[Mari]

pTU86dTup_1d20+2 (Warle's Resistance)

...Iris tilts her head at Draco in a somewhat curious manner. She had no idea what that saying meant. How did one bash a head in? Was that like one of those cartoon gags where one's face was rubber and your fist just kinda sank into it? Well golly, that sounded just silly! Not at all like the horrifying injury the saying referenced. She nearly jumped with a start when Draco blurted out her demands, however. Warle in turn seemed taken aback but said nothing until Rider had finished speaking. One could just see that she wasn't at all happy with what was going on. Draco was one thing, but Rider's words continuously managed to hurt her without really insulting or wounding her.

"...I didn't want to kill anyone. Not--...Not originally. But--I... I died. Other people died. Things happened, and I started trying to... convince myself that none of them were real. They would come back. Schezo came back. Rulue came back. I never understood why or how. And... I stopped thinking of them as people. They were just illusions. They wouldn't remember any pain. It wasn't the end for them. It became easier to... stop holding back." Warle began to explain in a very soft tone full of regret. As it turned out Rider had made it difficult for Warle to think of her as not being real by acting with so much humanity. The doppelganger's haunted gaze might become more familiar. It was guilt. Perhaps she was thinking even now of what she'd been about to do just moments ago. Warle would guide the seraphim orb into her hands as she spoke, tapping into its power. By the time she'd finished, the deed was already done. She'd spoken no words, but the seraphim orb shed a tiny burst of light in response to being tapped. A moment would pass before she continued. "...It's done. It'll probably take her a bit to get out of hell, but I've given her new life and... removed her memory of who killed her." Warle softly explained. She then moved to hand the Seraphim Orb to Rider. It radiated little sparkles of holy light that drifted like snowflakes down towards the ground before dissipating after a moment. "...I thought that maybe the orb could save me, but it only reminded me of why... Arle chose not to use it. You can give it back to her. Tell her you found it just outside the uh... blast site. Nobody's supposed to know this, but she recently lost faith in Viridi and she's really upset about it. It's prevented her from using some of her nature magic, but if she learned to believe in herself the way she used to believe in Viridi--and had this back--she wouldn't be having that problem." Warle went on, revealing that she apparently had some sort of mental connection to Arle, strong enough to know private things that only Arle would. One had to wonder how exactly that worked.




Finally, Warle turned to acknowledge the offer the greenettes had offered her earlier. "...I won't ask you to protect me. As a wanted person, I'd be putting you in danger by being around you. I'd need someone's body to hide myself, someone who wouldn't rat me out as not being them. And even then, 'Arle' would notice we have the same voice pretty much immediately if I spoke around her." she went on to explain. Warle didn't seem very confident about being able to live a normal life, and the tone she was using was one of someone who'd resigned themselves to their fate. Decidedly not tolerating this pessimism, however, Amitwo promptly jumped in. "Oh!--You can have mine! I've never been on the receiving end before, but you can trust me and I'd love to spend some more time with you~" Amitwo offered in a somewhat affectionate tone. One could just see Warle's bewilderment, however. She'd most likely been referring to her illusion spell, and not the fusion esque technique she'd inadvertantly taught Amitwo during their time together. One could see it as she worked out what Amitwo had meant by her remark. The doppelganger looked mortified, and it was all her fault for phrasing it that way. What did she even say to that? It wasn't that Amitwo's idea was bad. In fact, it was very good. It was just more... intimate than what she'd had in mind.1d20+2

[Deleted]

Oh, Draco was very literal with that turn of phrase, and had she gone through with this battle there probably would have been hell to pay if she thought right.  Perhaps it was a good thing Iris wasn't well-versed in that sort of violence, haha.

Anyway...  It was a bit of an ordeal wrapping her head around the words.  Illusions? Fakes? Warle not being the only one of them except that was different?  These shenanigans weren't Draco's strong suit, and it was all a thing.   As such, she wore a puzzled expression throughout it.

