Forum Thread

“We appreciate the offer.” Was the clipped response, diplomatic and neutral.

Well that was too bad. Ruo Die thought to herself. She’d much rather the answer have been a yes, because she was going to do it anyway. After all, RuoDie never listened when someone’s health and wellbeing was in jeopardy.

RuoDie thought, personally, that perhaps LeQi was being defensive because she took it as an insult. Which she understood, but then again, LeQi was no expert in woodwork, nor smithing.

So like it or not, she would be trying her best to restore RuoXi to better condition. Even if she had to get He Lei to restrain LeQi while she did so.

She was interrupted from her thoughts as the red cloth snaked over and rested itself on her leg, and RuoDie laughed softly. She found it cute, and she gently lifted the tattered red fabric, repositioning it so that it wouldn’t be stepped on, and instead rested comfortably across her lap.

“Hello, dear RuoXi.”

RuoDie greets, voice a soft, soothing sound that brimmed with tender compassion. Tired but motherly eyes looked down at the red fabric, and she touched it gently, almost reverently, her hand running along the frayed and tattered seams with a near featherlight brush.

The fabric preened under the touch, curling between fingers to tangle itself within the offered comforts. Even the unspooled threads of unhemmed edges danced with delight to press against warm skin. If it wasn't a absurdly heavy sentient weapon with wickedly cracked edges along its every surface, one could have mistaken such reactions as coming from a feline. Even the end of the ribbon swayed as capraciously as a cat's tail.

Of course such blatant sucking up would never escape the notice of the hawk eyed Vie to whom it belonged to. Instead of barbed words thickening the hostility brewing between parties though, LeQi deliberately kept her eyes fixed on the notched blade that only reflected her own indignation and not the tempering warmth it should have. A hand rested against her own wrist, warm palm pressing firmly against the matching red. While she knew that this would be unlike any other repair that had occurred before, a much more perilous recovery to be had, LeQi couldn't help but miss it's presence. To be without a shadow was a curious thing indeed.

Even if she would have to rename it.

What a shame, the name she had originally bestowed it had been so pretty too. But some things were only for to sit upon her tongue alone. Interlopers should know their place, but LeQi was forgiving. She would allow them the abandoned name to be used as carelessly as the next breath, her gracious actions more than enough to settle her personal ire with even the most reticent of them. Actions, after all, were far more their worth on weight than empty words could ever hope to dream of

---

It really was just a cat in the body of an Ames, RuoDie thought to herself fondly, as the red fabric soaked up everything she had to offer, tangling itself within her fingers like how a cat would rub its head against a hand. RuoXi seemed awfully pleased to be on the receiving end of her affections.

Even if Miss Liu LeQi herself wasn't exactly pleased about it. Wasn't happy about it at all, to be honest. And as much as she cared about the one Madame Liu, all she really cared about was the fact that RuoXi seemed to enjoy her affections. Ames should be able to make their own decisions after all.

And so, she continued to caress the tattered fabric, making sure it never got into complicated knots nor frayed itself even more. RuoDie wasn't sucking up to RuoXi. She was cherishing it. Just like how any mother cherished their child. As far as she was concerned, she had now taken it under her wing, along with the other Lightchasers she had forcibly adopted.

---

four years or so ago
RuoDie sat elegantly on the mahogany throne chair the Tao family had been gifted by some other stuck-up Vie family sometime ago. Inasmuch as she despised the symbolism of the chair, it was good for putting nobility in their place. Despite having been the head of the Taos for a while now, RuoDie still couldn't fathom how anyone could tolerate the egoistic Vie that sung praises of themselves and how oh so glorious they were. Quite frankly, if not for the fact that having power allowed her to care for more people, she'd have long just-- No, restrain yourself. She chided, hands clenching into fists.

RuoDie's peace didn't last long, as some blonde haired man with the most god awful pearly whites walked- no, strutted into the room like he was the Prince of Nigeria or some other bullcrap along those lines

"My lady! You are unfit to rule the house of Tao alone, without a man by your side. Your trades have been floundering lately, my poor Lady Tao! Of course, it's no wonder this happened, but fret not, for I come bearing a brilliant proposition" He flashed a smile that made RuoDie think that his gene pool needed more chlorine. However, she managed a smile, and asked "What do you have in mind, Lord An?"

