Aisede

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Eisimare [Revised]

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THE DESERT

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A vast, dry desert distinguished by two opposing forces: The Jewel of The Desert, and The Dragon Kingdoms. The West, too, possesses their own ethereal power, dominated by the long march of camel Caravans and their vaunted exotic trade.

*The Great Rebellion

One cannot discuss the history of The Desert without first understanding the formation of its constituent parts: The Jewel of The Desert, and The Dragon Kingdoms.

c. ▇▇▇ PR (Pre-Rebellion), the eight eponymous dragons that would create what in modern times are referred to as "Dominances" arrive in The Desert and insert themselves as the ultimate authority over local inhabitants (believed to have been members of the now-extinct Khaaranite people).

c. ▇ PR, the Six Saints conduct coordinated revolution within their respective Dominances, sparking the fires of The Great Rebellion. Whilst none of the dragons suffered casualties, the revolutionary Saints succeeded in besieging the Central Dominance and absconding with the titular Jewel which would become the symbolic and functional icon of The Jewel of The Desert.

c. ▇▇ PSR (Post-Rebellion), The Jewel of The Desert as recognized in modern times begins to emerge; core infrastructure emerges, satellite settlements begin to form, and The Book of Hope has been penned and reproduced. The Jewel of The Desert sees a rapid rise in literacy, however the economy struggles in the absense of trading partners.

– From The Complete History of The Desert as revised and edited by Proper Diction.

The Jewel of The Desert

The Jewel of The Desert

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The Ecclesiarchal Faith
Although The Jewel gives the outward appearance of being a monarchy, it is actually a theocracy, with most executive power given to the current highest ranking member of the Ecclesiarchy. Usually, this is a "living saint".

The Ecclesiarchal Faith is built upon worship of the Six Saints who founded The Jewel of The Desert, with the occasional lesser saint gaining recognition for noble deeds.

Extolling the virtues of the Six Saints is The Book of Hope. The Book of Hope is the official penned codex of the Ecclesiarchal Faith, and contains details on the lives of The Six Saints, as well as their sage guidance.

The Six Saints

The Jewel
The cultural icon of The Jewel of The Desert, and the stolen artifact that keeps its denizens safe from the dragon menace.

Crystal ponies
Although intended to share the same liberties as other Jewelers, crystal ponies possess the dubious position of second-class citizens. In the worst of cases- and the most common of them- their freedoms are stripped away entirely.

Silasu

Silasu is the native tongue of the crystal ponies, whom refer to themselves as simalai. Unfortunately, the language is seldom learned for crystal slaves, and just as rarely spoken. They Who Knows, crystal pony lorekeepers, of sorts, maintain their traditions.

Sundered Samsara (Honkai Impact 3rd - a Third Era AU)

Hi guys! Still alive and well, but I'm using a different Discord now.

Just a heads up, if anybody approaches you, acts funny, then asks you to try out their new game, be VERY cautious.

For context, I got hacked. They're very real, and very dangerous

Sundered Samsara (Honkai Impact 3rd - a Third Era AU)

Power: C; Endurance: D; Agility: C; Intellect: D; Honkai: D; Burst: D
Health: 3/3
Honkai Corruption: 0/3
Burst Charge: 0/5
Time Fracture: 1/1

You're in a new place

You're in a new country

You're surrounded by new people

You can make this work

Hinode brought a hand up to her neck, grazing the ivory charm suspended there with a pale, trembling finger. She couldn't help but think about the people occupying the transport. Would they be... ? Balling her hand into a fist, she gripped the shattered claw, hard eyes taking in her companions. There was Jessica, their supposed leader. There was something so... What's the word? Fake about her. The smile, the confidence. Ni-sama would frown and point and say she's putting on an act. A 'brave face' when really, she didn't want to be here. Ni-sama's smile would be real, it'd smack her and the crew in the face with raw positivity and the sheer force of 'go get 'em' she remembers so fondly.

Moving her gaze to the next in line, a pretty blonde woman. Hinode recalled what she'd read on her profile, and offered her a nod of respect. She felt an instant kinship with her fellow tragic figure, and idly considered if she'd have come out any different were she sworn to a Kaslana-adjacent family. 'Thou shalt live by this oath: Purge the vile Honkai.'

Liliana Lehtinen... She'll remember this name.

