Anarion

Sunshards

Chen is crying quietly as Rose slowly shrinks herself. Her voice at the end had fallen almost to a whisper, and her body was letting out small sobs in the ruins of her travel dress. It didn't matter, it didn't matter if her clothes were ruined coming in or that Rose's were ruined, or anything else. She had just run out of words, and so she sobbed and she held on, and she hiccupped a little because she was overcome.

Then she felt Rose shrinking, and that made her sobbed and hiccup again as she saw Rose come back to herself. She saw the tears fade from her eyes, and it made Chen smile even though the combination of trying to smile and sob and hiccup made her cheeks hurt. She clings on tightly as Rose returns so slowly, her whole body a mess, overcome with emotion. There's so much of it! All the tension and anxiety from the flight, and then her Mommy, and everything she'd just done, Chen was entirely out of any ability to make herself look big, strong, and mature in front of everyone. She didn't care, she didn't have eyes for them anyway.

And then, then Rose was saying "I'm here" and "I love you" and and and, that just sent Chen into new sobs and she clung on tighter. It is perhaps something of the true nature of their love that surrounded by all these demons, they have this moment for themselves, uninterrupted save for a distant howling of a demon with swords. Distant, though she stands next to them because Chen at least is simply lost in the release of holding Rose and letting all the feelings inside her burst out through tears and a runny nose until she can breathe again.

When she can breathe, at last, she gives Rose a gentle kiss. "I love you too, my Rosepetal. I'll love you forever and ever" and she smiles and ruins it with another hiccup because oops those didn't quite go away, and she blushes then as well because she's finally starting to take in their surroundings.

"We um, we need new dresses" she manages, looking at the tatters left to both of them without letting go of Rose. "And um, didn't they say that you, um, owed the demons time. Is that why you came here, Petal? M-maybe I can help. If we both serve them t-then it counts double right?" That was Chen's understanding of how debts worked, at any rate, and it wasn't like she hadn't played this way in the past, with some of the handmaidens, and that one time with Yin.

A deeper blush started rising through all of Chen's neck and cheeks, but she was determined and also she might have had dreams like this for years that she never ever (ever ever) thought would see the light of day but here she was. "I-if we both dress as m-maids together we could...um, show the demons what's it like to be treated pro-properly and um...then they'll stop threatening Ys right? And we could go help Yue. Don't you think that's a...um...a good idea, Petal?"

[Chen is marking XP for Rose opening up. This gets her a last second advance, which she will use for heart +3]

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

You know what? You know what?! Maybe Peregrine had it right after all! Giriel had never been to hell before this journey. People didn't just go to hell! Even people wielding magic, that wasn't a thing you just did! Magic was supposed to be a safe, practiced thing, and they'd just tossed that out the window with all this experimentation. Giriel had been trying to help people, set things to right starting with the raised spirits who ought not to have been caught up in all this, and she'd landed in hell twice for it!

She still couldn't help herself. Even now she was helping Azazuka up, carefully avoiding touching the exposed skin and trying to just give her a comfortable position to rest. No time for healing magic this moment.

But the battle was interesting and there was a lot to be learned here. For one thing, was this what the heavenly spirit was after? Perhaps Giri had simply given unintentional offense, the thing had been of Venus after all. If it was here because of the upheaveal of the hells that would make sense. And the questions Peregrine was asking were such good ones.

Giriel cradles Azazuka over her lap and looks on. "Good thoughts, Peri" she says, quietly, starting her own patter as they both watch. "It matters that it's mimicry doesn't it? It carries the symbolism of the twin, the mirror, and the thief. It's not just heaven casting out a demon, but usurping the role that we're looking at."

Giri pats Azazuka comfortingly, one hand on her hair. She was burned so badly, and seemed to care much more. The poor girl probably had lived such a pampered, noble lifestyle she might have never felt pain like this before. What was her touchstone for it, even? A bad sunburn? An allergic reaction to a bee sting maybe? That hardly seemed to compare. "If we're right" she continues, still addressing Peregrine, "we might see the role retained and warped, right? The point of a usurpation would be that instead of creating a hole for some other demon to crawl into, instead the heavenly spirit takes the role and then her aspects change and warp it. She's a being of Venus, some aspect of love maybe, what would it mean to bring love into war? Or war into love? Oh gods, I don't want to think too hard about that."