"But of course it is obvious, my dear incognizant Lady Tao. I want you to marry a rich and successful man like me, who can actually restore House Tao to glory, of course!"

.......And now she was seconds away from wringing his neck off. Just brilliant. There he was, dripping with incompetence and narcissistic glee, yet RuoDie was quite sure it was his advisors that actually managed his business for him.

Still, she forced a polite smile, and declined. Being the pompous prick that had never heard a no in his life, the man flew off the handles, sputtering incoherently and cursing RuoDie to hell and beyond. RuoDie didn't bite back, only showing him to the door with all the respect she could muster, and retreating to the quiet of her quarters, to focus on something.

But the next day, news of the An's key factory in the remote countryside crumbling due to an infrastructure fault made headlines. Not that RuoDie had anything to do with it. She wasn't the one who had the building evacuated, then brought it down to the ground. It was just the poorly constructed support beams and crumbling plaster. Not her.

The carriage rolled quietly down the empty streets. Despite the chaotic interior of the carriage, its presence was completely inconspicuous to the outside. It looked simply like a regular carriage traversing down the vast streets of Solrif. Lumiere shifted his gaze from Ruoxi and Ruodie to the new participant in their carriage sitting nonchalantly next to their Serephina.

"Adele's your name correct? Why are you in our carriage again?" Lumiere abruptly pointed out as he smiled with his eyes closed.

Coincidently, the moment Lumiere spoke, the carriage stopped. Lumiere paused, he listened with his senses. There seems to be.. conflict? Still?

Lumiere raised his hands, gesturing to everyone to quiet down. Outside, the sounds of silver clanged against each other. The crazed laughter of a women and emotionless voice of a man could easily be heard down from another street. Lumiere's lips pursed. He knew those silver clangs very well.. it was the Silver Boots. However who were the other two presence?

He looked around the carriage, could they possibly risk getting involved with another bunch?

---

That look in the women's eyes.

He hated it.

He hated the way she looked at him as if he were gum stuck under her shoes. He hated the fact that despite she was fighting a loosing battle, she wouldn't stop resisting. Most importantly, he hated the way she made him feel puny.

"The more you resist, the worser it's going to be for you women." Gabriel spat out coldly. His hands resting on his blade, ready to do more harm if needed. If he could, the first thing he'd get rid of is her tongue.

His other men, easily arrested the rather brittle man with little difficulty. However his words held a sort of venom that made their skin crawl. But how could a man whose skin is practically glued to his bones do any harm to them?

They put a pair of silver cuffs on the men's wrists resolutely.

---

"Oh dear, oh dear, these sure are cuffs, aren't they sirs?"

The Knight laughed. Then, abruptly stopped, as his smile fell.

"Release me at once."

He stated, quite simply, green eyes seeming to glow for a brief moment.

"I shall grant you all four second of mercy. Release me this instant."

---

The fellow knights glanced between each other warily. They did not listen to the man's order, and instead brought him over to the captain.

"Sir, where should we bring him?"

Gabriel didn't even cast a glance to the other man, his eyes solely focused on the women in front of hi struggling. "Bring him to the back. We'll take them to the sheriff for investigation."

---

"Fine."

His words were simple, calm, but there was a sort of underlying danger to them.

"I warned you."

A fist clenched around a shard of green, shattering into tiny pieces. Nothing happened for a moment. Then, as if the cuffs were made of paper, he snapped them in half. Calmly, he straightened back up, dusted his pants off, and proceeded to drive a hidden knife into the heart of the guard beside him. Before the other one beside him could react, a fist slammed into his face, clotheslining him immediately with a nasty crack of the nose.

He took a simple step back, just as the other guards lunged at him to stop him. He tilted his head at Gabriel, then just shrugged.

"Should have let me go to begin with."

---

The sounds of violence was nothing new to LeQi, the familiar lullaby of distorted egos and desperate bids for the upper hand a familiar orchestra. She had no desire to entangle herself in such sordid affairs, content with letting the backing track lull her into a fitful rest. There was chatter, not the yelling she could always hear trailing after her, but soft noise was always a welcome tune to ponder to. And there was much to ruminate on.