Next, the Faramont girl. She'd actually encountered her, briefly, in the corridors of World Serpent. After she'd come begging and screaming for revenge against the monsters that took her family. Her friends. It was only later that she learned of the possibility of some kind of fusion, a method to her means of Honkai's eradication. Of course, it wasn't available to rookies such as herself...

... The kind of rookie who gets her friends killed, because she was so overeager- so overconfident, that she ignored rule one fighting the Honkai: expect the unexpected.

Neither Faramont nor the Isa lady really held her attention, that's when her attention shifted to the third techy in their bandwagon-

"... Hinode."

She blinked, and unclasped the claw, staring the outspoken lady up and down. She was Chinese- A culture similar enough to her own to be comfortable with- and evidently one to take the initiative. Ni-sama would approve.

Furrowing her brows, she listened. Something stirred within her, a dread that only deepened her frown. She was perhaps too outspoken. Too friendly. But Hinode could hardly fault her with how dead silent the ride has been.

"In Normandy, France, yeah." She had surface-level knowledge on the topic, but she was more concerned with the layout of their destination. A Honkai Outbreak... When she'd received the briefing, some small part of her had hoped- foolishly- that her monster may make an appearance. But after reading 'No elemental variations detected', her enthusiasm drastically waned. It was still an opportunity to prove her mettle, and one step closer to receiving the power she needed to exact her revenge. Besides, stragglers or not, she will still be putting a blade to Honkai. That's good enough for her. "There's a river. River Seine."

She pulls out her phone, brings up Google Maps, and leans over to show her, and anyone else who may want a look.

"It'll be roughly East of us when we land."

She zooms in on Sottevile, tapping the screen.

"There are three main roads that all lead towards the perimeter. If we split up, we could clear a path to our destination and hopefully spread a wide enough net to catch the stragglers."

She pauses, glancing towards Jessica... Then slowly leaning back and pocketing her phone. Splitting up was probably a bad idea- they were brought together as a team for a reason, after all, even if she didn't know what that reason was.

Tapping her fingers on her thigh, she looked to Liliana again.

That dread built up, bubbling to the surface in a haze of frost and lightning- "You wanna be my wingman?"

The words just spilled out. She couldn't lose another friend. She couldn't afford to make another friend, but out of all the people here she was the only one she suspected she'd get along with. Well enough to perform her duties without worrying about friction.

She composed herself, distracting her racing mind with the gleam of her hair and the odd getup that reminded her of the word 'eskimo'.

"As in... Pair up. I'm actually used to working with someone with cryonic powers. We liked to joke and call it magic... Eheh..."

Oh... She's already making a fool of herself.

Sundered Samsara (Honkai Impact 3rd - a Third Era AU)

Hinode

Hinode

Japanese | World Serpent | 19 y/o
| Disciple of Taixuan | Human | C - Rank | SWARA | Katana
POW - C (+1) | END - D (-1) | AGI - C (+1) | INT - D (+1) | HON - D | BUR - D

Lightning

Biologic

Weapon: Lightning Soul

St. 7308 Labs designed this saber for arming Valkyries. Vast amounts of Honkai energy particles adhere to the surface of the blade. The blade has a unique shape, not to enhance its performance but rather a personal design choice. This weapon is essentially a super-taser, to a rather lethal degree. Arcs of electricity snap off its surface upon contact with any surface. It also seems to mildly enhance the penetrative power of lightning attacks performed by the wielder. Not quite enough to ignore a rank of Endurance normally, but when the user channels a Burst-tier feat of Honkai manipulation through the blade, it finally magnifies it enough to do so.

Battlesuit: Avenger

Features: The typical suite of comms, GPS, and subspace storage.

Time Fracture: An ability that increases a Valkyrie’s Agility by one level for a single post or about 5-10 seconds, giving them the opportunity to dodge some form of peril and potentially retaliate in the same timeframe. Can be used once per battle.

Honkai Arts

Electrokinesis: D
Time Fracture: E (1 use)
Honkai Sensing: C (medium range)

Burst: Lightning Strike

Rank: D
Duration: 1 round
Modifier Points: 5 (+1 Power, +2 Range, +1 to Honkai, +1 Paralysis)

Effect:Unleashes a monstrous slash of thrumming plasma and lightning out to Medium range. Raises her Power and Honkai by 1 rank for a round, as she focuses deeper on her control over lightning and attempts to inflict paralysis on any creature struck by the beam. Her Honkai is also considered an additional rank higher, but only for the purposes of inflicting paralysis. If inflicted, paralysis lasts for a single round.

