Since it was her own suggestion in the first place Alex didn't linger in the slightest when Aes asked if they should leave. But even if she was the first one to start getting up Aes was the first on her feet. The added bulk from Alex's child was sucking the grace right out of her.
With her love's help she finally managed to get to her feet, but before the both could leave Abariel asked to share a few words with Alex. The fact that the angel wished this to be a private conversation left the half-dragon feeling that this was going to be something rather important, and the blush on the angel's cheeks already had a few thoughts forming in her mind. "Do you mind going ahead? I'll catch up in a bit." Aes should understand the need for privacy, and once she was gone Alex walked out to the very edge of the lake and sat down once again. Her rump rested on the dry sands while her feet felt the waters calmly lapping at their sides, and after a moment she would offer a seat right next to her if Abariel was still standing nervously by herself. After that she would remain silent and wait for the angel to start.
Alex: HP = 70, PP = 55, EP = 75, Status = Pregnant
"Sure!" Aescila replied, and kissed Alex softly on the lips before moving off at a hurried pace. Abariel remained standing for a moment after Alex sat down on the soft sands of the lakeside beach, and even after she patted the ground next to her the angel hesitated for a moment before gently lowering herself to a cross-legged sitting position next to Alex, one of her soft white wings gently wrapping around Alexandra's side. She waited until Aescila was well out of earshot before she began to speak; "Alex... Don't ask me how I know, but I am aware of your plans for Aescila's... Going away present, I suppose. I... I was...."
The blushing angel paused awkwardly, briefly looking away from Alex as she fought for the will to continue. Finally, she turned back towards the half-dragon and smiled sheepishly before continuing in a very quiet voice; "I was wondering... If.... If you had room for a third.... Or fourth, I guess...."
The angel was sitting right there. Her wing was wrapped around Alex's side. Their legs were probably pressed against each other, so even if Alex turned her head there was no escaping the sudden swell of heat when she blushed in response to Abariel's statement. But that wasn't the end of it. It took a few seconds for it to come out, the awkwardness of the situation demanding a chance to make itself felt, but when Abariel asked if there was room for more Alex was positively shocked. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she was left floundering for words that refused to come.
It took a bit of effort to get that mouth to close, but once it did the half-dragon turned her attention to her own lap. Though it looked like she was trying to avoid the question she was really simply taking the time to think things through. There were a number of questions floating through her mind, but after a bit it all boiled down to one: Would Aes be okay with it? A part of her said yes, Aes would love to have this attention doted on her. But another part rose its head and said that Aes had already known an angel once. It may bring up some bad memories. But she came to terms with that. She and Dina joined. And Dina would probably want to comfort Abariel. But Dina never acted like that with Abariel, not for a thousand years. Maybe Dina would enjoy the chance to indulge herself. But... And... So... Maybe...
The internal struggle continued for a bit, but those voices were soon interrupted by Alex's voice whispering an answer to the question the angel had asked. "I'm sure we could find room for another, but..." Those other questions started bubbling to the surface, and one of them broke free and found Alex's voice. "Would you be okay? Wouldn't being intimate with Aes cause you to..." Everyone that simply heard about angels knew that one caught by a demon would return as a shadow of their former self, and considering how spread their corruption then, well, things could go bad...
After she had a chance to digest the answer another question rose to the surface, and Alex was thankful that this one was not as ominous as the others. "How involved do you want to get? Kimi was going to teach me how to dance for Aes, and I thought after that I could spring my surprise." But there was another question hanging in the back of her mind, one that practically begged to be asked even though Alex decided she didn't want to pry to deep. But it still loomed, a bit of her attention turned inward to keep it at bay lest it pop into the air and make this awkward situation even worse. Why?
Alex: HP = 70, PP = 55, EP = 75, Status = Pregnant
Abariel smiled nervously in the brief silence that passed between them following her request, allowing Alex all the time that she needed in order to process the angel's words and come up with a response to them. When Alexandra raised the concerns of the corruption that would surely come from Abariel, a pure angel, doing that with Aescila, who was effectively a fallen angel, the woman's smile turned somewhat shameful. "Yes, but I have never suffered any corruption before. Normally I would never even consider such a thing, but I am sure that just this one time would not result in much harm. Thank you for your concern about it, but this is... Important to me."
She bit off what she was going to say next, allowing another silence to fall between them that Alex eventually broke with her question on how involved the angel would want to get. Abariel smiled more softly, some of her discomfort easing despite the unasked question that still lingered between the two of them. "I think it would be best if you and Aescila had some time to yourselves before... Well, before clothes are shed. I think, if you wish to dance with Aescila, you should be allowed to do so alone. If I know one thing about her, it is that she cares for you deeply, as is only natural after what you two have shared together, and some time to properly bond will be good for both of you even if you must spend long periods parted from one another. I... Actually know a satyr that could provide music for you if you wish."
It was fairly clear that Abariel had thought of the more romantic sort of dancing, whereas Kimi had clearly meant the very lewd sort. Whether Alex wanted to correct her on that was up to her, but before she could try to respond the angel went on to answer the unasked question; "When Dina was alive... We spent a great deal of time together, that much you probably know," and Alex did, on a very instinctive level, though she could at least distinguish the feelings of affection towards Abariel as not her own. "I.... I cared very deeply for her. Understand that such is not forbidden among our kind, nor is it even discouraged. But... Dina's problems were a barrier between us that she would not risk breaching for us to be together, not when she was so often called away to battle. I know that Aescila isn't Dina, but... This might be the only chance that I'll ever have to properly appreciate my feelings for her. I swear that I won't try to come between the two of you, but... I would be very grateful to you if you gave me this chance, Alexandra."
For some reason, the image of an angel trussed up in a lot of bondage gear while two dragon-girls in belly dancer outfits dance around her has entered my mind. I just thought I'd share that.
There wasn't much to say in response to Abariel's answer on the corruption question. Alex understood that sometimes a person would need to make a personal sacrifice in order to gain something greater. But there was something to say at what came next, or more specifically the misunderstanding that popped up. But...well...how should she put it? Just thinking about it put another blush on the dragon's cheeks and forced her to turn away, and though she tried to bring her eyes back to face the angel properly she couldn't quite bring herself to make eye contact.
