[center] [h2]Atmav’s Friend[/h2] [/center] [hr] There was a silence along the tribe of Aspasia, a normal thing for the people who felt afraid under Atmav’s rule despite her best attempts to get them into a happier mood. However, each time she tried something Atmav was met with failure after failure as the selka still say her as strange and oppressive. It was a feeling that Atmav did not like for she felt as if her options had been exhausted, despite her people having full bellies and shelter. However, it was the council of Sprite that kept the Queen in good spirits. “No luck today,” Atmav sighed as she stepped onto the now wooden floor of her great home. Sprite had come to know that Atmav found solace in building her home, making it better and better with each passing day. She took her seat in her normal spot at the back of the house, letting out a long sigh of defeat as she allowed her sword to fall onto its side, clattering against the ground. Atmav buried her head into her knees as she spoke in a saddened tone, “I do not know what to do, it doesn’t seem like they are trying as hard to be happy as I hard as I try to make them happy.” “Aaah,” Sprite sighed happily as she flew out from behind Atmav’s throne and perched herself on the woman’s shoulder, “If they don’t want to be happy, then whatever. They only exist to cater to our wishes, you know!! I’m sooo disappointed, by the way, all this time and I haven’t seen you bring a single one to your chambers… Wow, Attie, if you continue like that you’ll be a sorry little virgin your entire immortal life.” Sprite giggled. Atmav gave a small laugh before speaking, “I have no intention of bringing one of them into my chambers, especially if they don’t like me.” The Queen turned her head towards the small one and gave a warm smile to her. “Besides, I don’t want to hurt any of them. I could accidentally break their bones,” she continued with her laugh. Sprite grinned and shrugged, “Hey, broken bones can be interesting. And some miiiight like that kind of treatment.” She said, looking up at Atmav with cute, wide puppy eyes. “Well, maybe you might. Most of the Selka probably wouldn’t,” Atmav chuckled, leaning back in her throne. She let out another sigh as she got comfortable in the throne, letting out a yawn before continuing on, “Besides, none of them are worthy enough for me.” “Oh, yeah. You’re a queen now, I forgot! You have to be quiet about your indiscretions… Maybe we could build a secluded cabin in the woods with a vast basement for a dungeon…” Sprite hummed and fell into deep thought as she started muttering to herself and gently biting on one of her fingers. “No, no,” Atmav laughed at the suggestion, “Imagine if they found out about that, they would find me even stranger then.” “Aren’t rulers supposed to be strange? My father never paid any attention to me, and he was the worst. Yet he still was reaaally popular, you know? Maybe, maybe, maybe people like to follow people that are, I guess, ‘brave’ enough to be mean or strange?” Sprite asked, tilting her head and sitting down. “Hmm, I suppose you are right. The Eternal Talk had many concubines, but I do not know. I think, I want my first time to be with someone who can match me,” Atmav commented, giving a light laugh. Sprite smiled tiredly and lied down on Atmav’s shoulder, “I give up! But fair enough, I guess.” Without warning, a dark figure appeared by the nondescript entrance, a phantasmal crow flickering in and out of existence on each shoulder. A cheshire smile slowly stretched across the gentleman’s white, seasoned face causing lines to form in the corner of his eyes as his smile grew. When his eyes fell on Atmav, a brow suddenly perked. “Good day.” At the sudden appearance of the man, Atmav leapt to her feet, instinctively scooping up her sword and readying towards the man. Her wings flared out words like an animal attempting to scare off a predator as she stood her ground. Scarlet energy weaved around the sword as Atmav’s eyeless face stared at the man. She remained silent as she studied the man. “Oh, none of that,” K’nell waved a dismissive hand as he walked off to the side and up to a waist high counter-table that Atmav had never noticed before. He picked up a tall white carafe from it and began to pour a brown liquid into a crystal glass. He brought it to his lips and took a sip, then another. He turned on his heels to face Atmav again, his face now absent of any surprise, “I’m sorry dear, would you like a drink?” Sprite who had now managed to