• Closed • Imperfections of the Heart (Arlo, Vega)

[Vega]

Vega glanced at Arlo, her eyes swirling a lot of colours as he spoke. He didn't respond or react in any way at all to what she said, and for a trill she felt irritation build. But then, he hadn't given Jonas the credit he deserved? Vega looked at him and smiled softly. "It's yer job, innit?" Her voice was quiet but very serious, totally determined that she got her point across. Broken girl, voices in her head, worries about holding him back - all of those were gone at those few words from him. "Like it's any kids job to take their parents for granted? Then, as you grow up, you realise you've done it an' tell them." If you were lucky enough to be able to, of course. Which he wasn't with his mother but then, just lately, Vega had come to a conclusion.

"Course, the only reason you tell them is to make yourself feel better. It don't matter to them, cos they love you jus' how you are. I reckon, anyhow." Such was certainly true of Jonas Creede, Vega knew. He was Arlo's father in every meaning of the word and as such, he accepted his son for who he was. More than accepted him, he loved him. But that was a conversation for Arlo and Jonas to have and Vega was no part of it. With a gentle nudge of her shoulder against his she shot him a crooked smile. "So, the voice of doom in my head an' yours can jog on, yeah? Come on, you."

And on that note, on they went. The crystal clear water was beautiful and they went together. Of course they did and Vega nudged him. "Eyes off my shirt, Creede," she said as they slid into the water and started to swim across. He'd remember, she knew. So they swam and beneath them in the water were mirrors; Vega would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted to look at them, to investigate but they were as much a distraction as the voices in their heads. So, onwards and to the other side. Down a corridor, after she glanced at him to check that he was alright, and then there was another young person. He looked... entirely fake. Like the only thing that could be wrong with him was that he forgot to live. He was a cut out of a child. "Hey, are you a'right, there? What'cha mean she... oh, right, ok."

Vega looked at Arlo and raised an eyebrow. "He's not chatty," she said. But forward was the way to go and forward she went. That he didn't answer, or seem to notice them really, didn't stop her from asking. "So, who's waitin' for us? To do what? Look, you shouldn't be down 'ere either, are you alright? We can 'elp. Not with yer perfect dress sense, cos you know, look at us. But you shouldn't be on your own down here." Wrinkling her nose, Vega twisted the water out of her hair and walked in a way which could only be described as trudging. But always with her senses alert and a feeling of not very comfortable with what was happening. But it was a child. She wasn't leaving without rescuing that child, or taking her body to her parents. Nope.

[Arlo Creede]

"Course it's my job," Arlo said quietly when Vega pointed out. His or rather the child he'd been. Or any child's. "It's what it is. Comes natural. Just like standing by you, the same as you'd stand by me," he added since after all, he hadn't missed or ignored what she'd said. It was just that it was one of those things, like the sun coming up every trial or kids turning their noses up at buttered spinach and hard boiled eggs. Didn't require thinking or wondering about. It simply was. So the voice of doom could try its hardest and still come up short. "It's not even our own voices of doom. It's somebody meddling with us, trying to get a rise." Put them on their back foot so to say, and they had to look smart and not let that happen.

On any other trial it would have been a romantic swim in a romantic setting. And he was who he was. He snorted when she told him to keep his eyes off her soggy clothing clinging to her damp skin. But did he take a quick look? Arlo was marked by Cassion. Of course he did. The water was cool and clear and if he was going to swim, under any other circumstances this was where he'd want to do it. The mirrors littering the bottom though? They brought his storyteller's imagination to life. "The lake of lost souls," Arlo uttered as he swam along beside Vega.

Lost souls entrapped in mirrors of all kinds. Trapped and anguished for arcs upon end, from every conceivable era from the dawn of man, to here and now. Kept there by some vengeful and lonely old crone who's own reflection repelled her. As if it was a comeuppance aimed at others for their natural beauty. Probably nothing close to the truth. But it struck Arlo, and that was the story he'd tell. And then they reached the other side and climbed up on the bank.

Arlo's soggy boots made a squishing, squeaking sound as he and Vega made their way down the corridor. And when they got there, there was a kid waiting for them. Or some version of one. But it struck Arlo that this was the kind of kid, one of those kids he'd hated when he was around that apparent age. Perfectly scrubbed and pressed, perfectly coiffed. The kind of hair that Arlo had intuitively known his father hadn't given him that cut at the table with a bowl balanced atop his head for reference. The kind of kid that came to school with a three course meal packed into his sack for lunch, while the rest of them had a chunk of bread, some cheese and an orange if they were lucky. Yeah, Arlo had hated those kids.

