kapuchu

The Crucible - Winner Take All

Had Lily been more polite, she might not have stared at Carreau as he arrived. As it was, her eyes traced him as he approached, and studied him even through his attempts at humour.

"So you did show up," she said, the corner of her mouth twitching. With a glint in her eyes, she added, "Turns I can trust you after all, if only a little." She pointed to the orb still held in Egon's hand, the map hovering above it. "The small bead of light is our position, and this–" she dragged a nail through the projection, in the direction the drone was facing, stopping once she held her finger over an area of closely set building "–is most likely where my next opponent is. It's closely packed, with lots of places to hide. An ideal place for a trickster like me, but also for marksmen, assassins, sorcerers and the like." She took the orb from Egon's hands, giving him a nod of thanks and held it aloft herself, squinting at the map.

"What about the rest of the way?" Brucie asked, leaning over her shoulder and poked the image himself. "Shouldn't we also check that?"

Lily nodded, and added a small image of a green circle over the area she had previously pointed out. "This is where I expect my opponent to be, but we should still check other places." An elongated shape of green light, going from roughly where the hole in the ground was, to the circle. "Here too. I would like to know how exactly you plan on scouting ahead, Marotte, and how your abilities to remain unseen works. But for now, we should head out. You can tell me on the way." She looked up, meeting the dark eyes of the giant beetle. "I hope you can carry us," she said with a half-smile. "Let's go."

The Crucible - Winner Take All

Lily turned to face her three new companions, offering a wry smile at the fleshy shapeshifter, then took a few seconds to meet the gaze of all three of them in turn. Much as she would have liked to say that she already knew all of their names and what they had said, she had been too far away to accurately read the lips of them, and had only truly understood that the fleshy monstrousity's name was Marotte. She could give educated guesses as to the identities of the other two: Big, covered in chitin, and a lumbering behemoth. He matched the descriptions of the one called I.O, that Carreau had given her the day before. The Cigar-smoking one she knew was Egon, the pyromancer that had been promised her. Long range fighting, and destructive power that she did not possess. She had briefly been introduced to him by Carreau, when first she entered the castle.

She studied each for another moment, letting the silence reign for long enough that Brucie started fidgeting. Not that it said much, as he seemed eager to constantly be doing something, even if it was just eating.

"I believe I owe an... Apology, of sorts," she started slowly, still glancing between them and occasionally shooting a bemused glanced at the raven-borne castle, and looked more and more impatient ever time she did. "I am not quite able to read lips well from this far away, and only on humanoid mouthes," she nodded towards the giant beetle, "so I did not quite catch all of your names, would you mind introducing yourselves again? I am Lily, as I expected you know, and this is Brucie, and finally Mouse." She pointed at first herself, then motioned towards them, and finally her two companions.

The lumbering giant seemed to right himself at her request. No expression showed on him except a slow blink, as he said "I am Immovable Object, but I.O works."

The fleshy being tilted his – its? – head, the garbled voice uttering a single word; "Ma̧͜ro͟͞t͘͞ţ͠e̡." it said.

Lily turned to the last of the three. "And you I already know. You're Egon, we met yesterday." Egon gave a shallow nod and puffed his cigar, and Lily wasn't quite sure how, but he somehow made the very action of doing so look thick with impatience, and probably a healthy dose of annoyance as well.

The warbled sound of Brucie clearing his throat interrupt further talk, everyone turning their attention to him. Even the dog. "What of the bird-man?"

The question prompted Lily to once more look towards the castle, her glance this time becoming more of a glare. This talk of trust and promises, was it really just for show? She made an effort to ease the creases on her brow. Getting angry with Carreau would solve nothing. "He promised he would be here, so I... trust he will be. Who knows, he probably already is."

"That looked hard for you."

"What do you mean, Brucie?" She asked.

Brucie gave what, to him, was a chuckle. "Not thinking the worst of someone." To his credit, Brucie did actually back away when Lily growled at him, but it didn't make him any less amused.

She tore her gaze from Brucie. "Anyway!" She exclaimed, once more giving her tentative allies her attention. "To address what you said earlier, Marotte. Yes, I am a jokester. Or more precisely, a Trickster. I already know the basics of what you three are capable of doing, but you don't know what I can do." She paused, scratching her cheek awkwardly. Though Brucie might have joked, he had been annoyingly right.

"Fire, lightning... Makes people see things," Brucie prompted, counting each item on one of his metallic fingers. She raised on tail and slapped it against his voice-box, earning a puzzled look.

"It's easier if I explain," she muttered and made as if to physically wipe away her exasperation and awkwardness from her face. "As Brucie said, I can conjure both fire and electricity, as well as short range, blasts of force. But they're not my specialty so my destructive power is nothing spectacular. My forté is trickery and illusions, both visual, audible, tactile, and so on." She took a step back to lean up against the boulders she and Brucie had been hiding in during the night. "That is why I specifically requested you three. I.O, your size and defensive power makes up for my own relative fragility. Coupled with your physical strength, you can tackle things head on that would crush me." She aimed a tail at Marotte. "You, as I understand it, is specialised in going unseen, and striking from the shadows. While I can do that myself, I have a somewhat–" she ran her fingers through the hairs of one tail "–striking figure. I can't yet hide them, which makes me easier to see when one the move, than someone whose focus is walking in shadows."

Finally she directed her attention towards Egon, their resident flamethrower, if Carreau was to be believed. "And finally, you have range and power, using both fire and ash if I'm not mistaken."

"She was right, much better explanation than me. Did you know, Mouse?"

Lily continued. "The tournament is in its final stages, and my next one is a semi final match, and I chose you specifically to make sure I have the greatest chances of winning. My ideal scenario, is that Marotte scouts ahead unseen and brings back any information he can get. This way we would avoid any surprises. The drone that's been buzzing since before I woke up, is pointing in the direction of my next opponent, so we'll always know the general direction. Not the distance, however. When it comes to fighting, I will do my part to distract and confuse, even make them piss their pants in fear if need be. I.O, your role will ideally be as a frontliner, either protecting the rest of us, while trying to catch my opponent, and break down any obstacles they put in our path. Egon, I would like your role to be similar to I.O's: Break down obstacles, but from afar, using your magic. Also capture if you can, and generally provide backup. Most importantly, however, and I can't stress this enough, do not kill my opponent. There is no guarantee that my phylactery will get the soul if you do, so restrain them, weaken them, but for the love of Ikari, don't kill my opponents. Not even their allies." She stopped, expelling air through her nose, and looking from one to the other.

"If you have any questions, do ask. But before that, I do have one question for you." She pulled the golden-brass orb from Brucie's bag and tossed it casually towards Egon. "Do any of you know what this is?"

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

I am so sorry for the wait D: I've been lazy. Sorry!

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

Lucie listened with some interest as Adeleia described the various oddities of the new station, that the police force had seen fit to erect. Certainly, there was a use for it, as without it more resources they could never hope to get in the way, of people like the Crime Lords of Prague. It sometimes still amused her, that the police thought themselves capable of fighting on even ground, with criminal juggernauts such as them. The things that were supposedly happening inside this building, weren't quite so amusing however.

She accepted the folder Adeleia handed to her, and flipped through it curiously. As she had been told, there was precious little except statements that sounded suspiciously, like fanciful tales. It was akin to the old stories of hauntings that took place, in almost every building older than its current inhabitants. She had to admit that they sounded like things that were made up, but one could never simply discredit something, just because it was unlikely, and she told Lilian as much.