cling to one of Atmav’s horns for dear life, turned her head to gaze at K’nell and raised an eyebrow, “Ah!! K’nell, why are you here? Are you here to dance? We can dance! Though I think Atmav would like to dance with you first. Trust me, she has some great moves! But seriously, why are you here?!” Atmav’s stance relaxed a bit as Sprite spoke to K’nell, her sword lowering slightly but continuing to stay where she was. “I’m afraid you’re asking the wrong person that question,” He gulped the last of his drink and placed the cup gingerly back on the table, a doily appearing under it. He reached into his jacket pocket and procured two shards and a tiny pearl-like orb. He held his hand out flat, as if presenting them. Sprite pursed her lips and flew over to K’nell, choosing to stand on the tip of one of his outstretched fingers. As if on cue, three shapes materialised around the shards. The fair blonde woman, Laina, spoke first. “Hello, we’re here t-” “To get the group back together and take back our body?” Sprite asked, tilting her head. Laina bit her lip and nodded, “Y-Yes-” “I’ve been having a lot of fun without a body, though!” “Truly?” The elegant one commented, a small mocking smile breaking her expression. K’nell tucked his free arm square behind his back. “W-Well, yeah!!” Sprite crossed her arms. “I-I remember now, you’re the one who wanted me to take our dance one step further! Without a body, you won’t be able to do such things.” Laina said, stammering. K’nells brow flicked up and he sipped at his drink, watching as Sprite chewed Laina’s words. “... Fair enough. But I have things to do.” Sprite deflated a little. “What things, sis, what things?” Asked the youngest of them all, a little girl who held the brightest grin in the room. “Aaah!!!” Sprite screamed and pounced on the girl, who in turn screamed herself and started giggling as Sprite peppered her face with kisses. “As much as this seems like a happy little reunion. What is happening, Sprite?” Atmav interrupted, now having moved forward and dropping the previous aggression that had been showing. As she looked between the forms, her eyeless gaze rested on K’nell and skepticism crept from her expression before moving back to Sprite. After a few more moments of tickling, kissing and rustling, Sprite looked up disheveled at Atmav while the girl gasped for air and sat up, immediately hugging Sprite’s arm. The short cut, white-haired woman grinned. “These are the other me’s. The blonde one is Laina, the fancy, boring one,” Elegance huffed, “Is just I dunno, fancy and boring I guess. And this right here,” Sprite chuckled, hugged the girl tightly and ruffled her hair, “Is the best Little Sister ever.” There was a short silence, before Sprite spoke again. “Any questions?” “I heard they were here to take back your body?” Atmav asked, her voice bringing a heavy disdain towards her own words. Sprite looked at her, her own grin faltering until she looked away, sighing. “You are not leaving, end of discussion,” Atmav said, taking a step back before returning to her throne. K’nell knitted his brow but said nothing. “Sprite made a promise to me. She will stay by my side,” Atmav informed, her hand resting on the hilt of the greatsword as she leaned back into her throne. “I-I know I made a promise, Atmav, but this…” Elegance stood, “Sprite, was it? You must be feeling it as well. The pull, the weakness. The desire to go to the stars in the night sky. Even you.” Sprite looked at the little girl and shook her head, “I know. I tried to ignore it, but… I know. I’m sorry,” Sprite turned to look at K’nell, “I’m sorry, could you give us some time? There’s a glade a few minutes to the northwest. I’ll meet you there soon.” “By all means,” K’nell finally spoke, placing his glass back on the table and clearing his throat, “Do you require the others here?” “No, I’ll meet you all there.” Sprite said and flew off toward Atmav, the other shards dissipating once more. “Very well,” K’nell’s fingers curled over the shards and he began to turn away. In just a few short steps, against the laws of vision, K’nell was gone. [hr] Sprite sat down on her ankles before Atmav’s throne, looking down at the floor. The tiny woman seemed even smaller when compared to the important piece of furniture. “I have to go with them, Attie. They need me- The beast, it was so… So big, and dangerous you know? And they’re me. If I abandon them now…” She fell into a silence. “You made a promise, Sprite,” Atmav started, looking down upon her tiny friend