Konan375I'm interested. Sith me up.
Aha! A sith brother!
Sish will be pleased.
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Aha! A sith brother!
Sish will be pleased.
Eli, after being handed off by Alan to Shreckt, was clearly preoccupied with making sure that the Inquisition wasn't going to start attacking them, only briefly stopping in his scanning when his eyes fell on the Kuasagi girl a flicker of sympathy flashing through him before he returned to his scanning. Throughout the entire trip, he didn't see one hint of an Inquisitor, or a Varisie soldier. That made Eli suspicious. Inquisitors never give up this easily, and there are usually a large amount of troops backing them up if things went wrong. Something isn’t right. While still watching, he voiced his concerns to his spirit. "I don't trust this, it was too easy to get away from that Inquisitor." He muttered to Shreckt, still glancing about for the Inquisition he knew had to be nearby.
"Says the man who is currently bleeding from two wounds, can't walk or stand on his own and has to be carried by one of his spirits." Shreckt teased, before continuing. "But I agree. The Inquisitor, who we didn't kill, should be hot on our heels, especially now. We're all tired, weakened, and frankly unable to put up a fight against a determined force of Varisie troops. But he's just...gone. It doesn't feel right and we both know it. The Rider probably feels the same way, and perhaps the Kuasagi swordswoman, depending on if she has had much interaction with the Inquisition." Eli nodded. "The Swordswoman has never killed anyone before, so I doubt she’s met the Inquisition before.” Shreckt raised an eyebrow at him. “And how would you know that?”
Eli shrugged as he scanned the area yet again. “I know the look, and the feeling, when someone takes a life for the first time. Some people justify it, others never kill again, and others are like me. They just become numb to it. Another day, another walking corpse.”
As they entered Drake’s mansion, which was as opulent as Eli had claimed, the injured summoner looked about in exasperation as their host immediately relaxed and summoned a small army of servants with nothing more than a snap of his fingers. We were just being chased by the Inquisition and he wants to relax and not prepare for the inevitable? Now of all times? Eli’s line of thought was interrupted as their host told Helen and the rest to take his injured self with them, before he bled all over the floor.
Before Eli could make a suitably insulting reply back, Helen spoke up, sharply heading off anything he might say. “Fine, and I happen to be a perfect gentlemen if you lower your standards and change your definition drastically.” Eli grumbled, being helped along by Shreckt. Despite being herded and bullied into the medical wing, he was smirking. Someone watching would doubtlessly notice Eli’s wounds beginning to bleed faster, as if they had reopened, and fall to the floor. Eli’s index finger, hanging loosely by his side, twitched in a seemingly random manner. Behind the party slowly heading to the medical wing, a message was being written in blood along the wall.
‘AT LEAST IT’S NOT ON YOUR FLOOR.’
"Says the man who is currently bleeding from two wounds, can't walk or stand on his own and has to be carried by one of his spirits." Shreckt teased, before continuing. "But I agree. The Inquisitor, who we didn't kill, should be hot on our heels, especially now. We're all tired, weakened, and frankly unable to put up a fight against a determined force of Varisie troops. But he's just...gone. It doesn't feel right and we both know it. The Rider probably feels the same way, and perhaps the Kuasagi swordswoman, depending on if she has had much interaction with the Inquisition." Eli nodded. "The Swordswoman has never killed anyone before, so I doubt she’s met the Inquisition before.” Shreckt raised an eyebrow at him. “And how would you know that?”
Eli shrugged as he scanned the area yet again. “I know the look, and the feeling, when someone takes a life for the first time. Some people justify it, others never kill again, and others are like me. They just become numb to it. Another day, another walking corpse.”
As they entered Drake’s mansion, which was as opulent as Eli had claimed, the injured summoner looked about in exasperation as their host immediately relaxed and summoned a small army of servants with nothing more than a snap of his fingers. We were just being chased by the Inquisition and he wants to relax and not prepare for the inevitable? Now of all times? Eli’s line of thought was interrupted as their host told Helen and the rest to take his injured self with them, before he bled all over the floor.
Before Eli could make a suitably insulting reply back, Helen spoke up, sharply heading off anything he might say. “Fine, and I happen to be a perfect gentlemen if you lower your standards and change your definition drastically.” Eli grumbled, being helped along by Shreckt. Despite being herded and bullied into the medical wing, he was smirking. Someone watching would doubtlessly notice Eli’s wounds beginning to bleed faster, as if they had reopened, and fall to the floor. Eli’s index finger, hanging loosely by his side, twitched in a seemingly random manner. Behind the party slowly heading to the medical wing, a message was being written in blood along the wall.
‘AT LEAST IT’S NOT ON YOUR FLOOR.’
Pfft. Voira and Raa are still young!
Aramir
"Okay, sneak up the mountain while you distract the Roc. Simple!" Aramir said, only slightly nervously. Here she was with Auriel and Liam. The other elf she knew could move quietly through trees, but she had no idea if the fox was any good at not attracting attention. Specifically the attention of a hungry giant bird. As soon as the others went to do their decidedly far deadlier mission, Aramir started moving. "Lets try to not get murdered by the the giant bird, secure the wagons, and get the wagons down the mountain and hope the Roc isn't interested in us or our friends any more! Simple." Aramir put her bow on her back, and started heading up the mountain. She resolutely didn't look at the screaming Roc. If she looked at what it was doing, she knew she would stop. She moved as quickly as possible, hoping their distraction would be good enough. "I swear to all the gods if I get eaten by a giant bird after surviving all the crap I've been through I will do all with in my power to give said bird horrifying indigestion. Like, the kind that makes you fall from the sky and break your feathery neck." Aramir muttered to herself, trying to keep the prickly feeling that something was about to swoop down upon her from making her slow down.
As Leith, Grey, and Althalus finally found a clear open plain for their interrogation of the boy, someone walked out of the woods around them. She was covered in rags, and her head was wrapped tightly in bloody bandages, clearly just wrapped. She was clearly an forest elf, with her pointed ears poking out of wrapping. As soon as she appeared, Leith's ring spoke again. The eternal Hunger, as she now calls herself. Deranged, dangerous, and a vitamancer. Pyromancy incredibly useful against her. Kill her. Behind you is Legion, demonomancer, sane, and still useful. Don't kill him. The one with him is Farian. Out for blood, but still sane. He still has a conscience. Kill him. The wild has no use. He is a pyromancer, so vitamancy is incredibly useful against him. Grey would never forgive himself if the two females died, so protecting them should be tantamount. Defend them. Grey and Althalus can handle themselves.
Althalus obviously distrusted this newcomer, aiming his crossbow at her. "That's far enough!" She laughed, and the assassin felt a shiver go down his spine at the contemptuous, madness filled sound. "I think we found one of the mages." He muttered to Grey.
For Mar and Coco, the pile of bodies erupting into blood red flames. "Whores of the Eanian Empire! Prepare to defend yourself! The flames of justice come for you." Another blood red bolt of fire hit nearby them. Their attacker was a human man. Or at least the remains of a man. His eyes were nothing more than blood red flames and every time he spoke or breathed, flames erupted in short bursts out of his mouth. Fiery cracks extended outward from his eyes and mouth, pulsing as he breathed as well. In the background, sitting on a rock with a greatsword was this man. He seemed content to watch for now.