But whether or not Alex wanted to correct that Abariel didn't give her the chance. Instead the angel started to answer the question Alex never asked, and as she listened she started to understand why Abariel would offer to join the small orgy. The angel had rather cared for Dina, that much could be seen by the way she spoke just a few seconds earlier, and though they spent so much time together Dina never let them develop any romanticism the two may have shared. Alex remembered that when she called on Dina's memory back in the apple orchard, but the sudden swell of emotion suggested that this may be a regret that Dina also shared. And that wasn't something Alex was going to continue to deny. It just didn't feel right.
"I wouldn't dream of telling you 'no', but...well...the dance I was talking about earlier? It wasn't a normal kind of dance. It's probably going to be a little more...risque... But now that I think about it I don't see why I couldn't do both..." Start off nice and slow, simply holding each other for the sheer intimacy of it, then fling Aes into a chair so I can surprise her with the other kind... I don't doubt the satyr wouldn't mind playing for both kinds, but it wouldn't be fair to tease him like that then tell him to go away...
Alex: HP = 70, PP = 55, EP = 75, Status = Pregnant
Abariel blinked, "Oh...." She blinked again, and then said more energetically; "OHH!!!" The winged woman let out a nervous laugh and glanced about before turning back to Alex, "I... I've never done anything like that before.... Uhm.... I'm not sure that I'd... Know what to do really... You said that Kimizyrex was going to teach you? I don't know how adept I'd be at attempting something like that.... But I don't think that my friend would mind much playing for it! In fact, I'm sure that he wouldn't."
"Heh... Considering what I've heard about the satyrs I doubt he'd object to simply being in the room!" It really did seem like the most unlikely thing in the world. "But you don't have to join. It may even be better if you don't. Some alone time would be good for both of us." A chance to simply be romantic with each other did feel like something that needed to be done whether they figured out how to curb Aescila's Insight or not, and the more Alex thought about it the more that it felt like something she desperately wanted to do.
But as much as she wanted to sit and think over her plans there was somewhere else she needed to be. So with a bit of a wibble and deal more wobble than she would have liked the pregnant woman brought herself up to her feet. "I'm sorry for rushing off, but I also want to know if Kimi spied something when she...you know..." And she was about to leave before a rather strange feeling starting to well up from deep within her, and without fully understanding why she reached out and pulled the angel close. It was an awkward motion with the baby and all to worry about, but Alex somehow managed to give Abariel a hug before slowly pulling away. A more awkward silence followed, and Alex looked a little flustered. "Not sure why I did that. Something inside me said you needed one." A few moments let her work her emotions back into place, and just before she left to find her love she told the angel one last thing. "It'd probably be a good idea for you to let Kimi know you're joining us. That way we can all get together and plan the night out once I've helped Aes with whatever she needs to do." And with that she bowed her head and left to find her lover.
Alex: HP = 70, PP = 55, EP = 75, Status = Pregnant
Abariel blushed softly at Alexandra's remark about satyrs, "No... I think he'd enjoy himself quite a bit even as a spectator..." The angel seemed slightly alarmed, and subconsciously placed a hand over her breasts as if covering them from some unseen third party that could look through clothing. "Yes, a little privacy for you two would be good, that much I certainly agree with!" she said, managing a slight smile as Alex pondered her relationship with her demonic angel lover. Abariel seemed momentarily surprised when she announced that she was about to leave, but then nodded and rose to her feet, helping Alex up as well when she saw the dragoness wobble.
The hug somehow didn't seem to surprise the angel, who hugged Alexandra right back and smiled softly against her shoulder. When they parted and Alexandra explained why she had hugged her, Abariel simply replied; "I did... Thank you Alexandra." The next awkward silence passed just as Alex allowed it, in silence, and then the angel nodded at the half dragon's suggestion. "I will see her once you and Aescila are finished with her," she said, and with that they parted ways.
The solitary walk back to Kimizyrex's house, though short and made swiftly and easily, gave Alex a view of just how much damage the aliens had done. Most of the houses that she passed were still in pieces, and it was likely very lucky that Kimi still had an intact home all to herself, though some might have thought it dangerous to be alone after the attack that had almost wiped out the whole of the village. Warm morning sunlight washing over her, Alex felt the child in her belly stir just as Kimi's house came within sight, and heard the sound of voices coming from inside just before she stepped inside and found Aescila sitting at the table with a cup of tea in her hand, Kimi wearing all of nothing as she stood by the counter, looking as if she'd just climbed out of bed as she glanced over her shoulder.
"Hi again Alex," she muttered, sounding tired, "Now that you're both here, why don't you tell me what's up? I was sleeping..." She turned to Alex and set a cup of steaming tea next to an empty chair before seating herself in another, resting her breasts on the table as she leaned forward and gazed blearily between her and Aescila.
The walk back was definitely something to think about. Everywhere Alex looked she saw a familiar patch of land, and on that patch stood the ruins of someone's house. It took a while for her to even pass something that looked even serviceable, and even then it still needed extensive repairs. If she hadn't seen the construction yesterday she would have thought this place was utterly demolished and was nothing more than a pile of rubble that marked where some people lived. And in a sense it did. These were the evidence of people's lives, and though a great deal of them had been recovered about one quarter of the village was beyond redemption. That meant that no matter how many people rebuilt their homes there would always be an empty space here or there that belonged to someone that was now gone. A constant reminder for the all the survivors...
But this could have been so much worse. So many more souls could have been stolen or outright killed. So many more could have failed to escape. So many more could have been hunted down as the survivors huddled behind the Fey, and the Fey would have simply left this nest to fester and grow while their attention was focused elsewhere. Another army would have been born hear, one that would constantly batter the forces that were already trying to deal with so much, and the world's guardians would have been conquered and then used to subjugate even more innocent lives. Alex herself wouldn't be walking through her adopted home, the sun on her face as she carried her child and ran a gentle hand over her swollen stomach to answer her daughter's cry for attention. She could have been just another mindless drone working to destroy everything she had ever known.
