Crystal OwO-11/25/2016
Little did she know, someone else had decided to follow her. The green fields was just as beautiful from the skies as they were from the ground, and the wyvern rider noted it to herself. Maybe if she learned to properly draw someday, she could convery what she saw and felt from the skies that only she could see, together with her lifelong partner of course.
"But I couldn't make it this far without you, could I? Only we can see this.... But we should probably get down there now."
They slowly descended, landing down next to the oak tree that the woman had dissapeared under.
LadyDeme-11/25/2016
Delphine nearly fell out of the tree when she saw the wyvern descending down side of it, causing Delphine's little canopy to shake by the gust of Neltharion's wingbeats. When the wyvern landed, Delphine leaned her head down from her lowish branch, her grin popping out from the leaves. If it were someone she suspected of bothering her -- well, she'd have done it, begrudingly, since she doubted she hadn't been spotted. But as it stood, she felt fairly confident that she could shut her book and welcome the company with an open arm.
"Rieze! How nice of you to drop in. How are you doing?"
The pun was intentional. If the young woman's eyes had a bit of a bag beneath them, her tone and expression were as bright and lively as ever... But they looked at Rieze with a bit of concern, given all that had happened in the past few weeks. Rieze, too, had rolled through the infirmary, and tended with the best care Delphine could manage.
Crystal OwO-11/25/2016
"Hah. Don't worry about me, your care was excellent. I was concerned about you."
The blue haired girl approached her, sitting down next to the trunk of the tree, not wanting to attempt any climbing while still hurt. And maybe, just maybe she just never had climbed trees when she was younger. Probably the latter, as urban Ethysia had little to no non-decorative trees.
Looking up towards the girl in the tree, she grinned before looking back up to her.
"That battle was intense. Good to know that you know how to relax properly, most soldiers don't know how."
LadyDeme-11/25/2016
Delphine scrambled her position a bit to keep a better view on Rieze, bracing one hand on the trunk so she could hold on while leaning forward, tucking her legs to twine around the branch for a bit of security. Her skin would likely be scratched when she came down, but it was hard for her to pay a mind. Her book -- a collection of classic poems about love and transformation -- slid off of the countess' thighs and onto the ground, where Delphine looked at it and shrugged, letting the loss slip from her for the moment.
"I've noticed... I'm glad I'm not a soldier, for that reason among others. It's said that to become a master, you must put ten thousand hours into something: in this regard, I am a master and professional relaxer, escape artist, and most of all, dallier."
This sort of thing had been part of her stock in trade, and she could identify a good place to read, or speak with someone, or both, from a good distance even from far off. That said -- she enjoyed this sort of thing as much as the reading, and so began to slide her way down the tree. It was, as always, a harder task than getting up. She turned her body half around as she clung to the trunk, eying the same footholds she'd gotten up, but having a harder time reaching them down. Just the way, she thought, with a shake of her head.
"I think you learn better if no one's forcing you to, as well. I'm... Not sure any of my teachers would have agreed, but knowing your mind best is a craft to cultivate, as well. You have flying to relax, right?"(edited)
Crystal OwO-11/25/2016
Rieze had a short sigh, keeping her smile while trying not to sound condescending, or hostile for that matter. Yet her voice had a tinge of... sadness? It revealed an inner sadness within her, possibly remnants of the once curious child who got forced into the life of a soldier.
"Some of us didn't have the choice. I had to learn. But I find that even forcing yourself to learn something can work too. Just... takes away all the initiative away, you know?"
She stretched a hand out towards Neltharion, feeling the ever so comforting feeling of his scales soflty brushing along her palm, easing away all the harsh thoughts.
"But please, don't feel bad for it. I think I came out well nonetheless."
LadyDeme-11/25/2016
"You certainly did,"
Delphine said brightly -- but she folded up a little, turning her head back to the tree as her focus centered down to her feet as she found another foothold from which she could then just slide the rest of the way down -- letting the release itself cover her thoughts. Her feet hit the ground with a thud and she nearly fell back, before pushing up forward against the trunk.
"I hardly meant it like that -- I know I was so tremendously lucky, in a lot of ways. I put it that way mainly so you'd laugh at me, you know; or, perhaps, just with me. I thought it was amusing enough."
If she never felt like she had a choice -- if the pressure had felt high, bearing over her until it had seemed hopeless -- she didn't say as much, but instead slid a little further down, so that Rieze was sandwiched between Neltharion and herself, and Delphine picked up her poetry and waved it, idly.
"...But also, because I really did feel like it was all... Much more... Engaging. When no one was demanding it of me. Like you said -- it takes the initiative away. There's nothing exciting about a battle you know you'll lose before you even see your opponent. There are lessons that are the same way. I know I'm lucky -- to have found ways to escape and weedle my way far enough to have any will to learn at all, much less my voracious appetite."(edited)
Crystal OwO-11/25/2016
"World is unfair sometimes, although I have come to terms with battle being such an everyday activity. Neltharion and myself is pretty much all I have left now, having abandoned my family and friends."
No, damn it Rieze! You are not doing your new friends justice there!
In her head, she had a fight with herself over what to say. Sure, she still missed her old friends, but the new ones were just as good, if not more... eccentric. She had definitely spoken too soon, turning a bit red hoping that Delphine wouldn't take it personally.
"Well, uh. I of course have excellent new allies, but trust does not build in an instant you know. Please don't take it the wrong way."(edited)
LadyDeme-11/25/2016
Delphine laughed gently at Rieze's desperate attempt to blanket over her own nostalgia. She shrugged and leaned back up against the tree. Missing people, even in good company, was hardly an insult -- and Delphine had noticed that Rieze's scarred pin had vanished, too... Which might have, in some ways, been a relief: except that it probably left the woman feeling more alone.
"Don't worry -- I know I'm a little frail, but I'm hardly that delicate on matters of the heart, so you don't have to try and appease my pride as a friend. To miss someone who matters to you, no matter how good the company, is a human nature which speaks of love."
Delphine felt homesickness like a true punch to her, at times. It was just a matter of compartmentalizing. She looked upwards, and tried not to think of a tree like this, that she didn't know if it stood, in a farm -- not unlike just beyond the fence near them -- that could have been ruined. And she was getting off lightly. A white shape fluttered in the sky above the tree, and Delphine noticed it, but for the moment, mistook it for a cloud.
"That's the way I feel about my own memories. And I'm sure they hurt far less."
Crystal OwO-11/25/2016
"No matter how easy your life may have been, we all have bad memories don't we? Like someone you miss, someone you don't get to see very often. Someone that may very well be dead, or someone who you just can't see anymore. Im sure there is someone like that for you too, right?"
She stated the question calmly, not wanting to trigger any bad memories that Delphine may have buried away beneath a facade. Then again, she didn't seem like that kind of person. Then again, better safe than sorry.
November 26, 2016
LadyDeme-11/26/2016
Delphine chuckled, shaking her head fondly. When she thought about that, she couldn't look at anyone -- even if she was smiling, or even if she was laughing, it was easier to look across the golden-green fields, and remember in the waves another place, where the grains grew in the same way. She'd come -- and, she thought, would come -- so very close to never seeing it again.
"Right now, there's about a county's worth of people like that," she answered, without missing a beat. Her voice had a tenderness to it. Turning her head back to Rieze, and with a smile and a laugh that was much less strained than her little chuckle.