"Okay, sneak up the mountain while you distract the Roc. Simple!" Aramir said, only slightly nervously. Here she was with Auriel and Liam. The other elf she knew could move quietly through trees, but she had no idea if the fox was any good at not attracting attention. Specifically the attention of a hungry giant bird. As soon as the others went to do their decidedly far deadlier mission, Aramir started moving. "Lets try to not get murdered by the the giant bird, secure the wagons, and get the wagons down the mountain and hope the Roc isn't interested in us or our friends any more! Simple." Aramir put her bow on her back, and started heading up the mountain. She resolutely didn't look at the screaming Roc. If she looked at what it was doing, she knew she would stop. She moved as quickly as possible, hoping their distraction would be good enough. "I swear to all the gods if I get eaten by a giant bird after surviving all the crap I've been through I will do all with in my power to give said bird horrifying indigestion. Like, the kind that makes you fall from the sky and break your feathery neck." Aramir muttered to herself, trying to keep the prickly feeling that something was about to swoop down upon her from making her slow down.
Mage Hunters
As Leith, Grey, and Althalus finally found a clear open plain for their interrogation of the boy, someone walked out of the woods around them. She was covered in rags, and her head was wrapped tightly in bloody bandages, clearly just wrapped. She was clearly an forest elf, with her pointed ears poking out of wrapping. As soon as she appeared, Leith's ring spoke again. The eternal Hunger, as she now calls herself. Deranged, dangerous, and a vitamancer. Pyromancy incredibly useful against her. Kill her. Behind you is Legion, demonomancer, sane, and still useful. Don't kill him. The one with him is Farian. Out for blood, but still sane. He still has a conscience. Kill him. The wild has no use. He is a pyromancer, so vitamancy is incredibly useful against him. Grey would never forgive himself if the two females died, so protecting them should be tantamount. Defend them. Grey and Althalus can handle themselves.
Althalus obviously distrusted this newcomer, aiming his crossbow at her. "That's far enough!" She laughed, and the assassin felt a shiver go down his spine at the contemptuous, madness filled sound. "I think we found one of the mages." He muttered to Grey.
For Mar and Coco, the pile of bodies erupting into blood red flames. "Whores of the Eanian Empire! Prepare to defend yourself! The flames of justice come for you." Another blood red bolt of fire hit nearby them. Their attacker was a human man. Or at least the remains of a man. His eyes were nothing more than blood red flames and every time he spoke or breathed, flames erupted in short bursts out of his mouth. Fiery cracks extended outward from his eyes and mouth, pulsing as he breathed as well. In the background, sitting on a rock with a greatsword was this man. He seemed content to watch for now.
Eli is totally taking his sweet time and bleeding all over Drake's floor now.
Mage Hunters
"I would rather the kid live, and if he does die, it will weigh on me." Leith pushed himself off the ground. "But the kid is going to wake up, and I'd like to have him wake up when we know he will." He glanced around the group. "Any idea about how we go about this?"
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Coco's leaves bristled at the mention of trusting the child. She stood up soon after Leith, "We should tie him to a rock, then. Another group of travellers will pass by one day and he might be sane enough by then, if he doesn't die of thirst before." Coco then brought a hand up to her head and gently prodded at her leaves, then pushed them against her head so they'd relax. The dry texture confirmed her thirst.
"I need some water. Do you guys want water too? I'm really thirsty."
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Mar shook her head at Leith's words, though she considered making an argument but wasting the energy was pointless. Leith wasn't the one that had to both deal with Grey's determination to prevent the man from killing the boy or the exhaustion getting anything useful while also not dying. In the Naga's mind, this choice felt wrong. It was like baiting an animal into attacking when it was known to be rabid and one still expected it to cooperate. Her chest seemed to be crush by an invisible force deep within her core as she listened to the Foreas request water, her eyes watching Althaus gather his crossbow, loading it. Unlike Grey, Althalus hadn't given his word he wouldn't kill the kid at any chance provided and that bothered her.
Inhaling, she slithered over to the wagon and retrieved one of the water skins then passed it over to Coco. "Here."
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Quickly, Coco poured some of the water on her head. Her leaves quivered for a moment, shaking some of the water off themselves, but rapidly absorbing the rest. Coco then poured some more water on the rest of her body and her leaves.
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Mar turned back to Leith's earlier question, her arms crossed over her middle when Coco took the skin, to reply, [color=lightsalmon]"That's why I disagree with this plan. We're baiting a rabid dog, one we know is sick, and expecting him to cooperate. Namely without any way to prevent him from hurting us as I recall Althalus saying a Necromancer's summons can't be stopped save by killing him."[color]
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Althalus sighed. "That's correct. Unless the Necromancer willingly stops his summons, the only way to keep said summons from killing us while he's unconscious is to kill him. If there's no necromancer, they don't have anything keeping them alive. So, basically, what we've come down to is two options. We can go into the forest and pray we don't get murdered by the mages we know nothing at all about who have the advantage of knowing the forest at least a little bit better than us, or we can wake up this madman, try to reason with him, and pray he doesn't kill us with our own weapons. Great!" Althalus rubbed his eyes. "I'm voting for waking the kid up and having two people who are likely to have theh best success with him talk to him. It's easier to control that way. If it goes wrong, one crossbow bolt to the skull will end him. Quick and clean. If things go right, we still have him in our custody to get him the help he clearly needs. Any other ideas?" Once again, Althalus studiously avoided Mar's eyes. He didn't want to deal with what he would see in them.
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Coco bristled her leaves and turned towards Althalus, "And you believe I don't know my own home more than a bunch of murderers?"
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Althalus resisted sighing again, eyeing Coco. "You've been gone from this place for months on end. The mage murderers have been here for at least a good few weeks. Which means they have a base of operations in the area. Which means they have to know the Forest pretty well to move around in it. Which means they know the safe spots and the traps they've set up. Which would be the smart thing to do, and these mages don't seem stupid. They convinced him to kill his entire village after all." The assassin gestured to the still unconscious boy. "So, despite all that, you're telling me that you know this forest better than they do?"
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Coco stiffened at Althalus' insolent words, then she turned away and kicked up some dirt. Her artefact seemed to blink and attempt communication, but no sound came out. She was too angry at him to select thoughts to relay through the artifact..
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"I disagree with... him," Mar began, her anger still lingering when she didn't utter Althalus' name. Her eyes glanced over to where Coco was displaying her frustration and didn't react beyond looking at her during her words, "but the points he makes can't be dismissed. Changes are a factor since they have been here for weeks, but the extent aren't fully known and might not be as great as it is assumed. Still, none of us are not familiar with this place. A matter Coco can at least help because even the male can't deny that getting lost isn't helpful.”
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"Did they convince them to kill his entire village?" Leith asked, hoping to change the subject. "The fact that there are signs of noxomancers in this village shows that the mages had a hand in this massacre." He scratched his temple. "Before he raised the dead, he looked like he was absolutely livid at them. We might be able to use that to our advantage."
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"He also told us to leave and never return, but we didn't." Mar said bluntly, revealing the main reason this was going to be difficult. She inhaled a bit and continued, her eyes turned to fix on Leith. "The boy admitted to killing his family, but the village wasn't supposed to be massacred. Only restrained which was what angered him, setting him to attacking anyone that arrived."
Her body was slightly tense at the thought of the diplomate's words and jawline tighted to keep her silence. Her home was completely gone. The thought brought an unexplained pain in her heart as she shoved it down, swallowing the inner pain and hidding it on the surface. "Any other questions to explain why this is a bad idea or should we just wake him now?"
