@Thanatos No, It's name is going to be Ritter. It's nickname is going to be Mr. Snuggles. Probably not by my character, Mind you.
And My CS is up. Swen, beneath Iravis.
And My CS is up. Swen, beneath Iravis.
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@Thanatos Accepted, but change the word "Magic" in the CS to "Power"
Additionally, add the nickname "Mr. Snuggles" to it. Don't ask why.
@Pyromania99 Follow your heart!
Additionally, add the nickname "Mr. Snuggles" to it. Don't ask why.
@Pyromania99 Follow your heart!
@Thanatos A familiar for a noble boy.
@Savo Hey, if it's not accepted don't bet on it showing up. I usually prevent overly similar characters from arriving.
@Pyromania99 We already got two pyromaniacs, so avoid that XD
Iravis and Tancred finally arrived outside the metropolis. After raiding heathens around the countryside, Tancred had decided to arrive to aid in the siege of Antioch. Right now, the pair stood over a hill, viewing the Crusading camp.
"A state of despair before our eyes?" Before the Phoenix was the picture of poverty. The camps were filthy, supplies were low, and it was quite obvious by the burial ground nearby that some had died to due fighting between the besieged and the besiegers along with more natural causes.
"A test from God, souls sent to the holy ghost." Tancred responded, steadfast in his faith.
"Infedels sent shrieking straight to hell?" Iravis stated, hopeful that the armies intended to liberate her homeland were succeeding.
For now, the warrior to her right hadn't realized what the Phoenix really was, but he was fairly sure she wasn't normal. A blessing from god perhaps, the red hair representing the fire of Christ. The Southern Italian spoke with some anger. "Many more martyrs than hellbound, I believe." The pair turned their steeds and forces to the camp, rejoicing at the arrival of the rising warrior and his riders.
When they arrived in camp, Tancred of Hautville asked the leaders why they hadn't taken the city by storm yet. The Phoenix waited outside, wondering why they had failed so far. The Crusader returned, fury in his eyes.
"They say Antioch 'is so well fortified that it need not fear attack by machinery nor the assault of man, even if all mankind came together against it.' I asked what they had done so far. They have blocked the Dog's gate against a sortie, and have built Malregard," the nobleman gestured to a pitiful fortress of earth, "in order to establish a more permanent siege. I told them they were cowards, hesitant to die in the name of the lord."
Iravis always had to stop herself from laughing at this man. He took his faith very seriously, even insistent that the army bring as few mages as possible because God himself would grant victory to Christ's army, and crush the infidels.
Tancred's passionate fire was still ... inspiring though.
The way the Hautevillian fought ... the Goddess thought that perhaps he was right. Taking on ten enemies with only a single retainer was not a challenge for this well seasoned fighter, moving faster and striking harder than most mortals could managed. She wondered.
That night the camp decided to celebrate the arrival of a rising legend and his reinforcements. Iravis danced with Tancred again as the musicians' fingers bled. The Goddess convinced him later that night to hold off his assault until victory was certain, stating that patience was a virtue of the Bible, and the Heavens rewarded those who waited.
It would be months until they took the city, but that was time spent with a strong man.
"A state of despair before our eyes?" Before the Phoenix was the picture of poverty. The camps were filthy, supplies were low, and it was quite obvious by the burial ground nearby that some had died to due fighting between the besieged and the besiegers along with more natural causes.
"A test from God, souls sent to the holy ghost." Tancred responded, steadfast in his faith.
"Infedels sent shrieking straight to hell?" Iravis stated, hopeful that the armies intended to liberate her homeland were succeeding.
For now, the warrior to her right hadn't realized what the Phoenix really was, but he was fairly sure she wasn't normal. A blessing from god perhaps, the red hair representing the fire of Christ. The Southern Italian spoke with some anger. "Many more martyrs than hellbound, I believe." The pair turned their steeds and forces to the camp, rejoicing at the arrival of the rising warrior and his riders.
When they arrived in camp, Tancred of Hautville asked the leaders why they hadn't taken the city by storm yet. The Phoenix waited outside, wondering why they had failed so far. The Crusader returned, fury in his eyes.
"They say Antioch 'is so well fortified that it need not fear attack by machinery nor the assault of man, even if all mankind came together against it.' I asked what they had done so far. They have blocked the Dog's gate against a sortie, and have built Malregard," the nobleman gestured to a pitiful fortress of earth, "in order to establish a more permanent siege. I told them they were cowards, hesitant to die in the name of the lord."
Iravis always had to stop herself from laughing at this man. He took his faith very seriously, even insistent that the army bring as few mages as possible because God himself would grant victory to Christ's army, and crush the infidels.
Tancred's passionate fire was still ... inspiring though.
The way the Hautevillian fought ... the Goddess thought that perhaps he was right. Taking on ten enemies with only a single retainer was not a challenge for this well seasoned fighter, moving faster and striking harder than most mortals could managed. She wondered.
That night the camp decided to celebrate the arrival of a rising legend and his reinforcements. Iravis danced with Tancred again as the musicians' fingers bled. The Goddess convinced him later that night to hold off his assault until victory was certain, stating that patience was a virtue of the Bible, and the Heavens rewarded those who waited.
It would be months until they took the city, but that was time spent with a strong man.
In this part I'm referring to the Siege of Antioch during the first crusade. The Guardman is named Firouz, and Bohemond later became the Prince of Antioch.
Malregard is the name of the fortress the crusaders built outside the city during the siege.
Tancredis of house Hauteville.
Malregard is the name of the fortress the crusaders built outside the city during the siege.
Tancredis of house Hauteville.
Is a roaring flame reduced to a surviving ember still the same fire?
The ember starting a new blaze of the same burning soul?
Does wisdom acknowledge shifts of time or origins of history before the other?
They still called themselves Romans. The Goddess felt that calling this state after an Empire blessed by Pantheons was an insult, and those outside felt the same.
Others called it the Greek Empire, but that name had already passed with Iskandar. Some referred to the state by the prize gem of Constantinople, to the exclusion of it's jagged edges. Some called it the Orthodox Empire, but Rus had many Orthodox as well.
The Turks had been encroaching on the empire for years, gradually pressuring the border. Today was intended to fix that, and perhaps reverse it. The Ecimunal Patriarch under the Emperor called upon the Papacy for some 300 knights to defend the borders of combined Christandom.
Forty Thousand arrived, answering the call of their mutual God. The red haired woman saw the Baslius shower gifts on some, resulting in many a Catholic swearing some degree of fealty in return for this support. Others looked away, unwilling to accept bribes but who lacked the heart to scold those who would journey with them to the holiest of cities.
Tancred de Hautville was one of those who refused, but he did so loudly. He said they had a lack of faith, and critised the lack of Christ's fire in their hearts. For many this was a source of discomfort.
But the Goddess liked the brave. When the dancing started that night, the Phoenix accepted his offered hand. The musicians increased speed until all others were forced off the floor.
Ten further times they moved their fingers faster, trying to blow out the flames of this match.
But these two passionate fires stayed on until the player's fingers bled, feet moving with divine grace. When they were forced to leave the floor, they visited each other until the next day.
Forgoing a Basileus weak enough to call rivals for aid and embracing the hands of one who's soul burned as brightly as her own, Iravis set off the next day on a Crusade against those who still defiled her homeland.
I am using Deus Lo Volt as the primary source regarding people's character. Incase it wasn't obvious, this is about the first crusade. This isn't class, so for those of you who haven't taken AP World history this is for you.
Greek/Orthodox/Constantinople: The Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, located in modern day Turnkey and Greece.
Turks: This time period is pre-Ottoman, so in this case I am referring to Seljuk Turks. By this time they had dominated Mesopotamia and parts of Persia (modern day Iran)
Basileus: Another title for Emperor, used mostly by the Byzantine Empire
Orthodox: After the collapse of the Pentarchy, Catholics and Orthodox were born out of the remains. While the official schism occurred later, the two churches had been unofficially separated for centuries by this point. Two critical points are that the priests can marry and have beards.
Greek/Orthodox/Constantinople: The Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, located in modern day Turnkey and Greece.
Turks: This time period is pre-Ottoman, so in this case I am referring to Seljuk Turks. By this time they had dominated Mesopotamia and parts of Persia (modern day Iran)
Basileus: Another title for Emperor, used mostly by the Byzantine Empire
Orthodox: After the collapse of the Pentarchy, Catholics and Orthodox were born out of the remains. While the official schism occurred later, the two churches had been unofficially separated for centuries by this point. Two critical points are that the priests can marry and have beards.
"Never wake me up. Especially if the house is on fire."
Theme
Nicknames/Titles: 'Phoenix' is probably the most commonly used. Has been mistaken for many existent gods, called an angel, and the inspiration for some non-existent deities.
In this life, she has been called 'Roux Allete' and 'Little Red' by those close to her.
Age: When asked about her age, Iravis probably responds with fire in her eyes, her voice rising in volume. "I have received offerings, laughed at Christ's resurrection, turned Latium to ashes, been a companion to Charlemagne in his conquests, and led Tancred over the walls of Jerusalem. I have lived over four thousand years, and am a goddess worthy of worship!"
But her eyes drift downwards after that explanation, her voice suddenly quiet. If she trusts you, she might continue. "I've lived in a cage, a curiosity. Now I've practically become a pet. The most violent thing I've done recently is set fire to the curtains. I just turned seventeen years old..."
Gender: Female
Race: Phoenix
Sexuality: "As a bird, I've always found eagles strangely attractive!"
Year: N/A
Powers: The Goddess has received many over time, but these are the ones she has currently.
Inferno
As a bird of flame, in most of her lives Iravis has been gifted with the ability to wield and manipulate fire. Although able to target an individual, her spells are most useful as an area-of-effect sort of attack. Additionally, the more fire that surrounds her, the stronger she is. This means that fighting in a city grants her an exponential power curve as she burns more of it down. Additionally, it means she is much stronger in deserts and during the day when the sun is out.
Lacrima
As in the legends, the Phoenix is renown for her legendary power of healing. Not only can she never truly die, but her tears are capable of great healing. She also heals faster than normal, having the ability to heal very minor wounds in a few minutes despite having tears. She has never figured out how she respawns, but her dreams are only memories of previous lives.
Phoenix
And of course, she can turn into the phoenix. She hasn't done this yet this life, but she will eventually. In both human and bird form she has enhanced vision and hearing. Lastly, her nails in human form are very, very sharp. Like talons.
A massive winged beast, colored orange with the tips of it's wings becoming first red then leading to blue ends that seem to dance like fire. Its eyes were sapphires, the deepest blue of the Nile.
A storyteller could spend a thousand other lines describing the beast's majesty, the bird's divine presence.
Smite
Honestly, she's never fired the spell. She has no idea what it does.
Strengths: Both of her magic has extremely high potential in both human and bird form. Very few have been able to surpass her, and around age 300 she reaches a nearly unstoppable peak of strength. Additionally, it is very hard to actually burn her.
Weaknesses: Both of her magics are also uncontrollable. If angry, surrounding fires will begin to rise uncontrollably. Her tears of healing can be taken through beatings, allowing her worst enemies to heal from her power. While around 135 she is able to control her full mana at will, but up until then it usually leads to disaster.
Other Skills: Iravis is a skilled dancer and artist, and seems to know all the world's languages. While not every skill transfers from her past lives, she has an incredible sense of grace and balance as if it had been practiced for lifetimes.
She seems to be fairly knowledgeable, especially about history.
Inventory: Typically whatever she has been offered. In this case, the dress featured in the picture.
Also, she has crafted and perfected a spear of Orichalcum, Atlantian Bronze. It is about seven feel long and features a long tip.
Additionally, she has a necklace that was intended as a gift for Livia. After some arguing, Livia returned it. Iravis still hasn't decided to return it.
Master: N/A
Personality: Being praised as a goddess in her dreams, Iravis sometimes forgets that she isn't all powerful. Her mood often depends on what she remembered the night before, leading to a strange randomness where she experiences happiness, sadness, horniness, fear, and all the other emotions throughout the day as she copes with the memories. Iravivs' sarcasm is legendary, largely due to the fact that death is really, really meaningless for her. Although in this life she tends towards being weak and submissive, some days she is extremely confrontational and argues with dragons.
A wise woman told her it was alright to be afraid, but not to let her fears control her. Despite the fact that she firmly believes she is strong, she thinks that if your being overwhelmed, it's okay to ask for help if you aren't ready to face those things yet. In a way, it's her first step to confronting a problem. On the flip side, she tends to depend too much on champions to fight for her causes.
Although Iravis believes it is one of her duties as a goddess to help another even if it causes her own suffering, the Phoenix thinks that it should be done so anonymously and without pride. The less people who know of her kindness, the less who will come begging, after all.
She believes conviction is what lends strength to a person, and one without conviction in any form has no true strength at all.
Despite believing she is above most, Iravis does pay attention to the romantic advances of others if good effort is put in.
Backstory: Born some time before 2000 BC, an Egyptian girl entered an argument with a man who claimed he was a god. Turns out the man actually was Ra, Egyptian bird God of the Sun. As punishment, she was cursed with the inability to die. Her memories rarely go back this far, so she knows very little about her initial life as a human.
Appearing many times in history, she has always favored the Greeks and the Egyptians. But as with humans, she always follows the one she loves first. Her death usually is caused by her love one way or another in the end, but the Phoenix never got angry about it. She believes a few times she has actually approached her ex-lover in the next life and had nice conversations. Henry VIII had her three times, which she thinks is the currently held record.
In this life, for her youngest years she was held captive by a group of corrupt mages, literally having the tears beat out of her. Kept in a room, she was taught about language, math, history and many other things by her captors. Iravis never figured out who was benefiting from her healing magic, and never could figure out why her captors didn't throw her in a literal cage.
The red haired fourteen year old looked up from the book in her hands as her keeper entered the room, but her eyes quickly drifted back downwards towards the pages. The girl saw words on the pages, but her mind had stopped reading as she heard the footsteps approching. Even though it happened every day, she never could get used to this portion of it.
"It's time" She heard her keeper pull out a small bottle. The girl lifted herself from the bed, moving towards a metal chair next to it. The bottle was thrust into her hand as soon as she finished lowering herself onto the uncomfortable throne.
Lifting it to her eye, the red haired girl allowed tears to fall into it. After years of practice, she had managed to be able to cry at will. Once it was about halfway full, the tears slowed and eventually came to a stop. She couldn't force that many out at once. A slap delivered across the face managed to summon a few more, but it wasn't enough to reach her quota.
"... Please ..." For the first time today, she looked into the keeper's eyes in an attempt to beg him to stop. Just not today. A moment later she remembered why that never worked as a fist crashed into her face.
"That's the last time you beg. I want double today."
A look of shock ran across the fourteen year old's face. "I can't..." A punch to the stomach made a few more fall into the bottle, but some of them fell to the floor. As she noticed a hand raised in the air, she instincivly raised an arm in the air to defend herself. A mistake.
An hour later the girl slumped to the floor in a bloody mess as she was finally freed from her bonds. She apologized, but that only earned her a final kick. Animals weren't meant to speak.
The keeper left the room whistling, three bottles clanging against eachother cheerfully as the door closed behind him. He'd be getting a large paycheck today. Selling immortality was profitable, and many were willing to pay a high price for it.
Arthur Wick had found the place. Stepping out of his car he looked at the manor that stood before him. A rather ornate, if aged, affair. A perfect place for such a lair.
"Could you stay in the car please? I'd prefer to go in alone. I'll call if I need help." the man said as the closed the door behind him and started walking across the grounds to the entrance
It was a nice enough looking place. Tall building, simple architecture, a stone tower junting from the side that could equally house an observatory or an medieval armory. Likely a basement filled with long maze like tunnels. Arthur smiled, this could be fun. He walked onwards towards the door, his hand held out to touch and trail along some trimmed hedges growing along the cobble path.
Gall had remained silent most of the ride to their destination. He, had wished he could have used a more efficient form of travel, but Livia had insisted he take the vehicle with Arthur, as much as it displeased him. So while Arthur drove, he simply remained in the back seat, silent for most of the trip unless Arthur spoke directly to him. He wasn’t here to socialize after all. Livia had sent him to watch. Livia couldn’t make it herself, so it was up to him to make a decision here. Act as her eyes and ears.
That was his job, after all. Always had been.
“The Headmistress tasked me to help you.” The undead replied, his otherworldly voice echoing just a bit as he stepped out of the vehicle. “So I will be accompanying you whether you want me too or not.” He followed Arthur up to the front door. If he was capable, a small frown would have formed on his lips.
“You intend to barge in the front door?” The reaper sighed, obviously displeased. “Perhaps a more…stealthy approach is best, here. We do not know what we are up against, and if Sorcha is correct…this...pheonix not the most welcoming sort.”
Of course, he was referring to his skill with Circum magic, and his natural ability to travel between the realms of life and death. He could easily put them right inside without even knocking.
Arthur huffed before retorting, "Come on, liven up a little."
Gall simply stared emotionlessly at Arthur. His eyeless sockets could have probably sent a chill up even a dragons spine.
Arthur walked up the steps to the door before giving a few solid knocks. After a moment the door opened a crack and a man peared his head out slightly before asking, "What is it?"
"Yes, I was wondering, have you any ancient fire birds on hand? Seems I ran fresh out."
A moment of panic ran across the doorman's face. Then his corpse fell to the ground.
"You take the fun out of everything, you know that?" Arthur said staring down at the dead man.
“We’re not here to have fun.” Gall replied from inside the house. His scythe had almost sliced the man in half. “We’re here for business.” He continied, his scythe disappearing back to wherever the reaper kept it. "We shouldn't keep the Headmistress waiting." The reaper then turned, walking back into the house.
"Who says business can't be fun?" Arthur muttered as he stood there, the reaper turning to go further in. "Oi! Wait up. Better yet, how about we split up. Cover more ground. I'll search the mansion, you search the grounds. Sure, that'll work right? Arthur said as he walked into the manor.
The reaper turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at Arthur from inside the house.
“It would be more efficient to stay together.” The reaper replied. Of course, he had his reasons for staying so close to Arthur. Livia had told him too. What reason, he couldn’t imagine. Perhaps she simply didn’t entirely trust him. Perhaps she was afraid he’d simply burn the place to the ground, which was bad considering he was here also looking for…information.
“But…if you have issue with my presence…I shall look upstairs, and you may look down here.” And with that, the reaper was gone. A shadowy cloak enveloping his being until he disappeared completely from view, appearing on the second floor only seconds later - likely surprising anyone had they been up there.
And with that Arthur was standing alone. "Well, I suppose I have a bird to find." Arthur went through the first door he found, walking into a game room, billards table, a few arcade machines, a small bar. And also about six goons, who all turned to look at the pyromancer. "Why hello there. Don't suppose any of you know where I can get my hands on a eternal firebird?"
If Gall was surprised to find the room empty, it wasn’t able to be shown on his skeletal face. He was rather pleased, though. This would be easy if there weren’t many obstacles in his way. No doubt the Pyromancer would be making a ruckus soon enough which would serve as a much needed distraction. He’d be able to do his job quite easily in that case.
Arthur thought they were here subduing some dangerous creature who fancied themselves a god. Which was true, they were. But Livia also wanted to know what exactly she had been up too. A god like the phoenix didn’t stay silent all these years without some sort of plan. With luck, they’d be able to capture the fire bird and stop whatever she was planning.
But on the off chance they weren’t, and the phoenix or Arthur, burned the place down Livia wished to know what she was planning, so she could possibly stop it if it was anything malicious.
The reaper moved silently across the second floor of the house, carefully looking for any signs of life or anyone else that might be up here. He’d end them silently and quickly, before they even knew what happened.
The red haired girl heard some commotion outside the room despite the soundproofed walls. What... ? Her arms shook as she raised herself to her knees off the red stained tile. Suddenly she heard the door slam open loudly, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the teenager as she ducked behind the bed trembling in fear. ... did I do something wrong? Does he need more than three today? She didn't have any tears left to express her fear, so she remained shivering there silently.
Arthur stood in the door frame. He had burnt his way through the guards, most of them could barely be called mages. Finding the key on one of them, along with three bottles that Arthur assumed were important and grabbed, he was adventuring he was allowed to loot, he looked into the room.
It was the deepest room in the manor, past the basement and through a few mazing tunnels. It was a good thing those blokes were defending it or else Arthur may have never found the door. The room itself was rather simple, some books on a shelf, a chair, a bed with a quivering form hiding behind it. Wait one moment.
"Hey there, you alright?' Arthur asked as he walked over. It was a girl, couldn't be older than fifteen. Red hair, covered in bruses and blood.
The teenager didn't look up, still shaking on her knees. She simply nodded yes silently in response, not looking up at him. She wondered for a moment if her keeper had sent someone else in to apologize for him. That seemed unlikely to the red haired girl ... She didn't know why, but she felt a slight comforting ... fire ... appear in her chest.
"Alright. I'm Arthur Wick, who are you? Can you speak? Stand?" Wick asked, he may have been there to find a firebird and capture her but he could hardly let this poor girl alone, she needed help.
The girl managed to stand up, a slight tremble still running through her limbs. She wondered if this was an elaborate test from her keeper to make sure she'd learned her lesson. The red haired girl simply shook her head no in response, thinking that was the safest route.
Arthur stepped up to the girl, and after half a second of thought picked her up in his arms. She couldn't speak, she was beaten and bloody. She barely stood. "For Artemis' sake, I came here to find a bird but I can't leave you here can I? Let's get you out of here, hopefully Gall is having more luck then I am." Arthur would then start walking towards the door to leave. The red haired girl froze in animalistic terror as she was lifted but remained silent in her confusion.
"Hold a moment, Arthur..." Galls voice rang out, as he appeared in the doorway. It was difficult to tell, but his black robe was stained with blood in several places, though the reaper didn't seem to mind. Instead, his head was turned towards the child, his emotionless gaze not betraying his internal debate.
They were here to kill or bring this creature to Livia after all.
“This child…is the one we were sent to…dispose of.” His gaze turned from the child, back to Arthur, obviously waiting to see the pyromancers reaction. Her amber eyes widened in response.
Arthur meanwhile looked down to the girl he was holding, up to the reaper."You're telling me?" Then he looked down at the girl again. "You're the phoenix?" Arthur asked the girl, who didn't respond.
She honestly wasn't sure what was going on. But she doubted it was good based on their conversation.
"Well then. Hey Gall, a question. How combustable are you? For curiosities sake." Arthur asked the reaper as his mind put the pieces together.
“Try it…and your skull will end up as a paperweight on my desk.” The reaper didn’t make a move, however. He had no intention of actually harming the girl unless it was necessary.
"Hey hey, I didn't say I was going to do anything. I was just curious." Arthur said as he took a step forward, "Don't suppose you could move though, I need to get past."
"And what do you intend to do with the girl?" Gall asked, as he stepped aside.
Arthur shrugged best he could without disturbing the girl in his arms, "Get her out of this manor." Walking past the reaper and the burnt corpses Arthur began to make his way out of the tunnels.
The red haired girl finally managed to gather a small voice. "... stop ... I can't leave ..." The red haired girl started to try and push out of his arms, but there wasn't enough strength to dislodge herself from him. Her keeper had told her before that if she left her life would become very miserable.
Arthur stopped moving, the girl was fighting against him, meekly, but she was. "And why not?" the pyromancer asked, a look of equal concern and curiosity in his eyes.
"Keeper said ... he'd ..." Despite her current state, a few tears started falling from the Amber eyes. The teenager started to struggle a bit more, but with any amount of effort the man holding her wouldn't lose his grip.
Gall was going to reply to Arthur, but before he could say anything the girls’ tiny voice interrupted him. He fixed the girl with an eyeless gaze. That probably wasn’t going to help her condition much…but well, there wasn’t much he could do about that, now was there?
“Worry not child…everyone who was residing here has been…taken care of.” With that said, he turned back to Arthur, though made no effort to stop him. “Livia will wish to see her. We should bring her.”
With a sigh Arthur continued walking, "Don't worry, your 'keeper' isn't here anymore. I'll protect you. What's your name? Arthur asked as he walked up some stairs into the manor above.
Eyes still looking downwards, she was surprised to hear that piece of news. ... did he sell me? What happened? After a second, she realized the commotion outside her room had probably been fighting. Were these two going to use her now? The girl shook her head in response to his final question. "... don't have one ..."
Arthur shook his head, "That won't do, how long have you been here?" Arthur asked, a girl without a name. Walking past several more charred bodies the group slowly made their way towards the exit. Flames from the ealier battles were begining to catch, within the hour the manor would be aflame.
Gall mentally sighed. Well, as long as Arthur didn't attempt to flee with the girl he wouldn't do or say anything. One whiff that he might, and his head really would be used as a personal desk ornament. So for now, the reaper simply followed silently.
The trio had just stepped out the door before Arthur stopped, saying "Oh right one more thing. Gall find anything interesting? Because if so I hope you brought it with you." Arthur would then awkwardly adjust his hand so that it was pointing towards the building without upsetting or dropping the girl, and then a torrent of flame poured out, quickly engulfing the front of the building. "There, no evidence that anything happened here, no crime nor crime scene, and no survivors. Now let's go to school"
“Vials of Phoenix tears.” Gall replied. He was reasonably sure that was what they were, at least. He could sense how much…life, was in them. Livia would certainly be interested in the few vials he had collected. “Nothing else important in such a place.” The reaper then watched silently as the pyromancer burned the place to the ground. He wasn’t sure how Livia would feel about that, it could go either way really, but there was no way he was stopping it now.
“We should leave before any curious onlookers see the blaze.”
It had so far been a quiet night, though a bit of uneasiness filled her even if it didn’t show on her face. She had sent Arthur on a rather dangerous mission. Even with Gall present, she wasn’t sure if the two of them alone could handle a creature such as the phoenix. At least, not if it was as powerful as Sorcha claimed it was.
She leaned back in her chair, taking a sip of the tea she was holding in her hand as she waited. Her office was rather large. A plush dark blue carpet covered most of the floor, along with several bookcases a few shelves and things displaying some odd trinket or two. Her desk was sitting against the far wall, purple curtains were drawn over windows behind it. A fireplace was also built into one of the walls.
As uneasy as She was, she was also confident in her familiar and Arthur. She wouldn’t have asked them to do it otherwise, but well, there was always a small chance something could go wrong. Her information on the phoenix was incomplete, after all. She only had one source of information on it. A dragon who had an obvious grudge against the phoenix.
It was a reasonable grudge, though, and one she was inclined to help her friend with.
Hopefully they would return with good news soon.
Arthur stood outside the door, the girl standing next to him and Gall not far behind. Arthur could only see this ending well as he gave three swift knocks on the door.
Well, what a timely arrival. Livia mused silently. She placed her teacup on the desk in front of her.
“It is open.”
The door swung open to reveal Arthur, who stepped in. "I found... her. But I'm pretty sure she isn't what you were looking for Headmistress." Arthur would then step to the side, to allow Livia a whole view of the girl standing near the pyromancer.
The red haired girl had been following Arthur ever since they left the mansion. She had calmed down a little, but still didn't know anything that was going on. She looked up for a moment to examine the new room, but the teenager's eyes returned to the floorboards after a few moments. Wearing a vastly oversized T-Shirt as a dress, she was not the definition of divine in any form of the word.
Livia remained silent as Arthur entered the room. Gall decided walking wasn’t necessary, and had elected to use his Circum magic, appearing behind her. Upon seeing Arthur with the girl, Livia simply picked up her tea once again, taking another sip of it.
“As…Arthur said, there has been an…interesting development.” Gall replied, moving to the desk silently. Livia looked at the girl. This was definitely not what she was expecting. She had been expecting to see some regal looking creature of legend. Not some…child dressed in some over-sized t-shirt.
A few silent words were whispered between the Reaper and Livia, too quiet for the Pyromancer or child to hear, though the reaper did pull a vial out of his robes, and showed it to Livia before she waved him off, disappearing as suddenly as he appeared.
“Hmm…perhaps you should explain, Arthur.” Livia replied.
Arthur shrugged before saying, "Went ot the place, found more then a few unhappy people. They attacked me, I burnt them. After a bit of fighting found a room in the basement, inside was her. Beaten, bloody. A tool for their gain. She doesn't even have a name. Arthur sighed as he looked at Livia. "I don't think your source was very accurate Headmistress."
"Are you suggesting my friend has been lying to me, Arthur?" Livia mused, a small smile appearing on her lips. “And how many times must tell you to call me Livia, hmm?”
Blushing slightly, and moving his hand up to stroke his beard in an attempt to hide it the pyromaster would state, "I am suggesting, Madam, that things are rarely what they seem at first glance. This girl was trapped in a basement being used solely for others profit."
“Madam? Now I’m feeling like an old woman.” Livia pouted, just ever so slightly, though she was mostly just teasing.
“On a more…serious note…Gall has informed me. Likely they were harvesting her tears, correct?” Livia frowned, just slightly as she set her tea back onto the table. “That is…indeed a problem.” She leaned back in her chair, fixing Arthur with a cool gaze. "Gall mentioned you burned the place. Care to tell me why?"
Arthur thought about it. "To be completely honest, I don't really have a good reason. I can tell you that nobody that was involved in the girl's situation survived. Unless somebody was gone that day. Or was fireproof. I suppose you'd prefer the manor not burnt to a crisp? Arthur asked, the barest hint of a smirk on his face.
“Well,” Livia sighed as she reached into her desk and pulled out a rather expensive looking bottle of wine and setting it on the table, pulling out a glass to go with it. “From what Gall said they deserved their fate. However, now we have no chance of finding out who was using the tears and for what purpose.” She poured a glass of the wine. “Of course, it was a rather beautiful manor as well from what I was told. But more importantly...how is the child?”
"I'm pretty sure she can answer for herself." Arthur said as he looked over to the poor girl. "It's alright, Headmistress Livia here is a good person, she just wants to help." Arthur said as he started to lean against the nearby wall.
The red haired girl's eyes darted across the room as she raised them slightly. "... I'm alive ..." She wasn't exactly sure why they were asking, or what was going on. Why did they care?
Oh dear. The poor child looked completely out of her element. Livia frowned slightly, before getting up from her seat. She should probably be sent to bed soon, but she was hesitant to let the child out of her sight at the moment. She trusted Galls judgement that she was in fact the phoenix they were looking for. She must have reincarnated at some point Sorcha didn’t know about. It was hard to imagine what could have killed a powerful creature like the phoenix, however.
“Aha, being alive is very good, isn’t it?” Livia replied to the girl with a soft laugh, taking a seat on one of the sofas. “Perhaps you should take a seat? I have some wonderful tea here, if you want to try some. That offer extends to you as well, Arthur. Unless you’d prefer something stronger?”
The red haired girl slowly moved towards the couch obediently, shaking her head in response to Livia's question. She sat down as far as possible from the strange woman, placing herself against the armrest. It was a comfortable chair, at least.
“Ah…no tea? Tsk. Ah well, I’ll drink it later. Anything for you, Arthur?” Livia replied, no making any attempt to move towards the girl. No need to put more stress on her then she was currently feeling.
Arthur stepped over, sitting between the two women as he said, "I would love some tea. Thank you.'
Without another word, Livia got up from the couch and walked back over to her desk, pouring a cup of tea for Arthur, and grabbing her own wine glass. She brought Arthur the tea, before taking a seat on the opposite sofa, right across from the red-haired girl. She mostly wanted to keep an eye on her. Having Arthur between them wouldn’t exactly help with that.
“So,” She said, taking a sip of the wine. “You do not have a name, child? We can’t very well keep calling you child. I suppose I can simply call you Roux since you have a lovely shade of red hair, but that seems a little silly.”
The red haired girl blushed slightly, curiously looking into Livia's eyes. That compliment wasn't a lie, from what the teenager could tell. They were being ... kind. The ambers soon returned to looking at the floor though, too nervous to hold that gaze.
Something told her that these weren't terrible people. The idea that this was an elaborate ruse set up by her keeper moved towards the back of her mind. "... What's going on? ..." The words hardly left the teenagers mouth, probably barely audible to Livia across from her.
“You are safe, child.” Livia replied simply, resting the wine glass on the table between the sofas. “Those…people that have been…keeping you, have been dealt the punishment they deserve.”
The red haired girl nodded, but more questions popped up into her mind. The sort of questions it would take her years to answer. She decided to ask the one that affected her right now. "... And ... And what now?" The teenager couldn't see how they benifited from this.
Arthur sipped from his tea, looking over to Livia, "That is a good question. We can't really let your... friend learn that she is here can we Livia? Arthur then took another sip, "It's hard to talk about people without names. So how about, I and Lady Fiore here figure out where you can stay, and you answer the second most important question in many RPGs, what is your name? No need to be hasty." Arthur said, directing his comment towards the girl next to him.
The red haired girl nodded slightly. She wasn't exactly so sure why they were so insistent about naming her ... her keeper earlier had said she didn't deserve one. But if they decided she needed one. "... You named me Roux though ..." Livia stifled a small chuckle upon hearing this.
"Called, she called you Roux, not named. It is important to know the difference." Arthur chimed in without even thinking.
“What? I think it’s cute.” Livia replied, a small smile gracing her lips. “Hmm…Rouxia Allete?” she continued after a moment of thought. “Roux for short. Not terrible fancy or anything, but if the child likes it I see no reason too not at least give her that.” She brought the glass of wine to her lips before adding.
“Unless you wish to confuse this poor girl further, Arthur?” She fixed him with a rather cool gaze as she spoke.
Arthur nearly jumped before saying, "I... suddenly..." the look his boss was giving him had Arthur on edge all of a sudden. What's the worse she could do though? Kill him? At least she couldn't read his mind. "I find that choices are best, more so when they are few in number but completely obvious. Rouxia Allete, or perhaps Ari Collins?"
The red haired girl rotated her head slightly as they both started shooting out suggestions. It wasn't helping the situation.
Ari…collins? Livia snickered a bit, placing the wine glass back on the table.
“My, I pity your children…or pets, Arthur.” She teased, giving him a friendly smile as that cool gaze of hers completely left. “But really, confusing the poor girl any more won’t help her any. She’s probably tired as well, so it is probably good we should settle this quickly.” She fell silently for a moment, before turning to the redhead.
“Which name do you like, child? It will be yours, so why not have you choose it?”
The red haired girl's face only had a more confused stare on it as her gaze looked to Livia's face. She didn't want to offend either of her new keepers. She sensed that Livia was the dominant one, but Wick ignited something within her. As if her tired mind decided that it was overloaded, eyes closed and her breathing slowed as her head landed into Wick's lap.
Livia simply sighed, though a small smile still graced her lips. Such an outcome wasn’t unexpected. The poor child was likely completely exhausted.
“Well, that decides that.” Livia replied as she stood, wine glass in hand. “Arthur, I do believe we should let her rest. I’ll have one of the staff bring some blankets.”
Arthur sat there, still as he could. "So.. should I stay here? Or... Help?" Arthur asked as he stared down at the girl's head nestled in his lap. This was not what he was expecting, and he really wasn't fond of it, but he could hardly move and disturb this tired girl.
“As I said…we should let her rest. We have things we must discuss, unless you want a certain dragon finding out about our new guest.” That was a bit more than a suggestion, judging from her tone. Livia was standing near the door to the office now. She had opened it just big enough to speak to a maid standing outside of it. A brief conversation followed, and the maid left to get blankets as she turned back to Arthur.
“Oh, and if you wake her when you get up, I’ll have you work in the cafeteria as an oven~” It was difficult to tell if that playful smirk was being serious about that. As if to make Wick's life harder, the red hair girl wrapped her arms lightly around his waist as she had memories of a life long past.
It had been about ten minutes until Arthur, through great effort, managed to free himself. It was a long siege, give and take, until he was standing, and the girl was sleeping upon a heap of pillows brought in by a helpful maid.
Arthur now stood just outside the room, with Livia, so that they could talk without disturbing the girl. "So, what are your thoughts?" Arthur asked.
“That I was looking forward to some special Arthur Wick cooked pastries and now I won’t get any, tsk~” Livia teased, though the small smile left rather quickly as the conversation took a more serious turn. “More seriously…we should discuss my dragon friend.” Livia replied with a sigh, as she started walking away from her office.
"You know, if you wanted me to cook you something all you needed to do was ask. But yes, your friend. What exactly do we need to discuss?" Arthur asked as he followed but a step behind the headmistress.
Oho, she’d hold him too that offer, then, but now wasn’t the time for such pleasantries.
“Well…that girl obviously is the Phoenix.” Livia replied. “Sorcha would know that immediately if she ever met the girl. The problem is…That girl can barely be over 13 years old. She can’t possibly be the same girl that was responsible for the atrocities Sorcha has mentioned. At least, she has reincarnated since then, and I am not one to believe the sins of her past lives should fall on this girl….Roux….Allete, whatever we decide to name her. I do not believe…Sorcha would be of the same mind, however. Dragons are fickle creatures, and when one has a grudge…well…I shouldn’t have to tell you.” Livia sighed, stopping where she was walking, just outside the door leading out of the building. She was going to see Gall after this, though she should probably use some sleep herself….
“My point is,” She turned to face Arthur with a cold expression. “Sorcha has been my friend for almost thirty years, while I do believe she is a good person at heart…this curse that was placed on her and the grudge could…cloud her judgement. It would be in our best interest if Sorcha never finds out about the child. I will arrange a room for her in a quiet part of the campus where she won’t find her. It also means we’ll have to refrain from having too many people visit her.” She paused for a moment, before narrowing her eyes dangerously at Arthur.
“If Sorcha finds out about the phoenix, as much as it pains me to admit…I may require you to come out of retirement.”
Arthur would follow along, listening silently as they neared the exit to the building. "Understood. I'll be ready. So... do you want some kind of cake or?..." Arthur asked with a bemused smile on his face.
Livia frowned. Now was not the time for such shenanigans.
“I do not believe you are taking this seriously, Arthur.” She replied, walking towards the door. “If Sorcha approaches you, you are to tell her that the phoenix she is looking for wasn’t there. If she doesn’t believe you, then you are to tell me immediately. I will deal with her.” Livia sighed as she finished speaking, though turned back to Arthur.
“However, if you are serious…a cake would be wonderful.”
"I'm rarely ever not serious. Trust me, I understand the situation, and Sorcha won't learn about the girl's existance here. That manor was empty, just some goons smuggling drugs." Arthur said with a smile. "Now if you don't mind, I have a cake to bake." As Arthur said that he stepped out the door, to make the walk to the town.
"It's time" She heard her keeper pull out a small bottle. The girl lifted herself from the bed, moving towards a metal chair next to it. The bottle was thrust into her hand as soon as she finished lowering herself onto the uncomfortable throne.
Lifting it to her eye, the red haired girl allowed tears to fall into it. After years of practice, she had managed to be able to cry at will. Once it was about halfway full, the tears slowed and eventually came to a stop. She couldn't force that many out at once. A slap delivered across the face managed to summon a few more, but it wasn't enough to reach her quota.
"... Please ..." For the first time today, she looked into the keeper's eyes in an attempt to beg him to stop. Just not today. A moment later she remembered why that never worked as a fist crashed into her face.
"That's the last time you beg. I want double today."
A look of shock ran across the fourteen year old's face. "I can't..." A punch to the stomach made a few more fall into the bottle, but some of them fell to the floor. As she noticed a hand raised in the air, she instincivly raised an arm in the air to defend herself. A mistake.
An hour later the girl slumped to the floor in a bloody mess as she was finally freed from her bonds. She apologized, but that only earned her a final kick. Animals weren't meant to speak.
The keeper left the room whistling, three bottles clanging against eachother cheerfully as the door closed behind him. He'd be getting a large paycheck today. Selling immortality was profitable, and many were willing to pay a high price for it.
Arthur Wick had found the place. Stepping out of his car he looked at the manor that stood before him. A rather ornate, if aged, affair. A perfect place for such a lair.
"Could you stay in the car please? I'd prefer to go in alone. I'll call if I need help." the man said as the closed the door behind him and started walking across the grounds to the entrance
It was a nice enough looking place. Tall building, simple architecture, a stone tower junting from the side that could equally house an observatory or an medieval armory. Likely a basement filled with long maze like tunnels. Arthur smiled, this could be fun. He walked onwards towards the door, his hand held out to touch and trail along some trimmed hedges growing along the cobble path.
Gall had remained silent most of the ride to their destination. He, had wished he could have used a more efficient form of travel, but Livia had insisted he take the vehicle with Arthur, as much as it displeased him. So while Arthur drove, he simply remained in the back seat, silent for most of the trip unless Arthur spoke directly to him. He wasn’t here to socialize after all. Livia had sent him to watch. Livia couldn’t make it herself, so it was up to him to make a decision here. Act as her eyes and ears.
That was his job, after all. Always had been.
“The Headmistress tasked me to help you.” The undead replied, his otherworldly voice echoing just a bit as he stepped out of the vehicle. “So I will be accompanying you whether you want me too or not.” He followed Arthur up to the front door. If he was capable, a small frown would have formed on his lips.
“You intend to barge in the front door?” The reaper sighed, obviously displeased. “Perhaps a more…stealthy approach is best, here. We do not know what we are up against, and if Sorcha is correct…this...pheonix not the most welcoming sort.”
Of course, he was referring to his skill with Circum magic, and his natural ability to travel between the realms of life and death. He could easily put them right inside without even knocking.
Arthur huffed before retorting, "Come on, liven up a little."
Gall simply stared emotionlessly at Arthur. His eyeless sockets could have probably sent a chill up even a dragons spine.
Arthur walked up the steps to the door before giving a few solid knocks. After a moment the door opened a crack and a man peared his head out slightly before asking, "What is it?"
"Yes, I was wondering, have you any ancient fire birds on hand? Seems I ran fresh out."
A moment of panic ran across the doorman's face. Then his corpse fell to the ground.
"You take the fun out of everything, you know that?" Arthur said staring down at the dead man.
“We’re not here to have fun.” Gall replied from inside the house. His scythe had almost sliced the man in half. “We’re here for business.” He continied, his scythe disappearing back to wherever the reaper kept it. "We shouldn't keep the Headmistress waiting." The reaper then turned, walking back into the house.
"Who says business can't be fun?" Arthur muttered as he stood there, the reaper turning to go further in. "Oi! Wait up. Better yet, how about we split up. Cover more ground. I'll search the mansion, you search the grounds. Sure, that'll work right? Arthur said as he walked into the manor.
The reaper turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at Arthur from inside the house.
“It would be more efficient to stay together.” The reaper replied. Of course, he had his reasons for staying so close to Arthur. Livia had told him too. What reason, he couldn’t imagine. Perhaps she simply didn’t entirely trust him. Perhaps she was afraid he’d simply burn the place to the ground, which was bad considering he was here also looking for…information.
“But…if you have issue with my presence…I shall look upstairs, and you may look down here.” And with that, the reaper was gone. A shadowy cloak enveloping his being until he disappeared completely from view, appearing on the second floor only seconds later - likely surprising anyone had they been up there.
And with that Arthur was standing alone. "Well, I suppose I have a bird to find." Arthur went through the first door he found, walking into a game room, billards table, a few arcade machines, a small bar. And also about six goons, who all turned to look at the pyromancer. "Why hello there. Don't suppose any of you know where I can get my hands on a eternal firebird?"
If Gall was surprised to find the room empty, it wasn’t able to be shown on his skeletal face. He was rather pleased, though. This would be easy if there weren’t many obstacles in his way. No doubt the Pyromancer would be making a ruckus soon enough which would serve as a much needed distraction. He’d be able to do his job quite easily in that case.
Arthur thought they were here subduing some dangerous creature who fancied themselves a god. Which was true, they were. But Livia also wanted to know what exactly she had been up too. A god like the phoenix didn’t stay silent all these years without some sort of plan. With luck, they’d be able to capture the fire bird and stop whatever she was planning.
But on the off chance they weren’t, and the phoenix or Arthur, burned the place down Livia wished to know what she was planning, so she could possibly stop it if it was anything malicious.
The reaper moved silently across the second floor of the house, carefully looking for any signs of life or anyone else that might be up here. He’d end them silently and quickly, before they even knew what happened.
The red haired girl heard some commotion outside the room despite the soundproofed walls. What... ? Her arms shook as she raised herself to her knees off the red stained tile. Suddenly she heard the door slam open loudly, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the teenager as she ducked behind the bed trembling in fear. ... did I do something wrong? Does he need more than three today? She didn't have any tears left to express her fear, so she remained shivering there silently.
Arthur stood in the door frame. He had burnt his way through the guards, most of them could barely be called mages. Finding the key on one of them, along with three bottles that Arthur assumed were important and grabbed, he was adventuring he was allowed to loot, he looked into the room.
It was the deepest room in the manor, past the basement and through a few mazing tunnels. It was a good thing those blokes were defending it or else Arthur may have never found the door. The room itself was rather simple, some books on a shelf, a chair, a bed with a quivering form hiding behind it. Wait one moment.
"Hey there, you alright?' Arthur asked as he walked over. It was a girl, couldn't be older than fifteen. Red hair, covered in bruses and blood.
The teenager didn't look up, still shaking on her knees. She simply nodded yes silently in response, not looking up at him. She wondered for a moment if her keeper had sent someone else in to apologize for him. That seemed unlikely to the red haired girl ... She didn't know why, but she felt a slight comforting ... fire ... appear in her chest.
"Alright. I'm Arthur Wick, who are you? Can you speak? Stand?" Wick asked, he may have been there to find a firebird and capture her but he could hardly let this poor girl alone, she needed help.
The girl managed to stand up, a slight tremble still running through her limbs. She wondered if this was an elaborate test from her keeper to make sure she'd learned her lesson. The red haired girl simply shook her head no in response, thinking that was the safest route.
Arthur stepped up to the girl, and after half a second of thought picked her up in his arms. She couldn't speak, she was beaten and bloody. She barely stood. "For Artemis' sake, I came here to find a bird but I can't leave you here can I? Let's get you out of here, hopefully Gall is having more luck then I am." Arthur would then start walking towards the door to leave. The red haired girl froze in animalistic terror as she was lifted but remained silent in her confusion.
"Hold a moment, Arthur..." Galls voice rang out, as he appeared in the doorway. It was difficult to tell, but his black robe was stained with blood in several places, though the reaper didn't seem to mind. Instead, his head was turned towards the child, his emotionless gaze not betraying his internal debate.
