[Mari]

Sure enough, it didn't take long for someone to give Rider, Draco and Iris a lead on what appeared to be Arle wandering her way around in spite of, y'know, being dead. It was a pretty good lead, needless to say. The fake had attracted a small crowd of 'fans', to whom she was humbly signing autographs with a big yet empty smile on her face. In all fairness, the real Arle probably wouldn't have been any more enthusiastic about that sort of attention. Oddly enough, it doesn't look like she's even up to anything particularly dastardly! " . . . Explosive ink isn't real, right?" Iris tensely mused aloud as she observed what was going on, drawing the fake's attention.

"Oh hi Iris! Hi Rider. ...Draco--" "AAAAAAA" Arle began, only for Iris to abruptly bumrush her with a battlecry.




"Kyaaaa?!" the startled mage blurted out, apparently taken off guard as she was promptly tackled and wrestled to ground. The two squirmed, but Iris had the upper hand and forced Arle down. "What'd you do with Arle?!" "G-Get off of me! ...I am Arle!" the panicked mage replied. ...Well it definitely sounded like the real Arle, anyway.

[Deleted]

I've found you... Faker!

"Lemme look, Iris, lemme look!" Gettin' reeeeeally close to this pinned pseudomage, here. Her face had a pout to the lower lip, looking carefully at her target's as she kneeled down to the ground...
"Hrrrrmmmm... I bet your beauty's as fake as you are."  That's a bold claim, Draco. We totally don't have enough evidence for the court! Sarcasm aside, Draco pinched the skin near Not-Arle's left eye and rubbed at it, as if she were trying to rub off the mascara of a cheating opponent in a beauty contest. Her nail may "accidentally" scratch that skin ever so slightly in a rough grip -- can ya tell she's angry?

[TheSpatialWeeg]

"You sure about this...?"
"It's better than both of us risking having our bodies snatched at once..."
"...All right...but...how will I know that you're not the body snatcher?"
"I'm not going back to the castle until I get both Amitwo and Raffina back. If I be there, but without both of them..."
"...then it's the body snatcher?"
"Yeah."
"Okay! But if you don't come back in a week, I'll go search for you!"
"E-ehe, it's a promise, Big Sis!"


"...It's a promise."

Like echoes on her mind, Rider remembered her words to Amitie before she went to find and fight the body snatcher. Like her, Amitie got the news on both disappearing and a body snatcher on the loose. The Puyo-capped one reacted just as bad, if not worse than Rider. She wanted to rescue Amitwo and Raffina just as badly, however seeing as the foe could possibly snatch both of their bodies in a short amount of time, Rider had insisted on Amitie to stay back as she dealt with them (or attempted to do so) firsthand. She could only hope Amitie could succeed assuming she'd fail.

Once she met up with Iris and surprisingly enough Draco (she did take the time to greet them, of course), the three got to where the fake Arle was, and the smol's heart skipped a beat. It was mostly because of the fact that if it was actually a fake Arle, she was scarily spot-on with the voice and the act. That body snatcher was surely scary. Unlike the other two, whom had the fake pinned, Rider...stood there for a second, pondering on what to do. She was going to go into combat, yet she recalled Peach's words...

Sometimes, kindness and love are a stronger force against evil than any weapon.


...Could she reason with them? She knew the risks she'd have to take in order to even see if she could convince the body snatcher to give up peacefully. "...with high risk, comes high reward." Rider mumbled to herself as she approached the fake. "I want to ask a question...why? Why do all this?" She asked the body snatcher. Her tone sounded a bit sterner than usual.

2_R5V5FFp_1d20+2 (Can the body snatcher resist that charm of the bab? Find out next time.)1d20+2

[Mari]

bwU3HAWgp_1d20+2 (The doppelganger's BAB RESISTANCE AAAAA)

The fake mage's skin did not yield to Draco. ...Well--Not in the way she wanted it to, anyway. A panicked yelp of alarm left the doppelganger as Draco's nail cut into her cheek, drawing a little blood in the process. "WARP!" the mage screamed, abruptly vanishing from beneath Draco and Iris, leaving the latter to fall on her face in bewilderment and Draco with only a bit of blood that apparently no longer counted as far as teleportation was concerned. Nearby, the familiar figure of Arle would reappear.