...Then Warle casted Revive.

Draco sighed a sigh of relief, and after the relief came a glint of happiness.   This dragon woman was one to live up to her word of forgiving.   That said, though, there really wasn't much for her to do at this point.   But, Hell, she said? Not even Puyo Hell, but Actually Hell™?  She sweatdropped, but such a being as Arle had a good chance of making it out fine, she thought.  If that was even how that worked.  Further matters revealed a conscious link, and Draco's brain would probably fry like her foes if she thought about it too much longer.  No further inspection of the gift horse's mouth was given by the lady.

"D'oh... Well, I guess that makes se-- eh?"  This was the reaction given upon Warle's insistence of not going with us.  However, Amitwo's proposal that prompted the "eh" there... could it be a new hope?  Warle's saving grace?  Let's get intimate!

...i took way too long to write this

[TheSpatialWeeg]

So it has come to this. Rider Lidelle now must now either bind to the law and take her in or try to follow her heart and try to help Warle. Brain vs. Heart, who would win?

...Actually, let's not. She's nine, she can't do these super tough decisions just yet. But...she knew someone who could do that for her. Someone who could help them do the right thing. And what's better is that Amitwo gave her a good idea on how to get her to the castle! For some reason, when that possibility arisen from her mind...she felt her heart ignite. It was a flame she had barely noticed there before. She suddenly felt...even more determined to help Warle out. To help her find some light in her lost heart.

"Ms. Warle, I know this sounds crazy...but please listen to Amitwo. Fuse with her for a while, because...I think I know someone that can help you with this. I'll take you two to the castle...and...I'll tell Mama about it and maybe...she'll help you! Ms. Warle...I want you to know that I want the best for you. I firmly believe that you're not a lost cause and you can redeem yourself with some help...and that you don't need to die again to answer for your crimes. That's...that's what friends do, after all. They help each other grow." She said, steadily getting more tearful and pleading.

"...You're much better than what you think you are, and I want you to see it! Please...come with me and Amitwo to the castle...!!" She pleaded with the other, sniffling a little. At this point, the little one was trying her best.

KKVxSh5bp_1d20+2(THE BAB FEELS ARE CRITICAL)1d20+2

[Mari]

Warle's eyes widened in mild surprise as Lidelle spoke to her. It almost looked as if she were holding her breath with anxiety, but... how long had it been since she'd drawn a breath? A real breath, like normal humans did? She'd long, long since forsaken all of her humanity. And yet, Lidelle made her hurt in ways only a person could. It wasn't the stinging, burning sensation of a wound but rather the dull, taut tension of desire. A longing for something she'd long gone without. A... friend. Maybe it was because she'd forgotten what real pain felt like, but this was agony compared to mortal pain. She wanted this to stop now, but a part of her didn't think she was capable of being everything Lidelle wanted her to be. A ... good person? She'd never really held herself to any standard except her own, so the idea that she was a good person would have been insulting in any other context. Now though, she tried to remember her life before she slipped into the depths of inhumanity. What had she been like? Could she be a good person? Was there any point in trying, or would she just go back to her old ways once she wound up in another new world? Would Rider turn on her? Would she die again? She was anxious just thinking about it, but there was one thing she realized that made her stop hesitating.

...She wanted to try. For Lidelle. For--...For Amitwo.

Warle's heart has been broken! Her inhumanity levels have decreased as a result, so perhaps it's for the best... Hopefully, when it heals, it will be in a nicer shape.

