Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Even with her worrysome afterthoughts, Nina could find a suitable level of comfort in Yura's arms. The woman was surprisingly gentle when she wanted to, and the pair eventually dozed off to seek the rest of sleep much needed after such an event.

Waking up to a tinkle of a small bell, Nina found herself to be in dramatically different surroundings all of a sudden. She was sitting on a small boat that was going down some body of water. How big it was she couldn't tell, not being able to see far enough to make it out. The only source of light she could make out were the dozens upon dozens of floating lanterns that dotted the surroundings and made a path that the boat went along, another one being a strange cross of four diamond-shaped areas in the sky, that almost seemed to be holes where light could enter. It was a strange twilight realm, only the sound of the boat splashing in the water audible as it went. "Welcome... one of the lost... dark-touched..." she could hear an emotionless, quiet voice speak out from behind. Turning around, the maid found a girl rowing the boat forward. This girl was somewhere in her 14th or 15th year, almost deathly pale and small in frame. She wore a black kimono decorated with a few different-coloured toy patterns, like balls and tops. A straight, neatly-cut long hair flowed down from her head, as dark as the surrounding area. A pair of red eyes looked onwards behind Nina and into the distance, not seeming to pay attention towards her as she rowed forward. A huge torii gate could be seen in the distance, standing on the darkened waters as tall as a 10-story house. The trail of lanterns were leading them towards it, but even as they went forward it seemed like the thing never came any closer.

"You doubt yourself.... your abilities..." the girl spoke up again, still not turning her gaze towards Nina as she did.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"Lost? Dark-touched?"

Nina sat up fully in the boat, blinking and looking around.

"Where am I?"

The girl in the boat with her did not answer her immediately instead choosing to talk about Nina's doubts in her abilities. This struck Nina as odd, and her first conclusion about everything was that this must be a very strange dream.

"Ah... well... I've just been through a terrible experience. I can't be blamed for feeling a little down about myself. But... I have a good teacher, so I'm sure I'll get better."

Nina wasn't sure what else to tell this strange dream guide, so she switched tracks and tried a different avenue of inquiry.

"Who are you? and where are we rowing to?"

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Paddling forward with the back-mounted oar, the girl was silent for a while. But eventually she took another moment to speak. "Me.... I was a human... or so they say... a long, long time ago... can't remember any of that though... my name?... They always call me the Child of the Dark River.... but I don't matter... it's you who matters... you've been touched by the taint of great darkness... and you're not from this land... your origin is unknown... thus you are one of the lost ones..." the slightly creepy girl explained her words somewhat, but still not quite giving up the cause of Nina's appearance in this place.

Briefly letting go of the oar which proceeded to take them forward despite the girl not being there to move it, the strange girl walked past Nina and stood at the front of the boat, looking into the distant torii gate. Despite the somewhat flimsy look of the boat, her passing did not even disturb the balance of the vessel. A few disembodied voices of children began to sing a simple rhyme as she stopped, the lanterns changing color at the same time. "This place is the Lantern-Lit River... it's the place where one ends when your Candle of Life flickers out... we aren't going nowhere really... though the Gate of Passing could lead to many places... Hell... Paradise... The Fields of Eternal Battle... depends on how you lived your life... but that is not your case... so the gate will never be reached at the current time... we will only be here on the river... for now..."

Another pause happened in the girl's explanation of things. She stood her spot for a while, still looking towards the distant monument-gate before stooping over the edge of the boat and grabbing up a lantern from the river. Holding onto the paper light source, she finally turned to face Nina properly. In this small girl's red eyes, the maid thought she could see into the very depths of Hell itself. She seemed to have visited the place, many, many times. "The reason you are here... is to provide me with an answer... and all these children as well..." the black-haired ferrygirl addressed her, holding out her arms as she motioned towards the lanterns floating at the surface. "All of us... we never saw life outside our homes... so I will ask this of you... one touched by darkness... will you show us the world out there?" she asked, maintaining the mystery of the situation with her words and gestures.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina scratched her head. This dream girl was a little creepy for Nina to have dreamed up all by herself. Maybe it did have something to do with that nasty black goo creature. Bad dreams as an after-effect perhaps? In any case, she decided to play along with the girl.