While she had anticipated that it was possible to draw out any do-gooders within the seedy parts of the country with her own bait, she hadn't expected for that to actually happen, much less to the one tool who had sharpened itself against her own growing ambitions. LeQi treasured each and every Ames under her wings, the gentle evenings spent with them her only respite within the lions den of nobility and publicity. And among them, only one ever had the time earned honour of being her left hand. All sentimentality aside, this incident would do nothing but cripple the Liu family's image of untouchable strength even if she managed to cement herself as a possible ally to the lightchasers. Still, with Xi'er's sacrifice, a new door had been opened. Smashing through barriers indiscriminately was another way of getting past them after all.

And her tool was very good at opening the way forth.

If only it would stop sucking up to another Vie. Truly, LeQi gave her heart to only the most fickle of men.

There it was, the ribbon crawling up RuoDie's arm, the length of red never seeming to run out. It snaked across her shoulders, ticking the back of her neck as it slipped around to the other side. It brushed gently against RuoDie's cheek even as it remained tangled in her fingers before the edges ventured out beyond the Vie and towards her Ames, He Lei. The ribbon wriggled, once twice, almost like a cat waiting to pounce, before hunt it did with a gentle yet swift smack on the nose. It almost was if the ribbon was laughing as it darted back, having learnt its lesson and hiding among the dark tresses of RuoDie's hair. Not that it was hard to spot the red attempting to blend in among the black.

---

It crawled up her arm, the length of red never seeming to run out, snaking across her shoulders, ticking the back of her neck and brushing gently against her cheek even as it remained tangled in her fingers.

It was not unlike a curious little creature, and RuoDie swore that if it were to assume a sentient form, it’d be an adorable Maine Coon, poking its furry little head everywhere, exploring everywhere it could and rubbing against any human that did so much as give them a treat or scratch behind the ear. Easily won over, inquisitive and distinctly catlike.

RuoDie let it do as it pleased, to tangle itself all over her, venture where it wanted; as if the simple ribbon itself was attempting to reciprocate her given affections.

And then the edges ventured out beyond her and towards her Ames, He Lei. The ribbon wriggled, once twice, almost like a cat waiting to pounce, before hunt it did with a gentle yet swift smack on the nose. It almost was if the ribbon was laughing as it darted back, having learnt its lesson and hiding among the dark tresses of RuoDie's hair. Not that it was hard to spot the red attempting to blend in among the black.

RuoXi was like a playful cat, teasing He Lei yet quick to retreat into RuoDie, whom it had deemed its refuge.

He Lei giggled when he was bopped on the nose yet again, pretending to snap playfully at the ribbon. He made no real attempts to eat it, especially given the fact that his Mimi had explicitly told him not to do so. RuoDie’s words were He Lei’s law. He wasn’t going to disobey, even if he now very much felt like chewing on the one Miss Liu LeQi’s hair for being so- in his opinion; cranky and un-friend-shaped.

“Would you like me to patch you up, dear RuoXi?” RuoDie asks the ribbon tangled in her hair. She patted her pockets, then pulled out a small sewing kit from them.

Doraemon pockets, He Lei had called it- after that day he had asked for seven different totally bizarre items, only for RuoDie to pull each and every single item out.

The previously looselimbed fibres that draped carelessly along her arm stiffened at the suggestion, coarse and rough. What was once a docile catish strip of fabric was now skedaddling off RuoDie's arm as fast as it could, tangling itself in its panic before collapsing into a pitiful puddle of twitching red on the carriage floor. A sad whining cascade of silent wind chimes was its only excuse, almost mournful in its mewing lament. It was kind of pathetic actually

LeQi was almost impressed.

Bending down, she scooped up the sad little pile of fabric into her arms, gently easing it free from itself. "This is what you get for cozying up with someone else." She scolded lightly, not quite angry and much more amused than anything. Of course her Xi'er knew that only one person would ever be allowed to touch it so gently, even if it enjoyed being a brat at times

---

RuoDie’s chest tightened as RuoXi flinched away from her. The way it curled into itself—small, scared—sent a sharp memory flashing through her. She’d seen that before. She’d caused that before.

Her hands hovered uselessly in the air as RuoXi scrambled back, tangling itself into a trembling heap on the floor. Its Vie swooped in, gathering it close, and the pained whining rang sorrowfully in the air

And that shattered her.