Skills

From a young age, Hinode had been recruited into the Disciples program. It's among Taixuan that she discovered her passion for gardening. It wasn't much, but it was something to pass the time. Mizu-chan introduced her to the wonderful world of rice balls, and from there, more conventional cooking (that usually ended in rice balls.) Asides from gardening and cooking, Hino didn't have much outside of practicing Iado with Ni-sama. She's not great at much... But she's not very bad at anything either.

Gear

After suffering catastrophic casualties during the emperor incident, Hinode has since learned it is best to deploy with the neccesary tools. These include: a rechargable lamp, a canteen, keycard and ID, and some snacks.

Hinode is somewhat unfamiliar with how most technology works, having spent most of her life away from big cities and their luxuries.

Appearance

Brown hair, yellow eyes. She sports a long, efficient Japanese ponytail, tied in place with blue ribbon. Around her neck is a peculiar claw. Hinode typically sports a white and blue changpao, with darker blue sleevs, a black belt, and boots. Around her thigh is an awaji knot.

Personality

Hinode is... Average. Average looks, average build, and unremarkable when it comes to personality. At least, this is how she sees herself.

She may come off as a bit shy or awkward, especially when meeting new people. It's not neccesarily the fault of whoever she's interacting with, it's just... Well, if you know, you know. She'll still make the attempt to socialize, and that's what matters.

Outside of casual interactions, Hinod can become quite the different person. She didn't used to take fights very seriously, but now that's changed. She can be focused, and may come off as cold. But that's just her way of caring for the people around her. She can't lose people to carelessness again.

Biography

Hinode, Mizumi, and Ni. The three disciples were thick as thieves, even if the elder Ni-sama liked to police them more than was strictly necessary. It used to be just Hino and Mizu– the two had always been together, but after joining Taixuan, Ni-sama was unwittingly dragged into the cadre of stooges. Hino and Mizu would grab lunch from the latter's place, and Mizu's grandmother made the best rice balls. They'd train together, Mizu would cast "spells" (At Hino's insistence), and Ni-sama taught Hino how to not kill herself swinging a katana around.

They were good times. Happy times.

And then they went to explore a peculiar disturbance.

They deployed without backup, and without possibly knowing what they might encounter. A handful of scarlet uriels almost did them in before the real threat arrived, and when it did-

She... Prefers not to think about it. But she does. She thinks about it every day. A towering emperor, wreathed in flames like a demon straight out of hell. It was far worse than any playful predictions Hinode may have had before, and in no time at all, she learned first-hand what the ranking system was for.

Her friends were dead. Ni-sama was dead. Mizu, who was like a little sister to her, was dead. It was a miracle she lived at all, if just barely.

In the rubble and ruin, all she was able to recover was a severed horn. Ni-sama's lasting legacy.

Everything after that was kind of a blur. She needed... She needed, and that needing lead her to World Serpent. Taixuan, as much as she loved and supported them, couldn't help her anymore. And she... Wasn't strong enough to fulfil her duties to them either. But World Serpent promised her power, the same power that could have saved her comrades in the past.

She's still a Disciple of Taixuan. She always will be. But for now, she belongs to World Serpent.

One day, through them, she will achieve the power to destroy the Honkai.

One day, she will hunt down the beast that destroyed her life.

One day, it will face her blade.

Sundered Samsara (Honkai Impact 3rd - a Third Era AU)

I'm sorry... I tried using a hider, but it wouldn't work...

Also WIP

Sundered Samsara (Honkai Impact 3rd - a Third Era AU)

Hinode

Hinode

Japanese | World Serpent | 19 y/o
| Disciple of Taixuan | Human | C - Rank | SWARA | Katana
POW - C (+1) | END - D (-1) | AGI - C (+1) | INT - D (+1) | HON - D | BUR - D

Lightning

Biologic

Weapon: Lightning Soul

St. 7308 Labs designed this saber for arming Valkyries. Vast amounts of Honkai energy particles adhere to the surface of the blade. The blade has a unique shape, not to enhance its performance but rather a personal design choice. This weapon is essentially a super-taser, to a rather lethal degree. Arcs of electricity snap off its surface upon contact with any surface. It also seems to mildly enhance the penetrative power of lightning attacks performed by the wielder. Not quite enough to ignore a rank of Endurance normally, but when the user channels a Burst-tier feat of Honkai manipulation through the blade, it finally magnifies it enough to do so.