[Giri's going to read Zhaojun as she does her thing here. Her questions are what are Zhaojun's feelings towards demons and what does she hope to gain from impersonating the General? Zhaojun can ask one at her leisure. Answers provided by her next series of actions are fine, hope she enjoys her witchy audience.]

Sunshards

Chen blushes. "Mommy, I, um...thank you" She holds the hug another moment, and then lets them part. There were still a lot of things to be said. She kind of wanted to go talk to other people around the city and understand why they all jumped over themselves to please Ysel. She had her own stories, that feeling of how much it hurt when Ysel disapproved and how hard won her approval was. But was that everybody's experience? Chen had always thought that she was treated uniquely because she was Ysel's and Hestia's heir. The twinshard princess and all that. It had never occurred to her that everyone else might have felt the same way about Ysel, or that Ysel might have felt like the whole world was the same and been hoping and praying that her daughter, at least, would rise above it. They would need to work on that together. Maybe Ysel could take a vacation after this and share some photos of her having fun (assuming her fun did not involve only destroying other people in the locales choice of hot or cold weather sports at least). Well, they'd figure something out after all this. It just felt, well, it felt to Chen like she wanted to be Ysel's daughter for the first time in a really long time and that was really special.

But, now her family was safe and she needed to get back and find Rose and get to Yue. Chen had gone and rushed off and she had thought Rose was right behind her, but she'd landed without her sweet handmaiden so, that was going to be the first order of business. One of the things Chen loved about Rose was how even though she was silly and vulnerable and wanted to taken care of no matter, she had the capacity to be strong and tough, so Chen could rely on her when she needed help. So Chen figured Rose would be fine even if she had been trying to throw herself into trouble to delay for her princess like a sillyhead.

"Mommy, if you want my, um...tactical advice...tactical's the right word right?...anyway um, go fight off Yin's forces and Qiu's regular army, and avoid the big burrow demons and Qiu herself. I'm gonna find my handmaiden and we're gonna stop Qiu." Then she smiled and flew up to survey the field.

***

When Chen first looked over the concourse and saw not only the Pyre of Inspiration with all her circus but a new lamia-like beast ringed with thorns and briars, she wasn't sure exactly what to make of it. It was scary, but the one that was definitely her little Rosepetal looked like she was winning! And while Chen couldn't necessarily have told you in advance that Rose was capable of kaiju battle, if you'd asked her, she wouldn't have said that Rose wasn't capable of it because in addition to being a silly little handmaiden who needed a firm hand to guide her, she was also a powerful giant magic woman and so why not, right? Maybe this was just how powerful old world creatures went at it and her petal would just do that once in a great while and would be mad at Chen for interfering? Maybe she'd even want to play a game of the mouse bringing down the titan if they could find a large and private enough space~

But there was also a myth about this sort of thing in Sourcefall. They used to say that there were spirits of the old world, demonic things of anger and hatred that could take over a person and turn them into an oni, a great ogre driven only by obsession. These were cautionary tales. The old spirits could only take you like that if you became obsessed and forgot how to be a person. They were lessons for children to teach them to become well-rounded adults. If they became too obsessed with fighting, or dancing, or any of their passions, they might forget why they were doing it at all and invite in a dark spirit that would turn them into an oni. Then they would attack the people they once cared about or anyone else who tried to stop them from doing what they were meant to do.

There was one story that had been made into a stage play that Chen had seen. It was set generations back, too long ago to be remembered properly. A princess had lost someone she loved very much and had found fighting to be the only thing that brought her any comfort. She had trained her own daughter to fight, and had trained her in unusual techniques for facing large monsters, even though such things were quite rare and not typically needed for a princess in training. The old princess, once she had finished the years of her daughter's training, went off to meditate and train alone because she was tired and she wanted nothing more than to dance with her sword. A year later, a great oni had appeared in Sourcefall from the north. A strange beast that stood as tall as a house, with a great blade of ice that could not melt and long frozen hair that ran down its body and wrapped it about like a sash. It had come and begun tearing down the outer villages, running and smashing and shouting wordlessly to be faced. It rejected all but the younger princess, who had been summoned from the castle with her retinue to face the beast. It's said that when she saw it, she began to cry, for she knew it was her mother and that her mother had known this would happen. Then their duel is shown on stage. The oni mother poses for the audience in a stance of power and charges, then the daughter moves, and they dance, a beast and a princess. The audience always loved this part, each choreographer would do their own version of the duel, it was never the same twice. But at the end, the daughter always landed her cut, and as the great oni fell, her mother said "thank you" and smiled.

