kapuchu

The Three Realms War [A DMC, Bayonetta and Darksiders RP]

When Souta finally spoke make sure to the entirety of the question. His answer stayed true to the respect his tone bespoke of, and gave her what, to her, seemed like the entirety of the truth. She nodded as he continued, signifying both her understanding and attentiveness - it wouldn't do to not listen after she had asked him a question, after all. She remained at a respectful distance, but nevertheless rested her gaze on him, intense as it was.

Nothing he said came as much of a surprise. He was only human, and like every living being they acted within a certain set of parameters, the vast majority of times. The mention of the small demon girl, however, made her perk up. She lifted an eyebrow at his expectation of being forgotten as quickly as she had. Truthfully, Lily didn't know the name of that girl, but she hadn't attempted to distinguish herself, or even make her presence known. Her demise had, in all honesty, completely passed Lily by. Souta, however, was different.

"That's where you're wrong," she said, closing the distance between them so only the forge separated the two. "You've made yourself known, to me at least. You didn't willingly fade into the background and let your own death come for you. So no, you won't be forgotten were you to come face to face with your death while working with us." She let the corners of her lips turn upwards, giving him a reassuring smile.

Given the nature of its deliverer, Souta hadn’t known if Lily’s reply would be sympathetic, dismissive, or cutting. When it came and resolved itself to be encouragement, it nevertheless left him lukewarm. What her response boiled down to, at least in his mind, was ‘since you took the time to contribute and get to know us even if it wasn’t much, you’ll leave at least a little bit of an impression’. Such a statement didn’t exactly fill the smith with determination, but from a demon it could be about as good as he could hope to get for all he knew. Plus, her little smile told him that Lily was indeed trying to make him feel better. “It’s a start,” he said after a moment, his tone somewhat lighter than it had been.

"You almost make it sound like I have some quota of reassurances to fill," Lily jested, now openly grinning. She regarded him a moment, then, as what felt like a hundred different further replies flew through her head. Another question? Reassurances? Truths about herself? In the end she decided to ask another of the questions she had had in mind.

"I wonder, what do you think of present company? And I don't only mean myself, but also Mary, Fenn, and the rest. I realise the strange nature of the question, but please humour me."

A strange question, alright. Souta couldn’t imagine that such a powerful and long-lived being as Lily would have much regard for what a lowly human thought of herself and her other coworkers. Perhaps she was simply curious, but he had the sneaking suspicion that the inquiry was a kind of test. Either way, he found after a moment of thinking that he didn’t have too much of an opinion of most of the Agents. He began with what he knew best. “Well, Akoni’s an old fart, but he’s a good guy I think. Just helping out in his own annoying way.” That summed it up pretty well. Hopefully Lily wouldn’t blabber to the mage about Souta’s tolerance for him. “I don’t really know Wrath. He seemed surprisingly down-to-earth on that mission. “As for Fenn...well, I know you two are friends or something like that, so rest assured I respect his fighting ability. Might have saved me during the final fight. On the subject, I admit that I admire your skill and power. I bet you’re the strongest out of all of us.” The concession was fairly genuine, but he also hoped that if Lily had cast her net out for praise, this would be satisfactory. Meanwhile, he cast his mind further back. “Mary’s nicer than anyone has a right to be in a place like this, but I haven’t really seen much of her. In action, I mean.” Some boyish, idiotic part of him had imagined that he might have a chance with her, but the fight in the Library had convinced him that even one of the more human Agents was still far out of his league. Thoughts of the library returned visions of two more individuals he’d neglected to mention. “There was that other guy. I don’t remember much about him. He used...projected magic weapons? Midori was there too. That was the little demon girl’s name.”

He couldn’t drudge up much of anything else. “Uh, and I think it goes without saying that Pantoptos and the other watchers can suck a collective fat one. Even if they’re on our side, they’re living proof that power corrupts. That all about covers it, I guess. Is that...what you were looking for?”

Lily’s eyes widened imperceptibly, her smile seeming to wide with each word of his. His words were, to say the least, interesting. That he talked about their fellow agents as if they were people, individuals, and not demons or monsters, did not pass her by. It meant that, despite their appearances and their powers, he saw them as ’People’ first and foremost, looking past everything inhuman, even if only unconsciously. He was right, he had given her what she was looking for: An honest opinion.

There was only one problem, she thought, he hadn’t mentioned the proverbial elephant in the room. She gave him a nod, and said, in a tone as playful yet innocent as she could make it,“It is, but I was wondering what you thought of me, not as a fighter, but as an… individual. You only mentioned my strength, not your actual opinion of me. And don’t worry, I’m not gonna get angry whatever your opinion.”