Oh good god, I am a kill joy... The warrior mentally kicked herself for allowing her mood to simply drop like that, all at her own metaphorical hands, but it wasn't all that bad. Uplifting? Definitely not. She and Aescila managed to save so many others, and without her help she wouldn't be standing there enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face and wondering what exactly her daughter would be like in a couple of years. That definitely counted for something.
And she definitely wouldn't have walked in to find her dear cousin strutting around in absolutely nothing. And she definitely wouldn't have been surprised to find she wasn't all that surprised by it. It seemed Kimi had a rather strong aversion to clothes of any sort while she was at home. This could be explained by her wish to get some sleep, but Alex had a feeling this went a little beyond that. "My apologies, but this is somewhat important." Not a comment or even a glance was made to the odd display the golden dragon made of herself as she tried to remain conscious, and once Alex had her own seat she planned out her strategy for attacking the problem she now faced. "Have you heard of Insight?" That seemed like the best place to start, and if Kimi said no then it would be explained. But the next part was tricky. It involved Dina and the truth behind Aescila's ascension, and that had been kept from Kimi up to this point. Alex could simply explain it all to her cousin, but it really wasn't her story to tell. That truth belonged to Aes, and it was her right to decide how far that story spread.
But with that path cut off Alex wasn't sure how to proceed. So she decided to approach it from a different angle. "Last night, when you started going...DEEP..." She really tried to keep herself from remembering the sheer soul-shattering pleasure of it all, but it couldn't keep her cheeks from turning a little pink. "Did you happen to find anything?" And if she didn't then the rest would have to fall in Aescila's lap.
Alex: HP = 70, PP = 55, EP = 75, Status = Pregnant
Kimi shrugged at Alex's apology and said; "Don't worry about it... Just try to make it quick." The dragoness nodded at Alexandra's first question, but a moment later added; "Yes I've heard of Insight... Assuming you mean the angelic kind and not just the regular kind." Of course, after that her questions became somewhat more personal, and Kimi seemed to shake to full wakefulness. Aescila showed no reaction beyond the eager tenseness that she had been displaying since Alex had entered the room, but Kimi shot the former demon a long look before she turned back to Alex and replied to her question, "What do you mean by "find anything?" I found a lot of things, but you'll have to be more specific unless you want me to go over everything."
Aescila interjected; "Yesterday, I.... Bonded... With the soul of an angel that I had eaten a long time ago. That's how I got the wings and such. Alex was involved, and we were wondering if you gleaned anything when you fed on her earlier. The angel's Insight somehow transferred over completely intact, and now it's driving me crazy." Kimi turned on Aescila and pursed her lips, allowing silence to fall for a long moment within the other half dragon's small kitchen, but then she sighed. "No," she began, "I'm afraid the way that I feed doesn't work like that... I know that you know that it's different between people with our... Condition, but I think I'd better explain in full so that Alex understands."
With that she turned towards Alexandra and said; "Succubi... When we feed, we can get a number of different things. Some just get energy and nothing else, no matter how much we take. Others, like Aescila, can take memories or thoughts, and even transmit them back across the link. Still others absorb portions of a person's personality, though I've only ever heard of that being temporary. And some... Like me, get... Emotions, or feelings. Sometimes for people, sometimes for ideas. It can get hard to keep it all together and remember what's mine and what isn't, particularly when I go deep like I did for you, but what's important is that I don't have the ability to get you anything that could help with Aes's problem. I'm sorry Alex, I really am.... But if there's anything that can help in the angel's memories with her Insight, then it's still inside the two of you somewhere, you just need to find it."
And there it was again. Kimi was hiding her anxiety well, but the extended look given to Aes was enough to tell Alex that her cousin was nervous about something. What it was she had no clue. It obviously had something to do with Aes, and Alex definitely fit into this problem somewhere, but the how and why was simply beyond her reasoning at this point. Great, another thing to worry about...
But whatever it could be was far less important than the problem she faced now, and Alex simply brushed her curiosity aside to hear what Kimi had to offer. And it didn't prove to be much. Apparently different succubi gleaned different aspects from a person when they fed, and Kimi's hunger sought emotion. Alex's memories let alone Dina's were beyond the gold dragon's reach. And for Alex that was a bit of a relief. It meant her cousin would not have learned of the dishonor Alex revealed to Aes. Kimi may have found the animosity and thirst for vengeance that lay hidden from the world, and she may even figure out where it was directed, but the essential truth would stay hidden.
But that also the angel and the dragon no closer to a solution than they were earlier. It only confirmed that the relief they were seeking to Aescila's Insight was found within one of the two who shared Dina's soul. And given that Aes was still suffering meant that most likely those memories they needed were trapped within the very pregnant warrior. "Well at least we know where to look." The only question now was how to get at them. The obvious answer was to let herself connect with Aes once again and see if the both of them could focus on Dina, but at the moment Alex felt more like a bloated cow than an Amazonian goddess. "You don't suppose we could go searching without... you know..." But even with her distended belly and the fact that both of the people present knew her in the most intimate of ways Alex couldn't stop being herself, and that was why her question to Aes left her with a slightly rosy tint gracing her cheeks.
Alex: HP = 70, PP = 55, EP = 75, Status = Pregnant
"Yes, that's possible. It might even be for the best really," Aescila replied, apparently quite content with the idea of joining their spirits in order to search for answers without having sex, "It's a little bit harder, but after everything you've been through over the last days and the buzzing in my head, I don't think either of us are really in the mood for that. The next time we get intimate... I don't want to have to worry about anything else besides making you happy!" She turned to their host, who's face had gone blank, and asked; "Kimi, can we do this here? I'd rather not sit out where everyone can see us, and Alex and I both had our houses destroyed."
