Paths of Parity

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

She clears her throat, then looks to the blue-haired girl and flashes her a small, awkward smile. "Sorry about that. I'm fine now."

@Aisede

Peony smiled at Kaitlyn. “Glad you’re feeling better. We need everyone for this and it’d be a shame if we let one of our own be sidelined on their first day.” She was still concerned about the outburst for both her own and Kaitlyn’s sake but decided to trust the higher ups knew what they were doing when adding her to the task force until evidence suggested otherwise.

Municipality of Lubao, Pampanga Province, Philippines - 1/1/2023, 10:15 AM, UTC+8

@Letter Bee

The brief lull in the conversation in the time it took to secure the restaurant allowed the starving swordswoman to enjoy her meal in relative peace. With the entire task force here, there were few safer places even if the risk of being attacked was still non-negligible.

Her chewing slowed as Myron explained the fate of the Seven Virtues who had attacked Gansu. It was hard not to feel sorry for them, the Seven Virtues were easy to admire. Who wouldn’t look up to a group who gives up everything to help those in need regardless of reward like knights out of a fairy tale?

Her eyes trailed to Baalphegor and let out a thoughtful hum.

His tone turned bitter, "We were able to win the Battle of Scarborough Shoal - La Naval de Manila, Part Two - Because this infighting meant that Huang and Ding were not able to join Wu Shufen, who nearly defeated our party alone some weeks earlier. That miracle won't repeat itself a second time..."

@Letter Bee

Peony returned her attention to Myron before giving the question too much thought only to find she disagreed with the man.

Peony pushed her now empty plate to the side. “Miracles don’t happen in a fight.” She spoke up calm yet insistent. “We - or rather, the older TFO - won against the Monkey because they were more unified than their enemy, not because of blind luck. The same goes for our fight against Feng, not to mention we are far stronger than we were this morning.” She remarked, her gaze looking across the newcomers. “If she had attacked us now, the margin between victory and defeat would be significantly wider.” She looked momentarily uncertain suddenly as she tapped the table absentmindedly. “Although… I would prefer if we got to choose the terms of engagement next time. If we keep letting them plot the when and where then we will always be on the backfoot.”

"Excuse me, sir, but what condition is Fēng Lin at the present time?" If the Downward Descent is so eager to empower Fēng, what's stopping them from coming down on them again to try and retrieve her? or 1-UP her so she can Mario stomp the entire team a second time? Herself included this time around.

@Aisede

The woman's eyes widened suddenly. “What about the Pig’s victims? Are they conscious?” While she did pity Feng, she hadn't forgotten what it was like to stare into the shield that tried to eat her or what the Zodiac did to her previous victims.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

Her eyes sweep the room, catching the eyes of everybody she could muster up the courage to meet. Regrettably, that included the devil, but she managed to avoid Myron and the Liberator. They settle, finally, on the blue-haired girl, and she offers a chocolate directly.

Please like chocolate. Every girl like chocolate! It's science.

"Princess? Um, do princesses eat-" Before she can finish what she was saying, her eyes widen, and she gasps.

Meds

Meds!

MEDS!

Kaitlyn collapses forward against the table, frantically sifting through the satchels on her belt until she flips open the correct one and withdraws a non-descript orange bottle. Her hands are shaking as she tries, fails, and tries again to open the lid, ultimately managing to fumble her way into a handful of small white pills. Grimacing, she throws one into her mouth and follows up with a swip from the canteen clipped to her belt. Her eyes pinch closed, and for several long seconds, she remains perfectly still. Then, breathing slowly, she eases herself back into her seat.

Her eyes are distant, and pained, as she gestures towards the chocolates scattered across the tabletop.

"C-condition..." She whispers.

@Aisede

Before she knew it, the third newcomer, Kaitlyn, was offering her chocolate after a rapid fire series of questions. “Thank you.” She said, accepting the treat. The girl was perhaps overly excitable but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She had the right idea of things at least. They should do their best to get along… even if they had reservations. The swordswoman’s eyes flickered to the devil lady briefly at the thought.

“I think pop’s fine-” Was as far as she got before the brown haired girl lurched forwards. Peony froze. Instinct told her to act but this wasn’t enemy action (as far as she could tell) nor was there any immediate cause to the spasm. It was fortunate then that Kaitlyn swallowed a small pill and stabilized a second later.

The blue haired woman let out a breath she didn’t remember holding though she still felt disoriented at the sudden ordeal. She was grateful that Cristina took charge of the situation, she wasn’t in the headspace to offer support of her own though that left her feeling slightly guilty.