before continuing, “Besides, you have been operating just fine without them. You don’t need them.” She let a long, disappointed sigh as her gaze shifted away from Sprite, shaking her head and putting a hand over her mouth. “After all we have done together, the countless hours…” Atmav’s voice began to break, her grip tightening over the hilt of her weapon. Sprite's lip quivered and she flew closer to Atmav, planting a tiny kiss on her nose and embracing her face as well as she could. "I think you have the wrong idea, Attie. I will be back, you know? After all that mess is done I'll come back! I just have to help them get the body back…" Atmav was silent for a few moments before letting out a long sigh as Sprite hugged her face. “I don’t think that this will be something you can just come back from. You are all a part of the same person, right? You’ll just join them in the end,” she said, conclusion running through her mind as her voice fractured towards the end of her words. “I am not letting you go, Sprite. I won’t let the gods take away anything else of what I cherish,” she spoke. "[I]'What' [/i]you cherish? I know I may be a little weird, but I'm not a toy, you know. And, well, I technically am a God, you know!" Sprite pulled away from the embrace and floated in front of Atmav's face, "Also, it should be noted I've always been myself and not someone else, even before coming to this universe, we were 6 inside the body!" “That’s not what I meant,” Atmav explained, leaning even further back into her throne before continuing, “Everything that was good in my life was taken from me when I was dragged into this place, I was brought back to life by the one I swore to kill,” she paused as her head faced away from Sprite, “Vakk has taken everything from me and I do not want to lose anyone else.” The Queen stabbed her blade into the wooden floor before she rose, stepping past Sprite to look out the entrance. Her gaze went over her subjects for a moment, “I cannot let anything else go. You and these people, these are all I have.” "Atmav…" Sprite followed Atmav and perched herself on the queen's shoulder. There was a silence as the two looked over the selka. "Life is miserable. It's full of loss and sorrow, and it is all guided by change. I used to wallow in self pity, long ago. I used to cry and kick and curse at the world for hurting me so, for not letting me be happy. And you know what? The world didn't care, and the more I fought and the tighter I held onto my memories and my identity and everything, the worse the pain was." Sprite curled up, resting her chin on her knees. "I lost so many thing and so many people. Most just got up, went out a door and disappeared. I hated myself for not being able to keep a hold of them. I [i]hated[/i] myself." "Towards the end of the ordeal, when I had nothing left for the world to take away, I realized it. We're not meant to be happy. We're not meant to find love, or friendship. We're only endlessly shepherded by our emotions and bodies. So, if that was the case, should I not cherish the times when I had a lover? Should I not be happy I had a great friend? Instead of mourning and screaming and grasping at something that'll always be out of reach, should we not be grateful for all the connections we were blessed with, nurture those we have, and gracefully say goodbye to them when they are taken from us?" Sprite sighed, wiping her misty eyes. "... I was betrayed by my father and thrown into a cell, to be used by the nation as a living battery for the war. My dear Knight came to save me, but he was defeated by my father's guard and executed. I can still hear his mighty, furious screams. My handmaiden and best friend told me she'd save me, but after that day I never saw her again. They're all gone…" A small sob escaped her lips, "And now my first real friend in this world seeks to restrict my freedom, to clip my wings…" Atmav was silent, unable to speak to Sprite as her lip clearly quivered and she shook her head for a moment. Eventually she drew in a long, shaking breath before speaking in a singular word, “Go.” She did not move and her gaze remained focused on her subjects as they went about their daily activities, unaware of what was happening on the top of the hill. Sprite nodded and wiped her tears once more, hugging Atmav's neck. "No regrets, Atmav. Anything you want to say or do?" Atmav was silent for a moment before holding up her hand for Sprite to step onto, and for a moment the Queen held her up to her silent gaze. “Never