Warle's gaze fell and she wrapped her arms around the tinier girl, embracing the other rather affectionately. Lidelle would likely be able to pick up on the way Warle trembled slightly. It almost looked like she might cry, but no tears came. One probably couldn't tell just by observing, but her eyes weren't capable of producing tears. Much like Amitwo, she was a rather shallow imitation of a human being, with many of the physiological aspects of humanity having been deprecated for the sake of efficiency. She also wasn't nearly as human as even Amitwo was as a result of her upbringing. "...Alright." Warle would relent somewhat softly, laying her chin upon Lidelle's head, right between her buns. She didn't seem to acknowledge the horns, either because she hadn't noticed or because she somehow knew better. "I'll come." Warle went on to quietly relent. Befoe she could go on, however, Amitwo joined in. "Wicked!" the doppelganger blurted out, hovering around to face the duo. "Don't worry..." Amitwo went on to offer, toning her voice down a bit. She seemed pretty excited about the prospect ahead of them. "Lidelle and I will make sure you're alright and taken care of. We both want the best for you." Amitwo explained rather matter-of-factly.



Nearby, Iris watched with a thoughtful look on her face. She was coming to her own conclusions watching this. She lolled her head up at Draco after observing for a while, speaking in an ever so innocently puzzled tone. " . . . Wow--I guess things would've ended very differently if we'd had a battle. Does this make us godmothers?" she asked. Apparently, the conclusion she'd come to was one of this being a family moment. She then turned her gaze up at Draco searchingly, as if looking for confirmation. It was a little weird out of the blue, but there was a bit of missing context of course. She had a slightly different understanding of what constituted a parent, having grown up without her own parents and having ben adopted by something akin to a godfather in Drayden. The difference, of course, between a godfather and an adoptive parent being nothing more than a matter of planning.


"So...How do I..? Do I just..?" Amitwo began to ask in bemusement, gesturing at her mouth. She, of course, had only experienced this once before in a very specific way, the only way she knew how. Warle, however, decidedly had other plans. "...No." she replied rather firmly, picking Lidelle up and setting the other back down onto her feet so that she could get up. She'd almost been tempted to ask Lidelle to take her personally instead of Amitwo, but that wasn't a fair burden to lay upon the other. She'd already put Lidelle through enough. Warle then proceeded to hold out her arms, which began to disintegrate before the group's eyes. The paper thin skin immediately gave way to a beautiful blue'ish white energy that began to pour from her open forearms, rising into the air, not unlike smoke, before dissipating. It was Warle's life energy, and it looked like it was pretty unstable outside of her body. "Just take a deep breath and... accept this, alright?" the other doppelganger requested, leaving the ground to approach Amitwo. She leaned in close to the other and reluctantly met her eyes, communicating silently. More of the illusion that was her body began to shatter, releasing a much larger burst of energy right in front of Amitwo. Rather abruptly, Warle ceased to be. There was nothing left of her except the energy that once made her up, hovering there in the air like a miniature cloud. Amitwo reached out to embrace the energy cloud rather awkwardly, only to find that it shifted out to meet her. In just a moment, it had phased right into her body! Perhaps it might occur to Lidelle just how fragile their existence really was, watching something like that. Warle was gone, and if she wasn't safe in Amitwo she might have been gone forever. Amitwo herself looked stunned, a shudder running through her body as she experienced this very one-sided nature of fusion. And then... She sneezed. A little puff of familiar looking energy burst from her nose before quickly dissipating. Huh.

MISSION COMPLETE

[Deleted]

holy fudge, critical bab

Seems she also saw the fusion as a good idea; it's just that she voiced her approval of it more than Draco did.  Draco's been doing very little of the talking here, let's be honest.  "Wooow..."  The feels that had transpired were giving birth to a feat and a fate she wouldn't have thought possible here.  And, won't lie -- it was getting to her a bit, as one might tell from her covering her mouth.

Iris's input -- oh, this would have ended VERY differently if there was a battle.  But, uh, Draco found it better not to get too specific.  The question calmly surprised her -- as she wasn't too sure of the matter of godparents, herself.   What were those?   Really really really strong parents?   She couldn't be sure.   "I dunno. Eheheh..."   The two are in the same boat, sadly.

