023.5 Jaela

[Corwin]

[20:21] <Tiny_Ko_Army> It's the feeling of arms wrapping around Jaela. The sensation of flesh against hers, as she walks to her quarters. The whisper is, "Ah Jaela," Annalise murmurs into her ear, "How was your trip?"
[20:24] <Jaela> "Horrible doesn't even begin to describe it-- oh, you mean where we got Sylvie? That one was surprisingly alright," Jaela responds, turning around in Annalise's embrace. "Did you miss me?"
[20:27] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "I did mean the Abyss. It's not every day you smell like a small, crawling thing," Annalise observes with a light chuckle, "Of course I did. Oh yes, dear Hanna is quite adept with that axe of hers. Persistent as well, just like you."
[20:28] <Jaela> "I'm glad you had fun," Jaela mutters. "Just... don't use me in your fights or to score any points, okay? I can't handle that. The violence, that's easy enough."
[20:30] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "It was fun enough. Having your head split open is a fine way to put lesser annoyances in perspective," Annalise replies with a cheerful, small chuckle. Her voice drips a lazy, sultry mood as she continues, "Besides, I need only refer to her previous failings to score more points that I could ever need. She has grown, but not enough to fully ignore that."
[20:33] <Jaela> "Thanks." Jaela rolls her eye, then. "Not for pissing Mom off enough to kill you, but for not treating me like some fodder." She pouts. "Abyss was horrible, as expected. It tried to turn me against everyone and turn me into a roachgirl. We all have our little phobias! It wasn't right."
[20:35] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Oh really? So drolly charming," Annalise drawls, "As if body mutations can't be corrected, or adapted to for more power. Actually, a cockroach mutation would greatly benefit your agility. Oh yes, during a quiet century I experimented with Abyssal mutations. No matter. Are you going to bed right away?"
[20:39] <Jaela> "Oh please, it's clearly inferior than my blood." She laughs. "Yeah, I figured we could correct it, but I didn't know if I had time before my mind was gone. Plus there was this obyrith that was so fucking hard to kill. Ugh. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts." They are easy enough to summon in Annalise's company, and she rest her head on Annalise's shoulder. "I'm not that tired. Did you have something in mind?"
[20:42] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "The roof." Annalise smiles slightly, "Some air and peace and quiet. The courtyard's quiet right now, so it should be peaceful."
[20:44] <Jaela> "Sounds lovely," Jaela agrees. "Let's go?"
[20:45] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Up to the roof the duo goes. On reaching it, you find it is indeed quiet. There's no one up here, save for one. Sylvie sits on the roofedge, her long blonde hair being blown in the breeze. She stares off at nothing in particular, leaning back on her elbows.
[20:47] <Jaela> She had actually thought of seeking Sylvie out before, but this is such a bad time... ah, what the hell. "Hey, Sylvie, can I borrow 21 again for a bit?" Jaela calls out to the blonde.
[20:49] <Tiny_Ko_Army> There's about a second of nothing, before Sylvie turns her head back. "Hm?" she says slowly, "Oh, Jaela. Sorry, what was that?"
[20:50] <Jaela> "There's something I need to see for myself. Can you loan 21 out again, just for a tiny bit?"
[20:52] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "If you like," Sylvie says, "Come here." Her gaze stays up at the endless sky.
[20:52] <Jaela> "Thanks." Giving Annalise a smile, Jaela comes closer and holds out her hand again. "How're you finding things? Settled in okay?"
[20:56] <Tiny_Ko_Army> The weight of 21 settles onto Jaela. Again all truths are laid bare, delusions and lies shattered. It feels like a burden heavy enough to break her back, a surge of despair welling into Jaela! "Yes. I found the library." This draws the slightest smile from her, "A good library."
[20:58] <Jaela> It's a good thing she approached this without any self-deception, then. Jaela brings up her memories of the truth shown by Helm and Angharradh, and then looks at Annalise. "We add to it now and then," she murmurs to Sylvie.
[21:03] <Tiny_Ko_Army> OOC: Are you looking for anything in particular here?
[21:03] <Jaela> OOC: I'm not sure how it works. Does it show me anything in particular? Or it's just a sin meter?
