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Re: Chasing Godhood (Blueslime)
It was a simple truth, spoken earnestly, and even if she obviously despised the taste of it Violet could do nothing but accept the validity of Nala's reply. It certainly wasn't ideal, but Kyederon would hold no safety for them or their daughter so long as the shadow of New Abaddon hung over them. Her decision to renounce leadership over Kyederon left Violet frowning perhaps a bit less than she ought to, but if there was a reason for that then Violet didn't make it obvious, and instead opted to keep her silence and her mildly displeased but mostly dispassionate look for a few moments after Nala had fallen into silence after her announcement. Some thought was going through the assassin, some internal battle that the elf was not privy to in that moment, but as in all things, eventually Violet would make her thoughts plane to the elven witch.
"Alright," she replied, her tone light but a weight carried by her word that was far greater than it ever ought to. The former assassin had rarely spoken of her history beyond minor tidbits here and there, had never even revealed the full details that had led up to her banishment from Celesis, but one aspect of it Nala knew of all too well; her conditioning. It had shaped her favored lover into what she was to be sure, but to say that the training she had gone through, beginning when one was barely beyond infancy if the legends of the guardians of the Celestian royal family were to be believed, was a purely positive force on Violet would be a lie. It had been a source of distrust, even between the two of them at times, as when she had lashed out angrily when Nala had seemingly abandoned Kyederon after Esmerala had betrayed them. It had led to strange behavior, inexplicable acts, and the assassin's tight lipped nature that left many secrets still hidden in her heart. Most importantly in that moment, however, it had ensured her unconditional loyalty to Nala, that she would give up her own life for the elf's without hesitation if it were needed.
But in this moment, the very real and very personal bonds that existed between them were running against the course dictated by the training that she had relied upon for her entire life. Nala, in stepping down from a leadership position, was pulling a block from the base of the tower of their relationship, seemingly so small a thing as stepping down from a position that she had willingly taken up, but it was more integral to Violet than it was to Nala herself. She had been shaped and molded not just into a killer, but into a bodyguard, a protector, and her primary goal had always been to serve one like Nala.... One who led, who took responsibility over others and used it, for good or ill, as they saw fit. That much the elven mage would know, by that point, and so she could guess at the difficulties that Violet faced in that moment as her oft-relied on instincts warred with her feelings. How that struggle played out was still far from clear, and how it ended was left up for Nala to make her own conclusions about as, after a few seconds, Violet released a wave of tension with another deep sigh.
"Alright," she repeated calmly, "it's mad... But that's kind of par for the course at this point. There's just one thing...." Violet smoothly rose back to her feet and turned towards Esmerala, approaching at a measured gait until she stood face to face with the demon still wearing a nearly flawless imitation of Nala's own form. "I have one thing that I need to hear from you before I can start to... Trust you, for lack of a better word," she said calmly, and the demoness opened her mouth reply.
A sickening crunch would silence her before she could even utter a syllable as Violet struck her squarely in the face. It had not been the looping punch of a bar room brawler or the articulated smack of an irate noblewoman either, but the precise and powerful blow that only long years of training and practice could produce. One second Violet was simply standing, her arms loose at her sides, and the next moment her entire body had tightened and her body had done the barest of turns, putting a bit of weight and the power of her hips to use in driving the heal and palm of her hand squarely into the center of Esmerala's face. A blow like that could knock a man flat, unconscious, or even dead if it caught him unawares enough, and the strike flattened the demon's nose and left the ruin of it leaking blood down to her chin before she caught it, sparing Nala's dress from any dribbles of the stuff as the stunned demon recoiled in shock and pain.
The very next second had Violet back in her calm pose, the only sign that she'd struck Esmerala at all the blood left on her hand and the slight scowl present on her features. "When you decide to betray us next," she announced simply, "know that I will see you dead or crippled for it before I fall, one way or another. I really don't care about your reasoning or your motivations, even if Nala does, so go ahead and plot what you will. Just hope that it doesn't backfire or fail."
Evidently Violet's actions had left Esmerala momentarily speechless, as no clever response was forthcoming in the time it took Violet to turn on her heel with a huff and return to the bed. This time, she sat directly beside Nala, close enough that their side and leg could brush together, and reached across the elf to take up her cup of tea anew. Standing stock still, leaving Nala the potentially unpleasant sight of her own nose crushed and bloodied for a few moments, Esmerala eventually scowled and then simply began to repair the damage that Violet's blow had struck. It had been a powerful strike, and a painful one even to her if her blood and sour expression were any indication, but the demon was evidently not one to fall to a single blow to the face and it was gone without a trace with a pair of minor spells and a brief use of her shapeshifting powers.