"...Come on, Draco. Do you really believe that? After all these years?"

The remark was, frankly, chilling if one understood the implications. This snatcher ... It was a body snatcher, right? It somehow knew that Draco and Arle were childhood ... friends. Yeah let's just call them that. When the doppelganger turned around, however, she met Rider's eyes with apprehension. For some reason, Rider's words seemed to have really bothered her. Or perhaps it was the way Rider was looking at her. Either way, she seemed uncomfortable. Those brief lapses in composure hinted at something underneath this act. "I think she's trying reverse psychology..." Iris whispered to Draco as she got back up, unimpressed by the fake's efforts. Her words didn't mean anything to Iris. ...Nor did Reverse Psychology, apparently. "Well--What I did and what you think I did are two pretty different things, for starters." the mage corrected, eyeing Iris warily as the dragon queen approached her again. Whipping out a finger, she pointed at Iris scoldingly. Oddly enough, this seemed to stop Iris from tackling her instead. She crossed her arms impatiently, annoyed at having been foiled by the mighty finger wag. "I did what I had to do to rid the world of that fake you've been living with. You should really be thanking me. She's gonzo, and now you have me. The real Arle. I promise I'm at least twice the mage the old one was~ Uhuhuhu..." the fake went on to explain, abruptly producing a silvery orb from amongst her person. It was... the seraphim orb! "Exhibit A..."

...The world abruptly began to dissolve around the group, falling into oblivion right underneath them. Or--...Wait? It was actually the group that was rising high into the sky! An invisible force was lifting all of them from below. What made the sensation so confusing was the lack of any force being put through their bodies like you'd expect if an elevator were rapidly pulling you up into the sky. It genuinely felt more like the world was falling away from them. They rose and rose, piercing the artificial sky and then the real sky, the thick toxic smog in the air wrapping around the floor and embracing the platform as they pierced the atmosphere itself. "She didn't even know how to use the orb's power. Just think about what I could do with more time to unravel its secrets~ I could destroy the starvia and free everyone from its control! I could take this world from the hands of those incompetent idiots down below. Mold it into a new, better world free from all of this world's flaws. I could punish everyone who's ever wronged me. Uhuhuhu..." the fake explained as they rose. The group now hung nearly in space itself. The air was icy cold, but oddly enough presented no trouble with breathing. A pearly white circular platform made itself visible underneath the group, humongous and featureless against the starry sky. The thick 'clouds' from before rose up and around them, creating a dome through which a ray of divine light shown down on the holy arena 'Arle' had just created, illuminating it in a golden glow that made everything around them appear a nice toasty shade of golden brown as well. The platform gradually returned to a more bearable temperature now that it was being bathed in the warm light. A series of puyos dropped from what seemed like the heavens above, forming a makeshift throne upon which 'Arle' promptly plopped down on, striking a very relaxed looking pose. With a single finger, she shifted to adjust a crown that miraculously appeared upon her head at her touch.

"See this? It means I rule~"

"...But you're going to make me fight for my place here, isn't that right~?" 'Arle' went on to ask, her smile vanishing as she regarded the group. "Of course we are!" Iris blurted out, striking a combative pose and producing a pokeball. "Where I come from, we believe in demonstrating wisdom through battle! If you can't defeat us, you can't defeat the starvia, and you definitely don't deserve to lead!" the champion stated rather decisively, tossing the ball and releasing Haxorus. 'Arle' tapped her fingers impatiently, watching the pokemon with distrust as it glowered at her.1d20+2

[Deleted]

