The Great Northern Forest

[Umbra of Chaos]

Fu Hua

Kore is given time to savor, to enjoy, to experience. Life could be so rich, if you allowed it to be. One of the shades by the gardener's side was lifted up by the ground beneath her. Just enough so she could reach the taller girl's chin and lick the dripping juice that trailed from her mouth. Sweet, as always.

It was the other that began to pick at the bag Kore held, almost greedily swallowing up whatever was offered. But the original was before Kore as well, only a blur and a rushing wind before she found the white haired woman before her. Then, Fu Hua simply rests her hands on Kore's shoulders, a rising root keeping them eye level.. "I'm not usually so forward," she admits, as if she has not had been caressing the other girl within her spirit since they met. "But you seem to be a... reticent person. A bit of prodding can help with that."

The shade cleaning the slight mess Kore made of herself lets out a slight huff of displeasure when there is nothing left. So she simply rests her head on the girl's shoulder as the original continues. "You seem unused to people. Though you are right. You are taller than me. I can appreciate that. But before I tell you anything else, let me ask you something. " Then she points at the bitten fruit in Kore's hand.

"Did you enjoy that?"

[YOLF]

Longirsu

The things she mentioned were extremely promising, if they were true. Longirsu could be seduced into thinking this trip wasn't a huge pain, and the social burden neglegible, compared to a hint at something as overwhelming as a collection of all knowledge! He couldn't just take her words for it, he told himself. If he was to have his due, he needed to curb any excessive enthusiasm. Manipulation of life and death was not something familiar either to magicians of his ruined world, or indeed any better than dubious and worrying theories, so how could she call it simple? The Terrortech Orchestrator would not be led on, but it wasn't impossible in the face of it that this was another divergence in the logic of the Nexus.

When she had that vial brought out, his eyes widened, with naked fascination painting over the doubt. Was that a soul? She wouldn't have had to say anything else to get him to finally lean forward, and he might not have even given her question to her suspicious partner careful thought if not for what followed. Unfortunately, William's complete flip soiled his mood.

"If you've lost your wits," he said, scoffing icily at the man, "Then take it somewhere we won't be bothered."

What was this... lunatic of unclear age meant to know about Longirsu? He had no right to say these things. Most aggravating of all, he didn't even seem to be looking at Longirsu. As if he was merely a reminder of, what, trauma, a joke? Maybe this meeting was a mistake.

[Who?]

Kore

 Kore lets out a meaningless, confused noise in response, mind still whirling at what just happened.

Tongue?

Lick?

What?

Was that normal here? She hoped not - she doesn’t think she can handle it. Her cheeks are already burning and she feels distinctly like prey to Fu Hua’s very hungry predator.

It’s the cool wood of her belt under her fingers that jogs her mind from the whirl of confusion, reminding her that the situation could rapidly become dangerous.

She settles herself as best she can, remembering half-forgotten meditation techniques she had learnt as a passing interest  on Earth. Given the Fu Hua pressed against her, and the original looking in her eyes, it’s a difficult task, but she manages to focus.

She’s still blushing, but at least she isn’t thinking of how nice Fu Hua feels against her.

Much.

She clears her throat (in the distance, a chorus of birds, hunter and hunted, sing a song of praise without words).

"Thank you for your hospitality, Ms. Fu Hua. I did, it was much sweeter than most of the food I’ve been able to grow." She considers the tingle on her tongue. "Perhaps too sweet, actually, I’m not sure I can eat anymore - it’s been too long since I had such flavours. I’m glad to see my own offerings were... So well received?" The bag of food she was holding feels substantially lighter. The Fu Hua clone(?) that ate it seems very satisfied, at least.

"I am not entirely unused to people, but it has been quite some time since I’ve had the opportunity for conversation. And your customs are unfamiliar to me." She glances at both of the Fu Hua’s that are touching her. "Might you tell me where I am, though? And where people - besides yourselves? Might be?"