--Why is Warle-?   "Gh, hey, w-what're ya doing?!  Come back!"  Draco started to run over, a hand out to grasp for the life energy -- another case of Draco not quite getting it.  It all fused into Amitwo by the time she was able to make any grabby motions.  "Mnn... So is she, uh, part of you now?"  Cue sneeze.  "--Hey, don't sneeze her out!"  Draco flailed comedically at that, wanting to preserve the doppelganger inside the doppelganger and pinching her nose shut out of worry.

Yay, we did the thing!

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Who knew that to slay a mad god’s mentally you only needed the words of a 9-year-old with a bright heart, huh?

I’m just hammering it in at this point. They’ve won and Lidelle’s got a sense of pride swell up in her chest, of only for a little while. Returning Warle’s hug with much gusto, the smol only really broke it when it was time for the fusion to go underway.

Once that particular part did go underway, Lidelle waited a few moments to check over Amitwo before pulling out the Pokéball Raffina was in and just...letting the pinkette out to take in the cold air.

“...Everyone, time to go home.” she simply said, before pulling out the Seraphim Orb. She wasn’t sure how to use the thing, but a part of her was...eager to do so. She wasn’t sure if it was and Arle-only thing and Warle managed to bypass it because or her relation to the other, but...it was worth a shot! Dragging the orb close to her head, she closed her eyes and focused…

...and after a few moments, the whole group was now at said castle’s doorstep. Guess she could use the Seraphim Orb after all! …...On a superficial level, of course. The bby would lead the others inside, where they’d probably meet with the pink princess and one of her daughters waiting eagerly for their return.

((End of Presence...and of thread I suppose-))

[Mari]

"Hehe--Excuse me~" Amitwo would bashfully reply. ...Hey, had she just sneezed? How did someone who didn't breathe sneeze? One could never be too sure with doppelgangers, what with them being magical lies designed for the explicit purpose of pretending to be people and all. However, before Amitwo could really finish that thought she found that her nose was being grabbed. The doppelganger would yelp in mild alarm as her nose seemed to... collapse within Draco's grasp. Draco couldn't have known just how extremely gentle she'd have to be to avoid this, but Amitwo's nose seemed to have no structure whatsoever to it. Even a very minimal amount of force would have done the trick. It simply squished in Draco's hands as if it were made of a very thin sheet of rubber, like an underinflated balloon. The doppelganger would promptly reach up to clutch at Draco's hand rather defensively, ...but her arms had no more strength than her nose did. She could only cling to Draco helplessly, unable to produce even an infant's worth of strength to actually get the other off of her. Amitwo quickly seemed to realize her folly, becoming dispirited as she was reminded that she was not human like the others. You might even say she looked a bit ... deflated. Badumtish! "M-May I please have my nose back..? I promise not to sneeze anymore." Amitwo would plead rather softly, embarrassing herself in the process. This would be Draco's first lesson in how strange the magical construct's physiology was.

Meanwhile, Raffina was finally released from her prison, curled up into a ball on the ground. If one paid attention, there were remnants of tear stains on her cheeks. It must have been terrible, being kidnapped and not knowing if she'd ever see freedom again. The pinkette flinched as she noticed she was free, awkwardly getting back to her feet and subtly fixing her outfit a bit as she rose. She clearly wasn't in a good place mentally right now, but she did take the time to awkwardly turn about and address Lidelle. Before she could really gather her composure and speak though, the group was off!

There was very likely an emotional hug from a distraught Raffina and a thank you waiting for her on the other side. It seemed like she was too shaken up to be her normal, aloof self for the moment being, offering a rare glimpse into a more humble Raffina. What was different from the first time Lidelle had saved her? The answer was simple; She'd had time to calm down, rest and recover before their conversation the first time. In comparison, this was a more immediate post-trauma Raffina. One could probably observe that although she was perhaps more warm in this state, it was perhaps an ominous sign of just how hard the experience had been on her. Warle had probably been right to ask Lidelle to keep Raffina in the ball until they were finished. Goodness knows it might have gotten ugly fast.

((End of Presence))