"Hmph... --gh!?"  Her eyes widened.  Not!Arle's outta there -- or was she?  The blood remained on her thumb as her head whipped around in a search. "Hey, where'd you--?!"
Those words.  They set off her mind.  Despite Iris's whispers.  Sweat hit her face.
(All these years...?  You know about that?  ...But you're all creepy looking standing like that!  There's no way that's you, is it?!  How do you know about that, you creepo fakey?!  That's way out there!)
The "old one"?  "What are you talking about, old?!  Your words are getting freakier and freakier--"  Seraphim Orb.  That, on top of all else, put her at a loss of words for once.  That is Arle-only material.  Her confidence was beginning to falter.  She pushed on with her belief and what remained of her certainty, and pressed the matter aggressively.  "So you're a thief, too?!" she just about screamed.
Cue ascension.  It was a long.
Long.
Long trip.
Draco thought her senses were fooling her -- WAIT DRACO REMEMBER BREATHING'S A THING -- oh she can still breathe fine.  But how were they able to be up here...?  "Nnnh..."  Her only utterance as she put a fist near her nose in seeing them all rush by the smog.  It's also frigid.  That in mind, Draco looked onto this faker with a burning soul, taking deep, open-mouth breaths that warmed her up from their exhales alone.  Her teeth were tensely shut, and her shoulders rose and fell with her chest.
(She's way cockier and more bloodthirsty than OUR Arle!  And since when did she care about all that world-molding-whatever stuff?!  Can't believe I let her gimme doubt!)
At least, until the presence of those exhales was nigh erased by the heavenly warmth and the formation of this ersatz arena of light.  Since when did Arle have such an ugly god and queen complex?  Not even Draco was near that egotistical, about her beauty OR strength!
...A challenge was brewing.  Draco wanted revenge.
Igniting Special [Buff]: Draco Burning. +1 Strength and Dexterity MOD.  -1 Wisdom and Intelligence MOD.
"Hrrrrrrrh..."  Draco's body began to radiate a dim orange after Iris had summoned her trusty Hax0r Haxorus -- the glow was brighter in her fists, one of which was near her mouth and the other near her hip.  They were clutched TIGHTLY, tensing alongside the fighter's arm and leg muscles.  The mage's leftover blood would boil on her hand at this rate.  Loudly, she called the faker out.  "Hey!  You always win, don't you!  You always upstage me!  At least the REAL you USED TO!  I know your beauty AND your power are fake..." Leaning forward, looking ready to jump at her enemy...
[Intimidate with strength...]
RZ8_LExwp_1d20 + 4 ...Jesus.

"BECAUSE I WON'T LOSE THIS TIME!  AND IF YOU THINK YOU CAN PROVE ME WRONG, THEN YOU'D BETTER GET OFF THAT FAKE-AS-YOU-ARE THRONE OF YOURS AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!"

...Don't forget about everyone else, Draco.  She seemed to be rather determined to destroy the faker herself, as demented an idea as that may be...
Arle WILL be avenged if Draco has even the SMALLEST say in the matter.  The violence and visuals rushing through her mind, every little thing that Draco wished to do to this faker, this murderer... She'd never be able to pull them off.  But she'd try.
Draco Burning: 0/3 Turns.
[edit: had to get just a biiit more flavor text in that yell there]1d20 + 4

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Rider kept her gaze strong onto the fake Arle as her eyes stared back at her. It seemed that she managed to get something out of that attempt. But that wasn't enough, she needed to push further to know more about the body snatcher's intentions and...perhaps make them see the error of their ways. Said body snatcher was once again attempting to convince them that she was the one true Arle, yet...she seemed to forget that Arle wasn't this creepy.

The Seraphim Orb? Rider had no idea what that was, but boy was she in for a trip once the fake pulled that out. Ascending to whatever they were, Rider listened to what the Seraphim Orb could do. The last option, while terrifying, gave her an idea. Maybe that was the body snatcher's goal...? Before she could even say something, she noticed the creation of the divine-looking arena. Once the fake settled down in the 'Puyo throne' and materialized a crown, she knew that this was building up for a showdown.

...Yet she shook her head once the fake posed her question.


