was, saying such words and yet acting so recklessly. Using so much of her patron's powers would surely come at a steep price once this was all done, but for now she only cared to do right by Neon. "Do me the honor of a proper defeat, Ophelia! What are you scared?!" "You dare speak of honor after what you did to Neon?" "The rapier that Medina made for me along with her gloves. The dress that protected my body from your attacks, made by a seamstress who accepted me despite my rudeness. The bandages of an angel who said he would offer no discounts, yet gave me them free of charge. And the sword of a friend that you tried to strike me down with." "You insulted all of them. Yet you would ask for grace in defeat after all of that?" ​ Ophelia took a step back out of reflex, the movement so telegraphed it didn't even warrant thinking about as she dodged her awkward lunge. It was almost like sidestepping a child who was running without paying attention to their surroundings, except she didn't bother to catch her as she tripped over her own feet. Instead she looked down at her with disdain and pity, her lips sealed tightly in a slight scowl as she found herself conflicted. "You don't deserve honor. What you deserve..." Ophelia's own high-heeled boot made contact with Idra's chin, an upward kick to send her reeling back as she bought herself some more time to reflect. She scanned the crowd yet again, finding Neon's expectant gaze over them. And next to her, August's concerned eyes. She frowned in confusion; why was she so disconcerted? Ophelia had won. Without her armor, Idra may as well been weaker than a wild boar that she could easily dispose of with a single thrust of her rapier. There was no reason for her to be worried any longer. Other than... If she lost herself. ​ This was why she didn't want any of them to watch. Because once her emotions ran high, it was hard to control herself. The grip on her rapier tightened for a moment before loosening in the next, a deep, quiet sigh escaping her as she sheathed it within the scabbard Medina had made for it. Neon's blade remained in her other hand. "... is a bitter lesson. Just like the one I learned when I became trapped in that tower. Except you won't have to simmer in this lesson for that long. You won't have to stare into the abyss to understand." She shook her head, trying to erase all the times she'd nearly blinked while staring into that deep, endless darkness. How close she had become to losing herself in the madness. Instead, she focused on the single ray of light she had been blessed with. "... You wanted to follow in his steps too, right?"​ Her gaze and voice both softened in that moment, staring down at Idra. But what she saw was not the angel that had mocked her endlessly from the moment they met. Instead, she saw a reflection of herself, younger and innocent. Amber hues stared back at deep crimsons, her expression unreadable. She bit back bitter tears of regret. "Boots so big you could put your entire arm in them and still couldn't reach the bottom. Crown so big you couldn't even dream of it ever fitting your head. Yet you still dreamt, and dreamt, and became so desperate. You could hear the whispers. A child. How will she ever measure up to him? Anger. Frustration. Fear." 'You would do anything if it meant you could stop feeling that way.' "But those voices will never be satisfied, no matter what you do. Instead, you need to follow your own heart. Do what you think is right, not what others expect of you." ​ "There will always be regrets. But the path you choose for yourself is the one that will have the least." If only she'd known that before. Despite what others said, she would live her life filled with regrets. This moment was but a nanosecond compared to the memories that would haunt her for as long as she was allowed to live. It didn't have to be the same for others. "May this be one lesson you can never forget, Idra." As if she was done lecturing her now, a green flame coated Neon's sword, its ghastly hue telling of its origin. Despite its simplicity, the enchanted flame was of a higher degree than anything she'd used in the entire prior match, sucking the very light surrounding the blade. With a single, swift and surgical movement, Ophelia swung it down, creating a cut that started from just above Idra's brow and ran across the bridge of her nose all the way to the top of her cheek. The wound didn't even have the chance to bleed as the flame cauterized it instantly, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't fill the angel with pain. Such powerful magic that she had imbued into the blade meant that no ordinary healing magic could ever hope to heal the scar. Only divine magic of the highest order would have the hopes of removing it entirely, and even that was a maybe. The scar would burn now, and at random intervals for as long as it remained on her, to forever remind Idra of her loss here today. The blade dragged over the ground, sizzling against the concrete as the flame burnt through it and then vanished. There was silence in the arena, the crowd stunned for a moment before... "WE HAVE A WINNER!!! IN AN UNPREDICTABLE, UNPRECEDENTED TURN OF EVENTS, THE LAST PRINCESS OF THE LAMPROS KINGDOM WINS TO TAKE ALL!!" ​ It erupted into deafening cheers and screams of disbelief and amazement. The very ground rumbled under the sound of the crowd exploding with excitement, and for the first time Ophelia felt dizzy. She stumbled back, holding her face as the world around her began to spin. She granted Idra one last glance before she turned on her heel, straining herself to keep an air of dignity as she left the ring behind the same way she'd entered it - exuding nothing but pure confidence and determination. The moment she was out of the limelight and on the hallway, however, she nearly tumbled over. She felt as if her body was being torn from the inside out. "I knew you wouldn't let me have this victory for free..." Ophelia laughed bitterly only to spit out black blood from her mouth, her hand shooting up to catch it rather than let it stain the floor. "Gone silent again already? You were having so much... fun earlier...!!" The pain. It was excruciating. Every bit of pain that she had caused to Idra was reflected back on her a hundredfold, and then some more as a reward for some good entertainment. But Ophelia remained stalwart, using Neon's sword to support herself as she forced herself to the nearest locker room and shut the door behind her, falling onto her knees as soon as the door clicked closed. "Gods... this is always the worst part..." It felt like a million needles were stabbing her at once, like her bones were being liquefied and crushed at the same time. Like her blood was being turned into acid. And in the literal sense, it was. Just not to her. Not the her that was lying on the ground, anyway. But no matter how much it hurt, she could never let anyone know of the cost that using her patron's powers took from her. Because she knew that those four would do something stupid and reckless if they knew... That the Ophelia they knew was nothing more than projection. ​ In a way, she was a conduit for her patron to see through her. To enact its twisted desires upon this foreign world. Foreign from itself, at least. In flesh and blood, this Ophelia was real, but she was not the real Ophelia. That one was still trapped in the very bottom of the tower, suffering thousands of deaths for every spell she used that wasn't her own. "Haha... It's okay. I-I... I took back your sword, Neon. I hope... I can see you smile once you have it back. F-For now... I just need a little bit of... rest..." Holding the blade to her chest as if to protect it with her life, Ophelia crumbled to the floor, lying on her side as the pain ravaged her insides to the point of exhaustion, forcing her body to shut down from pure shock. Even so, she wouldn't let go of the sword for any reason as she laid there, blood dripping from her mouth and nose. "Just a little... snooze is fine, right...?"​

​

 

[Tenzai]