Could that story have been based on creatures such as Rose and the Pyre?

So then, Chen first circled the air a bit, trying to understand the nature of what she was looking at and whether she could help or needed to help. Perhaps Rose was fine, perhaps she had lost herself, Chen needed to know. She realized the true nature of the problem when she got around to Rose's face. When she could see the tears. Then her eyes were drawn to the ribbons, hers and Yue's. That was the moment that her heart broke. That she knew how much Rose was hurting, that whatever this was, her sweet Rosepetal didn't want it. Oh Petal. What happened? She had thought you were doing fine! You'd done all that training with Keron, you'd worked together so well in the escape, like dancers who knew every step even as you improvised in real time! How could she have let this happen?!

At first, Chen wanted to beat herself up. Stupid little girl, Chen! She had taken her Rose for granted, been so concerned for her own worries that she'd rushed off as fast as she could and assumed that Rose wouldn't have any troubles or do anything silly! But Rose needed her! Rose was hurting and her own heart was breaking and that meant Chen didn't have the luxury of time to beat herself up! She had to reach Rose before she lost herself, before the tears stopped.

If Chen had entered the city as a comet, she is now a bolt of lightning streaking through a clear sky. She flies to Rose, heedless of the thorns that cut her, and latches onto her neck, her own momentum sending her swinging around the much larger lamia like a ring tossed about a pole as she settles into holding as much of her girlfriend as she can get her arounds around.

"Petal! Rose! My Rose!" she cries, as loud as her voice can shout through her little body! There are tears running down her cheeks and she shudders. "I'm sorry, Rose, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have left you alone! I..." She sobs, and clings to Rose tighter, even though some of the thorns are tearing at her own dress and ripping her sleeves. None of that matters. "Whatever you think you're doing, stop! Stop it! You don't have to do it for me. You don't have to hurt yourself for me, or or or for anyone! You're beautiful, and you're strong and weak and soft and hard all at once, and you're perfect! And, and you need to come back so we can buy you a new dress here in Ys, they have the best dresses, and your cute veil is all torn! And, m-maybe we can get matching outfits together, like Keron did, so we can look like the big and small version of the same theme cuz I think you're really cute and..." Chen is blabbering, like she does, just holding onto her Rose, ignoring the other demons, the circus, whatever Rose might have been doing. She clings as tight as she can, and buries her face in the soft space below Rose's chin. "Rose, I love you and I won't let you lose yourself. I won't! Come back to me! Please!"

[Chen will roll emotional support: 6+2+2=10. Since Chen and Rose are smitten, Rose can pick two options if she opens up.]

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Giriel looks about her and smiles a wry smile. They are within the collapsing tower. One of the clearest symbols of disaster in all of divination, crossing civilizations, cultures, and the great seas themselves. It speaks perhaps to the shared understanding of hubris in all who look upon the world and, finding it wanting, seek to work change. Whatever the hopes and dreams of the maker, there will come a time when something they did not or could not have expected undermines what they have made. Fire, flood, war, and if all else fails, the slow creep of time will undo all that is made.

Philosophizing is, of course, the last refuge of the damned and Giriel Bruinstead understands full well her situation. Her group are lost all about and she won't leave them. No magic that she can work could hold up this tower. Perhaps in another life, in another time, a heroic effort on her part could accomplish such an end. But for herself, she must be content with slamming her blade like a club handily into a few wrack dolls. Keeping her current charge, the noble girl, at least alive. Knowing that the tide is unending and the stones below that tide quickly disintegrating, she can do only what she can in the moment and offer a prayer to Saturn that this is not yet their time.

It is funny that this is so much worse and she is far less panicked than she had been in her first encounter with the general. But it is in the nature of the mind that the most extreme reactions are the product of surprise and the unknown. Even the most extreme peril, encountered more than once, can become mundane if one survives it. This, then, is the reason that Giriel only screams when the ground beneath her feet finally gives way.