"You know, you can snatch bodies, mimic their voices perfectly, but one thing you can't do is mimic their personality." Rider began. "You showed me that you aren't the real Arle. She wouldn't even dream to use the Seraphim Orb for such selfish goals, and I'm sure she doesn't have an inflated ego." the bab continued, maintaining a serious tone.

"...I will not deny my anger at what you did to Arle, Amitwo and Raffina. However, I will not be blinded by it. I'm giving you a chance. I want to understand you. Your goals, your plans, your approach...you yourself, not this...mask you put up!" Her tone was getting noticeably sadder. "I will not raise my hand to fight you. If you decide to attack me, I shall not attack in retaliation. No matter what you try to do to me. I will not do anything until we understand each other!"

niipbCopp_1d20+2 (Think you can resist this, body snatcher?)1d20+2

[Mari]

|uKbeJ2pp_1d20+2 (Intimidation Resistance)
p_1d20+2 (Bab Resistance)

The fake tensed in response to all of the threatening body language and angry words Draco was giving off. She seemed disappointed, somehow. She promptly averted her eyes from the group. "Diacute..." the fake murmured in a very quiet tone. Not one, not two, not three but four diacute orbs were summoned forth, beginning to slowly trail around her body. Shifting to lay down upon the throne with her legs draping over one end, the clearly uncomfortable mage produced Raffina's magical pouch and made a point of holding it in her hand. Meanwhile, Iris gave Rider a funny look. What was the other doing? Weren't they supposed to fight now? The confused champion decided to restrain herself, taking notice of the fact that no one else was attacking. She didn't want to be to blame for all the bloodshed that might go down if things got serious. The fake nervously chuckled. "...Hehe--Well, you're welcome to try, Draco. It wouldn't be the first time I've died. Not even the second. ...Or the third. And so on. The funny thing about that is that I never quite stay dead, while everyone who's ever crossed me has eventually met their end at my hands. ...You see, for some ... unknown reason I've been blessed with immortality. I've lived for what feels like millenia, always forgotten and trodden over by whatever cheap muscle decided to step my way. This is actually the first time I've ever had the power to do anything about it, and now that I'm here... I'm not sure what to do! Haha..." the fake explained. Her laugh sounded more uncomfortable and confused than it did jolly.

"...Somehow I never made it to the afterlife. I'd wake up again in strange places, new worlds... It felt like I was going mad. Familiar faces haunt me but never quite remember who I am, yet my greatest enemies eye me with the same disgust and distrust every time. Why do they remember..? Half of me expects the 'old Arle' to show back up any minute now to denounce me. But will she be the same 'Arle' I killed in that church? Will she even remember dying? Will you? It's... not a pleasant existence for anyone involved. A lady once told me I didn't have a soul, but what did she mean? Is my soul simply wicked beyond redemption, or do I truly have none? If I'm so wicked, why have I been allowed to continue existing? And if I truly have no soul, why have I been cursed with the ability to feel? Why can't I simply forget like everyone else? It's a grand, demented farce anyway I look at it. And how the hell are any of you supposed to understand any of that? ...Part of me hopes that this orb will fix me. But how am I supposed to fix myself if I don't even know what's broken? ...Ehehe..." the mage went on to ramble, becoming a bit delirious in her thought. It was clear that she'd been driven mad by something or another, but that raised questions about just how much of what she was saying was a result of her madness and just how much was the cause of her madness. Needless to say, Iris had little to say on this matter. It was decidedly beyond her ability to grasp. After a moment, the fake shook her head as if to clear it. Her gaze shifted to Rider, never quite meeting the other's eyes.

"...Rider, you don't have to stay here. I'll give you Raffina and Amitwo if you promise to leave me."
Judging by the veiled begging, it seemed like Rider's words were hurting the doppelganger.

