[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Vocalia]

Wiping her tears after finally being able to truly express herself, Arlia nodded and replied with a kind smile, "I could really use some clothes right now." Looking at her shackles, she then turned to them both with a sheepish grin. "Oh, I should probably get rid of these as well... Since my father has thrown the keys away, I guess we have to open it manually," she said, showing the remains of the shackles that bound her to the bed. She had managed to cut off the chain that kept her restrained, but she still needed to get the rest removed from her wrists and ankles.

[Daxam]

"I'll help you," Nigel says, kneeling in front of Arlia. taking her hands, he creates a thin stream of flame and cuts through the lock. A few minutes later, all four shackles were lying on the ground, each lock melted through. Standing, he helps Arlia to her feet and wraps the blanket around her shoulders before Sarah leads her into her room. Once inside, she turns to Arlia and says, "Feel free to pick whatever you want. I don't have much in the way of fancy clothes, like Nigel told me you're accustomed to, but feel free to wear anything you want."

[Vocalia]

"It's quite alright, really! I'm more than grateful to be able to borrow your clothes," Arlia replied, showing a much more down-to-earth tastes than what would normally be expected of her. Looking into Sarah's wardrobe, she decided to pick something more conservative and comfortable: a set of sky blue babydoll top and jeans. "I'm rather envious of you, Sarah. You get to wear whatever you fancy most of the time. To be honest, these clothes are actually quite comfortable," she said as she twirled around in front of the mirror, smiling with satisfaction with her choice of attire.

[Daxam]

Sarah smiles and says, "Well, thank you. I'm just glad I was right in thinking we were the same size. And you look so pretty, it's not a surprise why my brother loves you." She then opens the door and says, "Speaking of whom, we should probably step out before he begins thinking we're talking about him. You can wait in the living room with him while I make the tea, okay?"

[Vocalia]

"Of course! Thank you very much," Arlia replied with a light-hearted chuckle and stepped out of the room. As she made her way to the living room, she took her time to look around at the apartment. Compared to her mansion, it was nothing noteworthy, but she could feel the homely atmosphere of the small, cozy place, unlike her cold, isolated mansion. It might not have all the luxury the mansion offered, but even though she had only been in there for less than an hour, Arlia already felt very much at home. Stepping into the living room, she timidly smiled and looked at Nigel. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting," she said to him and sat down next to the silver-haired man.

[Daxam]

Nigel smiles and wraps his arm around Arlia's shoulders, taking her hand in his, as well, saying, "It's alright, love. I'm just glad you seem to be making yourself at home." A few minutes later, Sarah walks in and sets down a tray, on which sits three cups of tea. "I hope you like Earl Grey," she says. "It's the only kind my brother and I drink, although I have some peppermint tea, in case you'd rather have that."

[Vocalia]

"Thank you. I happen to like Earl Grey," Arlia politely replied and gingerly took her cup, then sipped the hot content and let out a soft hum. "I must admit, you surely know how to brew a good tea," she said to Sarah. The auburn-haired woman admired Sarah's hospitality and kindness, though she couldn't help but wonder how much Nigel had told his sister about her. Gesturing to Sarah to join them, Arlia said to her, "Perhaps your brother have told you about me, but please let me introduce myself. My name is Arlia Medici. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sarah. Your brother has spoken quite a bit about you."

[Daxam]

"It's very nice to meet you, Arlia," Sarah says with a smile. "And I'm not surprised he's spoken about me. He gets out so rarely, he has nothing else to talk about. That is, until he met you, of course." Nigel sighs and sips his tea, saying, "Very funny, Sarah." Sarah chuckles, then turns back to Arlia, saying, "But, all joking aside, I'm sure he's spoken to me more about you than he has to you about me. Almost every day, he's telling me something that I've heard before, but it was always nice to hear him talk about you."

[Vocalia]

Arlia wasn't surprised to know that Nigel had been talking about her with his sister, given their close bond, but she was slightly baffled about the extent to which he would talk about her. Either Sarah was telling the truth or she was merely exaggerating in jest, but she was still curious nonetheless. Putting her cup down, Arlia glanced at Nigel, a rosy blush on her cheeks, then looked at Sarah and, timidly rubbing her own fingers, she asked, "If I may ask... What was it that Nigel has been telling you about myself?"

[Daxam]

Sarah can't help but chuckle, seeing Arlia's shy blush as she asks what Nigel had said about her. "Well," she says, "he's always talking about how beautiful and funny you are, as well. He's also mentioned that you're capable of amazing things, like controlling light and growing wings. He also tells me about the dates you two have been on and that they were the best times of his life." Nigel, although he was blushing, makes no move to tell Arlia Sarah was exaggerating what he's said, since she really was telling the truth, that he really had said all of that.

[Vocalia]

If Arlia's face hadn't been filled to the brim with her blood, it was now after Sarah told her what Nigel had been telling his sister about her. Her face was so red, it could be substituted with a tomato and nobody would even notice. The lack of any conflicting responses from Nigel only made her heart race madly inside her chest. "M-My... I certainly didn't expect Nigel to talk so extensively about me... It makes me so happy..." she timidly said, one hand pressed against her rosy cheek. "He did say the truth about my powers, but I would hardly call them impressive. They're certainly not as magnificent as the powers you and your brother possess. Still, if you so wish, I'd be more than happy to do a little show of what I could do."

[Daxam]

Sarah smiles again, saying, "Well, he loves you. I'm not really surprised." As she said that, there was a hint of sadness in her voice as she thinks back to her boyfriend. Hearing Arlia offer a presentation of her powers, Sarah feels herself being pulled away from the depression that constantly seemed to be nipping at her heels. "Would you?" she asks, sounding like a young child who was just offered the chance to see a rare animal. "I'd love to see it, if you wouldn't mind!"

