023.1 Sylvie

[Corwin]

[20:21] <Jaela> 'We're fighting Abigor and Bel. If you need allies, come to the Aurora.'
[20:22] <Kotono> Your reply is, 'Who are you? How do you know me? What do you want?'
[20:25] <Afina> 'We fight for a world lost to hell. We followed trail from Court of Stars to 210. We want strong allies that hate devils'
[20:30] <Kotono> Your reply is, 'I'm at the Roaring Satyr Inn, in Air, city of Windbrad. I'll be waiting.'

[20:38] <Kotono> The Roaring Satyr Inn. It is a building of what looks to be dark stormclouds bricked together and held with force. Little storms rage in each brick, forever contained. Above the door is just what the name implies - a crudely painted and exaggerated satyr, from horns to hooves to a certain phallic organ best not named. Around you are other buildings like this as you begin to fall, the effects of
[20:38] <Kotono> Air needing a moment to recover. Floating about are about three dozen or so of the same type of building, constructed identically. The air here is clear, but on the horizon you can see crackling stormclouds. The only beings about are Air Elementals, who barely even give the trio a glance.
[20:39] * Jaela barely gives them a glance either, flying back and pushing the door open.
[20:40] * Willim easily catches himself with wings of moonlight, following Jaela into the inn!
[20:40] <Afina> Taking the fey stylings as a promising sign, Afina flutters in after Jaela.
[20:41] <Kotono> The inn within has a floor of the same storm-brick material. Within are perhaps a dozen tables leisurely spread out. None are occupied, save for one. A table by a window, a view of the endless storms beyond Windbrad. The person at the table is looking out the window, lost in it. She has blonde hair and is busty, just like the image you saw before. A glass of wine sits on the table near her,
[20:41] <Kotono> untouched.
[20:42] <Jaela> "Hi," Jaela greets her, taking a seat opposite the blonde. "You invited us, I figure?"
[20:43] * Willim settles down onto the floor, hooves clicking as he walks. He takes a seat off to the side, but within polite speaking distance.
[20:43] <Afina> "Anna?" Afina asks, floating over. "We're the ones who fight for a world lost to hell. Lifasa, specifically. I'm Afina."
[20:43] <Jaela> "Jaela," she introduces herself at Afina's words, placing a hand on her breastplate.
[20:44] <Willim> "Willim." Willim waves a hand.
[20:46] <Kotono> "Sylvie." She turns, her gaze deep. Far too deep, a physical sensation of being viewed - and seen through, like glass. It makes you squirm, before she nods. "Anna's just a name I borrow from time to time. So you found about me in the Court and followed? How'd you survive the Screaming Gate?"
[20:47] <Jaela> "By killing everything that came at us, of course. How about you?"
[20:51] <Kotono> "21 wanted me to take it. Things worked out," Sylvie replies, a tired and distant expression on her face, "Wasn't even anything I did. I just have a little of other people's destiny on me from where I was born." Here she pauses, "Did you come for me, or for 21?"
[20:52] <Afina> "We tried to find you because we heard you were investigating Abigor at the Court of Stars," Afina supplies. "Since he led the invasion of Lifasa, it's a common interest, and it sounded like you hated him. We learned about 21 later."
[20:53] <Jaela> "And I'm sorta curious," Jaela admits. "What's your beef with Abigor? If you're after him, doesn't it make sense to do it together?"
[20:56] <Kotono> "Hell took two of my friends away. Well..." She pauses, "That's not true. Co-workers is much more honest. But all that anger was eating me up. I needed more people to hate." Now looking over each of them, "I needed more reasons to kill things. It made me feel like I was doing something to make it better, but I was just lying to myself. All it did was stain my hands with blood. I didn't care
[20:56] <Kotono> anymore."
[20:58] <Kotono> After that, Sylvie sighs, "I even tried to lie there, but the truth came out of my mouth instead. No amount of deceit seems to do a thing about it."
[20:58] <Jaela> "21? So what do you plan on doing now?" Jaela asks, figuring that an honest answer would be coming.
[21:03] <Kotono> "I don't know. I was going to kill everyone I blamed for losing things important to me. First...for Noel and Branna, Abigor. The most famous of the Blood War noble generals. Make Hell suffer. Shar, for...for my friend Andrea, for Wayland and for..." Here she stops, "For a person I loved very much. Chauntea because she wouldn't give him back." She sighs again, shoulder slumping, "I don't know.
[21:03] <Kotono> I know that even if I kill them all, it won't help. I wanted to believe it so badly! I let myself believe it, I made myself believe it. I wouldn't stop. I think I went insane over the years as I traveled. If not, I wasn't much different than a fiend. Now...I don't know. I just don't know."
[21:05] <Afina> Sitting down on the table, Afina looks at Sylvie thoughtfully. "Did you ever meet Elrisa, the Mistress of the Graceful Blow?"
[21:05] <Jaela> "Two gods?" Jaela whistles. "That's sure ambitious. If you don't know what to do, wanna come with us and figure it out at our place? Go at your pace, see what you like to do from now on? If you lost all your friends and allies, you can make new ones over at the Aurora. I bet none of us figured we could do it after losing everything back on Lifasa, but look at us now."