"You insulted all of them. Yet you would ask for grace in defeat after all of that?"​ "It is my right as a princes-" A swift boot to the chin had knocked out all sense of confidence and certainty. Without her armor standing in the way, the pain had genuinely stung. Blood dripped from her lips due to how fragile she was underneath her father's gifts; Now stripped from the strength of her bloodline, she was little more than an ordinary girl with an affinity for holy magic, a child forced into a role she should have never been inside in the first place. "You don't deserve honor. What you deserve..." With her eyes turned to the crowd, August and Neon had looked on with curiosity, each holding their opinions of what was most right. However, despite their looks, they still seemed to look on to Ophelia with hope. Regardless of what would happen, at the end of it all, their friend had claimed victory. That alone had made them proud of her. "... is a bitter lesson. Just like the one I learned when I became trapped in that tower. Except you won't have to simmer in this lesson for that long. You won't have to stare into the abyss to understand." Now brought to the floor, Idra did not offer any counterargument. She did not speak against Ophelia. Instead, she listened. It was Ophelia's right as the victor to speak as she wished no matter what the content of her words may be. "... You wanted to follow in his steps too, right?" And it seemed that her message would be far more involved than any she received in the past by someone else that wasn't her father. Where there were once fierce eyes that sought to best represent her father's valorous own, the Lamprosian princess had found softening hues as a response to the words she embedded within her opponent. Despite the massive gap in time period, there were few others who could understand her more than another princess that held the weight of her kingdom on her shoulders. "Boots so big you could put your entire arm in them and still couldn't reach the bottom. Crown so big you couldn't even dream of it ever fitting your head. Yet you still dreamt, and dreamt, and became so desperate. You could hear the whispers. A child. How will she ever measure up to him? Anger. Frustration. Fear. You would do anything if it meant you could stop feeling that way. But those voices will never be satisfied, no matter what you do. Instead, you need to follow your own heart. Do what you think is right, not what others expect of you." "...But what if I don't know what's right?... What if I do something I'd regret?"​ Her words were too meaningful for the once proud princess to ignore. Strength combined with humility in victory was what made her father great. He always held better goals than pride alone in mind, making her wonder what he valued so much that made him different from the many other angels in his cohort. To see the very same in Ophelia was a reminder that she was far from what she wanted to be; She was no more deserving of the title of princess than the vampire she tried to break. Cursing herself, not for her loss against Ophelia, but rather for her loss against her own pride, Idra slapped herself in the face, tearing up from the sudden addition to the previous pain only to hear a certain depth behind her words that feigned wisdom tempered by immortal experience. "There will always be regrets. But the path you choose for yourself is the one that will have the least." At least Idra wouldn't be forced to make the same mistakes nor would her future people be subjected to it either. "May this be one lesson you can never forget, Idra." Watching as the green flame overtook the eldritch spellcaster's blade, Idra didn't step away as she approached. With a precise and quick slash, Ophelia's had left her signature on Idra's body where it will never heal; A soon to be scar was made present from the side of her forehead down to her chin. "... I won't forget it... I- I'm S... Sorry, for what I've said and done to you... And your team..." Whispering, a crack of honest understanding had shone through her gilded heart, giving the princess a glimpse of the girl underneath the noble blood. Underneath everything else, Idra was still a princess that wanted to make her father and her people proud, taking this lesson as a painful memory that would act as a foundation to helping her become the princess her kingdom deserved. With the crowds watching the once proud champion be brought to heel, they roared as once the announcements were made, crowning one of the newest talents of the citadel as the champion of the arena. The girls on her team cheered, barely able to be heard while they were drowned out by the audience excited over the upset. Though their cheers would be cut short noticing the sudden lack of strength in her legs, Ophelia was soon to fall, assumed to be most likely as the result of her using so much magical ability and strength so quickly. "Neon, you see that?... Neon?" August was the first to note the shift, only to turn to see Neon already missing. "Medina, Shiro. Come with me!" The three others rushed through the crowds to reunite with their fifth quickly. "Just a little... snooze is fine, right...?" Boots had sounded from the door leading up to the halls where the arena's contenders would pass, only for Ophelia to feel the familiar, cool hands of a vampire samurai wrapping around from underneath her legs and behind her back to lift her up. "Snooze all you like, Lia. You earned it." ──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・────── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɴᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪꜰꜱ | ꜱᴀᴘᴘʜɪʀᴇ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ ──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​ The smell of fresh apple cider over ice had tickled Ophelia's nose by the time she woke up. The ceiling above her was familiar: It was her room's ceiling, this time accompanied with the sounds of the few voices that she had grown to be comfortable with. "Yes. I think she would find the gesture welcome." Standing at the door, Shiro was speaking with Idra on the other end. In her hands were painkillers meant to help aid with the recovery of the unconscious woman as well as a few candles and snacks to act as a housewarming present. "... And tell her to get some rest when she wakes up. I don't want the girl who beat me to end up losing to exhaustion." On the couch in the living room sat Medina and August. August had her eyes scanning through some books, curious as to what spells she had casted and how to cast it the same herself. Medina on the other hand was more keen on keeping track of Ophelia's diagnostics ensuring that her recovery process was going well. Though, right as she turned in search of Neon, she felt the softness of a pillow underneath her head shift. It was far too warm to simply be one of the pillows she was given, each ensuring a coolness to sleep thanks to the quality of their material. No, these pillows belonged to someone that was living. "Good morning, Lia." Smiling as she looked down at the princess, it seemed that Neon didn't let the princess leave her sight ever since they left the arena in the first place. "Or well... Good midnight, specifically. You were out for a while. A few hours to be exact." Taking a cloth from her hand stained from previous wipes, she cleaned the excess tar from her lips. "You might've pushed yourself too hard back there but... You did one hell of a job. Thanks for winning for us." Blushing as she remembered the feeling of the touch of their lips, the vampire didn't make any sudden moves. "Relax, those drinks aren't alcoholic. its apple cider, specifically. Cider from real fruits." Stroking her head with her free hand, once she put down the rag, she grabbed her glass from the table nearby to show her the delicious solution. "It was a gift from Sen for performing so well." "Oh! You're finally awake!" Medina was the first to come, only to be followed by August next. "How are you feeling? Thirsty? Tired? Horny? Hungry?" The doctor rattled off her questions to the amusement of the others once they saw that she was awake again. "Don't mind her. We all just wanna know how you're holding up." Sitting beside her, the others in her team had sat around the woman that had accomplished what many believed to be improbable. "Especially after going against an angel. You were pretty cool out there! The dark magic explosions! The acrobatics! All of it! It was..." Taking a sip of her drink, Shiro looked up at the girl that disrupted her foresight. "Incredible." Noticing her shifting, Neon shook her head. "Lia, its cool. No need to get up. You've pushed yourself through enough today already. Way more than you ever need to for a while." The vampire samurai didn't mind the feeling of being her pillow. It was the least she could do after seeing how far Ophelia was willing to go for her team. "Just rely on us, yeah?" "We're your friends; Your team." "Give us a chance to have your back too."​

 

