She's been thinking about this moment for a long time, actually. Not a lot at first, there's been a lot of stuff on her mind if you can imagine that. But at least a little every day, ever since that helicopter chase. And a little bit more every day, until by the middle of her little road trip to Ys it was the first thing she thought about in every non-distracted moment of the day. 

Guess she should've thought about it more than that. This isn't anything like what she imagined. 

This worse than the night with the river demons. At least that was all pointed directly at her, y'know? And this is... not. Everywhere she looks there's something awful going on. Knights and soldiers climbing walls or just plain charging through the gates that were supposed to be stuck shut. She could hear the shouting from all the way over here, and the eerie light hangin' over everything so it was impossible not to think Yin was involved? Not... not great.

There's smoke and chaos and so many swords flashing in so many directions it's hard to tell what's what. And, bein' honest? Yue's a little bit short on stories where, like... [i]war[/i] happens. There's a lot of stuff that could be goin' on down there that she just can't picture. And sister, if you want [i]me[/i] to fill the gaps in for her you are arfin' up the wrong tree. It doesn't matter anyway. She doesn't need to know, and neither do I, and neither do you. 

'Cause she can tell, can't she? What's really goin' on is that there's something what got put here that somebody... honestly really, lots of somebodies loved so much they decided to put it in the world in the first place. And even if it's old and a little weird and hard to make proper sense of, it's still... I mean, do outsiders really feel any different when they stumble across the upper villages at the Terraced Lake? Probably not. But all the same. If somebody came and just decided to... get rid of them, Yue would be in tears. It's her home. Her story started there. And this is Chen's home. Her story might not have started here, but it runs in and out and through it so many times that it hardly matters. 

And now someone's got a whole army just to knock it down and take it away. They're gonna erase it and paint somethin' new here and not even care what came through before. Not carin' how anybody else feels about it, just, just... stepping in and saying in a big loud voice that they're the only opinion in the whole world that matters worth a darn! And it's not even just 'someone', that's the thing! It's not even Yin! If it was, that'd be... not ok, not by a long shot, but sorta understandable? But it's Qiu! 

Qiu, who [i]did[/i] conquer the Terraced Lake and knew better enough not to flip it upside down and turn it into a, like, dragon waterpark or whatever. Qiu, who was grand and terrifying but in a weirdly beautiful and approachable kind of way? Qiu, who understood instantly what it meant to not be offered the first cookie. That Qiu. This was all her fault and how could she, how could she, how [i]could[/i] she?

Yue's hands ball into fists, and then they squeeze so tight they seem to turn pale enough to become little moons. She sniffs and snorts and no matter how many times she takes a breath she finds she doesn't have a word for any of it anywhere that she can reach. Nobody ever taught her words nasty enough for the ugly feelings brewing inside her just now. Which is just as well, if she knew what to say she'd only make herself feel bad, and it's super important that she focus. 

"I'm..."

She opens her hands again and finds her fingers are trembling. Her sword rattles in her bag, longing for action she can't give it. She's learned so many things and grown so much in this short time, but none of it helps at all in a moment like this. Her heart is born for dueling, and that's where all of her practice went. Someone amazing like Chen is born for one-on-many battles, someone like Rose could spank a mountain if it was being naughty enough, and Hyra... Hyra could do anything she decided needed doing. Not Yue. Just the thought of zipping down among all those bodies and those radiant knights and being surrounded like that makes her heart skip beats and hide somewhere unpleasantly high up her throat. 

She's shaking, poor girl. Poor, lovely flower in the breeze, my Yue. Little sliver of moonlight on a choppy lake. And she's burning with shame to feel this way, 'cause this is Chen's home. Her home! And how dare she go and make friends and then turn out to not be any help when the important stuff came down on 'em? She's got one single solitary thing she's good for and she can't even do [i]that[/i] 'cause it's Qiu she's gotta do it to! But that's hardly an excuse, y'know?

She sniffles like the bravest of brave girls. Can't be brave if you're not scared. That's just doin' normal stuff. She wipes a tear away from her eye. Can't be strong if you can't cry. 'Cause bein' strong means opening your heart, that it does. And she turns and, outta nowhere, throws her arms around her besties and squeezes 'em together in a hug so tight it makes her bag start yipping for completely unrelated reasons.

"I'm going... gonna go down there and, and um. S-see Qiu. Ok? I. She. I just... there's stuff I've gotta do. Gotta, erm. Please. Um... don't... don't be mad ok? I, I'll see you in a, I mean. I still wanna have the tour and, and the tea and... I, see, see you. Later."

And she's so flustered, our Yue, that it takes her three shaky tries before her hands cooperate enough to get her flight spell working well enough to get her off the ground. Alone, right? She's supposed to do this alone. She floats there for a second, just starin' at her best friends and her girlfriend there beside 'em, with her watery blue eyes shimmering with what I refuse to call anything other than love. That's love, ok? The deep deep deep kind of love that burns forever for the people who showed her that magic was a thing she deserved to get to welcome into her life. 

She gives them a smile, and a little wave, and it's... look. Don't laugh at me for sayin' this, but it's the single bravest thing you're gonna see from anybody all day, ok? 'Cause it's the kind of smile an ordinary sillyhead who's maybe halfway through her trainin', who's yet to beat a single one of her friends in a full-on duel, who's the first one to admit she's the least actual talent of any of 'em, who's got no chance in a real fight with the strongest princess in the world but who can't do what she's gotta do without drawing blades, probably maybe I'd bet you, who's clinging to anger that makes her feel icky to get past fear that'd paralyze her if she didn't, the kind of smile only a girl like that can make. And only when she's about to take all've that stuff and throw it out a window, at that. She's got a pretty smile, my Yue, but this one is... makes me wish I was a proper poet. But of course, I studied Cutie Law. So I just, I don't know how to make you see how bright and beautiful it is except by pointin' up at all that other stuff. 

I wish I could tell you that Yue zips across the battlefield like a comet and dazzles everyone she speeds past on her way to a destined meeting. But really she floats kinda awkwardly like a dandelion in a breeze, or maybe a speck of foam bouncin' around the edge of a waterfall. She's still shaking, poor girl, and it's not good enough to make it as far as she needs to get safely. Which... actually, hm.

Yue lands, and plants her feet in a wide enough stance that her knees don't have room to knock together. She pulls her sword out of her bag (with just a lil' bit of help) and flourishes maybe a half-twirl too showy before she points it at the sky. But the breeze is warm and kind, and it flutters her gorgeous battle dress about her legs and arms like she was some kind of hero steppin' out of myth. 

"My name's Yue!" she cries like very squeaky thunder, "And I'm here to see Princess Qiu and give her a piece of my goshing mind!"

Her heart surges bravely in her adorable chest. At last, she finds her footing, and plants them proudly. No more shaking like a leaf, Yue of the Terraced Lake slides into a battle stance far more terrifying than anything a person who uses a word like 'goshing' should be capable of. Atta girl!

"So if... if anyone's gotta problem with that! Then, then um. G-get in line! 'Cause I haven't learned how to fight more than one person at a time yet!"