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Althalus barely resisted glancing at Mar, feeling pain at the way she suddenly returned to the first day they met all the way to his core. Now wasn't the time. He merely made a note to apologize to Coco later, feeling slightly bad for the way she had reacted to what he had said, as her anger was low on his list of priorities. Listening to her and Leith talk, he finally looked wearily at the Naga. "What else can we do Mar? Go into the forest and pray? He's the only one with the slightest idea of where the Mages are. Afterall, they had to have met and talked somewhere. I doubt the village would just allow random strangers, especially the ones that the only survivor described, to talk to their children. We have no choice but to try and talk to him. Which I leave to you and Leith."
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Leith nodded, "Alright, but before we go about waking him up, we need to make some quick preperations to hopefully lessen the chance of harm to us and him. We should clear an area of anything big he could use to harm us at least ten feet around the kid" He looked at Mar. "What do you think?"
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Mar didn't want to understand Althalus' logic or the desperation in his usually positive tone, her heart seeming to clutch itself at each word.Her hands wrapped protectively about herself as if the action would've spared her the guilt and hurt filling her. Instead it only made it worse, unable to argue with Althalus, while she stood in silence until Leith spoke. That was enough to break her inward focus as she focused on the matter at hand. "It might. The only reason my words got through to him was because Grey's fingers were inches from his throat and the possiblity of death was too real, stopping him from getting his revenge. Clearing the area, which I think Althalus, you and Grey should be set to, would prevent any surprises but would it really be enough?"
She took a deep breath and paused to think more, adding her own thoughts. "I think it might be ideal to seek an open, wide area and clear that instead. We'd be able to tell easier where the danger will come from and can react quickly. Someone also should burn the bodies, preferably away from the child so they can't be used against us. I think Coco and I can accomplish that task as it wouldn't bother us the most. Finally we'll need to keep him tied and in something that he can't bring to life. That bit is much more difficult as the only thing I can come up with is my coils which even if he manages to kill me, will continue to restrict after death, and could be used as a last resort."
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"Yes." Coco said to Mar, going over to her side. Fleshlings are gross, though. I'll have to bathe after this, I swear. She perked up and listened for Althalus. The moment she located him, at the same spot, she bristled her leaves with a light shudder. He's just another dumb fleshling. Right now, Coco felt Mar was the one on her side, so she leaned in towards her and whispered.
"I can't wait to burn these fleshling bodies, they smell and feel so gross."
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Mar's eyes paused only long enough to note who had pulled up beside her, spotting the greenry and nose catching the rich, chocolately scent filling her nose. She caught the whisper, a part of her agreeing in failing to understand the importance of some bipeds' traditions regarding death. She nodded but said nothing when Leith chose to speak, her eyes returned to their origin position and absorbed the words.
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"Well, if we do this right, no one will die." Leith clapped his hands together. "Lets do this." He looked at Althalus and frowned momentarily. Now was as good of a time as any. Leith walked over to Althalus, pausing when he reached the point that the shrieking would have started before he continued. "I have something interesting to discuss with you."
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"I can see no other options. He'd make anything else come alive and free himself or kill us." Althalus spoke flatly, hiding his pain. Later. I'll deal with it later. He turned his tired gaze to Leith, sighing again. I don't want to talk, I just want to kill the damn mages and go back to the College, where things were nice and made sense. There was nothing to do but keep going forward. "Yeah. Might as well get started." This damn conversation had better not be about my mask, or anything to do with Mar and I. I still have a loaded crossbow. I can blame it on one of the mages.
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"The buzzing and the shrieking disappeared." Leith showed the Althalus the ring that had molded itself to his hand. "I think this has something to do with it. A voice also mentioned you once the buzzing stopped, as well as something called the Wild" He looked around the destroyed village. "A change in scenery mught help with talking to the kid."
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Althalus barely kept himself from flinching surprise at the mention of the Wild, his mind darting back to when his brother had glowing purple eyes and the more recent mad child. It would be best, he decided, to not let Leith know how closely connected to the Wild itself and the child. "The Wild? I've heard rumors, legends, myths. Something about an energy that wants to destroy the entire world. I'm not quite sure. And yes, changing the scenery might help him not want to murder us, if only out of confusion where he is."
In Leith's mind, the voice whispered, He's lying. He knows more about it than anyone here, even the boy.
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Leith frowned as he listened to what Althalus said. That didn't sound nice. The fact that the voice said he was lying about what he knew didn't surprise him as it had said that Althalus had had a bad experience with the Wild. "Alright. Lets go find a quiet place to wake this kid up."
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Grey had been silent the whole time, save the ever present noise of his whetstone against his axe. Everything that had happened had weighed on him heavily, but out of all of the horrible things that had happened, his own actions disturbed him the most. He'd... he'd never thought he'd be so willing to end a life. He could justify it all he wanted, but he nearly murdered twice in the last few hours. The only thing keeping him sane was the fact that he couldn't really be blamed about his approach with the child...
He would not be happy about it, but the kid was trying to (and nearly succeeded, even) kill them. Going after him was not what bothered him. What bothered him was his dedication to that course when another way had presented itself. That, and the diplomat...
One was mad, and was likely beyond saving. The other was a vile, repugnant human being he was sure no one would miss... But what gave him the authority to take their lives? Was it justice he sought to carry out, or was it misguided delusions? The guard sighed, the first vocalization he'd made in quite a while as he wandered past Leith and Athalus... He had wanted to talk to Leith, but the two were busy. "I'm going to fetch the child. I'll return soon." he said as he passed. He had also wanted to speak to Mar.
It didn't take long to find Mar and Coco, the two already set about their grim task. "...Mar? A word, please?" He said, gently laying his hand on her shoulder.
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Coco threw one of the mangled bodies into the fire, then turned towards Grey, leaves shivering in humour. "Gross. There's your word, Grey." She said, "By the Tree, I had no idea fleshlings were so squishy and had so many things inside of them..." She was quick to get back to work though, her speech dissolving into static and finally into silence.
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Mar had purposely avoided the dead children, her hands and coils easily swept the part, bits, and other vile anatomy into the growing pile. Her hands smelt foul as she rubbed them against her scales, marring the surface, when Grey spoke up. Her head tilted in his direction when he touched her shoulder and her instincts fought for a moment to react. Mar refused to allow them, jerking her tail to coil underneath her and partly pinned it down.
She was spared a minute from replying immediately, fully sure her voice would've sounded strained and harsher then intended, when Coco piped up with her own word. If Mar had been comfortable showing the emotion swelling within her, she might've smiled at the Foreas' disgust. Instead she let her emotions settle after the small start Grey had given her earlier, still not quite use to direct touch, when she focused more intently on him. Though he was supposed to be helping Althalus and Leith to clear the area of any unnesscary debris, she could tell through his depressed posture and his tone something was weighing on him.
"Coco, there's some cloth in the wagon for makeshift carry. It might help." Mar said, stating bluntly and to the point, hoping Coco would've drawn her own conclusions. Namely to use the cloth to keep them both cleaner and not have their scents give them away to the enemy. Once Coco started toward the wagon, her eyes gazed on Grey. "You wanted a word?"
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Grey suppressed a light 'Heh' at Coco's... shall we say, 'grim' humor. He let her talk, the poor girl descendig into babbling as her speech slowly turned into white noise, as if her translator thing had decided to take a nap from overexhaustion. He hadn't expected the snake-woman to be so... Jumpy, and he flinched a little when he saw that tail move... and was surprised when she... for lack of a better ter, sat on it. That looked pretty involuntary... I probably should avoid touching her in the future... He thought, mumbling out a quick 'sorry' as he turned his head away, rubbing the back of his head nervously.