The bushy black eyebrows of Souta furrowed. What was it that Lily was fishing for? “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to add that you’re enigmatic. Even without the whole shapeshifting deal, I’m sure you’d be the mysterious, tricksy type.” Perhaps she hadn’t heard him, juxtaposed as his reflection on her was next to Fenn’s in his dialogue. He felt an urge to return to work. “Y’know, I have a question of my own you might be able to help me with. What’s the deal with the Council? I never even heard of them before a few days ago, but now it seems like some kind of unknown primeval force is my boss.” He crossed his own arms, hoping that the demon might have some informative answers for him. As pointless as it was to think about changing his situation, it couldn’t hurt to know more about it. Knowledge was power, after all; depending on the precise angle of the hammer blow, its strength, and the thickness of the tool, a smith could mold a piece of metal into something greater or smash it to bits. Souta wanted to know where he could apply himself.

If Lily was annoyed at the sudden change of subject, she didn't show it. Much. Aside from a brief frown, she let the topic of their discussion change. So the human was unaware of the Charred Council? Not very surprising given that humans were ignorant of anything that wasn't right in front of their noses. She often found that, when people weren't in awe of her power and superhuman feats, they often tried to explain it away as something that, to them, was a rational explanation.

She mulled over the question for only a short moment, debating whether to answer the question or to withhold it. In the end she decided that there was nothing to gain by keeping it from him. "The Charred Council is the single most powerful faction in existence. They were the ones who forced a ceasefire between heaven and hell, constructed the Seals of the Apocalypse, among other things. They act as some sort of mediators, making certain that there is balance in the universe. The stories - and I am pretty certain they are the truth - say that they created the seals to allow mankind to grow in peace without fear, until such a time that they grow powerful enough to participate in the end war between heaven, hell, and now humanity. As it is, humanity is still woefully outmatched, and that is why we seek the seals to protect. Or that's the official job description. There are some things that are a little bit fishy, but those aren't important. Not right now at any rate." She fell silent, regarding Souta while he digested the information given to him.

A few quiet moments passed, with only the perennial ambiance of flowing lava filling the time the smith took to mull over the news. He rubbed his chin, where he felt his latest crop of stubble bend back and forth as his hand passed over. Shaving, like so many little things, was an inconvenient impracticality thanks to the situation in which he found himself embroiled. After considering what Lily said, he stated, “Huh. I don’t like the sound of ‘end war’. You made it sound inevitable. I knew a little about our mission, but now that I’ve got more of the picture, it seems to me like the Council could easily be hoarding the Seals to use as it sees fit, not necessarily for protection. But maybe I’m behind the curve.” Solitude called out to him, its allure hard to resist. Putting aside the other details Lily mentioned, he said, “Well, anything else I can help you with? I’m itching to figure out the rest of the forge’s abilities. Once I know what I need, I can start looking for materials and tools to really kick the place into gear.”

"But that's the point, it is inevitable. Hell and Heaven have been in constant conflict since millennia before I was born. A conflict such as that is not something that is quelled. Think of it like summer and winter: Polar opposites, you both have to exist for life to flourish. The relationship between heaven and hell is somewhat similar. Both have to exist, because they always have. And the war will always happen, because it has always been going on."

She stepped around the anvil, putting a hand on Souta's shoulder, saying, "But don't worry, it's won't happen for thousands of years yet." She let her other hand rise to cup his cheek, holding him in place with a gentle strength while once more seeking to look him in the eyes. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she fully wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him full on the mouth. She pulled away several seconds later, a large, genuine, grin on her face.

"Cross that off your bucket list," she whispered before letting go and heading towards one of the several exits from the Forge.

As much as ten seconds passed since Lily’s departure before Souta moved. The look on his face could not be described as anything less than dopey--a completely confused, overwhelmed, blank stare. Dimly, he tried to figure out what happened. All of his critique of Lily’s form and how its uncanny perfection surpassed feasibility had melted away. Along with them, thoughts of heaven and hell had been banished, and somewhere along the line Souta’s brain had turned to mush. Am I...cursed? he pondered ponderously. His head swam and his entire body felt red-hot despite the blessing of the Council and his aura of water. He couldn’t bring himself to move as he pieced his consciousness back together. No, he decided. She just kissed me. What the hell? I’m swooning like a teenaged girl.” A glance around the forge filled him with disinterest. He could only think of Lily. His gaze landed on the door to his room, and he made up his mind quickly. “Good night, everybody!” he told the tools, taking only one with him as he returned to his chamber.