[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: Breathlessly · Katawa Shoujo ── ✦ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ "Hey, you're back." ​ Ophelia's eyes opened to find herself in a deep, dark, endless void. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment, as if she'd just woken up from a deep, deep dream, and was only now waking up. There was nothing as far as the eye could see. So dark, so infinite that a mind would shatter at the mere mention of it. But Ophelia knew this void already. She'd only seen it once, when she first entered a contract with It, but she'd never been able to forget it. If she was here, it meant... "You died, yes. Not just your projection, but... your real body." ​ "I didn't break the conditions of the contract, by the way. Your body... it simply couldn't take the pain. Thousands of years of not using my powers will leave you rusty. What did you think would happen, pushing yourself so hard?" "I didn't think anything. I'm sure you're well aware of that. I just had to. For Neon's sake, for..." Ophelia's eyes gazed up, meeting the gaze of another woman who stood in the middle of the void unabated. She wore an easy smile upon her face, contrary to the seemingly mocking words that she spoke. There was no sense of malice or mockery in her gaze or voice, but simple curiosity. In her hands was a shoddily-made book, like a picture book put together by a child, and ready to fall apart if it was handled the wrong way. This was the form It had taken when they first met in Its domain. A random face it was not, instead taken from deep within Ophelia's mind. If it wasn't for the fact that the princess knew it meant no harm by it, she would've thought that It was mocking her by putting on such a face. That was the worst part of it; the lack of malice in any of Its actions. No matter how terrible the things It did were, they were done not out of malice or sadism, but out of some childish sense of curiosity. Like It wanted to know how she would react. Like a child might poke a bee's nest with a stick or prod a dying animal it found on the side of the road, prolonging its suffering without even meaning to. The face It wore was of Sabrina, Ophelia's first friend. She was a farmer's daughter that the princess had met by pure chance one day, when she had grown so tired of the castle walls that she snuck out with the help of some of the maids. Sabrina had been running around with a bag full of copper coins when she ran into Ophelia, scattering the entire contents of it all on the floor. Ophelia immediately went to help, and even offered a gold coin when she heard the money was to buy medicine for her grandmother. The two had become instant friends and Ophelia snuck out often to meet with her. Sometimes, she even made it as far as the farm and helped out tilling the fields just so they could play together faster. Sabrina had no idea that Ophelia was the princess, and yet she had accepted her all the same. For the first time in her life, it felt like someone had seen her for who she really was rather than her title. They grew up together, and Ophelia felt like Sabrina eventually figured it out, but never once brought it up. It happened years before the war. A great disease had struck the kingdom, taking out most of the populace of the Lamprosian Kingdom. If it hadn't been for that, maybe they wouldn't have lost the war. Maybe Ophelia wouldn't have had to take the contract. But what ifs were not her concern. Sabrina's father was old and died shortly after the outbreak. Sabrina took taking care of the farm without a second thought, without even being able to shed a tear or properly grieve her last remaining family member. She herself had lost sight in her left eye, and yet she soldiered on. Ophelia had, just like when they were children, broken out of the castle despite her father's warnings, only to find Sabrina standing in the middle of the field, hoe in hand, tilling away like she had grown used to seeing. Except, as she approached, Ophelia noticed that she wasn't moving. She had died standing.​ When Ophelia first made a contract with It, It only had one condition for using Its power. It would bring her back if she died, but in exchange, she would have to give up a precious memory of hers, for her to keep. The memory of Sabrina's death was the first that it took. But it had left the knowledge that it had been taken in Ophelia's mind, just so she would know t hat she had lost something precious. In turn, it took her face, just as she had looked when she died. ​ "For someone else's sake, as you always do. And yet the same thing happens. You hurt, while they don't. Why did you push yourself for a swordswoman that put her blade to your neck before you even had a chance to exchange words? The same person you said you hated the night before. Why would you die for someone like that?" "Because I couldn't bear to see the pain in her eyes as she was forced to relive that painful memory. She's so quick to blame herself. She's an idiot, and I..." "And the witch, so presumptuous. She took you out of the tower and thought you would be so grateful. She said so many grand things, but isn't she just so useless?" She was sitting on a mahogany chair, an ivory table in front of her and It sitting across from her, sipping tea in one hand while still holding the book of memories in the other hand. Not just her memories, but the memories of every person it had killed, seeking something within the pages, yet never finding it. "Maybe she is. But she's trying her best. She's obviously so good with magic, but so helpless in everything else. I just want to..." "And then there's the cat. So taciturn, so hard to read. Even I can't tell what she's thinking half the time. What I would do to get into her brain too..." "I can never tell what she's thinking. I want to know. I want to learn more about what drives her. I..." "And the dog! Quite the polar opposite. She would talk your ear off if she could, and then talk some more. What's her obsession with watching girls kiss anyway..." "She cares so much, I'm afraid she'll get hurt. The others say she's tougher than she looks, but diamond is the hardest yet also so brittle. All it might take is a blow on the wrong spot and she'll break. I know it. That's why I..." "And that silly princess. The wingless angel. So useless without her toys. It was so fun to see her break! The most entertainment I've had in the five thousand years we've been together. Oh, it was so worth it to see her scampering around, crying like the snotty brat she was!" "I want to go back. I want to see them again. Even if it's just one more time, I..." "Why?" ​ "All you do is suffer. The amount of pain they've brought you outweighs whatever fun you've had with them, as far as I'm aware. So why? Stay here. You don't have to suffer while you're here. Isn't that what you want? To forever be free of the pain you feel? I'll take it all. I'll take all of your memories, leave you an empty, unsuffering husk. You can just sleep forever, as you have wished for so long. Just--" "Fulfill your end of the contract. Bring me back. I want to see them." "You know the price. So pay it."​ Ophelia bit her lip, shrinking back only now that she actually had to face the consequences of her actions. "What do you want this time?" "The memory of your first kiss, with that vampire. It looked so precious." "No." "Then the memory of your victory against that princess. What was her name again? Ah, so insignificant, but her eyes were so honest." "Her name is Idra, and again, no. I won't let you take any memories about them. Nothing recent." It rubbed its chin, pensive for a moment. While it could not fathom why she was so adamant about keeping those memories over any others, it did not question it. "Then... the memory of your mother's face. The face that flashes in your mind every time you brandish your weapon. The face you call upon when you need the bravery to fight." ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ "Good morning, Lia." ​ "Ughhh... why's your dumb face the first thing I have to see when I wake up... Why couldn't it be Gust..." She teased, sticking her tongue out at the vampiress. She looked around as well as she could, her body still exhausted and with no strength left even after 'sleeping' so long. She didn't know how long she'd actually been sleeping, and how long she'd been actually dead, but seeing as she was in her room rather than in the morgue, she supposed it hadn't been that long for them to notice. And she hoped they would never find out. "Guess Idra's not joining for the celebration, nor is Sen, huh? So much for being the champion. Where's my buffet..." "Or well... Good midnight, specifically. You were out for a while. A few hours to be exact." "Good to know... What's not good to know is what you've been doing to my unconscious body all that time. If I find something weird, like a bite, I swear I'll put you through worse than what I put Idra through." She joked again, her smile sweet yet menacing. She didn't expect Neon to be that kind of person, but, well. One could never know for sure. "You might've pushed yourself too hard back there but... You did one hell of a job. Thanks for winning for us." "Hmph. I won for me. Idra was pissing me off. -- Hey, don't start blushing on me. You'll make me blush too..." If she could punch Neon's shoulder, she would. But she was too tired. Too tired to care either way. But if Neon kept on blushing, the others might realize something was up between the two, and Ophelia didn't have the energy to explain. "Relax, those drinks aren't alcoholic. its apple cider, specifically. Cider from real fruits." "Neon, I'm fine getting drunk. I just want to be fully lucid if something... between us happens. I want to be able to remember." Heavens knew memories were a luxury to her. If something was to happen between them, well... "Oh! You're finally awake!" Whatever conversation they could've had was broken by the eager puppy that came to greet her, smiling and wagging her tail so hard she could feel a cool, pleasant breeze. "How are you feeling? Thirsty? Tired? Horny? Hungry?" Ophelia laughed lightly. "Hmmm, all of the above? I'm sure you could help me with at least one of those things, though." She winked at her before turning her gaze towards August. "It's fine. You'd be surprised at how fussy maids get over the smallest cuts. Oh, the tree branches I've fallen through in my days. Branches are surprisingly sharp, did you know?" She reminisced for a moment, but even just remembering her past invited that empty feeling in the back of her mind. "Especially after going against an angel. You were pretty cool out there! The dark magic explosions! The acrobatics! All of it! It was..." "Incredible." "Thanks, you all. And I'm sorry that I made you worry about me. If I'd been stronger, I could've finished that fight sooner. I just... nghhh..." Ophelia attempted to push herself to a sitting position, so as to stop being a burden on Neon, but her body barely budged. "Lia, its cool. No need to get up. You've pushed yourself through enough today already. Way more than you ever need to for a while." "Nonsense. We have a mission in a few days, don't we? I'm supposed to guide you once we're at the castle. I can't be a burden to you four..." More than a burden, she needed to make sure they all made it out alive. Otherwise, what was the point of her coming back? She needed to be stronger so that they could keep smiling. "Give us a chance to have your back too." "Ffffiiine..." For once, she was willing to give in without a fight. Just this once, she'd share the load with others. Maybe this time, she'd be able to achieve something without regrets. But only time would tell. "Then feed your champion. I can't reach the snacks or the cider. And those painkillers. My arms and legs are killing me. Quick now, before I crumble to dust..." She huffed and puffed dramatically, like the kind of theatrical plays they would put on in her father's court. Except she couldn't gesture exaggeratingly like the actors did. "By the way, what does winning the tournament even get me? I joined out of a whim, so I didn't really investigate? Is it just the clout and glory of being the champion for a year? Am I expected to 'defend' my title next year, or can I just bow out of it? I'm not too keen on repeating this all next year..."

 

[Tenzai]