There you go again. Always overstepping. Hurting everything you touch. You really think you deserve to be a Lightchaser? Vice Captain? Pathetic. Lumiere must’ve been out of his damn mind picking you.

…shut up. i didn’t mean to.

Sure you don’t. But it keeps happening, doesn’t it? First me. Now this thing. Who’s next? He Lei? The whole team? Face it—you’re poison. A f***ing curse wrapped in pretty gold. Papa’s golden girl aren’t you?

Her teeth dug into her lip hard enough to taste blood. The voice wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

you’re not her. she wouldn’t—

Wouldn’t what? Hate you? After what you did. You think death made her forgive you?

The whispers swarmed louder, drowning out her breathing, her thoughts. They weren’t just in her head anymore—they were under her skin, in her bones, twisting every doubt she’d ever choked back into a truth she couldn’t escape. They clawed and writhed under her skin, begging to be set free.

Maybe they were right.

Maybe she didn’t think the Tao name wasn’t a burden.

You know you were made to be a killer, right? You’re just as bad as a rampaging Ames, if not worse. Scratch that, you are worse. At least the Ames don’t have control. You do.

Her expression belayed none of the turmoil she was feeling. Only a warm, apologetic smile as she stood up, murmured a soft apology and left the carriage to go see what was going on outside.

oh boy, this is right up your alley, isn’t it? you’d kill everyone in your way without batting an eye, oh my~ go on then, darling

RuoDie muttered a soft “shut up” through gritted teeth. As she exited the carriage, He Lei bounded after her eagerly, ready to be her stalwart companion in battle once more.

Only for RuoDie to snap- a bit too firmly “Not now, He Lei. This is too dangerous for you” She’d always protect her Ames. Especially when she was at far less risk than He Lei in front of the guards.

ooh, playing the hero, are we? who are we trying to fool now? that you care? please, don’t make me laugh

He Lei retreated like a kicked puppy. He’d never heard Mimi speak so…fiercely before. Not when he’d broken her favorite vase. Not when he’d lost the only necklace she’d ever treasured. He must have done something wrong. Really wrong. He slunk back into the carriage, fists beating against his head. Bad Ames. Bad Ames. Badterriblenogooduselessdisappointment. Shame on you. He Lei scolded himself, throwing himself to the floor of the carriage and crying.

RuoDie stood elegantly outside the carriage “Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?”

"Adele's your name correct? Why are you in our carriage again?" Lumiere abruptly pointed out as he smiled with his eyes closed.

"Correct," responded the Ame, "I also go by Avery and Robin. I assisted in the battle and aftermath, and hope for an employment opportunity," she told the man she presumed was captain.

Through the corner of her eye, she monitored the sentient ribbon and the vice-leader, carefully tracking the exchange between the stiff Vie, her companion, and the naively friendly lightchaser. Avery had to admit, despite the unsettling familiarity in her gut, she respected the cold logic of LeQi--- a refreshing contrast to the people-pleasing RuoDie.

But in her endless quest to help, the Lightchaser had somehow triggered the ribbon(-cat-person(?)). Though she did her best to hide the hurt flicker in her eyes, RuoDie's sudden exit and uncharacteristically quiet apology betrayed her.

How curious.
An Ame with a suspicious aversion to needles and mending---there was a story there, no doubt.
A weary noblewoman, constantly plotting and eternally on edge.
An eager-to-please Vie, who seemed somewhat scared of herself.

The vice-captain's Ame bounded out of the carriage, following its master--- only to return seconds later as a sobbing heap on the floor of the already-cramped carriage. Not wanting to deal with the crying child, Adele excused herself and followed after RuoDie.

The woman had already regained her composure outside, immedeately involving herself in a conflict between the city police, a man and a woman.

“Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?”
Avery had to admit, her commitment to helping everyone and receiving no aid herself was mildly admirable.

"Have these civilians done you any injury, sirs?" Avery chimed in, taking a place beside RuoDie. She wasn't a fool--- the brutes of the city's force were known to pick on anyone they deemed remotely suspicious, instead of doing their jobs.

---

Persephone O'Couna
---

They had the scruffy ruffian. Placing cuffs on him. Bringing him under their power, their control.

How dare they. He was her prey.

