[h3]Vestec and Astarte plan their date...and talk about Alfid.[/h3]

Vestec was idly watching Sakimi go about, experimenting with her newfound abilities and the Garakains slowly returning to their home. Prayers were still filing in to save them from the Yokel of Dusis and bring back Viscardi to lead them. Vestec ignored them in favor of examining the world state as a whole. Brightwoods remained untested and a stranger to war, along with Sviebard. The Cimex were gathering their strength, with the Uri. The Iron Legion was doing a defense against the mobs coming for them, quite well. 

Vestec looked up as he sensed a presence, his colors turning pink. “Astarte!” His colors turned a brighter shade of pink as he noted her new dress. “What gives me the pleasure of your acquaintance?” 

Astarte grinned and floated over to Vestec, “See, I heard a Lich calling for me. He seemed to think I owed him my protection. So I came looking for him, and he wasn’t there. A quick search and I realized a trail of your essence was present. I followed it here, and now I see one of your…” Her grin vanished and she snarled, glancing for a split second toward Sakimi, then back at Vestec, “Little human [i]‘friends’[/i] with the gift intended for Thulemiz and his followers. Mind to explain?”

Vestec was grateful for his lack of facial features. Astarte would have seen an all too human wince, as it was his pink color color dimmed slightly. Carefully he replied. “Sakimi is nothing more than a simple mortal. I’ve been ignoring the Anju, and she’s quite the ambitious one. Detests me, but feels like I’m her ticket to power. Her loyalties will change as it suits her. With her power, ambition, and ‘how will it help me’ approach to morals and loyalties, she will create quite the fun time in the coming wars.”

“Besides, Alfid was planning on betraying Thulemiz with his friends. Apparently, they don’t obey the great Lich Lord as much as they pretend to. All that was behind my motive was to create a little more chaos with someone who is completely neutral and can fight for any side that offers her the right price. Nothing too offensive, I hope?”

Astarte relaxed her expression and shrugged. “The Great Lich Lord is a disappointment, then. He fails time and time again, even with the great gift of controlling the dead. He makes [i]me[/i] look bad by extension…” She sighed.

“I mean, at least I got a new dress from the deal I made with him. I can see you like it.” She smirked and flipped her hair.

Vestec shook his head. “You can give some mortals all in the world and still they’ll fail. His failure is his alone, and he looks bad by himself.” As Astarte smirked at him, Vestec’s shades of pink grew brighter again. He shifted in an only slightly embarrassed fashion. “Yes. You’re only even more beautiful than before. I didn’t notice before, busy with the lizard and the demi-god as I was.”

Astarte huffed, “Yeah, that damned lizard. He just loves to stick his nose in places he’s not welcome.” Then she gave Vestec a quick hug, “That’s for jumping to my protection, I found it really charming.”

Vestec hugged Astarte back. “I’d never let anything harm you. Not even a nosey overgrown lizard. I’ve been ignoring his new little continent for too long. Time for a little fun with his peaceful humans, dragons, and Serpents, don’t you think?”

“He has a whole continent to himself?!” Astarte said, half alarmed and half excited, “Okay, Ves, so here’s the deal for our date: I’m going to create an Avatar and I will meet yours near one of the draconic cities, right? And then we’ll ‘recruit’ two of them and ride them. We’ll use them to burn the entire city to the ground and kill the other dragons!” She squealed a little and her eyes lit up.

“Oh by Thulemiz’s incompetence, that’s going to be so. Much. Fun.” 

“Technically three. It’s really quite large.” Vestec said mildly before her excited aura and words swept over him. If he had had a mouth, he would have grinned. As is, his colors simply pulsed faster and in an excited manner. “It’s a date then! Shall we go small or just start destroying his biggest brood? Eskababond or Esrkathingy or something like that.”

“Let’s start small--Not too small, though. It’d be a good idea to outfit our avatars with armor of some sort, just in case!” She played with one of her bangs, “We should also build something in that town after it’s ruined to spite Sauranath. Maybe an insulting statue or simply writing something all over the walls?” 