She pauses, lets the questions settle in the air. She wants to leave it at that, but her other senses - the not-sight that her human body can only interpret as sight - do not let her forget. They remind her of what Fu Hua is - of  past mistakes. Her face settles into a grimace against her will. "And I must ask again - what are you? My past experiences with... beings that were composed of such malice..." She starts to say something,  anything. A lie, perhaps.

But she does not.

The pomegranate slips from her hand.

The silence hangs in the air, like the moment before a guillotine falls.

[SINIB]

Longirsu

The things she mentioned were extremely promising, if they were true. Longirsu could be seduced into thinking this trip wasn't a huge pain, and the social burden neglegible, compared to a hint at something as overwhelming as a collection of all knowledge! He couldn't just take her words for it, he told himself. If he was to have his due, he needed to curb any excessive enthusiasm. Manipulation of life and death was not something familiar either to magicians of his ruined world, or indeed any better than dubious and worrying theories, so how could she call it simple? The Terrortech Orchestrator would not be led on, but it wasn't impossible in the face of it that this was another divergence in the logic of the Nexus.

When she had that vial brought out, his eyes widened, with naked fascination painting over the doubt. Was that a soul? She wouldn't have had to say anything else to get him to finally lean forward, and he might not have even given her question to her suspicious partner careful thought if not for what followed. Unfortunately, William's complete flip soiled his mood.

"If you've lost your wits," he said, scoffing icily at the man, "Then take it somewhere we won't be bothered."

What was this... lunatic of unclear age meant to know about Longirsu? He had no right to say these things. Most aggravating of all, he didn't even seem to be looking at Longirsu. As if he was merely a reminder of, what, trauma, a joke? Maybe this meeting was a mistake.

Eruraviel

Eru looked at William with a slightly cocked head and a raised eyebrow, refraining from commenting on his antics.

It was part of what made him so interesting, what was so attractive about him to her. She couldn't read him. He was an enigma.

It was exciting.

She turned her attention back to Longirsu, her ears focusing forwards upon him instinctively, still playing with the valuable soul in her hands. "Come now, there's no reason to get cross. He is simply being William." She reached into a hole in her chest, and pulled out a second vial, tossing it through the air at her guest. Inside was a perfectly ordinary human soul, less than a loss were he to steal it from her. "Yes. It is what you think it is. Yes. I do have that power."

[Bern]

William

"Ripping out souls like that is so crude princess...Why not just convert their whole being to raw mana and store that, so much more efficient..." The man had stopped giggling madly just long enough to drop a comment that was somehow even more absurd. The art of drawing out souls was considered a very rare ability here, yet he had dismissed it as a simple and crude strategy. "Lacrima is so much better."

To prove his point, he pulled out the now empty translucent orb that used to contain one of his companions. His aura flickered and the orb grew slightly darker with an unnerving blackened light shining out of it. "It can be charged nigh endlessly with raw power for later use, or you may even shape a prepared spell and store it inside for late use. Oh and no matter how long you charge it, all of it can be unleashed at the same time." And as he spoke, the glow of the orb was slowly intensifying with each passing second as he pumped more and more power into it.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Fu Hua

The fruit rots before it hits the ground. Its withered husk almost dry as it burst, maggots writhing in the decaying flesh and spoiled juice. Fu Hua sighs then, a disappointed look on all three faces that could make anyone's heart clench. "So callous of you. I offer you so much of myself, and you're already looking for other people." And with a wave of her hand the two copies crumble into dirt and splintered wood. It is with a gracious shrug that the upset look and sadness simply fell off of her.

"So, you want to know about this place then?" And her arm wraps again Kore again but... differently. There's a casual, careless air to it as she pulls the girl forward. No, even that sounds a bit wrong. Buddy? Chum? Pal? "Friend," Fu Hua decides, "you don't understand what you're asking."