Battlesuit: Avenger

Features: The typical suite of comms, GPS, and subspace storage.

Time Fracture: An ability that increases a Valkyrie’s Agility by one level for a single post or about 5-10 seconds, giving them the opportunity to dodge some form of peril and potentially retaliate in the same timeframe. Can be used once per battle.

Honkai Arts

Electrokinesis: D
Time Fracture: E (1 use)
Honkai Sensing: C (medium range)

Burst: Lightning Strike

Rank: D
Duration: 1 round
Modifier Points: 5 (+1 Power, +2 Range, +1 to Honkai, +1 Paralysis)

Effect:Unleashes a monstrous slash of thrumming plasma and lightning out to Medium range. Raises her Power and Honkai by 1 rank for a round, as she focuses deeper on her control over lightning and attempts to inflict paralysis on any creature struck by the beam. Her Honkai is also considered an additional rank higher, but only for the purposes of inflicting paralysis. If inflicted, paralysis lasts for a single round.

Skills

From a young age, Hinode had been recruited into the Disciples program. It's among Taixuan that she discovered her passion for gardening. It wasn't much, but it was something to pass the time. Mizu-chan introduced her to the wonderful world of rice balls, and from there, more conventional cooking (that usually ended in rice balls.) Asides from gardening and cooking, Hino didn't have much outside of practicing Iado with Ni-sama. She's not great at much... But she's not very bad at anything either.

Gear

After suffering catastrophic casualties during the emperor incident, Hinode has since learned it is best to deploy with the neccesary tools. These include: a rechargable lamp, a canteen, keycard and ID, and some snacks.

Hinode is somewhat unfamiliar with how most technology works, having spent most of her life away from big cities and their luxuries.

Appearance

Brown hair, yellow eyes. She sports a long, efficient Japanese ponytail, tied in place with blue ribbon. Around her neck is a peculiar claw. Hinode typically sports a white and blue changpao, with darker blue sleevs, a black belt, and boots. Around her thigh is an awaji knot.

Personality

Hinode is... Average. Average looks, average build, and unremarkable when it comes to personality. At least, this is how she sees herself.

She may come off as a bit shy or awkward, especially when meeting new people. It's not neccesarily the fault of whoever she's interacting with, it's just... Well, if you know, you know. She'll still make the attempt to socialize, and that's what matters.

Outside of casual interactions, Hinod can become quite the different person. She didn't used to take fights very seriously, but now that's changed. She can be focused, and may come off as cold. But that's just her way of caring for the people around her. She can't lose people to carelessness again.

Biography

Hinode, Mizumi, and Ni. The three disciples were thick as thieves, even if the elder Ni-sama liked to police them more than was strictly necessary. It used to be just Hino and Mizu– the two had always been together, but after joining Taixuan, Ni-sama was unwittingly dragged into the cadre of stooges. Hino and Mizu would grab lunch from the latter's place, and Mizu's grandmother made the best rice balls. They'd train together, Mizu would cast "spells" (At Hino's insistence), and Ni-sama taught Hino how to not kill herself swinging a katana around.

They were good times. Happy times.

And then they went to explore a peculiar disturbance.

They deployed without backup, and without possibly knowing what they might encounter. A handful of scarlet uriels almost did them in before the real threat arrived, and when it did-

She... Prefers not to think about it. But she does. She thinks about it every day. A towering emperor, wreathed in flames like a demon straight out of hell. It was far worse than any playful predictions Hinode may have had before, and in no time at all, she learned first-hand what the ranking system was for.

Her friends were dead. Ni-sama was dead. Mizu, who was like a little sister to her, was dead. It was a miracle she lived at all, if just barely.

In the rubble and ruin, all she was able to recover was a severed horn. Ni-sama's lasting legacy.

Everything after that was kind of a blur. She needed... She needed, and that needing lead her to World Serpent. Taixuan, as much as she loved and supported them, couldn't help her anymore. And she... Wasn't strong enough to fulfil her duties to them either. But World Serpent promised her power, the same power that could have saved her comrades in the past.

She's still a Disciple of Taixuan. She always will be. But for now, she belongs to World Serpent.

One day, through them, she will achieve the power to destroy the Honkai.

One day, she will hunt down the beast that destroyed her life.