Nala: HP = 57, PP = 87, EP = 90, Status = Fine
It was a simple truth, spoken earnestly, and even if she obviously despised the taste of it Violet could do nothing but accept the validity of Nala's reply. It certainly wasn't ideal, but Kyederon would hold no safety for them or their daughter so long as the shadow of New Abaddon hung over them. Her decision to renounce leadership over Kyederon left Violet frowning perhaps a bit less than she ought to, but if there was a reason for that then Violet didn't make it obvious, and instead opted to keep her silence and her mildly displeased but mostly dispassionate look for a few moments after Nala had fallen into silence after her announcement. Some thought was going through the assassin, some internal battle that the elf was not privy to in that moment, but as in all things, eventually Violet would make her thoughts plane to the elven witch.
"Alright," she replied, her tone light but a weight carried by her word that was far greater than it ever ought to. The former assassin had rarely spoken of her history beyond minor tidbits here and there, had never even revealed the full details that had led up to her banishment from Celesis, but one aspect of it Nala knew of all too well; her conditioning. It had shaped her favored lover into what she was to be sure, but to say that the training she had gone through, beginning when one was barely beyond infancy if the legends of the guardians of the Celestian royal family were to be believed, was a purely positive force on Violet would be a lie. It had been a source of distrust, even between the two of them at times, as when she had lashed out angrily when Nala had seemingly abandoned Kyederon after Esmerala had betrayed them. It had led to strange behavior, inexplicable acts, and the assassin's tight lipped nature that left many secrets still hidden in her heart. Most importantly in that moment, however, it had ensured her unconditional loyalty to Nala, that she would give up her own life for the elf's without hesitation if it were needed.
But in this moment, the very real and very personal bonds that existed between them were running against the course dictated by the training that she had relied upon for her entire life. Nala, in stepping down from a leadership position, was pulling a block from the base of the tower of their relationship, seemingly so small a thing as stepping down from a position that she had willingly taken up, but it was more integral to Violet than it was to Nala herself. She had been shaped and molded not just into a killer, but into a bodyguard, a protector, and her primary goal had always been to serve one like Nala.... One who led, who took responsibility over others and used it, for good or ill, as they saw fit. That much the elven mage would know, by that point, and so she could guess at the difficulties that Violet faced in that moment as her oft-relied on instincts warred with her feelings. How that struggle played out was still far from clear, and how it ended was left up for Nala to make her own conclusions about as, after a few seconds, Violet released a wave of tension with another deep sigh.
"Alright," she repeated calmly, "it's mad... But that's kind of par for the course at this point. There's just one thing...." Violet smoothly rose back to her feet and turned towards Esmerala, approaching at a measured gait until she stood face to face with the demon still wearing a nearly flawless imitation of Nala's own form. "I have one thing that I need to hear from you before I can start to... Trust you, for lack of a better word," she said calmly, and the demoness opened her mouth reply.
A sickening crunch would silence her before she could even utter a syllable as Violet struck her squarely in the face. It had not been the looping punch of a bar room brawler or the articulated smack of an irate noblewoman either, but the precise and powerful blow that only long years of training and practice could produce. One second Violet was simply standing, her arms loose at her sides, and the next moment her entire body had tightened and her body had done the barest of turns, putting a bit of weight and the power of her hips to use in driving the heal and palm of her hand squarely into the center of Esmerala's face. A blow like that could knock a man flat, unconscious, or even dead if it caught him unawares enough, and the strike flattened the demon's nose and left the ruin of it leaking blood down to her chin before she caught it, sparing Nala's dress from any dribbles of the stuff as the stunned demon recoiled in shock and pain.
The very next second had Violet back in her calm pose, the only sign that she'd struck Esmerala at all the blood left on her hand and the slight scowl present on her features. "When you decide to betray us next," she announced simply, "know that I will see you dead or crippled for it before I fall, one way or another. I really don't care about your reasoning or your motivations, even if Nala does, so go ahead and plot what you will. Just hope that it doesn't backfire or fail."
Evidently Violet's actions had left Esmerala momentarily speechless, as no clever response was forthcoming in the time it took Violet to turn on her heel with a huff and return to the bed. This time, she sat directly beside Nala, close enough that their side and leg could brush together, and reached across the elf to take up her cup of tea anew. Standing stock still, leaving Nala the potentially unpleasant sight of her own nose crushed and bloodied for a few moments, Esmerala eventually scowled and then simply began to repair the damage that Violet's blow had struck. It had been a powerful strike, and a painful one even to her if her blood and sour expression were any indication, but the demon was evidently not one to fall to a single blow to the face and it was gone without a trace with a pair of minor spells and a brief use of her shapeshifting powers.