They were here to kill or bring this creature to Livia after all.
“This child…is the one we were sent to…dispose of.” His gaze turned from the child, back to Arthur, obviously waiting to see the pyromancers reaction. Her amber eyes widened in response.
Arthur meanwhile looked down to the girl he was holding, up to the reaper."You're telling me?" Then he looked down at the girl again. "You're the phoenix?" Arthur asked the girl, who didn't respond.
She honestly wasn't sure what was going on. But she doubted it was good based on their conversation.
"Well then. Hey Gall, a question. How combustable are you? For curiosities sake." Arthur asked the reaper as his mind put the pieces together.
“Try it…and your skull will end up as a paperweight on my desk.” The reaper didn’t make a move, however. He had no intention of actually harming the girl unless it was necessary.
"Hey hey, I didn't say I was going to do anything. I was just curious." Arthur said as he took a step forward, "Don't suppose you could move though, I need to get past."
"And what do you intend to do with the girl?" Gall asked, as he stepped aside.
Arthur shrugged best he could without disturbing the girl in his arms, "Get her out of this manor." Walking past the reaper and the burnt corpses Arthur began to make his way out of the tunnels.
The red haired girl finally managed to gather a small voice. "... stop ... I can't leave ..." The red haired girl started to try and push out of his arms, but there wasn't enough strength to dislodge herself from him. Her keeper had told her before that if she left her life would become very miserable.
Arthur stopped moving, the girl was fighting against him, meekly, but she was. "And why not?" the pyromancer asked, a look of equal concern and curiosity in his eyes.
"Keeper said ... he'd ..." Despite her current state, a few tears started falling from the Amber eyes. The teenager started to struggle a bit more, but with any amount of effort the man holding her wouldn't lose his grip.
Gall was going to reply to Arthur, but before he could say anything the girls’ tiny voice interrupted him. He fixed the girl with an eyeless gaze. That probably wasn’t going to help her condition much…but well, there wasn’t much he could do about that, now was there?
“Worry not child…everyone who was residing here has been…taken care of.” With that said, he turned back to Arthur, though made no effort to stop him. “Livia will wish to see her. We should bring her.”
With a sigh Arthur continued walking, "Don't worry, your 'keeper' isn't here anymore. I'll protect you. What's your name? Arthur asked as he walked up some stairs into the manor above.
Eyes still looking downwards, she was surprised to hear that piece of news. ... did he sell me? What happened? After a second, she realized the commotion outside her room had probably been fighting. Were these two going to use her now? The girl shook her head in response to his final question. "... don't have one ..."
Arthur shook his head, "That won't do, how long have you been here?" Arthur asked, a girl without a name. Walking past several more charred bodies the group slowly made their way towards the exit. Flames from the ealier battles were begining to catch, within the hour the manor would be aflame.
Gall mentally sighed. Well, as long as Arthur didn't attempt to flee with the girl he wouldn't do or say anything. One whiff that he might, and his head really would be used as a personal desk ornament. So for now, the reaper simply followed silently.
The trio had just stepped out the door before Arthur stopped, saying "Oh right one more thing. Gall find anything interesting? Because if so I hope you brought it with you." Arthur would then awkwardly adjust his hand so that it was pointing towards the building without upsetting or dropping the girl, and then a torrent of flame poured out, quickly engulfing the front of the building. "There, no evidence that anything happened here, no crime nor crime scene, and no survivors. Now let's go to school"
“Vials of Phoenix tears.” Gall replied. He was reasonably sure that was what they were, at least. He could sense how much…life, was in them. Livia would certainly be interested in the few vials he had collected. “Nothing else important in such a place.” The reaper then watched silently as the pyromancer burned the place to the ground. He wasn’t sure how Livia would feel about that, it could go either way really, but there was no way he was stopping it now.
“We should leave before any curious onlookers see the blaze.”
It had so far been a quiet night, though a bit of uneasiness filled her even if it didn’t show on her face. She had sent Arthur on a rather dangerous mission. Even with Gall present, she wasn’t sure if the two of them alone could handle a creature such as the phoenix. At least, not if it was as powerful as Sorcha claimed it was.
She leaned back in her chair, taking a sip of the tea she was holding in her hand as she waited. Her office was rather large. A plush dark blue carpet covered most of the floor, along with several bookcases a few shelves and things displaying some odd trinket or two. Her desk was sitting against the far wall, purple curtains were drawn over windows behind it. A fireplace was also built into one of the walls.
As uneasy as She was, she was also confident in her familiar and Arthur. She wouldn’t have asked them to do it otherwise, but well, there was always a small chance something could go wrong. Her information on the phoenix was incomplete, after all. She only had one source of information on it. A dragon who had an obvious grudge against the phoenix.
It was a reasonable grudge, though, and one she was inclined to help her friend with.
Hopefully they would return with good news soon.
Arthur stood outside the door, the girl standing next to him and Gall not far behind. Arthur could only see this ending well as he gave three swift knocks on the door.
Well, what a timely arrival. Livia mused silently. She placed her teacup on the desk in front of her.
“It is open.”
The door swung open to reveal Arthur, who stepped in. "I found... her. But I'm pretty sure she isn't what you were looking for Headmistress." Arthur would then step to the side, to allow Livia a whole view of the girl standing near the pyromancer.
The red haired girl had been following Arthur ever since they left the mansion. She had calmed down a little, but still didn't know anything that was going on. She looked up for a moment to examine the new room, but the teenager's eyes returned to the floorboards after a few moments. Wearing a vastly oversized T-Shirt as a dress, she was not the definition of divine in any form of the word.
Livia remained silent as Arthur entered the room. Gall decided walking wasn’t necessary, and had elected to use his Circum magic, appearing behind her. Upon seeing Arthur with the girl, Livia simply picked up her tea once again, taking another sip of it.
“As…Arthur said, there has been an…interesting development.” Gall replied, moving to the desk silently. Livia looked at the girl. This was definitely not what she was expecting. She had been expecting to see some regal looking creature of legend. Not some…child dressed in some over-sized t-shirt.
A few silent words were whispered between the Reaper and Livia, too quiet for the Pyromancer or child to hear, though the reaper did pull a vial out of his robes, and showed it to Livia before she waved him off, disappearing as suddenly as he appeared.
“Hmm…perhaps you should explain, Arthur.” Livia replied.
Arthur shrugged before saying, "Went ot the place, found more then a few unhappy people. They attacked me, I burnt them. After a bit of fighting found a room in the basement, inside was her. Beaten, bloody. A tool for their gain. She doesn't even have a name. Arthur sighed as he looked at Livia. "I don't think your source was very accurate Headmistress."
"Are you suggesting my friend has been lying to me, Arthur?" Livia mused, a small smile appearing on her lips. “And how many times must tell you to call me Livia, hmm?”
Blushing slightly, and moving his hand up to stroke his beard in an attempt to hide it the pyromaster would state, "I am suggesting, Madam, that things are rarely what they seem at first glance. This girl was trapped in a basement being used solely for others profit."
“Madam? Now I’m feeling like an old woman.” Livia pouted, just ever so slightly, though she was mostly just teasing.
“On a more…serious note…Gall has informed me. Likely they were harvesting her tears, correct?” Livia frowned, just slightly as she set her tea back onto the table. “That is…indeed a problem.” She leaned back in her chair, fixing Arthur with a cool gaze. "Gall mentioned you burned the place. Care to tell me why?"
Arthur thought about it. "To be completely honest, I don't really have a good reason. I can tell you that nobody that was involved in the girl's situation survived. Unless somebody was gone that day. Or was fireproof. I suppose you'd prefer the manor not burnt to a crisp? Arthur asked, the barest hint of a smirk on his face.
“Well,” Livia sighed as she reached into her desk and pulled out a rather expensive looking bottle of wine and setting it on the table, pulling out a glass to go with it. “From what Gall said they deserved their fate. However, now we have no chance of finding out who was using the tears and for what purpose.” She poured a glass of the wine. “Of course, it was a rather beautiful manor as well from what I was told. But more importantly...how is the child?”
"I'm pretty sure she can answer for herself." Arthur said as he looked over to the poor girl. "It's alright, Headmistress Livia here is a good person, she just wants to help." Arthur said as he started to lean against the nearby wall.
The red haired girl's eyes darted across the room as she raised them slightly. "... I'm alive ..." She wasn't exactly sure why they were asking, or what was going on. Why did they care?
Oh dear. The poor child looked completely out of her element. Livia frowned slightly, before getting up from her seat. She should probably be sent to bed soon, but she was hesitant to let the child out of her sight at the moment. She trusted Galls judgement that she was in fact the phoenix they were looking for. She must have reincarnated at some point Sorcha didn’t know about. It was hard to imagine what could have killed a powerful creature like the phoenix, however.
“Aha, being alive is very good, isn’t it?” Livia replied to the girl with a soft laugh, taking a seat on one of the sofas. “Perhaps you should take a seat? I have some wonderful tea here, if you want to try some. That offer extends to you as well, Arthur. Unless you’d prefer something stronger?”
The red haired girl slowly moved towards the couch obediently, shaking her head in response to Livia's question. She sat down as far as possible from the strange woman, placing herself against the armrest. It was a comfortable chair, at least.
“Ah…no tea? Tsk. Ah well, I’ll drink it later. Anything for you, Arthur?” Livia replied, no making any attempt to move towards the girl. No need to put more stress on her then she was currently feeling.
Arthur stepped over, sitting between the two women as he said, "I would love some tea. Thank you.'
Without another word, Livia got up from the couch and walked back over to her desk, pouring a cup of tea for Arthur, and grabbing her own wine glass. She brought Arthur the tea, before taking a seat on the opposite sofa, right across from the red-haired girl. She mostly wanted to keep an eye on her. Having Arthur between them wouldn’t exactly help with that.
“So,” She said, taking a sip of the wine. “You do not have a name, child? We can’t very well keep calling you child. I suppose I can simply call you Roux since you have a lovely shade of red hair, but that seems a little silly.”
The red haired girl blushed slightly, curiously looking into Livia's eyes. That compliment wasn't a lie, from what the teenager could tell. They were being ... kind. The ambers soon returned to looking at the floor though, too nervous to hold that gaze.
Something told her that these weren't terrible people. The idea that this was an elaborate ruse set up by her keeper moved towards the back of her mind. "... What's going on? ..." The words hardly left the teenagers mouth, probably barely audible to Livia across from her.
“You are safe, child.” Livia replied simply, resting the wine glass on the table between the sofas. “Those…people that have been…keeping you, have been dealt the punishment they deserve.”
The red haired girl nodded, but more questions popped up into her mind. The sort of questions it would take her years to answer. She decided to ask the one that affected her right now. "... And ... And what now?" The teenager couldn't see how they benifited from this.
Arthur sipped from his tea, looking over to Livia, "That is a good question. We can't really let your... friend learn that she is here can we Livia? Arthur then took another sip, "It's hard to talk about people without names. So how about, I and Lady Fiore here figure out where you can stay, and you answer the second most important question in many RPGs, what is your name? No need to be hasty." Arthur said, directing his comment towards the girl next to him.
The red haired girl nodded slightly. She wasn't exactly so sure why they were so insistent about naming her ... her keeper earlier had said she didn't deserve one. But if they decided she needed one. "... You named me Roux though ..." Livia stifled a small chuckle upon hearing this.
"Called, she called you Roux, not named. It is important to know the difference." Arthur chimed in without even thinking.
“What? I think it’s cute.” Livia replied, a small smile gracing her lips. “Hmm…Rouxia Allete?” she continued after a moment of thought. “Roux for short. Not terrible fancy or anything, but if the child likes it I see no reason too not at least give her that.” She brought the glass of wine to her lips before adding.
“Unless you wish to confuse this poor girl further, Arthur?” She fixed him with a rather cool gaze as she spoke.
Arthur nearly jumped before saying, "I... suddenly..." the look his boss was giving him had Arthur on edge all of a sudden. What's the worse she could do though? Kill him? At least she couldn't read his mind. "I find that choices are best, more so when they are few in number but completely obvious. Rouxia Allete, or perhaps Ari Collins?"
The red haired girl rotated her head slightly as they both started shooting out suggestions. It wasn't helping the situation.
Ari…collins? Livia snickered a bit, placing the wine glass back on the table.
“My, I pity your children…or pets, Arthur.” She teased, giving him a friendly smile as that cool gaze of hers completely left. “But really, confusing the poor girl any more won’t help her any. She’s probably tired as well, so it is probably good we should settle this quickly.” She fell silently for a moment, before turning to the redhead.
“Which name do you like, child? It will be yours, so why not have you choose it?”
The red haired girl's face only had a more confused stare on it as her gaze looked to Livia's face. She didn't want to offend either of her new keepers. She sensed that Livia was the dominant one, but Wick ignited something within her. As if her tired mind decided that it was overloaded, eyes closed and her breathing slowed as her head landed into Wick's lap.
Livia simply sighed, though a small smile still graced her lips. Such an outcome wasn’t unexpected. The poor child was likely completely exhausted.
“Well, that decides that.” Livia replied as she stood, wine glass in hand. “Arthur, I do believe we should let her rest. I’ll have one of the staff bring some blankets.”
Arthur sat there, still as he could. "So.. should I stay here? Or... Help?" Arthur asked as he stared down at the girl's head nestled in his lap. This was not what he was expecting, and he really wasn't fond of it, but he could hardly move and disturb this tired girl.
“As I said…we should let her rest. We have things we must discuss, unless you want a certain dragon finding out about our new guest.” That was a bit more than a suggestion, judging from her tone. Livia was standing near the door to the office now. She had opened it just big enough to speak to a maid standing outside of it. A brief conversation followed, and the maid left to get blankets as she turned back to Arthur.
“Oh, and if you wake her when you get up, I’ll have you work in the cafeteria as an oven~” It was difficult to tell if that playful smirk was being serious about that. As if to make Wick's life harder, the red hair girl wrapped her arms lightly around his waist as she had memories of a life long past.
It had been about ten minutes until Arthur, through great effort, managed to free himself. It was a long siege, give and take, until he was standing, and the girl was sleeping upon a heap of pillows brought in by a helpful maid.
Arthur now stood just outside the room, with Livia, so that they could talk without disturbing the girl. "So, what are your thoughts?" Arthur asked.
“That I was looking forward to some special Arthur Wick cooked pastries and now I won’t get any, tsk~” Livia teased, though the small smile left rather quickly as the conversation took a more serious turn. “More seriously…we should discuss my dragon friend.” Livia replied with a sigh, as she started walking away from her office.
"You know, if you wanted me to cook you something all you needed to do was ask. But yes, your friend. What exactly do we need to discuss?" Arthur asked as he followed but a step behind the headmistress.
Oho, she’d hold him too that offer, then, but now wasn’t the time for such pleasantries.
“Well…that girl obviously is the Phoenix.” Livia replied. “Sorcha would know that immediately if she ever met the girl. The problem is…That girl can barely be over 13 years old. She can’t possibly be the same girl that was responsible for the atrocities Sorcha has mentioned. At least, she has reincarnated since then, and I am not one to believe the sins of her past lives should fall on this girl….Roux….Allete, whatever we decide to name her. I do not believe…Sorcha would be of the same mind, however. Dragons are fickle creatures, and when one has a grudge…well…I shouldn’t have to tell you.” Livia sighed, stopping where she was walking, just outside the door leading out of the building. She was going to see Gall after this, though she should probably use some sleep herself….
“My point is,” She turned to face Arthur with a cold expression. “Sorcha has been my friend for almost thirty years, while I do believe she is a good person at heart…this curse that was placed on her and the grudge could…cloud her judgement. It would be in our best interest if Sorcha never finds out about the child. I will arrange a room for her in a quiet part of the campus where she won’t find her. It also means we’ll have to refrain from having too many people visit her.” She paused for a moment, before narrowing her eyes dangerously at Arthur.
“If Sorcha finds out about the phoenix, as much as it pains me to admit…I may require you to come out of retirement.”
Arthur would follow along, listening silently as they neared the exit to the building. "Understood. I'll be ready. So... do you want some kind of cake or?..." Arthur asked with a bemused smile on his face.
Livia frowned. Now was not the time for such shenanigans.
“I do not believe you are taking this seriously, Arthur.” She replied, walking towards the door. “If Sorcha approaches you, you are to tell her that the phoenix she is looking for wasn’t there. If she doesn’t believe you, then you are to tell me immediately. I will deal with her.” Livia sighed as she finished speaking, though turned back to Arthur.
“However, if you are serious…a cake would be wonderful.”
"I'm rarely ever not serious. Trust me, I understand the situation, and Sorcha won't learn about the girl's existance here. That manor was empty, just some goons smuggling drugs." Arthur said with a smile. "Now if you don't mind, I have a cake to bake." As Arthur said that he stepped out the door, to make the walk to the town.
The teenager's eyes were shifting back and forth as they ran across the words before her. She found herself reading on a bed again as she had done most days in the manor.
Four days ago Livia had brought her to a small two story home after she had woken up from her rest on the sofa. Two full bathrooms, two bedrooms with plenty of bookshelves and a desk. A living room and a small kitchen along with a sitting area. A balcony faced outdoors to overlook a backyard. After assuming that this was Livia's home, she was told that it was actually belonged to her now.
Coming fully furnished, it only had one major issue. Chairs. It had taken the teenager almost ten hours to move the eight objects, but she managed to stack all of them outside in the front lawn as far from the door as possible. She hoped her new keepers wouldn't mind her tossing them out.
So, she found herself reading a book on ancient egyptian costuming and tailoring that was already on the shelf. The redhead wasn't exactly sure why, but the topic interested her. Luckily, it proved to be relevant.
Honestly, Livia was probably enjoying pampering the redhead just a little too much. She had never had any kids in her forty seven years of existence, and perhaps it was a little much…but well, she couldn’t exactly deny it was a little pleasant.
…aha, if her younger self could see her now…
She shook her head, smiling softly as she approached the door to the home and entered quietly. Or at least, she would have if she didn’t notice a stack of chairs sitting as far away from the door as possible. This caused her to pause, trying to figure out what exactly the girl had been doing with them. Did she simply not like chairs? After a few moments though, she simply sighed, and continued into the house.
“Hrm…well, at least their stacked in a semi-artistic manner…” Livia mused as she entered. She’d have the chairs moved elsewhere before the weather damaged them. For now, she had more…important business to attend too. Now, where was the little roux at?
After a few moments of searching, Livia found her in her usual spot. Reading a book on a rather exquisite bed, if she did say so herself.
“Ah…little Roux,” She called out, knocking lightly on the door to the room to announce her presence. “You are doing well today?”
The one called Roux was startled despite the adequate warning she had been given. Amber eyes lifted up to see Livia knocking on an already open door out of courtesy. After a moment the teenagers eyes dropped slightly as her head nodded in afffirmation. Without her old keeper there, the old bruises had healed for the most part at what would normally be considered an unnatural rate. The red haired girl felt more ... alive. Roux closed her book, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. A small glass of water and a small bottle filled with some liquid sat on her bedside table. She lifted up the bottle, nervously holding it out for Livia to take.
Upon having the obvious bottle of phoenix tears up to her, Livia only sighed. Really, was she just…trained to cry like that? Livia shook her head, a bit upset, though it wasn’t at the girl. At least those injuries of hers had healed.
“Child…Roux,” Livia walked over to the girl, careful not to make any movements that would startle the girl. She would have grabbed a chair, but they were busy being a new piece of modern art outside. Instead, she opted to sit next to the child. She had hoped she had gotten to the point where she was comfortable around her. Roux moved slightly away, but she didn't run off or panic at Livia's approach.
“These are your…tears, correct?” Livia asked, gently taking the bottle as she sat. She of course, had no intention of taking them. “Hmm…may I ask why you are giving them to me? Just becasue I'm probably considered an old woman to most doesn't mean I need these~”
After a quick nod to confirm they were her tears, Roux's legs kicked back and forth slightly as she responded quietly to the next question. " ... You're my keeper now ..." To the girl, she was surprised why the older woman didn't ask for more. With four days to produce them, two more were sitting in the cabinent drawer in case her new keeper demanded extra. She decided not to mention those.
After a few moments the young girl wondered if she had accidenly insulted the older woman. That wouldn't be a good thing. Did she not want to be old? Was her present not adequate? Roux closed her eyes as she looked away, instinctivly preparing to be hit for her failure.
Oops.
Looks like she may have chosen the wrong choice of words there. Smooth Livia. She sighed inwardly. She had no intention of actually hitting the girl of course, despite how she may have been flinching.
“Rouxia, I am not upset.” She replied softly. “I simply have no need of your tears.” She continued, studying the bottle with a small smile, before holding it back out towards the redhead. “Neither I, nor Arthur have need of them.”
It took a few moments after Livia spoke for the girl to stop her internal panic. Seeing the outreached hand, the red haired girl took the bottle back nervously, legs kicking back and forth as they had been before. A short time bit of time went by and she decided to hold onto it rather than put it away, placing the bottle into her left pocket. After an awkward silence, the amber beads looked into the headmistresses' eyes curiously, head tilted slightly and red hair running over her right shoulder.
It was hard to tell if the girl was wondering why they didn't want the tears or if she was wondering what the purpose of this visit was today.
Well, that was settled. She hoped the girl understood that she didn’t need to force herself to cry any more here. She might have to be a little…firmer with her words If she didn’t, as much as she feared that might upset the child. At least she wasn’t completely put off by her now. She was able to look her in the eye now, without feeling threatened.
“At any rate,” She said, standing up as she gave the roux a small smile. “I would like to take you shopping today. I will not be having anyone under my care dressing in such rags. We need to buy you some proper clothes.”
The one called Roux looked down again to the floorboards again, a little bit nervous about leaving the house. She considered these to be nice clothes. But she nodded, pushing herself off the bed and nodding in confirmation. If Livia felt like playing dress up, the red haired girl wouldn't complain.
As the pair headed towards the mall, the red head found herself caught between some combination of curiousity and terror. She found herself looking around for a few heartbeats, taking everything in she could possibly see. Then the amber eyes would look back toward's the ground at Livia's feet, following them obediently a from a few steps behind.
Eventually the girl named Roux found herself being guided up a staircase into a small store, The Vetement. Clothes racks consumed most of the store's space with only a single article of clothing in a single style hanging from its racks. A long wallside wooden desk along the left side had several chairs pushed into it along with sketchpads and colored pencils scattered across it's surface. In a small clearing towards the right side of the store were two circles with various symbols etched in them. A tone that tried to sound irritated, but betrayed a sense of welcoming echoed from a counter just beyond the circles. "What brings the headmistress here today?" The man's deep voice boomed.
“Ah, Le Clothe.” She greeted the man with a friendly smile. “Normally I’d be here spoiling myself, but I have someone else who’s getting spoiled today.” Thankfully, the little roux didn’t run off anywhere, though Livia was hoping she might actually at least try to…interact with her surroundings a bit.
"This girl? Don't spoil her too much, she'll only grow out of them." A sigh and a more gentle tone escaped his mouth as he addressed the teenager. "Fine, run along the racks and find something you like. Just be sure to look through the racks for a sample you think is cute or draw something out in the sketchpad. The more detailed, the better." After some hesitation, the girl named Roux found herself looking up to Livia as if seeking confirmation.
“Well you heard the man, Roux. Whatever you want,” A small smile formed on her lips. “Someone will end up paying for it~”
The redhead headed off to the racks. The teenager searched slowly at first, as if not wanting to insult either one of them by dismissing anything too quickly, but eventually she had mastered the art of shopping and dissapeared into the forest of clothes. "You know, I am a little jealous of you."
Livia knew the story. The man's adopted son had suffered a lifelong ailment that had forced the thirteen year old to be bedridden most days. Even the school's head nurse had tried to cure the sickness, but all she could do was lay off the symptoms for a few days. Every time his child returned though, the illness would only appear faster than the previous one. A trained eye would guess that the bedridden child had a year to live.
“Oh?” Livia laughed softly as she watched the redhead disappear into the clothing, attempting to find something. “I suppose I am just rather lucky.” Livia replied with a sigh, a sad smile appearing on her lips. It was well known to the man that she was in fact, unable to have children of her own. It was simply a topic that had come up once when discussing his son – he was probably one of the few people who knew. “The redhead…has had a rather difficult life.”
Not that she had ever really wanted children, but age does make one regret things they had never done in their youth.
Fall in love and have a family, for example.
“I shall do my best, but…I’ve never done this before and I fear I may not be up to the task of raising her.”
The man's tone approached something resembling sincere. "Allow me to offer you one piece of advice. I've always think it's best to trust your instincts. You can always put up an act of fancy words, but it's the small things that affect them. If someone's stopped on the side of the road, do you pull over to try and help them? Or do you continue on your vacation, and enjoy yourself?"
Realizing he was rambling, the tailor regained his pride and his voice returned to something along the lines of sarcastic. "A thousand kid's lives you run, and you are seriously worried about this redhead? Surely others have had worse lives." It wasn't clear or not he was talking about his own child or others in the world.
“Aha, you are correct, but my relationship with my students is different. Most don’t really…well, know me, you could say.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I am most certainly concerned for all of them, but for the most part I’m probably not even a normal part of their day.” She turned her heads to the clothing, eyes scanning for signs of the redhead.
“This little Roux, however...I can’t say her life has been worse than any others because I do not know all my students on a personal level.” She replied, giving Le Clothe a small frown. “However, little Roux here…after hearing from Gall and another teacher what she went through…you could say I feel a little…I suppose I simply wish to protect her.”
He shrugged in response, and after a few moments changed the subject to something much less significant, some simple small talk as the two passed their time.
Little Red went around the store, choosing various long dresses off the shelves, and a few knee length ones as well. She ended up sticking mostly to the colors of green and red, along with one or two in white. They matched her hair well.
Eventually though, she seemed to be looking for something that couldn't be found. Roux headed over to the long desk, hesitating upon seeing the chairs. She spent a little time mustering her courage, but she started to stack the chairs on top of eachother towards one side. The red head intended to use the other side for planning out a design in one of the sketchbooks. The tailor simply rolled his eyes. He'd seen stranger habits in his time.
She was having a fairly pleasant conversation with Le Clothe. She was a bit thankful it had moved on from something less serious. However, she had to raise an eyebrow at what she noticed the little redhead doing. She didn’t wish to startle the girl, but well…stacking chairs like that could be a bit dangerous, and at this point she was fairly certain the redhead wasn’t stacking them for fun. She excused herself from conversation with Le Clothe, and walked over to the redhead.
“Hmm…I would complement you on your impeccable chair-arranging skills, but I doubt you are trying to make some form of modern art.” Livia quietly spoke as she approached the child. “Roux, what exactly are you doing?” Her voice was soft, trying to be as non threatening as she could manage.
The one named Roux jumped slightly, despite the tone. She lowered the chair she was holding to the ground. She knew what she was doing was ridiculous when she thought about it, but the objects were a painful reminder of a life that was her experience less than a week ago. She wasn't sure how to respond, so she instead opted to look at the ground, embarassed. '... I ..."
She put two fingers together, clearly deep in thought. It took her a minute, but she finished her sentence. "... don't want them near me ..."
Livia quickly put two and two together, and gave the child a small smile. It was obviously something from her captivity. However, as much as she’d like the child to simply not have to deal with this…that was probably not a good idea in the long run. She wasn’t much of a psychologist…but she could do her best here.
“I understand.” She replied simply, and after a moment, the older woman knelt down to the child’s level. “Being afraid of something is okay. I can’t say I have things I’m not afraid of either, especially when I was your age.” She gave the redhead a small smile. “But, losing to your fears is never a good thing, Little Roux. You are strong, I do not think there is anything you can’t face if you wish. You’ve endured a lot to be here now, haven’t you?” With that said, Livia stood giving a small sigh. She hadn’t expected to deal with something so…serious at the moment, but she couldn’t say she minded.
“Besides, if you ever need help with anything…all you have to do is ask someone who cares about you, do you not?” She offered the Roux another smile, before moving over to the chairs herself, lifting one with relative ease, and brought it over to the place she had been stacking them.
Little Roux lowered her eyes, believing she was being lightly scolded by her new keeper. But any fear the teenager had promplty disappeared as Livia decided to help her move the remaining chairs. After the two stacked the chairs up, the red headed girl walked briskly to the other side of the desk, distancing herself from the evil objects as much as possible.
A few seconds later and an assortment of artistic supplies were spread before her, and the redhead assembled a face of incredible concentration as she bit her lip focusing her thoughts. A second later, a small grin spread across the girl's face as she started to draw.
It was probably the first thing resembling a smile she'd given off in a long time.
The only thing surprising about how she drew was the speed at which she did it. It wasn't as if her hand moved at a supernaturally fast rate, but rather that she never had to turn the pencil over to erase a mistake. The sort of skill that one spent lifetimes perfecting - which unknown to the red head, she had.
A few minutes passed, and a detailed image assembled itself on the page. A larger, taller version of herself was featured, perhaps a few years older than she was now. It wasn't out of the question, but it was obviously a little idealized.
A knee length dress of red on the top, suddenly trasforming to black as it passed the hips and had cuts up the sides to allow movement. At the very bottom of the hemline, thin curves of red headed up from the bottom which gradually dissapeared as they approached the top. Black thighhighs were added, along with extended gloves for each arm. A black collar with a thin red stripe through the middle provided additional support to the outside straps that supported the dress. A few finishing details and several red wavy belt things added later, the girl appeared satisfied as she eyed her handiwork with a critical eye.
Livia was glad that was over with. She hoped she had done well in explaining things to little roux, but…well, that was that. She seemed happy, so that was enough for now. Onto the dresses, then.
The headmistress kept quiet as the girl started drawing. Well, she was certainly good at it. In fact, if she wanted too she could probably become an excellent artist judging from how well she was drawing. She wondered if some of her skills from her previous lives were kept between them. Would memories do the same, then? That might…be problematic if she remembered Sorcha.
Well…she’d deal with that if it happened. For now, she needed to get her some proper clothes.
“My, you certainly can draw well. Is this what you want, then? It’s certainly…ah, unique.” She replied. Not that it was bad, really. It was just something she hadn’t seen before.
After a moments hesitation, the shorter girl nodded. Grabbing a rather full basket of various garments, the two headed up towards the counter. "... Fire-resistant fabric..."The tailor nodded, raising an eyebrow at Livia to make sure she was ready to pay for this. After recieving a confirmation from the headmistress, he informed little Roux to head to one of the circles and wait.
After Roux obediently headed to one of the circles on the floor, the tailor pulled various boxes of cloth onto the other as he observed each sample of clothing.
He pressed his foot down onto the floor and instantly the girl's clothes changed on her body. The sweatpants and T-Shirt fell into a neat pile on the side as a long red dress appeared on the headmistress' adopted daughter. After yelping the first time in surprsise to a stifled laugh from the tailor, it became a routine as various bits of cloth dissapeared from the bins only to find themselves clinging to her a moment later. Some articles of clothing took more than one time as the tailor 'trimmed' them to perfection, but eventually they worked through all the sample pieces.
He observed her drawing, raising an eyebrow. A gruff voice came from Le Clothe's throat. "Well, I'll be damned. This girl actually can draw. You'd be surprised how much 'interpretation' I have to do with some of them." It still took the tailor several tries to create what the girl was requesting, but eventually he finished. "You know the rules. Bring the old articles back and I'll give a fifty percent materials discount. She should grow quickly, so I want you to remember that." He headed behind the counter, handing the headmistress a reciept. The twenty dresses ended up costing around ten grand. The girl was wearing her personally designed dress now, looking more than a little pleased with the outcome.
Livia simply observed silently. She was quite used to the process herself, so it wasn’t anything new to her. She simply waited for the process to complete, and for the little Roux’s dress to be completed. Thankfully, it didn’t take Le Clothe long to finish. As usual, he was very good at his job. Now, there was only the matter of the bill. When Le Clothe handed it to her, the headmistress simply sighed. Wow. Okay, that was not the amount she had been expecting. She knew it was going to be expensive, but...Well…
“You like the dress, then little Roux?” It was obvious the girl did like it. She had to admit, it was a fairly pretty article of clothing. “Then I will pay for it, since I think this is a special occasion.” She replied, a small frown forming on her lips. “But next time, you will chose something cheaper, or pay for it yourself, understand? And I do not mean with those tears of yours, either.”
Little Roux looked down as she was scolded, nodding in response to Livia's statement. The tailor gruddingly wished them a good day as the two headed towards the door after paying. Just before they finished leaving though, the footsteps behind Livia stopped in their tracks.
“Hmm, I was thinking we could get some lunch while we were out as well, any preferences, Roux or-?” Upon noticing the girl had stopped following her Livia turned to see what the little girl was doing.
The teenager was reaching into her the sweatpant's pocket as she searched for the bottle of phoenix tears. She had overheard parts of their conversation, and had realized during their small talk that the tailor had a dying son. Grabbing it firmly, little Roux reached out as she seemed to contemplate leaving it on the window sill for the tailor to find as he did his rounds at the end of the day.
At first, Livia was a little confused. She didn’t even notice the girl had brought the bottle of tears with her. There really was no reason for them to be here, after all. The headmistress frowned, unsure of what to say or do. The Roux looked like she was contemplating something, but Livia didn’t know what…unless she had heard the conversation earlier involving Le Clothe’s son.
“Your tears?...” They…well, they could in fact help Le Clothe’s son, couldn’t they? Phoenix tears could heal almost anything. “You want to do something with them, Roux?”
The one called Roux barely in response. She felt most people would recognize that they weren't human at first glance, and an alchemist would probably realize what they were fairly quickly. After tilting her head for a moment in thought, she nodded with a bit more conviction.
…ah, being a parent was a bit draining, wasn’t it?
“Well…they are your tears, Roux.” Livia replied. “And your tears are indeed special. They can heal almost anything. I cannot force nor make you leave them. That is up to you, dear.” Livia paused for a moment. She considered Le Clothe a friend, and she’d have given him the tears herself…she had a few vials Gall had brought back, as well. They could do something good for once and save someone’s life. So that just boiled down to what little Roux here wanted to do.
“Do you want to use them to save someone, Roux?”
Roux paused for contemplation after hearing the headmistresses words. The teenager understood suffering better than most, and if she could end another's at the price of a little time and some painful memories, she felt she should. The girl nodded again, getting on the tips of her toes as she placed the vial onto the window sill, looking at them for a moment before returning her eyes to the ground again.
“You are a good child,” Livia smiled gently. She was even more convinced now that the roux wasn’t the tyrant that her past life could have been.
“So there is no need to constantly look at the ground.” She continued with a small laugh. With that out of the way then, the Headmistress turned her attention back to Le Clothe. The girl may have had good intentions, but she should probably at least tell him about it in the most subtle way she could, before someone else came along and grabbed it.
“Aha, sorry for taking up space in your store, Le Clothe.” She replied with a slight bow. “The Roux had something she wanted to ask.” She gave him a friendly smile. “And I think…there is still hope for your son to recover.” She made a small gesture towards the window with the bottle sitting on it.
“Come along then, Roux. We don’t want to waste any more of Le Clothe’s time.” She continued before he or Roux could say anything, and ushered the girl out of the store.
The tailor later put two and two together. Any time the 'Little Roux' returned to the store, she mysteriously always recieved a 90% discount to account "for the honor of allowing a goddess to wear his garb".
Four days ago Livia had brought her to a small two story home after she had woken up from her rest on the sofa. Two full bathrooms, two bedrooms with plenty of bookshelves and a desk. A living room and a small kitchen along with a sitting area. A balcony faced outdoors to overlook a backyard. After assuming that this was Livia's home, she was told that it was actually belonged to her now.
Coming fully furnished, it only had one major issue. Chairs. It had taken the teenager almost ten hours to move the eight objects, but she managed to stack all of them outside in the front lawn as far from the door as possible. She hoped her new keepers wouldn't mind her tossing them out.
So, she found herself reading a book on ancient egyptian costuming and tailoring that was already on the shelf. The redhead wasn't exactly sure why, but the topic interested her. Luckily, it proved to be relevant.
Honestly, Livia was probably enjoying pampering the redhead just a little too much. She had never had any kids in her forty seven years of existence, and perhaps it was a little much…but well, she couldn’t exactly deny it was a little pleasant.
…aha, if her younger self could see her now…
She shook her head, smiling softly as she approached the door to the home and entered quietly. Or at least, she would have if she didn’t notice a stack of chairs sitting as far away from the door as possible. This caused her to pause, trying to figure out what exactly the girl had been doing with them. Did she simply not like chairs? After a few moments though, she simply sighed, and continued into the house.
“Hrm…well, at least their stacked in a semi-artistic manner…” Livia mused as she entered. She’d have the chairs moved elsewhere before the weather damaged them. For now, she had more…important business to attend too. Now, where was the little roux at?
After a few moments of searching, Livia found her in her usual spot. Reading a book on a rather exquisite bed, if she did say so herself.
“Ah…little Roux,” She called out, knocking lightly on the door to the room to announce her presence. “You are doing well today?”
The one called Roux was startled despite the adequate warning she had been given. Amber eyes lifted up to see Livia knocking on an already open door out of courtesy. After a moment the teenagers eyes dropped slightly as her head nodded in afffirmation. Without her old keeper there, the old bruises had healed for the most part at what would normally be considered an unnatural rate. The red haired girl felt more ... alive. Roux closed her book, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. A small glass of water and a small bottle filled with some liquid sat on her bedside table. She lifted up the bottle, nervously holding it out for Livia to take.
Upon having the obvious bottle of phoenix tears up to her, Livia only sighed. Really, was she just…trained to cry like that? Livia shook her head, a bit upset, though it wasn’t at the girl. At least those injuries of hers had healed.
“Child…Roux,” Livia walked over to the girl, careful not to make any movements that would startle the girl. She would have grabbed a chair, but they were busy being a new piece of modern art outside. Instead, she opted to sit next to the child. She had hoped she had gotten to the point where she was comfortable around her. Roux moved slightly away, but she didn't run off or panic at Livia's approach.
“These are your…tears, correct?” Livia asked, gently taking the bottle as she sat. She of course, had no intention of taking them. “Hmm…may I ask why you are giving them to me? Just becasue I'm probably considered an old woman to most doesn't mean I need these~”
After a quick nod to confirm they were her tears, Roux's legs kicked back and forth slightly as she responded quietly to the next question. " ... You're my keeper now ..." To the girl, she was surprised why the older woman didn't ask for more. With four days to produce them, two more were sitting in the cabinent drawer in case her new keeper demanded extra. She decided not to mention those.
After a few moments the young girl wondered if she had accidenly insulted the older woman. That wouldn't be a good thing. Did she not want to be old? Was her present not adequate? Roux closed her eyes as she looked away, instinctivly preparing to be hit for her failure.
Oops.
Looks like she may have chosen the wrong choice of words there. Smooth Livia. She sighed inwardly. She had no intention of actually hitting the girl of course, despite how she may have been flinching.
“Rouxia, I am not upset.” She replied softly. “I simply have no need of your tears.” She continued, studying the bottle with a small smile, before holding it back out towards the redhead. “Neither I, nor Arthur have need of them.”
It took a few moments after Livia spoke for the girl to stop her internal panic. Seeing the outreached hand, the red haired girl took the bottle back nervously, legs kicking back and forth as they had been before. A short time bit of time went by and she decided to hold onto it rather than put it away, placing the bottle into her left pocket. After an awkward silence, the amber beads looked into the headmistresses' eyes curiously, head tilted slightly and red hair running over her right shoulder.
It was hard to tell if the girl was wondering why they didn't want the tears or if she was wondering what the purpose of this visit was today.
Well, that was settled. She hoped the girl understood that she didn’t need to force herself to cry any more here. She might have to be a little…firmer with her words If she didn’t, as much as she feared that might upset the child. At least she wasn’t completely put off by her now. She was able to look her in the eye now, without feeling threatened.
“At any rate,” She said, standing up as she gave the roux a small smile. “I would like to take you shopping today. I will not be having anyone under my care dressing in such rags. We need to buy you some proper clothes.”
The one called Roux looked down again to the floorboards again, a little bit nervous about leaving the house. She considered these to be nice clothes. But she nodded, pushing herself off the bed and nodding in confirmation. If Livia felt like playing dress up, the red haired girl wouldn't complain.
As the pair headed towards the mall, the red head found herself caught between some combination of curiousity and terror. She found herself looking around for a few heartbeats, taking everything in she could possibly see. Then the amber eyes would look back toward's the ground at Livia's feet, following them obediently a from a few steps behind.
Eventually the girl named Roux found herself being guided up a staircase into a small store, The Vetement. Clothes racks consumed most of the store's space with only a single article of clothing in a single style hanging from its racks. A long wallside wooden desk along the left side had several chairs pushed into it along with sketchpads and colored pencils scattered across it's surface. In a small clearing towards the right side of the store were two circles with various symbols etched in them. A tone that tried to sound irritated, but betrayed a sense of welcoming echoed from a counter just beyond the circles. "What brings the headmistress here today?" The man's deep voice boomed.
“Ah, Le Clothe.” She greeted the man with a friendly smile. “Normally I’d be here spoiling myself, but I have someone else who’s getting spoiled today.” Thankfully, the little roux didn’t run off anywhere, though Livia was hoping she might actually at least try to…interact with her surroundings a bit.
"This girl? Don't spoil her too much, she'll only grow out of them." A sigh and a more gentle tone escaped his mouth as he addressed the teenager. "Fine, run along the racks and find something you like. Just be sure to look through the racks for a sample you think is cute or draw something out in the sketchpad. The more detailed, the better." After some hesitation, the girl named Roux found herself looking up to Livia as if seeking confirmation.
“Well you heard the man, Roux. Whatever you want,” A small smile formed on her lips. “Someone will end up paying for it~”
The redhead headed off to the racks. The teenager searched slowly at first, as if not wanting to insult either one of them by dismissing anything too quickly, but eventually she had mastered the art of shopping and dissapeared into the forest of clothes. "You know, I am a little jealous of you."
Livia knew the story. The man's adopted son had suffered a lifelong ailment that had forced the thirteen year old to be bedridden most days. Even the school's head nurse had tried to cure the sickness, but all she could do was lay off the symptoms for a few days. Every time his child returned though, the illness would only appear faster than the previous one. A trained eye would guess that the bedridden child had a year to live.
“Oh?” Livia laughed softly as she watched the redhead disappear into the clothing, attempting to find something. “I suppose I am just rather lucky.” Livia replied with a sigh, a sad smile appearing on her lips. It was well known to the man that she was in fact, unable to have children of her own. It was simply a topic that had come up once when discussing his son – he was probably one of the few people who knew. “The redhead…has had a rather difficult life.”
Not that she had ever really wanted children, but age does make one regret things they had never done in their youth.
Fall in love and have a family, for example.
“I shall do my best, but…I’ve never done this before and I fear I may not be up to the task of raising her.”
The man's tone approached something resembling sincere. "Allow me to offer you one piece of advice. I've always think it's best to trust your instincts. You can always put up an act of fancy words, but it's the small things that affect them. If someone's stopped on the side of the road, do you pull over to try and help them? Or do you continue on your vacation, and enjoy yourself?"
Realizing he was rambling, the tailor regained his pride and his voice returned to something along the lines of sarcastic. "A thousand kid's lives you run, and you are seriously worried about this redhead? Surely others have had worse lives." It wasn't clear or not he was talking about his own child or others in the world.
“Aha, you are correct, but my relationship with my students is different. Most don’t really…well, know me, you could say.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I am most certainly concerned for all of them, but for the most part I’m probably not even a normal part of their day.” She turned her heads to the clothing, eyes scanning for signs of the redhead.
“This little Roux, however...I can’t say her life has been worse than any others because I do not know all my students on a personal level.” She replied, giving Le Clothe a small frown. “However, little Roux here…after hearing from Gall and another teacher what she went through…you could say I feel a little…I suppose I simply wish to protect her.”
He shrugged in response, and after a few moments changed the subject to something much less significant, some simple small talk as the two passed their time.
Little Red went around the store, choosing various long dresses off the shelves, and a few knee length ones as well. She ended up sticking mostly to the colors of green and red, along with one or two in white. They matched her hair well.
Eventually though, she seemed to be looking for something that couldn't be found. Roux headed over to the long desk, hesitating upon seeing the chairs. She spent a little time mustering her courage, but she started to stack the chairs on top of eachother towards one side. The red head intended to use the other side for planning out a design in one of the sketchbooks. The tailor simply rolled his eyes. He'd seen stranger habits in his time.
She was having a fairly pleasant conversation with Le Clothe. She was a bit thankful it had moved on from something less serious. However, she had to raise an eyebrow at what she noticed the little redhead doing. She didn’t wish to startle the girl, but well…stacking chairs like that could be a bit dangerous, and at this point she was fairly certain the redhead wasn’t stacking them for fun. She excused herself from conversation with Le Clothe, and walked over to the redhead.
“Hmm…I would complement you on your impeccable chair-arranging skills, but I doubt you are trying to make some form of modern art.” Livia quietly spoke as she approached the child. “Roux, what exactly are you doing?” Her voice was soft, trying to be as non threatening as she could manage.
The one named Roux jumped slightly, despite the tone. She lowered the chair she was holding to the ground. She knew what she was doing was ridiculous when she thought about it, but the objects were a painful reminder of a life that was her experience less than a week ago. She wasn't sure how to respond, so she instead opted to look at the ground, embarassed. '... I ..."
She put two fingers together, clearly deep in thought. It took her a minute, but she finished her sentence. "... don't want them near me ..."
Livia quickly put two and two together, and gave the child a small smile. It was obviously something from her captivity. However, as much as she’d like the child to simply not have to deal with this…that was probably not a good idea in the long run. She wasn’t much of a psychologist…but she could do her best here.
“I understand.” She replied simply, and after a moment, the older woman knelt down to the child’s level. “Being afraid of something is okay. I can’t say I have things I’m not afraid of either, especially when I was your age.” She gave the redhead a small smile. “But, losing to your fears is never a good thing, Little Roux. You are strong, I do not think there is anything you can’t face if you wish. You’ve endured a lot to be here now, haven’t you?” With that said, Livia stood giving a small sigh. She hadn’t expected to deal with something so…serious at the moment, but she couldn’t say she minded.
“Besides, if you ever need help with anything…all you have to do is ask someone who cares about you, do you not?” She offered the Roux another smile, before moving over to the chairs herself, lifting one with relative ease, and brought it over to the place she had been stacking them.