"Hmm, you want me to show you the world outside? How can I do that if I don't even know who or what you really are? And as far as being dark-touched. I don't even know what that means. I mean, sure, I've been physically touched by a very erm... bad thing. But... it's not gonna kill me is it? Give me some sort of disease? Oh dear, I hope it doesn't give me a skin condition..."

Nina started to fret and checked her dream-self's belly and bust to make sure that there weren't any permanent marks.

Midway through this impromptu self-inspection, Nina started to speak again.

"I mean, if you want me to help you, I'm happy to try. But I'd need to know more about you and these other "children" before I agreed to anything. I'm not exactly confident that me being "tainted by darkness" is a good requirement for me letting you guys out to see the world. And I'm not big on being possessed if that's a part of this. I have a good friend who's been possessed, and a I know of another little girl who's got a terrible spirit possessing her that's caused me and mine a world of trouble. I don't want something like that happening to me."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Once Nina started another question barrage, the girl turned back to gaze upon the distant gate once more. "The spawn of evil that violated you... it left a permanent taint on your soul... some people might take this as a bad thing... consider you an evil person..." the girl continued, taking a pause as the maid-knight inspected herself. Only the usual marks there, no new additions were caused by the bone slime. "For some reason... my masters allow only dark-touched and the dead to have contact with me... most dark-touched are cruel, vile people... I don't want any contact with them..."

Dropping the lantern back into the water, the girl continued speaking. "I'm... the one of the rivermen... children you can see all around us... they never had the chance to shine in their shut-in lives... now they do it with all their might... once they died... their souls turned into these lanterns... to guide others towards their ultimate ends... the same thing with myself... though I was deemed special... and made a ferrier of the dead..." the cryptic words continued. Once more, she turned to face Nina before walking past her once again and taking up the task of rowing. "It's not... possession... just let me... look at the world... through your eyes... feel it through your skin... then I can tell them... what it's like outside... in the wide-open world... I can't remember anything of the world... besides this river... I can help guide your hand... give you the strenght of the once-mighty... if you just let me do that..."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"Well..."

Nina was confused. Deals with strange spirits. Wasn't this a dream? This was so odd. She missed Iliana and Iris. Things were so much simpler when she was with them.

Nina stood up in the boat, steadied herself, and then leaned forward to look at the girl closely.

"I guess if you're not a fan of cruel and vile people, then that's a plus. But I might feel a bit embarrassed if you were with me... I mean, I like my privacy as much as anyone. Would you be with me all the time? And really, no possession, I'm happy to let you feel and smell and look and taste, but I don't want to lose control. I love my friends too much to have anything bad happen to them coming from me."

Nina put a hand on the strange ferry girl's shoulder. "All I want is your promise you won't take advantage of me. If you swear to that, I'll let you come with me."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

The girl did not blink or change her expression, even as Nina came closer to her. "You can just tell me... when not to look... I'll just switch away my vision at the time... and come back later... I do have to ferry the souls... so I might not be there anyway... I won't take your control away... just guide you if it seems you might need it... or ask for it... you need not express your desires towards me in audible words... just direct the thought towards me and I'll hear it... but it is as you ask... I promise... on the good name of myself and all my fellow children... that I shall not force control upon you..." she spoke up, all the lanterns starting to flicker as if confirming that they showed their agreement in the whole promise.

Having just given her promise, the girl let go of the oar once more, holding her arms out wide. As she did, the toy and flower patterns in her dark kimono sleeves started moving, spinning and rotating in an almost hypnotic menagerie of color and motion. "So... with that said... do you accept me... the Child of the Dark River... as a companion spirit...?"

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina giggled and nodded her head.

"Okay then, but you have to have a name to swear upon, Child of the Dark River... so as long as you're my companion spirit, I'll give you a more manageable and cuter name. Your job is to ferry dead souls to their final destination. There's a similar figure in a mythology I've heard of, called Charon. The pronunciation is very similar to Karen, which is a nice friendly name, and it means 'pure.' You can swear on that new name until you remember your old one. Okay?"