1d20+2·1d20+2

[Deleted]

Draco smirked...  Making her foes squirm was satisfying in this state.  (That's right, you deceiver...)  Of course, it was joined with further sweat from the forehead upon the realization that Not!Arle may as well have just prepped Ultima.  Shortly after Rider's plea, she stood up straight with a hand on her hip, a quick "Hah", and a noticeable sass in her physique when the girl began to explain herself dangling... whatever that pouch was on her fingers.  (You're brave in your own little way, little sis.)  It took an intense level of willpower and composure to listen to and understand what she was on about -- it was as if Rider's determination instilled a bit of patience into the majestic dragon.
The first conclusion: She's been through this time and time again.
The second conclusion: This creep is immortal.
The third conclusion: Whatever places she's been to... They've gotten to her, and it haunts her every time.
The final conclusion: She stole the Seraphim Orb for truth, for understanding.  To fix herself.  And, if she wasn't bluffing earlier, "fix" everything.
Draco didn't quite comprehend every last word, but she got enough.  ...But Not!Arle didn't have to KILL her rival for this.  (Even if it's a bit one-sided.)  That said, Draco was juuust about ready to knock the faker back into a reasonable train of thought...

...Until she essentially offered to give.

At least, who she'd taken.  Draco sure didn't see them in this "holy" arena, though.  And, above all... "But what about the real Arle?!  You can't just bring her back, can you?!  You didn't even have to kill her in the first place!  With what you did, I'm not gonna forgive you no matter who you are or what you've been through!"  She still seemed angry, but... A bit less ravenous.  Nevertheless, she was still ready to let loose at the drop of a hat.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Getting a bit distracted by Raffina's pouch aside, she listened to the snatcher's little story. The smol...wasn't sure what to think about the entire thing. It sounded pretty sad and it definitely took a toll on the snatcher's sanity, but...was it all punishment for their past transgressions or simply disproportionate retribution? Well, regardless of what she thought, the fake Arle brought what sounded like an ultimatum.

In which Amitwo and Raffina would be returned to her if she just left the battlefield.

That made Rider's heart skip a beat. She was placed in a tough situation. Of course she wanted her friends back, but...where were they by now? And most importantly, what of the body snatcher? Was it trying to cheese Rider out of the picture? ...It didn't sound like that, but she couldn't be too sure...could she?

After a moment wrestling with herself on her head, Rider sighed.


"It is true that I want my friends back...but I want to help you with your problems as well..." Rider started, bravely walking towards the body snatcher. "I may not know what exactly is broken, but....I may have the fix. Maybe...you're just...tired of being alone. Maybe you're just in need of a shoulder to cry on..."

She extended one of her hands to Not!Arle.

"...Maybe what you need is a friend."

zboA8jbtp_1d20+2(Rider's attempts are becoming increasingly more difficult to resist.)1d20+2

[Mari]

oJnO9yvsp_1d20+2 (Bab Resistance)





The fake shot a glare at Draco. It seemed like Draco had said something that had gotten under her skin. However, her anger quickly faded away and left nothing in its place but a dead-eyed stare. The fake mage said nothing, however. At least, not until Rider had finished speaking. As her focus tore back to the bab, one could observe the way she shriveled under Rider's kindness. Her body tensed as the other offered her friendship. That longing, agonized look in her eyes spoke of someone who wanted to say yes, but wasn't sure she could actually have what she was being offered. A shudder escaped her and she reached out to take Rider's hand. ...She then gently embraced Rider long enough to pull the other up onto the throne with her. "Alright... You win." the fake reluctantly relented as she sat Rider down on her stomach, allowing the other to sit on her while she laid upon on the throne. "I can't bring myself to kill you, or even to make you 'disappear'." she continued, popping off the crown she'd been wearing and casually placing it on Rider's head instead. Noteworthily, it was weightless. A magic crown.

Nearby, Iris just sort of sat down next to Draco and thrust her hands into her lap, flustered by this turn of events. She didn't know what to do. This was not what she'd come here to do.