Turning away from the group slightly and shifting his body towards her, The Liberator gave Peony most of his attention when he heard her pipe up. "My responsibilities. Becoming what I used to fear forced me to look into that world- y'know, the world of Arms Masters, and it turned out that most of 'em weren't psychopaths with nukes, so to speak. They're people with a lot of hard power tied to them, but still just people in the end. There's good, there's bad, and there's gray, just like there is with those that don't have NAs." He then looked back at the group, and exerted his x-ray vision and super senses at a small scale, just to gauge how everyone here was feeling about each other and also in case they'd invited unwanted attention. "What's with the guys up on the buildings? They with us?", he asked, voice casual but stern as he scanned the horizon and saw Baalphegor's security through the walls of their respective hiding spots.

@esqueleto

The Liberator’s response was a welcome distraction. Surprisingly, she resonated with the patriotic Arms Master’s outlook. “Our Arms are an extension of ourselves. They make us more but not better, not even that different.” At least, she wanted to believe that last point. Her smile dimmed. “I mean, my Arm forced me to ‘look out’ too. It was a lot easier to ignore the world before I got it.” She picked up the inert hilt of her Arm and observed how it distorted light and how her arm took on a metallic sheen. “Yet even with all its baggage, I can’t really say I regret manifesting one.” It felt like something was waiting to reveal itself all her life had finally been brought to the light even if only in retrospect.

Peony didn’t say that last part out loud, she was already getting a bit too sentimental for the mood.

The Liberator’s tentative warning had her grip Liminal Tesseract firmly though she refrained from going as far as to activate it. While there were perfectly logical reasons why armed soldiers would watch them even if a paranoid part of her kindled the lingering stress from the battle.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

Peony smiled politely even as a small amount of guilt bubbled up from within. She knew bringing up Qingshe might have brought out some mixed emotions with how Callie first mentioned her but even considering that the sword wielder didn’t expect such an… emotionally charged response. “You have nothing to apologize for and I look forward to hearing all about those techniques.” She replied earnestly, eager to move on to less heated topics.

"I must admit, I did feel a little intimidated when you summoned all of your grand weapons." He thought some humor might break the ice, and seemingly found just as much companionship or comfort in his Noble Arm as Callie, and possibly others, did. The Daft Punk fan spun the knife around once more as easily as if it was part of him, and said "All I got is little Marble, here." With his left elbow relaxed on the back of his chair 'Benjamin' smiled sheepishly, and opened his right palm so they could better see the shimmering black finger knife. Shaped to his hand, and sensually deadly with its sharp curves and creative edges.

@Lloki

“My Arm’s a little misleading.” Peony hesitated for a moment, looking around at the sparsely populated restaurant but figured if her companions felt comfortable summoning their Arms then it should be fine. She called Liminal Tesseract but instead of the meters-long sword, a silvery hilt about twice as long as Peony’s forearm appeared on the table. It ended with a sharp spike while light reflected off of it strangely, as if it was being filtered though something. “This is the ‘heart’ of my Arm. Flux, the fluid you saw before, shifts into a loose shape around it forming the blade you saw before.” She gently rested a hand over the inert Arm. “I’m still learning its inner workings, but I trust it to protect me and reveal itself in time.”

"Hey there! I take it you wonderful people are gonna be the ones I'll be working with for the foreseeable future. I'm The Liberator- you should have had all the other stuff you needed to know sent to you a few days ago, so I won't go on boring you with extra details you've probably already seen." he said before pulling up a chair and taking a seat on it. "So... what's good here? No, seriously, I've never been to this particular restaurant -or country- before."

@esqueleto

Their conversation was cut short as the newcomer introduced himself. Surprisingly, she recognized him. While Peony was somewhat divorced from the comings and goings of the mainland, even she was passingly familiar with ‘The Liberator’. Admittedly, most of what she knew was from her father complaining about the military’s new golden boy but despite that she didn’t have a strong opinion about the man one way or the other. What she did know for certain was his strength and that would be welcome the next time they got into a fight.

"Baalphegor," she supplied her name frankly. Though, perhaps it was more a title that had supplanted her name? At this point, she wasn't entirely sure anymore, nor did she care. Her words were offered with the casual silken vocals of an accomplished singer, confident and projected, yet simultaneously pitched to carry no further than the immediate table. "A pleasure to be meeting you all... quite a pleasure."

@Lewascan2

Peony was about to respond when the acrid stench of sulfur assaulted her senses. It wasn’t strong but it was sudden and certainly out of place. The swordswoman coughed and waved a hand to disperse the smell when she spotted the next newcomer and paused. Somehow, she was even less discreet than The Liberator. The goat horns and slitted eyes gave away the fact she was an Arms Wielder immediately.

Her gaze lingered on the inhuman characteristics as her left arm came to rest against her right. It still felt like metal.

While conventionally wisdom stated to never judge a book by its cover, Peony believed an Arm was an expression of a person’s soul. If that expression took the form of a demon then that said nothing good about a person’s character. That, and the woman carried herself like she slashed her employees wages as a fun pastime.