"Frankly, it's way too hard for me to work, missing them -- so I need to get that over with, if you understand my meaning. Get back to my busy schedule of getting in everyone's hair."
She stretched out her legs and stared into the horizon.
"Of course, even before then... It's I suppose there were people I missed. Not in the conventional sense. It's more like there were people that couldn't be reached. I guess the only difference it makes, whether they were near or far..."
She paused, and remembered her father's head, impaled, his blackened tongue -- his raven-picked eyes. Someone had, after the first time she'd seen it, over the next few days of siege, always demanded she looked away. And she never had. But he'd been beyond the walls -- just out of reach, once again. She continued onwardly, gamely smiling.
"Ah. Well. I think when they were nearest -- that's when they were the farthest away. Why, I could see one of them whenever I wanted, pretty much, but all I'd hear was --"
"I had a suspicion that you'd be somewhere like this. All I had to do was find the location least fitting a countess." A voice rang out -- it was high and clear, and something of the intonation was Delphine's, in how it crafted a phrase.... But without the sort of playfulness or warmth, or even the sort of liveliness Delphine had, even when being serious. It came from a woman mounted on a pegasus, descending just beyond the shadow of a tree. Her long blue hair, done up in an ornate bun, was streaked with just a hint of white; her expression intelligent and frosty, the faint lines on her face suggesting severity. Her eyes were a gleaming steel blue. "You need to be having talks like this somewhere that won't damage your dignity."
Her features shared so much in common with Delphine -- a similar nose, the shape of her eyes, but drawn tighter, even the lift of her chin, the arch of her brow -- and if there was anything about Delphine that had been familiar to Rieze, on a first meeting, there it was again. And stronger, and with a harder expression.
Delphine looked stunned for just a moment, the corner of her mouth twitching like she couldn't be sure what face to make, before it settled on a smile.
"Why, hello there. And thank you so much for your touching display of relief, I'm glad I'm safe, too." Delphine said, rising to her feet with a grin struggling back into place. "You know how much I love making myself easy to find! Why, even Viana could find me eventually!"
"That girl? Well, birds of a feather flock together. But if you insist on this nonsense, I'm glad you at least have a guard," the woman said, eying the enviroment with a sweeping gaze, her eyes boring into the barley and the tree, and then back to Delphine, who seemed -- for just a moment -- a little disappointed. Or perhaps annoyed. Either way, it sounded like they could go all day.(edited)
Crystal OwO-11/26/2016
Their suprise visitor intrigued Rieze, to a degree. She found traits she shared within her, like other women. Yet something.... No, it was probably nothing. Just her wandering mind looking for something else to supress the awkwardness she felt, being sort of a "third wheel." Delphine obviously knew her, yet there was a tense air about her. Maybe an advisor? As far as she knew, there was no more of the count, nor his family in Amarana.
"Nonetheless, she is quite obviously a formal person. A cordial greeting would be fitting."
She gave a short bow in the direction of the woman, before speaking up.
"Excuse me. May I ask who you are Miss? You seem to know my friend here."
LadyDeme-11/26/2016
The woman clicked her tongue at having to introduce herself... But then stopped, tilting her head like she wasn't sure what to make of what she was seeing, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Delphine jumped up and brushed herself off in the ensuing silence, forcing a smile.
"That's right -- this is my mother, the lady Ianthe de Arlesia. Or some gobbledygook like that. It's not important." Delphine said it in a tone that clearly expected a rise out of her mother, but she got none. Her mother was still only looking at Rieze, with eyes that had gone wide and thoughtful. Delphine pressed on, looking increasingly uneasy.
"...Well." Delphine cleared her throat. "And Mom, this is my friend and comrade-in-arms --"
"Rieze. Rieze Silverwing. In the last place I expected to see her," Ianthe had regained her composure, looking at Rieze like Rieze was glass, judging the way the light fell through her and bounced off whatever was inside her.
Crystal OwO-11/26/2016
"Her.... mother? Oh. She is probably...."
"Well. It is quite the honor to have my name recognised by one of your social standing. May I ask how you came to know of me?"
Even though her voice stayed calm as ever, her body tensed. Something about this woman.... Was off, almost. Like she knew everything about her, yet kept it away. Maybe it was initiution, and distrust for the higher-ups, but she could not quite understand it. Neltharion crept up behind Rieze, with his head hanging over her shoulder. The fiery ruby-red eyes gave Ianthe a piercing gaze, wary of the stranger.
LadyDeme-11/26/2016
Ianthe didn't blink, even looking at the wyvern, but her pegausus balked a little, the white beast feeling an unease that seemed only natural. Ianthe was still as a stone as she spoke, possessed by a prenatural calm.
"Simply having heard you survived was enough to make your identity clear; you're quite obviously my child."
Delphine gaped. If it had been anyone else, she'd have asked if Ianthe was joking. But Delphine couldn't remember what her mother's jokes must have sounded like. No -- it could only be serious, and her hair whipped as she examined both her mother and... Her sister. Once the idea was said, it was almost obvious. The things that had reminded Delphine of her mother, all along -- they were also in Delphine herself. They were a certain, absolute blood link. The steely gaze between them was testament of an absolute truth that left Delphine feeling something on the cusp of any number of emotions, buffetted between them like a windstorm.
Crystal OwO-11/26/2016
"Oh......."
In the moment, she realised the possible truth in her statement, yet refused adamantly to accept it. No way, her mother wouldn't have remarried after just leaving? The situation itself was deep and complicated, with Rieze not knowing all the details. Even though she always wanted to meet her mother, a deep rooted resentment was brewing within her. Why did she leave? Why did she have to leave her with her father? She wanted answers, but she couldn't muster to speak. She sighed, before weakly stuttering
"Why then? Why did you leave me?"
LadyDeme-11/26/2016
Delphine took a step back -- she wasn't entirely sure what to make of the situation, exactly. If Rieze wanted to resent Ianthe, that was one thing: it was something undeniably true ... Though what this did to the relationship between them -- whether that was something Rieze wanted to acknowledge -- Delphine wasn't as sure. She could use the explanation as a chance to sort herself out.
"...I'm not surprised your father never told you. However, that was his demand. I could only leave without you."
It was a report as if on ancient history -- it was a thing that she didn't feel as part of the present day. To an outside observer, it seemed like nothing... But Delphine noticed the little shift of her shoulders, a sign of her mother's disappointment -- or her concession of something.
"Really, that's your explanation for yourself?" Delphine asked, breaking her silence for a moment, to try and rally herself to Rieze's defense, of a sorts. "I don't believe the gossip version of events, where you were forced into perversion and fled, crying -- so that's a pitifully weak story. And Rieze doesn't even know that much! So talk."
Delphine glared at her mother until Ianthe shook her head... But it was with something a little softer that she admitted, her hands folded before her with the dignity of a queen,
"Of course it's pitiful -- foolish people are only interested in scandal. The reasoning is between myself and the general: and his silence is his responsibility... I surrendered my right to be thought of as her mother, to abandon that marriage behind as well. To be honest, I knew about your survival into adulthood, Rieze as early as before our departure. But I rather expected you to be by his side... That was where he'd wanted you, more than anything else."(edited)
Crystal OwO-11/26/2016
"But.... No, what father told me isn't the issue. Why didn't you leave me anything, even a small clue to figure out who you were!?"
