A Rose and its Clippers

[Agrias Oaks]

Alexandrian soldiers would be carrying large pieces of wood that had fallen off certain parts of the ships. There were a few struggling with a large piece that was part of the engines. Others would be working with hammers and extra boards to cover up some holes on the floors and ceilings, while they handled the severe damage, it was a temporary solution.

Boco was pulling his own weight, having a saddle tied with sacks, one of instruments, like hammers and saws, and the other carried water bottles for the tired soldiers. He would peck a little at the helms of the girls so they would take one, and continue pecking at them if they didn't listen.

[Agrias Oaks]

Agrias watched the woman worriedly, her eyes softening as she pulled away. She had a serious look now, obvious she was going to talk to Beatrix, " They will take good care of you, Lady Abigail." she bowed her head, and turned at the ball of her heel to the exit, "Please, excuse me."

The knight walked out of the room, feeling confused and angry at the General's actions as of late. Her eyes narrowing as she made her way first to her chambers, to pick up the book which caused so much trouble. She looked it over and noticed the last chapter was missing, and she looked at it with concern, " What... this seems torn...?" she pondered to herself, turning to walk now to Beatrix's room, with much tension on her shoulders, that they began to ache.

She opened the doors, and made her way in, a hand clenched and the other holding the book out to the General. The relic's expression serious, "Here." she whispered, clearing her throat before speaking, "... 'Tis damaged, but repairable... the last chapter is missing, but once found..." it was then when she saw the woman holding onto pages, and she sighed, "Ah, so there they are, 'tis all well then... Doth this story contain so much importance that you would do that Beatrix?" she would try to understand, reaching up to place a hand on her aching soldier- but she could not reach it from her Shoulder guards.

"Speak to me..." she sounded soft, approaching the woman, getting a little closer, "... I am here to lend an ear if you ever need it, Beatrix... I am your friend, after all! What ails you, and your mind?? Allow me to help...? Let me in...? " the knight would reach up to now place a hand on the woman's shoulder.

[Lilith]

Lilith caught up to the soldiers and helped them out with their work, but again she couldn't help but overhear Agrias' and Abigail's conversation, she finished her work and went and sat by the white mage.
"how you holding up?"
she waited until Agrias has gone and she turned to injured girl.
"you like her, don't you..."

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail sighed soflty as Agrias left. She had a hand lifted, not wanting her to leave. She didn't want a confrontation between the three of them... and part of her didn't want Agrias alone with Beatrix for too long at a time. But the woman was gone, and all she could do was sit there, looking down at the sheets of her hospital bed and massage her shoulder lightly...

"Agrias..." she whispered, not sure what bothered her more... the fact that there was so much tension now... or the fact that she knew some kind of sparks were flying for her knight and her captain. It made her feel... lonely, really. She sighed, shaking her head...

But then Lilith showed up! The vampire's footsteps were inaudible, so to say Abigail was shocked was too obvious to go into! "How you holding up?" the woman asked.

Abigail laughed a little nervously, rubbing her arm. "I'm fine... a slip, that's all..." she was lying to protect the Captain's reputation. No reason to turn anyone against her when she knew this was probably something they needed to work through. Yes, she was scared, but... for Agrias' sake...

"you like her, don't you..."

Abigail blushed darkly, her eyes going wide! Was she... so obvious?? She flailed lightly, though it hurt, panicking somewhat. "WH-wh-wh-wh-what?? M-me?? Wh-what do you mean???" she asked, looking around before leaning in close and whispering to the vampire.

"I can't... just say anything... She's already got so much on her plate! Besides..." she pulled away... then stared down, her eyes full of heart. "I think... someone else is in her heart... not me..."

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]Beatrix was still by the fireplace by the time Agrias returned, staring deep into the blackness of the ashes. When she held out the book she stood straight, and turned fast, looking at Agrias with her glowing eye, and then the book. She snatched it quickly and then turned back to the fireplace, and fidgeted with putting the torn pages behind the cover for safe-keeping.

"I did say I would be at the dining room shortly, did I not, Lady Agrias? Have your old ears gone deaf? Forgive me, my friend, but I am not in the right mindset of late, and would appreciate your immediate disappearance from my presence. What I did to Lady Abigail, could just be a starting point."