“A statue of us, in our costumes of course, holding a dragon corpse or three. We can arrange all the corpses in humiliating postures, perhaps a tea party, and write a lovely message along the walls. Give him a warning and a little rhyme to tell him where we’ll hit next.” Vestec giggled, pink colors bright. 

Astarte nodded and pressed her forehead against Vestec’s, gently, “That’s going to be so fun. I’m excited already, and I can’t wait for that date to come.” She took in a deep breath, slowly, “I also think our costumes should only be headpieces. Mine will be of a dog.”

Vestec gently returned the pressure against his forehead, taking Astarte’s hands in his own. “Hmm. Shall my headpiece be a mocking lizard, or a grinning cat? An addition to yours, or a tweak on the damned lizard’s nose? You decide.”

“Be a cat, be a cat!” 

Vestec chuckled. “Grinning cat it is. Who knows, maybe the mortals will start telling legends of the vengeful slaughter wreaked by the cat and the hound. We can even send Sauranath scrolls of them, just so he doesn’t feel left out.”
Astarte giggled and gave Vestec a peck on his featureless face. “Yes… We should do that! Once the legends start, though. Maybe humans will start cults worshipping Cats and Dogs.” 

Vestec turned a brighter pink, replying to Astarte. “Calling them as vengeful spirits upon their enemies. Maybe I’ll make a few adaptations to some dogs and cats, and actually have them respond to their cries and act upon their requests. They’ll have to hate dragons, of course.”

Astarte suddenly pulled away, a surprised look on her face, as if she figured something out. “... Why do you not have a face? I mean, I know you can get one easily, but why do you choose to not have one?”

“Technically, I’m more than one soul. Well, Godly soul. I’m four minor Gods who combined together to survive, when we were all made from the mist in the beginning. They were too weak, and the mist was trying to take them back. So they combined their essences and powers, and from the chaotic clash of essences [i]I[/i] was born. They’re still within me, I can feel them, like with your crown. Any face I choose just doesn’t feel...hmm, right is a good enough word. Corruption wants a refined face, Violence a terrifying face, Discord a face that clashes, and Emotions wants a normal face.” 

“No one has ever seen the four of them, and Chaos can be in anyone or anything. Sooo, I choose a featureless face. Something that can be anyone or anything, and each of the four of them can imagine that it looks how they want it to.” Vestec shrugged slightly. “It’s the best I can do without feeling wrong in my body. If that makes sense.”

“Yes, that indeed makes sense,” Astarte nodded and wrapped her arms around Vestec’s neck, she came closer, slowly, and whispered into where his ear should’ve been. “Though I wish Violence poked his head out more often while I am with you.” She pulled away, giving him a seductive look before throwing a menacing stare toward Sakimi.

Vestec shivered as Astarte’s voice whispered close to him, arms instinctively going around her waist. As she pulled away, it took a moment for him to reply. “Oh, don’t worry. Violence will be happy to be of service on our date.” As she stared menacingly at Sakimi, Vestec chuckled. “I did say you could have as much fun with any of my followers and creations. If she’s that annoying to you, go have fun messing with her.”

“No, I won’t. I’ll keep an eye on her, though. I’ve got a hunch I might get to like her if she’s like I think she is.” Astarte said, then waved her hand dismissively. She pulled Away from Vestec and winked at him, “I’ll see you later, then.” And with that, she vanished.

[hider=Summary]

-Astarte and Vestec discussed what happened to Alfid. Ultimately, it was decided Thulemiz was a failure and a disappointment. Nothing was done about Sakimi having Alfid’s powers.

-Astarte and Vestec plan for their date to take place in a moderately sized Dragon Brood in Orabakh. It’ll even have costumes. 

-Vestec and Astarte talked about what their date was going to involve, Astarte asked Vestec why he went with being featureless, and Astarte [s]teased[/s] said she might like Sakimi if the Anju was like Astarte thought she was.

[/hider]