The Three Realms War [A DMC, Bayonetta and Darksiders RP]

So it was not knowing who I was, after all. She should have been able to make the connection, but between the few hours she had spent with Mary and the time she had been wandering the citadel, the body and clothes she wore had started to feel natural. When one could change appearance at will, it was sometimes easy to forget that not everyone she knew would be able to recognise her. As it turned out, such was the case with Souta.

It was, however, interesting to see the change in demeanor that came with his realisation of who she was. Where before he had been resentful, and had only thinly veiled his contempt, he now sounded much more respectful. A tad too much, actually. Was it because he had witnessed her strength during the mission, worst defensive out of fear? Or at least acknowledgement that she was more powerful than he was? Some men disliked the idea of a woman being the stronger one, was he one of them? No, it didn't seem likely. For all his faults, Lily couldn't picture his pride being wounded by a woman proving the superior, no matter how great the gab.

She shook head briefly, forcefully dislodging the thoughts and musings from her mind. Souta had agreed to answer her questions, and letting him wait for too long was rude.

The click of her heels as she stepped closer, was the first thing to break the silence between them. Otherworldly green eyes met ordinary green, Lily's face both curious and earnest. Her lips parted as if she were to speak, but paused, seeming contemplative for a second, then finally asked, "Why are you here?" Short, simple, and straight to the point. Souta was a human, however gifted, and this was a conflict between titans such as the Demoness herself.

She knew, likely better than any other demon, that humanity was a force to be reckoned with, but their strengths came from ingenuity and numbers, not individual strength. Souta was but one man, and even with the dozens of men she had witnessed rise to the challenge, this was beyond anything previously witnessed. She could turn him to ashes, tear his body apart, or visit upon him any number of gruesome death. She outclassed him an order of magnitude, and so, when even she felt threatened by some of their adversaries, why would someone like him be in the fray of this conflict?

The Three Realms War [A DMC, Bayonetta and Darksiders RP]

Lily regarded Souta with a light frown on her face. She let her arms fall back to her sides, the mask disappearing in a puff of mist. There was something about Souta that made Lily think. For someone to so easily dismiss a woman of such beauty like herself, it spoke of a level of paranoia beyond even what would be considered healthy. Was he that scared of her? She took a few steps back, leaving a respectful distance between them, crossing her arms underneath her chest which inadvertently pushing it up and forward.

She watched him work silently, lips pursed thoughtfully as she contemplated his words and actions. What did she know of him? She knew that he was human, but one with a set of skills and abilities beyond what was possible for the ordinary man or woman. He was like Mary, us that she was certain, given that he smelled nothing like a demon. That left two possibilities that she knew of: He was either among those who fashioned themselves as demon hunters of sorts, or one of those mortal mages whose name she had forgotten.

She let her eyes fall to the puzzle that was the strange firearm, poring over each and every detail trying to memorize as much as possible. She had never seen the point are things like guns. Why use a weapon that could be so easily predicted? Watch for the muscles tensing in the lower arm, then step to the side and watch the bullet fly by. But his projectiles had been different. They weren't just a small bead of kinetic energy, but something far more versatile. Perhaps it would be worth looking into in the future - try and find some way to replicate it.

But she was getting distracted.

The gun had, somehow, come from his upper body garment which told her that it had something to do with his abilities. That it was focused around calling forth weapons, and not some kind of magic, told her that Souta was one of the self-proclaimed demon hunters. But he was still human, in a realm so far removed from his own, and working with demons to boot. This brought her back to her earlier question. If he was one of the demon hunters, was his after rejection of her appearance a result of training? Something told her otherwise. Trained men would not let themselves be caught by surprise no matter how beautiful the woman. A wounded heart, then? It seemed somehow more plausible. It would explain why he seemed so scornful, begrudging her mere presence.

I'll only get a clear answer by asking I suppose.

"Do you dislike me, Souta? Or is there some other reason for your contempt?" Lily asked earnestly. "I am not here to toy or manipulate, though you may think otherwise." She clicked her tongue then, after a quick down at herself, adopted a look of chagrin. "I see. You see this - This body, this face, but not the one behind it." She looked up again, smiling demurely. "I am Lily, if that helps your suspicion at all. I came here as a mere curiosity, wondering who was at the forge. And when I saw it was you, it brought to mind some questions. Will you allow me to ask them?"