She turned, her head down. When she looked back up to Agrias, her amber eye somewhat flashed back to its original blue, but then disappeared just as quickly. What was she doing, apologizing? Why did she have to? Then again, why was she doing all of this? Things had gotten confusing since the "escape" from the Castle of Naught.

"But Lady Agrias," she said slowly, and walked to the center of the room, staring at a vase of freshly cut red roses. They still carried beaded droplets of water. "I think you should finish this book." She set it down, pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and proceeded out of her suite, the doors slamming hard.[/glow]

[Agrias Oaks]

The Knight stayed, watching the woman. She allowed the captain to snatch rudely at the book, and even allowed the insults of not being able to properly listen. She stood there, watching the General place the delicate pages at the end of the book.

"I am here for you." Agrias stated again, trying to find that connection with her, but seemed to fail, " Lady Beatrix, please do not shut me out..."


"I think you should finish this book." Beatrix said, before walking out and slamming the door behind her, leaving Agiras alone with the tempting read, tauting her. The knight hesitantly walked forward, resting a gloved hand over the hard cover, feeling it underneath her fingertips she slowly opened the book, to the very last cover, where the pages of the final chapter rested, and began to read....

"Chapter 23

Two years of awaiting for the return of her most Loyal Knight, Aeur Grauss, the princess gave on the thought of him living, and in no direction, she was lost. She had become Queen, and she ruled as the Knight would have wanted, yet she remained unmarried in honor of his loving memory. Sadly, a king was needed in this day and age, and Dei Retau had found a conniving opening to the weakness of the heart, and with opportunity, he and Olive married. The cunning man, finally achieving Royal Status, a feat for a peasant, became King of Eelvice.

"Your Majesty!" Agrias would gasp in disbelief, "Why in HEAVENS name would you do that!?"

Queen Olive, three years later, became troubled over time and loathed Dei for using her and others to get to the top of the power chain. On her birthday, the king looked for Olive in the chapel ruins where they first met years ago, and the last place her and her most dear knight spoke for the very last time. She was there, crying, with something within her grasp. A small gift.
He brought her flowers to cheer her up, but she, in her rage of losing the one she held precious because of this man, this dreadful man, draws her dagger and stabs him. Yes, the very dagger handed to her by her beloved knight!

Agrias had turned pale, her hands began to shiver uncontrollably, and her knees could not support her weight. She fell to her knees, her eyes glued to the page, unable to stop reading, though she wanted to...

"It... It was not for that..." she whispered, "The dagger was... not for that...!"

“You used everybody like that!” she cried, as she tried to dig the knife deeper into the man, in desperation, “Now you’ll kill me… just like ae-… like Rasmus!”

"...Oh God... Oh God no!...Mi'Lady, no!" The knight started to feel nauseous, swallowing what would come up, in order to not make a mess of things, trying to control herself, but her eyes continued to scan the pages... there was no turning back... what happened to her Queen!?

.....it was certain what she was trying to do, keep un-stained the name of the Legendary one. In truth, the Princess could not take the reality that was of losing the Holy one which took care of her since little, who she had grown feelings for, and to be left alone without calming guidance. The pain, eventually, became unbearable for the poor Queen of Eelvice.

The knight's vision grew blurry, a sick feeling overtaking her form. She would wipe at her tears roughly with her gloves, so, that she would cut a bit of her cheeks in the process, but she couldn't stop...

"Princess, no...!"

Though wounded, the King retaliated by stabbing Olive with the same dagger that nearly killed him, and she fell, gasping for air, perishing slowly upon the chapel floor.

... and something in the Knight... broke. Her eyes became the size of pin pricks, and her sword let out a cry which sounded like a howling wind... The Queen was... dead. It dawned upon the broken relic-- she had failed the Royal Ovelia... she had failed her country. Her hands fell forward, and the book slid to the ground.

The knight slumped over, holding at herself tightly, squeezing at her arms to the points of nearly breaking the bones, "T-...Tis my fault..." she squeaked, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes, "Tis my fault!" she cried, lowering her head, in shame and disgust with herself. Her heart was pounding hard... she needed to calm down.