"Don't discard the possibility," she said and flipped a page in the folder, "that things happen that we can't immediate explain. I am capable of knowing things about certain objects, simply by touching them and willing it to volunteer information to me. You can project your spirit from your body and move around as a spectre. Adam's mental acumen and pattern recognising, is to us, what we are to a dog." She looked up at Lilian, quirking an eyebrow at her. "The common folk do not seriously believe that people with our abilities exist, and yet... Here we are. I think it foolish to assume something to be false, just because it is improbable." She closed the folder and handed it to Lilian, receiving the significantly larger one in turn. She open it with a flick of her finger. "A normal person would laugh in our faces, if we told them of our talents," she finished, almost muttering it.

The reason for her slowly going silent became clearer the more time she spent reading the folder, as her expression became more and more devoid of any noticeable emotion. Even her eyes, so often alight with mischievousness or mirth, or any other emotions like anger and annoyance depending on the situation, became cold.

"I believe my choice has been made," she said and turned a page, though she didn't appear to read it, simply staring at a portion of the page. She took a deep breath through her nose and closed to folder, putting it back on the desk with an almost reverent delicacy. She looked up at Adeleia, meeting that mis-matched gaze. "I know a thing or two about torture, and what it does to a little girl. I do have a few questions, however." She placed her hands in her lap, gripping her dress and sitting up straighter; reverting to old teachings and rules, on how to control what thoughts were mirrored on the outside. "Firstly, what are we to do in case we get into an... accidental confrontation with the staff? And secondly, what possible avenues are there, for solving the issue with this girl? Are we to simply provide an answer to the riddle that is her... condition, or will we have a more active role in securing a better future for her?"

The Three Realms War [Act II] [DMC/Bayonetta/Darksiders Crossover]

The low buzz of their wings was the only companion to Lily and Cassandra as they flew on ahead, scouting the area in favour of waiting for the angels to catch up. For Lily, at least, it was an excuse to have a few moments to spend without the company of angels. For Cassandra, it was a case of curiosity, as she wanted to see more of this new land, strange as it was.

Where Lily's attention was aimed straight ahead at the looming pillars, Cassandra's gaze swept back and forth between the various trees, shrubs, and bushes. Colours, shapes, so many it was hard even for her to take in. A wide smile blossomed at her lips at just seeing the wild beauty of this place, untouched by intelligent life for so long, that the natural world reigned supreme. Even her mother's exclamation could not stop her from swooping down to snatch a flower, a branch carrying violet berries, and particularly large leaf from a tree.

"Careful!" Lily admonished, giving her a sidelong glance. "We don't know what's down there."

"Flowers," Cassandra retorted cheerfully and extended the flower, its yellow petals curling back to expose the pollen-covered stamen. "Belle. It smells wonderful, and there are many of them." Lily rolled her eyes but took the flower, bringing it to her nose and carefully sniffing it. One of her eyebrows rose and she tilted her head in an agreeable manner, giving the flower back to Cassandra.

"Just don't eat the berries," she said, drawing out the last word as something drew her attention and she looked away. Following her gaze, Cassandra saw something like a shadow that went into the pillar itself, as if a cave.

"I won't," she said, then pointed with the branch towards the cave opening. "The entrance, oui?"

Lily nodded, slowing down until she was just hovering a few dozen metres from the opening. Glancing around, she saw the the flora that had so intrigued Cassandra, but little else if one did not count the angel entourage still a ways behind them. They had encountered no resistance so far, and spotted not even the simplest hint of any guards or defences. There was the barrier in the sky to contend with, but they had both chosen to ignore that one. The immediate defences to protect the Seals had always been incredibly powerful, and sure of her own strength as Lily was, she was not arrogant enough to think she could match the power of the Charred Council. At least not yet.

"Something the matter, Mére?"

"We're missing something," Lily replied and swept her gaze over the land below and around, her eyes shifting from slitted and blue, to round and deep yellow like those of a hawk. Her vision immediately sharpened, enabling her to see in far greater detail than before. Critters in the foliage became visible, even the lizards and other slightly larger animals that tried to hide in the trees, became visible to her, and yet she found nothing that bespoke of any defences surrounding the pillars. "Nothing," she muttered, her eyes regaining their slitted pupil and icy-blue colour.

Now it was Cassandra's turn to look around in search of... something. Whatever she was looking for she did not find it. Like her mother, she found nothing but wood, leaves, petals and branches everywhere, half of which one animal or other lounged upon. "Patrol?" She asked, fluttering a short distance ahead and pointed past the pillar with the cave entrance. "Too thick to fly all the way around, but we can look near the edges, and see if there are any dangers? Even if the angels are not very likeable, we need to work together to complete the mission."

If Lily noticed the mention of the angels, and she likely did but chose to ignore it, she made no notice of it. She nodded and inclined her head in the same direction her daughter was pointing. "Good idea. Defending the Seal is the most important, so we'll need to be careful." She smirked. "No use being lax when Fenn is nowhere to be found, to be impressed by how effortlessly I solve our problems."

"Your rivalry with that wolf will bring you no end of trouble," Cassandra said shaking her head. She let the branch and leaves drop, but stuck the flower in her hair behind her ear, and motioned forward. "Let's go."

"Please, I'm much stronger than that pup," Lily scoffed, but Cassandra wasn't there to hear it, having already sped off. Her lips pressed together in a thin line as annoyance momentarily overtook her, but was shaken off. There were more important things to do, and so she took off after Cassandra. She quickly caught up and directed her attention downwards to the trees below, her eyes once more becoming round and yellow like a hawk's.

The forest was as dense as it had ever been, allowing for few openings between the trees. What few clearings they did see offered little in the way of information, save the presence of various animals, and provided some more insight into the exotic plants that made this island their home. Speaking of home, she spotted dozens of critters, from snakes to rodents, to what was probably small primates jumping between the branches.

"Find anything?" She asked loudly, not looking at Cassandra.

"Non," her daughter replied, nearly shouting over the wind rushing past them. She slowed down until she was hovering. Ahead of her Lily did the same, albeit slower. She tore her eyes from the ground beneath and cast her gaze towards the horizon, both in front of- and behind them. "There is the empty place in front of the entrance, and a few clearings in the forest, but nothing important." She turned and faced the way they had come, and in the distance they could just spot the light reflection off of the angels' armour. They were getting closer to the entrance of the cavern, and it wouldn't be long before they reached the entrance.

Lily followed her gaze, also noticing the glinting armour. She wrinkled her nose at the ostentatiousness of it, but said nothing of it. Now wasn't the time. "Let's head back," she said, taking off at the same time as Cassandra. The lack of anything of note was not quite a cause for concern, but it did rub her the wrong way. This was supposed to be a place where the Seal was located, and there were no defensive measures taken of any note. The sky was blocked by some sort of barrier, but beyond that there was... nothing. Things that were unassuming were often more dangerous than one gave them credit for. Venus Flytraps were not particularly intimidating, but for the unlucky that got too close, it was certain death. She herself made use of this principle, and was one of the reasons she almost universally appeared as a mortal woman. Few could peer past her disguise, and so would underestimate her, and even those who realised her demonic nature, were prone to assuming that she was weak given her small stature, compared to many demons.

The current situation was evoking the same feeling in her, as she aimed to instil in others. It was too simple. Paranoia was not a feeling she was known to feel, but even so there were warning bells ringing in her mind.

"You're realising it too, oui?"

Lily glanced at Cassandra, meeting her worried gaze. She nodded.

"No threats or protection around. Must be deadly inside. We should warn the angels and–No, mother, don't look at me like that. No matter how much you dislike the angels, we have a common goal." Though she was the child of the demoness, and thus far younger, the fierceness of the stare she aimed at Lily, had much the same effect on her as it did her own children. Lily averted her gaze, her eyes forward, but still listening. "They are not the nicest of people, but so long as we try to do the same thing, we should at least help each other."