The other dragoness smiled slightly and nodded, "Yeah... Of course you can, my home is your home! I'll let you two use the spare bedroom if you want, you'll want to take up someplace comfortable." Aescila nodded and rose before stepping over to Alex, and offering both hands in order to assist the green dragoness out of her seat. A look of concern came over her face, and she added; "We don't have to do this now if you don't want to Alex... We can wait a little while, until our child is born and you've recovered from the birthing. However long you need, I'll fight it off until then!"
With her blush still running it was hard for Alex to do little more than fidget a little at Aescila's comment for their next bout of intimacy. But she did seem to sit a little taller. And the edges of her lips looked like they curled up ever so slightly. If anyone were to guess it looked like she was almost looking forward to it...
A pair of hands were offered to help Alex to her feet, and she accepted them and hefted her bulk out of the chair before regaining her balance and standing tall. When that concern rose in the angel's eyes and led to her willingness to wait until the birth was finally complete Alex simply shook her head from side to side. "I'd rather try to help you now instead of sitting and waiting and watching you tear your hair out trying to deal with this problem. And if this doesn't work now we can try again once our daughter is born." A quick kiss was given to her lover. "Besides..." And it was followed by a slightly nervous but mischievous glint in her eye. "I already have plans for when I'm recovered, and I don't want to put them off."
Alex: HP = 70, PP = 55, EP = 75, Status = Pregnant
Aescila leaned into the kiss just slightly, returning it but not offering to deepen it. “Oh?” she said after Alex revealed that she had already had plans for after their child was born. “What might those be?” she asked innocently, but Kimi cleared her throat and gestured for them to follow her through the door before Alex was forced to answer or risk awkwardness. “Time’s a wasting, and I want to get back to bed!” she said insistently, and Aescila dropped the matter in favor of their more pressing problem, that of Dina’s Insight burning through the demon’s mind.
Kimi’s spare bedroom was basically identical to hers in layout, though it lacked the assorted decorations that had adorned the half-dragon’s personal chambers. “Here you are, all fit and ready for use!” she said, smiling, and it did indeed look as if the room hadn’t been used for a while, leaving everything clean save for a bit of dust here and there, none of which had made it onto the bed. “Just shout if you need anything,” she offered, though a frown crossed her face momentarily before she smiled again and said; “Good luck you two! I hope this works out for you!”
With that their host gave the two of them a hug, which Aescila returned tightly as she said; “Me too… Thanks Kimi!” and then departed, leaving the two alone together. “Come here, we’ll have to be gentle,” she said, gently stepping up beside Alex and then moving behind her before wrapping both arms and wings around the pregnant woman’s body. She pulled Alex over to the bed and plopped onto it, taking the dragoness down with her and curling around against her back in a spooning position. “Are you ready? I’m not sure what’ll happen when we actually start this,” she said, and when Alex said that she was prepared she said; “Close your eyes and try to relax.”
At first there was nothing. Alex could feel it through the metaphysical senses that her father had passed down to her as tendrils of Aescila’s soul weaved around her own, not enough to encompass her completely but sufficient that she could have fed a bit upon her if she wanted, but no connection formed between them. Aescila’s breathing began to slow, its rhythm becoming steadier, deeper as she fell into a trance, and if Alexandra found herself reaching for a similar state she would, on the peripherals of her soul, feel herself and Aescila slowly drawing together in order to become one once more. It took a little bit longer than it had the first time as Aescila wasn’t feeding on her, but once the connection was established neither of them had to do anything to maintain it. All that Alex had to do was… Let go. And when she did, it was almost like she was rediscovering a part of herself that had lain forgotten in the corners of her being as she and Aescila bonded together once more, their two souls becoming one in the very briefest of moments as time slowed to a crawl….
~~~~~~~~~
Alexandra’s vision, blackened by her closed eyelids, turned white. Her physical senses passed away, shifting and then returning as she adapted to her new ethereal form, appearing much as she had when she’d closed her eyes save for the fact that her belly was flat. Aescila appeared beside her, but the demon looked as she had before she and Dina had joined, sans her wings and with her ebony hair let down to fall down her back. “This won’t be dangerous, but it might take a little while. We’re both probably going to be pretty tired afterwards. But I guess we’ve got that covered eh?” she said cheerfully, before taking Alex by her hands, “Let’s go and see what we can find, eh? I want to be able to hold you like this without a thousand other things nagging at me!”
Even if there was still a bit of color on her face Alex's face became blank when Aes questioned her. "Secret." And that was all that could be said before Kimi interrupted and hurried them along.
When they were led to the spare bedroom Alex noted that it was much like Kimi's room save for the personal effects and the small bit of dust, but it was clean and quiet and somewhat isolated. There would be nothing there to distract them from their efforts to find what they needed. The only thing left to worry about was Kimi herself, and after the woman gave Alex a hug and received a rather appreciative squeeze in return the two lovers were left all alone. Aes wasted no time in pulling Alex closer, and though the dragon let out a small huff of protest it died once the two landed on the bed and Alex found herself completely wrapped in her angel's embrace. It was a rather lovely feeling to be covered in the feathers from Aescila's wings, and if this continued she knew she would become addicted. The next thought: who cares.
After shifting a bit to get more comfortable the warrior laid her own arms over Aescila's and said she was ready. And a short time later she felt...nothing. Wait, no, there was something different. It felt like something was trying to crawl over her but not in the physical sense. A moment later Alex closed her eyes. Something was happening on a spiritual level, and though she could feel it her training as a warrior had her relying more on her physical senses and less on her astral. So with one shut down she could focus on the metaphysical, and soon enough she found her lover stretching out and lightly tugging on her soul.
On instinct Alex felt herself reaching out to meet Aes halfway, but that only seemed to push her back. A slight twinge of frustration raced down the dragon's back, but when she finally noticed Aes starting to breathe slowly and enter a trance Alex started to do the same. Aes's presence immediately returned, and as she let herself relax more and more some aspect of Alex's soul realized that her own boundaries were starting to expand. With every conscious thought that was released she felt herself simply diffusing into the world, and there Aes was waiting to greet her. Every worry, every fear, even her father's hereditary arrogance, it was all dropped one by one until only the faintest trace of her was holding on simply to see what would happen. And when she realized that was the only thing holding her back she simply gave a mental chuckle before opening her mind's arms and letting herself be swept away.