[Giriel attempts to defy disaster to protect Azazuka with her wits and will, offering up her own footing at risk. The dice say 1+2+2=5. Marking experience.]

Sunshards

“You need confidence Chen”

Her mommy’s words hung in the air, floating in Chen’s mind. Ysel’s hand was patting Chen patronizingly like all she needed was a bit of reassurance and she’d fall in line. It felt like she was in one of those trap rooms that sometimes appeared in ruins where you step on the wrong switch and the ceiling starts lowering on you until you’re crushed.

Chen had grown up with Ysel as her mommy. They had lived together for years and even after Hestia and Ysel found that they were such different people that they couldn’t function under the same roof, Chen had spent years of her life in Ys, the place that Ysel controlled utterly and absolutely. Everyone in the palace knew their role and followed it to a tee, some to earn favor, some because they liked things being well run and were happy to be a part of it. The streets, built of everything that Ysel had collected for her rule might seem brought together in a mad hodgepodge, but fundamentally reflected the likes and dislikes of the woman who ruled them.

Chen knew these things, this place. These patterns that her mommy pressed into everyone around her were grooved into Chen’s mind. Ysel knew that too. It’s why she thought she could react this way. Years of call and response were here. The times when Chen had missed a step in her sword forms and Ysel had responded with a disapproving purse of the lips. The times that Chen had snuck out to paint (something that Hestia at least endorsed as a hobby) and been met despite the Ysian heat with her mommy’s cold voice upon her return. There was even the time that Chen had just wanted to spend the day with Ysel, had begged to skip her lessons and just get food together, had told her mommy about some incredible azuki bean buns that she had tried in the streets and asked if they could just go enjoy them together. Ysel had politely asked the vendor to relocate to a neighboring village, out of Chen’s travel reach at the time, and it was done and that had been the last time Chen had ever told her mother she liked anything.

There had been as well the rare smile, when Chen mastered something particularly hard. She once got a head pat for doing a sword form she had fallen in love with and adding a move to it, a true moment of following her heart that lined up with what Ysel had wanted. Because that was the thing with her mommy. The praise came when you fell into the place that Ysel had set for you. And so years of that life made it almost rote for Chen to blush, to nod, to move into line and get on a horse like she was being told to do.

But Chen had been away from home for a long time now. She didn’t want to come back to this. Especially this. This feeling of being pressed until you fit in the slot that was laid out for you, crushed into place. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair! Chen wanted a mommy who loved her unconditionally, not one who loved when Chen fit her mold. She wanted a mommy whose delight came from seeing her daughter find the things she loved, not who was only delighted at the success of her own plans. Chen wanted a mommy who would see her after months of being away and be happy that Chen was there, not one who saw a game piece to move onto the board for a flank! She stared at Ysel like a poison dagger that had just stabbed her, half in disbelief and half in revulsion. And then…

“I won’t!”

The shout burst from Chen’s mouth before she even realized it. She tried to breathe, to calm herself, but it felt heavy and labored. Her eyes were hot and she could feel tears pooling at the corners, though she didn’t cry or sob. Yes, this hurt. It hurt because she wanted something so badly and it wasn’t that way. It was never going to be that way. She couldn’t make Ysel into the mommy she wanted and no amount of being a good girl and behaving as she was told was going to change that. That was the pain she was feeling now. The pain of growing, of coming back and not being able to fit into where she had at least been comfortable, but not having things change the way she wanted. That was the pain that was burning its way through her heart just now. That screamed inside of her until she had to scream with it.

“I won’t! I won’t! I won’t! I will NOT fall in line or command your army, or or get on a horse for you!”

Then Chen could breathe. She had to catch her breath. Her eyes were on Ysel’s eyes. The rest of the assembled all but forgotten, no care at all for the public moment this made. Perhaps Ysel was embarrassed that her daughter would behave so rudely in public, though if Chen had the head to think about it, that sort of reaction was much for Hestia’s than Ysel’s. Ysel was the mother who indulged, who made freedom and power one and the same. If you wanted to follow your own whims, you needed the power to do it. That was her bit, her advice even here. It was like a whirlpool, pulling you into it.