Lily sighed, very clearly disliking the idea. She knew Cassandra was right, but it wasn't something her pride allowed for easily. Angels annoyed her at the best of times with their hypocrisy, but now was not a time for it to get in the way. If she wanted to get what she aimed for, now was the time for cooperation. She remained silent, but the decision must have shown on her face for she spotted something, akin to a proud smile on Cassandra's lips out the corner of her eye.

The next minute was passed in silence, either contemplative or content, depending on which of the two you asked. When next one of them spoke, they were near enough to have the cave entrance within view once more. What they saw did not make matters more pleasant, rather it reinforced the theory they had both agreed upon.

"Golem," Cassandra said as the boulders rose and locked together, her words almost lost in the passing wind. They were still far enough away that they attacks would almost certainly miss.

The angels, however, were in no such predicament, and immediately started their assault, but whatever this golem was made of, it was tough enough to withstand the initial strikes, without them harming it at all. The lesser angels, it seemed, did not take this fact very well, and if not for her daughter's presence, Lily would not have even bothered hiding the smile, that tried to worm its way onto her lips. Only the one with the most sparkling armour stood his ground, drawing a–Lily froze for split second, eyes widening as the angel drew his weapon. It's actually a Golden sword? For the love of all that is smithing, I don't know what to say.

Beside her, faint mist surrounded Cassandra before coalescing, and forming into two spears hovering in the air beside her. She frowned, and didn't look away from the golem as she spoke. "Shall we?"

Lily nodded. She didn't like the angel, but he was an ally, however tenuous. Reaching inside, she grasped hold of her internal fire and called it forth, cloaking her body in Elemental flames. "Let's kill it," she said and fired a plume of fire at the golem, followed immediately by Cassandra's Projected spears.

As the adrenaline slowly kicked in, informing the rest of both Lily and Cassandra's bodies that a fight was starting, the elder demoness couldn't help but grin. Time to show them what we demons can do

The Crucible - Winner Take All

The 'Trio' stood silent and listened to the mummufied gunman, each hardly moving. Lily gave a simple, brief nod when he had stopped speaking, but otherwise said nothing. Not even when said gunman started to shift and confort, did they react. They watched with impassionate eyes at the grotesque transformation of the one known as Marotte happened before them, Lily's eyes meeting those of Marotte without blinking.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" She said at length, arms crossed. Even Brucie, standing beside her, seem not in the least put off by the fleshy spectacle that had just occurred in front of them. She ignored the mockery of anatomy before her, instead looking off to the side, where moments later came the sound of something large walking closer. The hulking form reminiscent of a beetle appeared, appearing gentle even in spite of its immense size, and power were she to guess. Following him was the cloud of smoke that formed itself into a vaguely humanoid shape clad in a suit and looked to be smoking a cigar.

When he mentioned people not trusting them, 'Lily' smiled. "You're quite right," she said, and vanished, followed by both Brucie and Mouse disappearinging in a theatrical puff of smoke as well. Down on the ground, beside one of the larger boulders that still littered the ground, the white fur of Lily's tails suddenly stood in stark contrast to the background, having seemingly not been there moments before. She looked up at them, the smug smile on her lips lost over the distance. When next she said something, it came as a whisper in their minds directly. "I may trust the words of your master, but you I have never shared words with." The voice ceased, and down below the real Lily toyed with the end of her braid thoughtfully, garnering a curious glanced from Brucie and a yawn from the small dog. "I would appreciate it if you came to me, not the other way around. Cautious of homefield advantage, you understand."

She cut off the connection and returned the look Brucie had been given her.

"Isn't it a bit rude?" He asked her, scratching his neck beside the voicebox. "Pretending to meet them, then show that you didn't."

Lily shrugged and tossed her braid back over her shoulder. "Maybe, but as you could see, Marotte made quite the effort to trick and scare me." She looked up at him and proclaimed innocently, "Why, if I had been more jumpy I might have attacked him right then and there."

It was a strange thing to be on the receiving end of a glaring hammerhead shark. Primarily because each eye was nearly in her own peripheral were he to face her directly, so he had to tilt his head to one side, making just one eye be the one through which he communicated his thoughts on what she had said. "I've been with you long enough to know that's not the case," he told her, and they both knew it was true. "You were testing them to see if we could trust them."

She narrowed her eyes and held his gaze for a moment. "You're right," she said with a lopsided smile. "Am I rubbing off on you, or are you just becoming more perceptive all on your own?"

He shrugged and looked upwards the front gates again, perhaps wondering how long it would take them to come reach him and Lily. "Probably bit of both. Kinda have to think differently to even follow half of what you do. Not always sure where you even are."

"But isn't that the fun part?"

Brucie grunted, but didn't otherwise reply.

The Three Realms War [Act II] [DMC/Bayonetta/Darksiders Crossover]

The missions that were available were basic at best, dealing with either simple defence or discovery, and very little chance for anything exciting to happen. After the humiliating failure of the angel's back in the forest, being near so many of them, and forced to not get into a fight, had put some strain on Lily's control over herself. She itched to do something, be it a simple brawl or just anything that could get the blood pumping.

She had partially gotten that wish fulfilled, when the oddity that was Malvvosia had appeared. The new demoness had been off-putting, not because she was inhuman–Lily was, after all, inhuman herself in more than one aspect–but rather because she seemed to try to be humour, yet failed spectacularly. Some humans might be scared by that juxtaposition, but to Lily it just came off as off-putting. It made her realise that she didn't like Malvvosia very much. If one wanted to mimic humanity, at least give them to honour of doing it well, as she herself did.

She shook her head and forced those thoughts away, returning to the present and her daughter beside her. They had found an isolated spot in the city, windowless buildings to one side and a railing to the other, keeping them from falling down into the water, quite a ways down below.

"I think it's time I taught you a new trick," she said, interrupting Cassandra as she was drawing. She was sketching the view beyond the railing with astonishing detail, Lily noticed. She had even drawn algae that covered the rocks that shot up from the water.

Cassandra quickly put the sketch and pens back in her pack, "What trick?" She asked, standing up.

"You know that the way I usually fight, I never use all of my strength? Only drawing a fraction from it at a time?"

She nodded. "You use your cat, dragon, and flame forms," she said, counting each on her fingers. "One is fast, one strong, and the other... fiery. Together, they're the original 'you'."

"You remember," Lily said. "Good. I want to teach you the same–Don't give me that look, Fayette, it's not that hard." She chuckled at Cassandra's look of bewilderment, as if she honestly didn't believe her. "It's based on shapeshifting, but different. Think of your demonic form not as a whole, but as several individual pieces, that, when combined, becomes 'devil trigger'–or whatever the humans call it–then isolate one of those pieces, and shape your body to fit that piece."

Cassandra pursed her lips, fingers idly toying with her earrings as she mulled it over. The gears spinning within her head were almost audible, Lily thought.

"So, like if I were to choose my wings...?" She let the question hang in the air.

Lily nodded and stepped closer to Cassandra, putting one hand on the middle of her back. "Yes. I was thinking of your wings as well. You can't fly outside of your demon form, but if you learned to do this, you could." She pressed two fingers into the upper back of her back, making her wince, and once again a short ways down her back. "I know it hurts, but it's a good way of reminding you where they should be," she said when Cassandra shot her an unamused glare. "Your wings comes in two pairs, not one like I make mine. Now remember, isolate that piece of your demon self, and will your body to change." She took a step back, giving Cassandra space. "Just like with your hair colour."

