[Closed]

[yetsleeping]

Who: Priscilla (yetsleeping) and Rigaldo (silvereyedlion)
When: 3/15, nighttime
Where: In the ruins.
Format: Action
What: Priscilla is in the ruins the clear her head. Rigaldo is in the ruins because he's a creeper. Signal: Run-in.
Warnings: THERE'S NO CAR DX

Comments

[silvereyedlion]

[It was the trail he was following, purely out of curiosity. Dead things sprawled here and there, expertly sliced open with what must have been a long blade. Yes, he recognizes those wounds, but where, where was the source?]

[There's nothing to be felt out here, except weak, distant things. All there is is the gory trail, and the overwhelming smell of blood and decay that makes his stomach twist, and not entirely with disgust.]

[Once he finally finds her, however, that's precisely what he feels. Priscilla. An unnatural creature, made even more so by the quirks of this place.]

[Well. He can't rightly leave now, but he doesn't exactly approach, either.]

[yetsleeping]

[Priscilla raises her blade, and flicks the blood from its surface. At her feet - another dead creature, now nothing more than a mess of blood and fur. She wipes the bit of blood remaining on the monster's fur.

[...perhaps he can't feel her, but she can certainly feel him.]

[Not that it's at all evident, at first. She presses her lips together - her only acknowledgment of his presence, and stands upright again. The moonlight filters through the mist behind her, turns her hair to silver, like her eyes, and the armor pieces on her shoulders.]

You must be Rigaldo.

[Her voice is soft, and clear, and young. Younger, maybe, than her 17 years.]

[She doesn't sheathe her sword.]

[silvereyedlion]

[His only movement is to curl his fingers a little at his sides as he glances over her, in person for the first time. Here, anyway. This was what she looked like before Isley found her, before her awakening. All those secrets that she'd kept locked up from them, just standing there. She looks tiny and pale and in possession of her mind for once.]

[The sword, he eyes only in passing. It's dangerous of course, as any sword would be, but it isn't at all what he's concerned about. Not with her.]

[To her statement he lifts his chin slightly in affirmation, and that's all.]

You've been busy, Priscilla.

[yetsleeping]

A little.

[Not really. In truth, it had only taken as long as it had to get through the creatures because she wanted to burn off time. In fact...]

Playing with opponents is good practice. And besides, it extends the experience.

[She tosses her head back, stretches her neck and shoulders. Tension, so much tension, these days. All the time, she keeps her senses open, tracking Rigaldo, "watching" him for any notable movements.]

What are you doing here? Did Isley send you to stalk me?

[silvereyedlion]

[And at that he closes his eyes briefly, exhaling what on anyone else would have been a short laugh, but on him just sounds weary. It's a fair enough question, after all.]

Not at this time, no.

[...and a truthful enough answer.]

[yetsleeping]

Not at this time?

[This inspires a wrinkling of her nose. And at last she glances at him, her silver eyes catching the light like little mirrors, glimmering in the dark.]

[It's strange, really, seeing those same eyes looking back at her, and from such an unusual face.]

I wonder if that means you've done it before, or that you expect to do it in the future.

...I wouldn't suggest the latter, by the way. I don't really like being followed.

[silvereyedlion]

[Rigaldo hooks his fingers together behind his back, assuming that inflexible posture of his, and watches her evenly. Carefully. The only way to watch Priscilla.]

I assure you, Priscilla, that I don't relish the idea of having to follow you, for any reason.

I don't suppose that's any comfort.

[Not that there's anything about him to suggest he cares either way.]

[yetsleeping]

[She presses her lips together tightly, eyes narrowed. And for a moment, she nearly turns and walks away, because really why bother standing around and discussing things with this monster?]

[Monster. It's the right word, after all.]

[But instead, she watches him, evenly. Without the anger of the Pieta survivors... or the fear of a lesser warrior.]

Well, it isn't any less irritating, if that's what you mean. But I wouldn't say I feel especially uncomfortable for any reason.

As for Isley, if he wants to know how I am, he can stop lounging around for once and see for himself.

[And there's the anger. Just for a split second - energy welling up inside her. A glimpse at the endless ocean inside her. And then, gone.]

...he destroyed my home, you know. I really thought he'd leave me alone after that. It seemed pretty definitive, under the circumstances.

[silvereyedlion]

[That... that. For just a breath he feels it again, that smothering, limitless power, strange somehow but painfully familiar. His muscles tense, ready to-- what? Fight her? Bolt?]

[In this form it would be easy to take her out, perhaps, if he was fast enough. Yes. But, no, that wouldn't be necessary. The surge vanishes again, and anyway Isley wouldn't be pleased if she was dead.]

[Pity. A monster like her shouldn't left alone.]

I... see. I'll be sure and pass that along to him.

I don't see why you should think he'd leave you alone, however. The destruction was hardly even thorough.

[yetsleeping]

[Sorry, what? She blinks, and takes a step forward - toward him.]

What do you mean it wasn't thorough?

...I don't understand what's wrong with you. Or him. I don't understand what could possibly make him think that he can... destroy my home - our home - and then just... call me dear and ask me to visit.

I would have thought that what he did was a pretty clear signal that he didn't want to see me anymore.

[...]

And I didn't say to pass that along to him!

[silvereyedlion]

[He doesn't move in response to her stepping closer, except to lower his head a little, as if bracing for some kind of impact.]

Perhaps I should clarify. Your home is still standing, is it not? They're rebuilding it. Your walls are not dust, your friends are not corpses. It was not very thorough, all told.

Not for him.

...But I'm not here to speak for Isley, of course. I had nothing to do with his decision to leave.

[yetsleeping]

[She looks away, and now she does sheathe the blade. If only to cross her arms over her chest. Odd how a little motion can make one feel so much more comfortable.]

No. But you do sound like him.

He said something like that. He said if he had no respect, he would have leveled the entire place and killed everything in it. That's not exactly logic I can bring myself to accept.

[silvereyedlion]

He showed restraint. For you.

[And property damage, yes, but restraint nevertheless. Rigaldo watches her closely, guarded as ever. That lack of understanding doesn't surprise him, not really. Warriors would be like that.]

[He dimly remembers it himself.]

That you can't understand the logic isn't his failing. If you'd prefer that he make his points by annihilating the city, I'm sure something can be arranged.

[Is he joking? It's impossible to tell.]

[yetsleeping]

I'm not sure what point that would make, exactly. But no, I really wouldn't.

[So much displeasure. She presses her lips together.]

He keeps saying he loves me, but I can't really accept that, either. I mean, not anymore. People don't hurt things they love.

[She rubs her face, and her breath shakes a little.]

I don't know. He doesn't understand me any more than I do him. Maybe it's better this way, in the long run. It's not exactly natural for the unawakened to socialize with something like him, anyway. [yes. Thing.]

...what do you think?

[The question catches even her by surprise, and she immediately frowns when she realizes what she said.]

[But she doesn't take it back.]

[silvereyedlion]

[Wait, what.]

I'm sorry?

[yetsleeping]

Do you think he actually cares about me?

[She tips her head a little.]

It doesn't matter in any kind of practical sense. It's not as though I'm going to forgive what he did either way. But it still... I don't know. It feels important.

And you know him better than anyone, probably. And I know you knew him when he was with her. Did he love... her?