Nina smiled and raised her arms a bit towards the girl, in a welcoming gesture. "I accept you as my companion spirit, Karen, Child of the Dark River."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Despite Nina's suggestive stance, the girl now named Karen did not move towards her. "It is alright with me... a nice enough name... not sure if I'm pure... but I won't argue your choice..." she said, maintaining her stance as the decorative patterns began to whirl and blink with light. Eventually, it looked like the things shot out from the garment of the eastern robe, engulfing the maid-knight in a sea of colorful flowers and toys. After a brief ride in the psychedelic sights, the green-haired girl blinked and found herself back at the room in Yura's house. It looked like morning was there and the weapon master was still holding her in the same comforting embrace. Despite the nasty events of yesterday, the servant girl was surprisingly free from any severe aches, only a slight throb in her backside.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

The girl awoke with only a dull soreness in her backside, but otherwise none the worse for wear. She stirred and stretched within Yura's embrace, wiping the sleep from her eyes. At last she rolled and got herself to her feet. If Yura was still asleep, Nina wouldn't wake her. Nina wanted to get some clothes on and try to put the troubles of yesterday completely behind her. She put on a light robe and bound it around her waist.

She felt good enough to do some morning washing and then make a small breakfast. Training began today so she figured she should get some food into her.

If Yura was awake, Nina would smile and assure the weapons master that she was feeling much better and ready to get underway.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

With a smooth roll, Nina escaped from Yura's now relaxed grip, leaving the weapon master still sleeping. After the girl had moved away the horned woman tilted forward where she had been, stopping once her horn poked into the mattress and floor below, making her look more than a bit silly. But it did prevent her from turning onto her face, so it might be a good thing is some sense, though there was now a small hole in the sleeping mat. After dressing herself up, the maid-knight went ahead and did some morning stuff by herself.

Even as Nina returned, Yura was still in the same position, piercing the mattress with her horn. Her departure had done nothing to wake the drowzy weapon master up. "She sure is... sleepy..." the student could hear Karin's whispering voice in her mind as she beheld the slightly amusing sight of a legendary warrioress sleeping with her horn stuck in the floorboard.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Yeah, that was the impression I got at first, too.

Nina thought aloud to Karin in as conversational a way of thinking as she could.

But you should see her when she fights. She's a legendary warrior, extremely fast and strong. I guess all that sleeping is just a way for her to conserve her vast energy for when she really needs it. Anyways, we can let her sleep for a bit more. I'll cook breakfast. Say, do you have access to all my senses? Has it been a while since you've eaten something? I couldn't imagine going so long without the taste of some good food.

The maid went to the kitchens and decided to make some bread. There was flour in the cupboard and some yeast as well. The wood burning oven would be tricky, but the smell of fresh loaves in the morning would be something for Karin to enjoy. Not to mention Yura and Alrik. Nina had also noticed some fruit conserves in a jar that could be used on the bread, so it would make for an enjoyable spread.

Nina got to work and when she was done rolling out the dough and then shaping the bread, she set to heating the oven and finally put the bread in. Then she went to see how Alrik was doing to see if he was awake, and then after that she went to see if Yura had woken up yet as well. If either of them had, Nina would tell them that they should get their morning routine done when it suited them and that breakfast would be ready in a little less than an hour. She then went back to the kitchen and prepared some tea to go with the bread and conserves.

I guess I've sort've fallen into a good thing with being a maid, but I want to be able to fight too. That's why I'm here, to learn under Yura. It's all so that I can be a better servant to the Lady Einzbern, and to be able to help free my friend Iris from her possession one day. I get the feeling it won't be easy, so I better learn to handle a sword as well if not better than I handle a broom.

Nina explained her situation for Karin's benefit.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"I know... some souls I've ferried talked about her... her incredible strenght... amazing skill... beauty... but yes... I can feel through all your senses... all five of them..." the ferrygirl replied from her no doubt distant spot in the universe.