Years of sadness and insecurity flowed through her otherwise stout exterior, shattering her otherwise calm-steel faced exterior. Who was at fault? Why did everything happen like it did? On the inside, she was falling apart. Even though her father was her enemy now, she had loved him once. She probably still did, underneath the latent anger from her betrayal. But maybe it was even her own fault? She was unsure.
"Just..... Do you even know how I feel!?"
LadyDeme-11/26/2016
Ianthe raised an eyebrow, shaking her head in a way that reflexively sent a wave of concern down Delphine's spine. She reached out a hand for Rieze, for what very little comfort she could offer. Not a single hair on Ianthe's head was free enough to move, and emphasize her movements.
"Why would I need to do that? I had no idea he had no interest in telling you about my having given birth to you -- it wasn't part of our deal that he conceal anything. Just that I leave you in his care, and renounce any claim to you. I didn't leave a clue because there wasn't a mystery."
"Mom. She doesn't want a correct answer." That was obvious, wasn't it? Delphine shook her head, looking at her mother with a disappointment that paled in the face of Ianthe's scorn -- it wasn't so far above it all, so concerned with consequence. No, it was a wounded disappointment -- that her mother could use the sort of tactics she'd used all along, and valued her pride so much. It was so tiring. Delphine understood that feeling, or the heart of it, well enough to be hurt on Rieze's behalf, to have her eyes lit up with offense.
And it said something to Ianthe, this once, who turned her head, and spoke in a low tone that could have vanished in the wind.
"...I wanted to forget everything that happened between the general and myself. I left a lot behind -- but perhaps he wanted the same thing I did. You and I have no business together, but... I regret your ignorance of the matter."(edited)
Crystal OwO-11/26/2016
"Hmph. Good riddance..... I.... Just...."
Rieze was.... in a state of discord, to say the least. No matter what she told herself, no matter if or how she lied to herself, she couldn't come to terms with what was standing before her. In her head, she always believed she was ripped apart from her mother, left behind due to how circumstances were.
But from what she saw, she didn't feel any of it. Only the empty formality she had recieved from everyday strangers, people who feared her, shunned her, respected her.... Nothing intimate, no feeling of a reunion, no hope in an eventual relationship.
With a voice that may have fell silent beneath the weak breeze, she uttered "Hoped that we could one day meet again...."
But she wouldn't have any of it. In a fit of rage, she slammed her fist into the tree, shouting to Neltharion "We are leaving. Now!". The wyvern heeded her call, leaping up with a quick flap of it wings, landing next to her rider.
"And don't even talk to me. I can't understand how you would feel nothing after all this time."
Grabbing hold of Neltharion's reins, the wyvern lifted them up, back to the skies that they had come from. Maybe he understood his rider's pain, as he almost uttered a silent groan as she cried for herself, in a world where only they could hear each other cry.
LadyDeme-11/26/2016
Delphine raised up a hand as if to stop her -- but the motion was too fast, leaving Ianthe with just the one daughter, standing under the shaking branches of the tree. The shadows that fell onto Delphine's face let her, for a moment, understand that feeling. She hadn't had room to think about. Seeing that loss had driven her away for a while, wiped all feelings from her mind; she hadn't imagined any of this. That she had a sister; that her mother would bother to see her. The only thing that wasn't surprising was...
"How foolish." Ianthe sighed, massaging a temple like it pained her. She didn't notice Delphine's expression, like she was seeing something unclean. She only noticed when Delphine began to walk away, shaking her head and sighing.
"I didn't come here for that scene -- I came to speak with you on matters of grave importance, and to --"
Delphine waved a hand through the air, like she was swatting away a fly. She kept walking.
"I'll hear your pleas for me to be your moneymaker in exile later, ok, Mom? I'll even let you insult my taste in speech, hair, books, and clothing, and be as disappointed as you'd like. It's been a few months. I bet it's collected rather high, so I want to see some good ones, OK?"
Delphine laughed over her shoulders. But then she lowered her head, and said, sadly...
"But that's someone... Who never earned your scorn as a mother. So I'm not going to stand around and tolerate it. I -- I want to talk to her. As family. So that's what I'll do."
It's avoiding something important, so it's just what she'd expect. Now if only that were true. Delphine thought with a smile that could hide that... A part of her was terrified. And a part of her wondered, even then, if her existence had come at the cost of someone else -- and a million other things. If she found where Rieze would land, she could sort it all out then... And greet her sister as she maybe deserved.(edited)
== RP End ==
December 1, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/01/2016
=RP Start? Who knows?=
Still in an outrage after meeting her "mother", Rieze had sat down by another one of the meadows, hopeful that nobody came chasing after her. The voice of Ianthe ran clearly through her head, repeating every word she said. Her mind was hard at work trying to dissect it, to lie to herself and say that she can't have meant anything bad by it. Yet, her thoughts were at war with each other, and it didn't let up. Her only solace was her winged companion in the grass next to her, his eyes piercing her with a look that might have said something along the lines of "I know what you feel."
Yet time passed slowly, but it didn't calm her down. The anger she felt within her was at odds with her unyielding desire to actually get to know her mother, but neither side would convince the other to give up. She was quite proud of her iron will and unfaltering resolve, but the images of herself shattered once something that truly hit home came up.
"What would father think if he saw me now.... Pitiful. Its funny, really. Running from one and ending up in the arms of the other."
Her head turned in the direction of Neltharion, who simply tilted his head questioningly. He showed no emotion, not any she could discern. But yet, she kept thinking about what to do, lost in thoughts all alone. Well, not all alone. But without any human contact nonetheless
"You know, sometimes I think you could try to be a better conversation partner 'Nelly'. Mind attempting?"
The crude attempt at humor fell short when the wyvern simply ignored it, better accustomed to battle than interaction. Rieze simply stretched out a hand to him, and that was a gesture he understood better. He leaned forward, the feeling of his scales feeling good as they brushed lightly across her hand.
"Hmph. In the end, we won't fit in anywhere, will we? Living your life on the battlefield.... Sigh."(edited)
LadyDeme-12/01/2016
The field must have been lying empty for a while, the grass grown up into it, a sheen of summer wildflowers spread across it. Delphine's wandering of roads had brought her there -- almost, but not quite, by chance. No matter what business her mother had, she'd not wanted to hear it... But nor could she have kept up, as the wyvern flew away. And so she'd meandered, placing her feelings in order.
She'd been an only child, as far as she'd ever known; for the most part, while she'd had plenty of chances for company in the terms of other people, her blood family had been shadowy figures, looming across the horizon. Delphine smiled grimly, that tight expression that didn't quite know what it was. Rieze had been a friend of her, in a time when she'd needed one dearly. There might not have been much real family there -- and that was the paradox, wasn't it? Delphine shook it off, her long blue hair snaking around her. Closer than blood, and maybe, still, just a little further than family. And that feeling battered against her like a bird against a cage.
She recognized the shadow of the Wyvern, and the deep blue hair from a distance. She laughed, sadly, and gave herself away from a long way off -- knowing what she knew, it'd be easy to see the resemblence, even from that far away. There was just a similarity of -- not exactly posture, but something, even translated harder on Rieze as it was. It was like the foreshadowing in a mystery, suddenly clear on a second read. Her walk was casual, even if her stomach was doing flips as she watched up.
"Hi, Neltharion; have you been doing a good job watching over my sister in these troubled times, huh?"