Little Roux lowered her eyes, believing she was being lightly scolded by her new keeper. But any fear the teenager had promplty disappeared as Livia decided to help her move the remaining chairs. After the two stacked the chairs up, the red headed girl walked briskly to the other side of the desk, distancing herself from the evil objects as much as possible.
A few seconds later and an assortment of artistic supplies were spread before her, and the redhead assembled a face of incredible concentration as she bit her lip focusing her thoughts. A second later, a small grin spread across the girl's face as she started to draw.
It was probably the first thing resembling a smile she'd given off in a long time.
The only thing surprising about how she drew was the speed at which she did it. It wasn't as if her hand moved at a supernaturally fast rate, but rather that she never had to turn the pencil over to erase a mistake. The sort of skill that one spent lifetimes perfecting - which unknown to the red head, she had.
A few minutes passed, and a detailed image assembled itself on the page. A larger, taller version of herself was featured, perhaps a few years older than she was now. It wasn't out of the question, but it was obviously a little idealized.
A knee length dress of red on the top, suddenly trasforming to black as it passed the hips and had cuts up the sides to allow movement. At the very bottom of the hemline, thin curves of red headed up from the bottom which gradually dissapeared as they approached the top. Black thighhighs were added, along with extended gloves for each arm. A black collar with a thin red stripe through the middle provided additional support to the outside straps that supported the dress. A few finishing details and several red wavy belt things added later, the girl appeared satisfied as she eyed her handiwork with a critical eye.
Livia was glad that was over with. She hoped she had done well in explaining things to little roux, but…well, that was that. She seemed happy, so that was enough for now. Onto the dresses, then.
The headmistress kept quiet as the girl started drawing. Well, she was certainly good at it. In fact, if she wanted too she could probably become an excellent artist judging from how well she was drawing. She wondered if some of her skills from her previous lives were kept between them. Would memories do the same, then? That might…be problematic if she remembered Sorcha.
Well…she’d deal with that if it happened. For now, she needed to get her some proper clothes.
“My, you certainly can draw well. Is this what you want, then? It’s certainly…ah, unique.” She replied. Not that it was bad, really. It was just something she hadn’t seen before.
After a moments hesitation, the shorter girl nodded. Grabbing a rather full basket of various garments, the two headed up towards the counter. "... Fire-resistant fabric..."The tailor nodded, raising an eyebrow at Livia to make sure she was ready to pay for this. After recieving a confirmation from the headmistress, he informed little Roux to head to one of the circles and wait.
After Roux obediently headed to one of the circles on the floor, the tailor pulled various boxes of cloth onto the other as he observed each sample of clothing.
He pressed his foot down onto the floor and instantly the girl's clothes changed on her body. The sweatpants and T-Shirt fell into a neat pile on the side as a long red dress appeared on the headmistress' adopted daughter. After yelping the first time in surprsise to a stifled laugh from the tailor, it became a routine as various bits of cloth dissapeared from the bins only to find themselves clinging to her a moment later. Some articles of clothing took more than one time as the tailor 'trimmed' them to perfection, but eventually they worked through all the sample pieces.
He observed her drawing, raising an eyebrow. A gruff voice came from Le Clothe's throat. "Well, I'll be damned. This girl actually can draw. You'd be surprised how much 'interpretation' I have to do with some of them." It still took the tailor several tries to create what the girl was requesting, but eventually he finished. "You know the rules. Bring the old articles back and I'll give a fifty percent materials discount. She should grow quickly, so I want you to remember that." He headed behind the counter, handing the headmistress a reciept. The twenty dresses ended up costing around ten grand. The girl was wearing her personally designed dress now, looking more than a little pleased with the outcome.
Livia simply observed silently. She was quite used to the process herself, so it wasn’t anything new to her. She simply waited for the process to complete, and for the little Roux’s dress to be completed. Thankfully, it didn’t take Le Clothe long to finish. As usual, he was very good at his job. Now, there was only the matter of the bill. When Le Clothe handed it to her, the headmistress simply sighed. Wow. Okay, that was not the amount she had been expecting. She knew it was going to be expensive, but...Well…
“You like the dress, then little Roux?” It was obvious the girl did like it. She had to admit, it was a fairly pretty article of clothing. “Then I will pay for it, since I think this is a special occasion.” She replied, a small frown forming on her lips. “But next time, you will chose something cheaper, or pay for it yourself, understand? And I do not mean with those tears of yours, either.”
Little Roux looked down as she was scolded, nodding in response to Livia's statement. The tailor gruddingly wished them a good day as the two headed towards the door after paying. Just before they finished leaving though, the footsteps behind Livia stopped in their tracks.
“Hmm, I was thinking we could get some lunch while we were out as well, any preferences, Roux or-?” Upon noticing the girl had stopped following her Livia turned to see what the little girl was doing.
The teenager was reaching into her the sweatpant's pocket as she searched for the bottle of phoenix tears. She had overheard parts of their conversation, and had realized during their small talk that the tailor had a dying son. Grabbing it firmly, little Roux reached out as she seemed to contemplate leaving it on the window sill for the tailor to find as he did his rounds at the end of the day.
At first, Livia was a little confused. She didn’t even notice the girl had brought the bottle of tears with her. There really was no reason for them to be here, after all. The headmistress frowned, unsure of what to say or do. The Roux looked like she was contemplating something, but Livia didn’t know what…unless she had heard the conversation earlier involving Le Clothe’s son.
“Your tears?...” They…well, they could in fact help Le Clothe’s son, couldn’t they? Phoenix tears could heal almost anything. “You want to do something with them, Roux?”
The one called Roux barely in response. She felt most people would recognize that they weren't human at first glance, and an alchemist would probably realize what they were fairly quickly. After tilting her head for a moment in thought, she nodded with a bit more conviction.
…ah, being a parent was a bit draining, wasn’t it?
“Well…they are your tears, Roux.” Livia replied. “And your tears are indeed special. They can heal almost anything. I cannot force nor make you leave them. That is up to you, dear.” Livia paused for a moment. She considered Le Clothe a friend, and she’d have given him the tears herself…she had a few vials Gall had brought back, as well. They could do something good for once and save someone’s life. So that just boiled down to what little Roux here wanted to do.
“Do you want to use them to save someone, Roux?”
Roux paused for contemplation after hearing the headmistresses words. The teenager understood suffering better than most, and if she could end another's at the price of a little time and some painful memories, she felt she should. The girl nodded again, getting on the tips of her toes as she placed the vial onto the window sill, looking at them for a moment before returning her eyes to the ground again.
“You are a good child,” Livia smiled gently. She was even more convinced now that the roux wasn’t the tyrant that her past life could have been.
“So there is no need to constantly look at the ground.” She continued with a small laugh. With that out of the way then, the Headmistress turned her attention back to Le Clothe. The girl may have had good intentions, but she should probably at least tell him about it in the most subtle way she could, before someone else came along and grabbed it.
“Aha, sorry for taking up space in your store, Le Clothe.” She replied with a slight bow. “The Roux had something she wanted to ask.” She gave him a friendly smile. “And I think…there is still hope for your son to recover.” She made a small gesture towards the window with the bottle sitting on it.
“Come along then, Roux. We don’t want to waste any more of Le Clothe’s time.” She continued before he or Roux could say anything, and ushered the girl out of the store.
The tailor later put two and two together. Any time the 'Little Roux' returned to the store, she mysteriously always recieved a 90% discount to account "for the honor of allowing a goddess to wear his garb".
As usual, the one named Little Roux was kicking her legs slightly as she read through the pages of her book. She had gradually started building up a small collection from the library, and the shelves were being filled as time passed.
Someone eventually came by the front of the two story house and removed the chairs that had been stacked in the lawn. A week had passed since her arrival, and despite the trauma she'd experienced the teenager was starting to become a bit more trusting her new keepers. Somewhere in the back of her mind though was still asking what the two had to gain from this.
Still though, the small two story house was certainly large enough for little Roux to be able to enjoy reading a book about the crusades on her bed, so her eyes were glued to the pages as the soft tapping of rain bounced off the window.
Arthur stood at the door to the house, rain plattering down gently on his hat. It was a mild rain, though he knew it would only get stronger. Arthur really had wished he had gotten the chance to come by sooner, but with classes he only had so much time to spend. With a deep sigh, he knocked on the door, three quick strikes to hopefully alert Roux of his presence. Engrossed in her book, of course the red haired girl didn't notice the knocking from outside.
Arthur stood there, waiting. Well, seems the girl didn't hear. Arthur walked around the house, until he reached a window. Staring intently through the window, luckily the curtains were open, and after staring into the window soon Arthur was gone, teleported through and into the room. May not have been a key, but at least it worked.
Arthur sized up the room, rather curious that something that was more or less a closet would have a window, but then again Arthur wasn't an architect. Could be if he wanted to, but he wasn't. Regardless he would step out of the room, and slowly, quietly sneak upstairs. The pyromancer was soon standing at the door to what could only be the bedroom. The door slid open soundlessly, and Arthur looked in to see Roux, laying on the bed reading.
At least she was reading, it's always good to read, Arthur thought as he watched, leaning against the doorframe. He didn't bother to make any noise, to let the girl know he was there. Arthur just stood there quietly, watching. After about a minute of standing however Arthur grew bored of standing, "Lovely weather eh?"
Despite the adequete warning, the red headed girl seemed to jump slightly as she was startled. After a few moments of looking outside, the girl nodded slightly before closing her book and placing it back down on the bed.
Figuring he hadn't just come here to talk, Roux removed herself from the bed and walked up to a few feet away from Sir Wick, Amber eyes examining the floorboards as she wondered what she would be doing today. If they wanted to go somewhere, the girl was happy she had her own custom made dress for the job.
"Nothing to say? Please, no need to be shy, you'll find I'm quite the good conversationalist. Regardless, we are going to be going out in that weather, I'd suggest dressing into something else, unless your content with getting that dress wet." Arthur said, stroking his beard really quick while adding, "I'll be waiting outside. Come join me when you're ready." The man would then turn, closing the door behind him before exiting the building.
Still not entirely sure of what was going on, the fourteen year old looked down at her dress. It had been constructed for use in this sort of situation, and despite it's appearence it was constructed of rather strong and durable fabric.
There was always a time to put things to the test. She drank a little water from her windowstand, and after a few moments decided to run down the stairway out into the rain, meeting with her savior.
Arthur was a few feet past the door, and looked back over his shoulder towards it when he heard it open. "Come along, I've got something fun planned for today." Arthur would then start walking, before slowly picking up pace, until he was jogging rather quickly through the rain, which while still mild, had indeed gotten stronger. Lighter footsteps followed behind, running after the man with longer legs.
The two ran, Arthur leading them farther and farther away from the school grounds, before long they were in the wilderness of the mountains, running along paths that clung against the stone, up and down rain slick stairs carved into the ground, over flimsy wooden bridges.
Arthur stopped. The two of them stood in the middle of a clearing, about twenty feet across. The grass was short, blackened already as if it was burned before and often. The trees that guarded the clearing were tall, though not so much so that one couldn't see the imposing peaks of the mountains nearby.
"I love that little jog. And such a nice clearing. I come out here every weekend, just to let loose. But today, today is a special case." Arthur said, "Want to know why little red?"
The little girl was too busy catching her breath to be ready to respond when she was asked that question. Despite her natural fitness, a run of a few miles was a draining experience for her. Although she was curious about why they were out here, so she managed to nod slightly towards Sir Wick as she gasped for air. Looking around, she noticed they were in a small clearing within the woods.
Arthur was clearly giddy, he was practiacally jumping up and down. "I love this weather!" He shouted towards the heavens, before composing himself. "But yes. We are here for a reason. I have a question for you. What are you? I'm sure you know humans don't shed all healing tears. Your a bright enough girl to know that." Arthur asked.
She was sure that this man was crazy. They were both splattered in mud, and the teenager was still trying to bring some air back into her lungs. Her legs burned from the longest run she'd ever done in her life. And he ENJOYED this.
It took her a minute, but eventually she gathered enough breath to be able to manage some sort of response. "... I ... I don't know ..." She honestly didn't know. Was there a reason to drag her out here for several miles to tell her this though?
Arthur stood there, letting the rain come down for a moment before replying, "You're a bird." The girl blinked several times. Then for the first time in her life, she let out a small laugh as she had difficulty processing his claim.
"I'm telling the truth though. Your a bird. You've spent all your time reading in that house haven't you? Have you come across the tale of the phoenix?" Arthur mused, a smile still upon his face.
After a few seconds of thinking, she nodded. She'd heard of the legendary beast: a powerful reincarnating flaming bird of such majesty some confused it for God. Tears of healing ... As her thought came across that line, she looked up at him. She had guesses about where this was going.
"You're a bird little red. A bird with the power of fire itself within you. If you'd like, I could help you wake up some of that power." Arthur said.
The one called little red looked up with amber eyes into his, thinking about his offer. She was still a little stunned about his claim, but the Phoenix realized it made sense. She thought about her time in the manor, where her old keeper bruised her every day. If she had power, would that have been able to happen? She couldn't bring herself to hate the old man despite what he'd done to her ... but ...
A quick nod towards Arthur indicated her decision.
Arthur nodded in turn, "Good. Good. Now, you tired after that run here right?" She nodded in response, although her breathing had slowed down a little. "Good. Now, shout. scream, yell. Express your anger, kindle your fury! Show the sky and earth how mad you are! Come on, scream!" Arthur shouted, demanding anger from the girl standing in front of him.
The red haired girl jumped away from the sudden shouting, cowering slightly from the loud and deep voice. She had to strongly resist the urge to run away and curl up into a ball somewhere. The lady keeper had told her not to let her fears own her, so Little Red let out all the anger she could muster. "... chirp ...?" If she was a bird, maybe acting like one would help?
Arthur was about to shout again, to help this girl get angry. But then again... she chirped. Arthur stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. "You've spent... your entire life hidden away. Treated like an animal, harvested for tears... Beaten, bloodied... and all you can do is chirp? Arthur stood there a moment longer, before finsihing, "You know, if I was in your postion, I would be screaming loud enough for the people across the entire mountain to hear me."
Arthur sighed before saying, "Just... scream louder. Please be angry, it'd really help get us started."
The girl looked down as she was chastised for failing to be angry, idly kicking a small nearby rock to see if that would satisfy Sir Wick's desire for rage. To make it a bit more convincing, she mustered a bit more courage and let out a slightly louder "... Chirp ..."
Arthur grinned, "If your going to chirp, I suggest you do so louder. I think your giving birds a bad name with that weak impression. Come on, your on the right track!" Arthur said, nearly shouting at the end of it again. She took another step back as he raised his voice.
As the rain poured down onto the back of her head, the teenager found herself become a bit more frustrated with Sir Wicks requests. What was up with this guy? Why did he keep on shouting at her to become angry. She kicked two more small stones with a bit more force unconciously.
Arthur's grin widened. Sure, Roux stepped back, but she was also still kicking rocks. She could get angry. He just needed the right trigger. Shame he didn't know her better, he'll have to improvise. "Come on, don't step away! If you run here, if you run now, then your running right back into that life you had a week ago, do you want that?! Do you want to be a slave!?!" Arthur shouted as the rain started pouring even harder.
The girl's eyes went downcast, but she obediently didn't judge from where she stood. He asked if she wanted to be a slave. The fourteen year old didn't hate that life just a week ago, did she? Then why did it seem like so long ago? Why did she prefer these keepers so much more, despite the instructions they gave her? Small fists clenched, amber eyes were covered by their lids. A few tears started falling from them, her old life conflicting with her new one.
In a way, her old life had been safer. Inside constantly, the young girl didn't have to worry about some crazy man dragging her off into the forest to scream at things. Sure she was injured, but no one was around there would really kill her. She'd been a reasource to them, so they wouldn't toss her out. Her new keepers refused any motivation like that, meaning their current kindness was on a whim.
Still though. This was her first time experiencing the rain. It was cold, sending a shiver up her spine. But it was new. So were the clothes that she'd been shopping for with Livia. And she wasn't treated like an animal, any bruises or aches she had being her own fault. They even believed she deserved a name, and granted her the identity of Roux until she chose one for herself.
And she'd probably saved the life of Le Clothe's child. That was worth something.
She raised her head, eyes opening briefly to a new shade of gold. "No." It was spoken firmly with divine conviction, if not stated loudly. The trees that'd she'd been backing towards before responded however, embers flying for a few moments before suddenly bursting into flame.
"Good. You feel that? That fire in you? That rage with threatens to flow forth and set this world to tinder?" Arthur would straighten his form, stand almost like a soldier in some army before saying, "Bottle it up. Know of it. It is a constant threat, to your foes, and yourself. To your friends. To many powerful beings have fallen simply because they let that power go unchecked. It is iron, unrelenting. But it must be tempered."
Taking a step forward Arthur would say as he returned to a more relaxed pose, "Now. Calm down. It would be a great shame if such a lovely glade was burned down don't you agree?"
Little Roux looked over her shoulder to see what he was talking about. Fire consumed several trees, each one a habitat for many creatures. She'd probaby just slain thousands of smaller souls for the simple purpose of practicing some of her power. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched the world burn before her. After a few seconds they returned to their normal amber shade before they closed, more tears dropping from them. The fires stopped expanding, then were put out naturally by the rain.
That wouldn't stop her from learning this art. She wouldn't go back to her old life. But she understood what he meant by a need to be tempered.
Little Roux sat on the ground, curling up into a small ball despite the mud being splattered by the falling raindrops. Placing her head onto her knees, more of the panacea flowed from the two ambers.
Arthur walked over to the girl. Kneeling down beside her, he said "I know. My introduction wasn't any better. At least you don't have to fight an oversized fireproof puppy though." Wick said as he laied one of his hand over the shoulders of Roux. "You know, I love the rain, but I'm starting to get sick of this mud, and I can't imagine that dress is very warming. Let's get you back home." Arthur said as he stood, encouraging for Roux to stand as well.
A minute passed. And another. Little Roux didn't move. As the third on passed though, she rose to her feet and started walking home, tears still falling from her downcast eyes and joining the growing puddles on the ground.
Arthur was wet, and tired, but also rather proud. He sat in his house, a simple little affair on the outskirts of the town. He had returned there after escorting Roux to her own home. Arthur sat in his chair, the good one. It was a nice chair, a leather rolling chair. Sadly it was a rolling chair, and very easily toppled over when Arthur leaned back too far. he had good balance, but spooky black spirits rising from the floorboards tend to counteract that.
While Arthur was righting himself and his chair the spirit, Livia's it made clear, passed Arthur a letter before returning to the ground below. Arthur sat himself again and tore open the piece of parchment before reading the paper within. It was a very formal request for his presence, which could only mean that Arthur had done something wrong. No doubt she knew what had happened half an hour prior, could Arthur do anything without someboby knowing? And he had just changed into these nice dry clothes, if only there was a way to get to the Headmistresses office without stepping into the rain. And after thinking about it for a moment, Arthur was gone.
Standing outside the door, he gave three solid knocks.
The door opened by itself, allowing Arthur access to her office. It looked the same as it always did. Except for the chair that was sitting in front of her desk. As soon as Arthur would enter, the door would firmly shut behind him, likely the work of more of her watcher spirits. Livia herself, was sitting behind her desk reading a book about ancient Norse culture. Likely about something Sorcha had recommended.
“Ah, Arthur. Glad you could make it in such a timely fashion.” She greeted him with a friendly tone. “Take a seat, if you don’t mind.”
Arthur walked up to the desk and sat himself down in the chair. It was a rather nice chair all considering, not as good as the one Arthur had been relaxing in a few minutes prior but perhaps that was just the atmosphere. "How's your day going?" Arthur asked almost jokingly.
“Well, it was going wonderful.” Livia replied with a sigh. "Such a lovely day today, I think. A little rain is always good for people. I was dearly looking forward to it ending on a good note. Sorcha and I had just finished have a rather nice dinner with some very exquisite wine she had been saving.” She closed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair to get comfortable. “Really, I was hoping to end it on a high note. But…well…what do you know. One of my darling little spirits alerted me that you were doing something to my little roux.”
She opened an eye, and suddenly the room would seem to grow colder for Arthur.
“Tell me…what was your intention? Telling a frightened girl like her that anger and rage is a good thing. Are you completely out of your mind? Or did you drown it with so much alcohol before you cleaned your life up that you can’t think of the long term ramifications of your actions?” Her voice was calm and even, but sharp as an ice pick. It was easy to tell she wasn't pleased.
Well, Arthur couldn't say he didn't know this was coming. Then again, Arthur has been teaching at this school for nearly a decade now, how could the headmistress not already have at least a basic understanding of his teaching methods?
Regardless, "My intention. A wonderful question. My intentions were to spark a fire. If I may ask a question in return headmistress? How do you build a fire?"
“Oh? You start a fire with a match if I’ve been doing it right all these years.” She coolly replied. “I am well aware of your method of teaching fire. Using anger to create a spark. It is not something I approve of, but it has worked well so far and I have no place to comment on someone’s path to their own power even if I have seen a much better method for Pyromancy.” She continued, closing her one eye again with a sigh. “That, is not why you are currently sitting before me on the verge of losing your job. Perhaps you’d like to take a guess as to the actual reason?”
"Is it because that cake was so good last week that you'd like to make a large order?" Arthur said without thought.
Livia simply frowned.
“People in your precarious position do not get to make jokes, Mr. Wick” She emphasized his last name with a harsh tone. In all her years of knowing him, this was probably the first time she actually used his last name.
Arthur simply smiled.
"I find that people in my postion should make jokes more often, Lady Fiore." He replied. "Of course, I do value my job, and have clearly shown that I'm not good at guessing games. I would like to know why exactly I'm sitting here madam."
Livia fixed him with a cool, still clearly displeased gaze as she leaned forward in her seat, resting a hand on her desk as she ignored his obviously antagonistic comment.
“Among other things, you do not think about the long term ramifications of your actions. That is the reason you are currently sitting here.”
Arthur, in turn, leaned back in his seat. Casually, he said, "And what are those ramifications? If you think that I'm going to let little red become an inferno of pent up anger then perhaps you need to spy on more then just the first lesson madam."
“So you did think about it, and you did it anyways. You even told her she’s a powerful creature that was revered as a goddess at the same exact time.” Her voice took a slightly dangerous tone as she spoke. “That’s not helping your situation, Mr. Wick. Tell me…what do you think a frightened child who has been abused most of her life could do if she’s told she’s something people consider a powerful goddess on the same day she’s told anger is a good thing, hmm?”
Arthur took a moment to think before saying, "A lot of things. Burn down buildings, perhaps even cities. Maybe even give some militaries a run for their money if she's a quick learner. That's why I'm going to watch her, and train her. Because anger can be a good thing. Kept in check."
“Anger,” Livia’s voice was low. “Is never a good thing, Mr. Wick. It does nothing more than blind a person. A fire started with such emotions burns hot, but it will inevitably burn everything, even the user itself and their comrades no matter how good they are.” She fixed him with a cold gaze. “Have you ever thought, that the reason your comrades died to the dragon, was because of you and your weak flames fueled by such a petty emotion?”
Arthur sat there, quiet. Deathly so. In fact, his inner voice pointed out that it had been years since he was so quiet. He mentally told that voice to be quiet, because of course commenting on it ruined the quietness.
"You should know how much I would enjoy burning this office to the ground. I wouldn't stop afterwards. I would proceed to burn every single thing I came across until there was nothing left."
A deep sigh.
"Perhaps if I had not known Ethan I would do that. But I know what happens when you act with nothing but anger in your soul. I know too well what happens when someone gets angry."
If Arthur had actually attempted to burn her office, she’d have killed him before he could have even taken a step. Or Gall would have, the moment he sensed danger at all. However, instead she simply sighed and leaned back in her seat, resting her arms on the armrests.
“Then why do you insist on using it? Pyromancy is tied very closely to ones emotions. There are other emotions one could use to fuel it. To…ignite it. And if you do not believe me, then I can only assume you drowned your brain too much with alcohol to consider or think about.” She sighed again, shaking her head. This was pointless and getting them nowhere.
“At any rate,” She began her voice returning from its cold tone to a more neutral one. “Because of your insolent behavior, you are no longer permitted to be alone with my little roux. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Wick? I will be present at any more training sessions, and you will discuss everything you will be telling or teaching her beforehand. And if I find out that you have disobeyed me in any way…” The door to her office creaked open, making it obvious that she was done discussing this.
“You’ll lose more than just your job. Do I make myself clear?”
Arthur weighed his options. Standing, he walking over to the door, holding it open to step out. But not before turning his head back towards Livia, "So she's your little Roux now? That's an interesting train of thought." And before anything more could be said Arthur stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Livia simply frowned, a small snarl actually forming on her lips as he left. She truly did have such high hopes for him. She actually in fact sort of liked him, and now he had gone and blew it. Livia stood, and poured herself a glass of wine as she walked over to a bookshelf and removed a book from it. If anyone else were to attempt to come in, they would find the door locked and completely immobile. From now until Arthur retired, he’d be constantly watched by one of her spirits.
There was no way he was getting around that.
Someone eventually came by the front of the two story house and removed the chairs that had been stacked in the lawn. A week had passed since her arrival, and despite the trauma she'd experienced the teenager was starting to become a bit more trusting her new keepers. Somewhere in the back of her mind though was still asking what the two had to gain from this.
Still though, the small two story house was certainly large enough for little Roux to be able to enjoy reading a book about the crusades on her bed, so her eyes were glued to the pages as the soft tapping of rain bounced off the window.
Arthur stood at the door to the house, rain plattering down gently on his hat. It was a mild rain, though he knew it would only get stronger. Arthur really had wished he had gotten the chance to come by sooner, but with classes he only had so much time to spend. With a deep sigh, he knocked on the door, three quick strikes to hopefully alert Roux of his presence. Engrossed in her book, of course the red haired girl didn't notice the knocking from outside.
Arthur stood there, waiting. Well, seems the girl didn't hear. Arthur walked around the house, until he reached a window. Staring intently through the window, luckily the curtains were open, and after staring into the window soon Arthur was gone, teleported through and into the room. May not have been a key, but at least it worked.
Arthur sized up the room, rather curious that something that was more or less a closet would have a window, but then again Arthur wasn't an architect. Could be if he wanted to, but he wasn't. Regardless he would step out of the room, and slowly, quietly sneak upstairs. The pyromancer was soon standing at the door to what could only be the bedroom. The door slid open soundlessly, and Arthur looked in to see Roux, laying on the bed reading.
At least she was reading, it's always good to read, Arthur thought as he watched, leaning against the doorframe. He didn't bother to make any noise, to let the girl know he was there. Arthur just stood there quietly, watching. After about a minute of standing however Arthur grew bored of standing, "Lovely weather eh?"
Despite the adequete warning, the red headed girl seemed to jump slightly as she was startled. After a few moments of looking outside, the girl nodded slightly before closing her book and placing it back down on the bed.
Figuring he hadn't just come here to talk, Roux removed herself from the bed and walked up to a few feet away from Sir Wick, Amber eyes examining the floorboards as she wondered what she would be doing today. If they wanted to go somewhere, the girl was happy she had her own custom made dress for the job.
"Nothing to say? Please, no need to be shy, you'll find I'm quite the good conversationalist. Regardless, we are going to be going out in that weather, I'd suggest dressing into something else, unless your content with getting that dress wet." Arthur said, stroking his beard really quick while adding, "I'll be waiting outside. Come join me when you're ready." The man would then turn, closing the door behind him before exiting the building.
Still not entirely sure of what was going on, the fourteen year old looked down at her dress. It had been constructed for use in this sort of situation, and despite it's appearence it was constructed of rather strong and durable fabric.
There was always a time to put things to the test. She drank a little water from her windowstand, and after a few moments decided to run down the stairway out into the rain, meeting with her savior.
Arthur was a few feet past the door, and looked back over his shoulder towards it when he heard it open. "Come along, I've got something fun planned for today." Arthur would then start walking, before slowly picking up pace, until he was jogging rather quickly through the rain, which while still mild, had indeed gotten stronger. Lighter footsteps followed behind, running after the man with longer legs.
The two ran, Arthur leading them farther and farther away from the school grounds, before long they were in the wilderness of the mountains, running along paths that clung against the stone, up and down rain slick stairs carved into the ground, over flimsy wooden bridges.
Arthur stopped. The two of them stood in the middle of a clearing, about twenty feet across. The grass was short, blackened already as if it was burned before and often. The trees that guarded the clearing were tall, though not so much so that one couldn't see the imposing peaks of the mountains nearby.
"I love that little jog. And such a nice clearing. I come out here every weekend, just to let loose. But today, today is a special case." Arthur said, "Want to know why little red?"
The little girl was too busy catching her breath to be ready to respond when she was asked that question. Despite her natural fitness, a run of a few miles was a draining experience for her. Although she was curious about why they were out here, so she managed to nod slightly towards Sir Wick as she gasped for air. Looking around, she noticed they were in a small clearing within the woods.
Arthur was clearly giddy, he was practiacally jumping up and down. "I love this weather!" He shouted towards the heavens, before composing himself. "But yes. We are here for a reason. I have a question for you. What are you? I'm sure you know humans don't shed all healing tears. Your a bright enough girl to know that." Arthur asked.
She was sure that this man was crazy. They were both splattered in mud, and the teenager was still trying to bring some air back into her lungs. Her legs burned from the longest run she'd ever done in her life. And he ENJOYED this.
It took her a minute, but eventually she gathered enough breath to be able to manage some sort of response. "... I ... I don't know ..." She honestly didn't know. Was there a reason to drag her out here for several miles to tell her this though?
Arthur stood there, letting the rain come down for a moment before replying, "You're a bird." The girl blinked several times. Then for the first time in her life, she let out a small laugh as she had difficulty processing his claim.
"I'm telling the truth though. Your a bird. You've spent all your time reading in that house haven't you? Have you come across the tale of the phoenix?" Arthur mused, a smile still upon his face.
After a few seconds of thinking, she nodded. She'd heard of the legendary beast: a powerful reincarnating flaming bird of such majesty some confused it for God. Tears of healing ... As her thought came across that line, she looked up at him. She had guesses about where this was going.
"You're a bird little red. A bird with the power of fire itself within you. If you'd like, I could help you wake up some of that power." Arthur said.
The one called little red looked up with amber eyes into his, thinking about his offer. She was still a little stunned about his claim, but the Phoenix realized it made sense. She thought about her time in the manor, where her old keeper bruised her every day. If she had power, would that have been able to happen? She couldn't bring herself to hate the old man despite what he'd done to her ... but ...
A quick nod towards Arthur indicated her decision.
Arthur nodded in turn, "Good. Good. Now, you tired after that run here right?" She nodded in response, although her breathing had slowed down a little. "Good. Now, shout. scream, yell. Express your anger, kindle your fury! Show the sky and earth how mad you are! Come on, scream!" Arthur shouted, demanding anger from the girl standing in front of him.
The red haired girl jumped away from the sudden shouting, cowering slightly from the loud and deep voice. She had to strongly resist the urge to run away and curl up into a ball somewhere. The lady keeper had told her not to let her fears own her, so Little Red let out all the anger she could muster. "... chirp ...?" If she was a bird, maybe acting like one would help?
Arthur was about to shout again, to help this girl get angry. But then again... she chirped. Arthur stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. "You've spent... your entire life hidden away. Treated like an animal, harvested for tears... Beaten, bloodied... and all you can do is chirp? Arthur stood there a moment longer, before finsihing, "You know, if I was in your postion, I would be screaming loud enough for the people across the entire mountain to hear me."
Arthur sighed before saying, "Just... scream louder. Please be angry, it'd really help get us started."
The girl looked down as she was chastised for failing to be angry, idly kicking a small nearby rock to see if that would satisfy Sir Wick's desire for rage. To make it a bit more convincing, she mustered a bit more courage and let out a slightly louder "... Chirp ..."
Arthur grinned, "If your going to chirp, I suggest you do so louder. I think your giving birds a bad name with that weak impression. Come on, your on the right track!" Arthur said, nearly shouting at the end of it again. She took another step back as he raised his voice.
As the rain poured down onto the back of her head, the teenager found herself become a bit more frustrated with Sir Wicks requests. What was up with this guy? Why did he keep on shouting at her to become angry. She kicked two more small stones with a bit more force unconciously.
Arthur's grin widened. Sure, Roux stepped back, but she was also still kicking rocks. She could get angry. He just needed the right trigger. Shame he didn't know her better, he'll have to improvise. "Come on, don't step away! If you run here, if you run now, then your running right back into that life you had a week ago, do you want that?! Do you want to be a slave!?!" Arthur shouted as the rain started pouring even harder.
The girl's eyes went downcast, but she obediently didn't judge from where she stood. He asked if she wanted to be a slave. The fourteen year old didn't hate that life just a week ago, did she? Then why did it seem like so long ago? Why did she prefer these keepers so much more, despite the instructions they gave her? Small fists clenched, amber eyes were covered by their lids. A few tears started falling from them, her old life conflicting with her new one.
In a way, her old life had been safer. Inside constantly, the young girl didn't have to worry about some crazy man dragging her off into the forest to scream at things. Sure she was injured, but no one was around there would really kill her. She'd been a reasource to them, so they wouldn't toss her out. Her new keepers refused any motivation like that, meaning their current kindness was on a whim.
Still though. This was her first time experiencing the rain. It was cold, sending a shiver up her spine. But it was new. So were the clothes that she'd been shopping for with Livia. And she wasn't treated like an animal, any bruises or aches she had being her own fault. They even believed she deserved a name, and granted her the identity of Roux until she chose one for herself.
And she'd probably saved the life of Le Clothe's child. That was worth something.
She raised her head, eyes opening briefly to a new shade of gold. "No." It was spoken firmly with divine conviction, if not stated loudly. The trees that'd she'd been backing towards before responded however, embers flying for a few moments before suddenly bursting into flame.
"Good. You feel that? That fire in you? That rage with threatens to flow forth and set this world to tinder?" Arthur would straighten his form, stand almost like a soldier in some army before saying, "Bottle it up. Know of it. It is a constant threat, to your foes, and yourself. To your friends. To many powerful beings have fallen simply because they let that power go unchecked. It is iron, unrelenting. But it must be tempered."
Taking a step forward Arthur would say as he returned to a more relaxed pose, "Now. Calm down. It would be a great shame if such a lovely glade was burned down don't you agree?"
Little Roux looked over her shoulder to see what he was talking about. Fire consumed several trees, each one a habitat for many creatures. She'd probaby just slain thousands of smaller souls for the simple purpose of practicing some of her power. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched the world burn before her. After a few seconds they returned to their normal amber shade before they closed, more tears dropping from them. The fires stopped expanding, then were put out naturally by the rain.
That wouldn't stop her from learning this art. She wouldn't go back to her old life. But she understood what he meant by a need to be tempered.
Little Roux sat on the ground, curling up into a small ball despite the mud being splattered by the falling raindrops. Placing her head onto her knees, more of the panacea flowed from the two ambers.
Arthur walked over to the girl. Kneeling down beside her, he said "I know. My introduction wasn't any better. At least you don't have to fight an oversized fireproof puppy though." Wick said as he laied one of his hand over the shoulders of Roux. "You know, I love the rain, but I'm starting to get sick of this mud, and I can't imagine that dress is very warming. Let's get you back home." Arthur said as he stood, encouraging for Roux to stand as well.
A minute passed. And another. Little Roux didn't move. As the third on passed though, she rose to her feet and started walking home, tears still falling from her downcast eyes and joining the growing puddles on the ground.
Arthur was wet, and tired, but also rather proud. He sat in his house, a simple little affair on the outskirts of the town. He had returned there after escorting Roux to her own home. Arthur sat in his chair, the good one. It was a nice chair, a leather rolling chair. Sadly it was a rolling chair, and very easily toppled over when Arthur leaned back too far. he had good balance, but spooky black spirits rising from the floorboards tend to counteract that.
While Arthur was righting himself and his chair the spirit, Livia's it made clear, passed Arthur a letter before returning to the ground below. Arthur sat himself again and tore open the piece of parchment before reading the paper within. It was a very formal request for his presence, which could only mean that Arthur had done something wrong. No doubt she knew what had happened half an hour prior, could Arthur do anything without someboby knowing? And he had just changed into these nice dry clothes, if only there was a way to get to the Headmistresses office without stepping into the rain. And after thinking about it for a moment, Arthur was gone.
Standing outside the door, he gave three solid knocks.
The door opened by itself, allowing Arthur access to her office. It looked the same as it always did. Except for the chair that was sitting in front of her desk. As soon as Arthur would enter, the door would firmly shut behind him, likely the work of more of her watcher spirits. Livia herself, was sitting behind her desk reading a book about ancient Norse culture. Likely about something Sorcha had recommended.
“Ah, Arthur. Glad you could make it in such a timely fashion.” She greeted him with a friendly tone. “Take a seat, if you don’t mind.”
Arthur walked up to the desk and sat himself down in the chair. It was a rather nice chair all considering, not as good as the one Arthur had been relaxing in a few minutes prior but perhaps that was just the atmosphere. "How's your day going?" Arthur asked almost jokingly.
“Well, it was going wonderful.” Livia replied with a sigh. "Such a lovely day today, I think. A little rain is always good for people. I was dearly looking forward to it ending on a good note. Sorcha and I had just finished have a rather nice dinner with some very exquisite wine she had been saving.” She closed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair to get comfortable. “Really, I was hoping to end it on a high note. But…well…what do you know. One of my darling little spirits alerted me that you were doing something to my little roux.”
She opened an eye, and suddenly the room would seem to grow colder for Arthur.
“Tell me…what was your intention? Telling a frightened girl like her that anger and rage is a good thing. Are you completely out of your mind? Or did you drown it with so much alcohol before you cleaned your life up that you can’t think of the long term ramifications of your actions?” Her voice was calm and even, but sharp as an ice pick. It was easy to tell she wasn't pleased.
Well, Arthur couldn't say he didn't know this was coming. Then again, Arthur has been teaching at this school for nearly a decade now, how could the headmistress not already have at least a basic understanding of his teaching methods?
Regardless, "My intention. A wonderful question. My intentions were to spark a fire. If I may ask a question in return headmistress? How do you build a fire?"
“Oh? You start a fire with a match if I’ve been doing it right all these years.” She coolly replied. “I am well aware of your method of teaching fire. Using anger to create a spark. It is not something I approve of, but it has worked well so far and I have no place to comment on someone’s path to their own power even if I have seen a much better method for Pyromancy.” She continued, closing her one eye again with a sigh. “That, is not why you are currently sitting before me on the verge of losing your job. Perhaps you’d like to take a guess as to the actual reason?”
"Is it because that cake was so good last week that you'd like to make a large order?" Arthur said without thought.
Livia simply frowned.
“People in your precarious position do not get to make jokes, Mr. Wick” She emphasized his last name with a harsh tone. In all her years of knowing him, this was probably the first time she actually used his last name.
Arthur simply smiled.
"I find that people in my postion should make jokes more often, Lady Fiore." He replied. "Of course, I do value my job, and have clearly shown that I'm not good at guessing games. I would like to know why exactly I'm sitting here madam."
Livia fixed him with a cool, still clearly displeased gaze as she leaned forward in her seat, resting a hand on her desk as she ignored his obviously antagonistic comment.
“Among other things, you do not think about the long term ramifications of your actions. That is the reason you are currently sitting here.”
Arthur, in turn, leaned back in his seat. Casually, he said, "And what are those ramifications? If you think that I'm going to let little red become an inferno of pent up anger then perhaps you need to spy on more then just the first lesson madam."
“So you did think about it, and you did it anyways. You even told her she’s a powerful creature that was revered as a goddess at the same exact time.” Her voice took a slightly dangerous tone as she spoke. “That’s not helping your situation, Mr. Wick. Tell me…what do you think a frightened child who has been abused most of her life could do if she’s told she’s something people consider a powerful goddess on the same day she’s told anger is a good thing, hmm?”
Arthur took a moment to think before saying, "A lot of things. Burn down buildings, perhaps even cities. Maybe even give some militaries a run for their money if she's a quick learner. That's why I'm going to watch her, and train her. Because anger can be a good thing. Kept in check."
“Anger,” Livia’s voice was low. “Is never a good thing, Mr. Wick. It does nothing more than blind a person. A fire started with such emotions burns hot, but it will inevitably burn everything, even the user itself and their comrades no matter how good they are.” She fixed him with a cold gaze. “Have you ever thought, that the reason your comrades died to the dragon, was because of you and your weak flames fueled by such a petty emotion?”
Arthur sat there, quiet. Deathly so. In fact, his inner voice pointed out that it had been years since he was so quiet. He mentally told that voice to be quiet, because of course commenting on it ruined the quietness.
"You should know how much I would enjoy burning this office to the ground. I wouldn't stop afterwards. I would proceed to burn every single thing I came across until there was nothing left."
A deep sigh.
"Perhaps if I had not known Ethan I would do that. But I know what happens when you act with nothing but anger in your soul. I know too well what happens when someone gets angry."
If Arthur had actually attempted to burn her office, she’d have killed him before he could have even taken a step. Or Gall would have, the moment he sensed danger at all. However, instead she simply sighed and leaned back in her seat, resting her arms on the armrests.
“Then why do you insist on using it? Pyromancy is tied very closely to ones emotions. There are other emotions one could use to fuel it. To…ignite it. And if you do not believe me, then I can only assume you drowned your brain too much with alcohol to consider or think about.” She sighed again, shaking her head. This was pointless and getting them nowhere.
“At any rate,” She began her voice returning from its cold tone to a more neutral one. “Because of your insolent behavior, you are no longer permitted to be alone with my little roux. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Wick? I will be present at any more training sessions, and you will discuss everything you will be telling or teaching her beforehand. And if I find out that you have disobeyed me in any way…” The door to her office creaked open, making it obvious that she was done discussing this.
“You’ll lose more than just your job. Do I make myself clear?”
Arthur weighed his options. Standing, he walking over to the door, holding it open to step out. But not before turning his head back towards Livia, "So she's your little Roux now? That's an interesting train of thought." And before anything more could be said Arthur stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Livia simply frowned, a small snarl actually forming on her lips as he left. She truly did have such high hopes for him. She actually in fact sort of liked him, and now he had gone and blew it. Livia stood, and poured herself a glass of wine as she walked over to a bookshelf and removed a book from it. If anyone else were to attempt to come in, they would find the door locked and completely immobile. From now until Arthur retired, he’d be constantly watched by one of her spirits.
There was no way he was getting around that.
Fire. Flames consumed life around the red headed woman. And she smiled.
The one known as little Roux saw fire in her hand. With the power to consume everything.
It took her a moment, but she realized that she was laying down in her bed, bedsheets alight with a small fire.
After a little panic, the teenager managed to put out the small fire with the assistance of a glass of water placed on her bedside. After that fiasco was finished, she curled up into a ball, shivers running through her body. Simply a bad dream?
But this one had been coherent. And very real. It wasn't random splotches of visuals, but rather a single countinous stream of time. She'd been killing people, raiding a small village out in some desert land.
And enjoying it. She didn't know how, but she somehow knew it was out of an act of petty vengeance, over something that today she would consider trivial.
Arthur's words ran through her head ... these probably weren't simple dreams. Were they memories? All of her dreams probably were, if that was the case. And that terrified her. She remained curled up for about an hour, a large pillow between herself and her knees as tears rolled down her eyes.
Eventually she ended up on the doorstep to the headmistresses house. After being here for over half a month, she'd realized where the place was.
Arms wrapped tightly around a pillow and wearing a lightweight simple short dress for pajamas, the red headed teenager found herself on the doorstep of Livia's house, unsure whether or not to knock.
It took her ten minutes of standing there in the cold, but eventually a small fist tapped the door harmlessly.
Livia was currently sitting in her room, laying in her bed reading a rather interesting book about some Native American mythology. Something about some ice creature called a windigo. A legend she had read many times, but reading about such things never really got boring for her. Beside her bed, was a table, on it sat an empty bottle of wine and a lamp that illuminated the room.
Honestly, she had probably drunk just a little too much, but well, even she had to decompress sometimes. Really a bad idea since she should still be keeping a close eye on Arthur, but after that days’ work she was feeling it. Ugh, dealing with the board and getting them to be reasonable about the funds for next year, events, not to mention Sorcha complaining about her slowly dwindling horde of treasure.
That was a usual between the two of them of course, but today it just seemed more annoying than usual. Ah…she could use a vacation. Or at least some sleep. Sleep was good.
And she was about to as well, until one of her spirits alerted her to someone standing outside of her door, followed by an almost inaudible knock. For the love of…who was visiting her this late. She wasn’t even properly dressed!
Well, whatever, she had better go see who it was.
She made her way to the door quickly, and was a little more than surprised to find little Roux standing there, tightly holding a pillow in her arms and dressed in an adorable little white dress, similar to the one she was wearing.
Well, at least the child had good taste.
“Ah…Roux, what are you doing here?” She asked, obviously a little tired. “Ah…never mind that come in, come in. You’ll catch a cold out there.” She replied, ushering the girl into the house.
After a few moments, the girl followed her keeper inside. After closing the door behind them, Livia lead the little Roux to the living room. It was a fairly well decorated, featuring large amounts of purple.
As they entered, the red haired girl pointedly avoided any of the chairs and stood up, holding the pillow tighter. "... Keeper ..." She tried not to, but a few tears started to fall from her downcast amber eyes as she looked into the carpet, forming small splotches on the pillow.
Well, this was certainly not what she had expected. She was too tired to really want to deal with this, but…she couldn’t just leave the poor girl there, crying.
“Oh, Roux…” She knelt down to the childs level, giving her a friendly, but somewhat tired smile. “What is the matter, dear?” She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Roux recoiled slightly from the touch. A broken, quiet voice responded to her question."... do dreams ..." With Livia down to her own level, she found it easier to look her in the eyes. "... feel so real ...?" Now that she was looking at the teacher, bags beneath her eyes would reveal that she hadn't slept for quite some time.
Livia didn’t remove her hand from the girl, even though she recoiled slightly. She could understand why the girl was afraid of being touched, but that was something she was going to have to grow out of. The question that followed after, however, was a bit of a cause for concern. Damn it Arthur…telling her she was a phoenix and how to control her fire before she was mentally able to handle it…
For now though, the poor dear looked like she hadn’t slept in a while…she should do something….hrm…tea was no good…so maybe something…Well…what kid didn’t love sweets? She had some…chocolate or something around here, didn’t she?