[Vocalia]

While Arlia was slightly hesitant about showing her powers to a woman she had just met physically, she could hear a hint of sadness in her voice as she talked about her brother's love for her. That small hint was enough for Arlia to make up her mind and she was determine to put on a good show to pull her out of her funk, not to mention the fact that Sarah herself was eager to see what she could do. "Certainly! I wouldn't deny a request from such a lovely lady like yourself."

Arlia was fortunate that the babydoll top she borrowed from Sarah happened to be backless as she refused to damage the attire in any way, shape, or form. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she clasped her hands in front of her as white glowing markings began to appear all over her body and her white wings gracefully unfurled from a cluster of light on her back. A ring of light cascaded down her head to reveal a white streak on her otherwise auburn hair and, upon opening her eyes, a pair of brilliant sapphire blue eyes had taken the place of her green eyes.

Smiling softly as she looked at Sarah and Nigel, Arlia opened her hands. Suddenly, a small sphere of light appeared on her hand, followed by the sudden appearance of small, glowing house sparrows bursting out of the light sphere as if she had kept a flock of birds in her hands somehow without being seen. The birds chirped and flew around the living room before stopping to perch on the furniture and on the cups on the table. So lifelike were these birds that some soon started to preen their light feathers and looked for food. A few even decided to perch on the shoulders of the hosts of the house. They were very much tangible and warm to the touch, but they also gave off a soft glow, like that of a candle.

[Daxam]

Sarah laughs delightedly as Arlia demonstrates her powers. As one of the birds lands on her shoulder, she gently strokes its' back, saying, "This is absolutely amazing! Nigel said you could do incredible things, but that was an understatement!" The sparrow nuzzles it's head against Sarah's hand as she pets it before fluttering down to her leg and chirping quietly as it looks up at her. Turning to Arlia as she pets the bird, Sarah then says, "And these wings of yours...I truly have never seen anything more beautiful. Are they really a part of you?"

[Vocalia]

Arlia felt a sense of satisfaction she had never felt before when she saw how happy Sarah was to see her little light show and a small smile graced her face when she heard her raving compliment. She had always thought that satisfaction could only come from seeing her enemy's misery as her light sealed their fate, but now, she found an even greater and more genuine sense of satisfaction through using her light powers to delight and entertain the Howeland siblings instead of using it to injure or harm anyone. When Sarah asked her about her wings, Arlia nodded and answered thoughtfully, "I suppose you can put it that way. In a sense, they're a manifestation of myself and my powers. When these wings physically manifest, they become another part of my body." To demonstrate her innate control over her wings, Arlia turned her wings towards her and showed her by gently moving her wings, slowly flapping about before tucking on her back. "You can come and touch them, if you feel so inclined," she said with a light-hearted chuckle.

[Daxam]

Sarah gently nudges the sparrow off of her leg and, as the bird relocates to her shoulder, walks over to Arlia. Tentatively, she reaches out and touches Arlia's wing. "Wow," she whispers, running her fingers along her feathers. "It's so soft and warm...This is truly amazing..." Sighing almost wistfully, she adds, "I wish I could do something as amazing as this, but all I can do is heal people. Granted, that's still useful, but I'd still like to be able to help more than I can now..." Shrugging, Sarah turns to Arlia and says, "Thank you, Arlia. You're really a great person and I hope you and Nigel are together for a long, long time."

[Vocalia]

"R-Really...? Do you think so...?" Arlia seemed surprised and unsure of how she should respond to Sarah's compliments. She had never encountered sincere compliments before meeting Nigel, so she was easily flustered. "I-I mean, thank you for your words. It's just that... I... " Seeing the normally confident woman acting like a shy, confused child was a sign of just how terrible her living and social skills really were under the systemic abuse Adriano had subjected her to. Without the fear of his presence haunting her, Arlia lost all her ability to project a seemingly normal mask and was now showing who she really was: a mistreated and slightly dysfunctional broken bird.

[Daxam]

Sarah catches onto Arlia's change in demeanor and, somehow, looking into her eyes, knows the gist of what had happened, that someone who was supposed to protect her had hurt her instead. Gently, she wraps her arms around the angelic woman, bringing her into a comforting hug, and says, "You're safe now, Arlia. Everything will be alright." Then with a dry chuckle, she adds, knowing Arlia would know who she was talking about, even though Sarah didn't, "I hope my brother put him in his place. He deserved whatever happened to him."

[Vocalia]

Although Arlia had a feeling that Sarah didn't know who she was really talking about and what Nigel did to him, the thought alone was enough to give her a sense of joy. "He won't be bothering me anymore, that much I can say for sure," she replied and pulled the slightly shorter woman into a hug, although in her fit of joy and affection, she ended up wrapping both her arms and wings around Sarah and pushing her face right into her considerably ample chest, the babydoll top she had borrowed only accentuating her hourglass torso. "I'm really looking forward to start over. Maybe I can finally hang out with you and your brother more often~! Oh, I'm so excited!" she said giddily, momentarily forgetting that she was being overtly affectionate towards her lover's sister.

[Daxam]

Sarah expected Arlia to return the hug, just not with as much fervor as she used, causing her vision to go black as Arlia buries her face in her chest. Nigel, unable to help but blush, seeing the embrace Arlia had his sister in, clears his throat and says, "Uh, Arlia, love...I think you're suffocating Sarah..." As if in response, Sarah reaches up and taps Arlia's shoulder, as if saying that what Nigel had pointed out was true.