Cassandra nodded and closed her eyes. Things like this were already easier said than done, but she'd had nearly a hundred years of practice with her shapeshifting. She had never been as good as Lily, and she likely wouldn't ever be. Supposedly she had more potential than her mother did–Lily always assured her that she could become strong if she applied herself to it–but she had a hard time believing it. She had become her superior in swordfighting, certainly, but she had also focused on that, made it her speciality.

"Focus," came Lily's voice.

"I am," Cassandra muttered, nose wrinkling.

"I can see by your face that you aren't."

"Je suis!" She exclaimed, annoyed.

"Wouldn't be making your thinking face if you were."

Cassandra cracked open one eye, mock-glaring as best she could at Lily, and received only a knowing smirk in return. She sighed and closed her eyes again, this time focusing on the matter at hand. She had been provided with a number of places to focus on, courtesy of Lily's sharp nails. While not painful, she could still feel it. She took a deep breath and held it as she crafted the image of her demon self in her mind's eye. The intricate and swirling markings that covered her body, the monochrome eyes and, lastly, the two wings she possessed in all their iridescent and kaleidoscopic glory.

She let go of the breath through her nose, and snipped the wings from the image of herself and let everything except the wings fade from her mind. She could see the 'roots' of her wings, where they connected with her body. Each root, she connected with the faint sensations still on her back. That done, she did as she had done so many times before, only on a larger scale. She told her body to change, focusing on the sliver of her true form that were her wings, and where she had mentally connected them to her natural body.

"Good," came a distant voice from the outside. Lily, most likely. "Continue."

She needed no encouragement, and continued the change. Neural pathways, muscles, and sinew came as if from nowhere, her body rearranging itself to suit her desires. She felt a brief sensation of resistance, pushed harder, and broke through it. She heard a hum of approval that fell away to anticipatory silence.

She let her eyes flutter open, feeling something alien on her back. She looked up at her mother, who wordlessly conjured a full sized mirror. She stood up and turned sideways, looking at herself in the mirror. "I did it," she said, smiling at the quadret of wings now attached to her back. They were more like a dragonfly's wings, than the butterfly-like ones she possessed in her demon form; the top pair angled upwards, and elongated, tapering to a rounded point. The bottom pair were angled downwards, and were slightly smaller than the top pair, and all four responded readily to her commands.

"Add a pair of pointy ears, and your appearance would mirror your namesake," Lily told her and let the mirror-projection fade back into mist.

"Fayette," Cassandra said trying to suppress a chuckle. "Little Fairy, indeed... I should've known I'd poke holes in my shirt. Merde."

---

Cassandra, now with a quadret of holes in the back of her shirt, had begun to eagerly sketch the shoreline as soon as it came within view. She had to erase and redraw the stone pillars again and again, seeing as they never seemed to stay the same size, and only became larger the closer they got. Though she knew it was a matter of perspective, it still made her nose wrinkle in annoyance. Lily had remained quiet during the travel, alternating between watching her daughter's charcoal pencil race across the paper like a dragonfly doing its mating dance over a lake, and keeping an eye out for any other dangers that might choose to get in their way.

Lily jumped off the boat as soon as they made landfall, the feeling of coarse sand under her bare feet one she had been missing for longer than she cared to admit. She breathed in deeply, for the moment ignoring everything else around her in favour of just a moment of quiet. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes were drawn to the same pillars Cassandra had been sketching earlier. She listened with half an ear to the briefing they were all given, but as soon as she sensed, that little more was to be said, she let a pair of fae-like wings sprout from her back; this time without tearing holes in her clothes thanks to the open back of her shirt. She jumped into the air, wings buzzing behind her, and started towards the nearest of the pillars, intent on searching for whatever entrance had been found.

Cassandra watched her fly away, staring at the open-backed shirt the elder Demon wore, thinking that it might have been a good idea for her to change as well, before they had gone out to the mission. Alas, she was left with a shirt that still had four holes in it, one from each of her newly acquired appendages. She glanced over her shoulder at them. They were all angled downwards now so as to take up less space, and glittered in the sunlight, light refracting through them and covering her back in a whirl of colours. Pretty as it was to look at, they had a mission to complete, so with a thought she spread them out as they had been when she first 'made' them, and with another propelled herself into the air and hovered a good ten feet off the ground.

She turned and was about to follow Lily when a masculine voice called out behind her, causing her to stop and looked over her shoulder. It was one of the angels, the new ones. He had been giving her the stink-eye throughout the entire journey, but now was the first time he spoke to her, and of course he's giving orders. I'm starting to think Mother might not be entirely wrong around them. At least this one fits her stereotype. She turned around and gave him her best, most innocent smile she could muster. Having been everything from daughter, to mother, to great-grandmother, it was a look she had practised and perfected for over a century–perfected both by using it herself and having it used against her.

"Of course, Sir Angel," she said sweetly. "I always respect and follow the orders, of those both wiser and more intelligent than I am." She let their eyes meet, waved at him, then turned and flew off in pursuit of Lily, Mallus already forgotten, and eager to learn more about this new and strange place.

The Crucible - Winner Take All

The sound of small rocks hitting metal caused Lily to stir back to consciousness. She opened her eyes to see Brucie standing not far off, looking up at the giant bird, that made up the base of Carreau's Castle. They had found a place where debris from the stalagmites and stalagtites, had formed a small hideyhole, just large enough for the three of them to stay out of sight together. She untangled herself from her tails, revealing Brucie who had been sleeping in her lap. She shook him awake and lifted him off of her, much to his visible dismay.

She stood and stretched, feeling the soreness of yesterday's battles coming back to her. The flask she had been given healed her well enough, but still her muscles ached slightly from suddenly being used more than they were used to. She had gotten lazy in the last few years, and decided she would have to rectify that.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked and undid her braid, letting it fall free for its full length.

Brucie turned to face her, casting one last look at the towering bird, and said, "Six-seven hours, I think. No clock, or sun down here to tell." He walked over to where Mouse was now lying, next to the bag still half-filled with pastries and bread. He dug into it and pulled out a few, left some on the floor for Mouse to gnaw on while he put the rest in his own mouth. He then leaned back against one of the large rocks that made up their hiding place and quietly watched Lily work on re-tying the braid. "How do you manage that?" He asked.

Lily stopped her work and looked at him. "Manage what?"

"Your hair." He pointed to the tips of it. "It's at your knees almost. How do you deal with it? Just having hair makes my head feel itchy."

She snorted, and returned her attention to her hair. "Practice, patience, and habit," she said and redid the pins that held it near her head, then started working on the braid proper. "Had it this long since forever. Just got used to it. Also braiding it makes it shorter, in a way, so it only goes to my hips." She looked up from where her hands were deftly weaving her hair together into her trademark braid. "This'll take a while. Could you keep an eye out for the castle? If it's been about as long as you say, they're probably going to start coming out soon."

"Roger," Brucie said and returned to his earlier perch, this time looking straight towards the castle-topped bird.

The quiet peace that she often enjoyed from the simple act of braiding her hair, was robbed of her not moments later, when the whirring sound of a small machine shattered the quiet around them. She looked over to the side where the familiar drone hovered in place, albeit at an upwards angle. She was about to simply ignore the buzzing of its propellers turned into beeps, eliciting an exasperated flick of her ears.

"Just the drone," she called over to Brucie, having heard his curious grunt at the sound of the beeping. She turned her attention back to it just as the recording began, the sound of the pompous 'narrator' already souring her mood with his first few words. Nevertheless, she listened, and it turned out, that, for once, listening to this baboon was important. She was in the semi-finals, that much she already knew. It was what came next that chilled her blood, and fanned the flames of the familiar feeling of vitriol. Her teeth clenched and jaw tightened almost of their own accord, and she had to fight from clenching her fists hard enough to puncture her own skin.