“Hm…depends. Sometimes dreams can feel very really, but…Your dreams are special, Roux.” She gently replied, giving her a small smile, not commenting on the bags under the child’s eyes. "Can you sit on the couch for me? I am going to get you a little...treat. I will only be a moment then we can talk.”
The young teenager nodded slightly as the woman spoke, listening carefully. The girl was glad that she didn't have to ask about the problem and that her keeper was willing to explain it. A few seconds later she was on the couch, leaning into the pillow she was hugging lightly as she waited for the headmistress to return.
Livia wasn’t gone long. From another room, the sound of various dishes and other things could be heard being moved as Livia moved about. A few moments later, she returned. In one hand was a saucer looked like what remained of a cake. In the other, was a tea cup filled with something that was supposed to help people relax.
Well, it always helped her relax anyways.
She took a seat a little ways away from roux, handing her the cake in the process, and setting the tea on a coffee table in front of it. The little roux seemed to look at the cake with a bit of confusion, tilting her head in the process.
“Go on, eat. It’s delicious~”
Roux set the small platter on top of a flattened pillow, looking again at Livia for confirmation before grabbing a slice and eating the fluffy center first and moving out towards choclate icing on the outside. It was a little messy. A small smile spread across her face, and after licking her lips to pick up the extra icing that remained there she took a sip of the herbal tea before setting it down.
Livia wasn't wrong about it calming her down. The combination of the herbs and the choclate did work as a relaxing agent, some of the panic and terror leaving the girl's eyes and the tears stopped completely. The Pheonix's eyes raised slightly as she waited for Livia to explain.
Livia was quiet while the redhead ate. She was trying to think of how to word this delicately. Unlike Arthur who just blundered into things without a plan or tact, she liked to think she was better at explaining things. That, and being half asleep at the moment wasn’t making this easy so she was trying to make her brain work.
“Hmm…Arthur has already told you…what you are, hmm? The phoenix of legend.” She replied quietly. “I wish Arthur would have consulted me before telling you, it would have made this so much easier…” she mumbled, shaking her head. Being slightly intoxicated was making her chatty. “But that does not concern you, Roux. At any rate…as I said, your dreams are special. Or…at least they’re not dreams at all.” She had no proof really, but it was only a logical conclusion to come too.
“Probably memories of your past lives….chances are they will be both good, and…those which are unpleasant. You…saw something unpleasant, did you?” It was another logical conclusion to come too. Why else would she have found her way to her house, crying on her door step this late at night?
Roux became a bit more downtrodden as Livia countinued to explain what was going on. So her suspicions were confirmed then. The horror that the tea removed had returned, but worse. Wide amber eyes looked at the table in front of her. "... Old keeper ..." a few seconds passed as the red haired teenager tried to pick up the cup of herbal tea, but her hand shook and she only knocked it to the floor. Luckily, it was empty enough that it didn't spill out.
"... said I was a monster ... he wasn't wrong, was he ...?"
Goddamn it Arthur, this was exactly the thing she wanted to avoid until the girl was more stable! She had to refrain from pressing a hand against her forehead in frustration and mild annoyance. If she didn’t know, she could have just passed the dreams off as exactly that, until the girl asked, or until she was well enough to handle it!
“Roux,” Livia replied gently, placing a hand on the girls.“I cannot say for all of your past lives, but I cannot lie either…beings who have lived as long as you, are bound to have done something that could be called bad by some.” She released the girls hand, and placed another gentle, but firm hand on her shoulder again as she gave the girl a small smile.
“But let me tell you, Little Roux. You, are nothing like your previous lives. You, are you. Whoever you want to be. From what I’ve seen, you are a wonderful person who cares about others. Saved the life of someone you’ve never even met without any obvious benefit to yourself. Tell me Roux, does that sound like something a monster would do?”
Roux tried to listen calmly as Livia answered her question. Tried. Her eyes remained large, her body seemed to shake from some unseeable cold. The last part of her explanation calmed the teenager down a little, but not a lot. The redhead shook her head in response, pulling her legs up off the floor and curling up again. She pressed one side of her head into the pillow, allowing the other half of her face to look in Livia's direction.
That explanation couldn’t have been easy.
But Livia was never one to lie, no matter how comforting or how preferable one would be.
Livia quietly moved closer to Roux. She wasn’t really one much for hugs or other forms of affection like that, but…well, sometimes that was all someone needed to be cheered up just a bit.
Livia placed a comforting hand on the girls head.
“I know, that’s not an easy thing to hear, Little Roux.” She softly replied. “But I will say again…you are not your past lives, and you are not a monster. Now…” What time was it? It certainly seemed late. She’d probably need to get some sleep if she wanted to wake up on time. There was an important meeting she had to deal with tomorrow with some nobles or something. Not to mention the girl looked like she could use some actual, much needed sleep.
“If you are up for it…you can sleep here tonight, if you want. My bed is rather comfortable, and it can certainly fit both of us.”
The little Roux remained curled up, shaking her head no in response. While this keeper was kind to her, she didn't feel that comfortable with Livia. But the redhead did speak something quietly in appreciation for the information. "... Thanks ..." A bit of time passed as the girl seemed to wait to say something else. "... you're a nice keeper ..." The red head's eye looked towards the front door, wondering if she should leave the house.
Livia couldn’t help but to laugh softly.
“Well, that’s fine if you don’t want too.” She replied, giving the redhead a smile. “I’m not going to drag you up there with me.”
With that, she stood, giving Roux a light pat on her shoulder as she did so.
“Please, I think it would be best if you stayed here tonight, though. I do not have a second bed, but I wouldn’t mind sleeping on the couch – wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done it. I still sometimes fall asleep sitting in the chair in my office if I’m really involved in my work. Gall still scolds me for it to no end. He’s quite the worrying little bonehead sometimes.” Yeah, okay, the alcohol was still making her chatty again. She cleared her throat, before continuing.
“But…yes. And please, Roux…call me Livia. I am not your keeper…if you wanted to, you could even call me-” Woah, okay, bad alcohol. Bad. Bad bad bad. Stop right there. “At any rate, you can sleep here if you want.”
Roux nodded a slightly, laying her pillow against one of the armrests and leaning her head against it, closing her tired eyes. She wasn't trying to be her keeper? Then who was she? Why did she care so much? Should she ask them? Gradually she calmed down, breathing slowing a little bit at a time. Did it really matter? It was hard to tell if she had drifted off or not when she spoke the next words with some level of fondness.
"... Sorchy Sparky ..."
…Sorchy…Sparky? What an odd name. She had to wonder if that was what Roux was calling her. Meh. She was tired and slightly drunk, so she’d think about it later. For now, she got up, and got some blankets from her room. She brought them back down and covered the redhead with them, before finally getting to bed herself.
The one known as little Roux saw fire in her hand. With the power to consume everything.
It took her a moment, but she realized that she was laying down in her bed, bedsheets alight with a small fire.
After a little panic, the teenager managed to put out the small fire with the assistance of a glass of water placed on her bedside. After that fiasco was finished, she curled up into a ball, shivers running through her body. Simply a bad dream?
But this one had been coherent. And very real. It wasn't random splotches of visuals, but rather a single countinous stream of time. She'd been killing people, raiding a small village out in some desert land.
And enjoying it. She didn't know how, but she somehow knew it was out of an act of petty vengeance, over something that today she would consider trivial.
Arthur's words ran through her head ... these probably weren't simple dreams. Were they memories? All of her dreams probably were, if that was the case. And that terrified her. She remained curled up for about an hour, a large pillow between herself and her knees as tears rolled down her eyes.
Eventually she ended up on the doorstep to the headmistresses house. After being here for over half a month, she'd realized where the place was.
Arms wrapped tightly around a pillow and wearing a lightweight simple short dress for pajamas, the red headed teenager found herself on the doorstep of Livia's house, unsure whether or not to knock.
It took her ten minutes of standing there in the cold, but eventually a small fist tapped the door harmlessly.
Livia was currently sitting in her room, laying in her bed reading a rather interesting book about some Native American mythology. Something about some ice creature called a windigo. A legend she had read many times, but reading about such things never really got boring for her. Beside her bed, was a table, on it sat an empty bottle of wine and a lamp that illuminated the room.
Honestly, she had probably drunk just a little too much, but well, even she had to decompress sometimes. Really a bad idea since she should still be keeping a close eye on Arthur, but after that days’ work she was feeling it. Ugh, dealing with the board and getting them to be reasonable about the funds for next year, events, not to mention Sorcha complaining about her slowly dwindling horde of treasure.
That was a usual between the two of them of course, but today it just seemed more annoying than usual. Ah…she could use a vacation. Or at least some sleep. Sleep was good.
And she was about to as well, until one of her spirits alerted her to someone standing outside of her door, followed by an almost inaudible knock. For the love of…who was visiting her this late. She wasn’t even properly dressed!
Well, whatever, she had better go see who it was.
She made her way to the door quickly, and was a little more than surprised to find little Roux standing there, tightly holding a pillow in her arms and dressed in an adorable little white dress, similar to the one she was wearing.
Well, at least the child had good taste.
“Ah…Roux, what are you doing here?” She asked, obviously a little tired. “Ah…never mind that come in, come in. You’ll catch a cold out there.” She replied, ushering the girl into the house.
After a few moments, the girl followed her keeper inside. After closing the door behind them, Livia lead the little Roux to the living room. It was a fairly well decorated, featuring large amounts of purple.
As they entered, the red haired girl pointedly avoided any of the chairs and stood up, holding the pillow tighter. "... Keeper ..." She tried not to, but a few tears started to fall from her downcast amber eyes as she looked into the carpet, forming small splotches on the pillow.
Well, this was certainly not what she had expected. She was too tired to really want to deal with this, but…she couldn’t just leave the poor girl there, crying.
“Oh, Roux…” She knelt down to the childs level, giving her a friendly, but somewhat tired smile. “What is the matter, dear?” She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Roux recoiled slightly from the touch. A broken, quiet voice responded to her question."... do dreams ..." With Livia down to her own level, she found it easier to look her in the eyes. "... feel so real ...?" Now that she was looking at the teacher, bags beneath her eyes would reveal that she hadn't slept for quite some time.
Livia didn’t remove her hand from the girl, even though she recoiled slightly. She could understand why the girl was afraid of being touched, but that was something she was going to have to grow out of. The question that followed after, however, was a bit of a cause for concern. Damn it Arthur…telling her she was a phoenix and how to control her fire before she was mentally able to handle it…
For now though, the poor dear looked like she hadn’t slept in a while…she should do something….hrm…tea was no good…so maybe something…Well…what kid didn’t love sweets? She had some…chocolate or something around here, didn’t she?
“Hm…depends. Sometimes dreams can feel very really, but…Your dreams are special, Roux.” She gently replied, giving her a small smile, not commenting on the bags under the child’s eyes. "Can you sit on the couch for me? I am going to get you a little...treat. I will only be a moment then we can talk.”
The young teenager nodded slightly as the woman spoke, listening carefully. The girl was glad that she didn't have to ask about the problem and that her keeper was willing to explain it. A few seconds later she was on the couch, leaning into the pillow she was hugging lightly as she waited for the headmistress to return.
Livia wasn’t gone long. From another room, the sound of various dishes and other things could be heard being moved as Livia moved about. A few moments later, she returned. In one hand was a saucer looked like what remained of a cake. In the other, was a tea cup filled with something that was supposed to help people relax.
Well, it always helped her relax anyways.
She took a seat a little ways away from roux, handing her the cake in the process, and setting the tea on a coffee table in front of it. The little roux seemed to look at the cake with a bit of confusion, tilting her head in the process.
“Go on, eat. It’s delicious~”
Roux set the small platter on top of a flattened pillow, looking again at Livia for confirmation before grabbing a slice and eating the fluffy center first and moving out towards choclate icing on the outside. It was a little messy. A small smile spread across her face, and after licking her lips to pick up the extra icing that remained there she took a sip of the herbal tea before setting it down.
Livia wasn't wrong about it calming her down. The combination of the herbs and the choclate did work as a relaxing agent, some of the panic and terror leaving the girl's eyes and the tears stopped completely. The Pheonix's eyes raised slightly as she waited for Livia to explain.
Livia was quiet while the redhead ate. She was trying to think of how to word this delicately. Unlike Arthur who just blundered into things without a plan or tact, she liked to think she was better at explaining things. That, and being half asleep at the moment wasn’t making this easy so she was trying to make her brain work.
“Hmm…Arthur has already told you…what you are, hmm? The phoenix of legend.” She replied quietly. “I wish Arthur would have consulted me before telling you, it would have made this so much easier…” she mumbled, shaking her head. Being slightly intoxicated was making her chatty. “But that does not concern you, Roux. At any rate…as I said, your dreams are special. Or…at least they’re not dreams at all.” She had no proof really, but it was only a logical conclusion to come too.
“Probably memories of your past lives….chances are they will be both good, and…those which are unpleasant. You…saw something unpleasant, did you?” It was another logical conclusion to come too. Why else would she have found her way to her house, crying on her door step this late at night?
Roux became a bit more downtrodden as Livia countinued to explain what was going on. So her suspicions were confirmed then. The horror that the tea removed had returned, but worse. Wide amber eyes looked at the table in front of her. "... Old keeper ..." a few seconds passed as the red haired teenager tried to pick up the cup of herbal tea, but her hand shook and she only knocked it to the floor. Luckily, it was empty enough that it didn't spill out.
"... said I was a monster ... he wasn't wrong, was he ...?"
Goddamn it Arthur, this was exactly the thing she wanted to avoid until the girl was more stable! She had to refrain from pressing a hand against her forehead in frustration and mild annoyance. If she didn’t know, she could have just passed the dreams off as exactly that, until the girl asked, or until she was well enough to handle it!
“Roux,” Livia replied gently, placing a hand on the girls.“I cannot say for all of your past lives, but I cannot lie either…beings who have lived as long as you, are bound to have done something that could be called bad by some.” She released the girls hand, and placed another gentle, but firm hand on her shoulder again as she gave the girl a small smile.
“But let me tell you, Little Roux. You, are nothing like your previous lives. You, are you. Whoever you want to be. From what I’ve seen, you are a wonderful person who cares about others. Saved the life of someone you’ve never even met without any obvious benefit to yourself. Tell me Roux, does that sound like something a monster would do?”
Roux tried to listen calmly as Livia answered her question. Tried. Her eyes remained large, her body seemed to shake from some unseeable cold. The last part of her explanation calmed the teenager down a little, but not a lot. The redhead shook her head in response, pulling her legs up off the floor and curling up again. She pressed one side of her head into the pillow, allowing the other half of her face to look in Livia's direction.
That explanation couldn’t have been easy.
But Livia was never one to lie, no matter how comforting or how preferable one would be.
Livia quietly moved closer to Roux. She wasn’t really one much for hugs or other forms of affection like that, but…well, sometimes that was all someone needed to be cheered up just a bit.
Livia placed a comforting hand on the girls head.
“I know, that’s not an easy thing to hear, Little Roux.” She softly replied. “But I will say again…you are not your past lives, and you are not a monster. Now…” What time was it? It certainly seemed late. She’d probably need to get some sleep if she wanted to wake up on time. There was an important meeting she had to deal with tomorrow with some nobles or something. Not to mention the girl looked like she could use some actual, much needed sleep.
“If you are up for it…you can sleep here tonight, if you want. My bed is rather comfortable, and it can certainly fit both of us.”
The little Roux remained curled up, shaking her head no in response. While this keeper was kind to her, she didn't feel that comfortable with Livia. But the redhead did speak something quietly in appreciation for the information. "... Thanks ..." A bit of time passed as the girl seemed to wait to say something else. "... you're a nice keeper ..." The red head's eye looked towards the front door, wondering if she should leave the house.
Livia couldn’t help but to laugh softly.
“Well, that’s fine if you don’t want too.” She replied, giving the redhead a smile. “I’m not going to drag you up there with me.”
With that, she stood, giving Roux a light pat on her shoulder as she did so.
“Please, I think it would be best if you stayed here tonight, though. I do not have a second bed, but I wouldn’t mind sleeping on the couch – wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done it. I still sometimes fall asleep sitting in the chair in my office if I’m really involved in my work. Gall still scolds me for it to no end. He’s quite the worrying little bonehead sometimes.” Yeah, okay, the alcohol was still making her chatty again. She cleared her throat, before continuing.
“But…yes. And please, Roux…call me Livia. I am not your keeper…if you wanted to, you could even call me-” Woah, okay, bad alcohol. Bad. Bad bad bad. Stop right there. “At any rate, you can sleep here if you want.”
Roux nodded a slightly, laying her pillow against one of the armrests and leaning her head against it, closing her tired eyes. She wasn't trying to be her keeper? Then who was she? Why did she care so much? Should she ask them? Gradually she calmed down, breathing slowing a little bit at a time. Did it really matter? It was hard to tell if she had drifted off or not when she spoke the next words with some level of fondness.
"... Sorchy Sparky ..."
…Sorchy…Sparky? What an odd name. She had to wonder if that was what Roux was calling her. Meh. She was tired and slightly drunk, so she’d think about it later. For now, she got up, and got some blankets from her room. She brought them back down and covered the redhead with them, before finally getting to bed herself.
Arthur stood at the door to Livia's office. It was about three weeks since the day he told little Red what she was, and now it was probably best to both atone for mistakes and prove that mistakes weren't made in the same action. For all the sense that made, Arthur told himself mentally. Well, regardless.
Arthur knocked, three solid knocks to announce his presense.
“Mr. Wick, please do come in.” The door opened as she spoke. Her office looked the same as always, though a window was open and there was a small stack of paperwork on one side of the desk. It was probably obvious she had knew he was coming for quite some time.
“I take it you have something you wish to discuss?” She asked from her seat.
Arthur stepped into the room, before saying, "Swords. Or maybe spears? Axes? I've not decided yet, not my descision anyways. Regardless, I thought of a productive way to use a fire, well, I didn't think of it, some guy a few thousand years thought of it but I remembered it is a thing." Arthur took a breath before saying, "To be more precise, I'd like to train little Red how to do some blacksmithing, forge some iron and what-not. Could be a useful skill."
Livia assumed it was something regarding the redhead, but she didn’t think he’d have the gall to ask to teach her how to forge a weapon.
“No.” She bluntly replied. “Do you want to know why? A few nights ago, Roux came to my house in tears, because of some…bad ‘dreams’.” She fixed him with a serious stare. “But you know what? They weren’t dreams, Mr. Wick. They are memories of her past lives. And I had to tell her, that in a past life she most likely killed a bunch of innocent people because someone told her she’s the mythical phoenix of legend.
I will not be letting you teach her how to forge a weapon in her current state.”
Arthur mused over this for less then a second, "So, what's your plan if people come for her? Want to hurt her?" Arthur asked.
Livia gave a small laugh of amusement.
“Like anyone who is possibly looking for her will have the audacity to come here and take her right from under my nose. They’d be dead before they even reached the main campus.” The tone of her voice made it quite clear she wasn’t joking about that fact, either.
“My plan was to ease her into her identity as she grew older so she could handle it without being traumatized. Teach her how to control her flame first, then tell her. That was my plan. A bird must leave its nest eventually and she is no exception, but there is an order to things, Mr. Wick. An order you decided to ignore because you’re a short sighted fool who doesn’t think about the consequences your actions can have. Which you are still apparently doing, since you even suggested this.”
"Fool I may be, but there is still a gap in your logic madam. Even with death itself as your guardian you will die some day, as will I. She'll outlive us both. Then who protects her? Hell, she'll outlive just about everything on this planet but this lifetime is the one that's important right now." Arthur chuckled to himself before adding, "Following a strict order to things is boring ma'am. You'll disagree with that of course, in fact the moment I end my sentence you'll remark on it. But not until I finish what I have to say, because there is an order to things eh. I've made mistakes, but people have hard times growing without them. Regardless, your Roux won't always be on this mountian, nor will you always be alive. The girl needs to be able to defend herself, and if she can be taught discipline at the same time then it's only better."
Livia seemed amused at the comment about her dying someday.
“My death will not be any time soon. Chances are, I’ll live longer than you. You’ll be an old man before I’m an old woman, Mr. Wick.” She didn’t elaborate further on what she meant by that, however, and she didn’t say anything about the order of things either. Mostly because she didn’t want to prove him right.
“You and I agree that she should. You simply want to rush things before the girl is ready. Trial by fire works well if it’s needed. I’m not going to say that it doesn’t, I’d be a hypocrite if I did. For normal people it can be a good thing. For someone like Roux who is a legendary beast akin to a god, however…I cannot condone such methods. The potential for something to go horribly wrong is just too great. Not to mention she does remember Sorcha on some level, and if she remembers her then…well, I don’t have to tell you what trouble that could make.”
Livia sighed. He probably wasn’t going to let this go, was he? Such a troublesome subordinate he was being. But fine. Perhaps a compromise could be reached?
“However…I will allow it. On one condition.” She grabbed a pen from her desk and began writing something on a piece of paper sitting in front of her. “Roux has been…well, she’s not been all that happy as of late thanks to these dreams. They are distressing her. Constant nightmares, and I haven’t been able to…well, I’m no psychologist. If. if you, yourself, can do something about them without any outside help. I shall allow you to teach her blacksmithing. I’ll even deem you capable enough of being able to handle her without being supervised, though you’ll still need to tell me what you wish to teach her and how.” She stopped writing, and looked at Arthur.
“That is the deal you have been offered, and the only way I will accept it.”
"Sure." Arthur said. He really needed to get an easy button for himself, sometimes such a button is just needed. Regardless, he was sure he could help Little Red with her dream problem, her having problems like that were just the reason he wanted to teach her to smith anyways. Well, that and weapons are cool, but none the less.
"I am quite fond of dreams anyways, should be simple."
“Good.” Livia replied. “Then I should remind you that any use of telling her to use ‘anger’ to ignite her flames or deal with her dreams at all, will count as failure as well. And Mr. Wick…” She narrowed her eyes at him dangerously. “If you make them worse again, you can say good bye to your job, and any work you might find in other academies. You are dismissed, and needless to say I or Gall will be accompanying you when you attempt this.”
Arthur would then bring his hand up to the bridge of his nose and start rubbing it, "How do you expect me to solve such a problem with the tactless reaper or my boss right behind me? Stress isn't easy to ease if you are also stressed you know. Whatever, let's go right now. Unless you don't have time for your Roux right now?" Arthur said.
Livia smiled.
“If you’re not as hopeless as I believed, then you should figure something out, Mr. Wick. And if it wasn’t obvious from the papers on my desk I am indeed busy, so if you intend to go now, then Gall will accompany you. And don’t worry. I’m not an idiot, and neither is he. He will simply be there to observe.”
The one called Roux as usual was laying down on her bed, flipping slowly through pages and not really reading. Exhaustion artistically expressed itself beneath her eyes.
The nightmares and butchery hadn't stopped, and her knowledge of what was going on only terrified her further. The red headed girl couldn't manage to avoid sleep completely, but she succeeded at keeping it down to about four hours a night.
Arthur was in front of little Red's house, Gall not far behind him. Giving a quick knock as curtsy he then just stood there a moment before teleporting to the other side.
“Arthur, hold a-” Gall sighed as Arthur teleported in, and moved right to the girls Bedroom before he could even say anything. He was going to attempt to make this easier on the man, but if he was going to be impatient as he was…then, he wasn’t going to tell him the spirit Livia had watching him currently wasn’t doing its job. She had given him the task of watching him today, since keeping up such a spirit could be annoying for herself.
Mr. Wick would then head up the stairs before standing at the doorframe to the girl's bedroom again, watching as she read. He would have remained quiet a minutes longer had he not known that Gall would say something.
"I heard your having less then wonderful dreams little Red." Arthur said.
Instead of helping, the reaper simply watched quietly from a few feet behind Arthur. He had to wonder if the girl would even remember him.
Little Roux was startled at Sir Wick's sudden appearence, unable to resist jumping slightly. As always they knocked, and as always her reading was interupted.
The Phoenix didn't know why but after the visit to teach her two weeks ago, the pyromancer had kept his times short and kept her training to a minimum. Also, Keeper Livia had come along each time. Had something happened? She noted the skeleton behind him, and questioned if that was the same one who'd been along at the time of her rescue. The confused girl couldn't really tell, but his prescence made her uncomfortable ... but she'd seen scarier things than a skeleton recently.
The crimson haired girl quickly nodded in response, eyes drifting back to her book for a second before closing it and looking in the general direction of the other two.
Arthur stepped into the room, a shame there weren't any chairs would certainly make life easier. Then again, little Red couldn't have good memories with chairs.
So Arthur did the next best thing. He leaned against a free bit of wall. "What are the dreams about?" Arthur asked.
The girl looked down, obviously ashamed of her past live's actions. It took her a few seconds to respond, but eventually she managed to muster up the ability to form words about how she felt. "... I've killed ..." Her sleepy eyes widened slightly as she though a bit more about it. "... many innocent people ..."
Arthur nodded, it was understandable. "You feel bad about it. That's alright, it proves something important." Arthur would stare at Roux, his blue-grey eyes looking into her amber, "It proves your not the monster you're clearly thinking you are. Savage monsters are those who don't know the pain of remembering." Arthur said firmly, before breaking his gaze to look up at the ceiling, his hat pressing against the wall behind him. Roux simply looked down a little further in response.
“Headmistress has already attempted telling her that.” Gall replied quietly. “The bright one here also has saved a strangers life with her tears, which Livia also has mentioned to her that is not something a monster would do.”
"Oh did she? Seems reasonable, nice simple way that is sure to convince most reasonable people that they are not bad." Arthur gave a short sigh, "Do you have any good dreams little Red?" Arthur asked without taking his eyes away form the ceiling.
The one called little Red contemplated for a few moments, trying to remember the last time she had a 'good' dream. In the entire three weeks since her potential as the firebird had been unleashed on the innocent trees, the teenager probably had three nights worth of decent sleep. When she headed over to Livia's house for help, she'd already had three nights worth of horrors. The one that sent Roux there was just the worst one that occured yet.
The red haired girl shook her head no.
Arthur leaned against the wall, letting silence drape itself over the room for a moment. Something peaceful about quiet. Something also quiet unnerving.
"Why not?" Arthur asked plainly.
The young teenager thought about it, raking her mind for a possible reason for why her memories were all so awful. The longer she thought though, the closer she drew to a single possible conclusion. Only one explanation made sense to her.
"... maybe ... maybe there isn't anything good ..."
"Hmm..." Arthur didn't like that answer. "I can't believe that. Life does not work that way, there are bad times, and good times. One leading into the other, and onward, until life itself ends. You just need to find the good dreams." Arthur mused.
Roux countinued to look downwards, feeling that she had failed one of the people who had saved her from her old keeper. His fire was warm, and she could feel it. He meant well, and she couldn't feel any hositlity from that flame of his.
Still though, he was probably right. In the nightmares she had, she had noticed that her thoughts were rather archaic and time seemed to go back very far. By simple probability, he was correct.
But the red head wondered why all her dreams were so negative then. Undoubteldy she'd been an evil tyrant in her memories, but was she really one in this life? Would it make sense for this life to be special? "... I see ..." Still though, did he have a plan about how to solve this?
"So I suppose the question then is how does one look for a memory?" Arthur continued to muse. "Which is a good question indeed for those of us without magic directly relating to dreams and the mind."
"Right about now I really wish Brandon wasn't eaten by a dragon. He'd have a answer that sounds so simple that it's a marvel nobody else thought of it." Arthur said, thinking aloud.
The girl looked up, a little interested in his tale. "... By a dragon ...?" The red head tilted her head, a little curious about what he was talking about.
Without missing a beat Arthur continued, "Oh yeah, Brandon was a good guy too, shame his magic did no good against the black scaled beast. Thing just moved its head over him and he was gone."
The litttle Roux frowned slightly, wondering why it didn't work. She couldn't resist asking the world's simplest yet most annoying question. "... Why? ..."
"Good question. Dragon didn't bother to eat anyone else, claws and fire for them. But Felske got eaten. Maybe she thought Brandon looked tasty? Who am I to question the taste buds of a dragon?"
Arthur then turned his gaze away from the ceiling though, looking at little Red with a glint in his eye, "That wasn't what you were asking though was it?
I suppose it'd be best to start at the beginning. Or at least near the beginning. Me and some friends acted as... adventurers. We were a bunch of thrill seeking mercs looking for money and fame. But the life span of those kind of people isn't very long sadly, and we said yes to the wrong job..." Arthur sighed. "A cave. One that some simple detection spells said was full of gold and silver. Our job was to make sure it was safe, ensure there weren't any hostile dog sized rats or angry cultist or something. After a little bit of walking through tunnels though we stepped into a massive cavern, just full of gold. Mountains of the stuff, gold and silver in the form of coins, goblets, I'm pretty sure there were some golden swords in there too."
"Before we had time to realize what was wrong with that picture though we heard the roar, and the largest of the gold mountains exploded. From under it came out a massive black monster, and actual monster, of a dragon. It looked at us with piercing green eyes and without speaking started attacking us."
Arthur took a breath before continuing, "The first to go was our healer, lovely girl, grabbed up in the beast's claws before we could react. Life squeezed right out of her. Brandon was next, he tried to link minds with it, show it some nightmares and force it to submit. Guess the Dragon wasn't easily scared. You know how Brandon died..." Arthur would suddenly move his hand, forming a fist to beat on his chest once before lowering it again, continuing his story passionately, "We fought on for a bit after that, our tank leading the charge. Man was a masochist, sadist too, knew how to take a hit and give one. Even after his armor was gone and most of his flesh burnt off he was swinging at the dragon with his axe, bless that man. But his body didn't keep up with his spirit, he died too. Then it was just me, Payton, and his familiar." Arthur took another breath, the long story starting to take his breath away.
"Payton used magic based around cards, how he got his familiar, beat the cat-girl in a card game and the two signed up right then and there, or so I was told. Anyways Payton was throwing cards at the dragon, he was getting worried, we all were. The cat was on the Dragon's back, clawing and biting at it while screaming insults, until the beast threw itself against a wall, crushed poor Kitty, the fire breath afterwards didn't help."
"Payton, and me for that matter, didn't exactly take Kitty's death well, she was a good friend. We both just threw what we had at the dragon, but it shrugged off most of the hits, and then, and this was rather rude, sweeped one of its claws threw a nearby hill of gold, and threw it at us. I barely avoided getting hit, but Payton was crushed under the weight. On my own, with my friends dead, I started shouting at the dragon. Damn thing finally talked then. Taunted me, my dead friends. I threw myself at the monster, threw every inch of my power at it. My fire, against its fire. I don't know how I survived that, but here I am. I'm alive. Wish I could say as much about my friends. But what can one do eh? The past is the past. No point dwelling on it, no point dwelling on the future either. I'm living here, right now, and there isn't any other way I'd rather live." Arthur finished. Been awhile since he told that story. At least he was sober this time, normally details go missing or are added when alchol is helping tell the tale. Regardless, Arthur kept leaning against the wall, casually catching his breath and waiting to hear a reaction.
The listened quietly as one of her keepers spun out his tale. The man was a good storyteller, and for a moment the teenager seemed to understand his hurt. Losing one's friends was a bad experience, and the redhead was fairly certain she'd lost her fair share during her lifetimes, if any had been close enough to be called that.
Still though, it gave her a bit of peace somehow. It was a simple way of viewing things, but the fact that he hadn't managed to save his friends didn't control his life many years later.
The girl hopped out of the bed in a fluid motion, and after contemplating for a moment approached a few feet in front of him and felt the comforting fire of his soul. Putting her fingers together in thought, she responded in a single word, "... Thanks ..."
"Why of course." Arthur said as he bowed his head. "Twas my pleasure. Anything else you may need of me little Red?" the pyromancer asked with a grin on his face.
Little red looked up at him, examining his face really for the first time. It may have been hard to tell, but those amber beads looked upon him with a twinge of admiration. "... when's the next time you'll come ...?" Her fingers were still playing with each other as she waited for an answer.
"As soon as I can little Red."Arthur replied, before adding, "Of course, if you ever want to get out of this house you could ask Livia about coming over to my place, it will always be open for you. We'll even have a chair barbecue if you like." Arthur would then stand up properly, saying, "I do have a bit of paperwork though. A shame, but tis the life of a teacher." Walking away, navigating past both Roux and Gall Arthur would make his way fo the exit.
Gall admitted, that was rather nicely handled. If he was capable of having a small smile formed on his skeletal face, he would have. Instead however, he simply bowed to the redhead.
“A pleasure to see you doing well, but I have business myself.” With that, he followed back after Arthur. He had no business remaining here, after all.
“Hmm…that was rather nicely handled, Arthur.” Gall said to him. “It seems you didn’t need my help after all.”
Arthur knocked, three solid knocks to announce his presense.
“Mr. Wick, please do come in.” The door opened as she spoke. Her office looked the same as always, though a window was open and there was a small stack of paperwork on one side of the desk. It was probably obvious she had knew he was coming for quite some time.
“I take it you have something you wish to discuss?” She asked from her seat.
Arthur stepped into the room, before saying, "Swords. Or maybe spears? Axes? I've not decided yet, not my descision anyways. Regardless, I thought of a productive way to use a fire, well, I didn't think of it, some guy a few thousand years thought of it but I remembered it is a thing." Arthur took a breath before saying, "To be more precise, I'd like to train little Red how to do some blacksmithing, forge some iron and what-not. Could be a useful skill."
Livia assumed it was something regarding the redhead, but she didn’t think he’d have the gall to ask to teach her how to forge a weapon.
“No.” She bluntly replied. “Do you want to know why? A few nights ago, Roux came to my house in tears, because of some…bad ‘dreams’.” She fixed him with a serious stare. “But you know what? They weren’t dreams, Mr. Wick. They are memories of her past lives. And I had to tell her, that in a past life she most likely killed a bunch of innocent people because someone told her she’s the mythical phoenix of legend.
I will not be letting you teach her how to forge a weapon in her current state.”
Arthur mused over this for less then a second, "So, what's your plan if people come for her? Want to hurt her?" Arthur asked.
Livia gave a small laugh of amusement.
“Like anyone who is possibly looking for her will have the audacity to come here and take her right from under my nose. They’d be dead before they even reached the main campus.” The tone of her voice made it quite clear she wasn’t joking about that fact, either.
“My plan was to ease her into her identity as she grew older so she could handle it without being traumatized. Teach her how to control her flame first, then tell her. That was my plan. A bird must leave its nest eventually and she is no exception, but there is an order to things, Mr. Wick. An order you decided to ignore because you’re a short sighted fool who doesn’t think about the consequences your actions can have. Which you are still apparently doing, since you even suggested this.”
"Fool I may be, but there is still a gap in your logic madam. Even with death itself as your guardian you will die some day, as will I. She'll outlive us both. Then who protects her? Hell, she'll outlive just about everything on this planet but this lifetime is the one that's important right now." Arthur chuckled to himself before adding, "Following a strict order to things is boring ma'am. You'll disagree with that of course, in fact the moment I end my sentence you'll remark on it. But not until I finish what I have to say, because there is an order to things eh. I've made mistakes, but people have hard times growing without them. Regardless, your Roux won't always be on this mountian, nor will you always be alive. The girl needs to be able to defend herself, and if she can be taught discipline at the same time then it's only better."
Livia seemed amused at the comment about her dying someday.
“My death will not be any time soon. Chances are, I’ll live longer than you. You’ll be an old man before I’m an old woman, Mr. Wick.” She didn’t elaborate further on what she meant by that, however, and she didn’t say anything about the order of things either. Mostly because she didn’t want to prove him right.
“You and I agree that she should. You simply want to rush things before the girl is ready. Trial by fire works well if it’s needed. I’m not going to say that it doesn’t, I’d be a hypocrite if I did. For normal people it can be a good thing. For someone like Roux who is a legendary beast akin to a god, however…I cannot condone such methods. The potential for something to go horribly wrong is just too great. Not to mention she does remember Sorcha on some level, and if she remembers her then…well, I don’t have to tell you what trouble that could make.”
Livia sighed. He probably wasn’t going to let this go, was he? Such a troublesome subordinate he was being. But fine. Perhaps a compromise could be reached?
“However…I will allow it. On one condition.” She grabbed a pen from her desk and began writing something on a piece of paper sitting in front of her. “Roux has been…well, she’s not been all that happy as of late thanks to these dreams. They are distressing her. Constant nightmares, and I haven’t been able to…well, I’m no psychologist. If. if you, yourself, can do something about them without any outside help. I shall allow you to teach her blacksmithing. I’ll even deem you capable enough of being able to handle her without being supervised, though you’ll still need to tell me what you wish to teach her and how.” She stopped writing, and looked at Arthur.
“That is the deal you have been offered, and the only way I will accept it.”
"Sure." Arthur said. He really needed to get an easy button for himself, sometimes such a button is just needed. Regardless, he was sure he could help Little Red with her dream problem, her having problems like that were just the reason he wanted to teach her to smith anyways. Well, that and weapons are cool, but none the less.
"I am quite fond of dreams anyways, should be simple."
“Good.” Livia replied. “Then I should remind you that any use of telling her to use ‘anger’ to ignite her flames or deal with her dreams at all, will count as failure as well. And Mr. Wick…” She narrowed her eyes at him dangerously. “If you make them worse again, you can say good bye to your job, and any work you might find in other academies. You are dismissed, and needless to say I or Gall will be accompanying you when you attempt this.”
Arthur would then bring his hand up to the bridge of his nose and start rubbing it, "How do you expect me to solve such a problem with the tactless reaper or my boss right behind me? Stress isn't easy to ease if you are also stressed you know. Whatever, let's go right now. Unless you don't have time for your Roux right now?" Arthur said.
Livia smiled.
“If you’re not as hopeless as I believed, then you should figure something out, Mr. Wick. And if it wasn’t obvious from the papers on my desk I am indeed busy, so if you intend to go now, then Gall will accompany you. And don’t worry. I’m not an idiot, and neither is he. He will simply be there to observe.”
The one called Roux as usual was laying down on her bed, flipping slowly through pages and not really reading. Exhaustion artistically expressed itself beneath her eyes.
The nightmares and butchery hadn't stopped, and her knowledge of what was going on only terrified her further. The red headed girl couldn't manage to avoid sleep completely, but she succeeded at keeping it down to about four hours a night.
Arthur was in front of little Red's house, Gall not far behind him. Giving a quick knock as curtsy he then just stood there a moment before teleporting to the other side.
“Arthur, hold a-” Gall sighed as Arthur teleported in, and moved right to the girls Bedroom before he could even say anything. He was going to attempt to make this easier on the man, but if he was going to be impatient as he was…then, he wasn’t going to tell him the spirit Livia had watching him currently wasn’t doing its job. She had given him the task of watching him today, since keeping up such a spirit could be annoying for herself.
Mr. Wick would then head up the stairs before standing at the doorframe to the girl's bedroom again, watching as she read. He would have remained quiet a minutes longer had he not known that Gall would say something.
"I heard your having less then wonderful dreams little Red." Arthur said.
Instead of helping, the reaper simply watched quietly from a few feet behind Arthur. He had to wonder if the girl would even remember him.
Little Roux was startled at Sir Wick's sudden appearence, unable to resist jumping slightly. As always they knocked, and as always her reading was interupted.
The Phoenix didn't know why but after the visit to teach her two weeks ago, the pyromancer had kept his times short and kept her training to a minimum. Also, Keeper Livia had come along each time. Had something happened? She noted the skeleton behind him, and questioned if that was the same one who'd been along at the time of her rescue. The confused girl couldn't really tell, but his prescence made her uncomfortable ... but she'd seen scarier things than a skeleton recently.
The crimson haired girl quickly nodded in response, eyes drifting back to her book for a second before closing it and looking in the general direction of the other two.
Arthur stepped into the room, a shame there weren't any chairs would certainly make life easier. Then again, little Red couldn't have good memories with chairs.
So Arthur did the next best thing. He leaned against a free bit of wall. "What are the dreams about?" Arthur asked.
The girl looked down, obviously ashamed of her past live's actions. It took her a few seconds to respond, but eventually she managed to muster up the ability to form words about how she felt. "... I've killed ..." Her sleepy eyes widened slightly as she though a bit more about it. "... many innocent people ..."
Arthur nodded, it was understandable. "You feel bad about it. That's alright, it proves something important." Arthur would stare at Roux, his blue-grey eyes looking into her amber, "It proves your not the monster you're clearly thinking you are. Savage monsters are those who don't know the pain of remembering." Arthur said firmly, before breaking his gaze to look up at the ceiling, his hat pressing against the wall behind him. Roux simply looked down a little further in response.
“Headmistress has already attempted telling her that.” Gall replied quietly. “The bright one here also has saved a strangers life with her tears, which Livia also has mentioned to her that is not something a monster would do.”
"Oh did she? Seems reasonable, nice simple way that is sure to convince most reasonable people that they are not bad." Arthur gave a short sigh, "Do you have any good dreams little Red?" Arthur asked without taking his eyes away form the ceiling.
The one called little Red contemplated for a few moments, trying to remember the last time she had a 'good' dream. In the entire three weeks since her potential as the firebird had been unleashed on the innocent trees, the teenager probably had three nights worth of decent sleep. When she headed over to Livia's house for help, she'd already had three nights worth of horrors. The one that sent Roux there was just the worst one that occured yet.
The red haired girl shook her head no.
Arthur leaned against the wall, letting silence drape itself over the room for a moment. Something peaceful about quiet. Something also quiet unnerving.
"Why not?" Arthur asked plainly.
The young teenager thought about it, raking her mind for a possible reason for why her memories were all so awful. The longer she thought though, the closer she drew to a single possible conclusion. Only one explanation made sense to her.
"... maybe ... maybe there isn't anything good ..."
"Hmm..." Arthur didn't like that answer. "I can't believe that. Life does not work that way, there are bad times, and good times. One leading into the other, and onward, until life itself ends. You just need to find the good dreams." Arthur mused.
Roux countinued to look downwards, feeling that she had failed one of the people who had saved her from her old keeper. His fire was warm, and she could feel it. He meant well, and she couldn't feel any hositlity from that flame of his.
Still though, he was probably right. In the nightmares she had, she had noticed that her thoughts were rather archaic and time seemed to go back very far. By simple probability, he was correct.
But the red head wondered why all her dreams were so negative then. Undoubteldy she'd been an evil tyrant in her memories, but was she really one in this life? Would it make sense for this life to be special? "... I see ..." Still though, did he have a plan about how to solve this?
"So I suppose the question then is how does one look for a memory?" Arthur continued to muse. "Which is a good question indeed for those of us without magic directly relating to dreams and the mind."
"Right about now I really wish Brandon wasn't eaten by a dragon. He'd have a answer that sounds so simple that it's a marvel nobody else thought of it." Arthur said, thinking aloud.
The girl looked up, a little interested in his tale. "... By a dragon ...?" The red head tilted her head, a little curious about what he was talking about.
Without missing a beat Arthur continued, "Oh yeah, Brandon was a good guy too, shame his magic did no good against the black scaled beast. Thing just moved its head over him and he was gone."
The litttle Roux frowned slightly, wondering why it didn't work. She couldn't resist asking the world's simplest yet most annoying question. "... Why? ..."
"Good question. Dragon didn't bother to eat anyone else, claws and fire for them. But Felske got eaten. Maybe she thought Brandon looked tasty? Who am I to question the taste buds of a dragon?"
Arthur then turned his gaze away from the ceiling though, looking at little Red with a glint in his eye, "That wasn't what you were asking though was it?
I suppose it'd be best to start at the beginning. Or at least near the beginning. Me and some friends acted as... adventurers. We were a bunch of thrill seeking mercs looking for money and fame. But the life span of those kind of people isn't very long sadly, and we said yes to the wrong job..." Arthur sighed. "A cave. One that some simple detection spells said was full of gold and silver. Our job was to make sure it was safe, ensure there weren't any hostile dog sized rats or angry cultist or something. After a little bit of walking through tunnels though we stepped into a massive cavern, just full of gold. Mountains of the stuff, gold and silver in the form of coins, goblets, I'm pretty sure there were some golden swords in there too."
"Before we had time to realize what was wrong with that picture though we heard the roar, and the largest of the gold mountains exploded. From under it came out a massive black monster, and actual monster, of a dragon. It looked at us with piercing green eyes and without speaking started attacking us."
Arthur took a breath before continuing, "The first to go was our healer, lovely girl, grabbed up in the beast's claws before we could react. Life squeezed right out of her. Brandon was next, he tried to link minds with it, show it some nightmares and force it to submit. Guess the Dragon wasn't easily scared. You know how Brandon died..." Arthur would suddenly move his hand, forming a fist to beat on his chest once before lowering it again, continuing his story passionately, "We fought on for a bit after that, our tank leading the charge. Man was a masochist, sadist too, knew how to take a hit and give one. Even after his armor was gone and most of his flesh burnt off he was swinging at the dragon with his axe, bless that man. But his body didn't keep up with his spirit, he died too. Then it was just me, Payton, and his familiar." Arthur took another breath, the long story starting to take his breath away.
"Payton used magic based around cards, how he got his familiar, beat the cat-girl in a card game and the two signed up right then and there, or so I was told. Anyways Payton was throwing cards at the dragon, he was getting worried, we all were. The cat was on the Dragon's back, clawing and biting at it while screaming insults, until the beast threw itself against a wall, crushed poor Kitty, the fire breath afterwards didn't help."
"Payton, and me for that matter, didn't exactly take Kitty's death well, she was a good friend. We both just threw what we had at the dragon, but it shrugged off most of the hits, and then, and this was rather rude, sweeped one of its claws threw a nearby hill of gold, and threw it at us. I barely avoided getting hit, but Payton was crushed under the weight. On my own, with my friends dead, I started shouting at the dragon. Damn thing finally talked then. Taunted me, my dead friends. I threw myself at the monster, threw every inch of my power at it. My fire, against its fire. I don't know how I survived that, but here I am. I'm alive. Wish I could say as much about my friends. But what can one do eh? The past is the past. No point dwelling on it, no point dwelling on the future either. I'm living here, right now, and there isn't any other way I'd rather live." Arthur finished. Been awhile since he told that story. At least he was sober this time, normally details go missing or are added when alchol is helping tell the tale. Regardless, Arthur kept leaning against the wall, casually catching his breath and waiting to hear a reaction.