Then again, those kinds of kids never had any fun. They followed him as the boy turned away, and Arlo didn't expect that he'd answer Vega's questions. Or anyone's questions. Still, his weapons were always in easy reach and he kept a constant eye on their surroundings, just in case. Even though he suspected that it wasn't beasts or such leaping from the shadows that they needed to worry about.

[Oracle]

There was a sort of strength in imperfection, much like the tireless resolve of a thorny weed choking out the beautiful rose, striving to live but ignorant that it was strangling an exquisite flower to death. Perhaps she could admire that pointless tenacity, even as futile as it was.

People didn’t realize it…they didn’t see the tangled weeds all around them, draining away what they could be, what they might have otherwise been. The pair approaching her chamber couldn’t see the truth either…the poor blind fools. The shattered woman couldn’t see herself for what she was. Perpetually broken, and constantly breaking piece by piece, she had leaned on him for far too long, forcing him to put her back together, time and time again. She was a leech, but perhaps not beyond redemption, but the red headed she-devil was not at the center of her focus.

It was him, the man who held the most promise. Secretly, perhaps even unknown to himself, he sought a past he could never have, and had lost a bright future because of it. A father he had never known, a figure Arlo had often wondered about. Who was his father, and did he even care that he had a son? Was he even still alive? These thoughts glittered darkly at the back of his mind like the dying embers of a campfire. Who might Arlo had been if his life had been different, if his father had stayed and raised him?

Deep within Creeksong Caverns rested a massive chamber. Stalagmites and stalactites littered the ceiling and floor and on a raised stone plinth stood the most beautiful, gleaming, mammoth, radiant crystal. It was absolutely perfect and glowed with an inner indigo light. It was utterly crystal clear, allowing one to see straight through it and into the dark corners of the chamber beyond it. If observed closely, its surface would occasionally ripple as if the crystal was made of water, rather than stone.

The young girl that Vega and Arlo had been pursuing was standing before the gleaming crystal. She had been changed into a pure white sundress and slippers, although her hair remained matted and her skin marred with cuts. Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned to look at the tall attractive woman standing next to her. The woman was also the same as before, although it was now clear that she possessed softly shimmering silver skin with floor length ivory hair and luminescent violet eyes. Her face was perfectly cut, almost like a gemstone with sharp angular features that were utterly symmetrical. A simple but gorgeous sheathe dress hung from her slender frame, it's fabric made from a reflective metallic material that subtly reflected the light around her, creating dancing prisms of light on the floor at her feet. Her soft lips curled into a reassuring smile as she placed an elegant silver dusted hand on the shoulder of the little girl and gently pushed her toward the crystal’s rippling surface.

“There, there child, it will all be better soon.” Her voice was musical and soothing, and identical to the voice that had spoken within Vega and Arlo’s minds. The little girl stepped forward, reaching out to touch the glowing surface of the crystal just as Arlo and Vega emerged into the chamber, escorted by the boy they had encountered only a few bits earlier. The moment that they arrived, the crystal seemed to shudder just before the little girl was sucked inside of it. The gem’s viscous form snaking around her frail body and drawing her within its radiant confines. She started to scream before her voice was abruptly cut off and she was placed in the center of the crystal, her eyes closing just as the ends of her matted hair began to turn to slowly turn the same bright white as the teenager that had led Arlo and Vega there.

“Perfect timing.” The silvery skinned woman said crisply as she turned toward the pair, her glowing violet eyes fixed on Arlo.

[Vega]

Vega looked at him as he spoke about the voice of doom, of them standing by one another as naturally as breathing in or out and she smiled. "Sometimes, life an' livin' an' lovin' you. An' bein' loved by you, too, they seem like awfully complicated things, Arlo." She had no rules, other than the ones they'd found between them, no frame of reference and every new experience was completely new. It was exhilarating and terrifying and it was wonderful. She lifted her hand, then, just touching it to his. "An' then you remind me 'ow very simple it all is. I'm sorry for all the times I see complicated, where it's really jus' simple." When she'd been injured, she'd worried about walking again, about being able to keep up with him, about not holding him back. Yet, whilst he had worried, and a lot, he hadn't worried about those things - because he'd kept the simplicity there. They would be alright because it was them.Whether she walked again or not was superfluous to that. As long as they were themselves, they was alright. His worry was for her.