"So I guess now I answer for my crimes. ...I guess one more death won't hurt." the fake went on to remark. She didn't sound very sure about that second part at all. One got the impression that although she would not stay dead, dying was still... an intensely unpleasant experience for her. Although Rider had offered her friendship, she knew she'd comitted crimes that the life sphere itself could not forgive. As the fake spoke, she produced a little pokeball from amongst her person, handing the ball to Rider. ...Oh hey! If one looked at the partially transparent red top, they could observe a tiny Raffina inside! She looked up at Rider from within the ball. "...This is yours now. These balls brand whatever they catch with a mark that basically lets everyone know whatever's inside belongs to you. It's supposed to prevent theft and as far as I can tell it's permanent, but I changed the mark to yours so you shouldn't have any trouble opening it. You can let her out whenever, but it'd be nice if you waited a bit. I think she'll want to hit me." the fake calmly explained. Well there was one friend recovered, and she seemed ...fine?

"...This isn't the first time we've met, but you didn't start appearing in my memories until recently. The first time was in a land called Primp. You were a student at Ms. Accord's Magic School." the fake went on to describe. But... she was describing real things! "To be honest, I'm not sure that any of this is real either. Ehehehe..." she continued, perhaps confirming someone's suspicions that she simply couldn't tell what was real anymore. "I never really got to know you though, but Amitwo is right. You're ... a good person. She's here with me, by the way. We've been getting to know eachother for a few days now."1d20+2

[Deleted]

...And with that, what more was there to say?  To do?  Draco couldn't attack after that.  She's been effectively hit with the feels, as they say.  Her face was still tinged with contempt, but... her motivation to attack has been sapped from her.  She had so little reason to at this point, even with her rival having bit been swiped into the dust.  That was the only reason she hadn't burned out completely.  The only thing she could still hold onto if she didn't want to--
...She willingly cast Draco Burning aside.
After all, headpats of confused comforting for Iris wouldn't be so comforting if they lit her hair on fire in the process.  (Yeah... you're REALLY brave.)  Like, who WOULDN'T admire Rider right now?  Draco still pouted, though.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Once the snatcher pulled her in for an embrace, Rider made sure to reply with enthusiasm. Once settled down onto the fake's lap, she made sure to give a little, yet radiant smile to show how happy she was with the fact that the body snatcher had accepted her offer of friendship. Her face fell when the snatcher mentioned the possibility of dying again because of what they did...but then she raised her hand to her chin as she remembered something. "U-um...over here in Li...y-you don't actually die...you become a trophy of sorts. You sort of...sleep until a touch on it's base brings you back into consciousness. I-I'm not really sure if that mitigates that...but...it should be better than dying again..." ...That's a bold claim coming from you, Rider, whom has never been trophified before.

Moving past the death thing, the fake Arle produced a Pokéball and gave it to the smol. She would question why, but a tiny pinkette became visible on the top of the capsule. "R-raffina...?" she asked, clearly shocked as she looked at the encapsulated Raffina. Not!Arle would then explain to her how these capsules worked, specifically the lock system. Realization that she now owned Raffina aside, she would comply to the snatcher's wishes and ended up flashing an apologetic look to the pinkette as she stored the Pokéball on one of her pockets.

The smol would get another shock: this wasn't the first time they've met! She tilted her head. "W-well. what you said is true. S-so we sort of met in Primp...though...unlike you, I can't seem to recall it...I guess it's because I'm not seeing your true form..." Rider ended up saying. The snatcher would not find any sort of subliminal request from her, she was merely stating things. "B-by the way, since you said Amitwo is with you...w-where is she...?" she asked the body snatcher.  After a little moment or two, yet another question would leave the bab's mouth.


"...Say, do you have a name...?" 

[Mari]

Iris was pat! Her hair was a bit rough and wild. It seemed like she'd only put a modest amount of effort into taming it. Looking up with a mild start, she smiled brightly at Draco and allowed herself to become distracted for a moment. She was half tempted to hug the other on the spot, buuuut she wasn't quite that distracted. "I guess this isn't a problem that can be solved by fighting." Iris mused aloud in a lower tone. She wasn't quite inaudible, but seemed to be attempting not to talk over the current conversation. Meanwhile, the fake offered Rider a strained smile in return, but something seemed to be seriously bothering her. "...Hold on. Ehehe--This is my first time doing this." the fake would reply, shifting to hold her arms out before Rider. " . . . Amitwo!" the fake blurted out, as if she were casting a spell.