Of course. It had to have been too good to be true. Of course there was more to the tournament than just a college, that wanted to see humans, monsters and more fight to the death to get their heart's desire. With the message over and delivered, Lily was left shaking; her entire body tensed up like a spring. Mouse must have noticed her anger, for her walked over to where she was standing and pushed against her leg, trying to get her attention. Only when she opened her eyes and unclenched her fists did he stop, instead now looking up at her with a curiously tilted head. She crouched down and put her hand on his head, scratching him behind the ears as she remembered the breathing exercises she had been taught, to control her anger. She breathed in, then out, using the presence of Mouse as an anchor.

When she opened her eyes again, what must have been minutes later, her anger was gone and instead replaced with determination. Fuelled by the fires of her defiance and the lingering embers of her temper, that never quite seemed to quiet, but determined nonetheless. The college, or whoever was behind it, had brought them here for something. They had dangled what she desired the most right in front of her nose, and she would be damned if they were going to snatch it away from her.

The College wanted to fight her? Bring it. Her hands were already drenched in blood, had been for years. A few more humans who dared get in her way wouldn't weigh anymore on her conscience.

She stood up straight and headed towards Brucie, stopping a few metres short, looked towards him and then disappeared.

Brucie, who had been watching her approach in his peripheral started, looking intently at where she had been moments before. "Lily?" He asked aloud. "Y'there?"

"Walk towards me," she replied.

He dutifully obeyed and trudged towards her, still glancing back at the castle every other second. The fifth time he did so, and looked back, Lily had reappeared. "See you again," he told her to which she nodded, a satisfied looked in her eyes.

"I had an idea," she explained. "Normally I can't really move while invisible. Walk very, very slowly at best. Being in his castle gave me an idea." The look Brucie gave her was... reading the shark was always a challenge, but she seemed to notice a glimmer of incomprehension in his beady eyes. "You know what, take five steps back, wait a few seconds, then five steps forward again, okay?"

He nodded and did as she asked, first marching five steps backwards. At the fifth step his expression changed to something that could look like comprehension, and he gave a metallic thumb's up in the general direction of Lily. He walked forward again, and she came into view immediately upon his second step. "You disappeared when I walked away!" He exclaimed.

"I did. Like I said, if I just make myself invisible I can hardly move without breaking it. But, if I create a bubble of illusory of magic in an area, I can use it like a film, where I filter out anything I don't want the person inside to see. Looks," she nodded behind Brucie, and as he turned she made the dome she had created moments earlier opaque. It was perhaps half a dozen metres in diametre, and stopped just behind Brucie. "You were inside that, and I filtered myself out." She smiled. "I decided you couldn't see me, but you could see everything else. I might be able to do the opposite as well, giving myself a wider area of invisibility, but I haven't tried yet."

She turned towards the castle on the crow, where she was beginning to spot activity in the windows, lights turning on and the like.

"Bird-Man is waking up," Brucie muttered beside her.

Lily nodded. "He, and his entourage of weirdos."

The Three Realms War [Act II] [DMC/Bayonetta/Darksiders Crossover]

Lily had heard the approaching newcomer before she saw them, but didn’t react to it. Cassandra caught her eyes as she noticed the approaching woman, but received only a nod; an acknowledgement that she had noticed it too. She kept talking as if nothing had happened, ignoring the existence of the stranger until, finally, she came close enough to be heard, at which point she energetically introduced herself. The title she used grated on Lily’s nerves but it was a level of irritation she could easily keep hidden. Cassandra simply quirked an eyebrow at it, glancing cautiously at the golden-haired woman.

Privately, in her own mind, Cassandra thought it somewhat amusing that her mother’s silver-white hair was offset by the golden-blonde of the other woman. Entertaining though it was, there were still alarm bells ringing.

Neither Cassandra nor her mother had met this person before, that much was easy to spot due to how silent Lily had become. Not only that, but years of living with her had taught Cassandra to spot the subtle expression, that showed up even when her mother did her best to stay unexpressive.

Mist, like millions of glittering tiny specks, started appearing around them in a cloud, as Lily finally deigned the meet the eyes of Malvvosia, as she had introduced herself. She found herself annoyed at the title, finding it far too much like those of the angels’. Pretentious. Arrogant. She decided in this moment that there was very little chance of her getting to like this individual, but it did raise the question as to the identity of Malvvosia. Friend, foe, or something else?

Most likely something else, she told herself and narrowed her eyes, letting the silence reign. She noticed the odd irises the other possessed; orange. Not a colour possible for a human, save for whatever few stumbled upon some sort of magic. She also had not reacted the way other humans had. Lily knew how those of the third realm reacted when they saw her in her current form, and it was always either wonderment, awe, or lust. Malvvosia possessed none of these, and the eyes…

“You’re a demon,” she said and it wasn’t a question.

Malvvosia smiled wide, showing all her teeth and stretching her face somewhat to pull off such a large grin. The smile continued to grow and began to almost completely wrap around her head. Her form fluxed and undulated, limbs elongated, features blackened, and an extra set of eyes sprouted from her forehead. Without lowering her hand for the handshake she had yet to receive Malvvosia transformed into her more prefered appearance, giving her wings a flap and sending ragged feathers all over the place. “Perceptive thing you are. Was it the eyes? It’s always the eyes. For some reason I can’t get them a regular colour. Orange was the best I could muster.”

“Among other things,” Lily replied calmly, “especially your lack of reaction to seeing two creatures neither demon, angel, nor human.”

Malvvosia managed to smile just a touch wider, any more the ends of each side of her mouth would touch behind her head. She left her hand raised, still awaiting the handshake she had initially offered. Mal began to wonder if the demoness before her was familiar with the human ritual. “I’ve been around for a while. Takes something particularly… out of my ordinary… to elicit a reaction.”

“More extraordinary than someone more beautiful than is physically possible?” asked Cassandra, taking a step forward to be beside Lily. She had her arms crossed, staring up at the large demon without fear. She’d seen her mother’s true form, at once less spectacular and more intimidating than this amalgamation of feathers and shadow. “Either your life has been truly spectacular, or you’re lying.”

“Or she just does not think like humans do, Fayette,” Lily said and glanced down at the still offered hand. She reached out and took it, allowing some of her demonic strength to come through her disguise, squeezing harder than she had to, while smiling grimly up at this Malvvosia. “But very well then, I am Lily. No superfluous titles.”

Malvvosia gently shook Lily’s hand, quite pleased to have finally had the gesture acknowledge. She was surprised to find the demoness was clearly trying to squeeze harder than the ritual called for. She wondered if it was some demon variant and squeezed back, doing her best to match the other demons strength, though she found it difficult to restrain herself that much. Upon hearing Lily’s comment about titles Malvvosia’s smile vanished in a flash and she took up a look of sadness and concern “Oh no! That is truly terrible. They are great fun. You should ask a human to help you come up with one, humans have the best titles. I once attended a party where it took a gentleman a full minute to list all of his. I ended up having to kill him, but he did have such a wonderful name. I believe his tombstone was thrice as large to accommodate it.” Malvvosia then realized she had not yet introduced herself to the other demon present and so held out her free hand “Pleasure to meet you. I am Malvvosia, Thrasher of False Kings.” As she said her title again she looked back to Lily and gave a smile.

Where Cassandra remained inexpressive when the title was repeated, Lily’s eyes narrowed. She knew Cassandra wasn’t complacent—the mist surrounding them was evidence of that—but she was starting to get more and more vexed at Malvvosia. She reached out and put her hand on Malvvosia’s wrist, pushing her hand down and out of the way. A clear sign, which Cassandra picked up on.