One day, it will face her blade.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Macy

Name: Macy, Honey, or "Honeypot."

Age: 34

Nationality: American

Noble Arm Name & Appearance:

Altia

Noble Arm Rank:

Insert NA rank here

Power: C
Speed: B
Range: A
Persistence: C
Precision: B
Potential: C

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range:

Support, auditory, close-to-very long range.

Noble Arm Abilities:

Fugue: Now why are you reading this when you can be doing something constructive with your time? Never you mind the little details of a young lady, you shouldn’t be so nosy anyway. It’s impolite.

Macy sings, her voice carrying for an unnatural distance. So long as you can hear her voice (even through other sounds), you are subject to the effects of Fugue. An internal voice that sounds like your own will attempt to suggest certain actions, although it is possible to ignore it.

Macy can choose who is and isn't affected by her music.

Chord: Macy raises her spear up high, causing a wave of sound to erupt in any or all directions, and to varying intensities.

Misc Abilities: Music. Macy has some killer vocal cords, just don't ask her to play a stringed instrument.

Personality:

*Likes: Music, exotic food, dance, parties, dance parties.

*Dislikes: Anything remotely dull or boring. Uh.

Fears:

Bio: Macy (Windu, hehe ♪) hails from Colorado, land of painted planes and picturesque mountains! The place is simply wonderful ~ Oh, but no matter how wonderful it is, responsibility always comes knocking eventually. Her father - a terribly amusivs man, just awful- decided that a life of stardom just wasn't in the cards for poor Macy. Singing was her passion, her divine calling, but daddy dearest just wasn't having it. Seeing as she wasn't going to wiggle her way out of this one, she also then decided to make the best of a bad situation. If she was going to be shipped across sea (In style, thank you. Civilian crafts just aren't for her ~) she would become Phillipine's bardic bohemian, an inspiration to the masses!

Now, she just needs to make her grand debut ♪

*Current Goal: Assist the ASEAN cause as a hired hand

Military or Civilian Rank:

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Another day

A second sun blazes in the sky. A shield breaks. A girl slumps to the ground-

Kaitlyn wakes with a start, hugging the shape against her.

Where… ?

It takes her a moment, for the phantom sounds and images to fade, and for reality to reassert itself. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and a cold sweat wracked her body.

When will the nightmares end?

She sighs, shivering, and relaxes her hold on Hannie. Hopefully she hadn’t woken her up…

But Hannie is already awake. She startles at the sudden movement, wiggles a bit, and is still. She’s been almost sleeping for… she looks over to the alarm clock… man. All of five hours. It’s probably going to go off soon.

”... Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake up,” Kaitlyn whispers, releasing Hannie from her hold as she sits up. She cups her face in her hand, looking positively miserable. Exhausted. ”Did you sleep well?”

”Mm-hmm,” Hannie says. Kaitlyn glances over at her, dubious. Something about how quickly she answered…

”Are you sure?” she wakes up a little more, the fog of sleep quickly evaporating. Idly, she checks her hair, tracing her fingers over the little accessory.

”Mm-hmm,” Hannie says again, just the same. She looks Kaitlyn over. ”I don’t think you did,” she says, looking for her part fairly peppy.

Kaitlyn’s eyes unfocus, and she becomes just a little pale as… So many things run through her mind.

”... I had to say goodbye to my unit, yesterday,” she says, hollow. ”They were the only family I had out here, so… far from home.” Her throat tightens, and she rubs at her eyes. It’s too early… late? It’s not the right time for this.

Blowing out air, she hops off the bed and glances at the clock- Just as it starts beeping.
Hannie jumps at it at the first tone, and silences it before the third. She settles back to where she’d been like nothing happened. ”Unit?” she says, contemplating the term. ”Um… you had another team?”

Kaitlyn smiles at this, circles around the bed, and ruffles her hair. Hannie is so cute when she’s curious, isn’t she? At least Kaity thinks so.

”Yes, Hannie. I operated under Corporal Castro. I’m a private, remember? I operate… operated… In a unit. Unfortunately, they were reassigned elsewhere, without me.” Come to think of it, she was never really made clear on the structure of Task Force Obsidian. She’s just kind of been following Alonso’s orders.

Hannie gives this an intellectual-sounding ”Oh,” and is just quiet for a second. She doesn’t really know who Kaitlyn’s talking about. She adds, ”Sorry,” also unhelpfully. Kaitlyn’s rubbing slows, and her smile turns just a little melancholy.