[21:06] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Looking at Annalise causes Jaela's eyes to widen. So much. An ocean of evil, an ocean of sins. Not dozens, not hundreds, not thousands. Tens of thousands of vile acts or more, each one chilling Jaela's soul. Things that match what she was shown, and many more things just as bad or even worse.
[21:09] * Jaela doesn't try to resist any of them. It's the truth, after all. She soaks it all in, and then lightly lets go of Sylvie's hand. "Thanks again. Anything I can do to pay you back?"
[21:13] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Maybe later," Sylvie says quietly, as Annalise merely smiles and raises an eyebrow.
[21:15] <Jaela> "Just a crazy power that shows our inner evil," Jaela explains to Annalise, nodding at Sylvie in acknowledgement. She sits down on the edge a few feet away from Sylvie, and offers Annalise a hand in invitation.
[21:15] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Annalise follows and takes that hand, "Ah, I see. Curious again?"
[21:18] <Jaela> "I don't like it when people call me a blind moron. I guess I wanted to prove a point to myself?" She shrugs, leaning against Annalise now that they are both seated. "Did you ever feel like doing something like that?"
[21:21] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Oh, certainly." Annalise holds Jaela close, "Certainly, I could make any of you so much more than you are now. But old lies die hard, and few want to embrace this, calling me a monster or fool instead."
[21:21] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Sylvie listens quietly for the moment, not adding anything into that.
[21:22] <Jaela> "Why did you ever want to become a vampire? Who were you before that?" Jaela wonders.
[21:26] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Power, of course. Power, eternal life, vitality," Ticking them off lazily, "I was myself, of course. Nothing else."
[21:26] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Mmm-hmm," Sylvie murmurs, "Is that what you want Jaela to believe?"
[21:27] * Jaela raises an eyebrow, glancing at Sylvie. "You can tell what happened?"
[21:32] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "I can tell you're lying," Sylvie says casually, still looking upward and sounding far away with her voice. "A whore, perhaps?" A glance over at Annalise, "The Whore of Death suggests that. A whore who bedded someone powerful? Maybe you were a heretic grasping for life to avoid your damnation? Oooh, maybe you were a cannibal who took the next logical step." That follows with a bitter laugh,
[21:32] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "Good thing she's dead."
[21:33] <Jaela> "Don't hold back, tell me what you really think."
[21:34] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "My, aren't you terribly rude." Annalise frowns, "Jaela, how about we retire to the baths instead?"
[21:35] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Sylvie shrugs, "You saw her, didn't you? What I want to know is why an angel is holding hands with a vampire like that. At least the holy lesbian I knew had the good taste to date something with a pulse."
[21:37] * Jaela coughs. "Fuck, did I hear that right?" She shakes her head. "Man, you really are strange. Tell me, Sylvie, is there some absolute quota of evil that a person can have before you sleep with them? Before you like them? Would you be okay or it's just too damn edgy and I should glance in Willim's direction?"
[21:39] <Jaela> She squeezes Annalise's hand. "We can go, but just-- I don't wanna leave it like this. And I don't want you to misunderstand me either. I know you're not being truthful about any of that stuff when I ask. But why don't you get that I'd be okay with it if you told me the truth?"
[21:42] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Glancing over at Jaela, Sylvie shrugs, "It's your life and soul. Blame 21. I'd rather be more tactful about it."
[21:46] <Tiny_Ko_Army> Annalise gives Sylvie a long glare, not looking over at Jaela, "There are some things that a lady does not tell," she says at last.
[21:47] * Jaela is extremely doubtful an ancient artifact wanted to taunt Annalise by calling her names, but she supposes she cannot discount it out of hand. "If you're worried that I'd be upset you were some heretic, what, tens of thousands of years ago? That you were damned? Are you kidding me? I already decided to leave the past in the past, so it's not like I'll suddenly be all judgemental."
[21:51] <Tiny_Ko_Army> "We'll talk about it later," Annalise finally says, "Not now."
[21:54] <Jaela> "I'll be here," Jaela says. She stands back up, and flexes her wings, giving them a few test swings. "And I'll still be here after you tell me. I already saw it, after all. Sorta. And I didn't bolt." She shrugs. "The baths, you said? We can fly over."