"Oh God..." She whispered, "Oh God... what have I done... what have-... " Agrias had a mental breakdown, at one point screaming as loud as the howling sword, until there was a loud SNAP and it ended with her collapsing in the middle of Beatrix' chambers in a fetal position, her eyes opened and starring into the nothingness, with tears continuing their descent from her dim, now brown, eyes... her sword, after a few moments, finally fell silent.

She had pulled a muscle, something in her was aching, a muscle near the heart... or was it the heart itself...? It sounded painful... it sounded inhuman... yet it still happened.

Agrias found herself slowly...diving...

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]She just listened for a bit, standing outside the door with a scowl. What was wrong with Agrias? How dare she pull her back? But how dare Beatrix for making this happen? Poor Lady Abigail...there's something wrong.

Then she had had enough; Beatrix walked off, ignoring the dining halls and instead taking a stroll.

She has to read it. Yes, that's it. She must, in order to overcome...really? Why do I even care? What is going on in my brain? Could there possibly be something wro--

"Aghkk!" She stopped dead in her tracks; three soldiers working on lifting a large crate stopped what they were doing and rushed to their general's aid. She clutched her heart, the hair on the back of her neck standing straight up. Save the Queen's cry, even through its sheath, was loud, and high, and she was soon on the smooth wooden deck, clawing at it and shouting in pain.

"What is this! No, make it stop! What's go--ghk!"

What had she done? Was this divine judgement? Did being a Blackheart have consequences when it came to doing something you're even questioning your motives?

"Lady Agrias!" was all she cried before collapsing onto the ground, unconscious.[/glow]

***Off to Dive to the Heart***

[Lilith]

the vampire laughed at the girls outburst, but she stopped at the mage leaned in.
she listened to her intently.
"well... the best thing you could do is tell her, but wait for the right moment, when your alone and when your both in a good state of mind, make sure about the last part."
Lilith stood up, towering above the mage.
"and your secrets safe with me, your not that obvious, unless your like me in which case I could smell it a mile away"
she turned and started to go back to work, she looked over her shoulder at Abigail.
"you might want to work on the blushing though"

[Agrias Oaks]

The yell of a knight and her sword rang across the ship...

Several soldiers seemed to scramble outside the Medical wing, some in panic, while others tried to keep a cool mind. It was apparent that something had happened... something bad.

"Make way, make way!" One of them called out, trying to make a clearing. Four soldiers came into the room with a stretcher... carrying their General on it! "Captain coming through!" she sounded, walking down the small hall until facing a customized bed, which seemed rarely used, yet neatly kept. The medics which seemed occupied with other cases, still from the war on the Castle of Naught, turned to their unconscious Leader.

Assistant Medics substituted, in order for the others to tend to their Tuscan haired captain. Two of the soldiers that came in, turned and started rushing out of the room, after resting the General upon the bed.

"You heard the scream right??" One of the soldiers asked, while passing Abigail and Lilith...

"Yes, it came from her chambers, I'm sure of it! Beatrix called out Agrias' name, did she not? Was she not in her room last?" replied the other.

"Let's go check it out!" nodded the soldier, and stepped out of the Medic wing with the other, both seeming to be in a hurry. [/color]

[Lilith]

Lilith dropped what she was carrying and ran to the medical wing and stopped as she went through the door.
"what happened to them?"
she walked to the general and then to knight, her ears perked up and she sniffed the air, she tried to find out their condition.

[Agrias Oaks]

The Alexandrian Soldier, who was now running to Beatrix' chambers to find the knight, look to her side to find the Vampire running along with them, she gave a pant while she spoke, keeping up with her breath and her response:

"We don't know!" she stated, " The General seemed like the was fine a minute ago, then suddenly she collapsed holding at her chest-- It looked like a Heart attack, but we don't know! At the same time, we heard something coming from her office!"

The Second soldier turned the corner, running on the other side of Lilith, making her way to the door they seek, " It sounded like Lady Agrias! Then there was this strange metallic clang, I can't even explain it properly-- Beatrix called out Lady Agrias' name before she went unconscious!"