But she wasn't a fool. This was a losing battle. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn't kill all of them. It was simply impossible... for a lesser woman. Persephone prided herself on her ability to face the impossible and come out with blood on her teeth, and a beating heart in hand.

Now if only her mind would stop showing her pictures of some random guy she didn't know. She needed a way to win fast and win now, not worry about later.

"The more you resist, the worser it's going to be for you woman."

Persephone let her eyes trail back to him.

"Woman, huh? That's one I'm not so familiar with. Usually, it's 'lady' or 'missus', or 'please have mercy.'" She smiled crookedly at him. "You sure you don't want to change your answer?"

She tensed her muscles, ready to leap into battle. To fulfill her future, to seize the little ruffian, and win die at last.

"Oh dear, oh dear, these sure are cuffs, aren't they sirs?"

Something in that voice... It made her falter. She glanced over at him. Laughing like a fool. Like he didn't understand.

But she heard it. That dangerous edge.

He did understand. He understood, just as she did, the lengths one had to go to in order to come out on top. To kill, to survive.

The man standing there was a murderer. And one day, you'll be the one he raises that blade to. Memento mori; remember you will die. This man is your-

"Bring him to the back. We'll take them to the sheriff for investigation."

A mistake.

The phoenix stretched its wings and everyone was aflame.

Persephone reacted instantly. She lunged forward, plunging her knife into the nearest guard, then shoving him at Gabriel.

---

Gabriel narrowly steps out lf the directory which one of his men’s body were flying towards. Instead of hitting him, it seemed to collided with a carriage belonging to that of a pedestrian.

Gabriel turned his eyes back onto the crazed-eyed women, his face tense behind his headgear.

“So it seems you finally decided to forego all consequences. Then I won't apologize to any harm that shall occur from this moment on.”

With those cold words, Gabriel unsheathed his blade. Initially it looked like a regular steel sword, but the body of steel hummed steadily as the beating of a living heart. The blade shone silver within the evening sky and reflected the invisible blood of its past enemies.

“Charge forth with no mercy.”

The resolute order was met with devoted shouts of agreement. Gabriel wasted no time and lunged forward. With a firm grip upon the hilt of his sword, he plummets the blade onto the shoulder of women.

Their eyes locked together in that fragment of a second before he digs the blade deeper and pushes her against the wall.

The other knights all went in and jumped the seemingly fragile blond man. They all knew now that the women was their captains target, and any good soldier knew not to meddle with anything their captain has set their eyes upon. Instead, they focused their gaze on the seemingly frail but equally dangerous man that pushed off three of their men at once.

One man charged with their sword wanting to stab the abdomen, while another went in to limit their opponents movement by injuring their back. These men stormed on in perfect formation, clearly trained to the perfection.

On the other hand however, the knight with a open wound on his shoulder slowly raised his body from the carriage. A silent groan spilled from their lips. No complaints escaped from his lips but rather instead he turned his eyes into the pedestrians that stepped out from the safety in their carriage.

The soldier stood up and went over to the black haired madam and stopped her before she could get any closer to the clashing conflict.

“Madam, my apologies to the rustle. But due to the.. conflict at hand I fear it's not safe here. Please leave as soon as possible alongside your carriage.”

The soldier boy politely directed, as he pointed his hand to the exit. His tone calm, however the quiver in his tone betrays his steadiness.

---

Lumiere initially wasn't paying too much to the conversation going at hand. Maybe that was his fault, afterall he was the captain here. The captain should oversee the entirety of the situation, not just one corner.

Was this the reason why his heart jumped out of his chest and curses was about to escape his lungs when he saw Ruodie exit the carriage and into the ongoing battle?

He clearly told them to stay out and stay quiet, how could they—no Die'er oppose his orders?

Lumiere bit his lips, in the corner of his eye he saw He Lei get tossed back into the carriage half of his previous cheerful self. Suddenly his heart dropped.

“You don’t understand. My power alone isn’t terrifying…I’m the real threat. If I lose control…I could kill people….i can force everyone to feel so depressed or angry they kill everyone around them. It would hurt me greatly…yes, but I could do it.”

Something felt terribly wrong the moment he received the call this morning. From the moment he arrived at the scene, to the perfect timing of the silver boots. Everything fell into place too perfectly.