~~~~~~~
Time slowed. Or stopped. Or stretched. Something happened, Alex only vaguely remembering something like this happening when she and Aes connected for the first time, and once she realized that thought was an actual thought she found herself simply popping into existence within a mere fraction of a second that was itself the fraction of a moment that was a fraction of some other second that left her slightly confused and dropping that whole train of thought. And her belly was flat, anyway. It was a bit of a shock, nowhere near any amount of concern since she knew her daughter was a separate entity entirely, but she did wonder how this would affect the child. Would she be able to see this? If Alex looked hard enough could she find her daughter-
"Whoa." That was definitely something Alex wasn't expecting to find. Aes was there. Aes of the past. The fully demon Aes. The last time Alex saw her as such was only a couple of days ago, and she'd known that form far longer than the angelic beauty she had become, but she never would have expected to see Aes like this. There wasn't even a hint of her new nature anywhere on the woman's body. It was like Dina had never been there. And if Dina wasn't there then...
A pair of hands claiming her own forced the dragon to realize she was spacing out a bit, and a moment later she looked at Aes a little more closely. "Sounds like a worthy cause." A small smile spread across her lips, and she straightened out to stand tall. "Let's go." And by go Alex meant stop and look around. She knew Aes and Dina had merged, and come to think of it Abariel had said Alex herself also had a bit of Dina within her. There should have been a sign of the angel somewhere around them. That fact that she wasn't meant something, and after a bit Alex started searching a little smarter. This was an astral plain. There was more to one's senses than what one could see, and her attention turned toward what she knew. Dina had been killed. She'd seen a soul tear into her even as it cried at the atrocity it committed. Rage. Sorrow. Pity. These were the emotions the angel held in her final moments, and they would be the strongest echoes that would sound the loudest in this world. Whether Alex saw or heard or simply felt them wouldn't matter, she just needed a direction to turn before she started walking.
Alex: HP = 70, PP = 55, EP = 75, Status = Pregnant
There was no direction indicated by the emotions that Alex called up in order to search for Dina, but there did come a vague desire simply to move. Whether it was because she felt the same thing or because she simply wanted to be off, Aescila grabbed Alex by the hand and started forward whilst wearing a confident smile, and then Alexandra and Aescila wandered together across the ethereal wasteland. Occasionally she would catch glimpses of things, events played across invisible screens devoid of audio or context, but whenever she tried to point any of these out to her lover, Aescilla claimed not to be able to see them. Occasionally one of the images would appear familiar, but a sense of vague deja-vu was all that Alex was able to glean from any of them as she and Aescila traveled across the flat ground, hand in hand. Gradually, the dragon's concentration on what plagued her lover brought up a... Tug, within her being. It pulled her forward, as they'd been going before, but as they went on, Alexandra began to feel a gradual sense that they were going in the right direction... And one of foreboding as well.
"Do you feel that?" Aescila asked quietly, some of her earlier confidence now replaced by concern. "What do you think it means? And why is it appearing now...." the demoness asked, but though she slowed, Aescila didn't come to a stop unless Alex did.
It wasn't long then before the two of them arrived at another one of the memories, frozen in a still of the now familiar figure of Abariel gazing at them with an expression filled with sorrow. The beautiful angel was reaching out with one hand, and the shine of tears could be seen on her cheeks despite the lack of color present in the image. This image didn't fade away as Alex concentrated on it, instead growing more distinct as color and definition gradually faded into it, and unlike the others it was clear that Aescila could see this one too. "What is this doing here?" she asked quietly, "We weren't looking for Abariel... What does this mean?"
Like it or not, they had their answer soon enough. As the picture became crystal clear, Alex suddenly felt her astral body stiffen and lock in place, every one of her muscles going taught and leaving her instantly paralyzed. From the manner in which Aescila suddenly gripped her hand tightly and stared straight ahead, just visible out of the corner of her eye, it seemed likely that her lover was similarly paralyzed. They weren't held is suspense long before sound joined the image that now dominated their vision, having grown in size until they could no longer see past it, and then it began to move.
"Dina..... Why won't you talk to me?" said Abariel, tears staining her face. The source of the view turned toward her, Dina's life in first person view, and a voice that Alexandra had never before heard through her own ears replied; "You know why! You can't do anything about it.... Nobody can! I just want to try and deal with it on my own! If it can be dealt with at all!" She spun about and started walking toward the window of a stone tower, but Abariel's pleading voice followed her; "Dina! Wait! You're tearing yourself apart, you can't keep going like this!"
When she reached the window, Dina turned and saw that her friend had taken a step toward her but no more. Behind Abariel was a mirror, and in that mirror Alex caught sight of the angel's reflection. It was the same woman that Alexandra had seen in the images she'd been made to witness when she and Aescila had joined, but she was barely recognizable. Her honey blond hair was messy and dirty, the feathers of her pure white wings ruffled and battered, and her face was haggard. The dark circles under her eyes and her sagging cheeks spoke of a haunted woman, not one that had found peace as Alexandra had remember. When this was, and how Dina had changed from this point were not obvious, and the angel who's eyes they were behind said; "I'll go as long as I have to.... I have no other choice, not unless I can be sure!"
She turned and flung herself from the window, but the ground did not draw close before her descent became an ascent, and then the vision simply ended, fading away to nothing within seconds. Alex's muscles relaxed again a few moments later, leaving her and Aescila standing side by side together, once more able to move. "What... Was that?" the demoness asked softly, no understanding present on her face.
With another image floating into view only to fade away Alex could only think of one thing. Well this isn't working. She was nearly certain that focusing on the missing aspect of Aescila's new life would have surely led them to what they sought, but with all these memories floating past without any sort of help being revealed it was all just useless blech. Her current method of searching wasn't helping in the least, and with what limited time they had Alex started to worry. Finding nothing on this astral plain would leave Aes having to face her Insight on her own, and without any way to combat it she would be dragged from conflict to conflict, forced to become nothing more than a pawn in some game of Fate that would leave her running ragged trying to ease whatever images popped into her-
"Hm?" Well, that was something. And it seemed that Aes was feeling it as well. "I'm not sure. Kinda feels like the tug I felt when I went looking for you yesterday." And since that tug led her where she wanted to go there was no point in ignoring it.