The maid wasn’t helping her case either.

Even so, if the demon-lady was here, then she was an ally. Granted, she wouldn’t be surprised if the clearly evil aristocrat betrayed them but she wasn’t going to assume.

Suppressing a blush, she beelines for a space right next to the blue-haired lady and Callie, smiling awkwardly and making a failed attempt to introduce herself as she sits down.

"Um. H– hi. I uh... I'm Kaitlyn. Um. Private Price. Kaitlyn Price, I mean!"

@Aisede

Peony schooled her expression and opened her mouth to respond when yet another person appeared and slid onto the seat next to her. Hopefully, that'd be the last interruption. At this rate, she’d be considered a senior member by virtue of joining a day before everyone else.

Compared to the superhero and devil, the woman looked almost offensively normal even as her eyes darted every which way before settling on Nil. It was nice to know Nil had a friend. Hell, it was nice to know Nil could make friends. While she hadn't been in TFO very long, their palest member was rather aloof.

"Ms. Baalphegor," the tall young man said to her, "I have heard of you. A wealthy Arms Master investor who runs on contracts and magically-binding deals; my previous allegiances were narrow-minded when judging them and I must apologize for their... demonization of them and you, pardon the pun."

@Letter Bee

So she was an evil businesswoman. Good to know. The diver turned warrior fanned herself a bit. Between the royals, CEO, and military heroes, she couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit inadequate. Not that she would let that show.

More importantly, one of Myron’s statements stood out to her. She leaned slightly towards The Liberator. “You used to dislike Arms Wielders?” She asked, curious rather than judgmental. “What changed?”

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

By the time the group entered the restaurant, the last dregs of adrenaline filtered out of Peony’s system. It left her feeling drained but allowed her mind to finally unwind. While the battle wasn’t the first harrowing situation or fight she had been in, she was still unused to fighting Arms Masters as well as fighting alongside others.

The restaurant was a surprise but not an unwelcome one. After ordering a plate of chicken fajitas, she took it upon herself to break the ice. “So, Callie, you told me my power reminded you of a fellow Arms Master. Qingshe, right? You said she was a defector. What was she like?” She asked with a smile only slightly dimmed by her fatigue.

@Nimbus

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

“Peony...” Callie set her eyes on her as one would tear off a plaster – quickly, to hurry through the pain. “You’ve got power a lot like Lei Qingshe’s – a Zodiac defector, one of our teammates.” She of jade-spun hair and fire opal eyes. “She’s missing right now and none of us can teach you like she’ll be able to – and she wasn’t one to share secrets about her own power,” she added with a soft laugh – “but we’ve all seen her in action. Maybe we can walk you through some things.”

@Nimbus

Peony looked up at her A-rank senior and felt… conflicted.

“It’s not that I’m not grateful but…” She looked down at her hand, the one that had been and would yet be metal, “I barely understand what my Arm is capable of. It’s like I’m feeling a rushing current through a film but I can only gather what leaks through.” While it was a somewhat melodramatic depiction, it was true to what she felt.

Even so, she trusted herself to unlock its power and her Arm to provide. Of course they would, they were one and the same.

She looked back up at Callie and placed the hand over her heart and smiled. “I accept though. I’ll listen to anything and everything you can tell me. At the end of the day, we’re in this together.”

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

Peony nodded. “I can’t do anything about a chain of command but helping the populace sounded like a good idea. We can at least assure them that their home isn’t in danger of being crushed by meteors at any rate.”

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

"Speaking of." He continued, "Chinese intelligence should know us by reputation at this point. For them to send a single soldier against well-known Zodiac killers I can imagine three reasons. One, they're desperate. Two, soldiers are being eliminated in preparation for an internal coup. Or three, there's a reserve of Arms-Masters ready to replace the lost Zodiacs. The first two would be advantageous to us. The third means the worst is still ahead."

@Chiro

"It could be she attacked us under her own volition." Peony suggested. "She seems somewhat impulsive, not to mention Feng's... pretty young." She pointed out, still perturbed by the fact. "I don't think we should just assume the worst or best at any rate. That being said," She added, addressing the rest of the group, "do we know how many Zodiacs they have?"

While her determination to fight didn't waver, the sword wielder wasn't in any rush to fight another one so soon.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

Seeing Feng disappear into Myron’s shield was jarring and confusing but based on the other members' reactions, it seemed that the Boar still lived in some capacity. When she recovered, she let out a relieved sigh and let Liminal Tesseract dissipate, leaving her arm looking normal once more.

Then towards Lukas and Peony (?) he said, "You two did well; we've gotten Noel back, along with another Prisoner and Shen Tu - I suspect he got limped in with them due to betraying Huo Ren and the PRC during that combat in Cambodia..."