Stairs come up from under their feet as they walk, a rising spiral of wood and stone so beautiful it almost hurt. Her will carves every inch as if by hand, flowers blooming in the heavens as they ascend. Beautiful, so long as one ignores the clearing below that only grows more putrid with every moment. But perhaps that only makes this rising tower more beautiful. It is only when the city, bustling and alive, can be seen that the tower finally stops growing. "After all, it's not like we're that far away from them. No, you're thinking of a very different kind of question' arent you? Let me guess... 'Do I deserve to be among them?' It's something like that, isn't it? You might understand me a little, but that means I understand you too. You're never going to enjoy yourself like that."

She swings out her arm in a grandiose gesture, the wind screaming furiously at the force of her arm moving through the air. "None of that matters here! No one apart from me even knows your name. Pick something you can see and we'll go there." Hm, was that enough? That would never be able to convince that girl but her new friend didn't seem that dumb. "It's not any different from gardening. You were already enjoying yourself, so now that you're here you should take full advantage of it."

[Who?]

Kore

Her hand slips from the belt to hang limply at her side.

She does not even blush at Fu Hua's closeness, staring at the city with an open mouth. There is a look of pure longing on her face, as she stares, completely unguarded.

She wants to go there. She does. So much. It has been a very long time since she has wanted something so badly.

But Kore takes all the desperate need, the wants, and breathes it out.

She breathes out the desire to stand in crowded streets. To eat street food. To sit and watch people go by.

Somewhere amidst everything was a world of dust and sand and salt, water empty of living things and slowly drying. It was lit only by a shuddering star that pulsed in time with Kore’s heart. 

She steps forward.  The ground craters when she lands, rotten vegetation flying into the air away from the woman, who daintily brushes dust off of her skirt.

"Thank you." She says, and means it. "But enjoyment doesn't come into it." 

[YOLF]

Longirsu

He snatched the precious vial out of the air to rest on his palm, and his widened eyes swirled at the contents. The words slid around the workings of the instruments of knowledge in his skull, which set an addictive tingle rushing through his nerves like a conflagration.

"No, no," he said, rolling the object over his fingers. Inflection rose in his voice at William, but he didn't raise his head to address him. "That's buffonish. You can store all the potential energy, but you lose all the identifying traits that way, letting the idiosyncratic qualities of a soul and the attributes that reflect their identity go to waste."

This one was, as far as Longirsu could tell, of lower density, overall unremarkable. But it was still a contained soul, independent of a body, and much could be extracted from it, or perhaps repurposed.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Fu Hua

"Haaah?" If Kore had spit in her face, it is not possible that Fu Hua could sound more offended. Before the other girl's skirt had stopped fluttering Fu Hua was already before her. Already, the martial artist can hear the rebuttals of a stupid girl before they're even said. Because it is her duty. Because it is her responsibility. Because it is right. It makes her stomach turn. A strained smile coats her face, as sweet as poison. "I don't get it. Are you just going to run back whatever shack you live in, pretending like what you want isn't right there?"

The air is heavy. As tense as the weight of a sword hanging from the ceiling, dangling from a single thread. Displeasure all but radiates from gleaming red eyes. "Friend," and the word is as barbed as a thorn bush, "let me give you advice. Whatever place you came from might as well be gone. What you do now has no impact on the dead. If you punish yourself for their sake, you're just gratifying yourself. Oh, look at how awful I am!"

She waves a hand through the air as if for dramatics, but the violent force of it sends spiderweb cracks through the earth below them. "We should go to the city. It will be the best chance you ever have. You will not regret it."

[SINIB]

William

"Ripping out souls like that is so crude princess...Why not just convert their whole being to raw mana and store that, so much more efficient..." The man had stopped giggling madly just long enough to drop a comment that was somehow even more absurd. The art of drawing out souls was considered a very rare ability here, yet he had dismissed it as a simple and crude strategy. "Lacrima is so much better."