Now that Chen could breathe, she felt it too. You need confidence Chen. Was that all this was? Was she just fitting into her mommy’s view of the world even now? Was her growth just gaining enough confidence to confront Ysel? Was it really just enough strength in her sword arm, magic at her fingertips and shouting in her throat that moved her from a pawn to demanding her role?

No.

No. Now that the first explosion had escaped her, Chen could breathe. She didn’t just want to become like Ysel or to reject Ysel and demand that only her world and her choices were the right one. She wanted to be better.

For a moment, Chen remembered one of her practice duels with Yue. It had been in the heart of winter, a while after they’d started, and because Keron had a sense of theatrics and it was good training, they were dueling outside in the keep’s courtyard as a light snow fell. Yue was getting better then, and they were using real metal swords (dull for safety, of course) and going faster than they had been before. There was something magical about it. Chen had taken to the air freely then, and while Yue still didn’t totally have her flight down, she’d tried the same and it had been like, like they dancing snowflakes themselves.

Chen had lost herself in the wind, her moves coming faster and faster, the clang of the metal like the beats of the dance as they parted and swirled. And somehow Yue had kept up. She wasn’t moving as far as Chen was, and if Chen hadn’t been so lost in reveling in the world, she might have noticed a brief look of panic on her friend’s face as things got faster and faster, but somehow Yue had set her chin and her stance and had managed at least the series of parries, almost like Chen was on a string flying in and out and back in to Yue again and again. Chen even began to twirl and lift her legs as she went in and out, truly dancing in the storm. They had dueled to a standstill until exhaustion overtook Chen, and she finally noticed that Yue was shivering all over and holding her sword in quivering hands, like all her muscles had turned to jelly, but she had the biggest smile on her face and it almost seemed like she wanted to be wagging a tail she didn’t have.

It was only then that Chen realized what had happened, how fast and how long they’d been going. But when she’d blushed and apologized, saying how sorry she was, Yue had smiled, and said that she’d never seen her friend so beautiful. And on top of that, she hadn’t even known she could do that, but she couldn’t let the dance end early, she just couldn’t and so she’d managed to keep up her end of it. Because it was beautiful. Chen had cried then because she’d never had anyone say something like that in all her years training with the sword.

That was the start of it. There had been the anime with Jessic too. And the sessions training with Rose as a handmaiden, and also “training” with Rose as a handmaiden. Those had been how Chen learned new stories and skills. That had been how she had started practicing, herself, how to make her girlfriend feel beautiful, and how good it had felt to have Rose undress her and for her to undress her little Rosepetal and have that thick, strong body melt beneath her hands. That was how she had formed her dreams, was still forming her dreams. But she remembered as she dreamed those dreams the way that Yue had helped her live her own and part of Chen’s dream was to do that for her friends. No, not just her friends. For everyone that came into her care, for everyone that she could help. That meant Qiu even when she was being a meanie because she was only doing that because she couldn’t find anyone to help her feel the way she wanted to feel. And that meant Ysel too, even if…even if she made Chen hurt and couldn’t find a way to see past the way she had been living. Even then.

That was why, then, Chen finished her breaths and she took up speaking again, to Ysel, to the generals, to the people below the palace steps because this was for Ys too.

“Mommy, I won’t be your general because you’ve got the wrong plan. You’re doing the wrong thing for Ys, and for Qiu, and f-for me. I…I can’t claim that I’ve got this all figured out. But I know there’s more than just coming up with a vision and being confident in it. What you want, it makes everyone in your kingdom have to serve you. If it works, it will hurt Qiu and leave her sad and lonely. If it doesn’t, she still won’t get what she wants and she’ll bury this whole city in her rage.”

Chen took a deep breath, and continued, “And…and it won’t make me happy either. Because. Because I want to do better. I want to give Qiu the duel she deserves and save Ys. We can do that. We can do both. I want to fly, not ride because that’s what I love. I want to pick up the sword and save Ys because I love the sword and I love this kingdom, it’s one of my homes. I don’t want to do it because it matches your plan or because you think that’s the best role for me.”