@Letter Bee

Peony nodded at the praise even as she drew her lips into a thin line. She wasn’t sure how much she helped if she was being honest. Maybe she distracted the Boar but potentially contributing wasn’t enough to end a fight much less win a war. Training would be necessary, she needed to become stronger.

She looked to the other members, struggling to see herself as one of them, when it dawned on her she never got the chance to properly introduce herself. Ambushes tended to get in the way of plans.

She took a fortifying breath and cleared her throat. “Hello, my name is Peony Loris. I’m an Arms Master from Saipan. I look forward to fighting alongside you all.” It was perhaps overly formal but she meant every word of it.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

Henri's shield hit Feng's, causing a bright flash at the point of collision and an explosion of force punctuated by motes of glittering matter.

"You!" Feng shouted at Henry as she staggered back, her shield opening up to reveal a maw of darkness that spat out three limp figures in red-and-black clothes that marked them as given by her. "I guess... You win."

@Letter Bee

Peony relaxed as the Boar admitted defeat. She let Liminal Tesseract hit the ground though she wasn’t going to recall the weapon while the Boar was still present. The roiling Flux that made the Arm’s form faded away, once more becoming a dull dark grey. As it did so, the Flux turned into an inert, near-black shale that cracked readily.

The Arms Master implanted the sword into the dirt and leaned against it as the Mirage Space fell. The fight had been more mentally exhausting than physically. While it was terrifying, dangerous, and harrowing, it was also very quick, like splashing alcohol onto a fire. Despite all that, she knew it could have gone a lot worse. Everyone on her side still lived and the town was still standing. This was a victory pure and total.

Feng's body, which had transmuted itself to Magical Ether in the height of the battle, was dissolving into more motes of light, and as she tried to stop it, she was saying, "No, no, no... It cannot end this way! Please, someone, save me!"

@Letter Bee

As Feng began to fade, Peony’s eyes widened in shock. She stood back up and pulled her sword up but didn’t level it at their disappearing foe. A deep hollow dread formed in her core. Peony wasn’t naive enough to believe she would get through this war without seeing death or inflicting it herself but she didn’t want the girl to die even if she was their foe, even if she tried to consume her. The thought still sent a shiver down her spine.

She looked down at Liminal Tesseract’s dull grey surface. She earned it by saving a life, she believed that with all her heart, but it couldn’t save Feng. How would Flux even interact with Ether? It was as liable to consume it wholly as it was to do nothing.She felt useless.

“We’re not… We’re not just going to let her die, right?” She uncertainly asked, casting glances at her new comrades. It felt weird, suggesting to a group of hardened soldiers, none of whom she knew, that they save an enemy's life, one who devoured a few of their own. Then again, she had surrendered and there were rules about that. She was pretty sure, at least.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

Peony wasn’t sure if she was helping or not. The Arms Master was deceptively quick and kept darting away from where the Flux landed. She liked to think that was at least distracting her but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Boar from attacking.

It was enough for the shield wielder to grow tired of her and hurl a particularly large meteor at the sword wielder. Peony’s eye grew wide and she backpedaled to the side. It was still too close. She held Plunging Tesseract in a guard stance between her and the rock. Even being clipped sent her flying, skidding against the ground before landing in a puddle of shimmering Flux.

A part of her was terrified, this was the first real taste of combat she had experienced yet paradoxically, that part felt distant, detached. Strange and a little concerning, but she didn’t have the luxury to dwell on it.

She staggered back to her feet with the help of her sword, sending ripples across the impossibly deep puddle. Liminal Tesseract wasn’t as good as a proper shield but having a layer of separation between her and the burning rock spared her from serious burns. The impact did little to protect her non-transmuted arm and side when the blade was forced against them. There would no doubt be a nasty bruise but she didn’t think anything was broken.

By the time she recovered, it looked like the battle had turned in their favor, the Boar was getting hammered from multiple angles and her composure was unfurling. Yet, Peony frowned. Maybe it was a dangerous feeling, but she pitied Feng, she wasn’t built for this. She had a powerful Noble Arm and was their enemy besides but she was essentially sent out to fight, and potentially, die alone in a foreign country she was told to despise. Would that be her fate?

She shook the thought free and yanked her sword from the floor. Her resolve didn’t waver, she wouldn’t be consumed by the Arms Master and she wouldn’t let those trapped within remain sealed even if her contributions in freeing them would ultimately be minor.

The blond haired Arms Master was doing… something with portals while the rest were getting in position to attack if whatever she was planning didn’t work out. Ultimately, she would fall in the latter group, she couldn’t risk inflicting Flux upon one of her comrades at a critical juncture and she had no idea how Liminal Tesseract would interact with portals. All she could do was stand by and prepare just in case Feng tried something desperate.