Her tone was forcedly relaxed, deciding it'd be better to go on with her usual attitude, and go from there, then to deliberately tip-toe about it. She spoke to the Wyvern in a pleasant, warm voice -- to show she came into it peaceably, just a little.(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/01/2016
Rieze's head turned, looking at the new arrival. Her new half-sister, as revealed by the events earlier. The wyvern followed suit, gazing silently at Delphine. His eyes had some... anger within them? He likely associated Delphine with the events that disturbed his rider, but he didn't make a move. Not before he recieved any orders, that is.
".... Sister."
Rieze spoke up, in a calm tone. She had no ill will towards Delphine, but her voice still carried hints of sadness and anger, although heavily subdued.
LadyDeme-12/01/2016
Delphine sighed, seeing the cold reception reception she got; with the sort of sad smile of a person who might not have expected better. She glanced over at the two of them, gesturing to the empty patch of meadow around them, where the grasses had grown in just a little shorter, or were trampled by Neltharion's landing.
"...Look, I'm... Sorry. Mind if I have a seat?"
She could not explain what she was sorry for, not exactly. It just felt like what she wanted to say, like it'd drive away a little ache in her bones. That Rieze was hurting, and even if she had nothing to do with it, not really, she felt sorry it was so. Maybe she was sorry that she'd brought this up, by being there. Or for being, as family went, probably a disappointment. As she waited, she had to admit, that was probably it.(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/01/2016
She got no response from the rider, except her patting the ground next to her, signalising that she did not care. She simply stayed in silence, too preoccupied with herself and her own thoughts. Neltharion moved with her, backing off from Delphine, stopping after an angry gaze from Rieze. After a second or so of silence, she managed to speak up again
"Its... Fine. Just too much at once"(edited)
LadyDeme-12/01/2016
Delphine settled down, leaning back her weight onto her backstretched arms, feeling the rough grass between her fingers and worming her hands a little into the dirt. The sensation let her relax, little by little, in the center of her being.
"It's... Kind of a lot to take in, huh? I think I feel that a little, too. Would you rather I just leave you alone for a while? I wasn't looking for you... Well. Not after a while. But since you're here, I figured I'd sieze the serendipity and speak,"
She explained, enjoying if only briefly a moment of alliteration. If it didn't look like she was quite so tense, she'd have to give herself a pat on the back for it later. She glanced briefly at Rieze's face, but -- trying to relieve a little pressure for both of them -- instead let her eyes fall onto a little white aster, scattered here and there across the meadow.(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/01/2016
"Its fine. Maybe.... No, I just don't know what's true or not anymore."
She thought about Ianthe, and back to her father. It was hard to imagine them getting along at first, but time had passed. People changed, like the world around them. It maybe wasnt so strange back then.
"Ianth-No, mother. She is quite... something."
LadyDeme-12/01/2016
"That's one thing to say about her," Delphine said, almost laughing at the lack of description. It wasn't just that Rieze didn't know her -- but that, to some extent, Delphine might not have been able to describe her any better. Ianthe was Ianthe, and if she hadn't have met Ianthe's family, she might have believed her mother born of snow, or raised on wind. She was, herself, a fortress.
Frankly, Delphine didn't really want to talk about it... But if it's what helped Rieze get her head around everything, that was fine. Delphine carefully picked two asters, the stems creasing quite far before they broke, and began busying her hands with their stems.
"It probably actually is important, why she's here, and at some point, I probably will have to listen to her about it... But I think I want to put that off a little bit."(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/01/2016
"Of course. But you probably should worry about her, not me. I just..... Don't know what to think."
Her insecurity was clear, drawing a stark contrast between her usually clear-headed self.
"I never knew what it was like. I quite frankly forgot I had one for a while. It just dissapeared in between all the things I had to do."
"I never knew what it was like. I quite frankly forgot I had one for a while. It just dissapeared in between all the things I had to do."
LadyDeme-12/01/2016
"...Nah. She'll be fine; that's the one thing I believe in about her. No matter what happens, she'll be fine."
Delphine hadn't even known about the carriage until she was chucked into it. But it had been about ready to go -- with or without her. Ianthe had seemed, the whole time, almost supernaturally prepared, and incredibly calm. The fortress had had its portcullis on lock-down, perhaps. And anyway, Delphine was tired of worrying about her.
"...I think I'd rather worry about you, anyway, if it's the same to you."
So she listened to Rieze's feelings, not really sure if there was anything she could say to it. She didn't think that there was anything she could offer to console her with -- because the feeling that had come with having been ruled over by Ianthe was probably, Delphine might have thought, nothing in comparison with the wondering... And the disappointment. Well. Maybe that last part was the same.
So instead she nodded, turning her head away from the asters chaining in her hands to look at Rieze. If all she could do to reach out was listen, then that was what she had to do.
Crystal OwO-12/01/2016
"Well, you see..... When I was younger, I wasn't told much. Most of what I was told was lies. To be honest, I never expected to ever meet my mother, nor that I had any siblings.... And here we are."
Rieze let out a short insecure laugher, before continuing.
"Fate is unpredictable. Never saw this happening... So it caught me off guard, I suppose."
LadyDeme-12/01/2016
"Your dad might not have known what she did after that. But... It's no good that he lied to you. Actually... She never told me anything about that, either. About where she'd been before she met my father, or you. There were broad-stroke rumors, but... Nothing that sounded true. So in that regard, we're in a pretty similar boat."
Her laugh sounded a bit more accepting of the folly of the situation, less insecure. Because it was kind of silly, that people managed to move in coordination, thoughtlessly -- or cruelly, it was hard to say which. Protectively, maybe.
"That's why I wanted to talk to you now."
She explained, waving a finger, sending a little chain of asters dangling from a closed hand. It bobbed in counterpoint to her movements. She suspected Rieze hadn't really thought about her, swallowed in the chaos of a mother who she'd never anticipated, turning out as she'd never anticipated.
"'Philosophers say that fortune is insane and blind and stupid'... We spin wildly out through all creation, lost in the tempest -- or perhaps it's creation that's the wheel. Either way, I suppose we spin with it, and on this spin... We might have ended up somewhere pretty exciting, huh?"
She offered Rieze a smile, trying to ground her in the things here that... Might not have been so rough, or so hurtful, as all that. Maybe it wouldn't be totally successful. But it was better than thinking that the price of your being born was someone else's loneliness.(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/01/2016
"Maybe.... Heh. Still feels strange. I hadn't even gotten used to travelling in a group, and now I find family here? Destiny works in strange ways."
She looked to her new sister, the back to Neltharion, giving them both a weak smile, if not just to make it look like everything was better. Neltharion leaned his head in close, nuzzling Rieze like she commonly did to him as a cute friendly gesture. He didn't want her sad. And he did what little he could to keep her happy.
"Heh.. Stop it, we have Delphine here! You can't be like that now."
She turned away from the wyvern, looking back to Delphine.
"Nonetheless... I feel like I missed out on having a regular childhood you know?"
LadyDeme-12/01/2016
"Frankly, I'm not sure how to deal with having family who tolerate me,"
she said it with a grin and her usual sort of flippant tone, glad to see that, even weakly, Rieze was finding an upside in the chaos of the circumstances -- or, at least, something to be cautiously optimistic about. Delphine laughed warmly seeing Rieze's reaction to Neltharion's nuzzling.
"Why not let him? I won't tell anyone that big tough Neltharion is such a cute softy where his mistress is concerned. Ha ha, I support his efforts absolutely."
Delphine nodded. She couldn't say whether her own childhood had been regular or not -- or, come to that, even what that was... Well, where it had been a nice, though probably not normal, childhood, it had nothing to do with Ianthe. She focused briefly back onto her braiding of asters.