Chen sighs then. “I don’t…I don’t think it’s wrong that you want an army either, mommy! I don’t…like I said I haven’t figured it all out. You don’t have to give up your dreams to let me have mine. D-don’t you dare! I just, I know that we can do more. That we can find a way to have dreams together and sometimes that will mean that everyone else doesn’t do exactly what you want, but that can be okay and you can still have your dream, it won’t disappear. Because a princess…a princess has to inspire people, not just command them. That’s what I think. A princess has to have dreams of her own and she has to make other people feel beautiful and that’s the only way it can be. S-so, I’m going to go help my friends, and you can take your army to face Yin’s knights, but please don’t try to force this on Qiu. Or on Yin. Or…or on me again.”

Then Chen walked right up to Ysel and gave her the hug that needed to happen, offering one last whisper just for mommy. “We can do better Mommy. I love you.”

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Giriel steps out from the backstage, carefully leading the noblewoman by the shoulders. She wants to prevent her from losing her composure. Things will be okay, after all, they've got a good team. She gives her a gentle pat of reassurance around her shoulder, it will be fine.

They exit to find themselves facing a roaring wind, the demonic arrow wind, Kalmanka, as the castle shakes and many things appear to be happening in many places. Giriel has just the presence of mind to close the door behind her, fully completing her travel spell, and then throws her current ward to the ground as fast and as hard as she can, using all of her bulk to shield her. She turns then, arm upraised and fingers together in a warding sign, hoping she can manage a chant before they're all killed only to see the dragon waitress (Piripiri, she had to keep the name straight in her head instead of just thinking of her as the waitress) holding out her umbrella and singing.

And such a song. A tale of becalming against the arrow wind, and of change and travel! In divinations, change and travel were often synonymous, a change of scenery being literal as opposed to metaphorical being one of the most difficult distinctions for the diviner to make. Considering they had just come out of a portal in a new place, the symbolism of the entire room shouted instability as loud as it could. Whatever was happening now, things would not stay as they were. It make Giriel a little worried. An optimist might simply assume that they were about to defeat a bunch of demons, but symbolism like this (and Han going on a full and wondrous rampage) made it just as likely that the symbolism was telling her that the entire castle would topple down around them before this was over.

Still, Piripiri was succeeding, her channeled essence through her song and her umbrella shielded them. So, Giri rose and offered a hand to the noblewoman she had so unceremoniously tackled as they entered. And as she lifted up the girl, she turned to the slowly coalescing wind, and spoke: "Kalmanka, the Arrow-Wind, I name you. Lady of battle, armored in arrows, the black wolf and the silver swan."

And then she is silent. For now, at least, Giriel has no request for this being, but in naming her, she has offered that she may, or perhaps that her companions may now that they are not being assaulted. Let one of them fill the silence first. Piripiri, perhaps, deserved that for saving their lives from the assault.

Sunshards

Chen is flying full tilt, summing wind against the doors and then suddenly there's Ysel issuing commands like it's nothing. She pulls up suddenly, her momentum too great to stop, so she diverts upwards instead, shooting into the air and stopping herself, coming to rest with a wide puff of her dress and her sword above her in an impromptu but almost elegant defense.

Her frustrated grimace ruins the landing though. "I was coming here to save you, Mommy!" She pauses, tries to take a breath, tries to give herself some focus to an entire jumble of emotions all bubbling and boiling inside her. "I rushed here, leaving my new best friend to go face Qiu, and my new handmaiden somewhere in the city to make sure you were okay! And you were, what sitting in your palace getting everyone lined up for my arrival?"

Chen gestures with her sword at the assembled cavalry. "What are they going to do, exactly, huh mommy? Are you planning a charge down the middle of the city against a demon circus? Are they going to go toe to toe with Yin's knights right up until she turns them all into...into opossums? When was the last time you even saw Qiu? She wants a duel, mommy! She's overthrowing your entire kingdom just to get a good duel! If you throw an army at her, she'll drop them in a...a giant sand pit!"

This was easier than any other reaction. Chen couldn't take it all in otherwise. She'd rushed to the palace, heedless of anything else to protect her family and she finds this? Her mother doesn't even say hello! She doesn't ask about her daughter at all. Her daughter who's been gone for months with no cell reception (she probably got a note from Keron, but still!) who she hadn't even seen for a while before that, who just crashed her way like a meteor from heaven through the city to get here. Not a single comment. No I missed you, no wow, good job, no look how you've grown, not even a moment to hug her and have some kind of actual reunion. How was she supposed to handle that, huh? Hi Chen, get in line, knew you'd be here, earn your shard now. It...it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that her mommy was like this, it wasn't fair to her or Hestia or...or even Ysel herself!