...Rider could feel the other shudder rather hard as a stream of raw arcane magic began to tug its way free from her body. One could see it twist and turn in an almost lifelike way, its white smokelike body rapidly becoming more human-like as it condensed and passed over Rider. It felt a lot like a warm, tingly mist upon her skin, but did not stay there for long. If one paid more attention to the fake during this, they could see her become very flustered by this process. Finally, the humanoid shape began to take on proper features, starting from head to toe in a transition that took a couple of seconds, leaving her ethereal legs trailing from the fake's knees. It was Amitwo!



"Hiii~♪" the magical construct greeted in a sing song tone, apparently elated. She clumsily drifted backwards a bit, performing an involuntary tumble through the air before she managed to right herself again. "Rider, that was amazing! Hehehe!" the fake went on to gush, barely able to contain her excitement as she floated her way over and promptly embraced the duo on the throne, making no effort to avoid hugging the fake as well. Her hugs were... very soft and weak compared to a human's. The fake now had a rather noticeable blush on their face, appearing very uncomfortable with what was going on. She said nothing, however, merely turning her gaze away to allow the two to have their moment. Rider could feel the tension in the fake's muscles slowly draining away. It wasn't a hundred percent clear why she was upset, but one could likely come to their own conclusions and she seemed to be slowly calming herself back down.



" . . . Hold on! Was she inside you?!" Iris blurted out in alarm. She was decidedly spooked by this turn of events. The fake facepalmed at her choice of words. "Please don't say it like that." she replied somewhat lamely. "...Did you eat her?!" Iris went on to blurt out, eliciting an irritable glare from the fake. "...Actually there's no way to describe this that doesn't make it sound more awful than it was, so can we please not talk about this?" the fake went on to beg. Apparently it was a very touchy subject for her. "Oh... Sorry?" Iris awkwardly relented. Was it wrong to have questions when a person materialized from another person's body? Although it hadn't been stated outright, Rider may very well have saved Amitwo's life by avoiding that battle. One could only imagine the harm that may have befallen the doppelganger if they had successfully fought the fake while she was trapped in the fake's body. You are playing dangerous little missy, ...and winning.

Seeing the fake's discomfort, however, Amitwo backs off after a moment to float nearby. "...So are you going to tell them?" she asked the fake. The fake still seemed a little uncomfortable, judging by the way she refused to look at Amitwo. "...Yeah." she replied in a very unenthusiastic tone, but failed to elaborate. Amitwo waited a moment, lolling her head at the fake. " . . . I can tell them if you want." she gingerly offered. Apparently, Amitwo was in on whatever was going on at the moment. The fake would reluctantly nod after a moment. Shifting over the fake's shoulder, Amitwo wrapped her arms around them and gave them a hug, a gesture which seemed to take the fake by surprise. "She's just like me~!" Amitwo explained somewhat concisely. It made perfect sense! ...Assuming you knew who and what Amitwo was. "So she doesn't really have a name of her own. We got to know each other a lot while I was ... y'know." Amitwo continued to explain, tugging the doppelganger slightly closer to her. The fake looked like she had many regrets, but reluctantly allowed herself to be held. "It got a little weird, since we're both made out of magic, but she can be really nice~!" Amitwo went on to explain, hesitating a moment before continuing. "...I think you need to explain the next part." she remarked, releasing the doppelganger and sitting next to her on the arm of the throne.




"...That wasn't entirely true. I did have a name, once. ...Warle. It was given to me by Arle, right before I died for the first time." Warle explained, dropping the illusion spell she'd been maintaining. Remarkable enough, she bore a striking resemblance to Arle! "That's why I killed her. Because she killed me. Several. Times." Warle went on, seeming to lose herself down memory lane for a moment in the worst sort of way. One got the impression that she could not forgive her original. Seeing the way Warle lost herself to her anger, Amitwo hopped in to do her best to snap the other out of it. "B-But hey... You can bring her back, right..?" she blurted out before anyone could interject. At this, Warle resentfully averted her gaze. " . . . She doesn't remember how to use this, but I do. It can bring her back, if she's really what you want." Warle replied in a hollow tone that suggested she didn't actually want to do this. She held up the seraphim orb in demonstration.