After a bit more walking the two of them arrived at another frozen memory, but unlike the others the longer it was watched the more substance it took. The fact that Aes could see it as well hinted that it might be important, and given what Alex knew of Dina and Abariel's relationship it wasn't that surprising to see the angel. But as that image came into more vivid focus Alex soon found herself being locked in place. Her body refused to move more than an inch, and the sudden pressure in her hand revealed that Aes was most likely frozen just as she was, and all she could do was offer her own comforting squeeze in return.
Paralyzed as the two were they were soon treated to the living memory of Abariel pleading for her friend to stay, in Dina's perspective, no less, and Dina herself turning away in an effort to deal with whatever problem was plaguing her. When the woman turned to give Abariel one final parting look Alex caught sight of the angel that was unmistakably Aescila's other half, but the rough and haggard appearance would have made her step back in shock had she not been locked in place. It was only when the memory finally ended that the image faded and the blank wasteland returned, and seconds later Alex felt her muscles finally give. For a few moments she simply stood there, her mind trying to make sense of what she'd just seen, and that was interrupted by her lover's question. "I'm not... Motivation...? Abariel did tell us that Dina struggled with her Insight, and it overwhelmed. By the looks of things it almost ran her into the ground..."
That revelation brought out a swell of concern for Aes. "Come on, let's keep moving." And this time Alex took the lead and started pushing forward. She did not want to see her love pushed to the kind of extreme that would leave an immortal nearly dead on her feet, and if Dina found a way to relieve that burden then both Aes and Alex should be able to find it as well. They just needed to figure out how...
Alex: HP = 70, PP = 55, EP = 75, Status = Pregnant
"Yeah... Lets go...." Aescila replied softly, and Alex didn't need to feel her lover's grip tightening on her hand to tell that the demoness was deeply unsettled. The continued walk through their collective consciousness became no less strange for its growing familiarity, and Alex increasingly found Aescila slowing and staring off into what looked like her to be empty air even as she now had to fight to resist being hypnotized by her own memories. Images of her siblings and the times they'd had before the incident that had caused Alexandra and her mortal mother so much grief were becoming more common, and more than once she spotted the woman that had birthed her as well.
Trying to concentrate on the angel who's memories were their target seemed to lessen the flow of her own, and she caught fragments of the images that could only have come through Dina's eyes, but they were all gone as quickly as they came. And then, a sudden sense of overwhelming foreboding came over her, and from the shock of tension that she felt run through Aescila, it stood to reason that she had felt the same. She paused and glanced at Alex, her eyes wide, but she didn't say anything unless Alex did, and a moment later they were off once again. The sense of foreboding steadily grew with every step, like a pressure trying to push them back, and Aescila grew increasingly uneasy beside her even as they made steady progress through the vivid dreamscape.
Then, suddenly, they were each left paralyzed once again, and another memory appeared in front of Alexandra....
"You walk a dangerous road, Dina...." The speaker, an angel whom Alex did not recognize, was a man that lacked any sort of wings, angelic or otherwise, but whom Dina recognized as an angel regardless, turned to view her. His face was grim, but another man, this one possessed of more standard angelic features and dress, including a white robe that clashed sharply with the grey overcoat and dark suit worn by his comrade, raised a hand to silence the dour angel. "You are too pessimistic Castiel... Dina has led a troubled life, as you have. She deserves a chance to have her grievances heard." They stood in a library, stone walls lined with carved shelves containing scrolls and tomes uncountable, and Castiel stood while the second speaker reclined in a padded oak chair.
The other man's voice was soft but firm, and he turned a benevolent smile upon the speaker, presumably Dina. "I know of your troubles, Dina... But I would prefer to hear of them cast in your own words than through those of others. Tell me, what troubles you? What has drawn you to petition me so?" The man, soft featured and more on the edge of pretty than handsome, gazed at Dina attentively as she cleared her throat and began to speak; "Thank you Michael. As you no doubt know, my... Insight, has brought me many troubling visions. Prophecies, cryptic and impossible for me to decypher." She paused, and the angel named Michael nodded, "I know of this. Continue."
Dina began to speak once again; "Yes... Well, as you know, these visions have caused my... Performance... In our duties to degrade greatly. I-" She was interrupted by Michael; "Dina, you don't need to speak to me like I'm some mortal lord that you're attempting to coerce, or a teacher that you're asking for help with a project. We are family.... We are all family, and you may treat me as such, even if this is our first time speaking together." Dina paused a moment, but her hesitation passed quickly as words began to spill out from her lips; "My... My Insight is driving me insane! I feel like I'm being torn apart.... I can't stand it anymore! I'm being pulled in a thousand different directions at once to try to prevent a thousand different tragedies, and I can never stop any of them!
"I can't.... I can't do this.... Not anymore... No matter what I do.... It's never enough to keep what I see from coming true! I can't take the tragedies anymore!" Dina's vision blurred, and it was clear from the sad expression on Michael's face, and the slightest softening on Castiel's that Dina was crying well before the sounds of her sobs reached through the memory. "Dina.... You poor thing...." Michael whispered, "I don't know if I can do anything to help you, much as I might desire to... You are not the first to come to me with this problem, as you well know," he glanced at Castiel, "But all that I can advise is patience.... Your willpower will prove the master of your gifts eventually, even if they seem a curse now! Much as that seems like an empty platitude.... I can give you a time of rest if you like, but I am sorry to say that there is little else that I can do."
Dina's sobs halted, and when she spoke again her voice was filled with rage; "Gift!? Rest!? I want neither! I want it gone! Excised! I don't care what I have to do... I don't care.... I don't want it anymore.... You don't know what it's like! You have no idea!" The last sentence was released in a scream, and Castiel set is jaw while Michael looked upon her with a soft, sad expression. "Dina... Listen to me...." he began, but the angel through whom they were viewing the scene roared; "NO!! YOU LISTEN TO ME!! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!! I CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO STOP IT, AND IT NEVER SHUTS UP! I CAN'T.... I CAN'T...."