The Three Realms War [A DMC, Bayonetta and Darksiders RP]

Him the brief moment that Lily and Souta's eyes met each other, Lily's crinkled happily while the corners of her lips turned upwards in a kindly smile. She noted it all: How his eyes widened, the way his lips parted, and the look of utter surprise and amazement at what he saw flitting across his face, before it turned into is scepticism born of experience. But even if she knew, or could sense, that there was always more beneath the surface, men would be men. It was one of the first things that she had learnt, upon travelling to the human world. Women have power over men by simply being - able to strike them dumb and speechless with nothing more than poise and beauty. It was something that she had often used, to gain the admiration and trust of people around the world. She had always found it strange that by simply being physically attractive, people would trust you more. Strange as it was, however, she had never cared to try to correct it. Why would she? It gave her an advantage over so many others after all.

But at the end of the day, it was evident that man before he was not someone ordinary. His initial reaction has she had expected, but they spell her presence had cast on him had passed barely a second later. That only made her more interested.

As he resumed working, she turned to walk around in the smith itself, looking over the tools and items strewn about with the eyes of someone who knew the way around a blacksmith. She may not have been a master blacksmith like herself, maybe even inferior in skill to Souta, but she still knew how to work a forge, how was sword have to be constructed, the way to harden the edge of a blade, and the the way in which every part as a weapon came together perform something more than the sum of its parts. It was necessary, after all, to know such things otherwise her Projections would be a very little use. Magic though it may be, she was still mimicking metal craftsmanship, albeit far more durable and deadlier. It was but one of many skills she had attained throughout her long life.

She came buy a barrel of discarded swords. Some rusted, some warped, and others missing half the blade. She picked up one at random, ran the edge along the palm of her hand. Dull. Not even a scratch. She discarded the blade turned her attention back towards Souta. The clicks of her heels matched the tempo of the hammer blows as she walked up to him, placing yourself on the other side of the anvil, facing him with her hands behind her back. She didn't look him in the eyes, but focused instead on the battered and beaten sword between them.

"You'd better results by smelting the iron and then reforge it into a new blade." She nodded towards the barrel from which she had seen the broken swords. "In there are a few swords with broken blades. Forge welding those together would be a more fuitful endeavour than your current one. But if you do insist on working on that one, I suggest using a grindingwheel." She fought to make eye contact with him for a moment then, smiling warmly, she extended one hand towards him, holding a grinding mask between her fingers. "And you might find this useful."

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

Johanna's was not of as much help has Lucie had hoped, as it explained very little that was not already known. If nothing else it serve to convey the extent of the jobs they have been given. Everyone, from Ren the butler Lily, were present, and everyone of them had been sent out with different tasks complete. That they all all ended up at this exact spot, spoke volumes of the truth behind the matter. Evidently the creature Lucie and Aleksandra had been tailing was one centerpiece in this entire debacle.

There wasn't a lot of time to analyse everything that she knew, because at that moment the Creature from before broke through the treeline and Adam shouted - no, ordered - that a 'she' was not allowed to get away. Whoever it was mattered little to the former crime princess. The head of the house Ianus had given an order and so it fell to Lucie to obey and do as she had been told, much as had been her life before she had faked her own demise and the subsequent disposal of her corpse. If there was anything that her previous life had taught her, it was that obedience had its place even in the lives of those who prefer to be masters of their own fate, and at this moment she had no qualms with do you know being obedient.

By now the situation had already started to deteriorate, however. The red headed woman off their ensemble - Lily, their resident Professor of natural sciences - had thought up the brilliant plan that was confronting the thing charging them, preparing something or other involving oil. Ren, meanwhile, seemed shocked into immobility simply stood with a gun in his hands. Johanna had turned her attention away from Lucie and Aleksandra and was shouting at Wesley to shoot it.

It was bedlam, but the demise of this creature was only one of two objectives. Someone was fleeing, and Adam did not want them to get away, and so it was up to Lucie. She turned to Aleksandra, took her revolver out of it holster and handed it to her. "You'll have more uses of this here than I will. I will go after her."

With that, she crossed her mind out to the forest around her enquiring about a single thing: Humans. It came to her, not as pictures, but as raw knowledge. It wasn't that she could see or feel the humans that will currently present in the forest in around them, so much as it was that she simply knew how many there were, and where they currently stood. She knows that behind her were Wesley, Johanna, Adam, Lily and Ren, with Aleksandra standing beside her. Some distance off, however, she Knew that someone was running in the opposite direction of where they were. This would be Lucie's quarry, and she took off into the night, almost immediately dancing into the shadows of the trees, heading straight for where see and Alexandra have passed only mere minutes ago.

She was confident, no matter who it was she was chasing, she would be able to catch up to them. Already she had been among the best of the underground world, and so the chances of someone, comparatively random, being able to out from her was almost laughable. Soon she was within range of a thrown dagger. No it was only a matter of finding the right moment to strike.

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

Also there's not a whole lot of stuff to actually do or write, so I'm afraid my post will be rather short.