This was why she'd nearly had a meltdown the first time. Once Chen had started on the sword, once she'd shown some talent, Ysel and Hestia both simply had a place for her. She'd felt this way about Qiu too. There had been that moment of affection, but then when she was hurting, she just wanted a hug and Qiu wasn't able to do that. She had a role she wanted Chen to play, everybody had an idea for her. It was...it was what made Rose and Yue so special, wasn't it? How they actually saw her. How they thought about what she wanted and made her want to think about them.

She wanted to slap Ysel and hug her. She wanted to breathe a sigh of relief and scream all at once. She wanted to fly off and save her friends and she wanted to keep her family and her people safe all at the same time! The only thing she knew for sure she didn't want to do was get into the cavalry line, which was laughably stupid.

Sunshards

The hug comes when Yue is working on the flight spell, hands trembling. It's all the speed Chen has to muster, wrapping herself around her friend and holding her tightly. "You've got this" she whispers up to Yue's ears, and her hands are so warm and soft as they cup Yue's trembling hand until it steadies and she can properly draw her flight runes. "We'll come join you as soon as we can, and then we'll have the best Ysian chai in the whole city." Chen smiles as Yue departs, and even manages a little wave.

It's only when Yue's gone and out of sight that Chen starts pacing the hill, taking in the scene. She's thinking quickly, her steps sharp and agitated. Her eyes dart over the scene, taking it in. She looks at the sunset glow of the radiant knights of Yin betraying Mommy Ysel like it was nothing. Her eyes snap to the menagerie of great cats and wolves and all manner of beasts flung aside by the Pyre of Inspiration in a great demonic parade. Then her gaze falls to the battlements, covered with assault ribbons as soldiers climb up ladders unopposed.

Damn it. Damn it this is her home, those people are her friends! Qiu didn't have to do this! Tears well in her eyes. For the briefest moment, she just wants to throw herself upon Rose and cry until her sweet, wonderful girlfriend takes her away from it all. This was all too much. All the weight of power being thrown around here, the mixing of the old world and the new all under Qiu's banner, all to ruin a bastion against her and, Chen understood at some level after her talks with Jessic, all to force the conflict that Qiu couldn't get for herself. It was awful and unhealthy and it wasn't fair that this had to be Chen's problem!

But then that instant passes. Because...ah, Yue, you're not here to see it and that's a pity. You'll just have to let Rose regale you later. But Chen doesn't give up because that fire of Princesses the world over is burning in her heart. She wants something for herself. She wants to save her family and her friends and push out Qiu and seize her own shard and see her dreams become reality. She's learned a lot about how to do that right, how to do it in a way that doesn't hurt other people the way that Qiu and Yin are doing right now. She doesn't claim to know how to do it all just right, but she knows how to try. And what matters is that the dream, that insistent little voice, is in her and it won't let her leave no matter how big it all seems in the moment.

Before she leaps into action, there's one other little nagging thought. Where was Ysel? Where was her mommy?! Shouldn't she be leaping to the battlements or roaring out from the palace in her tricked out car to slam straight into the pyre of inspiration music blaring? Well, if she wasn't coming, Chen would have to go to her.

Chen blinks back her tears and looks straight at Rose, those sparkling wet eyes earnest and serious, "Keep up, Rosepetal."

Chen draws her sword, metal gleaming in the twilight, and she's off like a flash. She's first falling and then flying as she works spells in motion, the magic of her training and her sword work. On a section of wall, a sudden streak of brilliant light cuts every soldier free of battle ribbons and drops every ladder. And then Chen strikes the battlefield exactly like a dazzling comet. A block of Qiu's soldiers, all standing in formation for their turn at the walls scatters apart in a crack of thunder and Chen is already moving again. A sudden tornado of blades and skirts smashes the radiant knights holding the gates, sending them flying away to land dazed on their backs. Even the Pyre's circus slows as a blazing sword bursts among the lesser demons bringing up the rear of the procession and they break and flee from the main body.