Dina trailed off, and another image flashed before their eyes, distorted but clear even as it came through; the angel that Alexandra had seen in her last vision, haggard to the point that she was very nearly broken, had been made whole. She laid on her back, naked, her legs pulled apart and an expression of blank serenity on her face. Someone for whom Dina had no recognition but who Alex recognized instantly as Aescila, in the very form that she wore as she stood beside the dragoness even then, was approaching her, a ravenous expression on her face even as a cock formed above her sex. Dina watched as her sex was pierced, her virgin blood staining the demon's member even as it began to plow savagely into her, but that same serene expression remained on her face. Even when the dark figure came up behind her, the gleaming blade in its hand sweeping across her neck and causing a great deal more of her blood to flow, that horrible peace never seemed to leave Dina....
When the angel's vision passed, she found that she had dropped to her knees, and Castiel was standing over her, leaning down and reaching a hand out to her. Emotions didn't transfer through the memory, but the primal roar of rage and agony that Dina released as she viewed the other angel told Alexandra exactly how she was feeling at the time. Dina stretched out a hand towards Castiel's chest and channeled the full force of her power at him, seeking anything to release the anguish of her own impending death, and a blinding burst of light hammered into him. He was sent soaring back to slam into the chamber's stone wall, and Michael rose from his seat in an instant. "Dina! What did you see? What has happened? What will happen?" he demanded, but when Dina tried to speak, all that came forth was another scream. The explosion of power was not directed this time, and it swept across the whole of the room as Dina screamed seemingly without end, her vision whited out by her own outpouring of destructive magics. When it cleared, leaving Dina all but exhausted, she began to sob once more, clutching at herself.
The library was in flames, every piece of paper and wood burning. Michael appeared unphased by the blast, but he had moved to stand in front of Castiel, who was still crouched on the ground, recovering from Dina's initial outburst. There was a section of untouched material behind Michael in a cone shape, as if her blast had parted around him, but despite the destruction that she had wrought, Michael's visage and voice were as soft as ever as he took a step toward her; "Dina...."
She looked at her hand, the one that she had used to strike out at Castiel, and found that the surface of it had been burned by the amount of power that she'd forced into the blast. It was a wonder that that much power hadn't killed him, angel or no, and Dina's sobs redoubled as she clutched at herself, rocking back and forth. "Dina..." Michael said again, taking a step toward her as an amazed Castiel clambered back to his feet. Neither of them ever reached her. After that first step, Dina enacted her power one last time and vanished from the library, appearing into darkness that even her glow could barely penetrate. It was blackness and the sound of Dina's sobs that ended of the vision, and Alexandra felt her stiffened body coming back under her own power....
Aescila was as white as a sheet, her crimson eyes wide with horror at the vision. She turned to Alex, her lips already moving to form words, a question.... Alexandra never heard it. The sense of foreboding had, unbeknownst to the two of them, grown steadily throughout the memory, ignored at the most primal portions of their perceptions. It crashed upon them like a breaking wave just after the vision of Dina's petition to the archangel ended, a brief instant of terror flashing upon Aescila's face just before Alexandra's vision blackened. And then, suddenly, she wasn't holding Aescila's hand anymore. In fact... She wasn't holding anybody's hand... She was much smaller, more vulnerable, and Alexandra realized that she was about to relive the most horrible moment of her young life as her siblings appeared around her, the backdrop so horribly familiar....
By the third time Alex caught her lover glancing out into empty space she realized that Aes was most likely suffering the same visions of her own memories that Alex herself was trying to ignore. The sight of her two siblings soured her mood quite easily, and had it not been for the brief glimpses of her mother the half-dragon would have most likely started waving her fist about in an effort to brush those images from her mind. But Mother was still there. Her love and care were some of the few things Alex cherished from her childhood. Mother deserved better than to be brushed aside like so much waste, even if it was merely the ghost of her memory.
But brother and sister refused to be ignored. There images became more frequent and defined, enough that Alex had to focus on what little she knew of Dina's life in order to banish them from her sight, but something else rose to take their place. Dread. Despair. Shame. Anger. So many negative emotions were rising in the distance, and with each step Alex felt like they were gathering as if they were living creatures preparing to assault the pair. And Aes must have felt it, as well. The demon's eyes were wide as saucers, and the jolt of tension that ran through their shared touch left Alex inwardly cringing as the fear of what was approaching crawled down her spine.
But before she could bolster her own courage and share it with Aescila Alexandra found her body locking in place once more. Dina's memories were coming alive, and the warrior found her perspective shifting until she had become the angel that she sought. This time it opened into a library, Dina herself searching for an answer to her problem through either advice or direction from someone who led her people. But all she received were empty words, the promise that time would grant her control and give her the peace she so desperately wanted. Though Alex couldn't feel it she somehow knew that Michael had very nearly killed Dina right there and then. The suffering the angel went through was beyond any measure if it could force her to plead and sob and cry for some end to the nightmare her life had become. To know so much tragedy in the world while being unable to do anything to stop it, that could only be some kind of torture that would drag a soul into madness. There had to be some way to-
The world shifted again. At first Alex wondered if another memory was breaking its way into this one, but as it started she soon realized that Dina was falling prey to her Insight, and with the scene finally coming into focus Alex would have let out a shocked gasp had she control over her body. The scene itself was familiar, one that she'd seen recently and lived through herself, and once Aescila appeared with that ravenous look in her eye Alex knew what would happen next. But she never expected to see it from this perspective. The all-consuming hunger from Aes was no longer there, the sudden pang of fear and doubt that slowly filled the demon yet did nothing to overcome the need her body felt at being so thoroughly drained, none of it was there. All Alex saw was the truth seen by a third party, that of an animal being let loose to take everything from Dina while something even worse made certain the angel would never rise again.