To prove his point, he pulled out the now empty translucent orb that used to contain one of his companions. His aura flickered and the orb grew slightly darker with an unnerving blackened light shining out of it. "It can be charged nigh endlessly with raw power for later use, or you may even shape a prepared spell and store it inside for late use. Oh and no matter how long you charge it, all of it can be unleashed at the same time." And as he spoke, the glow of the orb was slowly intensifying with each passing second as he pumped more and more power into it.

Eruraviel

Eruraviel hopped up, standing right on the table to gain that one extra foot that she needed to look at him eye to eye. Well, she also had to stand on the tips of her feet too. Her ears trembled, and she pursed her lips with what seemed to be indignation at his implicit mockery of her own magical receptacles. Sure, his Lacrima were as high quality as her own soul gems, but she was confident in their ability to store near-unlimited amounts of mana too! The only difference was that his was larger!

Wasn't it?

"Ohhhh? Are you a salesman now, Will? First all of your hats, now this. You seem to have many interests, umu." Eruraviel spoke with a false bravado to mask her annoyance and worries. "Do you have the ability to make more of them, or is it just another symptom of your weird magic system?"

She leaned forwards while elevating herself higher to maintain their relative heights. Then, the elven vixen tipped the hat she was wearing at him-his hat. With a cheeky grin, she licked her lips, showing him the gem in the back of her hand. "What does it do that these can't, though?"

[Who?]

Fu Hua

"Haaah?" If Kore had spit in her face, it is not possible that Fu Hua could sound more offended. Before the other girl's skirt had stopped fluttering Fu Hua was already before her. Already, the martial artist can hear the rebuttals of a stupid girl before they're even said. Because it is her duty. Because it is her responsibility. Because it is right. It makes her stomach turn. A strained smile coats her face, as sweet as poison. "I don't get it. Are you just going to run back whatever shack you live in, pretending like what you want isn't right there?"

The air is heavy. As tense as the weight of a sword hanging from the ceiling, dangling from a single thread. Displeasure all but radiates from gleaming red eyes. "Friend," and the word is as barbed as a thorn bush, "let me give you advice. Whatever place you came from might as well be gone. What you do now has no impact on the dead. If you punish yourself for their sake, you're just gratifying yourself. Oh, look at how awful I am!"

She waves a hand through the air as if for dramatics, but the violent force of it sends spiderweb cracks through the earth below them. "We should go to the city. It will be the best chance you ever have. You will not regret it."

Kore

Kore - pauses. She stares at Fu Hua and blinks.

An evil spirit. Physical attacks temporarily effective, purification rituals superior. Her mind is filled with dozens of long remembered facts about the bipedal human body ands it weakness - how even facsimile organs can be damaged and destroyed.

How dare she- Kore’s face twists into a snarl, and for just a moment, it looks like she will attack, like she would tear Fu Hua’s throat out with her teeth.

Pain. A sky without a sun. Centuries spent tending plants she could crush by the barest effort of will.

Kore recoils. It looks like she’ll vomit and she stumbles away. Rotting leaves disintegrate under her feet. She opens her mouth to apologise to someone, something - and shakes her head. Worthless words.

When she turns back to Fu Hua, she looks perfectly calm. No, not calm. Doll-like. Artificial.

"My home - the place I’m from has been gone for a very long time. I-" She pauses. The mask does not crack, but it feels like it should. "My petty selfishness destroyed everything. I destroyed everything."

She speaks of it like she’s discussing some historical event that is disquieting, but unrelated to her. Only the twitch of an eyebrow reveals any hint as to what she’s feeling.

Steam  hisses from the ground - there are no thermal vents anywhere near. It coalesces low to the ground, brushing their ankles.

"You are right, of course. I wouldn’t. Regret it. But..." She makes a gesture. "Don’t waste your time on me. Really."

[Bern]

William

"Oh no not at all..." He said amused as he saw the Princess try to impose height on him, it was rather cute but it was pointless to resist. "They can also store an individual wholesale with their physical form intact and then be returned in the same state they were sealed."

Alas resistance was futile for the Elf as mere moments later he floated up and restored the balance.


