[CENTER][h3][color=a187be]Sara, Daughter of Aliya[/color][/h3]
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[indent][hider=Private message to Ionna][@Mcmolly]
Dame Ionna, pardon me if this is unsolicited advice, but I wanted to tell you all I know about your new Scion so that my short time as the Templar of Fire does not go to waste. His Holiness can be a difficult man to deal with, though perhaps he will open up to you more as a fellow Rodian. It will be difficult to get him to rely on you as his protector because he trusts in his own strength alone; even the blessing of Incepta feels alien to him, and he rarely, if ever, uses his magic. He will see you not as his ally, but his captor, and though I gave him a wide enough berth during peacetime, his soldier's honor prevented him from disobedience. Unable to face this internal conflict, he will place the blame on your shoulders. He yearns for the battlefield, and in a way, I understand how it feels to be pulled away from my calling. I may not look it, but I was a teacher at an orphanage before circumstances led me to becoming a knight, and then a Templar. Feeling so lost, it is easy for faith to dwindle. But when faith diminishes, our hearts desire a 'goddess' to worship nonetheless and will seek a substitute. For some it is wealth, for others, pleasure. For myself, I lost my way, and instead of honoring my oath to The Mother, I sought instead my Scion's approval and abandoned my place at his side. With such distorted intentions, Incepta would not deign to grant me victory or success, thus Scion Nadine slipped from my grasp. As for Theobald, he has forgotten his reason for fighting. He no longer fights to protect the homes, lands, and lives of Incepta's believers. If he did, he would not spurn his gift. His new 'goddess' is glory. It is this, his soul, that I am most worried about, and it is my hope that you will succeed to bring him back to the light where I had failed. Despite his best efforts, I do not hate him; I have received worse under Dame Irina's tutelage, so I hope that you can face your new charge with an open mind and a magnanimous heart. He is not evil. He is merely lost. But The Mother is merciful. The Mother forgives.

On that note, I am sure you have received the updates on our unknown assailants. I merely wish to remind you of this: Termina simply does not exist. There is only One Goddess and She has no shadow, for Incepta is not only the light, but she is All. Her divinity is shared by none. To even entertain the existence of such a shadow is to give power to disbelief. This does nothing but erode faith and weaken our resolve. The ability to cancel magic means nothing. It is true that magic is a blessing from The Mother, but is this entire world not a blessing? It is no secret that even nonbelievers can use magic, as much as the beauty and bounty of this world is available to all. Incepta is the Goddess of all mankind, not just of her believers. Incepta granted humanity with the privilege of delving into the hidden secrets of this world, which includes science as well as magic. The scholars of Doumercene are constantly finding new ways to use magic, so magic cancellation may merely be a new scientific innovation, and not necessarily an unholy affront to The Goddess. As for the ability for a non-Scion to use a Scion's unique element, while concerning, this should not shake our faith. As Templars, we can receive a portion of our Scions' blessings and, though an act of blasphemy, perhaps the blessing can be taken by force or through coercion. Though it is in the Church's best interest to speak of divine matters with certainty, the truth is that we cannot claim to fully understand the secret laws by which The Mother gives out her blessings. We have only past patterns to base our understanding off of, and perhaps the pattern can change. The attack struck at our heart; not only were Scions targeted, but it occurred deep within our territory. But the attack that strikes at our true heart, our faith, is the mention of this Termina. But it is here, in our faith, that we are strongest, and this strike should leave not even a scratch. Dark Goddesses are the stuff of delusion and fantasy, phantoms whispered by madmen, deceivers, or entertainers. There is only One Certainty, One Absolute. Take strength in the remembrance of Incepta, Our Mother, Our Goddess.[/hider][/indent]
Being reassigned to Scion Dominic had been something of a shock for Sara, especially after Irina's vehement insistence that she stick to her Scion like glue. Perhaps Fyodor had overridden her decision; Sara hoped that Irina wasn't sore about that. Still, Sara felt that her reassignment was a sign of her inability to connect with Scion Theobald. She had failed to prove to him that her devotion meant far more than her blood. And though no longer having to deal with his petty hate brought some relief, Sara did not feel that this relief was earned, especially as it only compounded on her failure to retrieve Scion Nadine.