After having that brief mental exchange, Nina saw it fit to have her maidly side take over. Letting Yura have her sleep, she zoomed back into the kitchen, setting upon a self-appointed task of making fresh bread. With her determined mind, it did not take her too long, the bread dough finding it's form quite handily under her touch. Once she had set the oven up and set the bread up inside, the green-haired girl went off again to see how the other two people at the compound were doing.

Alrik had already gotten himself up as Nina came to his door. The knightly fellow was sitting near the opened back door, inspecting the blade of his sword against the morning sun, checking it for notches. Apparently there were some minor ones, for he soon took up a miniature whetstone from the scabbard pocket, doing some light repair work on the edge. As Nina hollered at him, the man confirmed what she said, saying that he would be there. It looked like the man was not that hurt anymore, but surely would not be taking any serious battles in a while.

Yura too had managed to get herself up from another slumber period, the floorboarded horn no doubt having something to do with her waking up. The weapon master cursed at the holes she had caused with the ever-spiky horn, but was soon up on her feet, leaving the matter behind her for now. "There's a lot more of these in the storage, so it's not a loss..." the woman remarked as she stretched, the bandages on her chest just barely holding themselves together. After the stretch and a particularly long yawn, she departed towards her own room to dress and do other things that one does in the morning.

Despite Nina's general mental chattiness in the kitchen, Karin remained quiet for the most of it, a few mmms and ahhhs here and there the only acknowledgement that she was paying attention. "I can smell it..." she eventually spoke up, commenting on the smell of the bread. Just as she had said that, Yura appeared on the kitchen door, not really doing or saying anything. She was just kind of looking at Nina do her thing, now actually dressed up in something, a set of what could be a general martial artist's uniform. A white robe with wide black pants, easily seen in samurai movies. She was now also carrying a weapon with her, a shorter variety of the katana that hung from her belt like a knife in it's sheath.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina bobbed around the kitchen, making sure that the small table was set, the tea kettle steeping, cups and small plates and knives laid out for the three of them. The bread was taken out of the oven and left to cool on the counter top. At last she noticed Yura looking at her.

"Good morning. Please, take a seat, breakfast will be ready in just a moment. Let me pour you some tea."

Nina pulled out a chair for Yura and then bent to pour a steaming cup of aromatic tea for the weapons master. Then she turned around again, transferred the bread from its baking tray to a cutting board, and with a serated knife, cut off a few thick slices, bending down to sniff in the warm fresh smell for Karin's benefit before moving the bread over to the table. Then she took a spoon and dolloped out some conserve into a small bowl and set it next to the bread, along with a pat of butter.

"Breakfast is served!" Nina beamed happily, and then took a seat across from Yura.

"I want to thank you again for last night. For everything. I - I think just setting my mind to familiar tasks and looking forward to the future is the key to getting over it. If I can just keep my mind busy, it will be for the best."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Yura went along with Nina's instructions in the breakfast table, sitting down on the offered chair without any grumbles, most likely quite happy about the activity in the house. She did look much more energetic than before as well, most likely another effect of the people now in there with her. "It's nothing really. I just did what any decent person would have done in such a situation." Yura spoke back once Nina offered her thanks.

As the horned woman first layed hand upon the bread, the door slid open and Alrik too joined them, looking a bit fresher than earlier when the maid-student had visited him in his room. Taking up a seat, he thanked Nina in the usual polite fashion as she offered the same foodstuffs to him. Despite looking content, the knight maintained a steady silence as he ate.

"So, today we start. I should probably go through the basic things with you. Strong foundations build the best castles. So you gotta know the basics." Yura eventually spoke up, sipping on her tea afterwards.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Sitting straight up in her seat, Nina squared her shoulders and nodded to Yura.

"Yes, definitely. I wouldn't want any bad habits to develop. I will do my best, and whatever you want. I'm eager to get my training underway," she told Yura with determination in her voice. "All I can ask is that you give me the chance to be the best fighter that I can be. I will do the rest."