“I think there have been enough introductions,” the Half-Demon said. “My name is Cassandra, if you need to know.”

“And again, with no titles,” Lily added quickly after Cassandra. “I could regale you with dozens I have received over the centuries, but they are ultimately useless and serve no purpose. My name is all you need to know if you are to interact with me.” She took half a step forward, putting herself in the way of Cassandra should anything happen. “But that is besides the point. I have not seen you before, so you are not with the council. What are your intentions here? Whose side are you on?” She smiled grimly, wide enough that her elongated canines, akin to fangs, showed. “And might I suggest you answer well, because if your goals run contrary to mine, you will be dead before you can cry for help.”

“I suppose I don’t need to know.” Malvvosia wasn’t too happy her handshake had been rebuked but did her best to avoid showing her displeasure. She became more displeased as the demoness mocked the titles she found so pleasing. When the other woman made her threat Mal’s initially good mood had vanished.

She no longer smiled and instead wore a frown that could stretch as large as her smile. Not that anyone could see her frown as it was only the whites of her teeth that revealed her expressions, and her teeth were not showing at that moment. Either she had been mistaken in her decision to introduce herself to the pair or she had managed to anger them somehow.

In any other case Malvvosia would have killed someone who upset her so without a second thought, but she wished to help protect the humans. Confident in her skills as she was she knew, she could not fight off the forces of heaven and hell alone and would need help. There were no other options, she had to ally herself with others. “I am here to protect humanity and its’ world. I do not care for you, or any other being but them. And before you threaten someone you should learn a thing or two about them first. I have killed more angels and demons then hairs on that vain head of yours. If, and that if is weak and impotent if indeed, you managed to kill me you would die but mere moments later from the wounds I left you with.” Malvvosia said every word with the confidence, that one can only earn from having actually done the things they boast of. “If you wish to protect the seals, we are not enemies.” At that, Lily’s lips twitched upwards.

Malvvosia, having addressed every word to Lily thus far, then turned her attention towards Cassandra, the half-demon calmly meeting the gaze of the much larger demon. “As for you. I have seen true beauty, and this creature,” Mal gestured towards Lily, “pales in comparison to them. There is no angel or demon that can match the beauty of a human. We are fake, our features carefully molded by the hands of a deeper power than we understand. You think Lily is beautiful? I see a work of art to be sure, but that is far from a compliment. Any skilled artisan can make something beautiful beyond reality, especially when that artisan can bend reality to its’ whims. It takes a truly special artisan to be able to dip their hands into the chaos of existence and pull out anything but. And yes, my life has been truly spectacular as I have had the good fortune, the honor, to spend it amongst humanity.”

Lily sighed, then giggled, but not condescendingly, or out of pity. Rather it was out of genuine mirth. The words of Malvvosia might have impressed anyone else, but to Lily they were a joke. “You are not the first to underestimate me,” she said having quelled her laughter. She looked up, narrowing her eyes and tilted her head to the side as she met Malvvosia’s eyes. “Nor will you be the last. But sit upon your tall branch for all you like, it’ll need but a breeze to snap it after all,” she added cryptically. She looked over her shoulder and caught Cassandra’s eyes, giving her a shallow nod. “She’s not an enemy, and she isn’t dangerous. You can relax.” Cassandra dipped her chin, the barest sign of acknowledgement, and the mist around them disappeared.

Malvvosia, either not noticing the mist or not caring, bent low to look Lily in the eyes on equal levels “I do not underestimate anyone, or anything. I do not think any being beneath me, which is why I make a point to rise up and surpass others. My threat comes not from an underestimation of you, but from confidence in myself to rise to your level should you prove to be above mine. If I say you would die but moments after, it is not because I think you lesser, but because I would make it so.”

Lily shrugged, a playful smile on her lips. “If you say so, but a confrontation between us would go contrary to our common goals, so let us leave at this shall we?” Her smile widened into a brief grin, before she reigned in her expression. She continued in a casual tone, “But if there i—” Cassandra silenced Lily with hand on her shoulder, earning the half-demon a puzzled look.

“I’d like to say something, mama,” Cassandra said. “S'il vous plaît?”

A second passed, the demoness’ brows furrowing before she quietly took a step back and let her daughter take the lead.

Cassandra looked up at Malvvosia, her gaze flitting between each of the four eyes of the demon, curious rather than calculating. “I think you misunderstand humanity,” she said carefully after a while. “You claim to have lived among them, as have my mother for millennia, but moreso than you two I am part of it. My father was a human, one of the best of their kind, and I think you are very wrong.”

“Humanity is not beautiful. It is ugly. Disorganised. A chaotic mess of cultures and peoples that at once both want to love and kill each other. They lie, they scheme, they murder and take advantage of each other at every turn, because that is just who they are.” She paused, pressing her lips into a thing line, her brows furrowing.

Behind her, Lily smiled. There was a fire in Cassandra’s words, one that reminded her of a small child from decades ago. This was her daughter, a demon and a human, and the best of both worlds. The power of the demons, and the defiance of humanity.

Cassandra continued, looking down. “You call humans real, and both daemons and angels fake… but I think it’s the other way around. Humans lie, cheat, and put on masks, but daemons revel in what they are, revel in their power and what they are. If a daemon is wrathful, you will know. If a daemon is greedy, you will know. If a daemon is prideful,” she glanced briefly over her shoulder at Lily, a glint in her eyes, then looked back at Malvvosia, “you will know. And angels are the same—Try as they might to justify their actions, they never hide what they want; control. And while others may see it as tyranny, they’ll see it as peace. As being Right. But not humans. You call yourself the Thrasher of False Kings, so surely you have met kings—humans—who were not what they pretended to be… And yet, maybe none of what I have said thus far is true.”

She held out her hands, palms up, and above them three small, transparent figures sprang into existence. One had feathery wings, another had hooves and horn, and a third, in the centre, had neither. It was plain, and like any human you would see on the street. The images hovered up until they were eye level with Malvvosia. “We may look different,” she continued slowly, the image of a small, beating heart, and a brain appearing in each of the figures, “but we are all the same inside. We all carry the same seven sins, the same beating hearts, and in the end we all think the same, too.” She pressed her palms together, the figures vanishing.

“My mother is beautiful beyond compare, any human would agree,” she said calmly. “She is no more false than you, or I, or the angels. Because though we may look different, we are alike as people. Her ability to become another, is no more fake than a human woman’s cosmetics, oui?”

If not because it would have ruined the mood and any effect the speech might have had, Lily might have applauded the speech. Though there were some things she disagreed with, the greater whole she could get behind. She settled for a wide smile instead, corners of her eyes crinkling as pride for her daughter swelled in her chest.

Malvvosia tilted her head and regarded Cassandra for a while. While everything she said was the naive ramblings of a child, it still showed a deeper level of thoughtfulness she was not used to seeing in those of her kind. Mal reasoned that might be attributed to Cassandra’s better half. The young half-demon seemed to view all beings as being equal, a laughable thought, but an earnest one. Malvvosia smiled her wide smile and laughed heartily, the top of her head threatening to come off as it was only attached to the rest of her body by a small tab on the back of her head. “Oh my, even when only half of you is there you’re so deeply interesting.” Mal did her best to quell her laughter though it took a moment, something which Lily noticed. “My apologies Sunflower...oh wait. You had given me your name...Cassandra. My apologies Casssssssandra.” Malvvosia liked the way that name rolled off her tongue and elected to start naming humans after the half-demon before her. “You are mistaken, but, you are the best kind of mistaken. I do hope you live as long as I for I have no doubts you will find more truth than either one of us knows right now.”