The listened quietly as one of her keepers spun out his tale. The man was a good storyteller, and for a moment the teenager seemed to understand his hurt. Losing one's friends was a bad experience, and the redhead was fairly certain she'd lost her fair share during her lifetimes, if any had been close enough to be called that.
Still though, it gave her a bit of peace somehow. It was a simple way of viewing things, but the fact that he hadn't managed to save his friends didn't control his life many years later.
The girl hopped out of the bed in a fluid motion, and after contemplating for a moment approached a few feet in front of him and felt the comforting fire of his soul. Putting her fingers together in thought, she responded in a single word, "... Thanks ..."
"Why of course." Arthur said as he bowed his head. "Twas my pleasure. Anything else you may need of me little Red?" the pyromancer asked with a grin on his face.
Little red looked up at him, examining his face really for the first time. It may have been hard to tell, but those amber beads looked upon him with a twinge of admiration. "... when's the next time you'll come ...?" Her fingers were still playing with each other as she waited for an answer.
"As soon as I can little Red."Arthur replied, before adding, "Of course, if you ever want to get out of this house you could ask Livia about coming over to my place, it will always be open for you. We'll even have a chair barbecue if you like." Arthur would then stand up properly, saying, "I do have a bit of paperwork though. A shame, but tis the life of a teacher." Walking away, navigating past both Roux and Gall Arthur would make his way fo the exit.
Gall admitted, that was rather nicely handled. If he was capable of having a small smile formed on his skeletal face, he would have. Instead however, he simply bowed to the redhead.
“A pleasure to see you doing well, but I have business myself.” With that, he followed back after Arthur. He had no business remaining here, after all.
“Hmm…that was rather nicely handled, Arthur.” Gall said to him. “It seems you didn’t need my help after all.”
Fires of Creation, Noble Roses, First Incarnation
Just where I'm putting all the flashbacks pertaining to my character!
"Never wake me up. Especially if the house is on fire."
Theme
Nicknames/Titles: 'Phoenix' is probably the most commonly used. Has been mistaken for many existent gods, called an angel, and the inspiration for some non-existent deities.
In this life, she has been called 'Roux Allete' and 'Little Red' by those close to her.
Age: When asked about her age, Iravis probably responds with fire in her eyes, her voice rising in volume. "I have received offerings, laughed at Christ's resurrection, turned Latium to ashes, been a companion to Charlemagne in his conquests, and led Tancred over the walls of Jerusalem. I have lived over four thousand years, and am a goddess worthy of worship!"
But her eyes drift downwards after that explanation, her voice suddenly quiet. If she trusts you, she might continue. "I've lived in a cage, a curiosity. Now I've practically become a pet. The most violent thing I've done recently is set fire to the curtains. I just turned seventeen years old..."
Gender: Female
Race: Phoenix
Sexuality: "As a bird, I've always found eagles strangely attractive!"
Year: N/A
Powers: The Goddess has received many over time, but these are the ones she has currently.
Inferno
As a bird of flame, in most of her lives Iravis has been gifted with the ability to wield and manipulate fire. Although able to target an individual, her spells are most useful as an area-of-effect sort of attack. Additionally, the more fire that surrounds her, the stronger she is. This means that fighting in a city grants her an exponential power curve as she burns more of it down. Additionally, it means she is much stronger in deserts and during the day when the sun is out.
Lacrima
As in the legends, the Phoenix is renown for her legendary power of healing. Not only can she never truly die, but her tears are capable of great healing. She also heals faster than normal, having the ability to heal very minor wounds in a few minutes despite having tears. She has never figured out how she respawns, but her dreams are only memories of previous lives.
Phoenix
And of course, she can turn into the phoenix. She hasn't done this yet this life, but she will eventually. In both human and bird form she has enhanced vision and hearing. Lastly, her nails in human form are very, very sharp. Like talons.
A massive winged beast, colored orange with the tips of it's wings becoming first red then leading to blue ends that seem to dance like fire. Its eyes were sapphires, the deepest blue of the Nile.
A storyteller could spend a thousand other lines describing the beast's majesty, the bird's divine presence.
Smite
Honestly, she's never fired the spell. She has no idea what it does.
Strengths: Both of her magic has extremely high potential in both human and bird form. Very few have been able to surpass her, and around age 300 she reaches a nearly unstoppable peak of strength. Additionally, it is very hard to actually burn her.
Weaknesses: Both of her magics are also uncontrollable. If angry, surrounding fires will begin to rise uncontrollably. Her tears of healing can be taken through beatings, allowing her worst enemies to heal from her power. While around 135 she is able to control her full mana at will, but up until then it usually leads to disaster.
Other Skills: Iravis is a skilled dancer and artist, and seems to know all the world's languages. While not every skill transfers from her past lives, she has an incredible sense of grace and balance as if it had been practiced for lifetimes.
She seems to be fairly knowledgeable, especially about history.
Inventory: Typically whatever she has been offered. In this case, the dress featured in the picture.
Also, she has crafted and perfected a spear of Orichalcum, Atlantian Bronze. It is about seven feel long and features a long tip.
Additionally, she has a necklace that was intended as a gift for Livia. After some arguing, Livia returned it. Iravis still hasn't decided to return it.
Master: N/A
Personality: Being praised as a goddess in her dreams, Iravis sometimes forgets that she isn't all powerful. Her mood often depends on what she remembered the night before, leading to a strange randomness where she experiences happiness, sadness, horniness, fear, and all the other emotions throughout the day as she copes with the memories. Iravivs' sarcasm is legendary, largely due to the fact that death is really, really meaningless for her. Although in this life she tends towards being weak and submissive, some days she is extremely confrontational and argues with dragons.
A wise woman told her it was alright to be afraid, but not to let her fears control her. Despite the fact that she firmly believes she is strong, she thinks that if your being overwhelmed, it's okay to ask for help if you aren't ready to face those things yet. In a way, it's her first step to confronting a problem. On the flip side, she tends to depend too much on champions to fight for her causes.
Although Iravis believes it is one of her duties as a goddess to help another even if it causes her own suffering, the Phoenix thinks that it should be done so anonymously and without pride. The less people who know of her kindness, the less who will come begging, after all.
She believes conviction is what lends strength to a person, and one without conviction in any form has no true strength at all.
Despite believing she is above most, Iravis does pay attention to the romantic advances of others if good effort is put in.
Backstory: Born some time before 2000 BC, an Egyptian girl entered an argument with a man who claimed he was a god. Turns out the man actually was Ra, Egyptian bird God of the Sun. As punishment, she was cursed with the inability to die. Her memories rarely go back this far, so she knows very little about her initial life as a human.
Appearing many times in history, she has always favored the Greeks and the Egyptians. But as with humans, she always follows the one she loves first. Her death usually is caused by her love one way or another in the end, but the Phoenix never got angry about it. She believes a few times she has actually approached her ex-lover in the next life and had nice conversations. Henry VIII had her three times, which she thinks is the currently held record.
In this life, for her youngest years she was held captive by a group of corrupt mages, literally having the tears beat out of her. Kept in a room, she was taught about language, math, history and many other things by her captors. Iravis never figured out who was benefiting from her healing magic, and never could figure out why her captors didn't throw her in a literal cage.
The red haired fourteen year old looked up from the book in her hands as her keeper entered the room, but her eyes quickly drifted back downwards towards the pages. The girl saw words on the pages, but her mind had stopped reading as she heard the footsteps approching. Even though it happened every day, she never could get used to this portion of it.
"It's time" She heard her keeper pull out a small bottle. The girl lifted herself from the bed, moving towards a metal chair next to it. The bottle was thrust into her hand as soon as she finished lowering herself onto the uncomfortable throne.
Lifting it to her eye, the red haired girl allowed tears to fall into it. After years of practice, she had managed to be able to cry at will. Once it was about halfway full, the tears slowed and eventually came to a stop. She couldn't force that many out at once. A slap delivered across the face managed to summon a few more, but it wasn't enough to reach her quota.
"... Please ..." For the first time today, she looked into the keeper's eyes in an attempt to beg him to stop. Just not today. A moment later she remembered why that never worked as a fist crashed into her face.
"That's the last time you beg. I want double today."
A look of shock ran across the fourteen year old's face. "I can't..." A punch to the stomach made a few more fall into the bottle, but some of them fell to the floor. As she noticed a hand raised in the air, she instincivly raised an arm in the air to defend herself. A mistake.
An hour later the girl slumped to the floor in a bloody mess as she was finally freed from her bonds. She apologized, but that only earned her a final kick. Animals weren't meant to speak.
The keeper left the room whistling, three bottles clanging against eachother cheerfully as the door closed behind him. He'd be getting a large paycheck today. Selling immortality was profitable, and many were willing to pay a high price for it.
Arthur Wick had found the place. Stepping out of his car he looked at the manor that stood before him. A rather ornate, if aged, affair. A perfect place for such a lair.
"Could you stay in the car please? I'd prefer to go in alone. I'll call if I need help." the man said as the closed the door behind him and started walking across the grounds to the entrance
It was a nice enough looking place. Tall building, simple architecture, a stone tower junting from the side that could equally house an observatory or an medieval armory. Likely a basement filled with long maze like tunnels. Arthur smiled, this could be fun. He walked onwards towards the door, his hand held out to touch and trail along some trimmed hedges growing along the cobble path.
Gall had remained silent most of the ride to their destination. He, had wished he could have used a more efficient form of travel, but Livia had insisted he take the vehicle with Arthur, as much as it displeased him. So while Arthur drove, he simply remained in the back seat, silent for most of the trip unless Arthur spoke directly to him. He wasn’t here to socialize after all. Livia had sent him to watch. Livia couldn’t make it herself, so it was up to him to make a decision here. Act as her eyes and ears.
That was his job, after all. Always had been.
“The Headmistress tasked me to help you.” The undead replied, his otherworldly voice echoing just a bit as he stepped out of the vehicle. “So I will be accompanying you whether you want me too or not.” He followed Arthur up to the front door. If he was capable, a small frown would have formed on his lips.
“You intend to barge in the front door?” The reaper sighed, obviously displeased. “Perhaps a more…stealthy approach is best, here. We do not know what we are up against, and if Sorcha is correct…this...pheonix not the most welcoming sort.”
Of course, he was referring to his skill with Circum magic, and his natural ability to travel between the realms of life and death. He could easily put them right inside without even knocking.
Arthur huffed before retorting, "Come on, liven up a little."
Gall simply stared emotionlessly at Arthur. His eyeless sockets could have probably sent a chill up even a dragons spine.
Arthur walked up the steps to the door before giving a few solid knocks. After a moment the door opened a crack and a man peared his head out slightly before asking, "What is it?"
"Yes, I was wondering, have you any ancient fire birds on hand? Seems I ran fresh out."
A moment of panic ran across the doorman's face. Then his corpse fell to the ground.
"You take the fun out of everything, you know that?" Arthur said staring down at the dead man.
“We’re not here to have fun.” Gall replied from inside the house. His scythe had almost sliced the man in half. “We’re here for business.” He continied, his scythe disappearing back to wherever the reaper kept it. "We shouldn't keep the Headmistress waiting." The reaper then turned, walking back into the house.
"Who says business can't be fun?" Arthur muttered as he stood there, the reaper turning to go further in. "Oi! Wait up. Better yet, how about we split up. Cover more ground. I'll search the mansion, you search the grounds. Sure, that'll work right? Arthur said as he walked into the manor.
The reaper turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at Arthur from inside the house.
“It would be more efficient to stay together.” The reaper replied. Of course, he had his reasons for staying so close to Arthur. Livia had told him too. What reason, he couldn’t imagine. Perhaps she simply didn’t entirely trust him. Perhaps she was afraid he’d simply burn the place to the ground, which was bad considering he was here also looking for…information.
“But…if you have issue with my presence…I shall look upstairs, and you may look down here.” And with that, the reaper was gone. A shadowy cloak enveloping his being until he disappeared completely from view, appearing on the second floor only seconds later - likely surprising anyone had they been up there.
And with that Arthur was standing alone. "Well, I suppose I have a bird to find." Arthur went through the first door he found, walking into a game room, billards table, a few arcade machines, a small bar. And also about six goons, who all turned to look at the pyromancer. "Why hello there. Don't suppose any of you know where I can get my hands on a eternal firebird?"
If Gall was surprised to find the room empty, it wasn’t able to be shown on his skeletal face. He was rather pleased, though. This would be easy if there weren’t many obstacles in his way. No doubt the Pyromancer would be making a ruckus soon enough which would serve as a much needed distraction. He’d be able to do his job quite easily in that case.
Arthur thought they were here subduing some dangerous creature who fancied themselves a god. Which was true, they were. But Livia also wanted to know what exactly she had been up too. A god like the phoenix didn’t stay silent all these years without some sort of plan. With luck, they’d be able to capture the fire bird and stop whatever she was planning.
But on the off chance they weren’t, and the phoenix or Arthur, burned the place down Livia wished to know what she was planning, so she could possibly stop it if it was anything malicious.
The reaper moved silently across the second floor of the house, carefully looking for any signs of life or anyone else that might be up here. He’d end them silently and quickly, before they even knew what happened.
The red haired girl heard some commotion outside the room despite the soundproofed walls. What... ? Her arms shook as she raised herself to her knees off the red stained tile. Suddenly she heard the door slam open loudly, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the teenager as she ducked behind the bed trembling in fear. ... did I do something wrong? Does he need more than three today? She didn't have any tears left to express her fear, so she remained shivering there silently.
Arthur stood in the door frame. He had burnt his way through the guards, most of them could barely be called mages. Finding the key on one of them, along with three bottles that Arthur assumed were important and grabbed, he was adventuring he was allowed to loot, he looked into the room.
It was the deepest room in the manor, past the basement and through a few mazing tunnels. It was a good thing those blokes were defending it or else Arthur may have never found the door. The room itself was rather simple, some books on a shelf, a chair, a bed with a quivering form hiding behind it. Wait one moment.
"Hey there, you alright?' Arthur asked as he walked over. It was a girl, couldn't be older than fifteen. Red hair, covered in bruses and blood.
The teenager didn't look up, still shaking on her knees. She simply nodded yes silently in response, not looking up at him. She wondered for a moment if her keeper had sent someone else in to apologize for him. That seemed unlikely to the red haired girl ... She didn't know why, but she felt a slight comforting ... fire ... appear in her chest.
"Alright. I'm Arthur Wick, who are you? Can you speak? Stand?" Wick asked, he may have been there to find a firebird and capture her but he could hardly let this poor girl alone, she needed help.
The girl managed to stand up, a slight tremble still running through her limbs. She wondered if this was an elaborate test from her keeper to make sure she'd learned her lesson. The red haired girl simply shook her head no in response, thinking that was the safest route.
Arthur stepped up to the girl, and after half a second of thought picked her up in his arms. She couldn't speak, she was beaten and bloody. She barely stood. "For Artemis' sake, I came here to find a bird but I can't leave you here can I? Let's get you out of here, hopefully Gall is having more luck then I am." Arthur would then start walking towards the door to leave. The red haired girl froze in animalistic terror as she was lifted but remained silent in her confusion.
"Hold a moment, Arthur..." Galls voice rang out, as he appeared in the doorway. It was difficult to tell, but his black robe was stained with blood in several places, though the reaper didn't seem to mind. Instead, his head was turned towards the child, his emotionless gaze not betraying his internal debate.
They were here to kill or bring this creature to Livia after all.
“This child…is the one we were sent to…dispose of.” His gaze turned from the child, back to Arthur, obviously waiting to see the pyromancers reaction. Her amber eyes widened in response.
Arthur meanwhile looked down to the girl he was holding, up to the reaper."You're telling me?" Then he looked down at the girl again. "You're the phoenix?" Arthur asked the girl, who didn't respond.
She honestly wasn't sure what was going on. But she doubted it was good based on their conversation.
"Well then. Hey Gall, a question. How combustable are you? For curiosities sake." Arthur asked the reaper as his mind put the pieces together.
“Try it…and your skull will end up as a paperweight on my desk.” The reaper didn’t make a move, however. He had no intention of actually harming the girl unless it was necessary.
"Hey hey, I didn't say I was going to do anything. I was just curious." Arthur said as he took a step forward, "Don't suppose you could move though, I need to get past."
"And what do you intend to do with the girl?" Gall asked, as he stepped aside.
Arthur shrugged best he could without disturbing the girl in his arms, "Get her out of this manor." Walking past the reaper and the burnt corpses Arthur began to make his way out of the tunnels.
The red haired girl finally managed to gather a small voice. "... stop ... I can't leave ..." The red haired girl started to try and push out of his arms, but there wasn't enough strength to dislodge herself from him. Her keeper had told her before that if she left her life would become very miserable.
Arthur stopped moving, the girl was fighting against him, meekly, but she was. "And why not?" the pyromancer asked, a look of equal concern and curiosity in his eyes.
"Keeper said ... he'd ..." Despite her current state, a few tears started falling from the Amber eyes. The teenager started to struggle a bit more, but with any amount of effort the man holding her wouldn't lose his grip.
Gall was going to reply to Arthur, but before he could say anything the girls’ tiny voice interrupted him. He fixed the girl with an eyeless gaze. That probably wasn’t going to help her condition much…but well, there wasn’t much he could do about that, now was there?
“Worry not child…everyone who was residing here has been…taken care of.” With that said, he turned back to Arthur, though made no effort to stop him. “Livia will wish to see her. We should bring her.”
With a sigh Arthur continued walking, "Don't worry, your 'keeper' isn't here anymore. I'll protect you. What's your name? Arthur asked as he walked up some stairs into the manor above.
Eyes still looking downwards, she was surprised to hear that piece of news. ... did he sell me? What happened? After a second, she realized the commotion outside her room had probably been fighting. Were these two going to use her now? The girl shook her head in response to his final question. "... don't have one ..."
Arthur shook his head, "That won't do, how long have you been here?" Arthur asked, a girl without a name. Walking past several more charred bodies the group slowly made their way towards the exit. Flames from the ealier battles were begining to catch, within the hour the manor would be aflame.
Gall mentally sighed. Well, as long as Arthur didn't attempt to flee with the girl he wouldn't do or say anything. One whiff that he might, and his head really would be used as a personal desk ornament. So for now, the reaper simply followed silently.
The trio had just stepped out the door before Arthur stopped, saying "Oh right one more thing. Gall find anything interesting? Because if so I hope you brought it with you." Arthur would then awkwardly adjust his hand so that it was pointing towards the building without upsetting or dropping the girl, and then a torrent of flame poured out, quickly engulfing the front of the building. "There, no evidence that anything happened here, no crime nor crime scene, and no survivors. Now let's go to school"
“Vials of Phoenix tears.” Gall replied. He was reasonably sure that was what they were, at least. He could sense how much…life, was in them. Livia would certainly be interested in the few vials he had collected. “Nothing else important in such a place.” The reaper then watched silently as the pyromancer burned the place to the ground. He wasn’t sure how Livia would feel about that, it could go either way really, but there was no way he was stopping it now.
“We should leave before any curious onlookers see the blaze.”
It had so far been a quiet night, though a bit of uneasiness filled her even if it didn’t show on her face. She had sent Arthur on a rather dangerous mission. Even with Gall present, she wasn’t sure if the two of them alone could handle a creature such as the phoenix. At least, not if it was as powerful as Sorcha claimed it was.
She leaned back in her chair, taking a sip of the tea she was holding in her hand as she waited. Her office was rather large. A plush dark blue carpet covered most of the floor, along with several bookcases a few shelves and things displaying some odd trinket or two. Her desk was sitting against the far wall, purple curtains were drawn over windows behind it. A fireplace was also built into one of the walls.
As uneasy as She was, she was also confident in her familiar and Arthur. She wouldn’t have asked them to do it otherwise, but well, there was always a small chance something could go wrong. Her information on the phoenix was incomplete, after all. She only had one source of information on it. A dragon who had an obvious grudge against the phoenix.
It was a reasonable grudge, though, and one she was inclined to help her friend with.
Hopefully they would return with good news soon.
Arthur stood outside the door, the girl standing next to him and Gall not far behind. Arthur could only see this ending well as he gave three swift knocks on the door.
Well, what a timely arrival. Livia mused silently. She placed her teacup on the desk in front of her.
“It is open.”
The door swung open to reveal Arthur, who stepped in. "I found... her. But I'm pretty sure she isn't what you were looking for Headmistress." Arthur would then step to the side, to allow Livia a whole view of the girl standing near the pyromancer.
The red haired girl had been following Arthur ever since they left the mansion. She had calmed down a little, but still didn't know anything that was going on. She looked up for a moment to examine the new room, but the teenager's eyes returned to the floorboards after a few moments. Wearing a vastly oversized T-Shirt as a dress, she was not the definition of divine in any form of the word.
Livia remained silent as Arthur entered the room. Gall decided walking wasn’t necessary, and had elected to use his Circum magic, appearing behind her. Upon seeing Arthur with the girl, Livia simply picked up her tea once again, taking another sip of it.
“As…Arthur said, there has been an…interesting development.” Gall replied, moving to the desk silently. Livia looked at the girl. This was definitely not what she was expecting. She had been expecting to see some regal looking creature of legend. Not some…child dressed in some over-sized t-shirt.
A few silent words were whispered between the Reaper and Livia, too quiet for the Pyromancer or child to hear, though the reaper did pull a vial out of his robes, and showed it to Livia before she waved him off, disappearing as suddenly as he appeared.
“Hmm…perhaps you should explain, Arthur.” Livia replied.
Arthur shrugged before saying, "Went ot the place, found more then a few unhappy people. They attacked me, I burnt them. After a bit of fighting found a room in the basement, inside was her. Beaten, bloody. A tool for their gain. She doesn't even have a name. Arthur sighed as he looked at Livia. "I don't think your source was very accurate Headmistress."
"Are you suggesting my friend has been lying to me, Arthur?" Livia mused, a small smile appearing on her lips. “And how many times must tell you to call me Livia, hmm?”
Blushing slightly, and moving his hand up to stroke his beard in an attempt to hide it the pyromaster would state, "I am suggesting, Madam, that things are rarely what they seem at first glance. This girl was trapped in a basement being used solely for others profit."
“Madam? Now I’m feeling like an old woman.” Livia pouted, just ever so slightly, though she was mostly just teasing.
“On a more…serious note…Gall has informed me. Likely they were harvesting her tears, correct?” Livia frowned, just slightly as she set her tea back onto the table. “That is…indeed a problem.” She leaned back in her chair, fixing Arthur with a cool gaze. "Gall mentioned you burned the place. Care to tell me why?"
Arthur thought about it. "To be completely honest, I don't really have a good reason. I can tell you that nobody that was involved in the girl's situation survived. Unless somebody was gone that day. Or was fireproof. I suppose you'd prefer the manor not burnt to a crisp? Arthur asked, the barest hint of a smirk on his face.
“Well,” Livia sighed as she reached into her desk and pulled out a rather expensive looking bottle of wine and setting it on the table, pulling out a glass to go with it. “From what Gall said they deserved their fate. However, now we have no chance of finding out who was using the tears and for what purpose.” She poured a glass of the wine. “Of course, it was a rather beautiful manor as well from what I was told. But more importantly...how is the child?”
"I'm pretty sure she can answer for herself." Arthur said as he looked over to the poor girl. "It's alright, Headmistress Livia here is a good person, she just wants to help." Arthur said as he started to lean against the nearby wall.
The red haired girl's eyes darted across the room as she raised them slightly. "... I'm alive ..." She wasn't exactly sure why they were asking, or what was going on. Why did they care?
Oh dear. The poor child looked completely out of her element. Livia frowned slightly, before getting up from her seat. She should probably be sent to bed soon, but she was hesitant to let the child out of her sight at the moment. She trusted Galls judgement that she was in fact the phoenix they were looking for. She must have reincarnated at some point Sorcha didn’t know about. It was hard to imagine what could have killed a powerful creature like the phoenix, however.
“Aha, being alive is very good, isn’t it?” Livia replied to the girl with a soft laugh, taking a seat on one of the sofas. “Perhaps you should take a seat? I have some wonderful tea here, if you want to try some. That offer extends to you as well, Arthur. Unless you’d prefer something stronger?”
The red haired girl slowly moved towards the couch obediently, shaking her head in response to Livia's question. She sat down as far as possible from the strange woman, placing herself against the armrest. It was a comfortable chair, at least.
“Ah…no tea? Tsk. Ah well, I’ll drink it later. Anything for you, Arthur?” Livia replied, no making any attempt to move towards the girl. No need to put more stress on her then she was currently feeling.
Arthur stepped over, sitting between the two women as he said, "I would love some tea. Thank you.'
Without another word, Livia got up from the couch and walked back over to her desk, pouring a cup of tea for Arthur, and grabbing her own wine glass. She brought Arthur the tea, before taking a seat on the opposite sofa, right across from the red-haired girl. She mostly wanted to keep an eye on her. Having Arthur between them wouldn’t exactly help with that.
“So,” She said, taking a sip of the wine. “You do not have a name, child? We can’t very well keep calling you child. I suppose I can simply call you Roux since you have a lovely shade of red hair, but that seems a little silly.”
The red haired girl blushed slightly, curiously looking into Livia's eyes. That compliment wasn't a lie, from what the teenager could tell. They were being ... kind. The ambers soon returned to looking at the floor though, too nervous to hold that gaze.
Something told her that these weren't terrible people. The idea that this was an elaborate ruse set up by her keeper moved towards the back of her mind. "... What's going on? ..." The words hardly left the teenagers mouth, probably barely audible to Livia across from her.
“You are safe, child.” Livia replied simply, resting the wine glass on the table between the sofas. “Those…people that have been…keeping you, have been dealt the punishment they deserve.”
The red haired girl nodded, but more questions popped up into her mind. The sort of questions it would take her years to answer. She decided to ask the one that affected her right now. "... And ... And what now?" The teenager couldn't see how they benifited from this.
Arthur sipped from his tea, looking over to Livia, "That is a good question. We can't really let your... friend learn that she is here can we Livia? Arthur then took another sip, "It's hard to talk about people without names. So how about, I and Lady Fiore here figure out where you can stay, and you answer the second most important question in many RPGs, what is your name? No need to be hasty." Arthur said, directing his comment towards the girl next to him.
The red haired girl nodded slightly. She wasn't exactly so sure why they were so insistent about naming her ... her keeper earlier had said she didn't deserve one. But if they decided she needed one. "... You named me Roux though ..." Livia stifled a small chuckle upon hearing this.
"Called, she called you Roux, not named. It is important to know the difference." Arthur chimed in without even thinking.
“What? I think it’s cute.” Livia replied, a small smile gracing her lips. “Hmm…Rouxia Allete?” she continued after a moment of thought. “Roux for short. Not terrible fancy or anything, but if the child likes it I see no reason too not at least give her that.” She brought the glass of wine to her lips before adding.
“Unless you wish to confuse this poor girl further, Arthur?” She fixed him with a rather cool gaze as she spoke.
Arthur nearly jumped before saying, "I... suddenly..." the look his boss was giving him had Arthur on edge all of a sudden. What's the worse she could do though? Kill him? At least she couldn't read his mind. "I find that choices are best, more so when they are few in number but completely obvious. Rouxia Allete, or perhaps Ari Collins?"
The red haired girl rotated her head slightly as they both started shooting out suggestions. It wasn't helping the situation.
Ari…collins? Livia snickered a bit, placing the wine glass back on the table.
“My, I pity your children…or pets, Arthur.” She teased, giving him a friendly smile as that cool gaze of hers completely left. “But really, confusing the poor girl any more won’t help her any. She’s probably tired as well, so it is probably good we should settle this quickly.” She fell silently for a moment, before turning to the redhead.
“Which name do you like, child? It will be yours, so why not have you choose it?”
The red haired girl's face only had a more confused stare on it as her gaze looked to Livia's face. She didn't want to offend either of her new keepers. She sensed that Livia was the dominant one, but Wick ignited something within her. As if her tired mind decided that it was overloaded, eyes closed and her breathing slowed as her head landed into Wick's lap.
Livia simply sighed, though a small smile still graced her lips. Such an outcome wasn’t unexpected. The poor child was likely completely exhausted.
“Well, that decides that.” Livia replied as she stood, wine glass in hand. “Arthur, I do believe we should let her rest. I’ll have one of the staff bring some blankets.”
Arthur sat there, still as he could. "So.. should I stay here? Or... Help?" Arthur asked as he stared down at the girl's head nestled in his lap. This was not what he was expecting, and he really wasn't fond of it, but he could hardly move and disturb this tired girl.
“As I said…we should let her rest. We have things we must discuss, unless you want a certain dragon finding out about our new guest.” That was a bit more than a suggestion, judging from her tone. Livia was standing near the door to the office now. She had opened it just big enough to speak to a maid standing outside of it. A brief conversation followed, and the maid left to get blankets as she turned back to Arthur.
“Oh, and if you wake her when you get up, I’ll have you work in the cafeteria as an oven~” It was difficult to tell if that playful smirk was being serious about that. As if to make Wick's life harder, the red hair girl wrapped her arms lightly around his waist as she had memories of a life long past.
It had been about ten minutes until Arthur, through great effort, managed to free himself. It was a long siege, give and take, until he was standing, and the girl was sleeping upon a heap of pillows brought in by a helpful maid.
Arthur now stood just outside the room, with Livia, so that they could talk without disturbing the girl. "So, what are your thoughts?" Arthur asked.
“That I was looking forward to some special Arthur Wick cooked pastries and now I won’t get any, tsk~” Livia teased, though the small smile left rather quickly as the conversation took a more serious turn. “More seriously…we should discuss my dragon friend.” Livia replied with a sigh, as she started walking away from her office.
"You know, if you wanted me to cook you something all you needed to do was ask. But yes, your friend. What exactly do we need to discuss?" Arthur asked as he followed but a step behind the headmistress.
Oho, she’d hold him too that offer, then, but now wasn’t the time for such pleasantries.
“Well…that girl obviously is the Phoenix.” Livia replied. “Sorcha would know that immediately if she ever met the girl. The problem is…That girl can barely be over 13 years old. She can’t possibly be the same girl that was responsible for the atrocities Sorcha has mentioned. At least, she has reincarnated since then, and I am not one to believe the sins of her past lives should fall on this girl….Roux….Allete, whatever we decide to name her. I do not believe…Sorcha would be of the same mind, however. Dragons are fickle creatures, and when one has a grudge…well…I shouldn’t have to tell you.” Livia sighed, stopping where she was walking, just outside the door leading out of the building. She was going to see Gall after this, though she should probably use some sleep herself….
“My point is,” She turned to face Arthur with a cold expression. “Sorcha has been my friend for almost thirty years, while I do believe she is a good person at heart…this curse that was placed on her and the grudge could…cloud her judgement. It would be in our best interest if Sorcha never finds out about the child. I will arrange a room for her in a quiet part of the campus where she won’t find her. It also means we’ll have to refrain from having too many people visit her.” She paused for a moment, before narrowing her eyes dangerously at Arthur.
“If Sorcha finds out about the phoenix, as much as it pains me to admit…I may require you to come out of retirement.”
Arthur would follow along, listening silently as they neared the exit to the building. "Understood. I'll be ready. So... do you want some kind of cake or?..." Arthur asked with a bemused smile on his face.
Livia frowned. Now was not the time for such shenanigans.
“I do not believe you are taking this seriously, Arthur.” She replied, walking towards the door. “If Sorcha approaches you, you are to tell her that the phoenix she is looking for wasn’t there. If she doesn’t believe you, then you are to tell me immediately. I will deal with her.” Livia sighed as she finished speaking, though turned back to Arthur.
“However, if you are serious…a cake would be wonderful.”
"I'm rarely ever not serious. Trust me, I understand the situation, and Sorcha won't learn about the girl's existance here. That manor was empty, just some goons smuggling drugs." Arthur said with a smile. "Now if you don't mind, I have a cake to bake." As Arthur said that he stepped out the door, to make the walk to the town.
"It's time" She heard her keeper pull out a small bottle. The girl lifted herself from the bed, moving towards a metal chair next to it. The bottle was thrust into her hand as soon as she finished lowering herself onto the uncomfortable throne.
Lifting it to her eye, the red haired girl allowed tears to fall into it. After years of practice, she had managed to be able to cry at will. Once it was about halfway full, the tears slowed and eventually came to a stop. She couldn't force that many out at once. A slap delivered across the face managed to summon a few more, but it wasn't enough to reach her quota.
"... Please ..." For the first time today, she looked into the keeper's eyes in an attempt to beg him to stop. Just not today. A moment later she remembered why that never worked as a fist crashed into her face.
"That's the last time you beg. I want double today."
A look of shock ran across the fourteen year old's face. "I can't..." A punch to the stomach made a few more fall into the bottle, but some of them fell to the floor. As she noticed a hand raised in the air, she instincivly raised an arm in the air to defend herself. A mistake.
An hour later the girl slumped to the floor in a bloody mess as she was finally freed from her bonds. She apologized, but that only earned her a final kick. Animals weren't meant to speak.
The keeper left the room whistling, three bottles clanging against eachother cheerfully as the door closed behind him. He'd be getting a large paycheck today. Selling immortality was profitable, and many were willing to pay a high price for it.
Arthur Wick had found the place. Stepping out of his car he looked at the manor that stood before him. A rather ornate, if aged, affair. A perfect place for such a lair.
"Could you stay in the car please? I'd prefer to go in alone. I'll call if I need help." the man said as the closed the door behind him and started walking across the grounds to the entrance
It was a nice enough looking place. Tall building, simple architecture, a stone tower junting from the side that could equally house an observatory or an medieval armory. Likely a basement filled with long maze like tunnels. Arthur smiled, this could be fun. He walked onwards towards the door, his hand held out to touch and trail along some trimmed hedges growing along the cobble path.
Gall had remained silent most of the ride to their destination. He, had wished he could have used a more efficient form of travel, but Livia had insisted he take the vehicle with Arthur, as much as it displeased him. So while Arthur drove, he simply remained in the back seat, silent for most of the trip unless Arthur spoke directly to him. He wasn’t here to socialize after all. Livia had sent him to watch. Livia couldn’t make it herself, so it was up to him to make a decision here. Act as her eyes and ears.
That was his job, after all. Always had been.
“The Headmistress tasked me to help you.” The undead replied, his otherworldly voice echoing just a bit as he stepped out of the vehicle. “So I will be accompanying you whether you want me too or not.” He followed Arthur up to the front door. If he was capable, a small frown would have formed on his lips.
“You intend to barge in the front door?” The reaper sighed, obviously displeased. “Perhaps a more…stealthy approach is best, here. We do not know what we are up against, and if Sorcha is correct…this...pheonix not the most welcoming sort.”
Of course, he was referring to his skill with Circum magic, and his natural ability to travel between the realms of life and death. He could easily put them right inside without even knocking.
Arthur huffed before retorting, "Come on, liven up a little."
Gall simply stared emotionlessly at Arthur. His eyeless sockets could have probably sent a chill up even a dragons spine.
Arthur walked up the steps to the door before giving a few solid knocks. After a moment the door opened a crack and a man peared his head out slightly before asking, "What is it?"
"Yes, I was wondering, have you any ancient fire birds on hand? Seems I ran fresh out."
A moment of panic ran across the doorman's face. Then his corpse fell to the ground.
"You take the fun out of everything, you know that?" Arthur said staring down at the dead man.
“We’re not here to have fun.” Gall replied from inside the house. His scythe had almost sliced the man in half. “We’re here for business.” He continied, his scythe disappearing back to wherever the reaper kept it. "We shouldn't keep the Headmistress waiting." The reaper then turned, walking back into the house.
"Who says business can't be fun?" Arthur muttered as he stood there, the reaper turning to go further in. "Oi! Wait up. Better yet, how about we split up. Cover more ground. I'll search the mansion, you search the grounds. Sure, that'll work right? Arthur said as he walked into the manor.
The reaper turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at Arthur from inside the house.
“It would be more efficient to stay together.” The reaper replied. Of course, he had his reasons for staying so close to Arthur. Livia had told him too. What reason, he couldn’t imagine. Perhaps she simply didn’t entirely trust him. Perhaps she was afraid he’d simply burn the place to the ground, which was bad considering he was here also looking for…information.
“But…if you have issue with my presence…I shall look upstairs, and you may look down here.” And with that, the reaper was gone. A shadowy cloak enveloping his being until he disappeared completely from view, appearing on the second floor only seconds later - likely surprising anyone had they been up there.
And with that Arthur was standing alone. "Well, I suppose I have a bird to find." Arthur went through the first door he found, walking into a game room, billards table, a few arcade machines, a small bar. And also about six goons, who all turned to look at the pyromancer. "Why hello there. Don't suppose any of you know where I can get my hands on a eternal firebird?"
If Gall was surprised to find the room empty, it wasn’t able to be shown on his skeletal face. He was rather pleased, though. This would be easy if there weren’t many obstacles in his way. No doubt the Pyromancer would be making a ruckus soon enough which would serve as a much needed distraction. He’d be able to do his job quite easily in that case.
Arthur thought they were here subduing some dangerous creature who fancied themselves a god. Which was true, they were. But Livia also wanted to know what exactly she had been up too. A god like the phoenix didn’t stay silent all these years without some sort of plan. With luck, they’d be able to capture the fire bird and stop whatever she was planning.
But on the off chance they weren’t, and the phoenix or Arthur, burned the place down Livia wished to know what she was planning, so she could possibly stop it if it was anything malicious.
The reaper moved silently across the second floor of the house, carefully looking for any signs of life or anyone else that might be up here. He’d end them silently and quickly, before they even knew what happened.
The red haired girl heard some commotion outside the room despite the soundproofed walls. What... ? Her arms shook as she raised herself to her knees off the red stained tile. Suddenly she heard the door slam open loudly, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the teenager as she ducked behind the bed trembling in fear. ... did I do something wrong? Does he need more than three today? She didn't have any tears left to express her fear, so she remained shivering there silently.
Arthur stood in the door frame. He had burnt his way through the guards, most of them could barely be called mages. Finding the key on one of them, along with three bottles that Arthur assumed were important and grabbed, he was adventuring he was allowed to loot, he looked into the room.
It was the deepest room in the manor, past the basement and through a few mazing tunnels. It was a good thing those blokes were defending it or else Arthur may have never found the door. The room itself was rather simple, some books on a shelf, a chair, a bed with a quivering form hiding behind it. Wait one moment.
"Hey there, you alright?' Arthur asked as he walked over. It was a girl, couldn't be older than fifteen. Red hair, covered in bruses and blood.
The teenager didn't look up, still shaking on her knees. She simply nodded yes silently in response, not looking up at him. She wondered for a moment if her keeper had sent someone else in to apologize for him. That seemed unlikely to the red haired girl ... She didn't know why, but she felt a slight comforting ... fire ... appear in her chest.
"Alright. I'm Arthur Wick, who are you? Can you speak? Stand?" Wick asked, he may have been there to find a firebird and capture her but he could hardly let this poor girl alone, she needed help.
The girl managed to stand up, a slight tremble still running through her limbs. She wondered if this was an elaborate test from her keeper to make sure she'd learned her lesson. The red haired girl simply shook her head no in response, thinking that was the safest route.
Arthur stepped up to the girl, and after half a second of thought picked her up in his arms. She couldn't speak, she was beaten and bloody. She barely stood. "For Artemis' sake, I came here to find a bird but I can't leave you here can I? Let's get you out of here, hopefully Gall is having more luck then I am." Arthur would then start walking towards the door to leave. The red haired girl froze in animalistic terror as she was lifted but remained silent in her confusion.
"Hold a moment, Arthur..." Galls voice rang out, as he appeared in the doorway. It was difficult to tell, but his black robe was stained with blood in several places, though the reaper didn't seem to mind. Instead, his head was turned towards the child, his emotionless gaze not betraying his internal debate.
They were here to kill or bring this creature to Livia after all.
“This child…is the one we were sent to…dispose of.” His gaze turned from the child, back to Arthur, obviously waiting to see the pyromancers reaction. Her amber eyes widened in response.
Arthur meanwhile looked down to the girl he was holding, up to the reaper."You're telling me?" Then he looked down at the girl again. "You're the phoenix?" Arthur asked the girl, who didn't respond.
She honestly wasn't sure what was going on. But she doubted it was good based on their conversation.
"Well then. Hey Gall, a question. How combustable are you? For curiosities sake." Arthur asked the reaper as his mind put the pieces together.
“Try it…and your skull will end up as a paperweight on my desk.” The reaper didn’t make a move, however. He had no intention of actually harming the girl unless it was necessary.
"Hey hey, I didn't say I was going to do anything. I was just curious." Arthur said as he took a step forward, "Don't suppose you could move though, I need to get past."
"And what do you intend to do with the girl?" Gall asked, as he stepped aside.
Arthur shrugged best he could without disturbing the girl in his arms, "Get her out of this manor." Walking past the reaper and the burnt corpses Arthur began to make his way out of the tunnels.
The red haired girl finally managed to gather a small voice. "... stop ... I can't leave ..." The red haired girl started to try and push out of his arms, but there wasn't enough strength to dislodge herself from him. Her keeper had told her before that if she left her life would become very miserable.
Arthur stopped moving, the girl was fighting against him, meekly, but she was. "And why not?" the pyromancer asked, a look of equal concern and curiosity in his eyes.
"Keeper said ... he'd ..." Despite her current state, a few tears started falling from the Amber eyes. The teenager started to struggle a bit more, but with any amount of effort the man holding her wouldn't lose his grip.
Gall was going to reply to Arthur, but before he could say anything the girls’ tiny voice interrupted him. He fixed the girl with an eyeless gaze. That probably wasn’t going to help her condition much…but well, there wasn’t much he could do about that, now was there?
“Worry not child…everyone who was residing here has been…taken care of.” With that said, he turned back to Arthur, though made no effort to stop him. “Livia will wish to see her. We should bring her.”
With a sigh Arthur continued walking, "Don't worry, your 'keeper' isn't here anymore. I'll protect you. What's your name? Arthur asked as he walked up some stairs into the manor above.
Eyes still looking downwards, she was surprised to hear that piece of news. ... did he sell me? What happened? After a second, she realized the commotion outside her room had probably been fighting. Were these two going to use her now? The girl shook her head in response to his final question. "... don't have one ..."
Arthur shook his head, "That won't do, how long have you been here?" Arthur asked, a girl without a name. Walking past several more charred bodies the group slowly made their way towards the exit. Flames from the ealier battles were begining to catch, within the hour the manor would be aflame.
Gall mentally sighed. Well, as long as Arthur didn't attempt to flee with the girl he wouldn't do or say anything. One whiff that he might, and his head really would be used as a personal desk ornament. So for now, the reaper simply followed silently.
The trio had just stepped out the door before Arthur stopped, saying "Oh right one more thing. Gall find anything interesting? Because if so I hope you brought it with you." Arthur would then awkwardly adjust his hand so that it was pointing towards the building without upsetting or dropping the girl, and then a torrent of flame poured out, quickly engulfing the front of the building. "There, no evidence that anything happened here, no crime nor crime scene, and no survivors. Now let's go to school"
“Vials of Phoenix tears.” Gall replied. He was reasonably sure that was what they were, at least. He could sense how much…life, was in them. Livia would certainly be interested in the few vials he had collected. “Nothing else important in such a place.” The reaper then watched silently as the pyromancer burned the place to the ground. He wasn’t sure how Livia would feel about that, it could go either way really, but there was no way he was stopping it now.
“We should leave before any curious onlookers see the blaze.”
It had so far been a quiet night, though a bit of uneasiness filled her even if it didn’t show on her face. She had sent Arthur on a rather dangerous mission. Even with Gall present, she wasn’t sure if the two of them alone could handle a creature such as the phoenix. At least, not if it was as powerful as Sorcha claimed it was.
She leaned back in her chair, taking a sip of the tea she was holding in her hand as she waited. Her office was rather large. A plush dark blue carpet covered most of the floor, along with several bookcases a few shelves and things displaying some odd trinket or two. Her desk was sitting against the far wall, purple curtains were drawn over windows behind it. A fireplace was also built into one of the walls.
As uneasy as She was, she was also confident in her familiar and Arthur. She wouldn’t have asked them to do it otherwise, but well, there was always a small chance something could go wrong. Her information on the phoenix was incomplete, after all. She only had one source of information on it. A dragon who had an obvious grudge against the phoenix.
It was a reasonable grudge, though, and one she was inclined to help her friend with.
Hopefully they would return with good news soon.
Arthur stood outside the door, the girl standing next to him and Gall not far behind. Arthur could only see this ending well as he gave three swift knocks on the door.
Well, what a timely arrival. Livia mused silently. She placed her teacup on the desk in front of her.
“It is open.”
The door swung open to reveal Arthur, who stepped in. "I found... her. But I'm pretty sure she isn't what you were looking for Headmistress." Arthur would then step to the side, to allow Livia a whole view of the girl standing near the pyromancer.
The red haired girl had been following Arthur ever since they left the mansion. She had calmed down a little, but still didn't know anything that was going on. She looked up for a moment to examine the new room, but the teenager's eyes returned to the floorboards after a few moments. Wearing a vastly oversized T-Shirt as a dress, she was not the definition of divine in any form of the word.
Livia remained silent as Arthur entered the room. Gall decided walking wasn’t necessary, and had elected to use his Circum magic, appearing behind her. Upon seeing Arthur with the girl, Livia simply picked up her tea once again, taking another sip of it.
“As…Arthur said, there has been an…interesting development.” Gall replied, moving to the desk silently. Livia looked at the girl. This was definitely not what she was expecting. She had been expecting to see some regal looking creature of legend. Not some…child dressed in some over-sized t-shirt.
A few silent words were whispered between the Reaper and Livia, too quiet for the Pyromancer or child to hear, though the reaper did pull a vial out of his robes, and showed it to Livia before she waved him off, disappearing as suddenly as he appeared.
“Hmm…perhaps you should explain, Arthur.” Livia replied.