Far too perfectly.

“With He Lei around, using my powers comes at a much lower risk. More like a sniper, if you will”

Lumiere looked at He Lei, who was inside the carriage, trembling with tears dropping from his eyes. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Did… they set this up? As a trap? A trap for them?

Lumiere brushed his hair away from his face, and he turned to everyone else that was left inside. “Everyone else stay inside, do not move, do not do anything. This is an order to all of you. Failure to comply…” Lumiere looked out.

He didn't finish his sentence before he stepped out.

---

My father beat me as a child.

Reaction time was not a problem for the man simply known as the Knight. Within a fraction of a moment, he stepped to the side, no discernable emotion other than a pure and utter disdain for these officers of the law. As the soldier attempting to drive a sword through his stomach changed the trajectory of his blade, he simply smiled, catching the blade between his palms. In a clean tug, the sword was knocked from the officer's hands, as The Knight ducked, allowing it to slam hilt first into the face of the man trying to cripple his back.

So I had to learn to defend myself.

He grabbed the blade before it hit the ground, driving it straight through the neck of the man that had just fallen, before yanking it out, and proceeding to slam the sharp end of his knife into the man's skull, over and over and over and over- until he paused, yanking the blade out one final time, leaving the blood dripping off the steel of his blade, and turning to the soldiers.

This is justified.

He paused, as the soldiers seemed to pause in their actions. He tilted his head. and he grinned.

"What's wrong, officers? I thought you wanted to detain me. Then do it. Hurry up. Take me down. Arrest me!"

This is self defense.

He laughed, a harsh, grating sound, as he lobbed the sword straight into the skull of another officer, letting his instantly-dead corpse fall with a sickening crunch, as steel crushed bone and flesh. As one after the other tried to approach him, he just laughed, driving his knife into the neck of one, before ducking under the blades of three soldiers, letting them stumble, and yanking his stolen sword out of the skull of the corpse of their fallen comrade, driving it through another man's stomach.

And step by step, he approached, until he stopped behind Gabriel.

He halted, completely still. That was, before he pulled out his knife, one last time, and lobbed it straight at the soldier boy's head.

"Excuse me, sir."

he said, with an odd calm in his voice, hand returning to his side, as a nasty crunch sounded out. He tapped Gabriel's back.

"I would ask you not to touch her. I would rather not hurt you."

---

---

---

Persephone O'Couna
---

Wow. He'd... actually stabbed her. The little soldier boy-

She yanked herself backwards off the knife, a horrible squelching sound hitting the air, and thrust her knee into the man's solar plexus. Feeling for her knife, she cursed. Somewhere, somehow, she dropped it.

Falling back, holding her shoulder, she glanced around her feet...

But all she saw was a sword. From one of the fallen knights. She didn't actually know how to wield one, but... hey, let's make this a learning opportunity.

Snorting with laughter, probably delirious, she scooped up the sword and levelled it, pointing it at the guardian's chest. "Let's see how well that shiny chainmail of yours does against your comrade's swords, hm? I think a dent and stab wound or two might add character."

---

RuoDie was getting annoyed. Without her anchor to stop her, the taunting words of it, she could feel herself snapping.

After all, just because she was so kind hearted and motherly didn’t mean she had no limits. She had kept it under wraps, a monster that clawed its way for release and begged to be let free.

“Gentlemen. If there’s one thing I hate more than rowdy….insolences, it’s your blatant disrespect for my time. Please, explain yourselves and clear my path. Now.”

RuoDie’s voice rings out, high, cruel, and cold. No longer that soft figure of motherly love, the mama bear ready to nurture each and every single one she took under her wing. Without He Lei, she was an untethered storm, the true Tao her parents would have loved. The perfect daughter of the Tao family, and just as heartless as the rest of them.

She tilts her head, smiling sweetly. The kind of sweet that snaked its way into your skin and tore you apart from the inside out, digging into skin like thorns and blossomed from your corpse.

Then, an unsettling chill fell over the crowd. Inside the carriage and out, an awful feeling settled in the air, causing irrational, unnerving fear to set in. RuoDie’s smile didn’t waver.