Malvvosia giggled and turned to Lily “I do not like you one bit and I regret choosing you to befriend. But I pay my compliments all the same as your daughter is shaping up rather well. You should set her loose on the world for a few millennia.” Malvvosia straightened up and laughed heartily one more, causing both Lily and Cassandra to tense up.

While not as volatile as her mother, Cassandra was not without her own pride, and the way with which she was treated tested even her patience. She breathed in deeply through her nose, placing on hand on her chest, and breathed out through her mouth.

“I appreciate your compliments,” she said slowly, interrupting Lily who had just opened her mouth to say something herself, “and yet I am still sorry, that you are unable to see the world as I see it. You pretend to know humans, to speak for us, and to know what we are really like, but you don’t really understand what it’s all about, what we are about.” She looked upon Malvvosia with something like pity, as if she really felt sorry at the demon’s inability to accept that she was in error. “The same arrogance and certainty of your own importance I see in both humans and angels. You may say your title is just for fun, but your acceptance of it tells us that you consider yourself above others—worthy of judging them. Of judging us. If you truly thought humanity superior, you would not allow yourself to judge them. Only our peers can judge each other, and until you realise that none are superior over the other, you will remain ignorant.” She shook her head and stepped away. “I hope you are willing to learn. Until next time, Malvvosia, and thank you for wanting to protect this world.” She smiled sadly at her and turned, saying no more, having surprised even Lily with both her tone and words.

Yet the elder demoness said nothing either, instead silently follow her daughter towards the spires of Aquapolis, and whatever lay within. Neither looked back.

The Crucible - Winner Take All

Based on the way the slime-girl was acting, Lily was starting to realise that there might be more to the relationship between Carreau and his subordinates, than mere loyalty. It seemed as if she genuinely liked him as a person, and even looked up to him like a sort of father figure. The thought gave her a sour taste in the mouth; it hit too close to home. Nevertheless, it was something she had to consider going forward. The slime-girl was, if anything, an earnest personality who wore her heart on her sleeve, or at least it seemed that way. Lily had grown up with deceptions as her primary tool to survive, and she knew what trickery looked like, but the simple childlike enthusiasm with which she talked to Carreau… It irritated her that he might actually be trustworthy. Still, one person was an awfully small data sample to base any decisions on.

She glanced over towards Carreau, noting for a moment the miniscule look of displeasure on his face, followed by a smile soon as he turned his head in the direction of where Mouse was eating. She doubted people other than herself would have noticed. Micro expressions were difficult, if not impossible to be rid of. It was one of the more beneficial gifts her transformation had given her; superior eyesight to normal humans, but especially tuned towards movement. She could guess the reason easily enough. Owing to having the head of an owl, his eyes would be tubular, as opposed to spherical like most other creatures, which also meant that when he wanted to look at things, he had to turn his entire head. The trade-off was eyesight that rivalled her own, perhaps even superior to it. In the end, how well he saw was of little importance. What mattered was that the crease between what would be his eyebrows, appeared as he looked up at her ears; one of which had always been turned his direction. He knew she was being wary of him, and it displeased him. It was something to capitalize on, she thought. If nothing else, it could force the truth out from him, and give her something she could actually trust, rather than just honeyed words and vague promises.

In the time she had been deliberating, Mouse had been given, and finished, his second helping and Verinne had returned with the damaged drone, only to be sent off to get it repaired. Carreau addressed her again, and she realised she might not have a better opportunity than now. She reached down to pick up Mouse, using the time it gave her to give Brucie the impression of sound as she had done before, giving him a message only he could hear.

”I am about to say some things this Carreau might not like. Keep calm, and just watch. Please don’t say anything.” Their eyes met as she straightened up and put Mouse in her lap, and though he didn’t nod she knew he understood.

She turned to Carreau and silently ran her hand along Mouse’s back for all but a second before she spoke. “You’re displeased with me,” she said. It wasn’t a question. “Before we discuss anything else, would you be willing to tell me why?”

The owl-man’s eyebrow-tufts sank a touch, the golden peepers below fixed on the little dog. If not masked by his hidden mouth’s strange anatomy, including the feathers around it, Carreau’s wry smile would have been all too obvious. Voice steady, he shrugged and after a second of careful thought replied, “It’s more me than you, to be honest. I cannot at all blame you for having misgivings about our acquaintance and arrangements, but I would have hoped that I might be charismatic or genuine enough to inspire at least a little less dislike if not distrust. Selfish of me, I’m sure, but can anyone claim to like being doubted? But I will content myself with the prospect of earning your esteem in the future, if I can.” Reaching out, he selected his glass and sipped some water from it, tilting his head back—eyes averted as he did so—to ensure that nothing spilled.

Brucie gave Lily a pointed look, as if silently telling her that she had been wrong in her assessment. As it turned out, Carreau hadn’t been angry by what she had said, but rather had put the blame on himself. If not for that smile of his she might have actually fully believed him, but as it was she would only take his words for a half-truth. He was trying too hard to be disarming. But he had been candid with her, to a degree anyway, so maybe she should give him some truths as well? I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.

She let out a breath and leaned back in the chair. She glanced over towards Brucie, who gave her a shrug and nodded his head towards Carreau. “He doesn’t seem to be lying,” he said in a low voice that was nowhere near a whisper, “so should we…? Y’know, also tell the truth. Whatever is your truth anyway. Can’t mindread like you.” He shrugged again and just sat back, watching her.

She raised an eyebrow at him, but didn’t otherwise reply. She resolved to give Carreau a few truths, if nothing else. She ran her fingers through Mouse’s short fur, mulling it over, then said, “you’re right that I don’t trust you. Not entirely. When you refused to make the oath I requested, it told me that you will betray me should I no longer be your best option. For that reason, I cannot simply trust your word. As for charisma, that is wasted on me. Honeyed words will only get in the way of any sort of relationship between us, whether built on trust or convenience.” She paused, brows furrowed. She hoped she hadn’t said too much, or crossed any boundaries. She was in his home turf, and if she made the wrong move she might risk a… bad outcome. “So,” she said slowly, “I would rather you be honest with me. Don’t try to charm or impress me, but rather be honest about what you want from me, and I will extend the same courtesy to you. That I can trust, and that is how you can, ‘earn my esteem,’ as you put it.” Mouse, if Lily were to decide, made his agreement known with a short, happy bark.

Finished with his drink, though not at all with rumination on his response, Carreau set his glass down before running a talon back and forth across where his chin would be, if owls had chins. “Hmm…” he said, clearly a touch perturbed by his guest’s implications. “While I don’t like to suggest that anyone with whom I wish to keep myself in good esteem is wrong, I would venture that you’ve been a bit...well, paranoid. I’ve been forthcoming from the start. But I suppose I could explain my viewpoint a bit better. You see, since both Clotho and Verrine were eliminated, there is no other route to the wish other than to cast my lot in with a generous...ah, pardon me, you just mentioned the needlessness of honeyed words. I meant, try and persuade someone who still had the chance to include me. But, as much as I’d like the power to make changes in my world, it’s ultimately wish-fulfillment on my part, and not worth compromising my moral compass, or the safety of my guild, over.”

He placed both palms on the table, his owlish look serious and a little sad. “My refusal to bind myself by your oath was not borne out of a pragmatic desire to achieve that wish by any means possible, but my overriding desire to not risk a single proverbial hair on the head of any of my people. There’s so much I don’t know about how magic and power work in this bizarre City, where realities seem to converge, that I’m afraid to say I’m too afraid to take any risk. Truthfully, if the question came down to seizing that wish by putting my guild in jeopardy, or sacrificing even one member of it, I would refuse. In fact, I’m only pledging their allegiance to you in combat out of confidence that they could take on any foe you might face, based on analysis of the average strength of contestants performed by my scout Marotte.”

