kapuchu — Roleplayer Guild

Amaretto closed the door to his room behind him, throwing his saddlebags onto the bed unceremoniously as Theá flew off of him and reverted to the form of the puppy she had used earlier.

"So what do you think?" The stallion asked, the plated parts of his armour hitting the floor with loud clangs and thuds. "Crazy nutjob, or mad scientist? Not that that leaves a lot of room for imaginations."

"He's certainly not stable," Theá murmured, and jumped up onto the bed, laying down with her head resting on her paws. "I will be watching him for the time being. Already he has broken Our laws of playing with life and death, a territory prohibited for all but Mother--I do not trust that he will stop at only this. I feel like something more is bound to happen, yet what I cannot say."

"So it's not just me who has this foreboding... feeling?" She sighed, throwing the last of his armour towards the pile of metal and steel on the floor. "So what now?"

Theá grunted in reply and turned to him, one "eyebrow" raised in an unasked question--something which looked rather cute in her current form--, it was a gesture that obviously told him that she had spaced out for a moment, lost in her own thoughts.

"I asked what we were gonna do now?"

She opened her mouth, showing cute--albeit pointy--little teeth, and would have answered had a titanic torrent of magical energy not crashed against her senses in that moment. For a moment she was stunned, eyes clenched and teeth ground together against the onslaught. The feedback was immense; so large that she knew only one thing could have possibly unleashed that much power. A growl emanated from deep in her throat, sounding completely out of place when coming from such a small creature. Yet, she was not some small creature, harmless to ponies. She was a Goddess of immense power, commanding forces that no mortal could ever fully comprehend.

And right now, she was angry. A Ley Line had been torn open, albeit very briefly and only a relatively small amount had been drained from it.

"This time he dies!" She growled, up on all fours and moments from charging out the window. Yet... something stopped her. A fire still burned in her eyes, and a deep frown still marred her features, but she forced herself to lay back down on the bed, resting as she had before, though her burning gaze never left the window.

The clock on the wall managed almost an entire round before Amaretto eventually spoke up, confusion evident in his voice as well as on his face. "What?" He asked. "You were about to go mental and now you're just going to lay there and pretend like nothing happened?"

"I am not pretending," she replied, her voice tight and controlled; replies minimalistic.

"Then what the hell happened? One second you're about to fly out the window, and the next you go back to being a good lil' pup sleeping on the blasted bed!"

Raising her eyes to Amaretto's, from where she was looking out the window she gave him a long, hard look. "It is not yet the right time." She said no more after that, and no matter how much Amaretto prodded and poked, interrogated and demanded answers, he got none.

He was confused but, at some point, also a tiny bit worried. What could have caused Theá to suddenly stop like that? He knew she was a hunter, a predator, and knew when the time to strike was right, And yet... this still felt odd. He eventually settled for just getting something for the two of them to eat: simple vegetable stew for him, and some meat scraps from the kitchen for Theá.

She smiled.

"So what was it we had to do, Lily?" Tsukiko asked curiously, head tilted to the side as Lily continued to lead her through the wide corridors by hand.

It had been several minutes since the two of them had left the cafeteria. They were currently on the way towards what Tsukiko and Lily had dubbed "The Lair." Though it wasn't really a lair, but rather the rooms in which Ikari spent most of her time. She couldn't help but wonder why exactly they were headed there, as Lily rarely sought out this particular Mythic unless absolutely necessary. Despite how similar they were, there was something about Ikari that kept Lily away most of the times. She didn't know exactly why, but she assumed that it had something to do with Lily's past. She figured that, perhaps, someone who had so many things in common with Lily, and acted so much like a mother for her—albeit a strict, nigh immortal, and absurdly powerful one—shocked her enough that she pushed her away.

Being so lost in her musings, Tsukiko found herself missing Lily's answer, only realising such when she caught her questioning stare. She chuckled sheepishly and rubbed her neck with her free hand. "Sorry, what did you say? I was... sort of lost in my own little world."

"You don't say," Lily replied, a half-smile on her lips. "And here I thought I was the only thing you bothered to pay attention to... what were you thinking about?"

Her nose scrunched up in thought at the question, causing Lily's smile to widen almost imperceptibly "About why we're headed to Ikari's rooms?" She offered slowly, not quite sure what to say.

"So you figured that out?" She glanced away, idly biting her lower lip. "Only a question of time, I suppose."