It started small—pebbles at her feet trembling, then bursting, sharp cracks like gunfire as they exploded into dust. Then the cracks spiderwebbed outward, the street itself splitting apart in jagged fissures that swallowed the boots of the nearest guards. A few stumbled; one screamed as the ground beneath him erupted, hurling him into the air like a ragdoll before the cobblestones below shattered upward in a hail of razored rock.

The lampposts bent like saplings in a gale, metal groaning—then twisting, shearing apart with a screech that set teeth on edge. One toppled, crushing a guard beneath its weight before the glass of its lantern detonated, shards embedding themselves in flesh like glittering, fatal rain.

Then the buildings moved.

Not a sway. Not a shudder. A lurch, as if the earth itself had been yanked sideways. Bricks popped free from mortar, pelting the crowd like cannonfire. A storefront’s awning collapsed, its supports snapping like kindling, and then

The sound. A deep, grinding roar as the facade of the nearest building buckled, fissures racing up its walls faster than the eye could follow. Stone split. Wood splintered. For one suspended second, the entire structure listed, teetering—

Then it fell.

The crash was thunder given form, a deafening wave of destruction that sent a storm of debris hurtling outward. Guards vanished beneath the avalanche of rubble, their cries cut short as dust plumed in a choking, grey tide. The ground shook with such violence that those still standing were sent sprawling, their weapons skittering away like discarded toys.

And RuoDie?

She hadn’t moved. Hadn’t even blinked.

The dust settled around her and the carriage in a perfect, untouched circle, her robes unstained, her smile still sweet.

“Ah,” she sighed, as if mildly disappointed. “Now do you understand?”

Persephone O'Couna
---

Time slowed down. Almost curiously, for one split second, Persephone's ever constant headache seemed to fade... and then surged up again with an anger.

KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER-

Persephone nearly stumbled, clutching her head as it exploded in agony. The murderous rage, the viciousness- the way she wasn't in control anymore, that-

Then flooded in the knowledge that she had to kill this woman someday. That last night, this monster had appeared in her dreams. Maybe not her next target. But her ultimate one. The one she needed to kill in order to live the life she deserved.

"I didn't see you there," she said sweetly, hand coming off to wipe the blood from her shoulder- prim and dismissive, as though she were brushing away a speck of dust rather than her very life's essence. "Am I right to assume you're also a noble lady?"

She smiled, though inside her, something screamed bloody murder.

---

Adele blinked in disbelief at the utter chaos that unfolded around her.

“Madam, my apologies to the rustle. But due to the.. conflict at hand I fear it's not safe here. Please leave as soon as possible alongside your carriage.”

He appeared to be talking to RuoDie, though Adele was right beside her. The audacity!

Lumiere stepped out of the carriage, also scarcely acknowledging her. Now instead of irritating, it was also confusing.

*
Seraphina shifted inside the coach, jostled awake by the commotion outside. She had fallen asleep during the ride, in hopes that the paralysis would wear off. Thankfully, it mostly had, but she would likely not be able to exert herself for the rest of the day--- or the next few days, if she was unlucky.
*

A thought occurred to Adele.
Oh, shvt. Is it...? She passed her hand over the solid door of the carriage, visibly relieved when her hand didn't fall through. So perhaps it's not happening again--- no need to worry, I'm still tangible.

The guard that had adressed the Lightchaser's vicecaptain startled a little, only now noticing the blue-haired girl he hadn't seen approach. "Oh, hello madam." he said Adele, who had presumably just stepped out of the carriage. (Uh, hello, she's been here the whole time, dimwit. You have the observational skills of a blind flea.

... or perhaps it's not the boy's fault; perhaps Avery had only just materialized again--- obviously a side effect of

m̸̫͈̪̰̓̇͑̒̈́̾͌͊á̶̡̡̺̘̟̂̍͂ď̷̨̧̟̺͚͉͕̣̓͌́͑͝é̸̛̻͙̠̙̠̤̓́͐̉̏̾l̶̻͔̱͓̲̟̾̽́̚͜y̶͇̙̼͔͈̓̔ǹ̴̛͕͍̻̏͛̉́̔̈́͊̕ ̸̡̧̗̞͌ͅa̷̰̫̥͙̍͐̀̊̈g̴̡̠̩̟̞͔̖̤̠̓a̷̭̹͙̹̠̩͙̟̿͛̂͜į̶̘͉̪̭̈́͒̀̎̅̈́̉̇͗n̸͈̻̙̱̻͓̺̳̊̈́̐̽͒̏̏͝)


"Er, hello," came Adele's clipped response. She was looking past him, eyes transfixed on the most peculiar woman and man, both certainly more powerful than they let on. Her fingers twitched with longing, eager to pin the city's brutes to the ground. But the pair seemed to be handling them quite well--- still, it wouldn't hurt if she just---
No, no, she hadn't received orders yet.