Carreau then clasped his hands together. Talking slowly to make sure he formulated his sentences before voicing them, he continued, “But I’m getting off topic. What I want from you is the same trust and cooperation that I wish to extend, both of which are crucial to the only route to my wish after the conclusion of which I could sleep at night...Yet, what I want even more than that is the preservation of my guild and all those in it, which is the end that my wish -though an end in and of itself- would serve. By bringing you into my home, and leaving you alone without supervision in hallways where you could slip away, or leave you with guild members I know you could at the very least hurt, I hoped you would see my own offering of that trust and cooperation. If you are unconvinced, allow me to make sure you’re aware that you would be free to back down and leave unharmed at any time; it is my assumption that you knew of this potential route that leads me to be unhappy with myself for you continuing to doubt while still being present.” His statement seemed to taper off without a strong conclusion, leaving him with a furrowed brow, trying to think of a final statement to tie everything together.

“If you knew my story,” she said slowly as she petted Mouse, “you would understand why I have a difficult trusting. The number of people I don’t distrust, I can count on my fingers.” She allowed herself so lean back into the chair and relax for the first time since she’d arrived. Her guard was by no means down, but she didn’t need to stay on edge anymore. He had… proven himself, in a way. He spoke of Verrine and one known as Clotho being participants in the tournament, and their subsequent losses, and if they had been eliminated then, that meant he had no other option than to ally with her, and do as she willed. She’d known it from the beginning, but now more than ever did she appreciate the fact that she truly sat with all of the power in their relationship. He needed her, but she didn’t need him. Oh, he was convenient and a great asset provided he remained loyal, but unless he danced to the tune of her flute…

She allowed herself a tight-lipped smile, scratching one of Mouse’s ears. “But I’ll let you in on a secret: I like you a whole lot better now, that you’re not trying to be charming. It doesn’t suit you. Your honesty is also appreciated. I won’t say I trust you yet, but I do distrust you less.” She let the smile widen, her eyes narrowing in mirth. “Doesn’t this work a lot better?”

For a moment, the owlman looked relaxed, though he hadn’t completely relaxed, either. “I am gratified,” he responded after a moment, “That you do seem markedly more comfortable.”

Beside her, Brucie looked curiously between the owl-man and the fox-woman, wondering what was so funny that Lily had actually chuckled. It looked odd on her, that smile, and that sound coming out of her mouth. Almost like she was happy, but not quite. Had he had eyebrows, they would’ve been up under his also non-existent hairline in something like sheer bewilderment. Finding no better option, he made an effort to alleviate his confusion by asking, “so… are you two friends now? Or something. Agreed to work together, right?”

Lily quietened and looked at Brucie, then at Carreau. “I suppose we have,” she said. “Now all we need is to decide who will go with us for the coming fights. You said you would go yourself, Carreau… What do you think, Brucie? Where are we strongest? Weakest? And what do we need the most when fighting.”

Brucie started at being addressed so directly and suddenly, and about something so important. Hed looked Lily in the eyes for confirmation, and found her just staring at him expectantly. “I mean,” he said drawing out each word to buy himself time to think, “you attack from far away, and so do I. But I can also be close, and… so can you now, if you know how to use a sword—” Lily nodded, indicating that she did “—but you’re… thin, and fast, but you get hurt easy. We’ll probably need someone who can stay in the front and be big and hard to get away from. Maybe someone who can be both far away and close, a bit like me? And… Maybe someone who can attack from very far away, maybe very difficult to see and make it easier to surprise our enemy?” He audibly breathed in, and exhaled through the contraption on his throat, then looked to Lily, with something like pride in what passed for an expression in a hammerhead shark. “Right?”

She offered him a nod, her eyes lingering on him for a moment longer as she looked towards Carreau, something like pride showing in them. He couldn’t quite decide if it had really been there by the time he could only see the back of her head, topped by those large, furred ears.

“I think Brucie has the right of it. Someone who can be up front to soak up damage and tank, in video game terms—I’m sure you’re familiar with them—a mid range fighter with some durability, and either a long-range or stealth-focused fighter. You know your allies better than I do. Do you have some who fit those descriptions?”

Carreau offered a sagacious nod. “Yes. For the first, I.O. and Margot fit the bill, though of the two I.O. is sturdier and stronger while Margot is a bit deadlier and more flexible. Nobody is better at long-range than Mr. Solomon Screed, though Egon is a powerful mage. As for assassins, Penning and Marotte are likely the best bets, with Penning a bit better for open combat and Marotte the better fit for the stealth role.”

Still standing nearby, Verrine leaned forward, waving her whole arm excitedly. “I could tank, too! I’m very hard to damage, and a great distraction!”

An unbidden smile broke Carreau’s composure. “The best. But what’s your class, again?”

Verrine’s lower eyelids rose in embarrassment, though her smile didn’t waver. “...Apothecary!”

“Not combat-centric, wouldn’t you say?” The owlman spread his hands apart, palms turned upward. “You’d outlast most anyone, but since you’d be limited to fighting with your natural abilities, are you sure you’d be able to deal enough damage to make enemies focus on you?”

Looking off to the side, Verrine clasped her hands behind her back. “Well...they might, uh….just walk around me. Like in the tests.”

Carreau nodded. “From your manner I think you already knew, which is good. Don’t worry, though. I have just the thing for you in the meantime. But I’ll keep it a surprise ‘til then.” He returned his attention to Lily. “Thoughts?”

Mouse had started to snore quietly in the time it had taken Carreau to lay out the potential allies, Lily had to choose from. All had their advantages and disadvantages, but at the end of the day she didn’t need anyone who were hyper specialized for killing, merely restraining and hindering her opponent.

“The one you call Iou, for his strength and ability to withstand damage. I don’t need him to be deadly, just strong enough to hold someone in place, if need be. Same goes for Egon, I don’t need a sniper that can kill in one hit, but someone with the versatility to be able to deal damage from a range, or cast spells that might aid me, or compromise my enemy. And Marotte, for her ability to surprise whoever we’re fighting against. Together with my speciality, I think she should do especially well.”

Something Lily said seemed to amuse her host. “That’ll do nicely, I think. You’ll find I.O. as affable as he is capable for those purposes, and Egon’s firepower will not fail. And you’re closer to the mark than you think with Marotte; his powers of stealth and diversion are not too dissimilar to your own. I’ll recall him from the soul-washed city.” Carreau stood, an air of satisfactory conclusion wafting about. “They’ll be by your side to fight tomorrow, unless you plan to forego sleep and pursue your next battle under cover of night.”

She made an effort to not roll her eyes. Instead she put down Mouse on the ground and stood as the owl-man did, shaking her head. “No. I know all too well the importance of sleep, I will see you in the morning, and you can do whatever you have to do in the meantime,” she motioned towards the exit as she said the last bit, indicating that she didn’t have anything else to talk about, nor any questions or comments. “Meet me outside at dawn, or what’ll pass as dawn down here.”

When Carreau and the slime girl finally left, Lily exhaled sharply and muttered quietly to Brucie, “I hope you don’t mind sleeping outside. I’m not going to sleep in this place. Hard rock beats owls any day of the week.”

Brucie shrugged. “I don’t really need to sleep. Not as you do, anyway. Shark, y’know?”

She looked approvingly at him. “Good,” she said and made her way towards the outside doors. “Wake me if you hear or see anything, or even if you get a bad feeling.”

“Will do.”