They swam together and she glanced to the side and grinned. His glance over her form was mirrored in her gaze roaming over his and she swam over to him, one hand reaching to hold on to him as she kissed him with all the passion and fire and possessiveness she felt. "I love you, Arlo Creede. Jus' in case it weren't obvious, an' cos yer needy an' need tellin now an' then," she whispered, touching her nose to his. "An' you still owe me dancin' too" Swimming away, she shot back, "an' chocolate. From a sweet shop."

She took his hand as they clambered out and then spoke to the spooky kid with no life in him and Vega sighed slightly. Her hand slipped into Arlo's just for a moment and then she concentrated on moving forward, dripping and sloshing slightly as she did. They came into a cavern and it was beautiful. Crystal stalagmites and stalagtites and a massive crystal right in the middle. Vega saw the little girl step, and then suddenly get sucked into the crystal and she heard the beginning of a scream before the child started to turn funny colours in her hair. Like the boy. Vega moved, immediately stepping forward "No, don't... ah, nuts. Who're you then?" She looked at the woman and Vega immediately felt her hackles rising as the very beautiful, but very alien looking woman seemed so interested in Arlo. Without thinking, Vega stepped to the side to stand next to him, just in front of him. "An' it was your voice in my 'ead. Was it the same one in yours?" The last, of course, was directed to Arlo.

Whatever Arlo answered, Vega frowned and motioned to the crystal. "I don't think she likes it in there, love. Best let 'er out. An' him too, best set him free or put him right or whatever." She motioned to the boy. As she spoke, she looked around the room. Were there other crystals? What about those stalagmites and stalactites? Anything in them like flies in amber? Vega's hand fell on to her sword, the magical one she had from the time that she had been touched by the Death Forged Rose. "So, she's gettin' out of there. Now." Looking at the woman Vega added with apparently perfect calmness. "An' if we could forego any 'I'm an evil genius an' I 'ave you where I want you' speeches, or especially any notions of 'broken girl' or whatever rubbish yer spoutin' at him about his father, that'd be great. They're borin' an' flibbery my gibbet - yeah, I got broken. But not where it matters. An' yeah, his father left. But not the one that matters, neither. So, there we go, you did yer best, nice try. Let the children go now, or we're gonna 'ave to get testy an' insist." By testy, she meant very testy. And by insist, she meant hit things

[Arlo Creede]

Arlo had some very strong opinions regarding perfection, or the lack of thereof. He was suspicious and less than impressed by the former, and appreciated the latter. That tendency explained exactly one of the things he loved so much about Vega. She had the best and most perfect imperfections he'd ever known another soul to have. Of course he had plenty of flaws of his own, owned and defended them. Except for sometimes, when he denied them instead. Such was his nature, and the nature of them together.

But as a result of who and what he was, all these wondrous and seemingly perfect things gave him the creeps, and he looked harder for the flaws. The woman that they happened upon, the one who'd been waiting and certainly baiting them all along, was stunning. Arlo couldn't deny that. He had eyes to see with, after all. There was the girl they'd been seeking, and the crystal that seemed more alive than any stone he'd seen before. And it must be in a sense, considering it was in the process of imprisoning the girl.

"That's because you're complicated," Arlo had teased Vega earlier before they arrived at this particular spot, back where they'd shared a passionate kiss and words of endearment. He liked her that way of course. And just like them, there was much more to all this than what they were seeing in front of them both. Things much more confounding than promises of dancing and sweets. "It was," he said when Vega asked about the familiar voice.

His gaze shifted between the woman and the girl, who seemed to be both frozen in place but changing to become more like her...What? Her captor? Briefly, he looked back at the kid in the fancy suit and he frowned. Was that what the girl was becoming? A perfect coiffed and outfitted, unthinking creature? Was that why, for all that appearances made him think it, the woman had somehow coaxed them here? Vega as always had a flair for colorful language. Any other time, Arlo would have grinned at the sight.

"You trying to create some weird master race in your image?" he asked. And while it was sarcasm, he wouldn't put it past the woman, all things considered. "You've got it down in appearance. Not so much in personality." The boy at least didn't seem to have any worth mentioning. As for him and Vega, Arlo shook his head.