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɪᴡᴀᴛᴏᴅᴀɪ ᴅᴏʀᴍ | ᴘ3 ʀᴇʟᴏᴀᴅᴇᴅ ᴏꜱᴛ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​ "Then feed your champion. I can't reach the snacks or the cider. And those painkillers. My arms and legs are killing me. Quick now, before I crumble to dust..." The sound of her selfish demands had brought a smile to the vampire's face, seeing her exaggerations a welcome change. After all she had experienced and endured, being able to find an ordinary Ophelia capable of complaining like everyone else was a good change from her unconscious state. "Yes, yes. Need me to sing you a love song too your highness?" The vampire slowly lifted her head off her lap to fetch her a plate, chuckling. As Neon made her way towards the table that held all the cooking, August took her place, sitting beside Ophelia. The prior comment of her preferring the witch's lap over her robotic counterpart had left evidence of what it did to her on August's cheeks. "Hey Neon, can you get me a drink too? Watching the fighting had left me parched. You all were really quite the show!" The vampire waved the compliment away, prepping another glass just for the witch to join them in their drinking. "Gotchu. I'll grab you a glass of the mead-lite." "Thanks for being kind, Ophelia." While she was away, August whispered. Regardless of what she may have done, something about Idra's past had made Gust feel that there was some good still lingering underneath the surface; All she needed was some humbling to finally bring it out. "I know how hard it must've been, and I just wanted to let you know how proud I was of you." Stroking Lia's hair out of her eyes, she gave her a kind look. "You really are something special." "By the way, what does winning the tournament even get me? I joined out of a whim, so I didn't really investigate? Is it just the clout and glory of being the champion for a year? Am I expected to 'defend' my title next year, or can I just bow out of it? I'm not too keen on repeating this all next year..." "A favor from the heroes." Overhearing her talk from the couch, Neon spoke up while she poured out the drinks. "Last year, I wanted to win our boss a spot in Sen's super soldier program. Wanted to get her the best help we could find for her replacement parts and what better than cybernetics from her childhood hero... Then that happened." She sighed, taking a drink first before uncorking another bottle to pour out a refill. "What Idra got in return for her victory was a massive upgrade to her ship." August shook her head at the idea that people would fight for reputation and the maintenance of their title alone. "The title itself is nothing more than that, just a title. What matters more are the people that notice!" She hummed, thinking of the many people that had asked for Ophelia's autograph while her team had carried her through the halls of the citadel. "You became an inspiration, Lia! I don't doubt that there are some interesting people that wanna get to know you too!" Both humans and kind eldritch alike made the most of the people that could be considered Ophelia's fans, though the crocodile tribe she had bested the leader of had also joined the company in favor of her presence aboard the ship. "Especially after an exciting performance like that!" "Makes me wonder what Sen is thinking." Medina scratched her chin, wondering what was to come given the fact that Ophelia's capabilities were now known to those within his cohort. While most people within his company were loyal, there were others that were more than happy to dismantle whatever power he could have to keep him within control. Though, instead of overthinking, she shook her head at the conclusion that there were more battles to come as a result. The galaxy was a big place after all; What was one watched tournament when it came to the grand scheme of the galaxy? Let alone that of the system itself? "Well, I'm sure we're going to have some good come from it! Even if it is an one and done!" "Here, for both of you." Offering the two girls a drink once she sat back, she nudged herself in between Ophelia and August, amused at the response that Gust delivered back. "You two are awfully stingy of Ophelia." Shiro was first to note the added chemistry of the two girls, causing them both to chuckle at their little game of being their newest companion's lap pillow. "Don't worry you two, there's more than enough of her to go around I'm sure. We do have a day and a half before our mission." Slowly pulling out her rapier, now repaired and reinforced with new material bought with the bet money, Medina presented her new gift to the duelist princess. "Oh yeah! I wanted to give this to you, Lia. Now that I got to get a good glimpse of what you're capable of, I thought about using the money from betting on you for something special! Behold, your first set of combat armor, courtesy Umbra herself!" Following rapier came a new set of clothes: Similar to that in which she bought earlier, this one was a bit heavier, still offering freedom in movement while offering more protection and channeling capabilities to bring out the best in her rapier. "Apparently her business got a huge hit of attention after your performance! Safe to say, you earned it!" Her tails wagged on hearing Ophelia's response. "Awww, thank you! I'm sure Umbra would be happy to hear that too~" "So what now?" Scratching her chin at the best course of action, Neon was the first to answer. "We celebrate and we relax. No point in pushing ourselves any harder until our actual battle." Slowly lifting her own family's blade, she gave it a long look before hugging it, welcoming it back to her side. "Thank you, Lia. For everything. I think you should choose the favor for yourself." The girls smiled upon turning their focus to her. "Just the fact that one of us was able to win is reward enough." With Medina and Shiro raising their bottles and Neon and August lifting their glasses, they all clinked theirs right on top of Ophelia's to give her a cheer for the drink before finally splitting off into their own food and activities, leaving the princess with the samurai and the witch. "... So uh..." With a blush across her face, August traced her finger in circles above her skirt. "About what you said earlier, when it came to... your needs." Focused on her response, she didn't seem all too against spending the night with the princess alone, already finding her company something she felt welcome to and safe around. "I don't mind attending to them if you're willing to show me how." Hearing August's bashful attempt at flirting, Neon wrapped an arm around the back of her head, chuckling. "Just say it how it is, Gust. If you like her, say you do." Licking her lips, the vampire looked up and down Ophelia. "If you need help though, I'm down to help you both make tonight memorable." The sudden invitation had made August gasp, rubbing her thighs together at the thoughts that ran through her imagination. While the idea of having three people engaged in the same act was alien to her, it wasn't something she was against either. Neon was someone she trusted enough to respect her words should she feel uncomfortable. "Don't worry babes. I promise I won't drink. I want to stay sober if you're willing to be adventurous~ But if you prefer just the company of each other or just me, I won't bite." Neon gave Ophelia a wink. "Given what you did already, let's just say you gave me more than enough fuel to help me relax." Going around August to sit on the opposite end of Ophelia, she slowly picked her up so she could feed her without making a mess. "... But let me feed you first. If you're gonna have some fun tonight, the least you could do is do it while not starving, right? Don't want the fun to get ruined because you're hollow... Say aaa." Lifting a piece of cheese gifted by Idra embedded in between two crackers, she offered her a sample of some of the best cheese money had to offer. "Good girl- Oof. Haha." An elbow cut off her tease, leading to another giggle from the two girls that made her new world feel a lot less lonely. "Well, we shouldn't be pushing you much. What do you think we should do?" A lewd grin cracked over her fanged lips. "Then it means, we just have to let her relax while we give her our reward." ──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​ A flicker of candlelight had lit up Ophelia's bedroom as the angel and the ghost had made their way back to the shared room leaving behind the human and the vampire. To allow for a bit of privacy, only to come in if the vampire was welcome, August walked in with Ophelia by herself, her lips tainted with the scent of fruit and alcohol. She was nervous, given that it was soon to be her first time doing anything like this with anyone else; However, regardless of how anxious she might have been over whether she would even perform well enough to feel good in the first place, she was excited. Ophelia was attractive to her and the feelings that Gust felt towards her were real. "H-hey, Lia. Woah-" Stumbling into the bed as a result of her buzz, the witch that welcomed her first had ended up looking up to the princess. Ever since the haunted house itself, this was the first time they had genuine alone time from the rest of the other girls in their cohort. "...D-don't just stand there and look at me; You deserve more than that. There's more than enough space on this bed for both of us and I'm yours for tonight so... Come here..." Slowly lifting her arms as if welcoming her into a hug, the witch gave her a warm smile, her thighs slowly spreading apart to welcome the princess' body in between. "I want you to enjoy me as much as I enjoy you... And I want you to show me how to make you feel good too." "Care to teach me how to treat you right?"​

 