change, Sprite,” she said simply before planting a delicate kiss on the top of Sprite’s head. Sprite's silver eyes sparkled and she smiled gently at Atmav before flying off, leaving a trail of mist behind. Atmav watched Sprite flutter off for a moment before she retreated back to embrace of her throne and melting into it. The silence flowed over her as the happy memories she made with Sprite brought a frown across her face. “I won’t let go of the memories, at least,” she said to herself. [hr] “Yaaay! Go, fishy! Go, go!” Yelled the girl, jumping and pumping her fist in cheer for the fish that zoomed past them in the creek. “No! My fish is falling behind! Don’t be useless, put your back into it, you legless rat!” Laina screamed into the water, but it was all for naught, as her fish got distracted by a shiny rock and threw the match. The girl won. Laina fell to her knees and took in a deep breath. “NOOOOO!!” The girl giggled and practically pounced on Laina, hugging her. “Yay, yay, yay! I won, Sis! Now my prize, pleaseeee!” Laina chuckled and hugged the girl back and kissed her head, “There! A kiss.” The girl froze and suddenly looked up at Laina’s face, staring coldly into her eyes, “Huh, no sweets?” Laina grinned nervously. “You know sweets are bad for your teeth, dear.” Elegance said, sitting gracefully on a small rock near them. “Bleh!” The girl shrugged and sat up, then her expression turned sour and she stared off into the forest. The other two did the same, and a moment later, a fourth shard flew into view, leaving a thin mist trail behind her. She flew to the other three and plopped down cross legged next to Elegance. “Okay, I’m here! Let’s get this done, right? I want to come back as soon as possible! I have a Queen to give advise to!” Sprite said. “A Queen?” Elegance perked up. “Yeah, Atmav!” “She was… Nude. A queen cannot possibly be that crude.” “Whateeever!! So she likes some extra breeze, who cares! I would take off my clothes right now if it wasn’t for the fact you’d hit my head so hard I’d die.” Sprite rolled her eyes. “Ah, so why weren’t you nude when we first saw you in that building?” Sprite froze and after a moment, laughed sheepishly, “Got me.” “She is a Queen by your suggestion,” A grainy voice suddenly swirled around the group, K’nell’s gentlemanly figure standing in the shade of a nearby tree. He raised a polite palm and his voice return to his mouth, “Excuse me for my abruptness, but is this true?” Sprite nodded even before turning to face K’nell. “Yeah! She’s a Queen alright! Did you see her throne?” “Oh I see,” K’nell smiled as if suddenly coming to an understanding, “She is a Queen as per her throne.” “She rules over that group of primitives, ‘Sprite’?” Elegance asked as nicely as she could, but her twitching upper lip revealed what she truly felt about the Selka. A short silence took over as Sprite turned to look at the Girl, “Hey, do you like the Selka? I bet you do!” “Big grey puppies!” The girl grinned before going back to drawing on the dirt. “H-hey!” Elegance huffed, but relaxed as Laina put a hand on her shoulder and smiled disarmingly at her. “Can you try to be a little bit nicer to her, Sprite?” Laina asked the short-haired shard, who shrugged. “Sure, if she stops being a huge bitch.” Elegance looked about ready to explode, so she quickly stood up and walked off a fair distance away from the group, muttering to herself along the way. “Well.” K’nell clicked his tongue and folded his hands behind his back, “I fear our conversation has deteriorated rather swiftly.” Laina sighed and rubbed her neck, “I apologise, Sprite and uh, her, don’t get along at all I suppose. Why the sudden interest in Atmav’s royalty status, K’nell?” “Ah, well the answer to that is rooted in a different question,” K’nell cleared his throat and turned to the tree he had been standing near, “By chance do you remember Li’Kalla’s inquery on what I desire?” “I do, you mentioned something about sharing your thoughts with the world, didn’t you?” Laina asked, tilting her head. K’nell peered back over his shoulder at Laina, “Something along those lines.” He put out his hand and a wooden palm stretched from the tree and into his. His fingers wrapped around it gingerly, and the fingers of the wooden hand did the same. He gently tugged, as if helping someone to their feet, and like liquid a wooden mannequin slurped from the trunk of the tree. It stood there featureless and bald. K’nell let go of its hand and held it out again, only to close it as he looked back