”It’s okay, Hannie. I still have you, and Nil, and the rest of the Task Force.” ‘the rest’ don’t really matter to her on a personal level, but she’s still determined to help them however she can.

Speaking of helping…

”Now, let’s talk about you,” she chirps, stepping away. She digs out a set of pistols and begins to rapidly disassemble them. Hannie sits up and tracks the movements of the pistol-pieces for a while, silent. Then…

”I, um.” Pause. ”Didn’t ha… um… I mi-... I guess I had a unit?” she says. She taps the mattress beside her. ”I think I had a unit too.”

”Who were they?” she asks, gentle, unhurried. ”Did you get along?”

As soon as the pieces are laid on the table, she withdraws a cleaning kit from her belt and gets to work. It’s all routine, and she hardly has to think about what she’s doing, keeping an ear out for Hannie’s voice.

”There were other Arms Masters, who, uh.” She pauses again, frowning up at the ceiling. ”I… had to be with… sometimes.” She trails the point off like she’s purposefully skipping over a lot, which tracks with what Kaitlyn has learned from her. She had to leave her mother, and she had to join the army. What has Hannie actually gotten to choose for herself?

”And you had to come here, too,” she surmises, quieting down. There’s a pause, and Kaitlyn’s rote motions slow. Hannie nods, her expression neutral, evidently not on quite the same thought-track. Kaitlyn glances over, thoughtful, then continues her cleaning with increased vigor. ”Well, I’ve got an option here for you, Hannie. You don’t have to accept it, and if you don’t, that’s perfectly fine. First I have to ask: do you enjoy using your NA? Like… Would you prefer to use another weapon if that wasn’t your first and last resort?”

”Mmm… mm-mm. I don’t like her.”

Kaitlyn reassembles the pistols on the table about as quickly as she’d taken them apart, slapping on the final pieces and raising it up to display it to the little girl- safety on, of course. Always keep the safety on outside of combat.

”This is a Glock Seventeen. Seventeen round clip, reliable, accurate.” She tests the latter, aiming down the sights. Mhm. That’ll work. When she’s ready, she passes the weapon off to Hannie, who leans away from it, her eyes widening.

”N- wait. Uh…” Hannie shakes her head and stammers for a moment. ”I- I shouldn’t have a gun. Either.” She shakes her head again, and Kaitlyn is quick to withdraw the weapon, looking guilty.

”I’m sorry, I… Didn’t know.” She frowns, looking down at the weapon. Sighing, she holsters it and the spare, then takes a moment to think, leaning with her back against the table.

So no guns… What else does that leave?

”I’m sorry. It’s just, um.” Hannie looks thoughtful, as if running over a list in her head. ”...I shouldn’t. I- I guess Kirvella’s fine. That’s… her name.” She pronounces it as if in someone else’s voice, a little deeper and seemingly in another accent.

Kaitlyn nods at this, slowly, contemplatively.

”That’s okay… How about… A taser?” The thought was ludicrous. She felt insane for suggesting it, but it was an option, and the Philippine police should have some. ”It’s a non-lethal option, and it will still incapacitate any would-be aggressors long enough for you to disengage and hopefully find help.” Her voice becomes softer, then. As do her eyes. ”You don’t have to kill if you don’t want to, Hannie.”

It looks as though something around the word “kill” physically struck Hannie. She flinches a bit and draws her legs up onto the bed. Kaitlyn immediately realizes her error and quickly adds ”I’m sorry- It’s… It’s not actually you, is it? It’s… Kirvella?”

The thought kind of just constructed itself as she pieced together a panicked excuse for her blunder. Who even knew if her NA had that kind of power over her? But Kaitlyn couldn’t really see Hannie killing people as indiscriminately as the person she’d seen on the beach. It just didn’t fit what she knew of the girl, even if she had to do it.

”It’s Kirvella. She… acts for you.” She watches Hannie, searching for confirmation and praying to God she’s right and she doesn’t just sound insane.

Until you learn your own courage. Hannie blinks. She hesitates, and nods. It doesn’t look like the made-up excuse Kaitlyn was working with, so much as a response to having been caught out.

Kaitlyn nods back.