Adele glanced sidelong at the Captain, hoping for some silent permission to intervene. They wouldn't even know it was her; just a flick of the wrist-

**

Sera gazed pityingly upon the sorry heap on the floor. Poor Hei Lei. Having missed pretty much most of the exchange, she had no clue why RuoDie wasn't beside her Vie or where several of the members had disappeared to, though she suspected it had something to do with the carriage door that had been left ajar.

"Awh, Hei Lei, what happened?" asked Seraphina.
She bit her lip.

A week of recovery, then. It's alright, it's worth it to help a friend.
With an graceful motion of her fingers, a small mouse appeared on the boy's head. It hopped down, scuttling around him, tentatively bopping him on the cheek before retreating several paces.

****

Adele's head snapped to the side. Suddenly, something was very wrong.
“Gentlemen. If there’s one thing I hate more than rowdy….insolences, it’s your blatant disrespect for my time. Please, explain yourselves and clear my path. Now.”

The calm before the storm. One second. Two. Three.

And then hell.

Buildings, rubble, dust, screams, chaos. Large, ornate facades reduced to nothing in mere seconds.

So Tao RuoDie finally snapped. Despite the absolute armegeddon going on, the woman from earlier walked forward, still somehow graceful as ever.

"I didn't see you there, am I right to assume you're also a noble lady?"

But Adele could scarcely concentrate on the conversation. Something else clawed at her throat as she watched buildings buckle and crumble. It was all far, far too familiar. Who was this reflection of Adele's past? Who was this mother-turned-murderer?

A city in ruin.
Buildings picked up like pebbles, tossed into one another without a so much as a second thought. A golden-eyed girl, her gorgeous gaze replaced by bleeding sockets.

The harbringer of chaos is young, she can't be more than 12. Desperate pleas ringing out amongst panicked shrieks.

"ACE, NO" called a choked sob. But the calls for mercy were lost upon such ears. Only one face, only one goal, only one woman.

Liu LeQi. I will find you.

And then a different scene.

A sobbing heap, a begging girl. She has to be saved. She can't die. No, impossible.

A lifeless body, bleeding eyes and tangled blue hair.
Tears falling on the unmoving face.

She was so young.

ᴍᴀᴅᴅɪᴇ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴜʟᴛ.

˙ʇlnɐɟ ɹnoʎ s,ʇI 'ǝıppɐW
***

For many moments, the scene was still. Buildings collapsed, bodies strewn about, the Lightchaser's vicecaptain at the center of it all.

Adele stared into the middle distance, in some kind of trance. Her blue hair began to rise, then the rubble, then the people. Anything that wasn't bolted down began to gently float upwards, losing touch with gravity.

///[TL:DR

-Adele was breifly invisible(?)
-Sera is attempting to distract Hei Lei
-RuoDie's outburst triggered sm sort of trauma in Adele, who has two visions--- 1) a rampage by a golden-eyed Ame named Ace, who is determined to kill Liu LeQi 2) Someone crying over a blue-haired body, and apparently a person named Maddie is to blame
-everything in the vicinity is floating]\\\

---

Persephone O'Couna
---

Persephone gritted her teeth. This wasn't going well. How many of these people were there???

She swept the sword behind her, feeling at the ground. At this rate, with an unfamiliar weapon... so many opponents... I might actually need backup.

Ordinarily, Persephone despised weakness. Camraderie was for those who were too pathetic to fight for themselves. But right now... "Hey, ruffian!" she called out to the knight boy who'd gotten her tangled in this mess to begin with. "How about we tell these good people what's happening, hm? How wronged we've been?"

How this set her teeth on edge. This whole thing was a mistake.

Except for that woman. She'd been meant to lay her eyes on her target. That was the one silver lining in all this.

---