"Yeah... You've said before what sort of place your home is... I think I can imagine that sort of feeling, from that. It's been a hard path."(edited)
December 6, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/06/2016
"Don't worry about it. It wasn't all bad.... Im just not sure were to go from here. I want to get to know my mother, but at the same time I just......"
Rieze once again clenched her fists upon thinking about Ianthe, the same conflict of interest as always popping up. She wanted to believe her reasons, or that she even had any. Yet it always returned, a never ending war between two sides of herself. Thinking about her lost friends that she intentionally placed on the other side of the war didn't help her either.
"It's hard.... But I want to think that it will all be fine.... Yet I can't convince myself..... Damn it, im sorry. Im probably not making too much sense here."
LadyDeme-12/06/2016
"No, I understand. You've thrown yourself into a mire of uncertain feelings -- and yet, somehow, when you think you've hit bottom, it's deeper. You've given up everything... And even if it's none of my business, from a purely practical standpoint, I thank you for that. And admire the nerve."
Delphine reached out and, very cautiously, put a hand on Rieze's shoulder. She spoke calmly, and with a warmth and sincerity that was reflected in the soft, flower-petal curve of her smile. She kept it there, even as her far fingers continued bracing a chain of asters, the purple and white flowers swaying loosely.
"...But I think it will be fine. I can't say whether, in learning about Mom, you'll get anything you wanted from her, or wanted her to be -- I certainly never did, but hey, it's not impossible -- but that's not the only way for things to be fine. The world is more open than it may look from inside a mire like that. If you can't believe yourself, I'll say it with certainty."(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/06/2016
Sigh
Rieze went silent after sighing. It wasnt as if she wasn't doubting herself anymore. More of an... assurance, of some sort from Delphine. Her poetic words helped on Rieze, and for a second opened a clear path in her brain, where all the connections and the morally right decisions were. The small little corner of her brain that decided that a future as the daughter-traitor of a grand general was what was in store for her. She had a short, miniscule laugh, before turning over to Delphine again, smiling.
"My sister is quite the poet, isn't she? Thanks."
The "sister" lacked the sadness that resided it in earlier, being replaced with almost a teasing, more cheerful tone. Well, for Rieze's standards at least.
"Im not sure what to do. But in any case, I suppose you are right. Being stuck in this hypothetical mire isn't the best way to go about it."
LadyDeme-12/06/2016
"Yeah, there we go! I do try, I try.... My poetry could use a lot of work, and my recording even more so. My notes from the last battle are all a jumble -- but I guess my words can only go as far as my memory,"
She waved it off with a laugh, accepting even the teasing compliment warmly, like seeing that response was lighting her up from within. She returned to her hand-busying task, the chain fairy long now. With a nod, she glanced over at Riezed and started knotting the ends of the stems together, forming the array into a closed loop.
"Well, about Mom, or in general? Because it might be easier to start breaking things up into smaller segments. The whole universe doesn't have to be resolved in a single stroke, after all."
Crystal OwO-12/06/2016
"You are correct. But I suppose the universe can wait, can't it? Think it's best starting with my family. With mother... and with you."
Her grin widened, and she put a hand on Delphine's shoulder, until an unrelated thought crossed her mind.
Wait a minute.... Who is...
She awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, before asking
"Well.... We can start with one thing. Who is the older sister here? I think it might be me, but im unsure."(edited)
LadyDeme-12/06/2016
"It's almost definitely you," Delphine said without missing a beat, leaning back once more onto her elbows and raising a hand to count off her logic.
"For one, it's a little hard to say, but I get the impression you're older. I turned 20 just in February. For another, Mom's been married to my father until...." She paused for just a moment, navigating around something in a single beat. When she did continue, it was weightlessly. "he went and got killed. It wasn't a marriage of love, so it was just the way she liked it, and too valuable to jeopardize with something like an affair, I'd wager. Which leaves little opportunity for a double-life, especially all the way in Ethysia... And for a final point, there was always a little rumor about what sort of scandalous history she might have had. Little surprised about that being true, though, even partially. I mean, not all of it. Unless you're part dolphin... But then, I don't actually know your age, either."
She paused and considered something with a sort of wry smile, looking at her three raised fingers.
"Frankly, I always thought it was a major accomplishment for her -- finding enough maternal humor in her body to withstand even as much as carrying one child -- wonders never cease. It's a turn-up for the record books."(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/06/2016
"Well. That confirms it. I turned 21 last January, in fact. Whom makes me.... about a year older than you."
Hearing Delphine's comment about her dead father brought another wave of uncertianty over Rieze, but she forcefully ignored it, although her smile waned for just a moment. It returned however, after she joyfully chuckled over the jab Delphine made at her-no, their mother.
"Truly. Under what headline then? 'Child-hating mother with the most children'? You are clearly more crafty with words than me."
LadyDeme-12/06/2016
"Ah, well," Boy, Mom knows how to change courses fast. "I get to have an older sister, then."
She said it with some pleasure, letting the grass blades tickle across her lower back as she completed her little aster loop. She gave the phrasing some consideration, before answering with a wave of her free hand. The timing made Delphine realize that Ianthe probably was even relieved to give birth to her -- because it was something that could tie the fledgeling second relationship together. Something like that was Ianthe's style.
" 'A scorpion didn't sting for 18 months' might be a poetic version of it. She's not the most hateful person to have multiple kids, even if she's also the world's least likely mother of two."
Crystal OwO-12/06/2016
"Hmph. Maybe. But I don't know much of her. I still have to talk to her again and.... apologize for my outbursts."
Ianthe probably still wasn't too happy with the way she rudely decided to run away from her troubles at their last meeting. She would probably have to find out some way to deal with that.
LadyDeme-12/06/2016
Delphine nodded to that 'maybe.' When she said Ianthe wasn't the most hateful, it was...Not a high bar to clear, she admitted. She'd heard things -- and she'd seen a little of the justice demanded of a count, seeing her father's court. Either way, it was more fun to joke around about it than a complete assessment.
"Good luck; need me to have your back?"
December 8, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/08/2016
"Having each other's backs is a mutual benefit....... And I guess sisters do have each others backs from time to time, don't they?"
"This will be quite the experience.... But no matter what, I guess I always have you."
She once again looked to her reptilian partner, clearly happier due to his best friend being cheered up again. He set his eyes back onto Delphine, looking at her with eyes that revealed nothing of what he thought, or his intentions as he slithered around in the grass next to them. A nearly silent, almost purring sound came from him as he approached the grass next to Delphine
"And Delphine too, I guess."(edited)
LadyDeme-12/08/2016
"I suppose they do indeed!"
Delphine said with just a hint of triumph in her amused voice. She sat straighter, letting the wyvern approach the space beside her -- wondering what it felt like for him to be moving across the ground, as opposed to his usual place up in the sky.
"Oh, hey -- you wanna see what's got her all perked up all of the sudden? Or are you interested in this?"
She gestured to the crown of asters in her hand. Her voice had a sort of sing-song quality that seemed to be her animal-talking voice, basking in the joy of his little purring noise. In her more normal tone, she added,
"But I meant specifically about Mom; if you wanted to talk to her alone or not. I can see an advantage to either approach."
Crystal OwO-12/08/2016
"Mother..... I think I will have to approach her alone. We have..... much to discuss, putting it lightly."