Arthur shrugged before saying, "Went ot the place, found more then a few unhappy people. They attacked me, I burnt them. After a bit of fighting found a room in the basement, inside was her. Beaten, bloody. A tool for their gain. She doesn't even have a name. Arthur sighed as he looked at Livia. "I don't think your source was very accurate Headmistress."
"Are you suggesting my friend has been lying to me, Arthur?" Livia mused, a small smile appearing on her lips. “And how many times must tell you to call me Livia, hmm?”
Blushing slightly, and moving his hand up to stroke his beard in an attempt to hide it the pyromaster would state, "I am suggesting, Madam, that things are rarely what they seem at first glance. This girl was trapped in a basement being used solely for others profit."
“Madam? Now I’m feeling like an old woman.” Livia pouted, just ever so slightly, though she was mostly just teasing.
“On a more…serious note…Gall has informed me. Likely they were harvesting her tears, correct?” Livia frowned, just slightly as she set her tea back onto the table. “That is…indeed a problem.” She leaned back in her chair, fixing Arthur with a cool gaze. "Gall mentioned you burned the place. Care to tell me why?"
Arthur thought about it. "To be completely honest, I don't really have a good reason. I can tell you that nobody that was involved in the girl's situation survived. Unless somebody was gone that day. Or was fireproof. I suppose you'd prefer the manor not burnt to a crisp? Arthur asked, the barest hint of a smirk on his face.
“Well,” Livia sighed as she reached into her desk and pulled out a rather expensive looking bottle of wine and setting it on the table, pulling out a glass to go with it. “From what Gall said they deserved their fate. However, now we have no chance of finding out who was using the tears and for what purpose.” She poured a glass of the wine. “Of course, it was a rather beautiful manor as well from what I was told. But more importantly...how is the child?”
"I'm pretty sure she can answer for herself." Arthur said as he looked over to the poor girl. "It's alright, Headmistress Livia here is a good person, she just wants to help." Arthur said as he started to lean against the nearby wall.
The red haired girl's eyes darted across the room as she raised them slightly. "... I'm alive ..." She wasn't exactly sure why they were asking, or what was going on. Why did they care?
Oh dear. The poor child looked completely out of her element. Livia frowned slightly, before getting up from her seat. She should probably be sent to bed soon, but she was hesitant to let the child out of her sight at the moment. She trusted Galls judgement that she was in fact the phoenix they were looking for. She must have reincarnated at some point Sorcha didn’t know about. It was hard to imagine what could have killed a powerful creature like the phoenix, however.
“Aha, being alive is very good, isn’t it?” Livia replied to the girl with a soft laugh, taking a seat on one of the sofas. “Perhaps you should take a seat? I have some wonderful tea here, if you want to try some. That offer extends to you as well, Arthur. Unless you’d prefer something stronger?”
The red haired girl slowly moved towards the couch obediently, shaking her head in response to Livia's question. She sat down as far as possible from the strange woman, placing herself against the armrest. It was a comfortable chair, at least.
“Ah…no tea? Tsk. Ah well, I’ll drink it later. Anything for you, Arthur?” Livia replied, no making any attempt to move towards the girl. No need to put more stress on her then she was currently feeling.
Arthur stepped over, sitting between the two women as he said, "I would love some tea. Thank you.'
Without another word, Livia got up from the couch and walked back over to her desk, pouring a cup of tea for Arthur, and grabbing her own wine glass. She brought Arthur the tea, before taking a seat on the opposite sofa, right across from the red-haired girl. She mostly wanted to keep an eye on her. Having Arthur between them wouldn’t exactly help with that.
“So,” She said, taking a sip of the wine. “You do not have a name, child? We can’t very well keep calling you child. I suppose I can simply call you Roux since you have a lovely shade of red hair, but that seems a little silly.”
The red haired girl blushed slightly, curiously looking into Livia's eyes. That compliment wasn't a lie, from what the teenager could tell. They were being ... kind. The ambers soon returned to looking at the floor though, too nervous to hold that gaze.
Something told her that these weren't terrible people. The idea that this was an elaborate ruse set up by her keeper moved towards the back of her mind. "... What's going on? ..." The words hardly left the teenagers mouth, probably barely audible to Livia across from her.
“You are safe, child.” Livia replied simply, resting the wine glass on the table between the sofas. “Those…people that have been…keeping you, have been dealt the punishment they deserve.”
The red haired girl nodded, but more questions popped up into her mind. The sort of questions it would take her years to answer. She decided to ask the one that affected her right now. "... And ... And what now?" The teenager couldn't see how they benifited from this.
Arthur sipped from his tea, looking over to Livia, "That is a good question. We can't really let your... friend learn that she is here can we Livia? Arthur then took another sip, "It's hard to talk about people without names. So how about, I and Lady Fiore here figure out where you can stay, and you answer the second most important question in many RPGs, what is your name? No need to be hasty." Arthur said, directing his comment towards the girl next to him.
The red haired girl nodded slightly. She wasn't exactly so sure why they were so insistent about naming her ... her keeper earlier had said she didn't deserve one. But if they decided she needed one. "... You named me Roux though ..." Livia stifled a small chuckle upon hearing this.
"Called, she called you Roux, not named. It is important to know the difference." Arthur chimed in without even thinking.
“What? I think it’s cute.” Livia replied, a small smile gracing her lips. “Hmm…Rouxia Allete?” she continued after a moment of thought. “Roux for short. Not terrible fancy or anything, but if the child likes it I see no reason too not at least give her that.” She brought the glass of wine to her lips before adding.
“Unless you wish to confuse this poor girl further, Arthur?” She fixed him with a rather cool gaze as she spoke.
Arthur nearly jumped before saying, "I... suddenly..." the look his boss was giving him had Arthur on edge all of a sudden. What's the worse she could do though? Kill him? At least she couldn't read his mind. "I find that choices are best, more so when they are few in number but completely obvious. Rouxia Allete, or perhaps Ari Collins?"
The red haired girl rotated her head slightly as they both started shooting out suggestions. It wasn't helping the situation.
Ari…collins? Livia snickered a bit, placing the wine glass back on the table.
“My, I pity your children…or pets, Arthur.” She teased, giving him a friendly smile as that cool gaze of hers completely left. “But really, confusing the poor girl any more won’t help her any. She’s probably tired as well, so it is probably good we should settle this quickly.” She fell silently for a moment, before turning to the redhead.
“Which name do you like, child? It will be yours, so why not have you choose it?”
The red haired girl's face only had a more confused stare on it as her gaze looked to Livia's face. She didn't want to offend either of her new keepers. She sensed that Livia was the dominant one, but Wick ignited something within her. As if her tired mind decided that it was overloaded, eyes closed and her breathing slowed as her head landed into Wick's lap.
Livia simply sighed, though a small smile still graced her lips. Such an outcome wasn’t unexpected. The poor child was likely completely exhausted.
“Well, that decides that.” Livia replied as she stood, wine glass in hand. “Arthur, I do believe we should let her rest. I’ll have one of the staff bring some blankets.”
Arthur sat there, still as he could. "So.. should I stay here? Or... Help?" Arthur asked as he stared down at the girl's head nestled in his lap. This was not what he was expecting, and he really wasn't fond of it, but he could hardly move and disturb this tired girl.
“As I said…we should let her rest. We have things we must discuss, unless you want a certain dragon finding out about our new guest.” That was a bit more than a suggestion, judging from her tone. Livia was standing near the door to the office now. She had opened it just big enough to speak to a maid standing outside of it. A brief conversation followed, and the maid left to get blankets as she turned back to Arthur.
“Oh, and if you wake her when you get up, I’ll have you work in the cafeteria as an oven~” It was difficult to tell if that playful smirk was being serious about that. As if to make Wick's life harder, the red hair girl wrapped her arms lightly around his waist as she had memories of a life long past.
It had been about ten minutes until Arthur, through great effort, managed to free himself. It was a long siege, give and take, until he was standing, and the girl was sleeping upon a heap of pillows brought in by a helpful maid.
Arthur now stood just outside the room, with Livia, so that they could talk without disturbing the girl. "So, what are your thoughts?" Arthur asked.
“That I was looking forward to some special Arthur Wick cooked pastries and now I won’t get any, tsk~” Livia teased, though the small smile left rather quickly as the conversation took a more serious turn. “More seriously…we should discuss my dragon friend.” Livia replied with a sigh, as she started walking away from her office.
"You know, if you wanted me to cook you something all you needed to do was ask. But yes, your friend. What exactly do we need to discuss?" Arthur asked as he followed but a step behind the headmistress.
Oho, she’d hold him too that offer, then, but now wasn’t the time for such pleasantries.
“Well…that girl obviously is the Phoenix.” Livia replied. “Sorcha would know that immediately if she ever met the girl. The problem is…That girl can barely be over 13 years old. She can’t possibly be the same girl that was responsible for the atrocities Sorcha has mentioned. At least, she has reincarnated since then, and I am not one to believe the sins of her past lives should fall on this girl….Roux….Allete, whatever we decide to name her. I do not believe…Sorcha would be of the same mind, however. Dragons are fickle creatures, and when one has a grudge…well…I shouldn’t have to tell you.” Livia sighed, stopping where she was walking, just outside the door leading out of the building. She was going to see Gall after this, though she should probably use some sleep herself….
“My point is,” She turned to face Arthur with a cold expression. “Sorcha has been my friend for almost thirty years, while I do believe she is a good person at heart…this curse that was placed on her and the grudge could…cloud her judgement. It would be in our best interest if Sorcha never finds out about the child. I will arrange a room for her in a quiet part of the campus where she won’t find her. It also means we’ll have to refrain from having too many people visit her.” She paused for a moment, before narrowing her eyes dangerously at Arthur.
“If Sorcha finds out about the phoenix, as much as it pains me to admit…I may require you to come out of retirement.”
Arthur would follow along, listening silently as they neared the exit to the building. "Understood. I'll be ready. So... do you want some kind of cake or?..." Arthur asked with a bemused smile on his face.
Livia frowned. Now was not the time for such shenanigans.
“I do not believe you are taking this seriously, Arthur.” She replied, walking towards the door. “If Sorcha approaches you, you are to tell her that the phoenix she is looking for wasn’t there. If she doesn’t believe you, then you are to tell me immediately. I will deal with her.” Livia sighed as she finished speaking, though turned back to Arthur.
“However, if you are serious…a cake would be wonderful.”
"I'm rarely ever not serious. Trust me, I understand the situation, and Sorcha won't learn about the girl's existance here. That manor was empty, just some goons smuggling drugs." Arthur said with a smile. "Now if you don't mind, I have a cake to bake." As Arthur said that he stepped out the door, to make the walk to the town.
The teenager's eyes were shifting back and forth as they ran across the words before her. She found herself reading on a bed again as she had done most days in the manor.
Four days ago Livia had brought her to a small two story home after she had woken up from her rest on the sofa. Two full bathrooms, two bedrooms with plenty of bookshelves and a desk. A living room and a small kitchen along with a sitting area. A balcony faced outdoors to overlook a backyard. After assuming that this was Livia's home, she was told that it was actually belonged to her now.
Coming fully furnished, it only had one major issue. Chairs. It had taken the teenager almost ten hours to move the eight objects, but she managed to stack all of them outside in the front lawn as far from the door as possible. She hoped her new keepers wouldn't mind her tossing them out.
So, she found herself reading a book on ancient egyptian costuming and tailoring that was already on the shelf. The redhead wasn't exactly sure why, but the topic interested her. Luckily, it proved to be relevant.
Honestly, Livia was probably enjoying pampering the redhead just a little too much. She had never had any kids in her forty seven years of existence, and perhaps it was a little much…but well, she couldn’t exactly deny it was a little pleasant.
…aha, if her younger self could see her now…
She shook her head, smiling softly as she approached the door to the home and entered quietly. Or at least, she would have if she didn’t notice a stack of chairs sitting as far away from the door as possible. This caused her to pause, trying to figure out what exactly the girl had been doing with them. Did she simply not like chairs? After a few moments though, she simply sighed, and continued into the house.
“Hrm…well, at least their stacked in a semi-artistic manner…” Livia mused as she entered. She’d have the chairs moved elsewhere before the weather damaged them. For now, she had more…important business to attend too. Now, where was the little roux at?
After a few moments of searching, Livia found her in her usual spot. Reading a book on a rather exquisite bed, if she did say so herself.
“Ah…little Roux,” She called out, knocking lightly on the door to the room to announce her presence. “You are doing well today?”
The one called Roux was startled despite the adequate warning she had been given. Amber eyes lifted up to see Livia knocking on an already open door out of courtesy. After a moment the teenagers eyes dropped slightly as her head nodded in afffirmation. Without her old keeper there, the old bruises had healed for the most part at what would normally be considered an unnatural rate. The red haired girl felt more ... alive. Roux closed her book, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. A small glass of water and a small bottle filled with some liquid sat on her bedside table. She lifted up the bottle, nervously holding it out for Livia to take.
Upon having the obvious bottle of phoenix tears up to her, Livia only sighed. Really, was she just…trained to cry like that? Livia shook her head, a bit upset, though it wasn’t at the girl. At least those injuries of hers had healed.
“Child…Roux,” Livia walked over to the girl, careful not to make any movements that would startle the girl. She would have grabbed a chair, but they were busy being a new piece of modern art outside. Instead, she opted to sit next to the child. She had hoped she had gotten to the point where she was comfortable around her. Roux moved slightly away, but she didn't run off or panic at Livia's approach.
“These are your…tears, correct?” Livia asked, gently taking the bottle as she sat. She of course, had no intention of taking them. “Hmm…may I ask why you are giving them to me? Just becasue I'm probably considered an old woman to most doesn't mean I need these~”
After a quick nod to confirm they were her tears, Roux's legs kicked back and forth slightly as she responded quietly to the next question. " ... You're my keeper now ..." To the girl, she was surprised why the older woman didn't ask for more. With four days to produce them, two more were sitting in the cabinent drawer in case her new keeper demanded extra. She decided not to mention those.
After a few moments the young girl wondered if she had accidenly insulted the older woman. That wouldn't be a good thing. Did she not want to be old? Was her present not adequate? Roux closed her eyes as she looked away, instinctivly preparing to be hit for her failure.
Oops.
Looks like she may have chosen the wrong choice of words there. Smooth Livia. She sighed inwardly. She had no intention of actually hitting the girl of course, despite how she may have been flinching.
“Rouxia, I am not upset.” She replied softly. “I simply have no need of your tears.” She continued, studying the bottle with a small smile, before holding it back out towards the redhead. “Neither I, nor Arthur have need of them.”
It took a few moments after Livia spoke for the girl to stop her internal panic. Seeing the outreached hand, the red haired girl took the bottle back nervously, legs kicking back and forth as they had been before. A short time bit of time went by and she decided to hold onto it rather than put it away, placing the bottle into her left pocket. After an awkward silence, the amber beads looked into the headmistresses' eyes curiously, head tilted slightly and red hair running over her right shoulder.
It was hard to tell if the girl was wondering why they didn't want the tears or if she was wondering what the purpose of this visit was today.
Well, that was settled. She hoped the girl understood that she didn’t need to force herself to cry any more here. She might have to be a little…firmer with her words If she didn’t, as much as she feared that might upset the child. At least she wasn’t completely put off by her now. She was able to look her in the eye now, without feeling threatened.
“At any rate,” She said, standing up as she gave the roux a small smile. “I would like to take you shopping today. I will not be having anyone under my care dressing in such rags. We need to buy you some proper clothes.”
The one called Roux looked down again to the floorboards again, a little bit nervous about leaving the house. She considered these to be nice clothes. But she nodded, pushing herself off the bed and nodding in confirmation. If Livia felt like playing dress up, the red haired girl wouldn't complain.
As the pair headed towards the mall, the red head found herself caught between some combination of curiousity and terror. She found herself looking around for a few heartbeats, taking everything in she could possibly see. Then the amber eyes would look back toward's the ground at Livia's feet, following them obediently a from a few steps behind.
Eventually the girl named Roux found herself being guided up a staircase into a small store, The Vetement. Clothes racks consumed most of the store's space with only a single article of clothing in a single style hanging from its racks. A long wallside wooden desk along the left side had several chairs pushed into it along with sketchpads and colored pencils scattered across it's surface. In a small clearing towards the right side of the store were two circles with various symbols etched in them. A tone that tried to sound irritated, but betrayed a sense of welcoming echoed from a counter just beyond the circles. "What brings the headmistress here today?" The man's deep voice boomed.
“Ah, Le Clothe.” She greeted the man with a friendly smile. “Normally I’d be here spoiling myself, but I have someone else who’s getting spoiled today.” Thankfully, the little roux didn’t run off anywhere, though Livia was hoping she might actually at least try to…interact with her surroundings a bit.
"This girl? Don't spoil her too much, she'll only grow out of them." A sigh and a more gentle tone escaped his mouth as he addressed the teenager. "Fine, run along the racks and find something you like. Just be sure to look through the racks for a sample you think is cute or draw something out in the sketchpad. The more detailed, the better." After some hesitation, the girl named Roux found herself looking up to Livia as if seeking confirmation.
“Well you heard the man, Roux. Whatever you want,” A small smile formed on her lips. “Someone will end up paying for it~”
The redhead headed off to the racks. The teenager searched slowly at first, as if not wanting to insult either one of them by dismissing anything too quickly, but eventually she had mastered the art of shopping and dissapeared into the forest of clothes. "You know, I am a little jealous of you."
Livia knew the story. The man's adopted son had suffered a lifelong ailment that had forced the thirteen year old to be bedridden most days. Even the school's head nurse had tried to cure the sickness, but all she could do was lay off the symptoms for a few days. Every time his child returned though, the illness would only appear faster than the previous one. A trained eye would guess that the bedridden child had a year to live.
“Oh?” Livia laughed softly as she watched the redhead disappear into the clothing, attempting to find something. “I suppose I am just rather lucky.” Livia replied with a sigh, a sad smile appearing on her lips. It was well known to the man that she was in fact, unable to have children of her own. It was simply a topic that had come up once when discussing his son – he was probably one of the few people who knew. “The redhead…has had a rather difficult life.”
Not that she had ever really wanted children, but age does make one regret things they had never done in their youth.
Fall in love and have a family, for example.
“I shall do my best, but…I’ve never done this before and I fear I may not be up to the task of raising her.”
The man's tone approached something resembling sincere. "Allow me to offer you one piece of advice. I've always think it's best to trust your instincts. You can always put up an act of fancy words, but it's the small things that affect them. If someone's stopped on the side of the road, do you pull over to try and help them? Or do you continue on your vacation, and enjoy yourself?"
Realizing he was rambling, the tailor regained his pride and his voice returned to something along the lines of sarcastic. "A thousand kid's lives you run, and you are seriously worried about this redhead? Surely others have had worse lives." It wasn't clear or not he was talking about his own child or others in the world.
“Aha, you are correct, but my relationship with my students is different. Most don’t really…well, know me, you could say.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I am most certainly concerned for all of them, but for the most part I’m probably not even a normal part of their day.” She turned her heads to the clothing, eyes scanning for signs of the redhead.
“This little Roux, however...I can’t say her life has been worse than any others because I do not know all my students on a personal level.” She replied, giving Le Clothe a small frown. “However, little Roux here…after hearing from Gall and another teacher what she went through…you could say I feel a little…I suppose I simply wish to protect her.”
He shrugged in response, and after a few moments changed the subject to something much less significant, some simple small talk as the two passed their time.
Little Red went around the store, choosing various long dresses off the shelves, and a few knee length ones as well. She ended up sticking mostly to the colors of green and red, along with one or two in white. They matched her hair well.
Eventually though, she seemed to be looking for something that couldn't be found. Roux headed over to the long desk, hesitating upon seeing the chairs. She spent a little time mustering her courage, but she started to stack the chairs on top of eachother towards one side. The red head intended to use the other side for planning out a design in one of the sketchbooks. The tailor simply rolled his eyes. He'd seen stranger habits in his time.
She was having a fairly pleasant conversation with Le Clothe. She was a bit thankful it had moved on from something less serious. However, she had to raise an eyebrow at what she noticed the little redhead doing. She didn’t wish to startle the girl, but well…stacking chairs like that could be a bit dangerous, and at this point she was fairly certain the redhead wasn’t stacking them for fun. She excused herself from conversation with Le Clothe, and walked over to the redhead.
“Hmm…I would complement you on your impeccable chair-arranging skills, but I doubt you are trying to make some form of modern art.” Livia quietly spoke as she approached the child. “Roux, what exactly are you doing?” Her voice was soft, trying to be as non threatening as she could manage.
The one named Roux jumped slightly, despite the tone. She lowered the chair she was holding to the ground. She knew what she was doing was ridiculous when she thought about it, but the objects were a painful reminder of a life that was her experience less than a week ago. She wasn't sure how to respond, so she instead opted to look at the ground, embarassed. '... I ..."
She put two fingers together, clearly deep in thought. It took her a minute, but she finished her sentence. "... don't want them near me ..."
Livia quickly put two and two together, and gave the child a small smile. It was obviously something from her captivity. However, as much as she’d like the child to simply not have to deal with this…that was probably not a good idea in the long run. She wasn’t much of a psychologist…but she could do her best here.
“I understand.” She replied simply, and after a moment, the older woman knelt down to the child’s level. “Being afraid of something is okay. I can’t say I have things I’m not afraid of either, especially when I was your age.” She gave the redhead a small smile. “But, losing to your fears is never a good thing, Little Roux. You are strong, I do not think there is anything you can’t face if you wish. You’ve endured a lot to be here now, haven’t you?” With that said, Livia stood giving a small sigh. She hadn’t expected to deal with something so…serious at the moment, but she couldn’t say she minded.
“Besides, if you ever need help with anything…all you have to do is ask someone who cares about you, do you not?” She offered the Roux another smile, before moving over to the chairs herself, lifting one with relative ease, and brought it over to the place she had been stacking them.
Little Roux lowered her eyes, believing she was being lightly scolded by her new keeper. But any fear the teenager had promplty disappeared as Livia decided to help her move the remaining chairs. After the two stacked the chairs up, the red headed girl walked briskly to the other side of the desk, distancing herself from the evil objects as much as possible.
A few seconds later and an assortment of artistic supplies were spread before her, and the redhead assembled a face of incredible concentration as she bit her lip focusing her thoughts. A second later, a small grin spread across the girl's face as she started to draw.
It was probably the first thing resembling a smile she'd given off in a long time.
The only thing surprising about how she drew was the speed at which she did it. It wasn't as if her hand moved at a supernaturally fast rate, but rather that she never had to turn the pencil over to erase a mistake. The sort of skill that one spent lifetimes perfecting - which unknown to the red head, she had.
A few minutes passed, and a detailed image assembled itself on the page. A larger, taller version of herself was featured, perhaps a few years older than she was now. It wasn't out of the question, but it was obviously a little idealized.
A knee length dress of red on the top, suddenly trasforming to black as it passed the hips and had cuts up the sides to allow movement. At the very bottom of the hemline, thin curves of red headed up from the bottom which gradually dissapeared as they approached the top. Black thighhighs were added, along with extended gloves for each arm. A black collar with a thin red stripe through the middle provided additional support to the outside straps that supported the dress. A few finishing details and several red wavy belt things added later, the girl appeared satisfied as she eyed her handiwork with a critical eye.
Livia was glad that was over with. She hoped she had done well in explaining things to little roux, but…well, that was that. She seemed happy, so that was enough for now. Onto the dresses, then.
The headmistress kept quiet as the girl started drawing. Well, she was certainly good at it. In fact, if she wanted too she could probably become an excellent artist judging from how well she was drawing. She wondered if some of her skills from her previous lives were kept between them. Would memories do the same, then? That might…be problematic if she remembered Sorcha.
Well…she’d deal with that if it happened. For now, she needed to get her some proper clothes.
“My, you certainly can draw well. Is this what you want, then? It’s certainly…ah, unique.” She replied. Not that it was bad, really. It was just something she hadn’t seen before.
After a moments hesitation, the shorter girl nodded. Grabbing a rather full basket of various garments, the two headed up towards the counter. "... Fire-resistant fabric..."The tailor nodded, raising an eyebrow at Livia to make sure she was ready to pay for this. After recieving a confirmation from the headmistress, he informed little Roux to head to one of the circles and wait.
After Roux obediently headed to one of the circles on the floor, the tailor pulled various boxes of cloth onto the other as he observed each sample of clothing.
He pressed his foot down onto the floor and instantly the girl's clothes changed on her body. The sweatpants and T-Shirt fell into a neat pile on the side as a long red dress appeared on the headmistress' adopted daughter. After yelping the first time in surprsise to a stifled laugh from the tailor, it became a routine as various bits of cloth dissapeared from the bins only to find themselves clinging to her a moment later. Some articles of clothing took more than one time as the tailor 'trimmed' them to perfection, but eventually they worked through all the sample pieces.
He observed her drawing, raising an eyebrow. A gruff voice came from Le Clothe's throat. "Well, I'll be damned. This girl actually can draw. You'd be surprised how much 'interpretation' I have to do with some of them." It still took the tailor several tries to create what the girl was requesting, but eventually he finished. "You know the rules. Bring the old articles back and I'll give a fifty percent materials discount. She should grow quickly, so I want you to remember that." He headed behind the counter, handing the headmistress a reciept. The twenty dresses ended up costing around ten grand. The girl was wearing her personally designed dress now, looking more than a little pleased with the outcome.
Livia simply observed silently. She was quite used to the process herself, so it wasn’t anything new to her. She simply waited for the process to complete, and for the little Roux’s dress to be completed. Thankfully, it didn’t take Le Clothe long to finish. As usual, he was very good at his job. Now, there was only the matter of the bill. When Le Clothe handed it to her, the headmistress simply sighed. Wow. Okay, that was not the amount she had been expecting. She knew it was going to be expensive, but...Well…
“You like the dress, then little Roux?” It was obvious the girl did like it. She had to admit, it was a fairly pretty article of clothing. “Then I will pay for it, since I think this is a special occasion.” She replied, a small frown forming on her lips. “But next time, you will chose something cheaper, or pay for it yourself, understand? And I do not mean with those tears of yours, either.”
Little Roux looked down as she was scolded, nodding in response to Livia's statement. The tailor gruddingly wished them a good day as the two headed towards the door after paying. Just before they finished leaving though, the footsteps behind Livia stopped in their tracks.
“Hmm, I was thinking we could get some lunch while we were out as well, any preferences, Roux or-?” Upon noticing the girl had stopped following her Livia turned to see what the little girl was doing.
The teenager was reaching into her the sweatpant's pocket as she searched for the bottle of phoenix tears. She had overheard parts of their conversation, and had realized during their small talk that the tailor had a dying son. Grabbing it firmly, little Roux reached out as she seemed to contemplate leaving it on the window sill for the tailor to find as he did his rounds at the end of the day.
At first, Livia was a little confused. She didn’t even notice the girl had brought the bottle of tears with her. There really was no reason for them to be here, after all. The headmistress frowned, unsure of what to say or do. The Roux looked like she was contemplating something, but Livia didn’t know what…unless she had heard the conversation earlier involving Le Clothe’s son.
“Your tears?...” They…well, they could in fact help Le Clothe’s son, couldn’t they? Phoenix tears could heal almost anything. “You want to do something with them, Roux?”
The one called Roux barely in response. She felt most people would recognize that they weren't human at first glance, and an alchemist would probably realize what they were fairly quickly. After tilting her head for a moment in thought, she nodded with a bit more conviction.
…ah, being a parent was a bit draining, wasn’t it?
“Well…they are your tears, Roux.” Livia replied. “And your tears are indeed special. They can heal almost anything. I cannot force nor make you leave them. That is up to you, dear.” Livia paused for a moment. She considered Le Clothe a friend, and she’d have given him the tears herself…she had a few vials Gall had brought back, as well. They could do something good for once and save someone’s life. So that just boiled down to what little Roux here wanted to do.
“Do you want to use them to save someone, Roux?”
Roux paused for contemplation after hearing the headmistresses words. The teenager understood suffering better than most, and if she could end another's at the price of a little time and some painful memories, she felt she should. The girl nodded again, getting on the tips of her toes as she placed the vial onto the window sill, looking at them for a moment before returning her eyes to the ground again.
“You are a good child,” Livia smiled gently. She was even more convinced now that the roux wasn’t the tyrant that her past life could have been.
“So there is no need to constantly look at the ground.” She continued with a small laugh. With that out of the way then, the Headmistress turned her attention back to Le Clothe. The girl may have had good intentions, but she should probably at least tell him about it in the most subtle way she could, before someone else came along and grabbed it.
“Aha, sorry for taking up space in your store, Le Clothe.” She replied with a slight bow. “The Roux had something she wanted to ask.” She gave him a friendly smile. “And I think…there is still hope for your son to recover.” She made a small gesture towards the window with the bottle sitting on it.
“Come along then, Roux. We don’t want to waste any more of Le Clothe’s time.” She continued before he or Roux could say anything, and ushered the girl out of the store.
The tailor later put two and two together. Any time the 'Little Roux' returned to the store, she mysteriously always recieved a 90% discount to account "for the honor of allowing a goddess to wear his garb".
Four days ago Livia had brought her to a small two story home after she had woken up from her rest on the sofa. Two full bathrooms, two bedrooms with plenty of bookshelves and a desk. A living room and a small kitchen along with a sitting area. A balcony faced outdoors to overlook a backyard. After assuming that this was Livia's home, she was told that it was actually belonged to her now.
Coming fully furnished, it only had one major issue. Chairs. It had taken the teenager almost ten hours to move the eight objects, but she managed to stack all of them outside in the front lawn as far from the door as possible. She hoped her new keepers wouldn't mind her tossing them out.
So, she found herself reading a book on ancient egyptian costuming and tailoring that was already on the shelf. The redhead wasn't exactly sure why, but the topic interested her. Luckily, it proved to be relevant.
Honestly, Livia was probably enjoying pampering the redhead just a little too much. She had never had any kids in her forty seven years of existence, and perhaps it was a little much…but well, she couldn’t exactly deny it was a little pleasant.
…aha, if her younger self could see her now…
She shook her head, smiling softly as she approached the door to the home and entered quietly. Or at least, she would have if she didn’t notice a stack of chairs sitting as far away from the door as possible. This caused her to pause, trying to figure out what exactly the girl had been doing with them. Did she simply not like chairs? After a few moments though, she simply sighed, and continued into the house.
“Hrm…well, at least their stacked in a semi-artistic manner…” Livia mused as she entered. She’d have the chairs moved elsewhere before the weather damaged them. For now, she had more…important business to attend too. Now, where was the little roux at?
After a few moments of searching, Livia found her in her usual spot. Reading a book on a rather exquisite bed, if she did say so herself.
“Ah…little Roux,” She called out, knocking lightly on the door to the room to announce her presence. “You are doing well today?”
The one called Roux was startled despite the adequate warning she had been given. Amber eyes lifted up to see Livia knocking on an already open door out of courtesy. After a moment the teenagers eyes dropped slightly as her head nodded in afffirmation. Without her old keeper there, the old bruises had healed for the most part at what would normally be considered an unnatural rate. The red haired girl felt more ... alive. Roux closed her book, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. A small glass of water and a small bottle filled with some liquid sat on her bedside table. She lifted up the bottle, nervously holding it out for Livia to take.
Upon having the obvious bottle of phoenix tears up to her, Livia only sighed. Really, was she just…trained to cry like that? Livia shook her head, a bit upset, though it wasn’t at the girl. At least those injuries of hers had healed.
“Child…Roux,” Livia walked over to the girl, careful not to make any movements that would startle the girl. She would have grabbed a chair, but they were busy being a new piece of modern art outside. Instead, she opted to sit next to the child. She had hoped she had gotten to the point where she was comfortable around her. Roux moved slightly away, but she didn't run off or panic at Livia's approach.
“These are your…tears, correct?” Livia asked, gently taking the bottle as she sat. She of course, had no intention of taking them. “Hmm…may I ask why you are giving them to me? Just becasue I'm probably considered an old woman to most doesn't mean I need these~”
After a quick nod to confirm they were her tears, Roux's legs kicked back and forth slightly as she responded quietly to the next question. " ... You're my keeper now ..." To the girl, she was surprised why the older woman didn't ask for more. With four days to produce them, two more were sitting in the cabinent drawer in case her new keeper demanded extra. She decided not to mention those.
After a few moments the young girl wondered if she had accidenly insulted the older woman. That wouldn't be a good thing. Did she not want to be old? Was her present not adequate? Roux closed her eyes as she looked away, instinctivly preparing to be hit for her failure.
Oops.
Looks like she may have chosen the wrong choice of words there. Smooth Livia. She sighed inwardly. She had no intention of actually hitting the girl of course, despite how she may have been flinching.
“Rouxia, I am not upset.” She replied softly. “I simply have no need of your tears.” She continued, studying the bottle with a small smile, before holding it back out towards the redhead. “Neither I, nor Arthur have need of them.”
It took a few moments after Livia spoke for the girl to stop her internal panic. Seeing the outreached hand, the red haired girl took the bottle back nervously, legs kicking back and forth as they had been before. A short time bit of time went by and she decided to hold onto it rather than put it away, placing the bottle into her left pocket. After an awkward silence, the amber beads looked into the headmistresses' eyes curiously, head tilted slightly and red hair running over her right shoulder.
It was hard to tell if the girl was wondering why they didn't want the tears or if she was wondering what the purpose of this visit was today.
Well, that was settled. She hoped the girl understood that she didn’t need to force herself to cry any more here. She might have to be a little…firmer with her words If she didn’t, as much as she feared that might upset the child. At least she wasn’t completely put off by her now. She was able to look her in the eye now, without feeling threatened.
“At any rate,” She said, standing up as she gave the roux a small smile. “I would like to take you shopping today. I will not be having anyone under my care dressing in such rags. We need to buy you some proper clothes.”
The one called Roux looked down again to the floorboards again, a little bit nervous about leaving the house. She considered these to be nice clothes. But she nodded, pushing herself off the bed and nodding in confirmation. If Livia felt like playing dress up, the red haired girl wouldn't complain.
As the pair headed towards the mall, the red head found herself caught between some combination of curiousity and terror. She found herself looking around for a few heartbeats, taking everything in she could possibly see. Then the amber eyes would look back toward's the ground at Livia's feet, following them obediently a from a few steps behind.
Eventually the girl named Roux found herself being guided up a staircase into a small store, The Vetement. Clothes racks consumed most of the store's space with only a single article of clothing in a single style hanging from its racks. A long wallside wooden desk along the left side had several chairs pushed into it along with sketchpads and colored pencils scattered across it's surface. In a small clearing towards the right side of the store were two circles with various symbols etched in them. A tone that tried to sound irritated, but betrayed a sense of welcoming echoed from a counter just beyond the circles. "What brings the headmistress here today?" The man's deep voice boomed.
“Ah, Le Clothe.” She greeted the man with a friendly smile. “Normally I’d be here spoiling myself, but I have someone else who’s getting spoiled today.” Thankfully, the little roux didn’t run off anywhere, though Livia was hoping she might actually at least try to…interact with her surroundings a bit.
"This girl? Don't spoil her too much, she'll only grow out of them." A sigh and a more gentle tone escaped his mouth as he addressed the teenager. "Fine, run along the racks and find something you like. Just be sure to look through the racks for a sample you think is cute or draw something out in the sketchpad. The more detailed, the better." After some hesitation, the girl named Roux found herself looking up to Livia as if seeking confirmation.
“Well you heard the man, Roux. Whatever you want,” A small smile formed on her lips. “Someone will end up paying for it~”
The redhead headed off to the racks. The teenager searched slowly at first, as if not wanting to insult either one of them by dismissing anything too quickly, but eventually she had mastered the art of shopping and dissapeared into the forest of clothes. "You know, I am a little jealous of you."
Livia knew the story. The man's adopted son had suffered a lifelong ailment that had forced the thirteen year old to be bedridden most days. Even the school's head nurse had tried to cure the sickness, but all she could do was lay off the symptoms for a few days. Every time his child returned though, the illness would only appear faster than the previous one. A trained eye would guess that the bedridden child had a year to live.
“Oh?” Livia laughed softly as she watched the redhead disappear into the clothing, attempting to find something. “I suppose I am just rather lucky.” Livia replied with a sigh, a sad smile appearing on her lips. It was well known to the man that she was in fact, unable to have children of her own. It was simply a topic that had come up once when discussing his son – he was probably one of the few people who knew. “The redhead…has had a rather difficult life.”
Not that she had ever really wanted children, but age does make one regret things they had never done in their youth.
Fall in love and have a family, for example.
“I shall do my best, but…I’ve never done this before and I fear I may not be up to the task of raising her.”
The man's tone approached something resembling sincere. "Allow me to offer you one piece of advice. I've always think it's best to trust your instincts. You can always put up an act of fancy words, but it's the small things that affect them. If someone's stopped on the side of the road, do you pull over to try and help them? Or do you continue on your vacation, and enjoy yourself?"
Realizing he was rambling, the tailor regained his pride and his voice returned to something along the lines of sarcastic. "A thousand kid's lives you run, and you are seriously worried about this redhead? Surely others have had worse lives." It wasn't clear or not he was talking about his own child or others in the world.
“Aha, you are correct, but my relationship with my students is different. Most don’t really…well, know me, you could say.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I am most certainly concerned for all of them, but for the most part I’m probably not even a normal part of their day.” She turned her heads to the clothing, eyes scanning for signs of the redhead.
“This little Roux, however...I can’t say her life has been worse than any others because I do not know all my students on a personal level.” She replied, giving Le Clothe a small frown. “However, little Roux here…after hearing from Gall and another teacher what she went through…you could say I feel a little…I suppose I simply wish to protect her.”
He shrugged in response, and after a few moments changed the subject to something much less significant, some simple small talk as the two passed their time.
Little Red went around the store, choosing various long dresses off the shelves, and a few knee length ones as well. She ended up sticking mostly to the colors of green and red, along with one or two in white. They matched her hair well.
Eventually though, she seemed to be looking for something that couldn't be found. Roux headed over to the long desk, hesitating upon seeing the chairs. She spent a little time mustering her courage, but she started to stack the chairs on top of eachother towards one side. The red head intended to use the other side for planning out a design in one of the sketchbooks. The tailor simply rolled his eyes. He'd seen stranger habits in his time.
She was having a fairly pleasant conversation with Le Clothe. She was a bit thankful it had moved on from something less serious. However, she had to raise an eyebrow at what she noticed the little redhead doing. She didn’t wish to startle the girl, but well…stacking chairs like that could be a bit dangerous, and at this point she was fairly certain the redhead wasn’t stacking them for fun. She excused herself from conversation with Le Clothe, and walked over to the redhead.
“Hmm…I would complement you on your impeccable chair-arranging skills, but I doubt you are trying to make some form of modern art.” Livia quietly spoke as she approached the child. “Roux, what exactly are you doing?” Her voice was soft, trying to be as non threatening as she could manage.
The one named Roux jumped slightly, despite the tone. She lowered the chair she was holding to the ground. She knew what she was doing was ridiculous when she thought about it, but the objects were a painful reminder of a life that was her experience less than a week ago. She wasn't sure how to respond, so she instead opted to look at the ground, embarassed. '... I ..."
She put two fingers together, clearly deep in thought. It took her a minute, but she finished her sentence. "... don't want them near me ..."
Livia quickly put two and two together, and gave the child a small smile. It was obviously something from her captivity. However, as much as she’d like the child to simply not have to deal with this…that was probably not a good idea in the long run. She wasn’t much of a psychologist…but she could do her best here.
“I understand.” She replied simply, and after a moment, the older woman knelt down to the child’s level. “Being afraid of something is okay. I can’t say I have things I’m not afraid of either, especially when I was your age.” She gave the redhead a small smile. “But, losing to your fears is never a good thing, Little Roux. You are strong, I do not think there is anything you can’t face if you wish. You’ve endured a lot to be here now, haven’t you?” With that said, Livia stood giving a small sigh. She hadn’t expected to deal with something so…serious at the moment, but she couldn’t say she minded.
“Besides, if you ever need help with anything…all you have to do is ask someone who cares about you, do you not?” She offered the Roux another smile, before moving over to the chairs herself, lifting one with relative ease, and brought it over to the place she had been stacking them.
Little Roux lowered her eyes, believing she was being lightly scolded by her new keeper. But any fear the teenager had promplty disappeared as Livia decided to help her move the remaining chairs. After the two stacked the chairs up, the red headed girl walked briskly to the other side of the desk, distancing herself from the evil objects as much as possible.
A few seconds later and an assortment of artistic supplies were spread before her, and the redhead assembled a face of incredible concentration as she bit her lip focusing her thoughts. A second later, a small grin spread across the girl's face as she started to draw.
It was probably the first thing resembling a smile she'd given off in a long time.
The only thing surprising about how she drew was the speed at which she did it. It wasn't as if her hand moved at a supernaturally fast rate, but rather that she never had to turn the pencil over to erase a mistake. The sort of skill that one spent lifetimes perfecting - which unknown to the red head, she had.
A few minutes passed, and a detailed image assembled itself on the page. A larger, taller version of herself was featured, perhaps a few years older than she was now. It wasn't out of the question, but it was obviously a little idealized.
A knee length dress of red on the top, suddenly trasforming to black as it passed the hips and had cuts up the sides to allow movement. At the very bottom of the hemline, thin curves of red headed up from the bottom which gradually dissapeared as they approached the top. Black thighhighs were added, along with extended gloves for each arm. A black collar with a thin red stripe through the middle provided additional support to the outside straps that supported the dress. A few finishing details and several red wavy belt things added later, the girl appeared satisfied as she eyed her handiwork with a critical eye.
Livia was glad that was over with. She hoped she had done well in explaining things to little roux, but…well, that was that. She seemed happy, so that was enough for now. Onto the dresses, then.
The headmistress kept quiet as the girl started drawing. Well, she was certainly good at it. In fact, if she wanted too she could probably become an excellent artist judging from how well she was drawing. She wondered if some of her skills from her previous lives were kept between them. Would memories do the same, then? That might…be problematic if she remembered Sorcha.
Well…she’d deal with that if it happened. For now, she needed to get her some proper clothes.
“My, you certainly can draw well. Is this what you want, then? It’s certainly…ah, unique.” She replied. Not that it was bad, really. It was just something she hadn’t seen before.
After a moments hesitation, the shorter girl nodded. Grabbing a rather full basket of various garments, the two headed up towards the counter. "... Fire-resistant fabric..."The tailor nodded, raising an eyebrow at Livia to make sure she was ready to pay for this. After recieving a confirmation from the headmistress, he informed little Roux to head to one of the circles and wait.
After Roux obediently headed to one of the circles on the floor, the tailor pulled various boxes of cloth onto the other as he observed each sample of clothing.
He pressed his foot down onto the floor and instantly the girl's clothes changed on her body. The sweatpants and T-Shirt fell into a neat pile on the side as a long red dress appeared on the headmistress' adopted daughter. After yelping the first time in surprsise to a stifled laugh from the tailor, it became a routine as various bits of cloth dissapeared from the bins only to find themselves clinging to her a moment later. Some articles of clothing took more than one time as the tailor 'trimmed' them to perfection, but eventually they worked through all the sample pieces.
He observed her drawing, raising an eyebrow. A gruff voice came from Le Clothe's throat. "Well, I'll be damned. This girl actually can draw. You'd be surprised how much 'interpretation' I have to do with some of them." It still took the tailor several tries to create what the girl was requesting, but eventually he finished. "You know the rules. Bring the old articles back and I'll give a fifty percent materials discount. She should grow quickly, so I want you to remember that." He headed behind the counter, handing the headmistress a reciept. The twenty dresses ended up costing around ten grand. The girl was wearing her personally designed dress now, looking more than a little pleased with the outcome.
Livia simply observed silently. She was quite used to the process herself, so it wasn’t anything new to her. She simply waited for the process to complete, and for the little Roux’s dress to be completed. Thankfully, it didn’t take Le Clothe long to finish. As usual, he was very good at his job. Now, there was only the matter of the bill. When Le Clothe handed it to her, the headmistress simply sighed. Wow. Okay, that was not the amount she had been expecting. She knew it was going to be expensive, but...Well…
“You like the dress, then little Roux?” It was obvious the girl did like it. She had to admit, it was a fairly pretty article of clothing. “Then I will pay for it, since I think this is a special occasion.” She replied, a small frown forming on her lips. “But next time, you will chose something cheaper, or pay for it yourself, understand? And I do not mean with those tears of yours, either.”
Little Roux looked down as she was scolded, nodding in response to Livia's statement. The tailor gruddingly wished them a good day as the two headed towards the door after paying. Just before they finished leaving though, the footsteps behind Livia stopped in their tracks.
“Hmm, I was thinking we could get some lunch while we were out as well, any preferences, Roux or-?” Upon noticing the girl had stopped following her Livia turned to see what the little girl was doing.
The teenager was reaching into her the sweatpant's pocket as she searched for the bottle of phoenix tears. She had overheard parts of their conversation, and had realized during their small talk that the tailor had a dying son. Grabbing it firmly, little Roux reached out as she seemed to contemplate leaving it on the window sill for the tailor to find as he did his rounds at the end of the day.
At first, Livia was a little confused. She didn’t even notice the girl had brought the bottle of tears with her. There really was no reason for them to be here, after all. The headmistress frowned, unsure of what to say or do. The Roux looked like she was contemplating something, but Livia didn’t know what…unless she had heard the conversation earlier involving Le Clothe’s son.
“Your tears?...” They…well, they could in fact help Le Clothe’s son, couldn’t they? Phoenix tears could heal almost anything. “You want to do something with them, Roux?”
The one called Roux barely in response. She felt most people would recognize that they weren't human at first glance, and an alchemist would probably realize what they were fairly quickly. After tilting her head for a moment in thought, she nodded with a bit more conviction.
…ah, being a parent was a bit draining, wasn’t it?
“Well…they are your tears, Roux.” Livia replied. “And your tears are indeed special. They can heal almost anything. I cannot force nor make you leave them. That is up to you, dear.” Livia paused for a moment. She considered Le Clothe a friend, and she’d have given him the tears herself…she had a few vials Gall had brought back, as well. They could do something good for once and save someone’s life. So that just boiled down to what little Roux here wanted to do.
“Do you want to use them to save someone, Roux?”
