[h1][u]Ciara Ventura[/u][/h1]
[i][color=gray]Wingram, Forest[/color][/i]
[@Nanaya], [@Sifr], [@Psyker Landshark]

[hr]

Ciara stared down the sword pointed at her throat, shadows freezing in place. This wasn’t fair. She was so close. [i]So close![/i] She was about to get all her questions answered, she just had to grab the little shadow and be gone. Why was Iraleth interfering?

It infuriated her to no end.

It wasn’t fair.

[quote=Iraleth][b]“I would have spared you and left your fate to the faculty should I have won officially. Here? If you lose, I will put you down.”[/b][/quote]

Ciara openly bared her teeth, glaring. An open threat. One that sent a shiver crawling down her spine. Iraleth had every justification to go with what she just said. Every possible motive. The perfect mindset of a holy killer ready to let loose.

And that scared her.

Then Iraleth’s tone changed, more pleading, [i]begging[/i].

[quote=Iraleth][b]"Stop making me have to try to kill you. I never wanted this to end in violence, you absolute idiot."[/b][/quote]

[b]“Stop getting in my way,”[/b] Ciara bit out. [b]“You can still turn a blind eye to this.”[/b]

She didn’t make a single move, though. Didn’t dare to even move a finger, or a breadth of a shadow. Now? Now, she was enjoying her little tantrum, knowing full well what would come next.

[quote=Hildegunde][color=007236][b]"Excuse you? [i]Put her down?[/i] I am not burying another body in the fucking woods,"[/b][/color][/quote]

Ciara blinked in the liminal darkness, illuminated only by the light of Iraleth’s sword. Was Hildegunde… siding with her? Coming to her defense?

Ciara’s lips pursed, feeling an emotion stir within her as her eyes grew hot.

But wait… [i]Another body?[/i]

Hildegunde spoke directly at her. 

[quote=Hildegunde][color=007236][b]"And you - I don't know what kind of answers you're looking for, but are you that desperate to endanger yourself and others for answers you may not even get - answers that surely have leads elsewhere? Is it worth biting the hands of those who [i]want [/i]to put faith in you?"[/b][/color][/quote]

Ciara finally fell silent at that, slowly moving a hand to press her eyes as she turned her head away. Anger bubbled up in her again, and regret, and a smothering sensation. She was getting smothered. By what, though? …Care?

Air hissed through her teeth as she took a breath, remembering the imp that lay at the other side of Hildegunde. To her, a surefire way to at least get [i]something[/i], answers, or whatever. To hell with the consequences.

But these girls. Her… her [i]friends[/i], if that was even the right word, were adamant and unmoving on this.

It infuriated her to no end.

[quote=Hildegunde][b][color=007236]"Why do you two [i]insist [/i]on seeing enemies in each other? Our aggressor is right here,"[/color][/b][/quote]

Aggressor. 

Hah.

By those intents and purposes, she was an aggressor, too. All the orphanages of Vaal Kastrix knew that.

Ciara’s eyes fell on the imp, regret flashing in her face, as she finally relented. Her head bowed as she released the shadows, and sunlight poured in as the darkness fizzled out. With palms up, she took a step back from Iraleth, her face grim.

[b]“...Fine. Have it your way. But I want the thing’s fate decided by the faculty, not by you.”[/b]

She twisted Otis’ sword in the grip of her palm as she turned away entirely, jaw clenching as she thought of the fate of the shadow being.

Iraleth and Hildegunde were resolute on this.

There wasn’t anything she could do.

And she hated it almost as much as she hated the swirl of other emotions in her - solidarity, companionship, an [i]understanding[/i]. Something entirely foreign, giving pause to her thoughts, stress in her system. Could she really trust this? Trust them? 

It was impossible, wasn't it?