Neltharion continued lurking around Delphine, showing something that could be taken as interest in her. He curled up next to her, making an attempt at laying down completely without coiling. The attempt ended up as more of a novelty, as his wings took up too much space, so he tumbled around in the grass trying to lie down next to the girls without taking up too much space. Rieze herself had a laugh looking at his antics, convincing her of the fact that there was still probably some innocence in everyone still.... Maybe even a mother who left her child like that.
"Thanks for the support. It means a lot to me."
LadyDeme-12/08/2016
"Alright, then. I'll do my best to repress my urge to meddle, no matter how strongly it calls to me. Even if I have to ask someone to tie me up, like a sailor before a siren."
She added that last part with a clear exagerration -- sure, she liked meddling a lot. But as she chuckled over Neltharion's attempts to get into an ideal resting spot, she had to admit... She was curious. But Rieze could handle the situation herself; she had faith.
"I'm glad to offer it... It feels... I don't know. Relaxing. To think of somebody else."
Crystal OwO-12/08/2016
"Maybe. Having reliable friends gets you a long way. That's what I think at least."
She picked a flower, rotating it between her index finger and thumb. It reminded her of one of the few flowers that grew naturally on the fields of ethysia, a common sight among the roads. From there, her mind naturally jumped to thinking about her father again, and from there back to Ianthe. The same discouraging thoughts sprung up. "She left you, she wants nothing to do with you.". But then she reminded herself of the support she had within Delphine, and while the negativity didn't go away.... it made the whole thing bearable.
LadyDeme-12/08/2016
"Absolutely. 'No man is an island/ entire of itself.' It's only right to acknowledge this... Hm. That might not be the right quote. But it's definitely better to have people to work with... Or for."
Delphine had meant that it was a way to pool her worries, without necessarily despairing over things she was powerless to change right now. There was nothing she could gain from thinking, as Rieze did in that moment, about doubts and fears that arose unbidden. Even when she admitted that, a lump rose in her throat, and she thought of people that could have been -- that might have been -- relying on her.
Seeing Rieze's interest in the flowers, she leaned forward just a little. A bright, almost sly smile spread across her face. "Hey, show me your head for a second."
Seeing Rieze's interest in the flowers, she leaned forward just a little. A bright, almost sly smile spread across her face. "Hey, show me your head for a second."
Crystal OwO-12/08/2016
"Huh? Okay?"
Rieze pushed herself up slightly, turning over next to Delphine. Neltharion also managed to get back rightside up, and curiously looked onto the girls again.
"What is it?"
LadyDeme-12/08/2016
Delphine lifted up her crown of flowers and placed it on Rieze's head, where it sat, the flowers a purple that seemed strikingly pale against Rieze's deep blue hair.
"Just a little something to keep my hands busy. But I think the result isn't half-bad, by the standards of a flower crown."
December 9, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/09/2016
As Delphine placed the crown on Rieze's head, her cheeks blushed into a deep red color. She wasn't used to the free nature of her new world, without strict codes of conduct, lawls constricting freedom, and military code. Although she ended up concluding that that was the magic of childhood she missed out on so long ago. And yet, now here she was, younger sister and long gone mother at her "side". Suddenly, the world felt smaller than ever.
Rieze chuckled, smiling heartily at her.
"Thanks Delphine. Or, do you prefer I call you 'sister' now?"
LadyDeme-12/09/2016
"Whichever suits; I'm not particular about adress,"
Delphine said, looking a little askance as she smiled -- honestly, she hadn't excpected quite that positive a reaction, or an offer quite like that. She was still getting her bearings on it... But it felt like, in that smile, she'd reached just a bit of ground.
"Don't feel obligated to treat me particularly. I mean, I'm already your friend, so I think it'd be better if we acted as seemed appropriate to us, rather than worrying about a particular way sisters are meant to act."
Crystal OwO-12/09/2016
"Respect begins with proper address, no matter how lose you are on it. People tend to have high expectancies for people like you, so im suprised you don't take to it. Did mother not teach you?"
Although she was aware of Delphine's... relative lack of concern for proper mannerisms, somehow she didn't expect such a thing. She really, really needed to work on ironing out the old habits. And maybe properly getting to know everyone was a good start.
LadyDeme-12/09/2016
This is where Delphine laughed, maybe just a little bitterly. She shook her head as the chortles bubbled out of her, until they died down.
"Ah, no. I'm not making fun -- just... Mom scolds me on it constantly. Appearances are one of her great weapons. And she has some points, for sure -- but... Perhaps you could say that because she taught me that, I abandoned it so completely. Not exactly, but... Worrying that way was just a way to keep me alone."
That wasn't the entire story, but it was true enough. Her mother had been 'countess,' 'my lady,' for most of Delphine's youth. Back when she'd wanted to win her as a mother. And it'd made it harder to reach the people who'd cared about her. In the end, it'd been nothing but a way of cutting her apart.. So it was something she dismissed with a smile, and less bitter for it.
"I have a kind of different stance on where respect begins; I mean, a name is just a name -- what someone's forced to call me doesn't change what someone thinks or says of me... So if someone wants to call me what they like, even if it's not what I'd want, I won't stop it. But my eye is on why they say that... And that, I might put a stop to."(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/09/2016
"Maybe. The higher-ups won't like that you know.... But I think you were well aware of that to begin with. You have far more guts than I ever had."
Rieze considered question her further about what her childhood was like, but something was off with it. She was seemingly on odds with Ianthe, something she was unsure on pushing further. Sure, it may have been petty, but it could also be as deep as her early childhood. Having just made a nice moment, she decided to save it for later, instead trying to find another subject.
"Say.... How did they even let you leave? As far as I know, someone in your position would likely have heaps of guards with her at all times."
LadyDeme-12/09/2016
She was totally well-aware of it. Even if it wasn't always the soundest move, she knew what she found worth fighting for -- she shrugged a little at the guts comment.
"Oh, that? Well, my guard was... You know. Mostly. Still back there in Amarana."
Delphine lowered her head onto her knees a little, folding up in response to the sort of question. And buried there, too. It was a brief, soft pause; the scent of flowers and her feelings lingered in the air -- but perhaps it was a moment only she could percieve, when time slowed down. She straightened back up and flashed a grin and a wink, as if the work had skipped a beat.
"I mean, not entirely; Viana followed after me. Thank goodness...Well. Mostly, because she ended up following me into danger. Anyway, we stayed with my grandfather here in Arcias for a while, until I hatched my daring escape!
In short, they didn't let me. I packed a bag in secret, made a few friends, memorized and manipulated the guard schedules for the outer walls, and ran out into the night."
She'd put some work into being a familiar and friendly sight to the guards, so even if she had been spotted, no one would think her midnight stroll strange. And if she wanted a favor, well, that was easy, too. Sure, Countess Amarana. We can move Lazy-Eyed Rick to the East Wall, if you'd feel safer with the good guards closer to your quarters. And so on... And that, if at all possible, if anyone asks... That she asked this of them. It'd minimize the damage, hopefully. But most of it had been patience. She'd had months.(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/09/2016
"Yeah. You have far more guts than me, that's clear. I didn't want to disobey my superiors, so I didn't have the guts to pull of something like that if it ever happened.... Well, barring when I left to join the army I suppose."
She went back to thinking about her father, once again. Same memories haunting her mind, with the paranoia that he would have found out that she'd leave. How he must have reacted, and how he had taken it out on the lesser servants. Even though he was an honorable man, his anger knew no bounds.