"You've got it wrong though. She's not broken. If she ever thought she was, even for an instant, turns out any hardships she's had have forged and shaped her into something as durable as steel. As for me? I wasn't the first bastard born on Idalos and chances are I won't be the last. What you're implying are insecurities are simply building blocks. That why you brought us here? To add to your collection?" he asked then with a glance at the crystal. And all the while, Arlo was looking for the cracks, the weak spots in the woman's appearance, and wondered if it might all be just an illusion, like the reflections they'd seen earlier on the glassy walls and ceilings.

[Oracle]

The silver skinned woman smiled softly at the pair, her expression almost motherly. Up within the crystal beside her the little girl shifted fitfully as if she were dreaming before becoming calm and motionless once again. The crystal undulated for a moment before pulsing with a radiant indigo light. The child’s matted hair began to untangle as an invisible hand was combing it to a silky sheet. As the locks came unwound and fell to her shoulders the hair slowly began to turn white, starting at the roots and slowly shifting through each strand. The scratches and bruises on her skin were wiped away as if they were nothing but dust, vanishing into nothingness.

“You don’t understand…I’m not doing this for me…I’m doing this for them, and for you.” The woman replied with a glistening smile. Her teeth were pearly and white, although her canines were strangely sharp for a human or even a Biqaj.

“It’s not about creating something in my image, although granted, mine would be a lovely image to be made in.” She said with a light laugh, glancing up to meet Arlo’s eyes before reaching up for a moment to place her glittering fingertips on the surface of the crystal. The child continued to float within, motionless as her hair continued to shift to white and her skin became smooth and unblemished.

“I am a mender of souls, a healer if you like, although in the distant past your ancestors did give me a name.” Her lips were pressed into a subdued frown as if remembering something irritating for a moment.

“They called me Perfection. Perhaps it is appropriate, if not an oversimplification of what I am.” Her tone was dismissive as if she didn’t really care for the term at all.

“But that is beside the point, you see you mortals are always in such pain…and you do it to yourselves. I just repair the damage.” Perfection responded with a smile, her musical voice echoing around the massive chamber.

Upon above where Vega looked she could see the roof of the cavern was practically normal. Everything appeared mundane save for the massive crystal and Perfection herself. This cavern had once been a simple natural feature, but was now occupied by the woman before them.

“I’m just here to make you whole again." The silver skinned woman said with a smile just as the little girl began emerging from the crystal.

The child’s hair was stark white from root to tip and her eyes were now the same crystalline hue as the boy that had escorted Arlo and Vega. The girl floated gently down to stand next to Perfection where she gently took the woman’s hand.

“See, I can make all the pain go away…now it’s your turn.” The woman said with a smile, whilst looking directly at Arlo. She gestured elegantly toward the crystal and suddenly a single tentacle of liquid shot out of its surface toward the man.

He was given barely any time to realize what was happening as the crystal clear liquid crystal wrapped itself around his chest and waist before yanking him into the air. The tentacle encircling him would feel icy to the touch, but not necessarily uncomfortable. It permeated an almost pleasant numbness throughout him, reaching even into his mind.

Don’t fight it…just sleep.

What harm is there in resting?

Lay down your head and let your troubles drift away

The crystal seemed to be speaking to him on some primeval level, not necessarily with words but with emotions. Feeling of exhaustion and the desire to slumber would spill into him, drowning out everything else in his mind.

Within a split trill Arlo was being pulled into the crystal itself as Perfection watched with a pleased smile. Once inside he would still be able to breath, but the air would feel thicker and heavier as if burdened with the very essence of the crystal.

The violet eyed woman released the hand of the little girl as she strode toward Vega. Her nails suddenly began to grow; sharp, dagger-like crystals rising from them to provide her with sharp, deadly weapons.

“Now as for you my Death touched girl, you will wait your turn or I can simply end you here. You are so broken, maybe it isn’t even worth fixing you anyways.” There was true venom in Perfection’s words, and perhaps the tiniest hint of jealousy. Something about Vega drove her mad, she had to destroy that woman. She represented everything she despised.

[Vega]

"You've got it wrong though. She's not broken. If she ever thought she was, even for an instant, turns out any hardships she's had have forged and shaped her into something as durable as steel. As for me? I wasn't the first bastard born on Idalos and chances are I won't be the last. What you're implying are insecurities are simply building blocks. "

She had been through some very special kind of hell just lately, and he'd been with her every step of the way. Supporting her, holding her up when she stumbled - literally holding her arms and looking in her eyes as she stood for the first time on legs which had been shattered. The time needed for healing, of a physical kind, had been long and painful and she still had scars and aches and pains. But by every Immortal there was she appreciated each step. There, in that cavern as he spoke those words, Vega realised and recognised that the same was true of the psychological damage. The journey to where she was now had been one which few could understand except the two of them. They both still bore the marks of the last two seasons. Yet, it had made them strong. Separately and together, it made them stronger. Durable. United.