Roux paused for contemplation after hearing the headmistresses words. The teenager understood suffering better than most, and if she could end another's at the price of a little time and some painful memories, she felt she should. The girl nodded again, getting on the tips of her toes as she placed the vial onto the window sill, looking at them for a moment before returning her eyes to the ground again.
“You are a good child,” Livia smiled gently. She was even more convinced now that the roux wasn’t the tyrant that her past life could have been.
“So there is no need to constantly look at the ground.” She continued with a small laugh. With that out of the way then, the Headmistress turned her attention back to Le Clothe. The girl may have had good intentions, but she should probably at least tell him about it in the most subtle way she could, before someone else came along and grabbed it.
“Aha, sorry for taking up space in your store, Le Clothe.” She replied with a slight bow. “The Roux had something she wanted to ask.” She gave him a friendly smile. “And I think…there is still hope for your son to recover.” She made a small gesture towards the window with the bottle sitting on it.
“Come along then, Roux. We don’t want to waste any more of Le Clothe’s time.” She continued before he or Roux could say anything, and ushered the girl out of the store.
The tailor later put two and two together. Any time the 'Little Roux' returned to the store, she mysteriously always recieved a 90% discount to account "for the honor of allowing a goddess to wear his garb".
As usual, the one named Little Roux was kicking her legs slightly as she read through the pages of her book. She had gradually started building up a small collection from the library, and the shelves were being filled as time passed.
Someone eventually came by the front of the two story house and removed the chairs that had been stacked in the lawn. A week had passed since her arrival, and despite the trauma she'd experienced the teenager was starting to become a bit more trusting her new keepers. Somewhere in the back of her mind though was still asking what the two had to gain from this.
Still though, the small two story house was certainly large enough for little Roux to be able to enjoy reading a book about the crusades on her bed, so her eyes were glued to the pages as the soft tapping of rain bounced off the window.
Arthur stood at the door to the house, rain plattering down gently on his hat. It was a mild rain, though he knew it would only get stronger. Arthur really had wished he had gotten the chance to come by sooner, but with classes he only had so much time to spend. With a deep sigh, he knocked on the door, three quick strikes to hopefully alert Roux of his presence. Engrossed in her book, of course the red haired girl didn't notice the knocking from outside.
Arthur stood there, waiting. Well, seems the girl didn't hear. Arthur walked around the house, until he reached a window. Staring intently through the window, luckily the curtains were open, and after staring into the window soon Arthur was gone, teleported through and into the room. May not have been a key, but at least it worked.
Arthur sized up the room, rather curious that something that was more or less a closet would have a window, but then again Arthur wasn't an architect. Could be if he wanted to, but he wasn't. Regardless he would step out of the room, and slowly, quietly sneak upstairs. The pyromancer was soon standing at the door to what could only be the bedroom. The door slid open soundlessly, and Arthur looked in to see Roux, laying on the bed reading.
At least she was reading, it's always good to read, Arthur thought as he watched, leaning against the doorframe. He didn't bother to make any noise, to let the girl know he was there. Arthur just stood there quietly, watching. After about a minute of standing however Arthur grew bored of standing, "Lovely weather eh?"
Despite the adequete warning, the red headed girl seemed to jump slightly as she was startled. After a few moments of looking outside, the girl nodded slightly before closing her book and placing it back down on the bed.
Figuring he hadn't just come here to talk, Roux removed herself from the bed and walked up to a few feet away from Sir Wick, Amber eyes examining the floorboards as she wondered what she would be doing today. If they wanted to go somewhere, the girl was happy she had her own custom made dress for the job.
"Nothing to say? Please, no need to be shy, you'll find I'm quite the good conversationalist. Regardless, we are going to be going out in that weather, I'd suggest dressing into something else, unless your content with getting that dress wet." Arthur said, stroking his beard really quick while adding, "I'll be waiting outside. Come join me when you're ready." The man would then turn, closing the door behind him before exiting the building.
Still not entirely sure of what was going on, the fourteen year old looked down at her dress. It had been constructed for use in this sort of situation, and despite it's appearence it was constructed of rather strong and durable fabric.
There was always a time to put things to the test. She drank a little water from her windowstand, and after a few moments decided to run down the stairway out into the rain, meeting with her savior.
Arthur was a few feet past the door, and looked back over his shoulder towards it when he heard it open. "Come along, I've got something fun planned for today." Arthur would then start walking, before slowly picking up pace, until he was jogging rather quickly through the rain, which while still mild, had indeed gotten stronger. Lighter footsteps followed behind, running after the man with longer legs.
The two ran, Arthur leading them farther and farther away from the school grounds, before long they were in the wilderness of the mountains, running along paths that clung against the stone, up and down rain slick stairs carved into the ground, over flimsy wooden bridges.
Arthur stopped. The two of them stood in the middle of a clearing, about twenty feet across. The grass was short, blackened already as if it was burned before and often. The trees that guarded the clearing were tall, though not so much so that one couldn't see the imposing peaks of the mountains nearby.
"I love that little jog. And such a nice clearing. I come out here every weekend, just to let loose. But today, today is a special case." Arthur said, "Want to know why little red?"
The little girl was too busy catching her breath to be ready to respond when she was asked that question. Despite her natural fitness, a run of a few miles was a draining experience for her. Although she was curious about why they were out here, so she managed to nod slightly towards Sir Wick as she gasped for air. Looking around, she noticed they were in a small clearing within the woods.
Arthur was clearly giddy, he was practiacally jumping up and down. "I love this weather!" He shouted towards the heavens, before composing himself. "But yes. We are here for a reason. I have a question for you. What are you? I'm sure you know humans don't shed all healing tears. Your a bright enough girl to know that." Arthur asked.
She was sure that this man was crazy. They were both splattered in mud, and the teenager was still trying to bring some air back into her lungs. Her legs burned from the longest run she'd ever done in her life. And he ENJOYED this.
It took her a minute, but eventually she gathered enough breath to be able to manage some sort of response. "... I ... I don't know ..." She honestly didn't know. Was there a reason to drag her out here for several miles to tell her this though?
Arthur stood there, letting the rain come down for a moment before replying, "You're a bird." The girl blinked several times. Then for the first time in her life, she let out a small laugh as she had difficulty processing his claim.
"I'm telling the truth though. Your a bird. You've spent all your time reading in that house haven't you? Have you come across the tale of the phoenix?" Arthur mused, a smile still upon his face.
After a few seconds of thinking, she nodded. She'd heard of the legendary beast: a powerful reincarnating flaming bird of such majesty some confused it for God. Tears of healing ... As her thought came across that line, she looked up at him. She had guesses about where this was going.
"You're a bird little red. A bird with the power of fire itself within you. If you'd like, I could help you wake up some of that power." Arthur said.
The one called little red looked up with amber eyes into his, thinking about his offer. She was still a little stunned about his claim, but the Phoenix realized it made sense. She thought about her time in the manor, where her old keeper bruised her every day. If she had power, would that have been able to happen? She couldn't bring herself to hate the old man despite what he'd done to her ... but ...
A quick nod towards Arthur indicated her decision.
Arthur nodded in turn, "Good. Good. Now, you tired after that run here right?" She nodded in response, although her breathing had slowed down a little. "Good. Now, shout. scream, yell. Express your anger, kindle your fury! Show the sky and earth how mad you are! Come on, scream!" Arthur shouted, demanding anger from the girl standing in front of him.
The red haired girl jumped away from the sudden shouting, cowering slightly from the loud and deep voice. She had to strongly resist the urge to run away and curl up into a ball somewhere. The lady keeper had told her not to let her fears own her, so Little Red let out all the anger she could muster. "... chirp ...?" If she was a bird, maybe acting like one would help?
Arthur was about to shout again, to help this girl get angry. But then again... she chirped. Arthur stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. "You've spent... your entire life hidden away. Treated like an animal, harvested for tears... Beaten, bloodied... and all you can do is chirp? Arthur stood there a moment longer, before finsihing, "You know, if I was in your postion, I would be screaming loud enough for the people across the entire mountain to hear me."
Arthur sighed before saying, "Just... scream louder. Please be angry, it'd really help get us started."
The girl looked down as she was chastised for failing to be angry, idly kicking a small nearby rock to see if that would satisfy Sir Wick's desire for rage. To make it a bit more convincing, she mustered a bit more courage and let out a slightly louder "... Chirp ..."
Arthur grinned, "If your going to chirp, I suggest you do so louder. I think your giving birds a bad name with that weak impression. Come on, your on the right track!" Arthur said, nearly shouting at the end of it again. She took another step back as he raised his voice.
As the rain poured down onto the back of her head, the teenager found herself become a bit more frustrated with Sir Wicks requests. What was up with this guy? Why did he keep on shouting at her to become angry. She kicked two more small stones with a bit more force unconciously.
Arthur's grin widened. Sure, Roux stepped back, but she was also still kicking rocks. She could get angry. He just needed the right trigger. Shame he didn't know her better, he'll have to improvise. "Come on, don't step away! If you run here, if you run now, then your running right back into that life you had a week ago, do you want that?! Do you want to be a slave!?!" Arthur shouted as the rain started pouring even harder.
The girl's eyes went downcast, but she obediently didn't judge from where she stood. He asked if she wanted to be a slave. The fourteen year old didn't hate that life just a week ago, did she? Then why did it seem like so long ago? Why did she prefer these keepers so much more, despite the instructions they gave her? Small fists clenched, amber eyes were covered by their lids. A few tears started falling from them, her old life conflicting with her new one.
In a way, her old life had been safer. Inside constantly, the young girl didn't have to worry about some crazy man dragging her off into the forest to scream at things. Sure she was injured, but no one was around there would really kill her. She'd been a reasource to them, so they wouldn't toss her out. Her new keepers refused any motivation like that, meaning their current kindness was on a whim.
Still though. This was her first time experiencing the rain. It was cold, sending a shiver up her spine. But it was new. So were the clothes that she'd been shopping for with Livia. And she wasn't treated like an animal, any bruises or aches she had being her own fault. They even believed she deserved a name, and granted her the identity of Roux until she chose one for herself.
And she'd probably saved the life of Le Clothe's child. That was worth something.
She raised her head, eyes opening briefly to a new shade of gold. "No." It was spoken firmly with divine conviction, if not stated loudly. The trees that'd she'd been backing towards before responded however, embers flying for a few moments before suddenly bursting into flame.
"Good. You feel that? That fire in you? That rage with threatens to flow forth and set this world to tinder?" Arthur would straighten his form, stand almost like a soldier in some army before saying, "Bottle it up. Know of it. It is a constant threat, to your foes, and yourself. To your friends. To many powerful beings have fallen simply because they let that power go unchecked. It is iron, unrelenting. But it must be tempered."
Taking a step forward Arthur would say as he returned to a more relaxed pose, "Now. Calm down. It would be a great shame if such a lovely glade was burned down don't you agree?"
Little Roux looked over her shoulder to see what he was talking about. Fire consumed several trees, each one a habitat for many creatures. She'd probaby just slain thousands of smaller souls for the simple purpose of practicing some of her power. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched the world burn before her. After a few seconds they returned to their normal amber shade before they closed, more tears dropping from them. The fires stopped expanding, then were put out naturally by the rain.
That wouldn't stop her from learning this art. She wouldn't go back to her old life. But she understood what he meant by a need to be tempered.
Little Roux sat on the ground, curling up into a small ball despite the mud being splattered by the falling raindrops. Placing her head onto her knees, more of the panacea flowed from the two ambers.
Arthur walked over to the girl. Kneeling down beside her, he said "I know. My introduction wasn't any better. At least you don't have to fight an oversized fireproof puppy though." Wick said as he laied one of his hand over the shoulders of Roux. "You know, I love the rain, but I'm starting to get sick of this mud, and I can't imagine that dress is very warming. Let's get you back home." Arthur said as he stood, encouraging for Roux to stand as well.
A minute passed. And another. Little Roux didn't move. As the third on passed though, she rose to her feet and started walking home, tears still falling from her downcast eyes and joining the growing puddles on the ground.
Arthur was wet, and tired, but also rather proud. He sat in his house, a simple little affair on the outskirts of the town. He had returned there after escorting Roux to her own home. Arthur sat in his chair, the good one. It was a nice chair, a leather rolling chair. Sadly it was a rolling chair, and very easily toppled over when Arthur leaned back too far. he had good balance, but spooky black spirits rising from the floorboards tend to counteract that.
While Arthur was righting himself and his chair the spirit, Livia's it made clear, passed Arthur a letter before returning to the ground below. Arthur sat himself again and tore open the piece of parchment before reading the paper within. It was a very formal request for his presence, which could only mean that Arthur had done something wrong. No doubt she knew what had happened half an hour prior, could Arthur do anything without someboby knowing? And he had just changed into these nice dry clothes, if only there was a way to get to the Headmistresses office without stepping into the rain. And after thinking about it for a moment, Arthur was gone.
Standing outside the door, he gave three solid knocks.
The door opened by itself, allowing Arthur access to her office. It looked the same as it always did. Except for the chair that was sitting in front of her desk. As soon as Arthur would enter, the door would firmly shut behind him, likely the work of more of her watcher spirits. Livia herself, was sitting behind her desk reading a book about ancient Norse culture. Likely about something Sorcha had recommended.
“Ah, Arthur. Glad you could make it in such a timely fashion.” She greeted him with a friendly tone. “Take a seat, if you don’t mind.”
Arthur walked up to the desk and sat himself down in the chair. It was a rather nice chair all considering, not as good as the one Arthur had been relaxing in a few minutes prior but perhaps that was just the atmosphere. "How's your day going?" Arthur asked almost jokingly.
“Well, it was going wonderful.” Livia replied with a sigh. "Such a lovely day today, I think. A little rain is always good for people. I was dearly looking forward to it ending on a good note. Sorcha and I had just finished have a rather nice dinner with some very exquisite wine she had been saving.” She closed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair to get comfortable. “Really, I was hoping to end it on a high note. But…well…what do you know. One of my darling little spirits alerted me that you were doing something to my little roux.”
She opened an eye, and suddenly the room would seem to grow colder for Arthur.
“Tell me…what was your intention? Telling a frightened girl like her that anger and rage is a good thing. Are you completely out of your mind? Or did you drown it with so much alcohol before you cleaned your life up that you can’t think of the long term ramifications of your actions?” Her voice was calm and even, but sharp as an ice pick. It was easy to tell she wasn't pleased.
Well, Arthur couldn't say he didn't know this was coming. Then again, Arthur has been teaching at this school for nearly a decade now, how could the headmistress not already have at least a basic understanding of his teaching methods?
Regardless, "My intention. A wonderful question. My intentions were to spark a fire. If I may ask a question in return headmistress? How do you build a fire?"
“Oh? You start a fire with a match if I’ve been doing it right all these years.” She coolly replied. “I am well aware of your method of teaching fire. Using anger to create a spark. It is not something I approve of, but it has worked well so far and I have no place to comment on someone’s path to their own power even if I have seen a much better method for Pyromancy.” She continued, closing her one eye again with a sigh. “That, is not why you are currently sitting before me on the verge of losing your job. Perhaps you’d like to take a guess as to the actual reason?”
"Is it because that cake was so good last week that you'd like to make a large order?" Arthur said without thought.
Livia simply frowned.
“People in your precarious position do not get to make jokes, Mr. Wick” She emphasized his last name with a harsh tone. In all her years of knowing him, this was probably the first time she actually used his last name.
Arthur simply smiled.
"I find that people in my postion should make jokes more often, Lady Fiore." He replied. "Of course, I do value my job, and have clearly shown that I'm not good at guessing games. I would like to know why exactly I'm sitting here madam."
Livia fixed him with a cool, still clearly displeased gaze as she leaned forward in her seat, resting a hand on her desk as she ignored his obviously antagonistic comment.
“Among other things, you do not think about the long term ramifications of your actions. That is the reason you are currently sitting here.”
Arthur, in turn, leaned back in his seat. Casually, he said, "And what are those ramifications? If you think that I'm going to let little red become an inferno of pent up anger then perhaps you need to spy on more then just the first lesson madam."
“So you did think about it, and you did it anyways. You even told her she’s a powerful creature that was revered as a goddess at the same exact time.” Her voice took a slightly dangerous tone as she spoke. “That’s not helping your situation, Mr. Wick. Tell me…what do you think a frightened child who has been abused most of her life could do if she’s told she’s something people consider a powerful goddess on the same day she’s told anger is a good thing, hmm?”
Arthur took a moment to think before saying, "A lot of things. Burn down buildings, perhaps even cities. Maybe even give some militaries a run for their money if she's a quick learner. That's why I'm going to watch her, and train her. Because anger can be a good thing. Kept in check."
“Anger,” Livia’s voice was low. “Is never a good thing, Mr. Wick. It does nothing more than blind a person. A fire started with such emotions burns hot, but it will inevitably burn everything, even the user itself and their comrades no matter how good they are.” She fixed him with a cold gaze. “Have you ever thought, that the reason your comrades died to the dragon, was because of you and your weak flames fueled by such a petty emotion?”
Arthur sat there, quiet. Deathly so. In fact, his inner voice pointed out that it had been years since he was so quiet. He mentally told that voice to be quiet, because of course commenting on it ruined the quietness.
"You should know how much I would enjoy burning this office to the ground. I wouldn't stop afterwards. I would proceed to burn every single thing I came across until there was nothing left."
A deep sigh.
"Perhaps if I had not known Ethan I would do that. But I know what happens when you act with nothing but anger in your soul. I know too well what happens when someone gets angry."
If Arthur had actually attempted to burn her office, she’d have killed him before he could have even taken a step. Or Gall would have, the moment he sensed danger at all. However, instead she simply sighed and leaned back in her seat, resting her arms on the armrests.
“Then why do you insist on using it? Pyromancy is tied very closely to ones emotions. There are other emotions one could use to fuel it. To…ignite it. And if you do not believe me, then I can only assume you drowned your brain too much with alcohol to consider or think about.” She sighed again, shaking her head. This was pointless and getting them nowhere.
“At any rate,” She began her voice returning from its cold tone to a more neutral one. “Because of your insolent behavior, you are no longer permitted to be alone with my little roux. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Wick? I will be present at any more training sessions, and you will discuss everything you will be telling or teaching her beforehand. And if I find out that you have disobeyed me in any way…” The door to her office creaked open, making it obvious that she was done discussing this.
“You’ll lose more than just your job. Do I make myself clear?”
Arthur weighed his options. Standing, he walking over to the door, holding it open to step out. But not before turning his head back towards Livia, "So she's your little Roux now? That's an interesting train of thought." And before anything more could be said Arthur stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Livia simply frowned, a small snarl actually forming on her lips as he left. She truly did have such high hopes for him. She actually in fact sort of liked him, and now he had gone and blew it. Livia stood, and poured herself a glass of wine as she walked over to a bookshelf and removed a book from it. If anyone else were to attempt to come in, they would find the door locked and completely immobile. From now until Arthur retired, he’d be constantly watched by one of her spirits.
There was no way he was getting around that.
Someone eventually came by the front of the two story house and removed the chairs that had been stacked in the lawn. A week had passed since her arrival, and despite the trauma she'd experienced the teenager was starting to become a bit more trusting her new keepers. Somewhere in the back of her mind though was still asking what the two had to gain from this.
Still though, the small two story house was certainly large enough for little Roux to be able to enjoy reading a book about the crusades on her bed, so her eyes were glued to the pages as the soft tapping of rain bounced off the window.
Arthur stood at the door to the house, rain plattering down gently on his hat. It was a mild rain, though he knew it would only get stronger. Arthur really had wished he had gotten the chance to come by sooner, but with classes he only had so much time to spend. With a deep sigh, he knocked on the door, three quick strikes to hopefully alert Roux of his presence. Engrossed in her book, of course the red haired girl didn't notice the knocking from outside.
Arthur stood there, waiting. Well, seems the girl didn't hear. Arthur walked around the house, until he reached a window. Staring intently through the window, luckily the curtains were open, and after staring into the window soon Arthur was gone, teleported through and into the room. May not have been a key, but at least it worked.
Arthur sized up the room, rather curious that something that was more or less a closet would have a window, but then again Arthur wasn't an architect. Could be if he wanted to, but he wasn't. Regardless he would step out of the room, and slowly, quietly sneak upstairs. The pyromancer was soon standing at the door to what could only be the bedroom. The door slid open soundlessly, and Arthur looked in to see Roux, laying on the bed reading.
At least she was reading, it's always good to read, Arthur thought as he watched, leaning against the doorframe. He didn't bother to make any noise, to let the girl know he was there. Arthur just stood there quietly, watching. After about a minute of standing however Arthur grew bored of standing, "Lovely weather eh?"
Despite the adequete warning, the red headed girl seemed to jump slightly as she was startled. After a few moments of looking outside, the girl nodded slightly before closing her book and placing it back down on the bed.
Figuring he hadn't just come here to talk, Roux removed herself from the bed and walked up to a few feet away from Sir Wick, Amber eyes examining the floorboards as she wondered what she would be doing today. If they wanted to go somewhere, the girl was happy she had her own custom made dress for the job.
"Nothing to say? Please, no need to be shy, you'll find I'm quite the good conversationalist. Regardless, we are going to be going out in that weather, I'd suggest dressing into something else, unless your content with getting that dress wet." Arthur said, stroking his beard really quick while adding, "I'll be waiting outside. Come join me when you're ready." The man would then turn, closing the door behind him before exiting the building.
Still not entirely sure of what was going on, the fourteen year old looked down at her dress. It had been constructed for use in this sort of situation, and despite it's appearence it was constructed of rather strong and durable fabric.
There was always a time to put things to the test. She drank a little water from her windowstand, and after a few moments decided to run down the stairway out into the rain, meeting with her savior.
Arthur was a few feet past the door, and looked back over his shoulder towards it when he heard it open. "Come along, I've got something fun planned for today." Arthur would then start walking, before slowly picking up pace, until he was jogging rather quickly through the rain, which while still mild, had indeed gotten stronger. Lighter footsteps followed behind, running after the man with longer legs.
The two ran, Arthur leading them farther and farther away from the school grounds, before long they were in the wilderness of the mountains, running along paths that clung against the stone, up and down rain slick stairs carved into the ground, over flimsy wooden bridges.
Arthur stopped. The two of them stood in the middle of a clearing, about twenty feet across. The grass was short, blackened already as if it was burned before and often. The trees that guarded the clearing were tall, though not so much so that one couldn't see the imposing peaks of the mountains nearby.
"I love that little jog. And such a nice clearing. I come out here every weekend, just to let loose. But today, today is a special case." Arthur said, "Want to know why little red?"
The little girl was too busy catching her breath to be ready to respond when she was asked that question. Despite her natural fitness, a run of a few miles was a draining experience for her. Although she was curious about why they were out here, so she managed to nod slightly towards Sir Wick as she gasped for air. Looking around, she noticed they were in a small clearing within the woods.
Arthur was clearly giddy, he was practiacally jumping up and down. "I love this weather!" He shouted towards the heavens, before composing himself. "But yes. We are here for a reason. I have a question for you. What are you? I'm sure you know humans don't shed all healing tears. Your a bright enough girl to know that." Arthur asked.
She was sure that this man was crazy. They were both splattered in mud, and the teenager was still trying to bring some air back into her lungs. Her legs burned from the longest run she'd ever done in her life. And he ENJOYED this.
It took her a minute, but eventually she gathered enough breath to be able to manage some sort of response. "... I ... I don't know ..." She honestly didn't know. Was there a reason to drag her out here for several miles to tell her this though?
Arthur stood there, letting the rain come down for a moment before replying, "You're a bird." The girl blinked several times. Then for the first time in her life, she let out a small laugh as she had difficulty processing his claim.
"I'm telling the truth though. Your a bird. You've spent all your time reading in that house haven't you? Have you come across the tale of the phoenix?" Arthur mused, a smile still upon his face.
After a few seconds of thinking, she nodded. She'd heard of the legendary beast: a powerful reincarnating flaming bird of such majesty some confused it for God. Tears of healing ... As her thought came across that line, she looked up at him. She had guesses about where this was going.
"You're a bird little red. A bird with the power of fire itself within you. If you'd like, I could help you wake up some of that power." Arthur said.
The one called little red looked up with amber eyes into his, thinking about his offer. She was still a little stunned about his claim, but the Phoenix realized it made sense. She thought about her time in the manor, where her old keeper bruised her every day. If she had power, would that have been able to happen? She couldn't bring herself to hate the old man despite what he'd done to her ... but ...
A quick nod towards Arthur indicated her decision.
Arthur nodded in turn, "Good. Good. Now, you tired after that run here right?" She nodded in response, although her breathing had slowed down a little. "Good. Now, shout. scream, yell. Express your anger, kindle your fury! Show the sky and earth how mad you are! Come on, scream!" Arthur shouted, demanding anger from the girl standing in front of him.
The red haired girl jumped away from the sudden shouting, cowering slightly from the loud and deep voice. She had to strongly resist the urge to run away and curl up into a ball somewhere. The lady keeper had told her not to let her fears own her, so Little Red let out all the anger she could muster. "... chirp ...?" If she was a bird, maybe acting like one would help?
Arthur was about to shout again, to help this girl get angry. But then again... she chirped. Arthur stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. "You've spent... your entire life hidden away. Treated like an animal, harvested for tears... Beaten, bloodied... and all you can do is chirp? Arthur stood there a moment longer, before finsihing, "You know, if I was in your postion, I would be screaming loud enough for the people across the entire mountain to hear me."
Arthur sighed before saying, "Just... scream louder. Please be angry, it'd really help get us started."
The girl looked down as she was chastised for failing to be angry, idly kicking a small nearby rock to see if that would satisfy Sir Wick's desire for rage. To make it a bit more convincing, she mustered a bit more courage and let out a slightly louder "... Chirp ..."
Arthur grinned, "If your going to chirp, I suggest you do so louder. I think your giving birds a bad name with that weak impression. Come on, your on the right track!" Arthur said, nearly shouting at the end of it again. She took another step back as he raised his voice.
As the rain poured down onto the back of her head, the teenager found herself become a bit more frustrated with Sir Wicks requests. What was up with this guy? Why did he keep on shouting at her to become angry. She kicked two more small stones with a bit more force unconciously.
Arthur's grin widened. Sure, Roux stepped back, but she was also still kicking rocks. She could get angry. He just needed the right trigger. Shame he didn't know her better, he'll have to improvise. "Come on, don't step away! If you run here, if you run now, then your running right back into that life you had a week ago, do you want that?! Do you want to be a slave!?!" Arthur shouted as the rain started pouring even harder.
The girl's eyes went downcast, but she obediently didn't judge from where she stood. He asked if she wanted to be a slave. The fourteen year old didn't hate that life just a week ago, did she? Then why did it seem like so long ago? Why did she prefer these keepers so much more, despite the instructions they gave her? Small fists clenched, amber eyes were covered by their lids. A few tears started falling from them, her old life conflicting with her new one.
In a way, her old life had been safer. Inside constantly, the young girl didn't have to worry about some crazy man dragging her off into the forest to scream at things. Sure she was injured, but no one was around there would really kill her. She'd been a reasource to them, so they wouldn't toss her out. Her new keepers refused any motivation like that, meaning their current kindness was on a whim.
Still though. This was her first time experiencing the rain. It was cold, sending a shiver up her spine. But it was new. So were the clothes that she'd been shopping for with Livia. And she wasn't treated like an animal, any bruises or aches she had being her own fault. They even believed she deserved a name, and granted her the identity of Roux until she chose one for herself.
And she'd probably saved the life of Le Clothe's child. That was worth something.
She raised her head, eyes opening briefly to a new shade of gold. "No." It was spoken firmly with divine conviction, if not stated loudly. The trees that'd she'd been backing towards before responded however, embers flying for a few moments before suddenly bursting into flame.
"Good. You feel that? That fire in you? That rage with threatens to flow forth and set this world to tinder?" Arthur would straighten his form, stand almost like a soldier in some army before saying, "Bottle it up. Know of it. It is a constant threat, to your foes, and yourself. To your friends. To many powerful beings have fallen simply because they let that power go unchecked. It is iron, unrelenting. But it must be tempered."
Taking a step forward Arthur would say as he returned to a more relaxed pose, "Now. Calm down. It would be a great shame if such a lovely glade was burned down don't you agree?"
Little Roux looked over her shoulder to see what he was talking about. Fire consumed several trees, each one a habitat for many creatures. She'd probaby just slain thousands of smaller souls for the simple purpose of practicing some of her power. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched the world burn before her. After a few seconds they returned to their normal amber shade before they closed, more tears dropping from them. The fires stopped expanding, then were put out naturally by the rain.
That wouldn't stop her from learning this art. She wouldn't go back to her old life. But she understood what he meant by a need to be tempered.
Little Roux sat on the ground, curling up into a small ball despite the mud being splattered by the falling raindrops. Placing her head onto her knees, more of the panacea flowed from the two ambers.
Arthur walked over to the girl. Kneeling down beside her, he said "I know. My introduction wasn't any better. At least you don't have to fight an oversized fireproof puppy though." Wick said as he laied one of his hand over the shoulders of Roux. "You know, I love the rain, but I'm starting to get sick of this mud, and I can't imagine that dress is very warming. Let's get you back home." Arthur said as he stood, encouraging for Roux to stand as well.
A minute passed. And another. Little Roux didn't move. As the third on passed though, she rose to her feet and started walking home, tears still falling from her downcast eyes and joining the growing puddles on the ground.
Arthur was wet, and tired, but also rather proud. He sat in his house, a simple little affair on the outskirts of the town. He had returned there after escorting Roux to her own home. Arthur sat in his chair, the good one. It was a nice chair, a leather rolling chair. Sadly it was a rolling chair, and very easily toppled over when Arthur leaned back too far. he had good balance, but spooky black spirits rising from the floorboards tend to counteract that.
While Arthur was righting himself and his chair the spirit, Livia's it made clear, passed Arthur a letter before returning to the ground below. Arthur sat himself again and tore open the piece of parchment before reading the paper within. It was a very formal request for his presence, which could only mean that Arthur had done something wrong. No doubt she knew what had happened half an hour prior, could Arthur do anything without someboby knowing? And he had just changed into these nice dry clothes, if only there was a way to get to the Headmistresses office without stepping into the rain. And after thinking about it for a moment, Arthur was gone.
Standing outside the door, he gave three solid knocks.
The door opened by itself, allowing Arthur access to her office. It looked the same as it always did. Except for the chair that was sitting in front of her desk. As soon as Arthur would enter, the door would firmly shut behind him, likely the work of more of her watcher spirits. Livia herself, was sitting behind her desk reading a book about ancient Norse culture. Likely about something Sorcha had recommended.
“Ah, Arthur. Glad you could make it in such a timely fashion.” She greeted him with a friendly tone. “Take a seat, if you don’t mind.”
Arthur walked up to the desk and sat himself down in the chair. It was a rather nice chair all considering, not as good as the one Arthur had been relaxing in a few minutes prior but perhaps that was just the atmosphere. "How's your day going?" Arthur asked almost jokingly.
“Well, it was going wonderful.” Livia replied with a sigh. "Such a lovely day today, I think. A little rain is always good for people. I was dearly looking forward to it ending on a good note. Sorcha and I had just finished have a rather nice dinner with some very exquisite wine she had been saving.” She closed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair to get comfortable. “Really, I was hoping to end it on a high note. But…well…what do you know. One of my darling little spirits alerted me that you were doing something to my little roux.”
She opened an eye, and suddenly the room would seem to grow colder for Arthur.
“Tell me…what was your intention? Telling a frightened girl like her that anger and rage is a good thing. Are you completely out of your mind? Or did you drown it with so much alcohol before you cleaned your life up that you can’t think of the long term ramifications of your actions?” Her voice was calm and even, but sharp as an ice pick. It was easy to tell she wasn't pleased.
Well, Arthur couldn't say he didn't know this was coming. Then again, Arthur has been teaching at this school for nearly a decade now, how could the headmistress not already have at least a basic understanding of his teaching methods?
Regardless, "My intention. A wonderful question. My intentions were to spark a fire. If I may ask a question in return headmistress? How do you build a fire?"
“Oh? You start a fire with a match if I’ve been doing it right all these years.” She coolly replied. “I am well aware of your method of teaching fire. Using anger to create a spark. It is not something I approve of, but it has worked well so far and I have no place to comment on someone’s path to their own power even if I have seen a much better method for Pyromancy.” She continued, closing her one eye again with a sigh. “That, is not why you are currently sitting before me on the verge of losing your job. Perhaps you’d like to take a guess as to the actual reason?”
"Is it because that cake was so good last week that you'd like to make a large order?" Arthur said without thought.
Livia simply frowned.
“People in your precarious position do not get to make jokes, Mr. Wick” She emphasized his last name with a harsh tone. In all her years of knowing him, this was probably the first time she actually used his last name.
Arthur simply smiled.
"I find that people in my postion should make jokes more often, Lady Fiore." He replied. "Of course, I do value my job, and have clearly shown that I'm not good at guessing games. I would like to know why exactly I'm sitting here madam."
Livia fixed him with a cool, still clearly displeased gaze as she leaned forward in her seat, resting a hand on her desk as she ignored his obviously antagonistic comment.
“Among other things, you do not think about the long term ramifications of your actions. That is the reason you are currently sitting here.”
Arthur, in turn, leaned back in his seat. Casually, he said, "And what are those ramifications? If you think that I'm going to let little red become an inferno of pent up anger then perhaps you need to spy on more then just the first lesson madam."
“So you did think about it, and you did it anyways. You even told her she’s a powerful creature that was revered as a goddess at the same exact time.” Her voice took a slightly dangerous tone as she spoke. “That’s not helping your situation, Mr. Wick. Tell me…what do you think a frightened child who has been abused most of her life could do if she’s told she’s something people consider a powerful goddess on the same day she’s told anger is a good thing, hmm?”
Arthur took a moment to think before saying, "A lot of things. Burn down buildings, perhaps even cities. Maybe even give some militaries a run for their money if she's a quick learner. That's why I'm going to watch her, and train her. Because anger can be a good thing. Kept in check."
“Anger,” Livia’s voice was low. “Is never a good thing, Mr. Wick. It does nothing more than blind a person. A fire started with such emotions burns hot, but it will inevitably burn everything, even the user itself and their comrades no matter how good they are.” She fixed him with a cold gaze. “Have you ever thought, that the reason your comrades died to the dragon, was because of you and your weak flames fueled by such a petty emotion?”
Arthur sat there, quiet. Deathly so. In fact, his inner voice pointed out that it had been years since he was so quiet. He mentally told that voice to be quiet, because of course commenting on it ruined the quietness.
"You should know how much I would enjoy burning this office to the ground. I wouldn't stop afterwards. I would proceed to burn every single thing I came across until there was nothing left."
A deep sigh.
"Perhaps if I had not known Ethan I would do that. But I know what happens when you act with nothing but anger in your soul. I know too well what happens when someone gets angry."
If Arthur had actually attempted to burn her office, she’d have killed him before he could have even taken a step. Or Gall would have, the moment he sensed danger at all. However, instead she simply sighed and leaned back in her seat, resting her arms on the armrests.
“Then why do you insist on using it? Pyromancy is tied very closely to ones emotions. There are other emotions one could use to fuel it. To…ignite it. And if you do not believe me, then I can only assume you drowned your brain too much with alcohol to consider or think about.” She sighed again, shaking her head. This was pointless and getting them nowhere.
“At any rate,” She began her voice returning from its cold tone to a more neutral one. “Because of your insolent behavior, you are no longer permitted to be alone with my little roux. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Wick? I will be present at any more training sessions, and you will discuss everything you will be telling or teaching her beforehand. And if I find out that you have disobeyed me in any way…” The door to her office creaked open, making it obvious that she was done discussing this.
“You’ll lose more than just your job. Do I make myself clear?”
Arthur weighed his options. Standing, he walking over to the door, holding it open to step out. But not before turning his head back towards Livia, "So she's your little Roux now? That's an interesting train of thought." And before anything more could be said Arthur stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Livia simply frowned, a small snarl actually forming on her lips as he left. She truly did have such high hopes for him. She actually in fact sort of liked him, and now he had gone and blew it. Livia stood, and poured herself a glass of wine as she walked over to a bookshelf and removed a book from it. If anyone else were to attempt to come in, they would find the door locked and completely immobile. From now until Arthur retired, he’d be constantly watched by one of her spirits.
There was no way he was getting around that.
Fire. Flames consumed life around the red headed woman. And she smiled.
The one known as little Roux saw fire in her hand. With the power to consume everything.
It took her a moment, but she realized that she was laying down in her bed, bedsheets alight with a small fire.
After a little panic, the teenager managed to put out the small fire with the assistance of a glass of water placed on her bedside. After that fiasco was finished, she curled up into a ball, shivers running through her body. Simply a bad dream?
But this one had been coherent. And very real. It wasn't random splotches of visuals, but rather a single countinous stream of time. She'd been killing people, raiding a small village out in some desert land.
And enjoying it. She didn't know how, but she somehow knew it was out of an act of petty vengeance, over something that today she would consider trivial.
Arthur's words ran through her head ... these probably weren't simple dreams. Were they memories? All of her dreams probably were, if that was the case. And that terrified her. She remained curled up for about an hour, a large pillow between herself and her knees as tears rolled down her eyes.
Eventually she ended up on the doorstep to the headmistresses house. After being here for over half a month, she'd realized where the place was.
Arms wrapped tightly around a pillow and wearing a lightweight simple short dress for pajamas, the red headed teenager found herself on the doorstep of Livia's house, unsure whether or not to knock.
It took her ten minutes of standing there in the cold, but eventually a small fist tapped the door harmlessly.
Livia was currently sitting in her room, laying in her bed reading a rather interesting book about some Native American mythology. Something about some ice creature called a windigo. A legend she had read many times, but reading about such things never really got boring for her. Beside her bed, was a table, on it sat an empty bottle of wine and a lamp that illuminated the room.
Honestly, she had probably drunk just a little too much, but well, even she had to decompress sometimes. Really a bad idea since she should still be keeping a close eye on Arthur, but after that days’ work she was feeling it. Ugh, dealing with the board and getting them to be reasonable about the funds for next year, events, not to mention Sorcha complaining about her slowly dwindling horde of treasure.
That was a usual between the two of them of course, but today it just seemed more annoying than usual. Ah…she could use a vacation. Or at least some sleep. Sleep was good.
And she was about to as well, until one of her spirits alerted her to someone standing outside of her door, followed by an almost inaudible knock. For the love of…who was visiting her this late. She wasn’t even properly dressed!
Well, whatever, she had better go see who it was.
She made her way to the door quickly, and was a little more than surprised to find little Roux standing there, tightly holding a pillow in her arms and dressed in an adorable little white dress, similar to the one she was wearing.
Well, at least the child had good taste.
“Ah…Roux, what are you doing here?” She asked, obviously a little tired. “Ah…never mind that come in, come in. You’ll catch a cold out there.” She replied, ushering the girl into the house.
After a few moments, the girl followed her keeper inside. After closing the door behind them, Livia lead the little Roux to the living room. It was a fairly well decorated, featuring large amounts of purple.
As they entered, the red haired girl pointedly avoided any of the chairs and stood up, holding the pillow tighter. "... Keeper ..." She tried not to, but a few tears started to fall from her downcast amber eyes as she looked into the carpet, forming small splotches on the pillow.
Well, this was certainly not what she had expected. She was too tired to really want to deal with this, but…she couldn’t just leave the poor girl there, crying.
“Oh, Roux…” She knelt down to the childs level, giving her a friendly, but somewhat tired smile. “What is the matter, dear?” She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Roux recoiled slightly from the touch. A broken, quiet voice responded to her question."... do dreams ..." With Livia down to her own level, she found it easier to look her in the eyes. "... feel so real ...?" Now that she was looking at the teacher, bags beneath her eyes would reveal that she hadn't slept for quite some time.
Livia didn’t remove her hand from the girl, even though she recoiled slightly. She could understand why the girl was afraid of being touched, but that was something she was going to have to grow out of. The question that followed after, however, was a bit of a cause for concern. Damn it Arthur…telling her she was a phoenix and how to control her fire before she was mentally able to handle it…
For now though, the poor dear looked like she hadn’t slept in a while…she should do something….hrm…tea was no good…so maybe something…Well…what kid didn’t love sweets? She had some…chocolate or something around here, didn’t she?
“Hm…depends. Sometimes dreams can feel very really, but…Your dreams are special, Roux.” She gently replied, giving her a small smile, not commenting on the bags under the child’s eyes. "Can you sit on the couch for me? I am going to get you a little...treat. I will only be a moment then we can talk.”
The young teenager nodded slightly as the woman spoke, listening carefully. The girl was glad that she didn't have to ask about the problem and that her keeper was willing to explain it. A few seconds later she was on the couch, leaning into the pillow she was hugging lightly as she waited for the headmistress to return.
Livia wasn’t gone long. From another room, the sound of various dishes and other things could be heard being moved as Livia moved about. A few moments later, she returned. In one hand was a saucer looked like what remained of a cake. In the other, was a tea cup filled with something that was supposed to help people relax.
Well, it always helped her relax anyways.
She took a seat a little ways away from roux, handing her the cake in the process, and setting the tea on a coffee table in front of it. The little roux seemed to look at the cake with a bit of confusion, tilting her head in the process.
“Go on, eat. It’s delicious~”
Roux set the small platter on top of a flattened pillow, looking again at Livia for confirmation before grabbing a slice and eating the fluffy center first and moving out towards choclate icing on the outside. It was a little messy. A small smile spread across her face, and after licking her lips to pick up the extra icing that remained there she took a sip of the herbal tea before setting it down.
Livia wasn't wrong about it calming her down. The combination of the herbs and the choclate did work as a relaxing agent, some of the panic and terror leaving the girl's eyes and the tears stopped completely. The Pheonix's eyes raised slightly as she waited for Livia to explain.
Livia was quiet while the redhead ate. She was trying to think of how to word this delicately. Unlike Arthur who just blundered into things without a plan or tact, she liked to think she was better at explaining things. That, and being half asleep at the moment wasn’t making this easy so she was trying to make her brain work.
“Hmm…Arthur has already told you…what you are, hmm? The phoenix of legend.” She replied quietly. “I wish Arthur would have consulted me before telling you, it would have made this so much easier…” she mumbled, shaking her head. Being slightly intoxicated was making her chatty. “But that does not concern you, Roux. At any rate…as I said, your dreams are special. Or…at least they’re not dreams at all.” She had no proof really, but it was only a logical conclusion to come too.
“Probably memories of your past lives….chances are they will be both good, and…those which are unpleasant. You…saw something unpleasant, did you?” It was another logical conclusion to come too. Why else would she have found her way to her house, crying on her door step this late at night?
Roux became a bit more downtrodden as Livia countinued to explain what was going on. So her suspicions were confirmed then. The horror that the tea removed had returned, but worse. Wide amber eyes looked at the table in front of her. "... Old keeper ..." a few seconds passed as the red haired teenager tried to pick up the cup of herbal tea, but her hand shook and she only knocked it to the floor. Luckily, it was empty enough that it didn't spill out.
"... said I was a monster ... he wasn't wrong, was he ...?"
Goddamn it Arthur, this was exactly the thing she wanted to avoid until the girl was more stable! She had to refrain from pressing a hand against her forehead in frustration and mild annoyance. If she didn’t know, she could have just passed the dreams off as exactly that, until the girl asked, or until she was well enough to handle it!
“Roux,” Livia replied gently, placing a hand on the girls.“I cannot say for all of your past lives, but I cannot lie either…beings who have lived as long as you, are bound to have done something that could be called bad by some.” She released the girls hand, and placed another gentle, but firm hand on her shoulder again as she gave the girl a small smile.
“But let me tell you, Little Roux. You, are nothing like your previous lives. You, are you. Whoever you want to be. From what I’ve seen, you are a wonderful person who cares about others. Saved the life of someone you’ve never even met without any obvious benefit to yourself. Tell me Roux, does that sound like something a monster would do?”
Roux tried to listen calmly as Livia answered her question. Tried. Her eyes remained large, her body seemed to shake from some unseeable cold. The last part of her explanation calmed the teenager down a little, but not a lot. The redhead shook her head in response, pulling her legs up off the floor and curling up again. She pressed one side of her head into the pillow, allowing the other half of her face to look in Livia's direction.
That explanation couldn’t have been easy.
But Livia was never one to lie, no matter how comforting or how preferable one would be.
Livia quietly moved closer to Roux. She wasn’t really one much for hugs or other forms of affection like that, but…well, sometimes that was all someone needed to be cheered up just a bit.
Livia placed a comforting hand on the girls head.
“I know, that’s not an easy thing to hear, Little Roux.” She softly replied. “But I will say again…you are not your past lives, and you are not a monster. Now…” What time was it? It certainly seemed late. She’d probably need to get some sleep if she wanted to wake up on time. There was an important meeting she had to deal with tomorrow with some nobles or something. Not to mention the girl looked like she could use some actual, much needed sleep.
“If you are up for it…you can sleep here tonight, if you want. My bed is rather comfortable, and it can certainly fit both of us.”
The little Roux remained curled up, shaking her head no in response. While this keeper was kind to her, she didn't feel that comfortable with Livia. But the redhead did speak something quietly in appreciation for the information. "... Thanks ..." A bit of time passed as the girl seemed to wait to say something else. "... you're a nice keeper ..." The red head's eye looked towards the front door, wondering if she should leave the house.
Livia couldn’t help but to laugh softly.
“Well, that’s fine if you don’t want too.” She replied, giving the redhead a smile. “I’m not going to drag you up there with me.”
With that, she stood, giving Roux a light pat on her shoulder as she did so.
“Please, I think it would be best if you stayed here tonight, though. I do not have a second bed, but I wouldn’t mind sleeping on the couch – wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done it. I still sometimes fall asleep sitting in the chair in my office if I’m really involved in my work. Gall still scolds me for it to no end. He’s quite the worrying little bonehead sometimes.” Yeah, okay, the alcohol was still making her chatty again. She cleared her throat, before continuing.
“But…yes. And please, Roux…call me Livia. I am not your keeper…if you wanted to, you could even call me-” Woah, okay, bad alcohol. Bad. Bad bad bad. Stop right there. “At any rate, you can sleep here if you want.”
