[IMG]https://picload.org/image/rpocagri/markerjaelnec.png[/IMG]
[h3]The Duchy of Zerul, by a road in the southwest[/h3]
“Thanks,” Jaelnec issued a blanket-statement for everything Angora did and said just then as he accepted the hat she was trying to hand him. Rocks in the mud? What a hilariously practical concern, given the absurdity of the situation... but of course, simply getting dressed immediately rather than isolating oneself first was also the practical decision, and evidence in his mind that the practical approach was not always the best one.
He had not even finished brushing the dirt off his hat before it started raining, and the squire closed his eyes, heaving yet another sigh as he wondered whether it was too late to decide to drown in the mud.
“Yeah, let’s go.”

“[I]Spirits, what happened to you? How did you get this bad without even drawing your sword?[/I]”
Surprised, Jaelnec quickly looked down and realized that his left hand had seized the opportunity to grab the hilt of his sword while he had been distracted, and that his thumb was once more caressing the pommel.
[I]It’s nothing,[/I] he thought, turning his face skyward and closing his eyes to let the rain wash away as much mud as possible and cool his still-hot face. [I]I didn’t mean to let you in.[/I]
“[I]I’m sorry, but... are you sure you don’t need me? Last time it was this much of a mess in here was back while you were still traveling with Annabelle. I can barely even make sense of your feelings right now, only... they’re directed at the girl with the sword? Angora.[/I]”
[I]I’m fine.[/I] He clenched his jaw angrily, contemplating simply letting go of his sword and cutting the connection to Roct instantly.
“[I]So confusing... You’re angry with her, but also don’t care about her... and... oh! You want to mate with –[/I]”
His hand abruptly jolted away from the handle of his sword as he made a grimace, suddenly more desperate to remove Roct from his thoughts than ever before.

[IMG]https://picload.org/image/ddggriwa/nimbus.png[/IMG]
[h3]Zerul City, I’onriyi’s estate[/h3]
It was an immense relief to Nimbus [I]and[/I] Male’dai when Ion’riyi seemed to change the subject rather than dismiss them over their limited abilities, less because of their desire to join him on his – apparently impending – next adventure, and more because neither of them wanted Nimbus to offer the last real ace in her sleeve as an option. The angel did not like keeping secrets from good people and would probably mention it eventually, but she just did not want the penin to base her value or his plans on an ability that she desperately wanted to avoid overusing but technically remained intact even without her own body.
It was fortunate that Ion’riyi was not more familiar with the lore on archangels than he was, or he might have realized that they all possessed the ability to seize a second soul... to absorb magical energy around them and reuse it for themselves. That and her divine hand had been the primary means by which she had been able to hold off True Purity for as long as she had, but she also knew that each time she used that power, there was a chance that she would expend Male’dai – her feeble mote of a soul – as well. That was how she was sustaining her, after all: by keeping her soul inside herself. It was a bizarre situation, really; Male’dai’s body outside Nimbus’ soul, Nimbus’ soul outside Male’dai’s soul. Layers of identity and vulnerability.

She did not know what to comment on his mention of the two “unsavory” characters Ion’riyi was apparently considering the companionship of, but she was sure that if he was willing to accept them, she would have no reason to object. The prospect of allowing Male’dai to sleep, however, was one that brought an expression of concern to the deigan’s face.
“Sleeping isn’t Male’dai’s issue,” Nimbus told him gravely, hesitantly accepting the cup of tea he had just prepared for her. “She knows of at least several sedatives that could probably force her body to fall asleep if I simply refrained from negating them, none of which would be too difficult to obtain the ingredients for. The problem is that even if she slept, immortals can’t enter your Spirit Realm... in other words, she can only enter the Spirit Realm if I release her, and if I release her she will dissipate and become a specter. Even if she, against all odds, managed to find her way to the Spirit Realm, there would be no way of guaranteeing that she would be able to find her way back. She could die or...” She paused, trying to remember what Male’dai had theorized.
The deigan reminded her, and Nimbus nodded grimly. “Or worse, end up trapped in a perpetual nightmare.”

Nimbus did not drink her tea immediately – something she supposed was a wise decision, given how even the comparatively durable penin winced from drinking his magically cooled cupful – but simply held it in her hands for the time being, relishing the warmth of the brew seeping into her hands and enjoyed the fragrance. After a moment she noticed that the cubes of sugar had not completely dissolved yet and casually stuck a finger from her divine hand into the tea and started stirring it. It would be a rather odd sight for Ion’riyi – as Male’dai pointed out – not only that the tea started stirring itself, but that there formed a finger-shaped hole into the liquid where the invisible extremity displaced the tea.
[I]I swear, I’ll never get used to that third hand of yours... it feels [/I]really[I] weird.[/I]

“Male’dai’s abilities?” Nimbus mused, taking a moment to filter through her host’s thoughts before actually attempting to answer the question. She smiled warmly, her expression speaking of a kindness of such purity that it seemed to contrast with her red eyes and black feathers. “She describes herself as ‘barely adequate’, but she has studied and practiced magic for nearly twenty years, so I suspect that she’s being modest. She could reliably memorize over a dozen spells at once, depending on the complexity of the spells, and had a remarkably steady hand. Her magical reserves were great enough that she could single-handedly summon a greater immortal, which in itself is fairly impressive, I think, even if doing so would have drained her completely. She also has some practice with alchemy and had just started studying enchanting, but she regards both of those fields as little more than pastimes.”
She shrugged. “I suppose that her knowledge and pronunciation of the arcane language was also passable, mostly, though it’s hard for me to judge that fairly given that I’m fluent in it.”