However, Dominic was a pleasant and amicable Scion to be assigned to. When told that Ionna had started to train Dom on self-defense, Sara decided to take up the mantle and continue her lessons, though Sara lamented that, compared to a Rodian duelist, her own form was little more than street thuggery once the veneer of knight training was removed. As for Sara, she had lost the fire magic that she had been practicing since two Scions prior and had to learn metal magic from scratch. Given the lurking danger, Sara needed to get up to speed as fast as possible and pressed Dom for any metal-bending pointers she could share. Fortunately, metal magic was much more Sara's style. She had found fire to be too chaotic and restricted herself to heating solid objects that she could more easily understand on a physical level. But she already viewed her armor and weapons as extensions of her body, tangible and certain. To mold and shape these as she saw fit was not as difficult as conjuring a flame from nothing and controlling its flow. Sara also appreciated that Dom took every opportunity to treat her like a friend, sharing meals and hobbies, which facilitated the proximity that Sara was obligated to maintain. But though Sara was grateful to The Mother for easing her path, she still felt it was not earned. If a trail fell into one's lap, it was one's duty to overcome it; if a blessing fell into one's lap, it was one's duty to share that blessing. How had she overcome the difficulty of being Theobald's templar? How could she share the ease of being Dominic's templar? The worst possibility though, was when Incepta blessed someone with excess in order to reveal their true natures, that of greed, hedonism, and pride; bringing them high before casting them down in shame as a lesson to others. Sara hoped that this was not to be her fate.

Though Sara attended the coronation with her Scion, as was proper, she had little interest on who sat upon the throne. Since royalty was hereditary, they didn't need to woo the public or promise any degree of improvement to citizen's lives. The crown would change heads, and the little people would carry on as usual. What did come as a blow was Kaspar's passing. The young Scion had seemed so gentle, and though Sara initially suspected foul play, she was sure the intelligence that they received was accurate, and reminded herself that their enemies would have made a show of it had they been responsible. To some it might seem meaningless for Incepta to grant him Scionhood only to take him away so soon, but to Sara, perhaps he was so virtuous that she wished to elevate him further before taking him back into her embrace. As some might say, perhaps he was 'too good for this world'.

[hr]
Interacting with: Basically everyone at this point

Arriving at Castle Lucania with Dom, Sara followed her Scion inside, nodding to Duchess Patricia who ushered them in, though Sara could not remember who she was. Sara thought she may have recognized her and assumed she was a noble, but if she was watching the gate for Prince Lucas, then perhaps she was just the top maid. Inside the meeting room, the sounds of argumentation assaulted Sara's ears. Hearing the topic was that of war with Kaudus, Sara felt immediately unwelcome, and muttered a quick, [i][color=a187be]'Incepta, give me strength,'[/color][/i] before proceeding deeper into the room.

Noticing that Hollyhock's gift had gone largely ignored, Sara thought of a way to hopefully deescalate the situation. [color=a187be]"May I?"[/color] Sara asked Scion Holly before gathering some plates and utensils and proceeded to cut slices from the large ham. With two plates, she walked over to the head of the table where most of the arguing was. [color=a187be]"Her Holiness, Scion Hollyhock was gracious enough to bring a gift; it would be a shame not to partake of it."[/color] Sara placed the two plates in front of Lucas and Rosemary. She was sure they were the two highest ranking nobles in the room, so it was only proper to serve them first. She returned to the group later with two more plates, this time for Belle and Maya who were together; Belle first because she was also a noble, and then Maya because she was nearby. [color=a187be]"We should speak calmly,"[/color] Sara said to no one in particular, [color=a187be]"after all, we're all friends here."[/color] She did this to make her presence apparent to those who wished for war in the hopes that they would perhaps stop discussing their plans within earshot of one they might consider an enemy. The next two plates were for Dom and Theobald, Sara decided to serve the Scions first before their templars. As she passed by Dom, Sara gave her a pat on the back, offering strength and encouragement for the conversation that she was currently embroiled in. She offered Theobald a sad smile when giving him his plate, but otherwise said nothing. Next was Justinian and finally, the newest arrival, Renault (Sara assumed Hollyhock would happily serve herself).

[color=a187be]"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, your Holiness. I am Sara, Templar of Metal,"[/color] Sara greeted him, hoping to make him feel welcome before offering him his plate of ham. Though he dressed like a noble, something in his demeanor implied to Sara that this was not the case. She did not know who he was nor of his past crimes, so she approached him with an untainted earnestness.

Next she served the Templars, in no particular order, other than prioritizing those furthest from the ham to those closer. Finally, she offered Ionna a plate while taking a cookie for herself, complimenting her Scion in exchange, [color=a187be]"Her Holiness Dominic is determined, always, to improve herself."[/color] With a plate of ham and a cookie, Sara took her place at Dom's side and proceeded to eat quietly.