"I wish I didn't have to do what I did though. I fear other people paid for it in blood."
LadyDeme-12/09/2016
Guts, huh? It was the sort of compliment that, outside of this conversation, she'd never imagined hearing. She accepted it with a nod she hoped was gracious, even if, for a minute, she was grinning like a fiend.
"It might be guts, even if I was shaking like a leaf... Could just be good ol' Delphine obstanancy; though perhaps the two are neighbors. Anyway, you did leave -- when push came to shove. I may have an easy time disobeying people, but I'd never anticipated I'd risk my own life until the moment came."
Delphine heard the tension in that moment, and let some gravity dripped in, trying to match something that was too important to be made light -- yes. Something like that existed, even if she didn't approve in general principle.
"...It really would have been better, if things had never gotten that far. I hope not, for their sakes -- whoever they are."
There was a school of thought that posited that, if by doing the right things, others did the wrong thing, this was irrelevant to you -- it wasn't a thing to be guilty for. And it was true: those were someone else's crimes. At the same time, that was a grief you could feel, too. Delphine steepled her fingers, knowing that in some ways, that grief was needed -- not forever, perhaps. But it was something serious that could not just let slip idly away into the dark, unnoticed: a person at the end of a chain of events.
December 10, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/10/2016
"Although..... I wouldn't make their sacrifices for naught. I have wars to win, giving up now wouldn't do those who still have faith in me justice."
Neltharion got up, slithering back over to Rieze, curling up next to her. She gave him an affectionate pat on the head, along with a warm smile.
"We are not completely alone anymore. We have Delphine now. And..... Mother, I suppose."
LadyDeme-12/10/2016
"Exactly. I think that's all we can do -- for their sakes, if nothing else."
Delphine nodded; if it made a difference, it might not balance anything. But the world would be better for this, when the wars and despair running rampant were relieved. And if she could help just a little bit, then that might be the best people hoping for her could, well, hope for. She nodded and smiled a bit more boldly, for the effort.
"Absolutely. Well, from my end, anyway."
December 13, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/13/2016
"Heh. I don't know, but I think I will have to let him see if he likes you first.... As much as I think he does, he might not. Mind if I let him?"
She kept affectionately scratching Neltharion on the back of his neck, although she was unsure on how much of it he actually felt. The deep purr-like noise from the depths of his stomach reaffirmed that it at least didn't feel bad for him.
LadyDeme-12/13/2016
"Not at all." she was not exactly sure what Rieze was suggesting she let him do, to see if she liked him... But she had a certain trust in Rieze, even before realizing that she might well need to trust Rieze. Someone running around trying to help people at foreign castle armories was either a very foolish con or a very trustyworth person -- and everything else moved her to the latter.
Delphine relaxed a little, wondering if this seeing how Neltharion liked her was a passive or active thing, but no animal responded well to a tense person. Besides, she knew, having watched him a little, that Neltharion largely liked her as much as Rieze liked her, happy with her when Rieze was happy, suspicious of her when Rieze liked her. She tilted a head.
"So, how would one go about testing the goodwill of a wyvern?"(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/13/2016
"Oh, you don't have to do much. It just depends if he figures out that he wants to like you."
She gave Neltharion a pat on the back, before letting him go freely again.
"Delphine wants to be your friend. Will you accept it?"
He looked back at her, before looking to Delphine. He uttered a sound of curiousness, before he flicked his tounge and slowly stretched his neck in Delphine's direction, curiously smelling the air around her.
LadyDeme-12/13/2016
Delphine stayed mostly still -- not the stock-stillness of prey sensing predator, or the burning-bright tension of a tiger in the night, but the languid stillness of her rest in the summer sun. Carefully, she lifted a hand for him to sniff or examine as he might like.
Crystal OwO-12/13/2016
He carefully continued simply looking at her, maybe scared? Who knew but himself. He then carefully licked her hand once. And then again. And then again. It tasted good to him. Perhaps it was all the confirmation he needed.
"Try petting him without me helping you. That's the last frontier."
Rieze commented from the sidelines, watching with interest.
LadyDeme-12/13/2016
Delphine considered the Wyvern's possibilities for pettings, thinking about what might be nice for a wyvern. It was fairly possible for them to reach most of their bodies, due to being largely serpentine, but the area around their heads, they had only the clumsy claws on the tips of their wings for. So she placed a hand towards the back of his head and, very gently, stroked it, moving her hand with the current of his slick, almost metallic-smooth scales.
"How's that, huh?"(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/13/2016
A deep purring noise was all the answers she got from Neltharion. Rieze, however clapped calmly, smiling at Delphine
"Passed. You are a part of me and Nelly's little family now..... But I think we have to accomodate for expansion, if we keep discovering new members like this. Won't we?"
The wyvern did not pay his rider any mind, simply continuing to enjoy the scratching.
LadyDeme-12/13/2016
"Well, I am glad to have met the high standards of Neltharion; I now need not fear the scorn of a thousand men," She said, with a warm grin, her voice dripping with a teasing grandiosity that was one of her specialties.
"Accomodating for change is a great skill -- it's the only certain thing in the world, that things will change... Still. I admit, I'm hoping for maybe a few fewer family surprises going forward... But then again, perhaps we'll end up with a larger family than I'm expecting. Which is fine -- I'll probably need all the help I can get later."
Crystal OwO-12/13/2016
"And as you are here for me now, I will be there for you then. Otherwise I wouldn't be much of an older sister, now would I?"
She sat down again next to Delphine and Neltharion. Neltharion took an interest in the flower crown however, and snuck it off her head and onto his snout. The flowers confused him, as they did not smell anything like what flowers were truly meant to smell like. They smelled almost like Delphine, in a way.
"Hey!"
Rieze spoke up, trying to take it back, but Neltharion moved his head away, intent on keeping it for himself.
LadyDeme-12/13/2016
"Obviously; you've neglected 20 years of sisterly duty, but I'm merciful, so we won't hold it against you... We can just move forward from now on."
She could, for the moment, put aside all the things she'd need to do back home -- she didn't even know the damage. Which, itself, was a bit of a sting. However, she could, from there, choose to believe in Rieze, and herself, and the people waiting.
She snapped from her thoughts by the flowers being snatched from Rieze's head; she laughed at the game of keep-away in progress. She grinned and gave Neltharion a thumb's-up.
"Obviously, I can't let you take them from him; I've got 20 years of little-sister pestering to catch up on... Of course, I've got 20 years of little-sister sweetness, too, so maybe I can just make you another."
December 14, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/14/2016
"So do I have to spend your little "sweetness" credits on that then?"
Rieze smiled. The same feeling of familarity that she had shared with her father and the royal family came back, and it helped her loosen up a bit from the strictures she had been taught since she was a child.
"Heh. I am prepared to make up for my neglected duties, however. How can I start, milady?"
LadyDeme-12/14/2016
"I believe that this one, perhaps, might be on the house." She reached down and plucked an aster from the meadow beside them, keeping the stem as a long base from which to begin, a thoughtful smile on her face.
She looked out across the meadow, and at Rieze, smiling more relaxed than Delphine thought she had ever seen her. The world seemed delicate and trembling, a butterfly freshly emerged from a cocoon. Soon, it would vanish into troubles again -- soon, she'd be worried again about all that awaited her.