Soldier number two, Maara,burst through he doors and looked around to find Agrias on the floor, near the same condition as Beatrix, how bizarre! The two rushed over, and knelt next to the knight to examine her...

The Holy Knight remained curled up in that position, unconscious and holding at her chest. They tried to move her, but it proved difficult with that heavy armor... they wondered how Agrias could move so easily with!

"Miss Lilith, please help!" The soldier would try to straighten out the knight, but she seemed to be glued that day. Alene, the first soldier peeked over to see what was happening, but since the armor was in the way, she couldn't tell WHAT it was. She tried to loosen the armor, but it didn't budge. Something seemed to repel her touch away, "Ack! What is WRONG with this?!" she would shout...

If anyone was good with spells and incantations, they could tell that the Armor could only be removed by a Holy person...

[Lilith]

liith went to touch the clasps holding the armour on, as her fingers neared the clasps her hand began to burn., she pulled it back and held it with her other hand.
"GOD DAMMIT!" she shouted. "why didn't you tell me her armour had a holy seal!"
she shook her hand in the air to cool it down.
"you!" she turned to a soldier, she sounded angry, but anyone would be is their hand had just burst into flames "go get Abigail"
she turned back to Agrias and whispered to herself "what did she do to you..."

[Agrias Oaks]

Maara nodded, and dashed off to find the white mage. She dodged and evaded confused Alexandrians, until she made her way to the Medic Wing again, where she went over to Abigail, "Please! Come with me, Miss Abigail! It's Agrias we can't-- we don't know what is wrong with her!"

The soldier tried to lead the mage, and went off, hoping to be followed!

[Abigail Crescentlight]

"The blushing...?" Abigail asked, then covered her face. Oh Cosmos... did she do that every time?? How embarassing! She was about to comment on the matter until-

Suddenly, a great shriek of pain, and the twin swords' song of sorrow... She looked up, suddenly full of concern for her Captain and her Knight. "Huh?" she asked no one in particular, but then the General was being dragged into the medical wing. She jumped off the hospital bed, despite the pain in her arm, making way for her as they came in.

"What happened??" she demanded, and got the quick story. It was so confusing! Why would a woman, in perfect health for her age, suddenly have a heart attack?? But then again... Beatrix had something... else in her. She nodded firmly, pushing soldiers out of her way even though she herself was still wobbly and injured.

"Step aside! Please!" she ordered, pulling off her cape and throwing it aside in order to free herself for movement. She was informed that a scream had come from Bea's quarters, which had Abigail suddenly frightened. "Agrias...!" she whispered, glancing to Lilith. The vampire took off, and Abigail had to trust that she would be able to handle things. She was needed here.

"Get me a pulse!" she called, her healer's instincts kicking in. She opened the woman's shirt slightly in order to apply pressure over her heart if they couldn't get one. "Cure!" she cried out, casting her spell on the woman in the hopes that this was a status ailment, not a disease beyond her control. Nothing changed.

"Word on that pulse??" she called, feeling the woman's shoulders, arms, and sides with her bare hands for any indication of a puncture wound caused by any kind of animal or item. Nothing. Chances for poison were minimal. She ran over to some equipment, grabbing a few things before running back over.

"We have one!" a soldier called, who had been working on getting Beatrix's pulse. "It's irratic! Keeps cutting in and out!"

"Move aside!" Abigail responded, now moving quickly to connect the equipment to Beatrix. Mostly, it was monitoring equipment so she could keep an eye on the woman's vitals. Temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, even brainwaves were all now being carefully tracked (in the latter, Abigail had to jury-ring a brain-scanner from a suction pad and electric multimeter). "Stats?" she asked the nearest soldier as she worked.

"Everything looks normal! Why isn't she waking up??"

"It's a heart ailment..." she whispered, grabbing a stethoscope and checking the heart. It was beating, but in a strange way. "Not good..." she looked up, grabbed an overhanging lightbulb. She held it close and whispered softly. "Cosmos... bless this light, that it may be holy..." she then turned it on. Due to her standing as a priestess, blessing items was part of the job. She was now bathing the unconscious general in holy light.