She spoke to Coco in the moment Grey was busy feeling sorry for himself, which promptly snapped him back to reality as he watched the little plant... girl... thi- No, thing wasn't the right word... force of habit. Anyway, he watched her leave.
He nodded when she spoke directly to him, straightening a bit. "I wanted to..." His voice caught in his throat for a mere moment, his thouhts dragged back to earlier. "...to thank you. For... for stopping me..." He stated, his eye drifting downwards to the ground for a mere moment, before looking up once again. "I... I don't know what came over me."
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"The same thing most bipeds struggle with. Emotions," Mar stated simply though her heart seemed to warm at the thankful, her body slacked and confusion flickered in her eyes before it faded, "I don't understand them myself to be honest though it seems what you display might be the very reason my kind are taught not to display such emotions outside. Those who do, tend to lose respect and if it continues, are banished in the end."
Her chest inhaled for a moment then pushed the thoughts of Mesa Gaan away, knowing her home was gone, any chance to return no longer possible. It felt like a hole had started within her and grew, worming its way into her core until it started to fester. "I don't know why I stopped you, but I couldn't allow you to kill the boy. I'm...glad you chose to let him live."
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Grey frowned a bit. Sure one could blame emotions, but emotions were what made life worth living. Well... It was the difference between living and existing, anyhow. He felt he had to make a counter-argument as she continued... "With respect, I don't agree with that... If I had acted without emotion the child would have died. He was an immediate threat to the lives of those I protect and myself, and I knew slaying him was the quickest way to end the threat." He said, fighting the urge to rest his hand on her shoulder.
"But I did the illogical thing and spared him... because it was the right thing to do, and because you convinced me of that. Emotions are things to be wary of, things that need to be controlled. But to completely deny them makes us no better than golems... and that's worse, in a way." Of course, the irony of being told such things by a golem was lost on everyone. He sighed, looking about before he continued, a little more quietly. "I... worry about you. You seem afraid of them, so you bottle them up, and I know you feel things just like the rest of us... And I don't know what'll happen if this keeps going..."
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"It doesn't matter if you agree or not with it," Mar pointed out bluntly, though not in a harsh tone, while she looked toward where Coco was. She was ignoring the flies now starting to gather around the bodies piled up, their corpses' hollow eyes stared at her and gave the impression they were silently accusing her to crimes not her fault. It made her throat tighten, constricting until it felt like she was going to suffocate. A matter that was merely in her imagination.
With the bodies piled high and stinking, she had delayed the burning in favor of talking with Grey. It was another reason she couldn't fully understand why despite it feeling suitable.
"You can't change a whole culture's beliefs with your own, Grey. It is all we've known and change for Naga is something we find hard to accept quickly," her eyes shifted, resting briefly on Althalus before she turned away. The conversation made her recall how much change she had already adapted to, knowing deep inside her connection with Althalus wouldn't have been offically approved of by the matriarchs or what life they had created. So much change... it wasn't something she wanted to face just yet. "The fact is I'm not human. Nothing you, Althalus or others are able to change it. To ignore my culture because of other's views is turning my back on what I am, pretending to be something I can't be and isn't that just as bad?"
She paused for a moment, and added. "As for what will happen... your worries are the same as mine. I can't predict the future but only brace for what comes and hope I'm strong enough to survive it. It's all any of us can do in the end."
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Grey nodded, considering her words... A tiny part of him wanted to say something along the lines of 'well, look where it got them', but that notion was quickly crushed and ignored, for there was no way he would say something so unimaginably cruel and insensitive. "My uncle used to always tell me that those that couldn't adapt would always be crushed by those that could... He would also tell me that change for it's own sake was bad for civilization as a whole... So make of all that what you will." He said, rubbing his chin as he spoke. He noticed the bodies had gone unburned, likely because he was distracting her.
He set about dousing the bodies in the lamp oil as he spoke, though he would leave the actual lighting to her. "You mistake my warnings for orders, friend." He said, reaching for another lamp they'd collected as the previous one ran dry. "I am merely speaking of my thoughts on the matter... I understand that how you choose to live your life is ultimately your decision. I don't expect you to completely change, nor do I want you to. But I've wasted too much time..." He said, standing as he emptied the last lamp.
He turned, approaching her once again. He had nearly touched her shoulder again, but he stopped himself, withdrawing his hand as he continued. "You also have my sympathies..." He said quietly, his expression turning solemn as he remembered the diplomat's words. "If there is ever any way I can help you or your family, let me know, alright?" He couldn't do much aside from guarding and smithing, but he was very talented at both.
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Coco could be seen walking towards the both of them, cloth slung over her shoulders like some sort of fashionable animal skin. Just as she reached the two, she sniffed at the air and clenched the cloth in her fists.
"You guys already finished carrying the bodies! Why did I have to look for this cloth?"
_______________________________________
"We'll need it to help haul the dead kindling... unless that will upset you?" Mar asked, her eyes looking at Coco a bit in reply to the creature's interruption. She minorly relieved as it prevented her from answering Grey's comment or saying anything at all towards it. Not because his was words were lost on her, but in the end, the more the conversation went on the more it hurt her ending with her mind in a confused and dizzy mess. Until she had time to consider what path she would choice, talking about it only lead to hesitation and fear, neither good in making her decision.
Her nose caught the scent of the lamp oil leaking over the bodies, a matter she didn't enjoy as it might've spread to the plants which would've resulted in a wide range fire. However she wouldn't scorn his gesture, aiming to clear the place around the bodies, lowering the chance greatly. She waited for Coco to disapprove or vent, much like with Althalus, over her suggestion though she did consider and expect Coco to put another option to start the fire on. Unless she expected for either of them to start the fire directly on the bodies and risk burning themselves, the fire's spark instantly increased by the lamp oil dousing the dead.
_________________________________________
Coco shrugged, "What's the 'dead kindling' anyway?" She passed the cloth over to Mar and sat down on the ground a few meters away from the pile of bodies. She pointed at Grey and Mar and spoke, "You're going to clear the area surrounding the bodies of plants, right? If so, do it yourself, I won't hurt any of them."
________________________________________
"Dead kindling is what I believe you would consider plant corpses. Plants that aren't alive and since they are lifeless, they could enrich the corpses and help them burn easier. It's that or my own body we use, but considering we still have mages to fight and I'm only a novice..." Mar let Coco put the rest together as she hoped it would help coax cooperation from the plant. She nodded at Coco then added. "If I knew for sure we could keep the fire from spreading to the rest of the forest it wouldn't have been nesscary."
_______________________________________
"Dead plants, then? Sure, you can use them. I'd rather not touch them myself though. Squishy fleshling bodies are gross, feeling sap and dead plants is even worse. The smell of cut grass just kills my senses if I'm too close to it."
Name: Voira Sirosi
Species: Asari
Age: 125
Gender: Female
Appearance: Voira
Voira is unnaturally tall for an Asari, standing at 6ft exactly. She attributes it to her father.
Weapons/Equipment:
-Thunder Assault Rifle
-Viper Shotgun
-Two Razer pistols
-Bottle of Ryncol
-Omni-tool, which she only uses for application and storage of her large supply of omni gel, and as a melee weapon in a pinch.