Edit: Ok, almost 600 words. We'll change it to "Relatively Short"

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

I apologise for my laziness (Mono can apologise for her own), and will begin to work on a post now... or as soon as I've finished reading through the posts again.

The Three Realms War [A DMC, Bayonetta and Darksiders RP]

Mary had proved to be a quick study, relatively speaking, and had picked up the basics of Lily's projection within a short time. She had found herself contemplating, why exactly she had agreed to teach Mary any sort of skill. The girl neither brave nor particularly strong, and yet something that compelled Lily to teach her. The question was, why?

The question brought her mind back to their conversation, as she wandered the halls of the citadel-still using her stunning, elven appearance. What she is shared with Mary was something that she hadn't actually said out loud before, even if she could recognise it as being her honest intentions. But that was not everything, how could it be? She was not so capricious as that. It was something else, something tied to it, even if only as a matter of correlation. Mary had, over the course of less than an hour, gone from hating her demonic half to acknowledging that it was a part of her. She refused to believe that the girl had actually learned to welcome it, or even accept it, but at the very least she seemed willing to tolerate the fact that her humanity was a thing of the past. So why, again, was it that such a thing had made Lily teach her?

Once again she thought back to their conversation, going over each topic, each word. Mostly, Lily had berated Mary for being spineless, cowardly, self-pitying, or any variation thereof. Of course she was justified, as Mary had done very little, to prove herself as being anything but. Was it rude to think of her that way? Probably. But no-one gained anything by sugar coating the truth. She was getting off topic again, however. So she had told Mary of her motivations for initially joining forces with the Council, even went so far as to reveal that she had had children wandering the Earth, and still had at the current moment.

Lily's stopped mid step, eyes widening as realisation dawned on her. Of course, the answer had been simple; staring her right in the face from the very beginning. What Mary went through, what's the exact same thing that so many of her children, had gone through at one point or another during their lifetimes. It was something she could sympathize with, even if she has only ever experienced it's second-hand.

"Well, that explains it," she muttered, allowing herself short chuckle at her own expense.

That was one question answered, after which remained only one: What to do now? She could wander the halls for another few hours, exploring that which she had not yet seen. Alternatively she could look for Fenn, spend some time in his company be it as an annoyance to him, or something else, would remain to be seen were she to take that option. Other activities included things such as pestering and annoying the Watchers, practicing one of her skills or-the sound of metal on metal interrupted her train of thought, making her pause and turn towards the sound. Or I could find out what or who is making that sound.

She took off towards what was presumably the smithy, green dress fluttering about her and heels clicking on the stony floor with each step. What awaited her there was none other than Souta, one of their resident demon hunters, and one of the few pure-blooded humans among them, if not the only one at this point.

She stood some distance away, watching the man work with her hands clasped behind her back, an easy smile on her lips. She waited a while, studying his methods, how he worked, and what materials he used. He was good, she had to admit, better than the average blacksmith, but even then he was by no means perfect, and still had a long way to go before he could be considered a master craftsman.

"You're doing it wrong," she said aloud, making her presence known for the first time since she'd arrived. Contrary to basic meaning of what she'd said, there was a teasing quality to her words. As if they were not entirely genuine. Teasing, even. Intended to rile him up, and garner a response.

The Three Realms War [A DMC, Bayonetta and Darksiders RP]

Lily kept smiling as the door in front of her, and Mary—hair free of her bonnet—opened the door with a look of astonishment on her face. Her smile only widened as the look of astonishment turned to recognition, then disbelief, and finally realisation. She even remained motionless as Mary stalked around her, inspecting her from all angles. Judging by Mary’s reaction, she had also read the books from which the character she looked like originated, and it made her take a some measure of satisfaction from the fact that she had, after all, managed to mimic the character so well that, even if no one had ever seen her, she was instantly recognisable as them.

Choosing to, for the moment at least, ignore the questions directed her way, she instead asked, “Do you see something you like?” Her voice lilting and musical, sounding nothing like she had when she first talked to Mary. Like everything else in her body, the vocal cords were also subject to her metamorphic powers.

Another, much smaller look of surprise graced Mary's face as Lily's voice too was apparently subject to change. "So the shape shifting is more than skin deep. Interesting…" Mary posited, again taking a small walk around Lily. This time though, there was less wonder and more curiosity. She was a woman who studied demons for a living, and her inner scientist seemed to be getting brought out. "Is it possible to harden your skin? Is it always immune, or at least resist to fire?" She asked, reaching out to touch Lily's skin.