at the shards. “Would I be mistaken to assume that Sprite did not instill the qualities of a leader into her Queen?” K’nell perked a brow, as if he had asked a simple enough question. “Aaah… Umm,” Sprite frowned and looked down in thought, then perked up, “I taught her the perfect layout for a pleasure dungeon!” Laina flushed and slapped her palm against her face so hard that the sound echoed through the glade. K’nell didn’t break his gaze as he spoke, “Damocles.” The mannequin looked up, wordlessly. K’nell turned to face Damocles, “Take your string, and take your blade.” The mannequin didn’t move, but above it a strange sword flickered into existence, only to wave in and out of reality. Damocles looked up at K’nell as if waiting for more. The two shared a silent stare and as if suddenly understanding, Damocles lurched a stiff leg forward, then another, then another. The creaking mannequin marched down the glade, his phantom blade hovering above him with every step, its point directed at him. “There,” K’nell turned back to the shards, “As effective as a dream, one might say.” Laina watched the mannequin closely, slowly raising an eyebrow, “That’s a rather uncommon type of magic. Where does the mannequin’s name come from? And that sword…” “Where it all comes from, my dear,” K’nell smiled, “Do not fret, however, this exercise is quite harmless-- just as any other dream.” He paused, “Speaking of which, I happen to have noticed your final component frequenting my very palace as of late. Such visits should lead us right to her, if you are ready and willing, of course.” “That’s a nice doll, K’nell! Didn’t take you for a doll man, though! I’m sure you could get a nice girl if you asked her out on a nice evening.” Sprite said suddenly, winking at K’nell before stretching. “Aaanyway! Let’s go find this dreamer, yeah! We can’t let her get all the dream action, right? Thank you for that dream by the way, K’nell! I hope you loved the show, I could give you a first-person vers-” Elegance suddenly flashed into the scene and practically slapped her hand against Sprite’s mouth. Unlike her normal self, she was blushing and avoiding K’nell’s gaze. “D-Don’t mind her empty words, K’nell. She’s only playing, trying to ge-” Elegance suddenly whimpered and a look of disgust crept onto her face. Her eyes glazed over and her whole arm seemed to twitch, “She’s trying to get a reaction… Let us go..” She finished slowly. K’nell cleared his throat, “I see. While I mean no offense in my rejection, I must decline the implications presented.” He paused, “That said, shall we continue our quest?” He held out his hand to the projections. Elegance seemed to deflate a bit and nodded, immediately dissipating into a simple shard. Sprite wiped her lips with her hand and grinned smugly, before dissipating. The other two did the same. K’nell gently slid the shards back into his pocket before continuing on his walk. [hider=Summary] Atmav comes home from a long day of trying to get the Selka to like her, it doesn’t work, but Sprite remains as optimistic and full of ideas as ever. Sprite recommends a pleasure dungeon or doing stuff with the Selka which Atmav denies to do on the grounds that none of the Selka are worth her efforts. Then K’nell’s appears, startling Atmav who whips her sword out. (Don’t take that out of context) K’nell reveals the reason he is there and the other shards pop out. They talk for a bit before Atmav tells them that Sprite isn’t going to leave. Sprite tells K’nell to go to a nearby glade before talking to Atmav. Atmav is very unwilling to give up Sprite, not wanting to lose her only real friend. Yet, inevitably, Sprite sways Atmav to let her go which makes Atmav sad, but she will hold onto the good times that the two shared. When Sprite reaches the Glade, the other shards speak with each other before Sprite says some stuff that makes Elegance move off in a hurry. K’nell brings up how Atmav wasn’t properly taught how to be a queen. K’nell makes Damocles (cheeky git) and sends it off to help Atmav along. Then Sprite flirts with K’nell and Elegance slaps her. K’nell denies the advances and the shards gather together to gather the final shard. [b]Prestige[/b] 8 + 3 = 11 Yay. [/hider] [hider=might] K’nell start: MP:2 FP:4 The creation of Damocles the mannequin: 2fp, spectacular creature. He is the judge of all leaders and possesses the ability of polymorphing others, as well as control over his hanging sword. 5/5 Nightmare 1 /5 Misery 1 /5 Polymorphism end. MP:2 FP:2 [/hider]