-Several different types of ammos (specifically, shredder rounds, Anti-armor rounds, poison rounds, and explosive rounds.)
Skills and Abilities:
-Powerful biotic. Due to rigorous training in biotic strength from her adoptive mother and the variety of skill sets she learned from her adoptive family, Voira is both a powerful biotic and a versatile one
-Skilled combatant. Another thing her adoptive mother and family’s insisted on. From a young age(50, to be exact) Voira had been trained in combat by all members.From the training of the Serrice Guard, to pirate combat, to Krogan battle training, Voira has been taught well.
-Field Medic. Voira is good at patching people up, if Omni-Gel isn’t on hand, especially during the heat of battle.
Background:
Voira knows firsthand what it’s like to lose everything in an instant. She was still a child at 48 years old when the Reapers finally made it to the Asari home world. She lost both her biological parents(A Krogan for her father) and her twin sister. That was the most devastating blow. While she had loved her parents, she had had a deep bond with her sister that was only increased by their biotic abilities. They could hear each other’s thoughts, feel what the other was feeling and were even referring to themselves in plural rather than singular. They were, in short, inseparable. Then the Reapers came, and Voira’s world was remade in fire and ash.
She doesn’t remember much of the actual event. Bits and pieces. She remembered panic, fear, running, hiding, praying to the Asari goddess, a collapsing building, and being trapped alone. Then there was a blinding red light, blistering pain, and a screaming in her head she thought would never stop.
She didn’t know how long it had been when she woke to the sounds of people arguing. Someone, with a deep gravelly voice, wanted to leave. Someone else wanted to stay and look for ‘the extraction target’ a little while longer. Other voices commented for or against the idea of leaving, but those were the ones Voira heard the most. She tried calling for help once. All that came out was a soft rasp. She tried twice, and winced at the pain in her throat. The voices sounded like they were going away, leaving. Panic filled her and Voira screamed for help. Pain wracked her body and she ended up coughing violently, tasting blood coughed up from her ravaged throat.
Despite the pain, her cry for helped work. Through the familiar and comforting blue glow of biotics, her tomb of rubble was removed. The first face she saw was an Asari, reaching down to haul her out. Voira sobbed in relief, wrapping her arms around the mercenary, pressing her face against the emblem on her chest. The other Asari’s arms wrapped around her, holding her close. The last thing Voira heard before falling back unconscious was, “We’re taking her with us.”
When Voira next awoke, she was on a strange ship, with the same Asari sitting next to her, quietly watching. After introductions were done and it was explained, where she was and that, that she wasn’t well enough to leave on her own, Voira slipped back into sleep. Almost Every time she woke up, Voira found Dahlia, as the Asari had introduced herself, sitting there. Sometimes she would look ragged, as if she had just come from a fight, but she would always be quietly there, waiting and watching over her. They would talk, quietly, and then Voira would grow tired again and slip back into sleep. It continued like this for an uncertain amount of time for Voira, before she was well enough to wander the ship on her own. The war had been won in her rest. The Reapers destroyed, the human Shepard dying to activate the Crucible. Voira didn’t care. It had finally hit her. Her family was dead, her other half killed by the burning beam of the Reapers. What did she have to live for?
Tevura caught her the first time. Biotics knocked the pistol from her hand and pinned her to the wall. Ignoring her screams of rage and curses, the mercenary commander merely looked at her with sad, understanding eyes. Various others stopped her next dozen tries. A Krogan, a human, another Asari, and a Quarian being the most frequent. Finally, Tevura’s eyes went from sad and understanding to hard and pitiless.
She told Voira, bluntly, that she was acting like a selfish child, that her family and least of all her twin wouldn’t want her killing herself needlessly, and if she felt like explaining to her family why she was so selfish as to join them before she had to die it was her choice. Before she exited the door she made one final comment. If Voira chose to live, Tevura would want to adopt her. She then left Voira with a pistol. For a long time Voira stayed in that room. Multiple times she almost did it. She put the gun to her head and nearly pulled the trigger. Finally, she put it down for good. Tevura was right, her family wouldn’t approve and she couldn’t tell if she was more afraid of their condemnation when she met them in whatever afterlife there was, or if the idea of ‘Embracing eternity’ permanently was what terrified her.
She walked out into the hallway, smiling slightly at the clear relief on Tevura’s face, and said she accepted. What followed next was decades of training by her new adoptive family. Over time she began to see them not as those who took her in and finally as her new family. Even Tasi, who scared her sometimes, she grew to love. She even met what she considered to be her extended family, that is, the surviving Barbacus crew. About thirty-five years ago, she hit the maiden stage and declared herself ready to go see what the universe had to offer. Tevura(who had told Voira her secrets long ago), agreed to let her go, but made sure she was prepared.
The next several decades were spent wandering, getting into adventures with mercenary groups and generally exploring the universe and what it had to offer. She never stayed in one place for very long, always moving on to see the next big thing the universe had. She hunted thresher maws with Krogans, fought(and was nearly killed by) a Drell assassin, and even charged into the teeth of a battalion of Elcor soldiers. However, the experience she remembers most fondly is when she met Raa’Kina.
The Quarian was trying to back out of a shady deal with five Turians who were rather…insistent that she pay them for services rendered, one way or another. When, after a comment by the Quarian, the Turians started getting a little too touchy with the Quarian Voira decided to intervene. Two of them were dead before they realized what was happening, and the rest were knocked over by a biotic blast while the Quarian rapidly backpedaled into cover. What happened next was a traditional firefight, with them both to busy concentrating on not dying to do introductions. After the remaining Turians were killed they introduced themselves. Raa’Kina was so naïve and cheerful and friendly that Voira couldn’t just leave her alone.
What started out as a simple escort to safer areas turned into, after some time talking to Raa’Kina, into a decision to not let the Quarian go on her own through her pilgrimage. At least for a little while.
She’s still following Raa.
Misc Details:
-Voira’s favored drink is Ryncol, a drink she picked up from her aunt Kalros.
-While on a trip to Earth with her uncle Dave, Voira picked up the habit of smoking. More specifically, Earth Cuban Cigars. She quit years ago, but she still carries around a pack of them. Not to smoke, but to chew on when she’s thinking hard or to smell to calm nerves.
-Voira still refers to herself in plural. I or me becomes we, mine becomes ours, etc.
Species: Asari
Age: 125
Gender: Female
Appearance: Voira
Voira is unnaturally tall for an Asari, standing at 6ft exactly. She attributes it to her father.
Weapons/Equipment:
-Thunder Assault Rifle
-Viper Shotgun
-Two Razer pistols
-Bottle of Ryncol
-Omni-tool, which she only uses for application and storage of her large supply of omni gel, and as a melee weapon in a pinch.
-Several different types of ammos (specifically, shredder rounds, Anti-armor rounds, poison rounds, and explosive rounds.)
Skills and Abilities:
-Powerful biotic. Due to rigorous training in biotic strength from her adoptive mother and the variety of skill sets she learned from her adoptive family, Voira is both a powerful biotic and a versatile one
-Skilled combatant. Another thing her adoptive mother and family’s insisted on. From a young age(50, to be exact) Voira had been trained in combat by all members.From the training of the Serrice Guard, to pirate combat, to Krogan battle training, Voira has been taught well.
-Field Medic. Voira is good at patching people up, if Omni-Gel isn’t on hand, especially during the heat of battle.