Roux nodded a slightly, laying her pillow against one of the armrests and leaning her head against it, closing her tired eyes. She wasn't trying to be her keeper? Then who was she? Why did she care so much? Should she ask them? Gradually she calmed down, breathing slowing a little bit at a time. Did it really matter? It was hard to tell if she had drifted off or not when she spoke the next words with some level of fondness.
"... Sorchy Sparky ..."
…Sorchy…Sparky? What an odd name. She had to wonder if that was what Roux was calling her. Meh. She was tired and slightly drunk, so she’d think about it later. For now, she got up, and got some blankets from her room. She brought them back down and covered the redhead with them, before finally getting to bed herself.
The one known as little Roux saw fire in her hand. With the power to consume everything.
It took her a moment, but she realized that she was laying down in her bed, bedsheets alight with a small fire.
After a little panic, the teenager managed to put out the small fire with the assistance of a glass of water placed on her bedside. After that fiasco was finished, she curled up into a ball, shivers running through her body. Simply a bad dream?
But this one had been coherent. And very real. It wasn't random splotches of visuals, but rather a single countinous stream of time. She'd been killing people, raiding a small village out in some desert land.
And enjoying it. She didn't know how, but she somehow knew it was out of an act of petty vengeance, over something that today she would consider trivial.
Arthur's words ran through her head ... these probably weren't simple dreams. Were they memories? All of her dreams probably were, if that was the case. And that terrified her. She remained curled up for about an hour, a large pillow between herself and her knees as tears rolled down her eyes.
Eventually she ended up on the doorstep to the headmistresses house. After being here for over half a month, she'd realized where the place was.
Arms wrapped tightly around a pillow and wearing a lightweight simple short dress for pajamas, the red headed teenager found herself on the doorstep of Livia's house, unsure whether or not to knock.
It took her ten minutes of standing there in the cold, but eventually a small fist tapped the door harmlessly.
Livia was currently sitting in her room, laying in her bed reading a rather interesting book about some Native American mythology. Something about some ice creature called a windigo. A legend she had read many times, but reading about such things never really got boring for her. Beside her bed, was a table, on it sat an empty bottle of wine and a lamp that illuminated the room.
Honestly, she had probably drunk just a little too much, but well, even she had to decompress sometimes. Really a bad idea since she should still be keeping a close eye on Arthur, but after that days’ work she was feeling it. Ugh, dealing with the board and getting them to be reasonable about the funds for next year, events, not to mention Sorcha complaining about her slowly dwindling horde of treasure.
That was a usual between the two of them of course, but today it just seemed more annoying than usual. Ah…she could use a vacation. Or at least some sleep. Sleep was good.
And she was about to as well, until one of her spirits alerted her to someone standing outside of her door, followed by an almost inaudible knock. For the love of…who was visiting her this late. She wasn’t even properly dressed!
Well, whatever, she had better go see who it was.
She made her way to the door quickly, and was a little more than surprised to find little Roux standing there, tightly holding a pillow in her arms and dressed in an adorable little white dress, similar to the one she was wearing.
Well, at least the child had good taste.
“Ah…Roux, what are you doing here?” She asked, obviously a little tired. “Ah…never mind that come in, come in. You’ll catch a cold out there.” She replied, ushering the girl into the house.
After a few moments, the girl followed her keeper inside. After closing the door behind them, Livia lead the little Roux to the living room. It was a fairly well decorated, featuring large amounts of purple.
As they entered, the red haired girl pointedly avoided any of the chairs and stood up, holding the pillow tighter. "... Keeper ..." She tried not to, but a few tears started to fall from her downcast amber eyes as she looked into the carpet, forming small splotches on the pillow.
Well, this was certainly not what she had expected. She was too tired to really want to deal with this, but…she couldn’t just leave the poor girl there, crying.
“Oh, Roux…” She knelt down to the childs level, giving her a friendly, but somewhat tired smile. “What is the matter, dear?” She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Roux recoiled slightly from the touch. A broken, quiet voice responded to her question."... do dreams ..." With Livia down to her own level, she found it easier to look her in the eyes. "... feel so real ...?" Now that she was looking at the teacher, bags beneath her eyes would reveal that she hadn't slept for quite some time.
Livia didn’t remove her hand from the girl, even though she recoiled slightly. She could understand why the girl was afraid of being touched, but that was something she was going to have to grow out of. The question that followed after, however, was a bit of a cause for concern. Damn it Arthur…telling her she was a phoenix and how to control her fire before she was mentally able to handle it…
For now though, the poor dear looked like she hadn’t slept in a while…she should do something….hrm…tea was no good…so maybe something…Well…what kid didn’t love sweets? She had some…chocolate or something around here, didn’t she?
“Hm…depends. Sometimes dreams can feel very really, but…Your dreams are special, Roux.” She gently replied, giving her a small smile, not commenting on the bags under the child’s eyes. "Can you sit on the couch for me? I am going to get you a little...treat. I will only be a moment then we can talk.”
The young teenager nodded slightly as the woman spoke, listening carefully. The girl was glad that she didn't have to ask about the problem and that her keeper was willing to explain it. A few seconds later she was on the couch, leaning into the pillow she was hugging lightly as she waited for the headmistress to return.
Livia wasn’t gone long. From another room, the sound of various dishes and other things could be heard being moved as Livia moved about. A few moments later, she returned. In one hand was a saucer looked like what remained of a cake. In the other, was a tea cup filled with something that was supposed to help people relax.
Well, it always helped her relax anyways.
She took a seat a little ways away from roux, handing her the cake in the process, and setting the tea on a coffee table in front of it. The little roux seemed to look at the cake with a bit of confusion, tilting her head in the process.
“Go on, eat. It’s delicious~”
Roux set the small platter on top of a flattened pillow, looking again at Livia for confirmation before grabbing a slice and eating the fluffy center first and moving out towards choclate icing on the outside. It was a little messy. A small smile spread across her face, and after licking her lips to pick up the extra icing that remained there she took a sip of the herbal tea before setting it down.
Livia wasn't wrong about it calming her down. The combination of the herbs and the choclate did work as a relaxing agent, some of the panic and terror leaving the girl's eyes and the tears stopped completely. The Pheonix's eyes raised slightly as she waited for Livia to explain.
Livia was quiet while the redhead ate. She was trying to think of how to word this delicately. Unlike Arthur who just blundered into things without a plan or tact, she liked to think she was better at explaining things. That, and being half asleep at the moment wasn’t making this easy so she was trying to make her brain work.
“Hmm…Arthur has already told you…what you are, hmm? The phoenix of legend.” She replied quietly. “I wish Arthur would have consulted me before telling you, it would have made this so much easier…” she mumbled, shaking her head. Being slightly intoxicated was making her chatty. “But that does not concern you, Roux. At any rate…as I said, your dreams are special. Or…at least they’re not dreams at all.” She had no proof really, but it was only a logical conclusion to come too.
“Probably memories of your past lives….chances are they will be both good, and…those which are unpleasant. You…saw something unpleasant, did you?” It was another logical conclusion to come too. Why else would she have found her way to her house, crying on her door step this late at night?
Roux became a bit more downtrodden as Livia countinued to explain what was going on. So her suspicions were confirmed then. The horror that the tea removed had returned, but worse. Wide amber eyes looked at the table in front of her. "... Old keeper ..." a few seconds passed as the red haired teenager tried to pick up the cup of herbal tea, but her hand shook and she only knocked it to the floor. Luckily, it was empty enough that it didn't spill out.
"... said I was a monster ... he wasn't wrong, was he ...?"
Goddamn it Arthur, this was exactly the thing she wanted to avoid until the girl was more stable! She had to refrain from pressing a hand against her forehead in frustration and mild annoyance. If she didn’t know, she could have just passed the dreams off as exactly that, until the girl asked, or until she was well enough to handle it!
“Roux,” Livia replied gently, placing a hand on the girls.“I cannot say for all of your past lives, but I cannot lie either…beings who have lived as long as you, are bound to have done something that could be called bad by some.” She released the girls hand, and placed another gentle, but firm hand on her shoulder again as she gave the girl a small smile.
“But let me tell you, Little Roux. You, are nothing like your previous lives. You, are you. Whoever you want to be. From what I’ve seen, you are a wonderful person who cares about others. Saved the life of someone you’ve never even met without any obvious benefit to yourself. Tell me Roux, does that sound like something a monster would do?”
Roux tried to listen calmly as Livia answered her question. Tried. Her eyes remained large, her body seemed to shake from some unseeable cold. The last part of her explanation calmed the teenager down a little, but not a lot. The redhead shook her head in response, pulling her legs up off the floor and curling up again. She pressed one side of her head into the pillow, allowing the other half of her face to look in Livia's direction.
That explanation couldn’t have been easy.
But Livia was never one to lie, no matter how comforting or how preferable one would be.
Livia quietly moved closer to Roux. She wasn’t really one much for hugs or other forms of affection like that, but…well, sometimes that was all someone needed to be cheered up just a bit.
Livia placed a comforting hand on the girls head.
“I know, that’s not an easy thing to hear, Little Roux.” She softly replied. “But I will say again…you are not your past lives, and you are not a monster. Now…” What time was it? It certainly seemed late. She’d probably need to get some sleep if she wanted to wake up on time. There was an important meeting she had to deal with tomorrow with some nobles or something. Not to mention the girl looked like she could use some actual, much needed sleep.
“If you are up for it…you can sleep here tonight, if you want. My bed is rather comfortable, and it can certainly fit both of us.”
The little Roux remained curled up, shaking her head no in response. While this keeper was kind to her, she didn't feel that comfortable with Livia. But the redhead did speak something quietly in appreciation for the information. "... Thanks ..." A bit of time passed as the girl seemed to wait to say something else. "... you're a nice keeper ..." The red head's eye looked towards the front door, wondering if she should leave the house.
Livia couldn’t help but to laugh softly.
“Well, that’s fine if you don’t want too.” She replied, giving the redhead a smile. “I’m not going to drag you up there with me.”
With that, she stood, giving Roux a light pat on her shoulder as she did so.
“Please, I think it would be best if you stayed here tonight, though. I do not have a second bed, but I wouldn’t mind sleeping on the couch – wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done it. I still sometimes fall asleep sitting in the chair in my office if I’m really involved in my work. Gall still scolds me for it to no end. He’s quite the worrying little bonehead sometimes.” Yeah, okay, the alcohol was still making her chatty again. She cleared her throat, before continuing.
“But…yes. And please, Roux…call me Livia. I am not your keeper…if you wanted to, you could even call me-” Woah, okay, bad alcohol. Bad. Bad bad bad. Stop right there. “At any rate, you can sleep here if you want.”
Roux nodded a slightly, laying her pillow against one of the armrests and leaning her head against it, closing her tired eyes. She wasn't trying to be her keeper? Then who was she? Why did she care so much? Should she ask them? Gradually she calmed down, breathing slowing a little bit at a time. Did it really matter? It was hard to tell if she had drifted off or not when she spoke the next words with some level of fondness.
"... Sorchy Sparky ..."
…Sorchy…Sparky? What an odd name. She had to wonder if that was what Roux was calling her. Meh. She was tired and slightly drunk, so she’d think about it later. For now, she got up, and got some blankets from her room. She brought them back down and covered the redhead with them, before finally getting to bed herself.
Arthur stood at the door to Livia's office. It was about three weeks since the day he told little Red what she was, and now it was probably best to both atone for mistakes and prove that mistakes weren't made in the same action. For all the sense that made, Arthur told himself mentally. Well, regardless.
Arthur knocked, three solid knocks to announce his presense.
“Mr. Wick, please do come in.” The door opened as she spoke. Her office looked the same as always, though a window was open and there was a small stack of paperwork on one side of the desk. It was probably obvious she had knew he was coming for quite some time.
“I take it you have something you wish to discuss?” She asked from her seat.
Arthur stepped into the room, before saying, "Swords. Or maybe spears? Axes? I've not decided yet, not my descision anyways. Regardless, I thought of a productive way to use a fire, well, I didn't think of it, some guy a few thousand years thought of it but I remembered it is a thing." Arthur took a breath before saying, "To be more precise, I'd like to train little Red how to do some blacksmithing, forge some iron and what-not. Could be a useful skill."
Livia assumed it was something regarding the redhead, but she didn’t think he’d have the gall to ask to teach her how to forge a weapon.
“No.” She bluntly replied. “Do you want to know why? A few nights ago, Roux came to my house in tears, because of some…bad ‘dreams’.” She fixed him with a serious stare. “But you know what? They weren’t dreams, Mr. Wick. They are memories of her past lives. And I had to tell her, that in a past life she most likely killed a bunch of innocent people because someone told her she’s the mythical phoenix of legend.
I will not be letting you teach her how to forge a weapon in her current state.”
Arthur mused over this for less then a second, "So, what's your plan if people come for her? Want to hurt her?" Arthur asked.
Livia gave a small laugh of amusement.
“Like anyone who is possibly looking for her will have the audacity to come here and take her right from under my nose. They’d be dead before they even reached the main campus.” The tone of her voice made it quite clear she wasn’t joking about that fact, either.
“My plan was to ease her into her identity as she grew older so she could handle it without being traumatized. Teach her how to control her flame first, then tell her. That was my plan. A bird must leave its nest eventually and she is no exception, but there is an order to things, Mr. Wick. An order you decided to ignore because you’re a short sighted fool who doesn’t think about the consequences your actions can have. Which you are still apparently doing, since you even suggested this.”
"Fool I may be, but there is still a gap in your logic madam. Even with death itself as your guardian you will die some day, as will I. She'll outlive us both. Then who protects her? Hell, she'll outlive just about everything on this planet but this lifetime is the one that's important right now." Arthur chuckled to himself before adding, "Following a strict order to things is boring ma'am. You'll disagree with that of course, in fact the moment I end my sentence you'll remark on it. But not until I finish what I have to say, because there is an order to things eh. I've made mistakes, but people have hard times growing without them. Regardless, your Roux won't always be on this mountian, nor will you always be alive. The girl needs to be able to defend herself, and if she can be taught discipline at the same time then it's only better."
Livia seemed amused at the comment about her dying someday.
“My death will not be any time soon. Chances are, I’ll live longer than you. You’ll be an old man before I’m an old woman, Mr. Wick.” She didn’t elaborate further on what she meant by that, however, and she didn’t say anything about the order of things either. Mostly because she didn’t want to prove him right.
“You and I agree that she should. You simply want to rush things before the girl is ready. Trial by fire works well if it’s needed. I’m not going to say that it doesn’t, I’d be a hypocrite if I did. For normal people it can be a good thing. For someone like Roux who is a legendary beast akin to a god, however…I cannot condone such methods. The potential for something to go horribly wrong is just too great. Not to mention she does remember Sorcha on some level, and if she remembers her then…well, I don’t have to tell you what trouble that could make.”
Livia sighed. He probably wasn’t going to let this go, was he? Such a troublesome subordinate he was being. But fine. Perhaps a compromise could be reached?
“However…I will allow it. On one condition.” She grabbed a pen from her desk and began writing something on a piece of paper sitting in front of her. “Roux has been…well, she’s not been all that happy as of late thanks to these dreams. They are distressing her. Constant nightmares, and I haven’t been able to…well, I’m no psychologist. If. if you, yourself, can do something about them without any outside help. I shall allow you to teach her blacksmithing. I’ll even deem you capable enough of being able to handle her without being supervised, though you’ll still need to tell me what you wish to teach her and how.” She stopped writing, and looked at Arthur.
“That is the deal you have been offered, and the only way I will accept it.”
"Sure." Arthur said. He really needed to get an easy button for himself, sometimes such a button is just needed. Regardless, he was sure he could help Little Red with her dream problem, her having problems like that were just the reason he wanted to teach her to smith anyways. Well, that and weapons are cool, but none the less.
"I am quite fond of dreams anyways, should be simple."
“Good.” Livia replied. “Then I should remind you that any use of telling her to use ‘anger’ to ignite her flames or deal with her dreams at all, will count as failure as well. And Mr. Wick…” She narrowed her eyes at him dangerously. “If you make them worse again, you can say good bye to your job, and any work you might find in other academies. You are dismissed, and needless to say I or Gall will be accompanying you when you attempt this.”
Arthur would then bring his hand up to the bridge of his nose and start rubbing it, "How do you expect me to solve such a problem with the tactless reaper or my boss right behind me? Stress isn't easy to ease if you are also stressed you know. Whatever, let's go right now. Unless you don't have time for your Roux right now?" Arthur said.
Livia smiled.
“If you’re not as hopeless as I believed, then you should figure something out, Mr. Wick. And if it wasn’t obvious from the papers on my desk I am indeed busy, so if you intend to go now, then Gall will accompany you. And don’t worry. I’m not an idiot, and neither is he. He will simply be there to observe.”
The one called Roux as usual was laying down on her bed, flipping slowly through pages and not really reading. Exhaustion artistically expressed itself beneath her eyes.
The nightmares and butchery hadn't stopped, and her knowledge of what was going on only terrified her further. The red headed girl couldn't manage to avoid sleep completely, but she succeeded at keeping it down to about four hours a night.
Arthur was in front of little Red's house, Gall not far behind him. Giving a quick knock as curtsy he then just stood there a moment before teleporting to the other side.
“Arthur, hold a-” Gall sighed as Arthur teleported in, and moved right to the girls Bedroom before he could even say anything. He was going to attempt to make this easier on the man, but if he was going to be impatient as he was…then, he wasn’t going to tell him the spirit Livia had watching him currently wasn’t doing its job. She had given him the task of watching him today, since keeping up such a spirit could be annoying for herself.
Mr. Wick would then head up the stairs before standing at the doorframe to the girl's bedroom again, watching as she read. He would have remained quiet a minutes longer had he not known that Gall would say something.
"I heard your having less then wonderful dreams little Red." Arthur said.
Instead of helping, the reaper simply watched quietly from a few feet behind Arthur. He had to wonder if the girl would even remember him.
Little Roux was startled at Sir Wick's sudden appearence, unable to resist jumping slightly. As always they knocked, and as always her reading was interupted.
The Phoenix didn't know why but after the visit to teach her two weeks ago, the pyromancer had kept his times short and kept her training to a minimum. Also, Keeper Livia had come along each time. Had something happened? She noted the skeleton behind him, and questioned if that was the same one who'd been along at the time of her rescue. The confused girl couldn't really tell, but his prescence made her uncomfortable ... but she'd seen scarier things than a skeleton recently.
The crimson haired girl quickly nodded in response, eyes drifting back to her book for a second before closing it and looking in the general direction of the other two.
Arthur stepped into the room, a shame there weren't any chairs would certainly make life easier. Then again, little Red couldn't have good memories with chairs.
So Arthur did the next best thing. He leaned against a free bit of wall. "What are the dreams about?" Arthur asked.
The girl looked down, obviously ashamed of her past live's actions. It took her a few seconds to respond, but eventually she managed to muster up the ability to form words about how she felt. "... I've killed ..." Her sleepy eyes widened slightly as she though a bit more about it. "... many innocent people ..."
Arthur nodded, it was understandable. "You feel bad about it. That's alright, it proves something important." Arthur would stare at Roux, his blue-grey eyes looking into her amber, "It proves your not the monster you're clearly thinking you are. Savage monsters are those who don't know the pain of remembering." Arthur said firmly, before breaking his gaze to look up at the ceiling, his hat pressing against the wall behind him. Roux simply looked down a little further in response.
“Headmistress has already attempted telling her that.” Gall replied quietly. “The bright one here also has saved a strangers life with her tears, which Livia also has mentioned to her that is not something a monster would do.”
"Oh did she? Seems reasonable, nice simple way that is sure to convince most reasonable people that they are not bad." Arthur gave a short sigh, "Do you have any good dreams little Red?" Arthur asked without taking his eyes away form the ceiling.
The one called little Red contemplated for a few moments, trying to remember the last time she had a 'good' dream. In the entire three weeks since her potential as the firebird had been unleashed on the innocent trees, the teenager probably had three nights worth of decent sleep. When she headed over to Livia's house for help, she'd already had three nights worth of horrors. The one that sent Roux there was just the worst one that occured yet.
The red haired girl shook her head no.
Arthur leaned against the wall, letting silence drape itself over the room for a moment. Something peaceful about quiet. Something also quiet unnerving.
"Why not?" Arthur asked plainly.
The young teenager thought about it, raking her mind for a possible reason for why her memories were all so awful. The longer she thought though, the closer she drew to a single possible conclusion. Only one explanation made sense to her.
"... maybe ... maybe there isn't anything good ..."
"Hmm..." Arthur didn't like that answer. "I can't believe that. Life does not work that way, there are bad times, and good times. One leading into the other, and onward, until life itself ends. You just need to find the good dreams." Arthur mused.
Roux countinued to look downwards, feeling that she had failed one of the people who had saved her from her old keeper. His fire was warm, and she could feel it. He meant well, and she couldn't feel any hositlity from that flame of his.
Still though, he was probably right. In the nightmares she had, she had noticed that her thoughts were rather archaic and time seemed to go back very far. By simple probability, he was correct.
But the red head wondered why all her dreams were so negative then. Undoubteldy she'd been an evil tyrant in her memories, but was she really one in this life? Would it make sense for this life to be special? "... I see ..." Still though, did he have a plan about how to solve this?
"So I suppose the question then is how does one look for a memory?" Arthur continued to muse. "Which is a good question indeed for those of us without magic directly relating to dreams and the mind."
"Right about now I really wish Brandon wasn't eaten by a dragon. He'd have a answer that sounds so simple that it's a marvel nobody else thought of it." Arthur said, thinking aloud.
The girl looked up, a little interested in his tale. "... By a dragon ...?" The red head tilted her head, a little curious about what he was talking about.
Without missing a beat Arthur continued, "Oh yeah, Brandon was a good guy too, shame his magic did no good against the black scaled beast. Thing just moved its head over him and he was gone."
The litttle Roux frowned slightly, wondering why it didn't work. She couldn't resist asking the world's simplest yet most annoying question. "... Why? ..."
"Good question. Dragon didn't bother to eat anyone else, claws and fire for them. But Felske got eaten. Maybe she thought Brandon looked tasty? Who am I to question the taste buds of a dragon?"
Arthur then turned his gaze away from the ceiling though, looking at little Red with a glint in his eye, "That wasn't what you were asking though was it?
I suppose it'd be best to start at the beginning. Or at least near the beginning. Me and some friends acted as... adventurers. We were a bunch of thrill seeking mercs looking for money and fame. But the life span of those kind of people isn't very long sadly, and we said yes to the wrong job..." Arthur sighed. "A cave. One that some simple detection spells said was full of gold and silver. Our job was to make sure it was safe, ensure there weren't any hostile dog sized rats or angry cultist or something. After a little bit of walking through tunnels though we stepped into a massive cavern, just full of gold. Mountains of the stuff, gold and silver in the form of coins, goblets, I'm pretty sure there were some golden swords in there too."
"Before we had time to realize what was wrong with that picture though we heard the roar, and the largest of the gold mountains exploded. From under it came out a massive black monster, and actual monster, of a dragon. It looked at us with piercing green eyes and without speaking started attacking us."
Arthur took a breath before continuing, "The first to go was our healer, lovely girl, grabbed up in the beast's claws before we could react. Life squeezed right out of her. Brandon was next, he tried to link minds with it, show it some nightmares and force it to submit. Guess the Dragon wasn't easily scared. You know how Brandon died..." Arthur would suddenly move his hand, forming a fist to beat on his chest once before lowering it again, continuing his story passionately, "We fought on for a bit after that, our tank leading the charge. Man was a masochist, sadist too, knew how to take a hit and give one. Even after his armor was gone and most of his flesh burnt off he was swinging at the dragon with his axe, bless that man. But his body didn't keep up with his spirit, he died too. Then it was just me, Payton, and his familiar." Arthur took another breath, the long story starting to take his breath away.
"Payton used magic based around cards, how he got his familiar, beat the cat-girl in a card game and the two signed up right then and there, or so I was told. Anyways Payton was throwing cards at the dragon, he was getting worried, we all were. The cat was on the Dragon's back, clawing and biting at it while screaming insults, until the beast threw itself against a wall, crushed poor Kitty, the fire breath afterwards didn't help."
"Payton, and me for that matter, didn't exactly take Kitty's death well, she was a good friend. We both just threw what we had at the dragon, but it shrugged off most of the hits, and then, and this was rather rude, sweeped one of its claws threw a nearby hill of gold, and threw it at us. I barely avoided getting hit, but Payton was crushed under the weight. On my own, with my friends dead, I started shouting at the dragon. Damn thing finally talked then. Taunted me, my dead friends. I threw myself at the monster, threw every inch of my power at it. My fire, against its fire. I don't know how I survived that, but here I am. I'm alive. Wish I could say as much about my friends. But what can one do eh? The past is the past. No point dwelling on it, no point dwelling on the future either. I'm living here, right now, and there isn't any other way I'd rather live." Arthur finished. Been awhile since he told that story. At least he was sober this time, normally details go missing or are added when alchol is helping tell the tale. Regardless, Arthur kept leaning against the wall, casually catching his breath and waiting to hear a reaction.
The listened quietly as one of her keepers spun out his tale. The man was a good storyteller, and for a moment the teenager seemed to understand his hurt. Losing one's friends was a bad experience, and the redhead was fairly certain she'd lost her fair share during her lifetimes, if any had been close enough to be called that.
Still though, it gave her a bit of peace somehow. It was a simple way of viewing things, but the fact that he hadn't managed to save his friends didn't control his life many years later.
The girl hopped out of the bed in a fluid motion, and after contemplating for a moment approached a few feet in front of him and felt the comforting fire of his soul. Putting her fingers together in thought, she responded in a single word, "... Thanks ..."
"Why of course." Arthur said as he bowed his head. "Twas my pleasure. Anything else you may need of me little Red?" the pyromancer asked with a grin on his face.
Little red looked up at him, examining his face really for the first time. It may have been hard to tell, but those amber beads looked upon him with a twinge of admiration. "... when's the next time you'll come ...?" Her fingers were still playing with each other as she waited for an answer.
"As soon as I can little Red."Arthur replied, before adding, "Of course, if you ever want to get out of this house you could ask Livia about coming over to my place, it will always be open for you. We'll even have a chair barbecue if you like." Arthur would then stand up properly, saying, "I do have a bit of paperwork though. A shame, but tis the life of a teacher." Walking away, navigating past both Roux and Gall Arthur would make his way fo the exit.
Gall admitted, that was rather nicely handled. If he was capable of having a small smile formed on his skeletal face, he would have. Instead however, he simply bowed to the redhead.
“A pleasure to see you doing well, but I have business myself.” With that, he followed back after Arthur. He had no business remaining here, after all.
“Hmm…that was rather nicely handled, Arthur.” Gall said to him. “It seems you didn’t need my help after all.”
Arthur knocked, three solid knocks to announce his presense.
“Mr. Wick, please do come in.” The door opened as she spoke. Her office looked the same as always, though a window was open and there was a small stack of paperwork on one side of the desk. It was probably obvious she had knew he was coming for quite some time.
“I take it you have something you wish to discuss?” She asked from her seat.
Arthur stepped into the room, before saying, "Swords. Or maybe spears? Axes? I've not decided yet, not my descision anyways. Regardless, I thought of a productive way to use a fire, well, I didn't think of it, some guy a few thousand years thought of it but I remembered it is a thing." Arthur took a breath before saying, "To be more precise, I'd like to train little Red how to do some blacksmithing, forge some iron and what-not. Could be a useful skill."
Livia assumed it was something regarding the redhead, but she didn’t think he’d have the gall to ask to teach her how to forge a weapon.
“No.” She bluntly replied. “Do you want to know why? A few nights ago, Roux came to my house in tears, because of some…bad ‘dreams’.” She fixed him with a serious stare. “But you know what? They weren’t dreams, Mr. Wick. They are memories of her past lives. And I had to tell her, that in a past life she most likely killed a bunch of innocent people because someone told her she’s the mythical phoenix of legend.
I will not be letting you teach her how to forge a weapon in her current state.”
Arthur mused over this for less then a second, "So, what's your plan if people come for her? Want to hurt her?" Arthur asked.
Livia gave a small laugh of amusement.
“Like anyone who is possibly looking for her will have the audacity to come here and take her right from under my nose. They’d be dead before they even reached the main campus.” The tone of her voice made it quite clear she wasn’t joking about that fact, either.
“My plan was to ease her into her identity as she grew older so she could handle it without being traumatized. Teach her how to control her flame first, then tell her. That was my plan. A bird must leave its nest eventually and she is no exception, but there is an order to things, Mr. Wick. An order you decided to ignore because you’re a short sighted fool who doesn’t think about the consequences your actions can have. Which you are still apparently doing, since you even suggested this.”
"Fool I may be, but there is still a gap in your logic madam. Even with death itself as your guardian you will die some day, as will I. She'll outlive us both. Then who protects her? Hell, she'll outlive just about everything on this planet but this lifetime is the one that's important right now." Arthur chuckled to himself before adding, "Following a strict order to things is boring ma'am. You'll disagree with that of course, in fact the moment I end my sentence you'll remark on it. But not until I finish what I have to say, because there is an order to things eh. I've made mistakes, but people have hard times growing without them. Regardless, your Roux won't always be on this mountian, nor will you always be alive. The girl needs to be able to defend herself, and if she can be taught discipline at the same time then it's only better."
Livia seemed amused at the comment about her dying someday.
“My death will not be any time soon. Chances are, I’ll live longer than you. You’ll be an old man before I’m an old woman, Mr. Wick.” She didn’t elaborate further on what she meant by that, however, and she didn’t say anything about the order of things either. Mostly because she didn’t want to prove him right.
“You and I agree that she should. You simply want to rush things before the girl is ready. Trial by fire works well if it’s needed. I’m not going to say that it doesn’t, I’d be a hypocrite if I did. For normal people it can be a good thing. For someone like Roux who is a legendary beast akin to a god, however…I cannot condone such methods. The potential for something to go horribly wrong is just too great. Not to mention she does remember Sorcha on some level, and if she remembers her then…well, I don’t have to tell you what trouble that could make.”
Livia sighed. He probably wasn’t going to let this go, was he? Such a troublesome subordinate he was being. But fine. Perhaps a compromise could be reached?
“However…I will allow it. On one condition.” She grabbed a pen from her desk and began writing something on a piece of paper sitting in front of her. “Roux has been…well, she’s not been all that happy as of late thanks to these dreams. They are distressing her. Constant nightmares, and I haven’t been able to…well, I’m no psychologist. If. if you, yourself, can do something about them without any outside help. I shall allow you to teach her blacksmithing. I’ll even deem you capable enough of being able to handle her without being supervised, though you’ll still need to tell me what you wish to teach her and how.” She stopped writing, and looked at Arthur.
“That is the deal you have been offered, and the only way I will accept it.”
"Sure." Arthur said. He really needed to get an easy button for himself, sometimes such a button is just needed. Regardless, he was sure he could help Little Red with her dream problem, her having problems like that were just the reason he wanted to teach her to smith anyways. Well, that and weapons are cool, but none the less.
"I am quite fond of dreams anyways, should be simple."
“Good.” Livia replied. “Then I should remind you that any use of telling her to use ‘anger’ to ignite her flames or deal with her dreams at all, will count as failure as well. And Mr. Wick…” She narrowed her eyes at him dangerously. “If you make them worse again, you can say good bye to your job, and any work you might find in other academies. You are dismissed, and needless to say I or Gall will be accompanying you when you attempt this.”
Arthur would then bring his hand up to the bridge of his nose and start rubbing it, "How do you expect me to solve such a problem with the tactless reaper or my boss right behind me? Stress isn't easy to ease if you are also stressed you know. Whatever, let's go right now. Unless you don't have time for your Roux right now?" Arthur said.
Livia smiled.
“If you’re not as hopeless as I believed, then you should figure something out, Mr. Wick. And if it wasn’t obvious from the papers on my desk I am indeed busy, so if you intend to go now, then Gall will accompany you. And don’t worry. I’m not an idiot, and neither is he. He will simply be there to observe.”
The one called Roux as usual was laying down on her bed, flipping slowly through pages and not really reading. Exhaustion artistically expressed itself beneath her eyes.
The nightmares and butchery hadn't stopped, and her knowledge of what was going on only terrified her further. The red headed girl couldn't manage to avoid sleep completely, but she succeeded at keeping it down to about four hours a night.
Arthur was in front of little Red's house, Gall not far behind him. Giving a quick knock as curtsy he then just stood there a moment before teleporting to the other side.
“Arthur, hold a-” Gall sighed as Arthur teleported in, and moved right to the girls Bedroom before he could even say anything. He was going to attempt to make this easier on the man, but if he was going to be impatient as he was…then, he wasn’t going to tell him the spirit Livia had watching him currently wasn’t doing its job. She had given him the task of watching him today, since keeping up such a spirit could be annoying for herself.
Mr. Wick would then head up the stairs before standing at the doorframe to the girl's bedroom again, watching as she read. He would have remained quiet a minutes longer had he not known that Gall would say something.
"I heard your having less then wonderful dreams little Red." Arthur said.
Instead of helping, the reaper simply watched quietly from a few feet behind Arthur. He had to wonder if the girl would even remember him.
Little Roux was startled at Sir Wick's sudden appearence, unable to resist jumping slightly. As always they knocked, and as always her reading was interupted.
The Phoenix didn't know why but after the visit to teach her two weeks ago, the pyromancer had kept his times short and kept her training to a minimum. Also, Keeper Livia had come along each time. Had something happened? She noted the skeleton behind him, and questioned if that was the same one who'd been along at the time of her rescue. The confused girl couldn't really tell, but his prescence made her uncomfortable ... but she'd seen scarier things than a skeleton recently.
The crimson haired girl quickly nodded in response, eyes drifting back to her book for a second before closing it and looking in the general direction of the other two.
Arthur stepped into the room, a shame there weren't any chairs would certainly make life easier. Then again, little Red couldn't have good memories with chairs.
So Arthur did the next best thing. He leaned against a free bit of wall. "What are the dreams about?" Arthur asked.
The girl looked down, obviously ashamed of her past live's actions. It took her a few seconds to respond, but eventually she managed to muster up the ability to form words about how she felt. "... I've killed ..." Her sleepy eyes widened slightly as she though a bit more about it. "... many innocent people ..."
Arthur nodded, it was understandable. "You feel bad about it. That's alright, it proves something important." Arthur would stare at Roux, his blue-grey eyes looking into her amber, "It proves your not the monster you're clearly thinking you are. Savage monsters are those who don't know the pain of remembering." Arthur said firmly, before breaking his gaze to look up at the ceiling, his hat pressing against the wall behind him. Roux simply looked down a little further in response.
“Headmistress has already attempted telling her that.” Gall replied quietly. “The bright one here also has saved a strangers life with her tears, which Livia also has mentioned to her that is not something a monster would do.”
"Oh did she? Seems reasonable, nice simple way that is sure to convince most reasonable people that they are not bad." Arthur gave a short sigh, "Do you have any good dreams little Red?" Arthur asked without taking his eyes away form the ceiling.
The one called little Red contemplated for a few moments, trying to remember the last time she had a 'good' dream. In the entire three weeks since her potential as the firebird had been unleashed on the innocent trees, the teenager probably had three nights worth of decent sleep. When she headed over to Livia's house for help, she'd already had three nights worth of horrors. The one that sent Roux there was just the worst one that occured yet.
The red haired girl shook her head no.
Arthur leaned against the wall, letting silence drape itself over the room for a moment. Something peaceful about quiet. Something also quiet unnerving.
"Why not?" Arthur asked plainly.
The young teenager thought about it, raking her mind for a possible reason for why her memories were all so awful. The longer she thought though, the closer she drew to a single possible conclusion. Only one explanation made sense to her.
"... maybe ... maybe there isn't anything good ..."
"Hmm..." Arthur didn't like that answer. "I can't believe that. Life does not work that way, there are bad times, and good times. One leading into the other, and onward, until life itself ends. You just need to find the good dreams." Arthur mused.
Roux countinued to look downwards, feeling that she had failed one of the people who had saved her from her old keeper. His fire was warm, and she could feel it. He meant well, and she couldn't feel any hositlity from that flame of his.
Still though, he was probably right. In the nightmares she had, she had noticed that her thoughts were rather archaic and time seemed to go back very far. By simple probability, he was correct.
But the red head wondered why all her dreams were so negative then. Undoubteldy she'd been an evil tyrant in her memories, but was she really one in this life? Would it make sense for this life to be special? "... I see ..." Still though, did he have a plan about how to solve this?
"So I suppose the question then is how does one look for a memory?" Arthur continued to muse. "Which is a good question indeed for those of us without magic directly relating to dreams and the mind."
"Right about now I really wish Brandon wasn't eaten by a dragon. He'd have a answer that sounds so simple that it's a marvel nobody else thought of it." Arthur said, thinking aloud.
The girl looked up, a little interested in his tale. "... By a dragon ...?" The red head tilted her head, a little curious about what he was talking about.
Without missing a beat Arthur continued, "Oh yeah, Brandon was a good guy too, shame his magic did no good against the black scaled beast. Thing just moved its head over him and he was gone."
The litttle Roux frowned slightly, wondering why it didn't work. She couldn't resist asking the world's simplest yet most annoying question. "... Why? ..."
"Good question. Dragon didn't bother to eat anyone else, claws and fire for them. But Felske got eaten. Maybe she thought Brandon looked tasty? Who am I to question the taste buds of a dragon?"
Arthur then turned his gaze away from the ceiling though, looking at little Red with a glint in his eye, "That wasn't what you were asking though was it?
I suppose it'd be best to start at the beginning. Or at least near the beginning. Me and some friends acted as... adventurers. We were a bunch of thrill seeking mercs looking for money and fame. But the life span of those kind of people isn't very long sadly, and we said yes to the wrong job..." Arthur sighed. "A cave. One that some simple detection spells said was full of gold and silver. Our job was to make sure it was safe, ensure there weren't any hostile dog sized rats or angry cultist or something. After a little bit of walking through tunnels though we stepped into a massive cavern, just full of gold. Mountains of the stuff, gold and silver in the form of coins, goblets, I'm pretty sure there were some golden swords in there too."
"Before we had time to realize what was wrong with that picture though we heard the roar, and the largest of the gold mountains exploded. From under it came out a massive black monster, and actual monster, of a dragon. It looked at us with piercing green eyes and without speaking started attacking us."
Arthur took a breath before continuing, "The first to go was our healer, lovely girl, grabbed up in the beast's claws before we could react. Life squeezed right out of her. Brandon was next, he tried to link minds with it, show it some nightmares and force it to submit. Guess the Dragon wasn't easily scared. You know how Brandon died..." Arthur would suddenly move his hand, forming a fist to beat on his chest once before lowering it again, continuing his story passionately, "We fought on for a bit after that, our tank leading the charge. Man was a masochist, sadist too, knew how to take a hit and give one. Even after his armor was gone and most of his flesh burnt off he was swinging at the dragon with his axe, bless that man. But his body didn't keep up with his spirit, he died too. Then it was just me, Payton, and his familiar." Arthur took another breath, the long story starting to take his breath away.
"Payton used magic based around cards, how he got his familiar, beat the cat-girl in a card game and the two signed up right then and there, or so I was told. Anyways Payton was throwing cards at the dragon, he was getting worried, we all were. The cat was on the Dragon's back, clawing and biting at it while screaming insults, until the beast threw itself against a wall, crushed poor Kitty, the fire breath afterwards didn't help."
"Payton, and me for that matter, didn't exactly take Kitty's death well, she was a good friend. We both just threw what we had at the dragon, but it shrugged off most of the hits, and then, and this was rather rude, sweeped one of its claws threw a nearby hill of gold, and threw it at us. I barely avoided getting hit, but Payton was crushed under the weight. On my own, with my friends dead, I started shouting at the dragon. Damn thing finally talked then. Taunted me, my dead friends. I threw myself at the monster, threw every inch of my power at it. My fire, against its fire. I don't know how I survived that, but here I am. I'm alive. Wish I could say as much about my friends. But what can one do eh? The past is the past. No point dwelling on it, no point dwelling on the future either. I'm living here, right now, and there isn't any other way I'd rather live." Arthur finished. Been awhile since he told that story. At least he was sober this time, normally details go missing or are added when alchol is helping tell the tale. Regardless, Arthur kept leaning against the wall, casually catching his breath and waiting to hear a reaction.
The listened quietly as one of her keepers spun out his tale. The man was a good storyteller, and for a moment the teenager seemed to understand his hurt. Losing one's friends was a bad experience, and the redhead was fairly certain she'd lost her fair share during her lifetimes, if any had been close enough to be called that.
Still though, it gave her a bit of peace somehow. It was a simple way of viewing things, but the fact that he hadn't managed to save his friends didn't control his life many years later.
The girl hopped out of the bed in a fluid motion, and after contemplating for a moment approached a few feet in front of him and felt the comforting fire of his soul. Putting her fingers together in thought, she responded in a single word, "... Thanks ..."
"Why of course." Arthur said as he bowed his head. "Twas my pleasure. Anything else you may need of me little Red?" the pyromancer asked with a grin on his face.
Little red looked up at him, examining his face really for the first time. It may have been hard to tell, but those amber beads looked upon him with a twinge of admiration. "... when's the next time you'll come ...?" Her fingers were still playing with each other as she waited for an answer.
"As soon as I can little Red."Arthur replied, before adding, "Of course, if you ever want to get out of this house you could ask Livia about coming over to my place, it will always be open for you. We'll even have a chair barbecue if you like." Arthur would then stand up properly, saying, "I do have a bit of paperwork though. A shame, but tis the life of a teacher." Walking away, navigating past both Roux and Gall Arthur would make his way fo the exit.
Gall admitted, that was rather nicely handled. If he was capable of having a small smile formed on his skeletal face, he would have. Instead however, he simply bowed to the redhead.
“A pleasure to see you doing well, but I have business myself.” With that, he followed back after Arthur. He had no business remaining here, after all.
“Hmm…that was rather nicely handled, Arthur.” Gall said to him. “It seems you didn’t need my help after all.”
Fires of Creation, Noble Roses, First Incarnation
"Knowledge is only power in one chooses to use it"
The small boy responds proudly after being requested to reveal his name and title. "Magierprinz Swen Runvall Von Zauberbuch is my full title. Father is the Magierfurst of my noble house of Von Zauberbuch, a reigning Prince-Mage over our family lands in the lands of northwestern Germany."
Age: "I'm fourteen years old. Although my inheritance is a distance away, I still expect you to treat me with respect due to the heir of a Princely state."
Gender: "Agnotic Primogenture sends the succession to me, a male."
Race: Human
Sexuality: "As a member of Von Zauberbuch, I intend to continue my princely line."
Alchemy: Grimore Schreiben
From a young age, the Magierprinz practiced the art of writing in gold and transfering mana into a book in order to be able to be able to eventually use the grand dynastic grimore.
On the bright side, using the lesser Grimore is incredibly mana light (half cost). (Go down to Catalyst to read more). He's currently working on being able to use the Grimore as a teleporting turret and lower the cast times of his spells, but it is quite a bit of work at this point to improve.
Due to the nature of the grimore and his skillset, it is only useful to have five ten page spells contained within it. If he could find a better one, he'd toss the damn thing out.
Prima: Wind Schneiden
Many thin black slices of air fly at a high velocity towards his target up to 50 feet away. Aside from causing a lot of superficial cuts, currently they don't do too much damage unless one chooses to stand in the line of fire. Although light on the mana pool, alone they don't do much damage.
Immuto: Verfall
A powerful support spell designed to bring down an enemy over time. Many mages have healing magic and many familiars have some sort of regenerative ability., but aside from the most powerful of healing magics or abilities, Verfall prevents healing of already existing wounds on a target. Appearing as a lance of darkness traveling at high speed, upon impact the lance shatters and small fragments of it jump into preexisting wounds. On the downside, it doesn't do any damage and the target must already be wounded to have an effect.
Other Magics:
Sven spends some time studying other magics in order to gain a foundational understanding of them so he can understand how to manage magic in his Principality when he inherits the throne.
Catalyst: Lesser Grimore of Von Zauberbuch: A large, 10 pound Wyrven-leather covered book with a massive lock on it. Despite it's weight, it only contains about fifty pages worth of material.
A spell written within it takes up a number of pages depending on it's complexity, requiring to be written in a fine, golden ink. After the writing was finished, a mage had to pour some mana into it in order to seal the words onto the page. A massive explosion can take up to ten pages, and takes about an hour per page to prepare. Additionally, the Grimore has a preperation time before firing a spell (about a second per page) allowing the enemies to be aware of what is going on (If they know latin, at least). After a spell is fired, the ink dissapears and the spell must be rewritten at a later point in time.
Right now the fourteen year old carries it from an attached chain slung over his left arm, the nobleman bearing it's weight as he walks around.
The key to it is attatched by chain inside a small pocketwatch that he wears from his neck at all times.
Other Skills:
From the halls of nobility, Swen has a good idea about doing the casual noble arts: ballroom dancing, playing the piano, and courtly grace are skills he has aquired throughout the year.
Inventory:
The Lesser Grimore
The Pocketwatch & Key
Fancy Clothes
Familiar: Ritter, or Mr. Snuggles the Golem
Personality:
Valuing his noble title a little too much, the Magierprinz relies on it as a crutch in the outside world. Being his first year at this school, he doesn't realize that there are far too many self-important nobles running around.
On that note, he also respects those of higher rank, believing that God has graced them with power for a reason.
Despite these flaws, at his core Swen is a chivarlric man. He believes that it his god given duty to protect the weak, the old, and the women from any harm that may become them, and assist them with their day to day lives.
Strongly believing in the concept of honor, he will never lie and considers lying purely by omission to be dishonorable conduct.
Fairly immature, he still has a lot of growing up to do.
Backstory:
Born as the son of a reigning Prince-Mage, Swen has grown up with wealth and splendor surrounding him. From a young age, he was raised mostly by servants and other people in the court, only seeing his busy parents formally during dinner and perhaps and hour afterwards each day. This doesn't mean that his parents were cruel or unemotional, just that they dedicate themselves to ruling over their lands to ensure justice for every citizen.
Because of this enviorment, Swen started to become a recluse. He would focus on books a little more than what would normally be considered healthy, and found very few friends that were his age. Although this allowed him to excel at magic for his age, his parents eventually saw the flaw in his lack of connections to others his age and sent him off to Liseranna to help him socially adjust.
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