Nina grinned and then went back to nomming her bread. She went easy on the conserve, enjoying the natural warm taste of the bread. She was ready for a full day's hard work and exercise. She told herself that she wouldn't complain, and that she'd push herself as hard as possible. She was doing this not just for Iliana and Iris, but herself, and she didn't want to let anyone down.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"Alright. Good to see that you are enthusiastic about this. It'll always be a help to maintain a positive outlook." the weapon master replied, taking in Nina's words. Turning attention towards Alrik briefly, Yura briefly took off the sheathed blade from her belt, smacking him on the bandaged shoulder with it. "And you need to take care of your belongings. You totally left your horse without care yesterday, but I took the liberty of feeding it and giving it a spot where to rest at the eastern wing since there is lots of unused space there. After you finish your bread, go and take care of him. And apologize to the noble beast, it's served you well by carrying your clanky hide all the way here up the mountains." she preached, not getting anything but a few grumbles in reply, which stopped fast as the scabbarded blade rose up against him for a second time.

A little while longer passed as the trio ate, but soon they were finished. "Encouraged" by the previous verbal and physical snaps by Yura, Alrik was quickly on the move despite his bandaged shoulder. The weapon master herself saw that the man went to do what she had tasked him with, doing it only briefly though. "Seeing as you seem to be maiding it up, I rust you can handle the leftovers? Once you've cleaned and prepared, meet me at the inner courtyard. We'll start once you get there, but don't let that push you in the back too hard, we have time in a suitable amount to not worry about a few missed minutes." the woman told Nina, getting an acknowledgement from her before going on her way and leaving the student on her own for a while.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

"I'll be ready when I get there," Nina replied, packing up the left overs without needing to be asked. She also quickly scrubbed the dishes and tea cups and left them to dry on the dish rack before finishing up the cleaning of the kitchen. Afterward she went to her room and put on her training gear, and took a few moments to settle herself and mentally prepare for her training.

When she had given herself enough time she took up her weapon and the shield that Yura had gifted her and made her way to the inner courtyard.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

As she met with Yura in the courtyard, Nina found the weapon master already at work, doing exercises before they would start properly. Doing push-ups with two fingers on each hand, she urged the maid-student to join her. "You just do these at a more normal pace, and use your entire hand...." the woman instructed, leading the girl into a workout of varied exercises. When she used her own pace, the green-haired girl could manage without wrecking herself, though there was a lot of physical activity before they stopped.

Moving on to the proper training parts, Yura spent a few hours with Nina as they went through basic techniques and combat situations, the best ways to attack and defend in any given situation. The horned woman even advised her about creatures with differing physiologies, like slimes or tentacle monsters. The former would likely be of use if she ever had to fight things like the spawn from yesterday again. Alrik appeared to watch them for a time, but went back to his room after a brief period of looking.

Eventually they moved back to doing another session of lighter exercises before stopping the whole studying session. "I suppose that's enough for now. We will be taking a shorter period later." Yura announced her intentions about the day.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Nina (BlueSlime)

Nina wouldn't say that she enjoyed the workout, as it was quite hard, physical work, but she did her best not to complain or show signs of frailty. All in all the session went about as well as she had expected it would. Basic knowledge and information and the building of a foundation for greater physical strength. Time was the ultimate factor when it came to improving her body. Nina was thankful at least that she had always been a bit of an athlete, and that she wouldn't have to start the physical nature of the training completely from scratch.

She noticed Alrik watching the two of them train for a brief time. He was a difficult fellow to understand, but she hoped for his horse's sake that he had gone and treated it better thanks to Yura's urgings. If he took anything away from his stay here, she hoped at least that he'd have a better respect for his animal and perhaps a bit more wisdom about his own priorities.

Nina prayed for a similar kind of wisdom for herself as well. Training here was well-intentioned, but she had learned the hard way about her own sense of curiosity. It had nearly gotten her killed, probably worse.

"Okay," Nina said to Yura through deep huffs of breath as they finished their session. "Is there anything I should do before we start again later?"