As if for demonstration, Lily extended her arm, for Mary to see, then let scales replace the skin of her arms from the elbow down. “Hardening it is not difficult. But it’s easier to do when I have schematics to work with. That is to say, it’s easier to harden my skin as scales than it is when it’s simply skin. As for my resistance. I am naturally better acclimated to high temperatures, but I am only resistant, or immune, when I adopt a Shape that has the qualities for it.” She then let the scales recede, her lower arm once more composed of creamy skin.

Mary nodded as Lily demonstrated her abilities to manipulate her own flesh, and described her relationship with heat. Though she didn't have a pen or paper with her, it was obvious Mary was taking these facts down mentally. What magical and biological processes allowed material to switch from hard scales to smooth skin would be useful to harness, particularly as armor. Still, the question of why Lily had showed up was still floating around, and Mary decided to bring it up. "So, as nice as it is to see at least one of my allies is alive, did you need anything?"

Rather than answer immediately Lily instead stepped into Mary's room, twirling in place to take in the entirety of the abode. It wasn't much, but then again not everybody had her gifts when it came to convincing the Watchers. Or maybe Mary just didn't have a need for anything more. It's well worth considering.

She turned to Mary, hands clasped behind her back and still smiling. "No, not really. I came to talk to you."

"Ah..." Mary cautioned, following Lily back inside and closing the door. Last time the two 'talked' Mary didn't like how it ended. Still, Mary hadn't stopped to rest in about two days at that point and the issue was begging to boil over. The Watcher's constant pestering and the loss of the Yamato also added to that stress. As long as she kept herself calm, things would be fine. "What was it you wanted to talk about, Lily?"

"I wanted to ask if you had thought about what I said the last time we spoke," she offered, sitting down on the edge of the queen sized bed, patting the space beside her in invitation. "And if so what you have been thinking."

Mary sighed openly, making her way over to her chair and sitting down. As much as she hated rejecting invitations, Lily had just brought up a pretty sore spot for her. Admittedly, she hadn't been thinking about it, not since she had fallen asleep doing so about a day ago. The demons being on separate missions from her allowed that, but now with Lily in her room, she'd have to confront it.

"Not much since the day, no." Mary explained to her ally, obviously exasperated. "But… what happened to Fenn? I hate to talk about a man behind his back but… that whole night I couldn't get his chains out of my mind."

"Fenn is not who I came here to talk about, Mary. But I will tell you this: He was a slave--Gladiator, actually--bound by the chains he still carries with him, until the day he either escaped or was released. I do not know the details of his story."

She frowned slightly at Mary decided not to sit beside her, but decided to not comment on it. Yet. She gathered her hands in her lap, inspecting her nails--long, and coloured sky-blue-- while mulling over Mary's words.

"Do you at least remember what we spoke of?" She inquired at length.

Mary frowned at the information she was given, even the very basics painted a bleak life for the hellhound. Especially considering how long demon lives were, he was probably locked up for longer than Mary would ever even live. But, as Lily said, that wasn't what she came to talk about, and she probably wouldn't leave until they discussed the main issue.

"Yes, I remember what we talked about. I was tired and strained, and I said some bad things. Not that you weren't being a bit condescending, but I remember dismissing you. If we could both be a bit more mature on the subject…" Mary trailed off. She wasn't sure what Lily wanted to accomplish, or even what she herself wanted to get out of the conversation, but she continued anyways, partly out of obligation and partly out of some strange curiosity to see where Lily was going.

Lily shook her head, eyes closed, and seeming almost mournful. It had been a hope of hers that Mary had realized the meaning behind, at least some of what she had been saying the last time.

"I think you misunderstand, my dear. I was not condescending. I simply spoke and acted as who and what I am. I spoke the truth, nothing more." She gazed upon Mary with steady eyes, the green in them seeming almost luminescent in the dim light of the room. "I will begin with a question. Mary, do you truly believe that I am evil because I am a demon?"

There was an unreadable expression on Mary's face as she thought through the question. A few times she opened her mouth and quickly closed it, obviously unsure of how to phrase her response. Finally, she managed to express herself. "I'm not sure, I suppose. I want to believe in my heart that all living beings can be good., and Sparda proves that at least one demon can be. But sometimes he seems to be the exception to prove the rule, yes? When all the other demons I've seen, barring you and Fenn, have been out for my throat… It's hard not to believe you two have some form of ulterior motive."

Lily countered with another question almost immediately. “Is there only good and evil?”

"No. I suppose not. I'm not sure I fully understand it, but you two aren't helping the earth out of any sense of good or evil?" Mary asked, growing continually more confused by the moment.