Now confused even more than before, Tsukiko tightened her grip on Lily's hand. She planted both heels into the ground and pulled back on Lily's arm, forcing her to come face to face with her. "Something's not right," she stated, brows knitted together. "You don't usually seek out Ikari, and when you do you answer why when asked. But not this time... What's up, Lily? Really, tell me!"

Lily just looked at her, one eyebrow raised in the best show of indifference she could pull off. Sadly, it wasn't enough to fool the one who knew more about her than anyone else. She sighed; her shoes having suddenly become very interesting. "It's silly, really. I just..." She looked up again, bottom lip between her teeth once more. "All I really want is for her to make sure that Sindri and I are paired up for the next sparring. That debate we had... makes me wanna beat him once and for all. He's both infuriating and just... gah!" Her foot met the ground with a thud; a display of childish annoyance.

"But that's not what's bothering you," Tsukiko stated. "The two of you have butted heads I don't know how many times, so this time shouldn't be no different... it's about Ikari, isn't it?"

“No… It’s just…” she sighed. “Some trickster I am, can’t even fool myself. Yes, it’s Ikari. I don’t like being near her. She’s far too… motherly for me. The only person that was ever kind towards me, and had compassion in their heart left for me was Max, and now Ikari has just sort of… appeared. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice that someone seems to care about me as more than just a random fling—”

“I do care about you as more than a fling!” Tsukiko interjected, suddenly sounding very stern, and almost angry.

Lily smiled almost sadly in return. “I know, but it’s different than that… You care about me because we’re together as a couple, but Ikari.... I don’t even know if she really does care about me, but the way she sometimes act… if it wasn’t because she was a kitsune mythic I might very well view her as a surrogate mother, but I… I really, really don’t know.”

“You’re afraid that it’s all just an elaborate hoax? Created by the greatest trickster alive?”

Lily nodded, glancing off to the side. “More or less. I mean, she’s so kind to everybody, it’s not like she treats me differently… It’s probably just me not knowing how to deal with actually being treated nicely for once.” A small smile spread across her lips as she looked back at Tsukiko. It only made her seem even sadder. “It’s not like I was treated very nicely on the street.”

At that, Tsukiko couldn’t quite help but let out a small chuckle. “I still remember when we first met. It’s… a day I won’t soon forget.”

“No… neither will I.”

Lily pushed open the door and stepped in, a tiny bag slung over her shoulder containing what little she owned. She stared with wide eyes at the two expansive beds on either side of the room, with a closet for clothes between it and the far wall, as well as a cupboard by the head of the bed, nearest where Lily stood.

She didn’t even register the other occupant as she took another step in and closed the door behind her, eyes roving over every part of the room. It wasn’t exactly huge, but with a pair of desks standing by the far wall in the room, the beds and small door which lead into an adjacent bathroom, it was more than enough for her.

She stepped over to the bed, crouching down until she was almost eyeheight with the bed itself. Even when the other occupant spoke she didn’t react, at least not for the first few seconds.

“Hi, how’re you?” The voice asked, clearly feminine. “I’m Tsukiko, and since you’re here I assume we’re roommates.”

Tsukiko waited patiently for Lily to reply, and her patience was finally rewarded when—after almost a full minute—Lily said. “Never had one of my own before.”

Tsukiko tilted her head to the side as she stared at Lily. “Never had what before? A room?”

Lily simply turned her head, looking at the other woman with a stare that spoke of pain and loss, but also happiness. “A bed.”

“I still can’t believe you lived on the street,” Tsukiko muttered after a while, she and Lily having resumed their walk towards Ikari’s rooms. “I mean, I know some people are homeless still, but I figured most of them would only be so temporarily. Didn’t you have any family?”

Lily shook her head. “None that I know of. I had Max, but he died before I even reached puberty—got sick one winter.”

“That’s sad.”

“Yeah, it is, but he taught me a lot of things which helped me along the day, so I’ll remember him. It’s the least I can do.”

Tsukiko grinned, darting in for a quick peck on Lily’s cheek before she stopped, and nodded towards the nearby door. “We’re here. You knock, or should I?”

“I’ll knock,” Lily replied exasperatedly, rolling her eyes, and stepped towards the door and knocked.