Background:
Voira knows firsthand what it’s like to lose everything in an instant. She was still a child at 48 years old when the Reapers finally made it to the Asari home world. She lost both her biological parents(A Krogan for her father) and her twin sister. That was the most devastating blow. While she had loved her parents, she had had a deep bond with her sister that was only increased by their biotic abilities. They could hear each other’s thoughts, feel what the other was feeling and were even referring to themselves in plural rather than singular. They were, in short, inseparable. Then the Reapers came, and Voira’s world was remade in fire and ash.
She doesn’t remember much of the actual event. Bits and pieces. She remembered panic, fear, running, hiding, praying to the Asari goddess, a collapsing building, and being trapped alone. Then there was a blinding red light, blistering pain, and a screaming in her head she thought would never stop.
She didn’t know how long it had been when she woke to the sounds of people arguing. Someone, with a deep gravelly voice, wanted to leave. Someone else wanted to stay and look for ‘the extraction target’ a little while longer. Other voices commented for or against the idea of leaving, but those were the ones Voira heard the most. She tried calling for help once. All that came out was a soft rasp. She tried twice, and winced at the pain in her throat. The voices sounded like they were going away, leaving. Panic filled her and Voira screamed for help. Pain wracked her body and she ended up coughing violently, tasting blood coughed up from her ravaged throat.
Despite the pain, her cry for helped work. Through the familiar and comforting blue glow of biotics, her tomb of rubble was removed. The first face she saw was an Asari, reaching down to haul her out. Voira sobbed in relief, wrapping her arms around the mercenary, pressing her face against the emblem on her chest. The other Asari’s arms wrapped around her, holding her close. The last thing Voira heard before falling back unconscious was, “We’re taking her with us.”
When Voira next awoke, she was on a strange ship, with the same Asari sitting next to her, quietly watching. After introductions were done and it was explained, where she was and that, that she wasn’t well enough to leave on her own, Voira slipped back into sleep. Almost Every time she woke up, Voira found Dahlia, as the Asari had introduced herself, sitting there. Sometimes she would look ragged, as if she had just come from a fight, but she would always be quietly there, waiting and watching over her. They would talk, quietly, and then Voira would grow tired again and slip back into sleep. It continued like this for an uncertain amount of time for Voira, before she was well enough to wander the ship on her own. The war had been won in her rest. The Reapers destroyed, the human Shepard dying to activate the Crucible. Voira didn’t care. It had finally hit her. Her family was dead, her other half killed by the burning beam of the Reapers. What did she have to live for?
Tevura caught her the first time. Biotics knocked the pistol from her hand and pinned her to the wall. Ignoring her screams of rage and curses, the mercenary commander merely looked at her with sad, understanding eyes. Various others stopped her next dozen tries. A Krogan, a human, another Asari, and a Quarian being the most frequent. Finally, Tevura’s eyes went from sad and understanding to hard and pitiless.
She told Voira, bluntly, that she was acting like a selfish child, that her family and least of all her twin wouldn’t want her killing herself needlessly, and if she felt like explaining to her family why she was so selfish as to join them before she had to die it was her choice. Before she exited the door she made one final comment. If Voira chose to live, Tevura would want to adopt her. She then left Voira with a pistol. For a long time Voira stayed in that room. Multiple times she almost did it. She put the gun to her head and nearly pulled the trigger. Finally, she put it down for good. Tevura was right, her family wouldn’t approve and she couldn’t tell if she was more afraid of their condemnation when she met them in whatever afterlife there was, or if the idea of ‘Embracing eternity’ permanently was what terrified her.
She walked out into the hallway, smiling slightly at the clear relief on Tevura’s face, and said she accepted. What followed next was decades of training by her new adoptive family. Over time she began to see them not as those who took her in and finally as her new family. Even Tasi, who scared her sometimes, she grew to love. She even met what she considered to be her extended family, that is, the surviving Barbacus crew. About thirty-five years ago, she hit the maiden stage and declared herself ready to go see what the universe had to offer. Tevura(who had told Voira her secrets long ago), agreed to let her go, but made sure she was prepared.
The next several decades were spent wandering, getting into adventures with mercenary groups and generally exploring the universe and what it had to offer. She never stayed in one place for very long, always moving on to see the next big thing the universe had. She hunted thresher maws with Krogans, fought(and was nearly killed by) a Drell assassin, and even charged into the teeth of a battalion of Elcor soldiers. However, the experience she remembers most fondly is when she met Raa’Kina.
The Quarian was trying to back out of a shady deal with five Turians who were rather…insistent that she pay them for services rendered, one way or another. When, after a comment by the Quarian, the Turians started getting a little too touchy with the Quarian Voira decided to intervene. Two of them were dead before they realized what was happening, and the rest were knocked over by a biotic blast while the Quarian rapidly backpedaled into cover. What happened next was a traditional firefight, with them both to busy concentrating on not dying to do introductions. After the remaining Turians were killed they introduced themselves. Raa’Kina was so naïve and cheerful and friendly that Voira couldn’t just leave her alone.
What started out as a simple escort to safer areas turned into, after some time talking to Raa’Kina, into a decision to not let the Quarian go on her own through her pilgrimage. At least for a little while.
She’s still following Raa.
Misc Details:
-Voira’s favored drink is Ryncol, a drink she picked up from her aunt Kalros.
-While on a trip to Earth with her uncle Dave, Voira picked up the habit of smoking. More specifically, Earth Cuban Cigars. She quit years ago, but she still carries around a pack of them. Not to smoke, but to chew on when she’s thinking hard or to smell to calm nerves.
-Voira still refers to herself in plural. I or me becomes we, mine becomes ours, etc.
Name: Voira Sirosi
Species: Asari
Age: 125
Gender: Female
Appearance: Voira
Weapons/Equipment:
-Thunder Assault Rifle
-Viper Shotgun
-Two Razer pistols
-Bottle of Ryncol
-Omni-tool, which she only uses for application and storage of her large supply of omni gel, and as a melee weapon in a pinch.
-Several different types of ammos (specifically, shredder rounds, Anti-armor rounds, poison rounds, and explosive rounds.)
Skills and Abilities:
-Powerful biotic. Due to rigorous training in biotic strength from her adoptive mother and the variety of skill sets she learned from her adoptive family, Voira is both a powerful biotic and a versatile one
-Skilled combatant. Another thing her adoptive mother and family’s insisted on. From a young age(50, to be exact) Voira had been trained in combat by all members.From the training of the Serrice Guard, to pirate combat, to Krogan battle training, Voira has been taught well.
-Field Medic. Voira is good at patching people up, if Omni-Gel isn’t on hand, especially during the heat of battle.
Background:
Voira knows firsthand what it’s like to lose everything in an instant. She was still a child at 48 years old when the Reapers finally made it to the Asari home world. She lost both her biological parents and her twin sister. That was the most devastating blow. While she had loved her parents, she had had a deep bond with her sister that was only increased by their biotic abilities. They could hear each other’s thoughts, feel what the other was feeling and were even referring to themselves in plural rather than singular. They were, in short, inseparable. Then the Reapers came, and Voira’s world was remade in fire and ash.
She doesn’t remember much of the actual event. Bits and pieces. She remembered panic, fear, running, hiding, praying to the Asari goddess, a collapsing building, and being trapped alone. Then there was a blinding red light, blistering pain, and a screaming in her head she thought would never stop.