[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 ❞​ "Thanks for being kind, Ophelia." "...?" She looked up from her spot lying down on the couch, her eyes meeting August's as she whispered her gratitude to her. "I know how hard it must've been, and I just wanted to let you know how proud I was of you." "It's nothing so grand, Gust. I just..." She swallowed her words. How could she say that she'd seen a mirror of herself in Idra, that she hated the idea of the princess committing the same mistakes that she had? Given their longevity, it was entirely possible for Idra to make a grave mistake that caused her empire to fall, only to become a disgraced princess like herself. If anything, it was out of some selfish feeling, like she didn't want to see another one of herself. One Ophelia was more than enough for the entire universe. "A favor from the heroes." Neon enlightened the princess on the winning prize for the tournament. It was simple in theory, but these heroes were apparently a big deal around here, so maybe that was actually a huge deal. The fact that it was a favor of all things, however, made her a bit curious about whether they could deny it for any reason. There were obviously certain requests that they probably wouldn't fulfill no matter what, but Ophelia was curious about the degree of the favor she could ask for. And what she would even use it for. As far as Ophelia cared, there was nothing that the heroes could really give her; she had want of nothing, at least currently. Letting the bitter memory of last year pass by without comment, August was the one to clarify about the title and 'defending' it. In an honor sense, Ophelia felt compelled to still participate next year, but it would depend on how much stronger she could become. If possible, she wanted to win without relying on her patron's boons, but that meant better controlling her own magic and using it to her advantage. While she had done a good showing of it, the problem was that she lacked the proper spells to make the most out of the seemingly-bottomless well of magic that resided within her. Her explosive spells were all she could manage as of now, but she knew that she could do more if only she learned how to harness it properly. "You became an inspiration, Lia! I don't doubt that there are some interesting people that wanna get to know you too!" "Ugh, I've never been good at meeting people. Maybe I could stay holed up in my room?" As a child, she had always used any chance to sneak away to her room to read books whenever there was a banquet or a ball. As she grew older, it became harder to do and so she had to learn to make nice with strangers and influential people she didn't like. Her people skills had all but vanished over the eons, however. One could call her cranky and socially inept and they would not be wrong, though Ophelia would still smite whoever disrespected her like that. "Oh yeah, speaking of which, Gust... That sword that you got from Leandro? Is it possible you could give it back to him, if you have no need of it? I know it was your wager against h is, but I can't help but feel it is wrong to rid someone of their precious weapon. It would be no different than what Idra did to Neon." Well, there was something different - Ophelia had never meant to humiliate Leandro, unlike Idra. She had only met his taunts equally, and only when he was the one who started it. Even then, she just felt it was right to give back what was his, but it was ultimately August's prize and not hers. She had put her own grimoire on the line, after all. That was no small thing for a spellcaster like her. "Makes me wonder what Sen is thinking." "Humph. I wonder if he's regretting having you guys take me out of that tower yet." Ophelia took a sip of her drink with a dismissive huff, brushing her hair behind her ear as if she was literally brushing off the thought of Sen. She was not shy in making it apparent that she was still none too fond of the so-called hero, although she had no real reason to hold any legitimate animosity towards the man. It just so happened that she had little concern for all the politicking and running around struggling for influence instead of actually doing something for the good of the world. Until she saw someone doing something, her opinion of them would not change. "You two are awfully stingy of Ophelia." "...?" Ophelia hadn't really noticed until Shiro pointed it out, but Neon and August were being awfully clingy now that she mentioned it. She sipped on her drink, staring at the two as they seemed to hold a competition on who got to sit next to her when there was plenty of space on the sofa for all three of them. She granted them a bit of a side eye, letting them squabble with each other as she remained unbothered by it for now. "Oh yeah! I wanted to give this to you, Lia. Now that I got to get a good glimpse of what you're capable of, I thought about using the money from betting on you for something special! Behold, your first set of combat armor, courtesy Umbra herself!" "Something about you betting on me feels shady..." The princess mumbled before looking down at the dog girl's offerings. "Oh! I'll have to thank her personally when I have the chance. I felt awful about the dress she gave me being destroyed, but it did give me enough time to win that fight. Without her outfit, I likely would've lost. And without your rapier, I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did. It's thanks to you two that I was able to win." She contemplated them both before neatly folding the combat armor and setting it down properly. She'd need it for the mission. As for the rapier, she studied it, noticing that it looked a lot sturdier than before. She sheathed it back into its scabbard. It would surely make the perfect partner to that. If the castle hadn't been looted to hell and back, it should still be there, right where it had been left. With Medina's rapier in one hand and it on the other, she felt like she'd never lose a fight again. "Thank you, Lia. For everything. I think you should choose the favor for yourself." Ophelia sipped from her cup again, considering Neon's words. "Well, I have nothing for now. I suppose I'll save it for the time being. You never know when you might need a favor." Something told her she would need it after the upcoming mission. Call it a sixth sense. "About what you said earlier, when it came to... your needs." "What?" She was blindsided that August of all people would bring that half-joking utterance of hers up now, after so many minutes had passed. And why was she fidgeting so much? She expected it out of Neon or even Medina, but not the witch herself, who seemed so socially awkward that even the mention of sex felt like enough to send her spiralling. "I don't mind attending to them if you're willing to show me how." "What." Her shock came not from disgust to the idea, but rather how sudden it felt like it had been brought up. Just a minute ago they were talking about all the benefits that being a champion brought with it, and now August was offering to... tend to her needs? Ophelia was blushing from cheek to cheek, across her nose, and Neon's teasing didn't make it an easier to deal with. "If you need help though, I'm down to help you both make tonight memorable." "W-Wait. You're not joking, are you? I-I..." She searched for help by looking between Shiro and Medina, but found none as the girls seemingly accepted that this was the natural order of events. At what point had Ophelia managed to woo the witch and the vampire to such an extent that they were both eager to bed her? And while she was still reeling from that taxing fight, too. There was no fight left in her, if she ever dreamt of fighting her fate here. She wasn't going to. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ​ "H-hey, Lia. Woah-" "You have legs like a newborn fawn, Gust. Maybe you shouldn't drink at all." The princess teased her as she helped her to her bed, big enough to let three people sleep in it comfortably, without getting in each other's way or tangling unless they wanted to. The way things had progressed, however, they were going to be tangling quite thoroughly. "...D-don't just stand there and look at me; You deserve more than that. There's more than enough space on this bed for both of us and I'm yours for tonight so... Come here..." "To the victor go the spoils, Gust. I'll watch as much as I like. And what a masterpiece you are." ​ She pressed her index to her own lower lip, licking her tongue as her mouth watered at the sight in front of her. How was it that such an innocent thing like August could look so luscious and seductive? There was a slight haze in her eyes, the product of slight intoxication, but clearly just enough to lower inhibitions. A bit of liquid courage, so to speak. "I want you to enjoy me as much as I enjoy you... And I want you to show me how to make you feel good too." "How could I ever say no to such an enticing invitation?" After feeding her eyes on the feast that was the witch, Ophelia joined her on the bed, being welcomed by her arms in a gentle, warm embrace. Her body, slightly cold, yearned for the warmth that she offered, and Ophelia simply locked eyes with August at first, her own lips curling in a small, mischievous smile before she shut them. Her lips met the witch's soon enough, the soft smack of soft lips against warm ones bouncing off the walls, the soft lighting of the room causing their bodies to meld together as Ophelia let herself sink into August's body. Her chest pressed against the witch's, her clothes loose enough to hide Ophelia's above average bosom. They were closer to D-cups than they were to C-cups, and they were plush and pliable to the touch, not that anyone had ever had the chance to feel them before this. "Care to teach me how to treat you right?" "You assume I know. This is my first time doing something like this, August." ​ "I want you to touch me like you desire me. Put your hands on me. Anywhere you want..." Her voice was sultry and soft, yet also vulnerable and fragile, as if she was equally amounts of excited and scared of this. Of intimacy. Of letting someone else in. What if August could feel the influence of the eldritch all over her body and was disgusted? Then she would never lay hands on her again. "Just promise you'll be gentle, August. My heart is more fragile than you could imagine. Just..." Her lips brushed against August's, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "Let us both enjoy this moment alone. Then..." She allowed herself to glance behind her, at the closed door, remembering that the vampire was waiting on the other side, either to be invited in or shooed out. Ophelia, of course, had no intention of letting her leave the apartment tonight. But for now, it was just her and August, her first friend in this world. And now, her lover. "... we can call Neon in once I-I'm ready. If that's okay with you."

 

[Tenzai]