A few seconds later the door was opened, revealing a silver-haired beauty that even Lily—when shifted—could not compare to. Her sharp yet gentle features, full lips and clear eyes made Lily seize up for a short moment, just like she did every time she came near Ikari—she was just that beautiful.

Smiling at the two women at her door, Ikari opened the door fully and stepped aside. With a sweep of a delicate hand she invited them inside, to which they obliged. “How are you feeling, Lily?” Ikari asked, closing the door with one of her many tails. “You looked quite worn earlier today after training.”

“Are you surprised?” Lily retorted, almost sourly. Tsukiko took a seat on the couch situated near a small fireplace in the room, Lily taking the spot beside her while Ikari sat in a chair for herself. “Five hours non-stop of blasting those dummies? I don’t have that much destructive force, and being forced to do that for five hours… it’s should be counted as torture.”

“And that’s why I told you to do it,” the Mythic replied in turn, the smile having never left her lips. “To become as strong as possible, you must learn how to destroy as much as create.”

“I get that, but… Gah. Can we just drop the issue? That’s not why I’m here.”

“I thought as much. So why are you here? It’s not for tea, I don’t think.”

“I want to ask a favour. For the next sparring match, I want you to pit me up against Sindri—the fae guy who has powers similar to ours.”

Ikari was silent for a moment, one tail idly tapping the chair’s leg in thought. “The one who has the contract with Sylphide? That should be possible.”

“Contract?” Lily and Tsukiko asked in unison, their eyebrows shooting up under their respective fringes. “What contract?” Lily finished.

For a moment Ikari looked like she had said something she shouldn’t have, but it was gone so fast that the two shifters barely registered it. “It’s nothing. If you want to know you can ask him. Perhaps he’ll answer. As for pitting you two together, I’ll see what I can do.” She gave them both a nod and another smile, and stood up. “If there’s nothing else?”

“That’ll be it, I think,” Tsukiko said, looking at her girlfriend for confirmation.

“I’ll see you two tomorrow, then.” With a flick of her wrist, the door opened, letting the two shifters out. “I’ll see you two some other day, until then.”

Tsukiko waved at the Mythic as they exited the door, though Lily settled for simply a nod, both of them receiving a wave in return.

“I think she’s nice,” Tsukiko said after a short while, glancing every which way in search of something interesting. “So where are we headed now?”

“The cinema, I think, and after that bed, probably. I need to relax after today; too much stuff has happened after that torture session this morning.” They rounded a corner, the tram station coming into view. “What movie do you wanna watch? If you’re coming with me that is.”

“Hmm… How about ‘The Kid’?”

Of all the things Lily had expected, that was certainly not it. “The Kid? Tsuki… That movie is literally over six hundred years old! Why would you watch that?”

The cat girl only shrugged in return. “It’s interesting.”

“I guess we’ll watch The Kid, then.”

The Next Day

Lily woke up to a pair of cat tails almost slapping her in the face, forcing her awake in the most impolite way possible.

“Damnit, Tsuki, I’m asleep!” Lily grumbled, sitting up and let the sheets fall away from her naked body. “Or was… What is it?”

“You have to get up! You slept through the announcement!” How Tsuki could be so energetic so early in the morning was a mystery to Lily, and something she had given up on finding out about by the second month they had lived together.

“What was the announcement?” She asked, stepping out of bed and over to the dresser, pulling out a set of underwear first, then a pair of jeans and a tank top. “It must’ve been important for you to wake me up for it,” she continued, finally getting the top on.

“Group A2, B4, and C1 of Titan, Fae and Demon respectively are to meet up at Rendezvous Point Charlie for sparring practice in ninety minutes.”

"Which one was Charlie again?" She asked, currently looking under the bed for a pair of shoes.

"The one in the north west part of the compound. You know, the one which takes half an hour by train, and is five minute's walk from the exit into the open areas outside."

"You didn't have to be so specific," Lily mumbled, having finally found her shoes and put them on.

"Also!" Tsukiko chimed in, closing her own closet from which she had produced a one-handed, double-edged sword. "Sindri will be there, so I guess Ikari managed to pit you against him."

Despite still being tired, the news brought a smile to the Kitsune’s lips. “Nice. That means I'll finally get to punch him in the face,” she said, chuckling. “Come on, let’s get some breakfast quickly and head for the rendezvous point.”

“Nya Nya!”

“...Right after I finish braiding my hair.”

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