[Deleted]

"Yeah, and just think, I was about ready to bash her head in... And, uh, a lot of other things."  Draco sighed through her nose as her pout resumed, and one could see a puff of smoke puffing out of her nostrils.  She fell to her knees -- gracefully as such a motion would allow -- and sat on her calves.  Due to the amount of rather mixed attention she was giving ?????, a hand came to her face, red nails alight, when she started expelling that arcanum from herself.  ...And eyebrows contorted upon seeing the fluster such a thing granted.  Was this some sort of-- okay how about we DON'T question this kay thanks.  --Oh, hey.  It's that Amitwo girl.  She wasn't kidding about her being with her.  So there wasn't much left for Draco to do besides hear out this story.  ...And realize the fact that she was about to (probably) annihilate Amitwo as well as the fraud.

...

"Warle" was this person's name?  Awesome, now I don't have to keep writing different synonyms for faker.  My own reactions aside, Draco observed Warle... less than directly as she continued.  She figured she was right in claiming the no-longer-foe's beauty was fake after all, for Warle seemed like a rather unkempt and dreary version of that which she was trying to emulate.

...

This was revenge, that's confirmed at this point.  But several deaths at Arle's hands?  One was understandable because that's how normal life works but several?  Indeed, the original is very hard to defeat by any lookalike... And another thi--

wait did warle just say she can revive arle with the seraphim orb

"Do it!"  Draco shot up to her feet at startling speed, probably a bit too startling for Iris to be totally chill with.  Her expression wasn't one of anger.  Instead, it was... Well, it bordered on desperation.  Her eyes were wide, and she even held her breath.  That would absolutely vaporize any latent craving Draco still had for vengeance.  A couple seconds passed.

...She felt like she should say more.

"Look, um, I know you and Arle didn't get along all that well -- to say the least, I guess.  Heheh...  But, um... maybe, well... Maybe we can make it so you two don't conflict any more?  That way bringing her back wouldn't put you in danger, or, anything like that?  I'd... forgive you if you did.  Maybe I'm a bit selfish, but I need my rival back.  I'd, well, be willing to do whatever so that wouldn't make any problems in the future."

An Intellect roll for her words...
 hQNZlw9lp_1d20 - 2 ...Draco's learned something, it seems like.  Let's convince Warle.  Even if it may not be Draco's strong suit.1d20 - 2

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Whoa, okay, sudden magic stream incoming! Rider shuddered a bit as the arcane magic went through her for a brief moment. Thankfully though, Amitwo was now fully there and accounted for. Warmly smiling as the magical construct was returned to her, the smol hugged the fake tightly...well as tight as she could do so with her. However, by the point she explained what exactly happened between them, one could see the worry on her face. She hugged Amitwo slightly tighter.

The fake would later say that she had the name 'Warle'. It was literally Arle, but with a 'W' in the front. yeesh arle was really unimaginative when she was young Even Rider could see the other's bitterness when she stated that she died multiple times against the sorceress she had killed. So in the end, it was a basic story of revenge...as Warle's new appointed friend, though, she couldn't let that slide.


"Listen, Ms. Warle...I know it must've been awful to have been killed multiple times, but...it's still wrong to kill someone. I imagine you believe it to be fair to try and kill the other for retribution, but that's your anger speaking. You let anger consume you, and you lose sight of what's right and what's wrong." The bab said, taking a moment to hold the other's hands. "When I look at you...I see someone who holds such potential to be a good person if they put their heart and mind to it, and I really wanna see that happen...because then...you'd be much happier, I believe."

"...Tell you what! If Ms. Arle tries to do anything to you, I'll protect you. I think I can convince her you had a change of heart."

Ou2RjioDp_1d20+2 (More bab convincing.) 1d20+2