She was about to continue when all of a sudden, the door flew open again. "Please! Come with me, Miss Abigail! It's Agrias we can't-- we don't know what is wrong with her!"

Abigail would have cursed, if it was in her to do so. She pointed to a nearby soldier. "You just became a nurse! Keep an eye on these vitals, if anything changes, you call me!" she said, then ran after the other. It wouldn't take them more than a minute to get back to Bea's quarters, that's how fast Abigail moved.

She saw everyone gathered around Agrias, including Lilith, with burned hands. She waved her arms a bit as she approached. "Everybody, clear some room please! She needs to be able to breathe!" She then knealt down, checking Lilith as she did. "Someone get some Aloe juice together to treat these wounds! Lilith, hun, I can tell you heal fast..." she pointed at the already partly healed hands, "and it may sting a little, but it'll keep you from getting some nasty side-effects later. Holy magic can have a horrible effect on people like you..." She said "people", smiling a little. She knew by the burns what Lilith was, without having to be told, but Lilith had earned her trust simply by trying to help Agrias.

That's when she focused entirely on the knight. Her armor had a blessing on it. She could tell based on the minute runic markings along the edges. Only a holy person could open it. She hoped that extended to any god or goddess, as she worshipped Cosmos, and wasn't entirely certain whom Agrias worshipped. Her hands went to the clasps and began to undo them. Remarkably, she wasn't touched. Granted, one of her hands would fumble terribly, because her shoulder was not yet properly finished healing, but she'd get it done.

She tossed the armor aside and reached up to get a pulse. It was weak, and irratic. Much like Beatrix's, but much more far gone. She pulled a little at the woman's shirt to feel along her chest until she found it, a muscle had contracted and was squeezing Agrias' heart. It was a condition born of extreme stress, which doctors from her world had called "death by a broken heart". Specifically, it clamped over one of the ventricles, and stopped bloodflow to the brain.

"Not good..." she whispered, massaging the muscle in desperate attempt to loosen it. "I need a warming pad, or some mint. Any kind of a relaxant!" she told a nearby soldier who was not aiding Lilith. She went back to working on the Knight, looking to her eyes which were wide open and streaming tears. She looked around for the cause of this. It had to be something terrible... something soul-shattering...

"The book!" Abigail gasped, then looked over. Sure enough... there it was, with the pages opened. "Damn you, Beatrix!" she whispered, then focused on the woman again. "No one ever listens to me!" she growled.

"Miss Abigail, hot blankets!" the soldier sounded off, returning a moment later. She grabbed them quickly and pressed them to the woman's chest. Already,she could feel the muscle beginning to relax under it. "Come on..."

While the muscle did relax, something was still wrong. She checked the pulse... still far too weak. Because the ventricle had been cut off for so long and deprived her brain of oxygen, her lungs had shut down because the brain was not sending the signal to breathe! "I'm going to perform CPR!" she alerted everybody, laying Agrias down and tilting her head back a bit.

She took a deep breath and pressed her lips to the knight's. The irony smacked her right in the face as she blew air into the woman's lungs. Of course she had wanted to meet lips with the woman for a while now, but certainly not like this! Once the lungs were filled, she placed her hands over the diaphram and began to pump. "One... Two... Three... Four... Five..." she whispered, and for good measure slammed a fist down on the heart, hoping to kick-start it.

She pressed her ear to the woman's chest. No change. She checked her lips. No change. She took a deep breath and repeated the process. With each repetition, her hair got more mangled, and her eyes more filled with terror. She was beginning to cry, but she kept working like a crazy person, desperate to bring her back...

"One... Two... Three... Four... Five... SLAM!"

"One... Tow... Three... Four... Five... SLAM!"

"One... Tow... Three... Four... Five... SLAM! Please Agrias... come back to me..."

[Lilith]

Lilith didn't bother with the aloe, she would heal and that was that.
she stared at the mage doing everything to save her friend, the vampire looked through her years of knowledge for anything that could help, sadly nothing came up.
"dammit! think!"
she knocked against her forehead tying to think of anything