"You assume I know. This is my first time doing something like this, August." Upon having her lips relinquished from the sudden intimate show of affection, August gasped in relief, breathing slowly to catch her breath once her heart had found itself catching momentum at the feeling of her princess' breasts pressed against her C-cup own. "That's a relief." Her face was red; Though shy, she was excited. "I didn't want to disappoint..." Extending her arms around Ophelia's neck, she met her partner's romantic advances with that of her own, chasing what felt good rather than what looked good. As a result, the human girl, while inexperienced, was quickly learning how to kiss the princess properly. Their lips were bound in where they felt the most right, filling the gaps where each other had left behind in a bath of saliva and warmth. "I want you to touch me like you desire me." Her vulnerable whispers in between kisses were tantalizing, making the novitiate lover yearn for more. "Put your hands on me." Her voice was a haunting invitation, one that August could not ignore. "Anywhere you want..." As if each syllable were magical when combined with the texture of her lips, she felt compelled to act, bringing her hands from Ophelia's neck down to her waist, tracing her form before slowly coming over the lower rim of her shirt. "You make me feel so weak, Lia. Especially when you talk to me like that..." Her bewitched lover whispered in exchange, looking deep into the eyes of the woman she took from the tower, the same girl she offered her home and heart. "I can't help but wonder how to respond with anything better than... Wow..." August was not one who was well read on books of romance like her team's medic. To her, Lia was the first that she had ever found herself interested in romantically, and all the more the first that had ever managed to bed her as such. "Mind if I....?" Slowly rolling her fingers against her skin around her waist, she gestured in a way to ask non-verbally if she was ready for August to explore her body without fabric separating them. "Just promise you'll be gentle, August. My heart is more fragile than you could imagine. Just..." Another kiss had followed, only this time, August did not simply remain subject to her advances, following through with her own as their lips melted into each other's. Closing her eyes, she took her time, letting Ophelia's tongue bend her own to her will, only for a string of saliva to act as evidence of a shared longing for each other. "I'll be as gentle as you want me to be. Its only right since I want the same too." She chuckled, finding herself barely able to avoid stuttering from how excited and nervous she felt experiencing these new feelings. While arousal was something she had felt before, to act on it with another was something that she never fathomed. "Let us both enjoy this moment alone. Then..." A look over her shoulder had insinuated she was referring to Neon. "... we can call Neon in once I-I'm ready. If that's okay with you." Nodding her head, August slowly turned her around so the princess would be underneath her to give her a moment to rest. "I would like nothing more. Really." Now sitting atop of Ophelia's lap, the witch gingerly brought her shirt over her head, tossing it to the side to examine the very same skin her mind was scrambling to inscribe in her imagination. "Just leave it to me. You must be exhausted... Sore..." The witch brought her lips down to Ophelia's own at first, pecking her mouth before leaving behind little warm touches as she made her way down her chin, only to stop at her neck. With her hands brought down to her bra, the witch's gloves catered to body from beyond her clothes. "I know it might sound a bit crude of me... But I like the way you taste, Lia." Reaching towards her hand after whispering into her ear, August kissed from her arm down to her hands before placing her finger in her mouth to suck. "The way you sweat for us. The way you fought so hard. The flavor your body gives off tastes so right to me." Not knowing the right words to choose to explain how she felt, August chose to utter what felt the most right in the moment, making her heart transparent all throughout. With a face red seeing the trail of reflective saliva bouncing off Ophelia's skin, she smiled, finding her leaving a mark on her body. "I'd offer you a massage, if you'd like. I'm not that great at them, but... I don't think I could do that bad of a job if I make you sound like that already~" The witch giggled, before returning back to Ophelia's neck, working her hands down her body just to stop around her thighs. "Every inch of you must be so sore... Let me see if I could help you with that." Whispering a spell right on her tongue, her mouth began to glow dimly, only for her to brush her fingers over her lips to give her gloved hands the same enchantment as her tongue. "This should help you feel better." Bringing her mouth to her neck, as she kissed Ophelia's body, the princess could feel the soreness escaping her body, as though this was some sort of healing magic. "Mhmm... Bmhmmtter?" She mumbled into her neck, her eyes finding contentment in Ophelia's vocal response and facial reaction. Working on both sides of her neck and shoulders, August's hands made their way underneath Ophelia's skirt, tracing the skin in between her crotch and her sock in order to offer her thighs the same service. Brushing from the outside towards within, her fingers grazed mere centimeters away from Ophelia's panties, only for the witch to be struck by a lewd thought made apparent in her stare. As she made her way from Ophelia's shoulder down towards her breasts, a magical hand had tugged at her bra, assisting the princess with taking them off. "I love the way you look topless, Lia." She voiced, accidentally grazing her hands over Ophelia's panties. "I wonder if I could feel your heartbeat on my tongue." With her lips now pressed against Ophelia's breasts, her tongue swirling its glow around her nipples, her hands had slowly worked their way down Ophelia's legs, stripping her socks to free her from another layer that got in the way of their intimacy. "Oh... You're a little cold. Here, let me help you with that." Refusing to let her be the only one topless, Gust brought Ophelia's hand to her shirt, undoing the buttons for her to make it easy for her to loop over her head. With her long hair coming free of her fabric, she was met with the sight of a black bra covering her lover's chest. "...I know I'm not perfect and all but... If its fine, I'd like it if you could act like I'm pretty." Humble over her own features, now that her body was made known, Ophelia could see the sight of past magical mishaps. Mana scars had covered her shoulder to her left breast and a bit of her stomach as well. "I'll be fine, I promise. These don't hurt anymore." Bringing Ophelia's hands to her scars, she didn't seem to wince, suggesting that they were old. "But... The nerves underneath them aren't dead, so I could feel you touching me here..." Smiling, she began to undo her bra, letting it fall to the side right where Ophelia's own was. "Do you like what you see?" She gave a pause, only to hug Ophelia with her breasts pressed against her lover's own. "They might not be perfect, but I think they'll feel nice against you, don't you think?" Wrapping her hands around Ophelia's back, the witch began to make out with her with her breasts exposed. With her body rested in between the witch's thighs, as August began to lose herself to the princess' touch, she unconsciously began to split her legs as well, resting her thigh against Ophelia's panties while Ophelia's own pressed in between her legs. "You make me feel so good like this." She bit her lip, not realizing that some of her newfound euphoria came from her grinding against Ophelia while they were kissing. With her panties growing increasingly wet, she had left the princess' thigh moist to the touch. "I hope I'm not being too rough with you or anything. But its really hard not to want more..." Ophelia's saliva was still present on the witch's lips as she spoke. Her body was covered with goosebumps from the cool touch of her lover's body. With the low light of the room illuminating her pale skin, Ophelia was offered a sight that none other knew: Of the human witch wet and in need of touch and affection. "... So would you allow me more, if I asked nicely? Please?" She spoke with longing eyes, lifting her hand to her chest for her to feel her increasingly rapid heartbeats. "I wanna get to know you more..."

 