"Hmm... Hard to say. Right now?...Now, this is only in the moment, mind you. But for an instant so brief and delicate it might be an aster blooming, I might not want for anything in the world."
December 15, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/15/2016
"Beautiful. You really are much better with words than me."
Rieze slowly got up properly again, taking a deep breath before exhaling again, psyching herself up for what was coming later on. She wasn't sure of herself. She never truly was, she tended to take chances more often than not on a whim, simply because she would not be able to chase her ideas of justice without doubting herself. Yet she had always seemingly taken the correct gambles to do what she had to do. Maybe some luck was involved, yet she didn't know.
"Heh... It has been great spending time with you Delphi. But, im not sure how longer mother would permit me stalling the apology. From what I've seen and been told, she does not seem to patient."
LadyDeme-12/15/2016
Delphine nodded, watching the process. She'd be waiting, probably -- she knew quietly that the odds of a truly happy resolution were slim, and when that happened, she was prepared. But then... Happiness, as she knew, was what she made of it.
"A wise idea. She can be patient for some things... But rarely when it comes to people."
She'd see her off with a confident smile, rising up to her feet. They'd left an indentation in the long grass.
"Do your best...And... Remember, I'm with you, regardless."
December 17, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/17/2016
"Of course I will. You have given me the determination I needed.... I owe you one, Delphi. Neltharion!"
Neltharion excitedly jumped up again upon hearing his name, the flower crown gliding down his neck, ending up as a fashionable necklace over where the saddle was mounted. Rieze walked over to him, preparing for take-off, before realising something, and turning back to Delphine.
"Do you want a ride back?"
LadyDeme-12/17/2016
Delphine very nearly said no -- it seemed and easy enough to walk... But then she thought back to having seen it all from above, and understood that was likely how Rieze liked the world best. She nodded.
"If it wouldn't be too much bother, I would love to impose on you and your excellently stylish wyvern."(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/17/2016
"Stylish? I don't know, but its what he wants. Would be wrong to deny him."
Rieze gave Delpine a short handwave, as Neltharion spread his wings and prepared for liftoff. His wings were a fair amount larger than they looked when not stretched out, and at their full length, the orange "curtians" cloaked part of the meadow in a vivid orange light(edited)
LadyDeme-12/17/2016
"Of course. Well. I think he looks very nice -- I'm being sincere."
The light had a sunset quality to it as she stepped into the shadow of his wings, and found a spot behind Rieze on Neltharion's back, sitting as she had before with her arms wrapped around her sister. As she braced herself for the rush of air, she realized a sad, and warm, little thought -- there was someone in her family she could hug without it being a sort of teasing them.
How novel.
December 23, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/23/2016
"Heh. Well, ready for take off then?"
Neltharion properly aligned his body and raised his wings up, preparing for the initial burst of speed. Rieze grabbed onto the handle on the saddle, fastening her grip around it as to not fall off.
"Im warning you. The first burst on the ground is the most ardous one."
LadyDeme-12/23/2016
"I think, after all this, I'm about braced for anything."
She said that, but her fingers dug into Rieze's outfit a little deeper. She'd been in an odd position in her last ride, that rush having been done before she was picked up -- and it had been a little tricky. Once she'd actually mounted, then, though, it hadn't been too bad.
Crystal OwO-12/23/2016
"Okay then."
Rieze took a deep breath, steeling her grip around the saddle handle
"Neltharion, up!"
With a powerful flap of his wings, Neltharion managed to lift them off the ground immediately. Rieze managed to hold on though, and she felt Delphine on her back still. A couple more powerful bursts, and they were up on a respectable attitude, and Neltharion started gliding back towards the camp.
"Well then. That wasn't so bad, was it?"
LadyDeme-12/23/2016
The jolt had been surprising, sending her hair fluttering about her. Strands came loose from her braids and whipped into her face as they rose. Delphine felt her organs all crowd insistantly towards her pelvis for a moment, and then -- and then they were aloft. While the grip of her arms didn't change, her fingers relaxed. She turned her head and saw the meadow falling away. A smile spread across her face.
"Not bad -- but certainly a rush."(edited)
December 25, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/25/2016
"Heh. I don't know, maybe im just used to it. Tends to happen after 15 years of it."
The "wing snake" let out an ear-piercing roar, terrifying a small flock of birds flying beneath them.
"Still, by now I have gotten used to every one of his antics. I think you will, too."
LadyDeme-12/25/2016
Delphine laughed at the flutter of birds -- see how they scattered! And watched until they regrouped somewhere below, flying off-course compared to before.
"I do suppose I will -- I'm looking forward to it."
Crystal OwO-12/25/2016
"And so am I. I just have my first hurdle to climb, then we can get to the... uh, sisterly parts."
Rieze felt a familiar warmth return to her body. the feeling of kinship and bonds. Truly, the greatest she had felt in quite some time, even in Nelthation's presence
December 26, 2016
LadyDeme-12/26/2016
"It's quite a hurdle; it may be better called a mountain. I'm rooting for you."
Delphine chuckled warmly, then shook her head, getting a face full of hair for her efforts as the wind played through it. Still, on the other side of that hurdle -- no, that story -- was something very much worth having.
The ground was growing back into focus beneath them, the trees becoming branchy and full of individual leaves, all the rich green of a summer almost spent. Delphine looked down, and looked back at Rieze.
"But man is born to climb mountains, and wyverns to fly overhead. Something of that nature, anyway."
December 28, 2016
Crystal OwO-12/28/2016
"Heh. By that comparison I'd be over them already. Even a wyvern can't carry me over these mountains."
Rieze chuckled a bit at her attempt to "deconstruct" Delphine's analogy.
"But im not too worried. I think I can do it."
December 29, 2016
LadyDeme-12/29/2016
Delphine chuckledas well; it hadn't been her most finely-crafted one... Though she could make a rebound, she thought it better to surrender.
"You're right about that -- I did say something like that, after all... And I believe you're right there, as well," She added, more softly. "For what little weight it'll have with her, you have my support. Maybe she'll surprise us. Again."(edited)
Crystal OwO-12/29/2016
"Heh. She probably will. Yet I don't think anyone can suprise me any more at this point. Wouldn't you say so as well?"
The statement was directed towards Neltharion, who roared thriumpanthly in response "I think im ready for it. Too many sacrifices have been made to falter now, you know?"
The statement was directed towards Neltharion, who roared thriumpanthly in response "I think im ready for it. Too many sacrifices have been made to falter now, you know?"
January 3, 2017
LadyDeme-01/03/2017
"I think I'm still capable of it, but I can't imagine how. That's what makes it a surprise,"
She pointed out. It was a paradox, since she couldn't imagine a surprise sufficient -- but that is why there was room for it. She looked across at the ground below and nodded, just once.
"Yeah. There's only forward."
Crystal OwO-01/03/2017
And their chatting continued as they flew over the plains, laughing at the small things in life, all while Rieze mentaly steeled herself for her eventual next encounter with Inathe. Her inner fears left her shaken, but with the vocal support of Delphine, and the silent (or, depending on how you look at it, loud) encouragement of Neltharion.
And yet, they opened her eyes to the nonverbal support of the countless people relying on their success. Ethysia had to fall someday, and countless families and children relied on their little army to succeed. Faltering in the face of her own fears was a folly, something that should never have happened in the first place.
World's small. I left one family to run into another, and instinctively ran away again. But not anymore. Not this time. Too much hinges on our group, and I wont slow down. Not now. Not ever.
==End RP==