She didn’t know how long it had been when she woke to the sounds of people arguing. Someone, with a deep gravelly voice, wanted to leave. Someone else wanted to stay and look for ‘the extraction target’ a little while longer. Other voices commented for or against the idea of leaving, but those were the ones Voira heard the most. She tried calling for help once. All that came out was a soft rasp. She tried twice, and winced at the pain in her throat. The voices sounded like they were going away, leaving. Panic filled her and Voira screamed for help. Pain wracked her body and she ended up coughing violently, tasting blood coughed up from her ravaged throat.
Despite the pain, her cry for helped work. Through the familiar and comforting blue glow of biotics, her tomb of rubble was removed. The first face she saw was an Asari, reaching down to haul her out. Voira sobbed in relief, wrapping her arms around the mercenary, pressing her face against the emblem on her chest. The other Asari’s arms wrapped around her, holding her close. The last thing Voira heard before falling back unconscious was, “We’re taking her with us.”
When Voira next awoke, she was on a strange ship, with the same Asari sitting next to her, quietly watching. After introductions were done and it was explained, where she was and that, that she wasn’t well enough to leave on her own, Voira slipped back into sleep. Almost Every time she woke up, Voira found Dahlia, as the Asari had introduced herself, sitting there. Sometimes she would look ragged, as if she had just come from a fight, but she would always be quietly there, waiting and watching over her. They would talk, quietly, and then Voira would grow tired again and slip back into sleep. It continued like this for an uncertain amount of time for Voira, before she was well enough to wander the ship on her own. The war had been won in her rest. The Reapers destroyed, the human Shepard dying to activate the Crucible. Voira didn’t care. It had finally hit her. Her family was dead, her other half killed by the burning beam of the Reapers. What did she have to live for?
Tevura caught her the first time. Biotics knocked the pistol from her hand and pinned her to the wall. Ignoring her screams of rage and curses, the mercenary commander merely looked at her with sad, understanding eyes. Various others stopped her next dozen tries. A Krogan, a human, another Asari, and a Quarian being the most frequent. Finally, Tevura’s eyes went from sad and understanding to hard and pitiless.
She told Voira, bluntly, that she was acting like a selfish child, that her family and least of all her twin wouldn’t want her killing herself needlessly, and if she felt like explaining to her family why she was so selfish as to join them before she had to die it was her choice. Before she exited the door she made one final comment. If Voira chose to live, Tevura would want to adopt her. She then left Voira with a pistol. For a long time Voira stayed in that room. Multiple times she almost did it. She put the gun to her head and nearly pulled the trigger. Finally, she put it down for good. Tevura was right, her family wouldn’t approve and she couldn’t tell if she was more afraid of their condemnation when she met them in whatever afterlife there was, or if the idea of ‘Embracing eternity’ permanently was what terrified her.
She walked out into the hallway, smiling slightly at the clear relief on Tevura’s face, and said she accepted. What followed next was decades of training by her new adoptive family. Over time she began to see them not as those who took her in and finally as her new family. Even Tasi, who scared her sometimes, she grew to love. She even met what she considered to be her extended family, that is, the surviving Barbacus crew. About thirty-five years ago, she hit the maiden stage and declared herself ready to go see what the universe had to offer. Tevura(who had told Voira her secrets long ago), agreed to let her go, but made sure she was prepared.
The next several decades were spent wandering, getting into adventures with mercenary groups and generally exploring the universe and what it had to offer. She never stayed in one place for very long, always moving on to see the next big thing the universe had. She hunted thresher maws with Krogans, fought(and was nearly killed by) a Drell assassin, and even charged into the teeth of a battalion of Elcor soldiers. However, the experience she remembers most fondly is when she met Raa’Kina.
The Quarian was trying to back out of a shady deal with five Turians who were rather…insistent that she pay them for services rendered, one way or another. When, after a comment by the Quarian, the Turians started getting a little too touchy with the Quarian Voira decided to intervene. Two of them were dead before they realized what was happening, and the rest were knocked over by a biotic blast while the Quarian rapidly backpedaled into cover. What happened next was a traditional firefight, with them both to busy concentrating on not dying to do introductions. After the remaining Turians were killed they introduced themselves. Raa’Kina was so naïve and cheerful and friendly that Voira couldn’t just leave her alone.
What started out as a simple escort to safer areas turned into, after some time talking to Raa’Kina, into a decision to not let the Quarian go on her own through her pilgrimage. At least for a little while.
She’s still following Raa.
Misc Details:
-Voira’s favored drink is Ryncol, a drink she picked up from her aunt Kalros.
-While on a trip to Earth with her uncle Dave, Voira picked up the habit of smoking. More specifically, Earth Cuban Cigars. She quit years ago, but she still carries around a pack of them. Not to smoke, but to chew on when she’s thinking hard or to smell to calm nerves.
-Voira still refers to herself in plural. I or me becomes we, mine becomes ours, etc.
Species: Asari
Age: 125
Gender: Female
Appearance: Voira
Weapons/Equipment:
-Thunder Assault Rifle
-Viper Shotgun
-Two Razer pistols
-Bottle of Ryncol
-Omni-tool, which she only uses for application and storage of her large supply of omni gel, and as a melee weapon in a pinch.
-Several different types of ammos (specifically, shredder rounds, Anti-armor rounds, poison rounds, and explosive rounds.)
Skills and Abilities:
-Powerful biotic. Due to rigorous training in biotic strength from her adoptive mother and the variety of skill sets she learned from her adoptive family, Voira is both a powerful biotic and a versatile one
-Skilled combatant. Another thing her adoptive mother and family’s insisted on. From a young age(50, to be exact) Voira had been trained in combat by all members.From the training of the Serrice Guard, to pirate combat, to Krogan battle training, Voira has been taught well.
-Field Medic. Voira is good at patching people up, if Omni-Gel isn’t on hand, especially during the heat of battle.
Background:
Voira knows firsthand what it’s like to lose everything in an instant. She was still a child at 48 years old when the Reapers finally made it to the Asari home world. She lost both her biological parents and her twin sister. That was the most devastating blow. While she had loved her parents, she had had a deep bond with her sister that was only increased by their biotic abilities. They could hear each other’s thoughts, feel what the other was feeling and were even referring to themselves in plural rather than singular. They were, in short, inseparable. Then the Reapers came, and Voira’s world was remade in fire and ash.
She doesn’t remember much of the actual event. Bits and pieces. She remembered panic, fear, running, hiding, praying to the Asari goddess, a collapsing building, and being trapped alone. Then there was a blinding red light, blistering pain, and a screaming in her head she thought would never stop.
She didn’t know how long it had been when she woke to the sounds of people arguing. Someone, with a deep gravelly voice, wanted to leave. Someone else wanted to stay and look for ‘the extraction target’ a little while longer. Other voices commented for or against the idea of leaving, but those were the ones Voira heard the most. She tried calling for help once. All that came out was a soft rasp. She tried twice, and winced at the pain in her throat. The voices sounded like they were going away, leaving. Panic filled her and Voira screamed for help. Pain wracked her body and she ended up coughing violently, tasting blood coughed up from her ravaged throat.
Despite the pain, her cry for helped work. Through the familiar and comforting blue glow of biotics, her tomb of rubble was removed. The first face she saw was an Asari, reaching down to haul her out. Voira sobbed in relief, wrapping her arms around the mercenary, pressing her face against the emblem on her chest. The other Asari’s arms wrapped around her, holding her close. The last thing Voira heard before falling back unconscious was, “We’re taking her with us.”