Alex was left dumbfounded as that memory continued and came to its sudden close. She still didn't know what to think when the memory collapsed and left her able to move once again. Dina had seen her own death. She'd seen herself laid bare and helpless while one creature violated her purity and another slaughtered her like some helpless farm animal. This went beyond anything Alex could even try to relate to herself. How could someone live knowing how they would eventually die? How could anyone continue knowing such a tragedy lay waiting for them, whether it lay days away or centuries into the distant future? Alex couldn't even imagine what kind of madness she would have lived through had she known what her siblings would do when-
The world closed all around her once again. The warrior woman felt darkness envelope her entire body until even Aescila's fingers simply dissolved into the depths that had consumed her. And this time she panicked. Something had been waiting for her, something that was gathering its strength and waiting for her to drop her defenses, and with Dina's breakdown fresh in her mind it finally struck when her thoughts wandered to her own tragedy. And as she turned she started noticing what lay in wait. Her ancestral home was starting to take shape, the various massive halls and chambers fit to comfortably accommodate her Father's enormous mass filtering through the blackness until it stood out in vivid, foreboding detail. "No..." With every turn she found more of her home bleeding into view, and it still felt as large and intimidating as she remembered. "No...!" Her sudden turns had let her catch a glimpse of herself, and where muscle and hardened scale once lay she now found frailty and softness. "Not this!" She clutched at her own head, her arms trying to will her mind to abandon this nightmare before it could take hold, but all that answered was the lengths of her dark hair falling past her hands and falling past her face until the strands nearly fell to the floor. She couldn't believe she had been reduced to what she once was, and before she could turn and scream she heard the soft patter of scaled feet slowly making their way toward her. A spike of fear nearly paralyzed her in that moment, and she closed her eyes and started muttering to herself, a mantra of "not again not again not again" hoping to somehow break whatever spell held her prisoner in the nightmare she could never forget. But those steps only became louder, the sheer presence of her brother and sister starting to overwhelm her meager spirit, and with no relief in sight she turned her face to the heavens and...
...
And... What...? Young Alex started looking around, her mind trying to cope with the sudden fear that ran through her body before suddenly burying itself deeper than anything she had ever known before. She could still feel it raging within her, this irrational fear of her own family making her heart skip even faster than normal when those two deemed it necessary to remind the runt of her place, but why it suddenly spilled out of her she just couldn't say. It was almost like it knew something was going to happen, something truly horrible...
A snort caught the young girl's attention, and she froze with her back turned toward the two people she knew were standing near and would have preferred that they be anywhere else. But they were family, and they were her elders. It would do no good to simply sit and ignore them like this, so she slowly turned to face them. And there they were, Father's legacy. They were the ones that would inherit everything he was should he ever fall. She knew it, they knew it, everyone knew it. Alex was only fit to gain the simple life of a whelp born too human, never noble enough catch Father's attention yet expected to show the proper humility and respect that one born of dragons must forever show their betters. And that's what they were waiting for. Her respect. And by the looks of things they were in no mood to be slighted.
"H-hail, Brother. Hail, Sister." Alex tried to curtsy, bow, anything to show some admiration, but the sheer ferocity in their gaze left her cringing back on instinct and forcing her to try and make herself look even smaller than she was. Her budding tail even managed to wrap around her thigh before it ran out of length, and though she hadn't shown much before the scales on her body that were just now starting to spread across her back and neck took on the same embarrassed and slightly fearful red glow that showed over her skin. Had they bothered to look her siblings might even notice that she was just starting to blossom from a girl to a young woman, but with her body playing so meek these kinds of details would not have easily shown themselves. Instead they would be greeted to the same weak little thing they had known their entire lives, and as it spoke they would realize that this little pup would never rise to take its rightful place. "How can I serve my siblings today..."
Alex: HP = 70, PP = 55, EP = 75, Status = Pregnant
Alexandra's siblings smiled their cruelest smiles, the chilling familiarity of the expressions anything but a comforting image. "Little Sister...." Akorvick, her brother and the eldest of Aureus' children, hissed sibilantly in response to Alexandra's attempt at a respectful reception. He was the largest of them by far, standing at well over seven feet tall, and he had inherited the dark green scales of their father in full, leaving him almost black in the shade of the trees under which they'd encountered her. Muscle corded and stretched visibly beneath those armored scales, which covered most of Akorvick's heavy body, and he alone among the three of them had learned to fly under his own power so far, the massive draconic wings spreading from his back powerful enough to blow lesser men from their feet. He was also a bully, fully possessed of the arrogance that some attributed to their race, though none had ever called him as much to his face, and he glared at Alex with an eagerness and a hunger for violence that signaled that she ought to be careful, lest she give him an excuse.
"If a task for a weakling runt like you comes up, we'll be sure to find you~" her brother grunted arrogantly, and Alexandra's sister, Annabeth, gazed at Alexandra with a quirked eyebrow and a knowing smile. Of the two, Akorvick might have been the more violent one, and perhaps even the more powerful one, but Annabeth was more cruel by more. Returning Alex's bow with a mocking curtsy of her own, her sister replied; "Good day, dear little sister. How goes your afternoon of wasted time? It must be so enjoyable to be able to while away the hours as you do, since father knows he cannot trust you with any real responsibilities~" Her sister was of a build with their mother, but decidedly more feminine, and while her physical might was what one would expect from one of their lineage, she preferred to employ strategies similar to their father, being a quick and spontaneous fighter rather than the ponderous brute that their brother opted to be. Though her wings were larger, like those of her brother and father, she hadn't yet learned to fly with them, but her spiked tail and coating of brilliant emerald scales more than made up for this deficiency. She was also a talented mage, and had been growing her skills under the tutelage of a sorcerer from Crolia, one of their father's many debtors. There had been times when her sister had opted to test her newfound powers on Alex, particularly when she discovered a particularly painful or intriguing spell, and these instances had been growing more common of late.
The other two half-dragons gazed at her with sadistic smiles hidden poorly behind their friendly ones, as if daring her to speak back to them in anything but a respectful manner.