And the silver haired woman spoke. She was a mender of souls? "Yeah, an' I'm the representative of the Proper Pronunciation is Important Club of which I'm the treasurer. Jog on love." Vega looked at her, at this woman with the glittering eyes and she realised something. Or thought she did, and so she said it. "Yer alone, an' yer lonely. You see mortals, shinin' bright an' livin' our lives an' you hate it. You're not perfect, you're fake an' hollow. Hollow right the way to your empty core." She moved next to Arlo as the woman looked at him and Vega's hand was on her sword. "We're flawed, an' those flaws define us. You can't make him perfect. No shiny teeth an' wavy locks are gonna do that. He's already perfect for me an' his flaws are his best bits." After all, Arlo Creede was an argumentative, difficult, stubborn and pig-headed man who drove her to the point that she could kill him. "You want to feel, don't you? But you can't. You're empty an' all you can feel is jealousy an' envy for those've us who feel love and anger an' humour an' all the emotions. So you drain it. What a tosspot lonely loser you are, love. Why don't you end it an' fall on yer own ego? Least it'll be painless."

With a blink, the silver haired woman gestured and Arlo was grabbed. Vega didn't hesitate, she acted. She concentrated for a few trill and put her hand on the pommel, "Nice claws." Vega said, although she really didn't sound impressed. "I'll see your five," Vega pulled her sword, mentally focusing on it so it immediately flared into a molten blade, "An' I'll raise you twenty." She said and she stepped forward. Her aim was simple. This woman was harming Arlo, or trying to. She was going to kill her. Vega's legs had been damaged but by this point she was more or less fully healed. There was still some pain, though the adrenaline in her system counteracted that largely at the moment.

Either way, one of the things which made Vega who she was, was the belief that she was all elbows and knees. She was absolutely certain that she lacked both the physical presence of her silver biqaj blood or the fluid grace of her surprisingly vulnerable sev'ryn soul. In this, she was convinced.

And, of course, she was completely wrong. On both counts

She stepped one step forward with fluid movements, moving immediately and unthinkingly into a stance which kept her strength and balance in equal measures and Vega moved with as much speed and accuracy as she had. Her aim was simple - the woman was walking, no striding towards her and that meant that she had momentum. Vega had no intention of asking her to stop, instead she drew her sword and aimed to slice, with all her strength behind the blow, the woman's head off her shoulders. She wouldn't harm the child, not with the blade and not either one of them, but she also aimed to remain aware of where they were.

Because her intention was to kill the woman in one blow - as always, Vega was supremely confident the minute that she drew the weapon. Then, hopefully, Arlo wouldn't have been pulled into anywhere, and the pulling would stop. She had plans for if not, though. If it didn't stop pulling, and they all revolved around the same theme. Hit things until they stopped being a problem.

Just, not the children.

Off Topic

For mod reference.

► Show Spoiler

The power in her sword is:

"Longsword Enchantment Permanent Enchantment Vega's intricate rose scar has transferred to the hilt of her longsword. As such, she can activate the Molten enchantment within her sword by mentally focusing on it. This Enchantment allows her to burn through anything that would normally be burned by magma/lava, while maintaining the strength, edge, and edge of her blade. In addition to this, Vega's use of this ability has burned away impurities in Vega's blade, so that it is sharper and stronger while in either form. All previous abilities of the Death Forged Rose are lost and replaced by this"

Obtained here
Recorded in CS: here
Sword skill at time of post is 106/100 (CS post) and is one of her GM skills but
I haven't yet written the capstone at the time of this post (it might appear in there over the next few days, but it isn't here at writing)

[Arlo Creede]

Unable to stop it, unable to help the girl or intervene, Arlo felt helpless on the one hand, and enraged on the other. The woman wasn't anything else but stark raving mad. A nutcase with entirely too much power for anyone's good. "You're out of your bleeding mind," he shot back. "You're not doing this this for anyone but yourself." Just like the elongated canines suggested, she was a predator. Most predators didn't kill for sport, they did it to sustain themselves. It would be too easy to say that she wasn't one of those. But all in all, maybe she was. Maybe she got what sustained her, from the misery of others.