At this Lily smiled, genuinely. It seemed that Mary was catching on. She gave the other woman a single nod. "You are right. Fenn is helping the earth because I hired him. And I am doing it because I want to, that because I don't want help to rule on Earth, or for humanity to die." She paused for a moment, letting what she had just said sink in, then continued. "I am not here because it is a good thing to do, but simply because I want humanity to survive."

"I see." Mary affirmed, nodding her head slowly. "But why do you want humanity to survive? I feel like that would have a more definite good or evil motive."

Lily’s smile fell and her voice became grave, but not unkind. “It’s simple, Mary. I have lived pretty much all of my life among humans. I have portrayed myself as a God. A wife. I have watched a single fishing hut become a village, the village become a town, and lived in them. I have had friends, lovers, and worshippers.” Her eyes rose to the ceiling, the look on her face become reminiscent. “I have been a mother, and even still am.” When her eyes once again fell on Mary, there was a bittersweet quality to the way she looked at her. “Ulterior motive, you said? I want to save my home, and my children who yet live.”

The look on Mary's face was astounded, to say the least. She had no idea about Lily’s past or even much of her present, but this illumination changed the way Mary felt about Lily. To want to save one's home, to protect one's children, one could argue it wasn't entirely good, but it was by no means evil. That was what Mary was fighting for too. For her parents back home in Sweden, her friends in Fortuna. Hunter, Nero, Kyrie. That goal was certainly not 'ulterior.'

"Yes." Mary said, rising from her seat and making her way over to the spot that Lily originally offered her. "Thank you for helping me understand you, Lily." She said with a smile, before hugging Lily. "And I'm sorry for doubting you before."

For perhaps the first time in a long while, Lily didn't quite know what to say or how to respond. She had it telling the truth all right, but this sudden embrace from Mary was unexpected.

As way of response she wrapped one arm around the other woman's shoulders, pressing her close for a few moments before letting go again.

"You're welcome, I suppose, and you have no reason to apologise." Silence fell, and with it came a sense of tension lightening. Up until this point the time, Mary had believed Lily to be either evil or having some sort of motive, beyond simply wanting to prevent the Apocalypse.

Now, it seemed, there was a foundation from which they could work forwards.

Lily reached out to brush a lot of hair, from Mary's face. "This, however, brings us to the next topic." She shuffled a bit to sit askew on the bed, so that she could easier face Mary. "You asked me if I could teach you any kind of Magic. Unfortunately, ordinary people are completely incapable of using it."

A bit embarrassed at her hair being brushed from her face but also very happy to have finally come to an understanding with her ally, Mary readjusted herself to face Lily. "I'm not exactly an ordinary person." Mary joked, though not with a grin, at Lily's comment. Though she certainly wasn't happy about what she had had done to herself, she was in good company, and the thought of being part demon seemed a tiny bit less repulsive currently. "Besides, we'll never know if I don't try. What's a simple magic trick I could learn?"

"It's not so simple as that," Lily said, shaking her head slightly. "I do not believe for a second but your attitude towards what you are, has changed in less than two days." She fixed very with a look, tilting her head ever so slightly. "When last we spoke, you were disgusted by your demonic half, and would be rid of it how to use a chance. Such disgust does not disappear in a span of time as short as this."

Mary was a tad confused for a second, not entirely acclimated to the fact that a demon could be and, frankly was becoming, her acquaintance, before huffing openly. "Do demons not have self-deprecating humor? Humans make jokes about tragedies to help ease the pain. While I certainly may not like my situation, there isn't much I can do but joke while the world is in the process of ending."

“And that,” Lily said promptly, pointing a finger directly at Mary’s nose, “is where the issue is. You know what you are, but you refuse to accept it. You cling to your humanity, unwilling to accept the fact that you are no longer human. You see it as nothing but a tragedy, a thing to be wished gone, ignoring what you have gained by it.”

Mary sucked in air at Lily's bluntness, her face scrunching up a bit. "I understand I'm more powerful now, but as you've said, I've lost my humanity! It's part of who I was that I can't get back. Imagine if you were suddenly part angel. Wouldn't you feel like you've lost something important?"

"But I won't be. This isn't a question of how I would react where is a similar situation. It's about you. Tell me, what have you actually lost?"

"I've lost my blood, my appearance, some of my empathy…" Mary explained, eyes gazing towards the weapon's rack in her room, and the blood on her blade.

Lily followed her gaze towards the weapon rack, noting the various weapons and the blood of one of the blades. So the girl was convinced that killing has made her lose her empathy? A ridiculous notion.

"Blood it's necessary to survive, so there I can already say that you are lying." She turned back to the half-demon beside her. "And your appearance? Your empathy? You've lost nothing, girl. Your appearance is never the same. It's changes throughout your life. And just because if you have the ability to take a lives, does not mean that you are apathetic. Ask any parent who has ever killed a threat to their children." She sighed, pausing to let her words sink in.