[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 know it might sound a bit crude of me... But I like the way you taste, Lia." ​ "Careful now. You're starting to sound like Neon, and I only need one girl trying to eat me alive in my life..." The princess giggled softly, both out of amusement for how honest August allowed herself to be now that it was just the two of them, and because the way her lips touched over her body made her feel ticklish. Ophelia's arms instinctively reached up to her chest, trying to cover it out of a sense of vulnerability and insecurity. She didn't want to hide herself from the witch, but she'd never bared herself like this to anyone before. It was scary. And there was the slightest night breeze coming in through a small crack in her window, offering a gentle whistle that made the candlelight dance, their bodies like shadows. "The way you sweat for us. The way you fought so hard. The flavor your body gives off tastes so right to me." "Way to make me self-conscious about not washing before this. Remind me to bathe next time..." Again she giggled, but her cheeks were rosy with embarrassment at the realization they'd jumped straight into this. If given the proper time to prepare, she would've taken a long, warm bath with some bath bombs or solutions to make herself smell nicer. Maybe she would've even worse something special, rather than the slightly tattered dress that Umbra had made for her. That kind of shopping she'd do alone, just to surprise her lovers. Now, though? She had never dreamt of sharing her body with someone else, especially so soon after meeting them. "I'd offer you a massage, if you'd like. I'm not that great at them, but... I don't think I could do that bad of a job if I make you sound like that already~" "Haaaa... Stop teasing me. I have half a mind to do to you what I did to Neon last night. But I would not hate a massage..." Quality did not matter to her; it wasn't as if her fatigued body could really tell the difference between an amateur and a professional at the moment. All she cared about was that August didn't stop, no matter what. Her legs shifted slightly, pressing together as the feeling of August's fingertips made her feel less ticklish and more sensitive. Her fingers threaded together, clasped in a small prayer for the one that would make her feel so fragile and yet so at ease at the same time. Ophelia nibbled on her own lip, her breath hitching as August's hands stopped. Anticipation welled in her chest, her red hues softly closing as she prepared herself for what would come next, whatever it may be. For some reason, she was scared, as if it would hurt at some point. All the books she'd read had lead her to believe that her first time would be painful, though they were all about a man and a woman, rather than two women. The witch's hands were a lot softer than the princess had imagined in her own daydreams, the ones where she'd sit in her room and wonder what it would be like when she inevitably became wed to someone she didn't love, and how disgusted it would feel to have their hands on her body. August was nothing like that, and in fact Ophelia was afraid she'd become addicted to the feeling. It was cheating that she'd use magic. "A-Ahhhnnn... you didn't say you'd use magic..." Her hands were more than she could handle, and now she had to worry about August using magic? The witch was really asking for it. She'd get it... when Ophelia wasn't a drooling mess, her brows crinkling together, her mouth cracking open as she let out a sigh of relief, her aching body welcoming the soothing sensation of her mana coursing through her. It was different than a healing spell in the middle of combat, adrenaline running high and numbing all sensations that might hinder survival. Her muscles relaxed, her body feeling all the more sensitive for it. "... Mhhhh..." Every moment that August's hands touched her thighs was a moment where Ophelia's anticipation would build up, leaving her body to be more alert and more sensitive. And the longer that anticipation remained without release, the more a certain kind of frustration built up inside her. The worst was that she couldn't tell if August was teasing her or not. At least if it was Neon, she'd know that she was building up that anticipation on purpose and she could say something, but with August? Her heart could not handle being mean to her even for a second. "W-Wait..." Even though they were moving at such a slow pace, the princess was still not ready for her chest to be bared completely, her hands trying and failing to clutch at her bra. She relaxed after a moment, resolving to trust August to set the pace and let her do as she pleased, her arms resting under her breasts as her chest rose with a deep breath and then slowly lowered. "Now who's staring..." After getting told not to stare, too. Not that she resented August for looking. It made her feel... special. Not in the same way being a princess was special, or how her powers, both innate and borne from her contract made her special. But beyond that. She was special for being just her. "Oh... You're a little cold. Here, let me help you with that." "I'm always a little cold..." Ophelia chuckled slightly, lifting her legs to help August take her socks off. Then, she looked up at August, her red hues gazing up at her curiously, her lips parted slightly in awe as she peeled off her own top. Her eyes stared up with no hint of disgust, but pure admiration at her body. Whatever insecurity August may have felt as she bared herself to the princess, she would not find judgment in her gaze. Instead, there was curiosity, a wonderment in her eyes. Questions as to what had caused such scars to form on her body. To the princess, scars were not something to be ashamed of, but rather stories to tell. After all, one did not get scars by living a stagnant or safe life. She did not hesitate to touch as August directed, a small, almost imperceptible smile on her lips as she kneaded her breasts, letting her fingers trace over the scars gently and reverently. "Don't be ridiculous, August..." She whispered gently. "You are perfect to me. Or almost perfect. If I had one complaint, it would be..." She brought her index to her bottom lip as if she was deliberating, only to deliver a coy smile up at the witch. "... that you think you're anything but perfect. You say you like the way I taste, for how I sweat and work hard for you? Well, I can't help but admire you, for these scars are proof of the hard work you've put in. Of the pain you've went through. Your self-doubt..." Ophelia touched her cheek with cold fingertips, her crimson eyes warm and soft as she stared into August's own ambers. "Would you shed it as well? For me? As long as you're with me, would you believe me when I said you're nothing but beautiful to me? Even that cute little insecure side of you." Though she said that, Ophelia wouldn't judge her if she kept on feeling insecure. But if she thought for a moment that she was anything but the most beautiful girl in the universe right now, then the princess wouldn't have any of it. Any reprimanding would have to wait, as their lips once again made contact, and Ophelia shuddered as she felt something soft and warm against her core. At the same time, she felt something warm against her own thigh, and she knew instinctively what was happening. She grinded her own hips against August, letting out a shaking, shuddering moan against her lips. For a moment, she feared she'd cum just like that, her inexperience apparent by her eagerness. "... So would you allow me more, if I asked nicely? Please?" "You're asking after getting this far?" Once again, Ophelia giggled, her smile free and shy at the same time, her blush crossing from cheek to cheek as the starlight reflected upon her eyes. She slid a hand between them, going straight for August's crotch and pushing her palm under her panties, touching her soaked pussy directly. "You're a bad girl, August~ And bad girls like you should just take what you want. Unless you'd like me to take over? You would have this princess work for what she deserves?" "I wanna get to know you more..." "I am yours to know to your very desire. The question is..." She gently touched August's clit with the tip of her finger, her smile turning seductive as she pressed the thumb of her other hand to August's bottom lip. "... how thirsty is this witch, for the forbidden knowledge this princess holds? How willing are you to fall into desire with me? Would you be willing... to give it all up for me?" Then, she let out an airy laugh. "But of course, I'm joking... or am I? Are you willing to find out?"

 

[Tenzai]

"Would you shed it as well? For me? As long as you're with me, would you believe me when I said you're nothing but beautiful to me? Even that cute little insecure side of you." Perfect. The witch, despite all of her imperfections was perfect. The same body that she had felt doubts about; The very same flesh that had often been used by outsiders to compare to her more developed sisters in her coven, was the same source that brought out her lover's tender nature; The very same that drew out her companion's trust and chemistry as much as it did her pleasure and lust. She might not have known the answer to what was best for Ophelia, but she never needed it: By trying her best, August was more than enough to sate the curiosities of her flesh. "If it pleases you, I don't think it would be too hard. You make me feel good in my own body, Lia... You make me want to be... Me..." ──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​ "You're a bad girl, August~ And bad girls like you should just take what you want. Unless you'd like me to take over?" The sudden intrusion of Ophelia's hands below her skirt had caused August to arch her back, dragging her nails against the skin she embraced. "Mhmph!" Biting her lip only to release a gasp as she felt her fingers massage her lower set of lips, she was quick to bathe the princess' palm with her melted emotions made manifest, leaving behind a warm slime that acted as a physical confession to how comfortable Lia had made the witch feel. "You would have this princess work for what she deserves?" She shook her head, clinging tightly to Ophelia as she stroked her clit. With her hips slowly grinding back against her hand, it was clear that she was losing herself to the pleasure; The witch's exposed body was a tribute to their relationship. "I wanna get to know you more..." "I am yours to know to your very desire. The question is... ... how thirsty is this witch, for the forbidden knowledge this princess holds? How willing are you to fall into desire with me? Would you be willing... to give it all up for me?" Feeling her thumb brush against her lip, the witch had taken her finger into her mouth, kissing her nail before gently caressing her thumb with her tongue, looking down towards the very same eyes that had captured her heart and unraveled her body in the first place. Moaning into her hand, once her mouth was freed from the company of her finger tip, August had delivered her confession. "I... I don't know..." Her mind was made mush as her hips continued to rotate and twist against Ophelia's thigh and fingers. "But... I know I really want you. I know I want to feel you..." Slowly bringing her trembling hands up towards Ophelia's chin to lift her partner's gaze from her body to her face, Gust met Lia's eyes with her conviction to see this through. She wasn't scared of the soul that lay underneath the surface; Where others may have felt fear, she had felt passion. Where others have met her with coldness due to her position and power, August had offered warmth through her gentle, welcoming flame."If giving myself up would let me feel that... Then I don't mind." "I know you'll treasure me all the same."​ Granting her a kiss to her lips as a reward for her understanding when it came to accepting August into her life, once she felt truly comfortable in her body, the witch had brought her hands down to her skirt to strip it off, letting her panties follow down to her ankles before being kicked to the side, leaving her in nothing more than her socks. "I like the way you blush when you see me nude." The witch chuckled before trembling, feeling herself being offered fingers in exchange for her cute moments even as they explored a new world of pleasure together. "Ah~ H-hey, that's unfair." She pouted, finding there to be an imbalance in between the pleasures she felt and the pleasures the princess was receiving. "I want to make you feel good too." In an attempt to imitate the feelings that Ophelia had stirred in her partner, as August planted her hips down on Ophelia's thigh, binding her hands underneath her weight while her fingers were still inside of her, the witch slowly pulled her panties down to her knees before circling her clit with her fingers, working her body in a way that she had grown comfortable with when it came to exploring herself. "It won't be fair if I'm the only one who's having fun here." Her reaction had caused her to stick her tongue out teasingly, only for a giggle and a blush to follow her act. In truth, she was still nervous in spite of it all, though to do away with the feeling of not being enough, she had settled on humor and fun to warm the initial ice that came from exploring something new. "You know, I wonder if you prefer me being a little bad..." Thinking of her words from earlier, August leaned herself down, bringing her hands up towards Ophelia's free hand to link with her before thrusting her hips against Ophelia's fingers. "Ah!" Her eyes rolled back for a moment, realizing how good it felt to be more self-indulgent. "If you want me too... I won't mind acting a bit more selfish." "You make it hard not to be... Especially when you feel this good." Bringing her mouth to the side of Lia's ear, as her body began to fuck Ophelia's hand, she began to moan quietly, granting Ophelia a window towards what sounds her partner would've made in private. "If I had to be honest... You have come to mind when I was... Alone, maybe once or twice... Or thrice..." Her lewd confessions were whispered as her thighs were pressed against Ophelia's bare pussy, grinding into her as a consequence of chasing her own pleasures. "And your moans... They're hotter than what my imagination had conjured up... Even in lewd dreams... And I'm happy you're my first." Slowly lifting her hips, the witch smiled at the mess she had made on her partner's fingers, slowly lifting her now drenched hand to her lips to get a taste. "Ahnn~" Running her tongue over her digits, August cleaned her hand up, lubricating her tongue in her solution. "All clean~" Holding her hand proudly, she kissed her knuckles before noticing the sudden other wet spot on the bed and on her thigh. All throughout it, it seemed that the princess had had her own fun as well. "Oh...?" A warm grin had come across her lips, curious as to how Ophelia would've tasted like as well. Bringing her head down towards the space in between her thighs, August looked up at the princess as she pulled her panties off, leaving nothing in between her mouth from her lower set of lips. "You must be aching here too... Here, let me help you out with that." With a glowing tongue enchanted in healing magic and drenched in both saliva and her natural lubricant, August swirled her flesh over Ophelia's clit before making that same glow disappear inside of her. With her eyes looking up at her face, staring in between her breasts towards her eyes to see her reaction to her mouth, the witch became overjoyed finding her reactions to be as enthralling as her words. Her head slowly worked deeper the more comfortable she felt inside. The cool walls that slathered her thighs were now being massaged intimately, offering relief to the aching caused by her prior yearning for another's company compounded by time and chemistry. Upon rolling her tongue and bathing her walls with her essence, August slowly pulled her head back to breathe, panting against her outer lips. "To think, you're letting all of this out for me. Thank you for spoiling me, Lia." A trail of saliva had separated the witch's mouth from Ophelia's body. "I hope my magic feels just as good as your fingers do." Slowly returning her head back down, August brought one of Ophelia's hands towards the back of her head so she could guide the tempo of her mouth's body language as it inscribed sweet hymns into her lover's body. All the while her mouth was at work, her hands massaged Ophelia's thighs and calves, tracing across her muscles in the hopes that her full body massage would serve to make her more flexible for the remainder of the night. While her initial goal was to reduce the soreness in her body completely to reduce the consequences of pushing her body so hard in the fights, earlier the naughtier and more passionate the witch got, the more her reasons became corrupted as well. Instead of simply being done for more wholesome reasons, the witch was becoming self-indulgent, preferring Ophelia to be fresh for the physical trials that had yet to come. Pulling her mouth out and smiling with wet lips, she licked her lips to take her in and swallow her essence. "...I wonder if you'd offer me the chance to know how you taste when you cum, Lia."​