”We’ll find you a non-lethal weapon for self-defense before the next mission, and…” she thinks for a moment. Phones would be nice, but the enemy could trace radio signals pretty easily. There’s a reason you never see soldiers whipping out their Samsungs to call for backup. Radios, maybe? Short-range. ”Radios. You’ll have one, I’ll have one, and you can call me if you need me for anything you can’t handle. How does that sound?”

”I… almost forgot… we were gonna be fighting.” Hannie frowns, thinking the offers over. ”...okay. I hope a, uh, taser’s fine.”

Kaitlyn smiles, then steps towards her, kneeling so that they were roughly eye level. ”It is. We’ll go grab those right now then-” her eyes dart towards the clock. ”Then we’ll head towards the Auditorium, grab some breakfast, and we’ll be set.” She’d have liked for Hannie to carry a gun ‘just-in-case’, but that was pretty redundant when she had a Noble Arm. Guns were for people who didn’t have other options. Hannie nods and glances up to Kaitlyn’s hair ornament, looking for a moment like she’s thinking of something faraway, then nods again. She unfolds her legs, ready to get up.

And then they’re off to start another day…

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Two Tired Girls

It isn't long after Hannie and crew return to home base that Kaitlyn seeks out what she realizes she is increasingly considering her own kid. It’s immediately apparent she's seen better days; her eyes are red, and she carries herself with a distinct lack of energy or motivation.

Finding Hannie is, for most people, something of an ordeal. She tends to crawl into strange dark spaces or curl up alone in auditorium seating. But Kaitlyn knows where to look, and the moment she finds her little Hannie - auditorium seating this time - she collapses onto her knees and wraps the kid in her arms. Trembling, and silent.

The girl starts at the sudden embrace, and doesn’t seem to have much to say herself. After a moment’s pause, she hugs Kaitlyn back. Kaitlyn reciprocates with an even tighter embrace, tears prickling the edges of her eyes.

“Hannie…”

A short silence hangs between them.

”Yeah?” Hannie says, apparently not picking up Kaity’s tone.

For some reason, Kaitlyn laughs at this. It’s more an exasperated exhalation than anything. She’s not even sure what’s so funny…

“It’s just… Good to see you again.”

She sighs and, for a moment, goes limp. But she rights herself up in short order, releasing the little girl and wiping off her cheeks with her sleeve. She has been crying… Or she’s about to.

“Did you have fun?” She asks, weakly.

”Um.” Hannie briefly considers the words, “are you okay?” It’s probably not a good thing to ask. ”Nil is hard to play with. She ran around everywhere and didn’t share and we had to sit down with a stranger.” She pauses. ”Yes.”

”A stranger?”

Kaitlyn sounds, and looks, concerned.

”Um,” Hannie says, again. She frowns, considering her options to explain. She kind of waggles her hands. ”Like… that tall? And, uh.” She deepens her voice and nearly affects an unspecific South-American accent. ”“Sounds like this.”

Kaitlyn covers her mouth, although there’s a look of amusement in her eyes.

”Hehe… Well, it sounds like you had a good time. I’m guessing Nil weirded him out?”

Kaitlyn’s mood already seems to be improving. The power of hugs and cuteness!

”I think we just bored him.” Hannie looks upward, trying to recall how it went. Kaitlyn could already imagine it was pretty chaotic. ”He talked a lot.”

Kaitlyn slowly nods, but exhaustion is beginning to settle in. The search has kept her going up to this point, but now she could use some rest. Some real rest.

Her eyes unfocus for a moment as a second sun blazes in her mind, threatening her with nightmares full of crunching sand and screams.

“Why don’t you tell me all about it while we walk? I’d like to check us into a hotel or something. Sleep in a real bed. Take a bath. I feel kinda icky. You?” She rises to her feet, then offers Hannie her hand with a small, warm smile. Hannie takes the hand with her usual lost, okay-sure-I’ll-go-where-you-go sort of look, and Kaity’s smile grows just a touch wider.

Over the next several minutes Hannie slowly picks up the story of how Nil had bullied and neglected her, how this strange bearded man had sat them down and bought them smoothies and made them talk. Her words sound like it was misery, but her tone sounds like she had some fun. Kaitlyn nods along and offers her sympathies, although she retains a small smile throughout it all. In no time, Kaitlyn sniffs out a decent place to stay- Capitol Resort, which is just down the street!- and beelines for the bed, tossing herself onto the comforter with an explosive sigh.

At last, a real bed! How long has it been?