And he didn't like how she was eyeing him like a child eyes a treat in a sweet shop window. And not the kind of shop that he'd mistaken for an actual candy store either. "Pain and suffering create the flaws, which create the building blocks. You don't understand mortals at all, do you?" She wasn't perfection. She was like the dry, flavorless rot you sometimes found underneath when you peeled a perfectly round and beautiful orange.

Vega of course was more blunt and verbose than him. Her colorful language was unique to her and it made Arlo proud as he stood beside her. He'd remember some of the things she said, except now wasn't in any way the time for it. Unfortunately the woman, Perfection she called herself, wasn't hearing a bit of it. Things got complicated after that. As soon as the woman pointed at the crystal and something began emerging out of it, Arlo whipped out his pistol crossbow from inside the front of his coat, already loaded as usual. A flick of the thumb was all it took to release the safety and fire at the tentacle.

If that didn't stop it from getting hold of him, he'd grab his knife from his hip and whether it wrapped round him or not, he plunged his knife deep into it, wresting the blade to the side after that in order to create a deep gash and force it to let go. Mind over matter, mind over matter he kept reminding himself and resolved to not go easy if at all. And if it got him inside that thing in spite of his efforts, in spite of Vega's? Then he'd resist all the more and fight his way out, punching and kicking so long as he had the strength of body and will to do it.

[Oracle]

The crystal claws flexed on Perfection’s long dainty fingers as Vega spoke. Something about her fiery words seemed to dim the violet light radiating from her perfectly almond shaped eyes. There was a glint of fear reflected in her indigo pupils, as if Vega had hit on a weakness that the crystalline entity feared more than anything.

She was alone, and she had been alone for eons. What was the harm in taking a mortal for herself from time to time?

Perfection’s supple silvery skin began to turn translucent just as Arlo was snatched into the air by the liquid tentacle. Her skin became hard, seemingly made of perfectly transparent diamond. Her hair followed suit along with every other part of her body. The woman’s silken dress disintegrated to be replaced with crystalline pale blue armor that sported wickedly sharp designs that covered the entirety of her diamond body.

Meanwhile, Arlo was in the fight for his life. His crossbow bolt had impacted the tentacle but had been immediately absorbed by its viscous, fluid body. As he was towed through the air the man viciously hacked and stabbed at the offending bindings as it encircled him and he grew closer and closer to the giant crystal itself. The children watched below with blank expression. Slowly Arlo’s arm would begin to feel heavier and heavier as the relaxant effects of the crystal seeped into him.

“Sleep Arlo Creede, and become a new man.” A familiar feminine voice said, directly into his mind. It was Perfection’s voice. It sounded clearer than it ever had, as if being drawn into the massive crystal had brought him closer to her very essence than he had been while speaking with the silver woman below. Regardless of his thoughts on the matter, Arlo was now being drawn into the body of the crystal where a final oppressive wave of sleep fell over him and he was rendered unconscious.
Arlo The crystal was surrounding him, drawing him into its heavy liquid body. He could still breath, but just barely so. The air here was heavy and thick and he lay there before the border of slumber and wakefulness. Then the pressure around him from the massive crystal seemed to vanish and Arlo found himself transported to another place entirely.

A gentle wind buffeted his face, tousling his brown locks. The man stood on the edge of a magnificent cliff overlooking the expanse of Lake Lovalus where blue choppy waves murmured in the distance. The Stormlands lay behind him along with fields upon fields of golden wheat. The weather was perfect to-trial, warm but not uncomfortably so. An impressive flock of Storm Roc’s soared over the lake, diving occasionally to pluck fish from the waters below. Their cries were gleeful and proud.

The events of only trills earlier seemed so distant in Arlo’s mind, as if they were locked behind a barely cracked door. He could remember entering Creeksong Cavern, but not much after finding the hall of mirror crystals…everything was just so fuzzy.

Before he could begin to really enjoy the scenery, a voice spoke from behind him, a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

“Hello son.”

A man with deep set blue eyes and wavy shoulder length brown hair stood there watching Arlo with a measured gaze. He looked very much like Arlo himself, although it was as if he was looking into the future at how he might appear in twenty years. Smile lines and a light sprinkling of crow’s feet decorated the man’s face. He wore a long leather coat made from some exotic leather, and a tan satchel was strapped over his shoulder along with a finely made bow and quiver. Within the satchel, the edge of several books could be seen poking out. This man appeared every bit an adventurer, someone who was unafraid of a little danger if it mean protecting others or learning something new and valuable.