 

[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 know you'll treasure me all the same." ​ "I'll do more than just treasure you, August..." Lying back on the bed, petting the witch slowly within her palm, Ophelia smiled up cheekily at her, licking her lips moments before they were taken in yet another kiss. It broke off just as it had began, leaving the princess breathless as she watched her lover remove the last pieces of clothing that kept them both from fully connecting their bodies. Ophelia's cheeks flushed as she stared up, admiring the body that August felt so insecure about, scars and all. In fact, she was particularly enamored with those, her mind wandering to the kinds of stories they told. She didn't stare as one would stare disrespectfully at a maimed soldier on the street, but reverently in the face of someone who had struggled repeatedly and overcome it all. "Ah~ H-hey, that's unfair." "What are you gonna do about it...?" Ophelia giggled, undeterred by the witch's complaint. If she wanted the princess to stop, then maybe she ought to do something with her own two hands, rather than whine about it. Of course that's exactly what she did, practically restraining Ophelia under her weight as she went on to remove her own bottom. Ophelia bit the inside of her lip, suddenly feeling insecure herself as she was slowly stripped of her clothes. It didn't stop her from wriggling her fingers around while she still could, "Mmmfff~ Ahhh~" An eye for an eye, she supposed. After teasing her, it was only fair that August got to toy with her too, though wasn't she going overboard? Ophelia's knees pressed together, trembling as a pleasure she'd never felt before took over her body. "If you want me too... I won't mind acting a bit more selfish." "Mmm~ Ahhnnn... m-maybe... not so selfish~" This was embarrassing. She couldn't even speak properly, and it was just because a little bit of touching. How was she supposed to remain regal and dignified when pleasure could seize her so completely? "If I had to be honest... You have come to mind when I was... Alone, maybe once or twice... Or thrice..." Such a lewd thing to confess to. Had she known August would be so unashamed, she wouldn't have been so quick to rile her up. She would've expected her to be the kind of meek, shy girl who would freeze up in bed, but it seemed that it was quite the opposite. The flame that Ophelia had set alight was only getting hotter the longer they spent together. "And your moans... They're hotter than what my imagination had conjured up... Even in lewd dreams... And I'm happy you're my first." "Y-You're my first too, s-so... so be... s-slow down a bit... ahhh~" Although she said that, her voice kept leaking out those moans that August praised, her brows knitting together slightly as she tried and failed to keep her voice down. She really was shameless, pulling Ophelia's fingers out of herself and not only staring at the mess, but brazenly licking her fingers clean. The princess shuddered, simply watching the spectacle unfolding in front of her without a word, only blushing as August's tongue ran over her digits. "... Pervert." she mumbled, adverting her gaze from the witch as she cleaned her fingers up like she was cleaning pudding or some other treat off of her. "... H-Huh...?" Of course, taking her eyes off the enemy during battle was a fatal mistake, and Ophelia knew it. To think she'd be so careless right after lecturing Idra about being cocky. This battle was different, but it was one that Ophelia was set to lose because of her carelessness. "W-Wait... d-doing that is... Ahhh...!" She threw her head back slightly into the pillow under her head, sinking deeper into the bed as she felt both magical and physical warmth envelop her clit. It was both soothing and maddening, her hands shooting down to grab at August's head. Her legs draped over her shoulders, almost clenching against her shoulders as if to keep her there. Even though her eyes were traced with panic, there was also an undeniable arousal and hazy pleasure plaguing her red, eldritch-touched eyes. The thing in the back of her mind wiggled in excitement as well, but Ophelia still had the presence of mind to settle it down. No way It was going to be getting any of this. That said, between the pleasure, the embarrassment of having someone lick her insides, and having to fight back the being in her head, Ophelia was not having an easy time keeping it all under wraps. Something had to give, and that was her voice. Her lips parted to let out a loud, steamy gasp as she finally gave in, letting her voice out once it became apparent that she couldn't push it all down. She couldn't even come up with a cheeky or witty response to August's words, simply moaning in response as her small, pink tongue hung out slightly from her mouth. The worst of it all was her trembling, her attempts at keeping the mounting pleasure from pushing her over the edge becoming like a beaver's dam upon a tsunami. "Hnnghhh... I can't...! I can't-- not yet-- no... mmm~ I'm... I'm...!"​ Her resistance was null, futile as her mouth let escape the accumulated pleasure she'd been pushing down. She cried out without restraint, her nails digging into the witch as she let go and let it all go, climaxing with her entire body and giving August a taste of exactly what she wanted; her cumming. It was far from the dignified, honorable persona she put on around others, yet still sweet and girly, as she'd never felt what it was like to be made to cum. Only ever made herself cum. She didn't even know she could make sounds like that, and yet August was determined to bring them out of her all the same. "Haa, haa... W-Wait..." This time, her voice had a little more strength to it, showing that it was more than a weak protest. She didn't push August off, but she did use her arms to push herself up to a sitting position. Her legs still draped slightly over the witch's shoulders, hanging lazily off of them with no strength. "I-I think I need a second to recover. H-Ha. And... I'm a little, uh... thirsty?" She could use an actual glass of water right about now, that was for sure. But they had nothing right there, so she'd probably need to go to the kitchen to get something. "And, uhm... I think I'm ready. W-We should call Neon in. If you're okay with it too. I don't mind it just being us either, but..." She did feel a little bad for making Neon wait any longer than this. She didn't know if she could hear them from behind the door, but she couldn't imagine the anticipation being easy to deal with. "Your call though... I don't think I'll be able to walk with these jelly legs anytime soon..."