Hannie slows to a pause in the doorway, looking around the room as if dazzled by the luxury, or at least the impression of it. It’s on the modest end as rooms abroad go, yet she appears fascinated, working her way slowly to the bedside while stopping to study every vaguely evocative painting and easy-clean carpet fiber.

”Hannie? Are you alright?” That concern creeps back into her voice as she leans up on the bed, watching her.

Tearing her eyes from a bulky white air conditioner embedded in the wall, Hannie tries to express what she’s thinking… and manages, ”Fancy.”

‘Fancy’ isn’t the word Kaitlyn would use to describe a 4.1 star resort.

“... Have you ever stayed at a hotel before?”

The girl hops onto the bed, examining the bland, intermittently peeled wallpaper. She shakes her head no, and tests the texture of the linens. They’re actually some quality stuff, all things considered. Soft and cushiony. Kaitlyn briefly entertains the idea of a pillow fight before chucking it into a third sun specifically conjured up to eat bad ideas.

”But you have slept in your own bed before, right? Had your own room?”

”Yeah? Most of the time.” Hannie doesn’t look as she answers, focused on the alarm clock on her side. 9:18pm, a good almost-twenty minutes over the typical curfew, and more importantly covered in strange and fascinating buttons.

Kaitlyn studies Hannie for a moment, then reaches out- but she stops herself just short of grabbing the little girl. She seems eager to explore at the moment, and Kaitlyn doesn’t want to impede on that curiosity. The girl scans the device, and taps a button to no effect. She presses and holds it, yielding a long shrill tone. She blinks. So does the display.

”Did I break it?”

Kaitlyn giggles and reaches over to tap a few buttons of her own. The prolonged beep is mercifully silenced, and a still 12:00am appears.

”No, silly. That’s the reset.” Kaitlyn briefly explains how the device works, and what the buttons do… To the best of her knowledge, at least. It doesn’t help that Hannie doesn’t seem to read Tagalog, but eventually she manages to correct the time to 9:21.

”If you want…” This time, Kaitlyn doesn’t stop herself from wrapping her arms around Hannie and pulling her up against her chest, laying down on her side. “... After this is all over… You can stay with me. And you’ll have your own bed, and your own room, all of the time.”

The Hannie wiggles, stunned and displaced. She thinks for a moment. ”I don’t think my mom would like that,” she says, stretching herself out, stuck in Kaitlyn’s arms.

Kaitlyn goes still.

She had assumed…

”Where…” Her mouth is suddenly dry, and she takes a moment to gather her composure. ”Where is your mom now, Hannie?” She states the question gently, even as her insides twist.

”At home?” Hannie says. Then, as if remembering late that this isn’t very specific, she adds, ”Cairns. Queensland.”

”Does she know where you are? What you’re doing?” The thought that any mother would send their child off to the battlefield… She couldn’t possibly know, could she?

”Yeah. I don’t think she likes it.” Hannie frowns, stroking the sheets in front of her. They really are pretty nice. ”I hope she doesn’t worry too much.”

Kaitlyn isn’t even a mother herself, but she already knows just how much Hannie’s mom must be worrying. The implications that Hannie was here against either’s wishes also don’t sit well with Kaitlyn. Just what powers were in play here?

”Well… At the very least, I’ll make sure you can return home and see your mom again.” She squeezes Hannie, briefly, and smiles. ”I… I promise you this, Hannie. We’ll both make it through this.”

Hannie nods. For a moment, trees in the wind sound like crackling ice, and crackling ice sounds like that voice again.
”Place your faith carefully, child.”
She shakes her head, very slightly. Kaitlyn doesn’t seem to notice and, after a pregnant pause, she speaks up again.

”There’s something I should tell you…”

Needless to say, the two had quite the talk.

When all is said and done- And Hannie assists Kaitlyn with a sudden nosebleed- Kaitlyn reaches out and gives little Hannie a great big hug, then flops down onto the mattress, limp as a noodle. ”Now… I think it’s time for bed. I. Am. Pooped!”

Hannie glances at her palm. Severely frostbitten from summoning Kirvella earlier, but that always gets better after a while. She folds it under her other arm to help the thawing and drops onto the bed beside Kaitlyn, who immediately seizes the opportunity to convert her into a child-sized teddy bear.

”Thank you…” She murmurs, already beginning to drift off. It’s been a long day. ”For being here for me.”

F I N