[21:05] * Willim blinks.
[21:06] <Willim> "Jaela, don't we have at least three gods who hate us right now?"
[21:06] <Jaela> "Tiamat doesn't count, fuck her."
[21:06] * Willim shrugs.
[21:07] <Kotono> "That name sounds familiar. I met a lot of people on my journies. After a time, they all blur together," Sylvie admits, "By that point I think I was over the edge, the memories are a little confused." Going on from that, "The sad part is that with 21, I'd have a chance. 21 is an ideal, it's..." She pauses, "My best understanding of it is a bit complicated. I can tell you if you want, but I can't
[21:07] <Kotono> guarantee you'll follow it."
[21:08] <Jaela> "Isn't it easier to show it? Or pass it on for a sec? I'll hand it back after."
[21:10] <Kotono> Before Sylvie appears a book. A book thicker than you can see, millions of pages crammed into a few inches. Then it appears as a stone dagger, the tip stained bloody. Then it appears as a burst of light, vaporizing Sylvie's wineglass. Then nothing, "It's still deciding on what form would be best when I hold it. You can, but you may not like the results. You may not like it at all. I didn't, I
[21:10] <Kotono> can assure you."
[21:11] <Jaela> "Hit me."
[21:11] * Afina is happy to refrain and avoid an existential crisis.
[21:11] <Kotono> "Give me your hand," Sylvie says, unperterbed by the loss of her drink.
[21:12] * Jaela extends her right hand towards the blonde.
[21:12] <Kotono> Jaela's hand is taken-! OOC: More in PM.
[21:16] <Jaela> "Man, I'm a fucking horrible angel."
[21:17] * Willim eyes Jaela. "You are?"
[21:17] <Kotono> "See?" Sylvie says, as the sensations leave. The weight leaves, her vision returns to normal. Jaela shakes a moment, but the truth is still laid bare within her. "21 was created to understand evil. What good is a tool to do that if it can't find and magnify every evil act, especially lies?"
[21:18] * Jaela shrugs. "I guess I am. But it's not that bad. I wasn't lying to myself about it, so it's not like a huge surprise now, is it?"
[21:19] <Afina> "It would love me," Afina mutters, closing her eyes a moment. She doesn't need to be told, though, she knows well what she is.
[21:19] <Jaela> "You're only so-so evil," Jaela assurs her. "Willim there easily trumps you."
[21:20] <Willim> "I'm not evil." Willim grumps, crossing his arms.
[21:20] * Jaela laughs.
[21:20] <Willim> "I'm not!" Willim declares. "You're the one who seems to have a list of good gods out for your blood!"
[21:22] <Jaela> "So anyway," Jaela proceeds, ignoring that. "It changes nothing whatsoever. Do you wanna come over? Most of the people won't look that evil compared to any grouping, planar or otherwise. It'll be easy on the eyes, if nothing else. I bet even you could find friends, despite that handicap."
[21:22] <Kotono> "I'm certain no mortal or God was ever supposed to carry 21." Sylvie continues, her tiredness growing, "No, you aren't. Despite all the demon in you. Better than I am, and I should be better. I have a child I haven't seen in years. One who I can barely make myself miss. A child who may well never see his Mother again. I have friends who care for me, who I don't know if I ever will see again,
[21:22] <Kotono> either."" Here she closes her eyes, "I don't know. What should I do?" she opens them right back up, "Can your Crusade help?"
[21:24] <Jaela> "Well yeah? You think we're just recruiting people so they can be worse off? If you're missing something, you could find it with us. A new purpose, or the will to go back home, or the power and allies to retake your home. Anything's possible."
[21:25] <Afina> "No," Afina is brutally honest rather than reassuring. "If you join our Crusade you'll know the companionship of true friends and comrades, the support of allies who value us and the emnity of enemies who hate us or merely find us inconvenient. It won't mend connections already broken, though. That's all on you."
[21:26] * Jaela laughs again. "It's not the first thing we disagree on."
[21:27] <Jaela> "And you know, it's not just wishful thinking or optimism. I could only reunite with my mom or hear about people I knew of back on Lifasa because of this Crusade. Isn't it funny how things work out?"
[21:27] <Willim> "If you like to fight, you'll be in good company."
[21:29] <Kotono> "I learned to fight to help my friends," Sylvie murmurs, looking down, "It wasn't enough to save many of them, but I kept getting better. At some point on my journey, I stopped that and started using what I learned to kill." She looks down at her hands, "I'll come. If I go home now, with 21..." Sylvie trails off, "I have a feeling something terrible will happen."
[21:30] <Jaela> "Can't you get rid of it, if that's the only thing stopping you from going home?"
[21:30] <Kotono> "I don't know," Sylvie admits, "21 wanted me to find it. Until whatever it wants is done, I don't know...but I have my doubts."
[21:31] <Jaela> "I guess I can't hold onto it for you, then." Jaela shrugs. "Eh, we'll find a way for you, then. That's all there is to it, if you're gonna be fighting with us. Wanna go grab your stuff and I'll shift us over?"
[21:32] <Afina> "We look after our own. If you'll join us, ask anything and we'll help," Afina promises, standing up on the table.
[21:35] <Kotono> "Let's go," Sylvie says, rising, "There's nothing here for me. Maybe your Crusade will have something for me."