"You are stronger," Lily went on, "faster, more difficult to kill, and you will live longer. You have lost nothing, but you have changed. There is nothing that you had in the past that you do not have now. On the contrary, you have gained more than you realise. If my assumptions about you are correct, you have gave something that you wanted: The ability to protect."

Mary cast her eyes down shamefully and gripped the sheet of her bed tightly, absorbing Lily's words. "Yes I suppose I was being selfish and single minded. If I endeavour to protect people, I shouldn't be holding back. No one else is, after all."

Lily dipped her chin in a tiny nod. “So who are you, then? What are you?”

"I'm Mary, and I'm a half-demon." Mary muttered just loud enough for Lily to hear.

A smile fought to tug at the corner of Lily’s lips, but she forced it down, keeping her expression neutral. “I’m sorry, a what?”

Mary's grim smile was more like a grimace as she said, "This is quite cliche, you know." But still, she gathered her strength, and gave a louder "I'm Mary, a half-demon."

This time Lily didn't fight the smile that crept onto her lips. "Good," she said. "Then, have you lost anything, girl?"

"No, I've changed, for the better." Mary admitted, her smile getting a little less grim.

This time Lily’s smile fell, and she shook her head. “Change is neither good nor bad. Simply change.” Then, as if to dispel the tense atmosphere, she put a hand on top of Mary’s head, ruffling her hair and pulling her to her chest in a one-armed embrace. “But I’m glad to see that you at last acknowledged what you are. You’ll only ever be held back by refusing to acknowledge yourself.” She let go of Mary and stood up, taking a few steps away from the bed.

“So show me. Show me what you are.”

Quickly recovering from a faceful of Lily's chest, Mary stood up as well. With a frown, she closed her eyes and focused, her breath accelerating considerably. "Just like a shot." Mary muttered, as a slight area around her was blown back. Now, Mary was wreathed in fur, and was much bigger as well, with sharp claws for hands and feet, and razor sharp teeth. Atop her head were four bone-like horns reminiscent of antlers, ending in spiked tips.

Still, it was obvious she wasn't fully over herself. Her clawed hands moved to cover herself as if she was indecent, and her face under the fur grew paler. "T-there." She stammered, her voice somewhere between the growl of a wild beast and the embarrassed woman underneath. After a few seconds, she changed back, obviously a bit sick and slightly shivering.

Lily nodded slowly, looking Mary's form up and down with a completely detached look on her face. She was more reminiscent of someone looking at a sculpture or a painting, rather than someone making silent judgements on someone else's demonic form.

"Not bad," she said, nodding approvingly once more. "Natural weapons, increase sized, longer arms means longer reach. Dense fur means protection." A look of satisfaction support on her face. "Looks good."

She walked around Mary back to the bed, sitting primly on the edge of it again. "Now, you mentioned magic earlier?"

"Ah, yes." Mary sighed in satisfaction, finally being done with all of that half-demon business. "Akoni is able to keep up with the rest of us at his age with magic, I feel like I could be more of an asset if I knew some. Now that you're done with your current mission, I should have enough time to learn something simple." She explained, again taking a seat on the bed with Lily.

"Well, as I said earlier, no ordinary human can simply learn to use Magic." she smiled, then, putting a hand on Mary's head and rustling her hair again. "But, then again, you have acknowledged that you are no simple human. With being said, there may be something I can teach you." She lifted a finger, forestalling any suggestions or requests. " I could teach you shape-shifting, as that is mine, and mine alone. However, what about Projection, as I call it?"

She reached out into empty air with one hand, fingers closing around something unseen. From the air surrounding her fist, mist coalesced slowly into the shape of a simple sword before solidifying into what look like a real sword in every conceivable way.

“Like this. It allows me to create any object I desire, so long as I know how it is built.”

Mary sported a slight grin and nodded as Lily demonstrated her magical technique, projection. "Yes, I think that would work nicely." She agreed, looking over the blade. "Also, if you could stop ruffling my hair as if I'm a child, that would be most appreciated, mom." Mary joked, playfully shaking her ally's shoulder.

“I’m over 2000 years old. You are a child compared to me, Kid,” Lily replied, though not without a slight smirk. “Now, how about we get to teaching you the basics, hmm?”

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

@MacabreFox
:D That's nice to hear.
Alas, I think we'll need a less "fucked up" scenario before Lucie can scare the everliving shit out of someone by appearing out of nowhere :P I think the present danger of Isabeau's Franken-Monster and Isabeau herself is a bit more... immediate.