The high ground belonged to him.

"It also a fully automated, meaning any tool with the base ability to channel mana and who is smart enough to visualize their desires may employ it to its full use. But no.... I do not know how to produce this, it is a naturally occurring crystal in the world I hail from."

It was also nigh unbreakable so he wasn't worried about losing what he had any time soon, that was the only reason he was so blatantly waving it around.

[YOLF]

Longirsu

He raised his gaze, honing it like iron sights on the so-called "lacrima". Stopping the soul vial on the flat of his palm, he pensively covered his mouth with his other hand, and his musings left his lips unwittingly muffled.

"The process is reversible? The structure of the crystal must have qualities analogous to memory alloys, but for energy conversion... I see. It seems you have a point about their value." Longirsu's irises spun, darting to the gems integrated to the elf's body, then back. "Capacity is difficult to compare, but their mechanisms seem different. You say lacrima are naturally-occurring, but their workings are automated with the projection of willpower? Fascinating. A shame that reproducing them is not viable."

In other words, he had brought them up to brag, compared to Eruraviel's methods, which appeared to be a byproduct of her sorcery. But even if William lacked the skills or knowledge to make these... given the time and the resources, it might not be beyond Longirsu.

[Umbra of Chaos]

Fu Hu

"Your pitiful self-denial is the only thing wasting my time." There was little heat in her voice now, only a vague annoyance that was hard to place now that her frown was gone. Fu Hua shrugged her shoulders and gracefully swept the tension from her body. A smile naturally made its way back onto her face. "But it seems like there's at least some reason for it. That face you made before... I quite like it. Furious. Dominating. How dare she say such a thing to me!" The air swells with distorted echoes of Kore's own voice, a raised tone that makes the bark peel from trees.

Fu Hua strokes her chin as she furrows her brow in thought, yet her eyes seem to take in Kore with a new light. "Yes, you are quite strong, aren't you? So full of regret you might burst like one of those fruits. You do not like to be this way, but you think the alternative is worse. That is acceptable." She lets out a small huff.

"A bit of restraint is necessary, sometimes," Fu Hua admits. "But there are ways you can have both desire and control. You must simply be willing to surrender it to someone else. I will be generous, Kore. I will personally make a leash for you. So long as you do not struggle to break it, you will not be able to harm anyone. And if you attempt it despite that, I will be able to stop you. Entrust yourself to me, and you will never be a demon again."

Her hand caresses Kore's face. It is not calloused, though one might have expected it. Her skin is soft, smooth, and more unyielding than steel. Then she presses a finger right to Kore's lips. It pulses with an immense concentration of negative energy. For most beings, it would be almost obscene to accept that much foreign power at once. Yet it was also exactly what was promised. A cage of silken ribbons, strong enough to ensnare Kore. Strong enough to hold even the Demon King still, should it walk the earth again.

[SINIB]

William

"Oh no not at all..." He said amused as he saw the Princess try to impose height on him, it was rather cute but it was pointless to resist. "They can also store an individual wholesale with their physical form intact and then be returned in the same state they were sealed."

Alas resistance was futile for the Elf as mere moments later he floated up and restored the balance.


The high ground belonged to him.

"It also a fully automated, meaning any tool with the base ability to channel mana and who is smart enough to visualize their desires may employ it to its full use. But no.... I do not know how to produce this, it is a naturally occurring crystal in the world I hail from."

It was also nigh unbreakable so he wasn't worried about losing what he had any time soon, that was the only reason he was so blatantly waving it around.

Eruraviel

Eruraviel puffed out her cheeks in an exaggerated pout. She forced the tips of her ears to lower just a few degrees, and all of a sudden, she looked as if she were sad. "Interesting. I had the opportunity to work with it for a little while, but the more you speak about it the more interesting an item it becomes. Perhaps I would be able to integrate some of nature's great works into my own designs, hmm?"

She rubbed her hands together like a greedy banker lusting after money.