When Voira next awoke, she was on a strange ship, with the same Asari sitting next to her, quietly watching. After introductions were done and it was explained, where she was and that, that she wasn’t well enough to leave on her own, Voira slipped back into sleep. Almost Every time she woke up, Voira found Dahlia, as the Asari had introduced herself, sitting there. Sometimes she would look ragged, as if she had just come from a fight, but she would always be quietly there, waiting and watching over her. They would talk, quietly, and then Voira would grow tired again and slip back into sleep. It continued like this for an uncertain amount of time for Voira, before she was well enough to wander the ship on her own. The war had been won in her rest. The Reapers destroyed, the human Shepard dying to activate the Crucible. Voira didn’t care. It had finally hit her. Her family was dead, her other half killed by the burning beam of the Reapers. What did she have to live for?
Tevura caught her the first time. Biotics knocked the pistol from her hand and pinned her to the wall. Ignoring her screams of rage and curses, the mercenary commander merely looked at her with sad, understanding eyes. Various others stopped her next dozen tries. A Krogan, a human, another Asari, and a Quarian being the most frequent. Finally, Tevura’s eyes went from sad and understanding to hard and pitiless.
She told Voira, bluntly, that she was acting like a selfish child, that her family and least of all her twin wouldn’t want her killing herself needlessly, and if she felt like explaining to her family why she was so selfish as to join them before she had to die it was her choice. Before she exited the door she made one final comment. If Voira chose to live, Tevura would want to adopt her. She then left Voira with a pistol. For a long time Voira stayed in that room. Multiple times she almost did it. She put the gun to her head and nearly pulled the trigger. Finally, she put it down for good. Tevura was right, her family wouldn’t approve and she couldn’t tell if she was more afraid of their condemnation when she met them in whatever afterlife there was, or if the idea of ‘Embracing eternity’ permanently was what terrified her.
She walked out into the hallway, smiling slightly at the clear relief on Tevura’s face, and said she accepted. What followed next was decades of training by her new adoptive family. Over time she began to see them not as those who took her in and finally as her new family. Even Tasi, who scared her sometimes, she grew to love. She even met what she considered to be her extended family, that is, the surviving Barbacus crew. About thirty-five years ago, she hit the maiden stage and declared herself ready to go see what the universe had to offer. Tevura(who had told Voira her secrets long ago), agreed to let her go, but made sure she was prepared.
The next several decades were spent wandering, getting into adventures with mercenary groups and generally exploring the universe and what it had to offer. She never stayed in one place for very long, always moving on to see the next big thing the universe had. She hunted thresher maws with Krogans, fought(and was nearly killed by) a Drell assassin, and even charged into the teeth of a battalion of Elcor soldiers. However, the experience she remembers most fondly is when she met Raa’Kina.
The Quarian was trying to back out of a shady deal with five Turians who were rather…insistent that she pay them for services rendered, one way or another. When, after a comment by the Quarian, the Turians started getting a little too touchy with the Quarian Voira decided to intervene. Two of them were dead before they realized what was happening, and the rest were knocked over by a biotic blast while the Quarian rapidly backpedaled into cover. What happened next was a traditional firefight, with them both to busy concentrating on not dying to do introductions. After the remaining Turians were killed they introduced themselves. Raa’Kina was so naïve and cheerful and friendly that Voira couldn’t just leave her alone.
What started out as a simple escort to safer areas turned into, after some time talking to Raa’Kina, into a decision to not let the Quarian go on her own through her pilgrimage. At least for a little while.
She’s still following Raa.
Misc Details:
-Voira’s favored drink is Ryncol, a drink she picked up from her aunt Kalros.
-While on a trip to Earth with her uncle Dave, Voira picked up the habit of smoking. More specifically, Earth Cuban Cigars. She quit years ago, but she still carries around a pack of them. Not to smoke, but to chew on when she’s thinking hard or to smell to calm nerves.
-Voira still refers to herself in plural. I or me becomes we, mine becomes ours, etc.
Moving Along Collab. We're now in Drake's Mansion after this!
Eli shifted, muttering curses low under his breath. Once again, anyone who had been with him for a short amount of time would note this as odd. Eli had never cared who he offended with his language before now. He glanced up at both of the people above him. "We do need to get off the street, though not for the reasons the Rider is thinking of. The Inquisition is bound to still be nearby, and I'd rather be in a defensible place than be out here, waiting for that bas-," Eli paused, glancing back at Peridot, before continuing, "that enemy to come back and pick us off." He tried to get to his feet, only to crash to the ground again, grinding his teeth hard together to avoid cursing. "Could someone help me up? I know a place that can give us all quick healing, is little known, and is easily defendible if the Inquisition comes knocking again."
Walking over to the larger man and with some amount of effort, helping him to his feet, Alan took a quick glance at the group around them, but gesturing with his head towards the Guildhouse. "It might be safer to get into the Guildhouse," Alan offered with a shrug. "Its design isn't necessarily defensible, but its the one building that has almost as many guns as the guard barracks."
"Yes, but the Guild was strangely ignorant of the recent escapade." interjected the calm voice of none other than the tall Serpentine's captain, Drake. "While I do not know the extent of his powers, I doubt he alone was capable of masking the presence of gunfire so close to so many ears."
"One would assume the Inquisitor had help in the background- Not an impossible idea, as the Guild isn't known for its... particularly thorough background checks." Drake continued, giving a knowing nod at the nearby Dericho Rider.
"I doubt the Rider was working with the Inquistion. He'd have already killed us or helped the Inquisitor take the girl." Eli said, slightly testily, to Drake. It was clear that he still didn't like the Serpents. "My two spirits will guard the girl while this boy," Eli gestured slightly towards Alan,"helps me stay on my feet long enough to actually guide us to my safe house. A fair warning Helen." He gave a wry smile to the doctor, his sister. He barely kept his casual facade up, ignoring the snickers of Atra. "She has a tongue as sharp as yours. Maybe even sharper. Let's go before I bleed out. Contrary to popular belief, I do in fact bleed and feel pain."
"Your safehouses are likely in horrid condition." Drake said disapprovingly. "Would you in good faith take such young children into such squalor?" Drake looked at the rest of the group. "I would readily offer my mansion to care for these children while you tend to your wounds, Eli."
" And I would readily do the same to you as I did to you're arrogant little swine of a friend. But we all can't get what we want, can we?" Eli said pleasantly, gripping tighter onto Alan's shoulder. "And if you're so worried about squalor, it's a good thing we're not going to go to one of my safehouses, which are quite clean thank you very much, isn't it? The healer is slightly obsessed with being clean. And her spirit can heal the wounds instantly, making Helen's remarkable work easier. Not to mention, it'll be easier to hide out in a little known, comfortable healing shop than an opulent mansion everyone in the city could point the direction to."
"No offense," Alan said, slighty strained under Eli's increasing bulk. "I don't think your leg is going to hold out long enough to get to the South District."
"I'm sure my home would be able to accomodate any injury related needs you may have as well," Drake added with a smug grin.
"Oh I swear by Aer I'm going beat his arrogant fucking grin off his face, then shoot him just to make sure..." Eli muttered under his breath to Alan, a quick glance at the girl to make sure she hadn't heard. Speaking louder he said, "Fine. Let's go to your mansion. But if we get attacked, don't say I didn't warn you."
Wait shit. I accidentally posted the wrong one. I'll fix it when I have more time todya.
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