Chen surges past them all, a blur flying through city streets, over low roofs and around old buildings and hodgepodge construction stacked one atop another to whims of a thousand competing architects. She traces a perfect route to the palace, moving among the chaos with a speed and comfort that comes only from long years of familiarity. The grand palace gate, inlaid with desert rubies to catch the glittering reds of the sun so often on the horizon, she blows open before her with a wind from her blade, not stopping her flight nor slowing her speed as she races full tilt for the throne and what's become of her Mommy!

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Maidens above this was so stupid. It wasn't hard to follow Uusha's reasoning. There weren't many dragons in the flower kingdoms, this one probably worked for Red Wolf, it wasn't exactly a secret that something was up when the waitress at the tea house drops a demon sword on your table. But that was the point, damn it! The waitress at the tea house could have been spying quietly, but she cared enough to drop that sword and help them. It was the same with Red Wolf letting Giriel know about the spirits of the honored dead being misued (by Uusha, let's remember). If Giriel had found out about that from a wandering shepherd, of course she would have gone and stopped it. It dishonored their ancestors! The fact it came from Red Wolf and maybe she served people who had long-term designs to hurt the flower kingdoms didn't mean you ignored a real problem that was happening now. And you didn't turn down allies who obviously wanted to help with your local demon problem!

In different circumstances, Giriel would have given Uusha a piece of her mind here. She still might. But this was a crisis and the conflict was over. She was already panicking, who starts a fight in the middle of a magical transportation spell through another dimension? What if the Rakshasa had been there, huh? What if they'd attracted attention on their trip? The spell helped them stay safe, but it was still supposed to be quickly in and quickly out, no guarantee of that next time! So, she didn't agree with Uusha, but she did agree with ending the fight and getting out of there and she wasn't about to stop that for anything.

The poor noblewoman though. Giriel sighed. "We'll fix it later, Uusha's a fool, but her heart's in the right place." She put her strong, thick arm around Azazuka's shoulders and guided the girl towards the exit. "What's important now is getting where we're going and sorting this whole demon thing. Then we can deal with all this business of politics and kingdoms."

And with that, she gave Azazuka a push out the exit and leapt through herself.

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Uusha a Rakshasa? No that wouldn't make any sense. She was here still as she was, and it was hardly surprising that she had attacked a daughter of dragons once revealed. It wasn't hard to reach the same conclusion Giriel had: that the mostly likely reason for such an exalted presence here was as a spy for the Red Wolf. Starting a fight here, as Giriel was traveling them through the stage was incredibly stupid though. Just so stupid. They needed to complete their circuit and get back in to the castle quickly. This wasn't a safe place!

But what could she do? Giriel stood there and seethed as the fight came through in earnest, but she was a witch. A witch already in the middle of working magic no less. She wasn't stupid enough to throw herself in between the Stag Knight and a trained martial artist with draconic powers. They'd mash her, probably by accident!

No, if there were a Rakshasa, there was a chance that Giriel's spell would have surprised it. A Rakshasa in disguise might have been unprepared to come into its own realm. It might have-

Wherever Giriel's train of thought was going, it was utterly derailed by an explosion of fiery essence. Was that...Han? It was, but she was lit up like a beacon, outshining everything else around them, diving for another destination out in front of the curtains. Had she found her own route? This was beautiful. This was incredible. This deserved studying. And Han's symbolism! Giri was starry eyed. A beacon of essence like this spoke of the bonfire, a great light in the darkness, a sign of power, safety, and reveling, though sometimes also of chaos, excess, and orgy. And the way she moved, like wind and flame and some great snake in the corner of the eye, that had yellow symbolism, the color of Mercury for journeys and messages sped swiftly and safely. Oh, this was incredible, amazing, Giriel could spend a day just writing notes about this moment and what it might mean.

And those two oafs were missing it. Damn fools. "Follow the light! Hey, idiots, we need to get out of here, this is a travel spell, it's not safe! Hey, hey! Stop killing each other for one damn minute and follow the light!"

[Giri will spend her string on Uusha to get her, at least, to pay attention and stop the fight until they can get out of this space (and she's hoping cooler heads will prevail at the demon castle, but no promises on that one]