“Are you ready to go? The wind is fair and the road is waiting.” The man gestured towards a dirt path that led further into the Stormlands of Rharne before heading down toward the river. There was a beautiful single masted sloop waiting there where Arlo’s mother Nella Creede stood on the deck waving at him.
Vega With a quick look up at the gigantic crystal Vega would be able to see that Arlo was now trapped inside and unconscious. He floated there, hanging freely as he shifted from time to time, as if he was dreaming. At the roots of his hair near his ears tiny flecks of white could be seen developing just like how the girl had transformed before. The progress of the change was slower than the child’s had been, perhaps because Arlo was older and more resilient than she had been. Regardless, Vega maybe had five or eight bits before the transformation would be complete.

Perfection now stood before the red haired harpy with her fully realized crystalline form. Her blue armor radiated power and her eyes glowed with violent radiance.

“Maybe I underestimated you.” Perfection said with a crystal fanged grin, looking with delight at the red hot sword.

“But I will still shatter you in the end! It’s only a matter of time; you are already so full of cracks.” The needlelike claws extending from Perfection’s gauntleted hands grew to become two and a half foot long blades that she flexed as she stared at them with a pleased expression.

Perfection broke into sprint toward the Biqaj half-blood, her massive bladed claws splayed before she brought them up to block Vega’s powerful blow. Sparks went everywhere, reflecting against the armored woman’s diamond body. Her left claws were nearly sheared in half by the molten sword but they had indeed managed to block it. Stepping back, Perfection hissed as the claws regenerated anew and she turned her attention to launching her own attack. However, whether or not she noticed, a long crack now ran up her diamond arm from the force of Vega’s blow.

Screeching with fury the crystal woman launched herself at the Death Touched Girl, her right hand sweeping her claws upwards toward the other woman’s chest.

[Vega]

"I poggin' well knew it! Yer sad an' lonely an' you've got no friends cos yer as nutty as squirrel dung." Vega shook her head, her own eyes darkening to a deep crimson as she saw what was unfolding. "Arlo!" If he got himself hurt in this, she was going to kill him twice before Saun, she determined. But in order for Arlo to be safe, this thing masquerading as a woman had to die and so Vega grinned at her. "Come on, then, Lonely Crone. Hollow Crone," she was getting to her, Vega recognised and she had to maximise that. "Give it what you've got, Lonely Crone." She swung her sword in her hand, her eyes not dropping from the violet eyes woman. "ARLO! You fight it! FIGHT IT YOU HEAR ME!!! Tell him, Lyova! Tell him I'll bloody kill him!"

But there, there was this woman in her full and shining glory and Vega had to focus now. Focus and trust him to fight, to not give in. To know that his life was out here. "You gonna yip all night, bitch?" Vega replied, when the woman admitted maybe she'd underestimated her. "Maybe my ginger ass, come on, time for you to die, Lonely Crone." Arlo needed to be fighting and Vega needed to be focusing and so, she did not doubt that he was doing what he needed to, just as much as she was.

The woman's claws blocked her, splaying out and Vega had already known that it wasn't going to be that easy. However, she saw the crack form up her arm and a thought entered her head. In a way. In truth, Vega couldn't rightly describe what happened when she fought - but she really wasn't going to start thinking about it or analysing it here. So, as Perfection lunged forward, claws out to Vega's chest, the redhead stepped in an almost dance-like move as she moved outside the swing, turning on her heel so that she simply was not where the blow struck and raising her own sword as she did so. The spin on her heel gave her momentum and with that she put all her strength into the swing of the sword she held, parallel to the floor and slicing across the woman's neck.

Vega used the momentum of her turn, her not inconsiderable strength and she aimed for what would be a weak point in the armour. Whether it was or not, due to the nature of the armour itself, who knew, but that didn't matter. What mattered, more than anything in the world to Eva Lei'nox, as she swung her molten blade with the aim of disconnecting Perfection's head from her shoulders, was that this woman was hurting Arlo and Vega would not stop until that ended.

And as far as Vega understood it, decapitation was usually fatal. So, that was the plan - and how she ensured that she kept up her side of the deal. He'd better be keeping up his, she vowed. Or she was going to get testy.