Return to Darkness

[Agrias Oaks]

Agrias had her head lowered, trying to remember the dream she wanted to forget in the first place, her eyes half closed as she began to speak softly in that British accent of hers, "... I reminisce a dark setting... and two tomb stones... resting places of our Queens?" she had a sad expression, "... we both were there, truly..."

The knight reached up to rest a hand harshly over her own head, gripping at her golden locks momentarily, "... then ... Gilgamesh, and we fought, and then a hot, scolding light, and I was blind... and I could not hear... well I could not hear some things."

The Holy Knight continued to walk next to the General, resting her own hands behind her back, in a pensive walk, " It was mostly muffled, but I remember your voice...and I think I saw Meliadoul-- and a strange gorilla in armor..." she paused a moment, trying to see through the pain she felt, "... you were in danger... I assisted... and-- I don't remember much-- I'm sorry."

Agrias paused, her eyes shot open, "Wait." she whispered, "There is one thing that is coming to mind... it was muffled, but... I think I heard the words 'My love.' in the dream... and this really warm feeling..." She rested a gloved hand over her chest plate, " ... Ugh! I do not remember most of it, I apologize, Lady Beatrix... such information must be -- Forgive my ramblings..."

The knight looked out of the southern windows and chuckled, grinning, "Ahah!" she pointed, "She's outside!" she turned over to watch Beatrix, her eyes glowing a soft amber, " Certainly with some Haste, we will be able to catch her before she goes elsewhere!"

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail crossed her arms with an exhasperated sigh on her lips and a disappointed look on her face. "Poo... where are they?" she questioned before lifting a finger to her chin in thought. "Well, they're not outside..." she muttered, sparing another quick glance around the massive courtyard spanning between the large gates which lead off to the bridge, up and around the castle.

"Maybe I should just wait in the foyer?" she thought, then turned to walk towards the large double doors. She paused only a moment to look to one of the guards and asked politely "If Miss Beatrix comes looking around here, could you tell her I'm in the Foyer, please?"

Stepping inside, she looked around once more. The foyer was lovely, decorated with white marble and statuettes of angels and cherubs. She really did love the look of the place. It was so... wholesome. A little smile crept across her features before she walked to the base of the stairs and sat. While she waited, she reached into her pouch and produced the crystal given to her by Shantoto.

"Huh..." she muttered, rolling it over in her fingertips and examining it from every angle.

I do wonder what that teddy bear was talking about... old magicks... she thought, quietly admiring the complexity of the thing in her hand. Would Miss Agrias approve? I still haven't learned the Charm spell yet, so should I really go running off to a new teacher so soon...?

Another sigh escaped her and she slipped the thing back into her bag. Her eyes lifted toward the ceiling, decorated with a lovely dome depicting various scenes of loveliness that seemed to flow toward the ballroom behind her. "So many choices..." she whispered...

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]Fortunately for Agrias, Beatrix remembered every detail of their Dive, but would be forced by some inner workings not to disclose, lest the light attempt to sneak its way back in.[/glow]

You are faltering, Beatrix the Merciless! Do not be deterred from your path, for it has been lain out for you, and you alone must tread! There are great plans in store for you and your uprising; the army of malice awaits you, and your reign over all of it. The darkness is truly the only path, Beatrix. You will learn in time, once this little...problem, is taken care of. We just need to be creative. Creativity lies in many of our allies. For instance, on the top of my head I count Acteur, the puppeteer-like creature from back at the Castle of Naught. Creativity, Beatrix...do not be deterred. This pestilent little problem of yours...I understand the hardships, I truly do. We shall overcome. Get rid of them. Abigail, then Agrias...the others? Well, they'll slowly get caught in the hurricane, methinks.

[glow=red,2,300]"So she is, then," said Beatrix, leaning out to peer down to where Lady Abigail had been seen. "We should make such haste, then."

She turned around and began marching briskly in the direction they had come, and took a detour out to the higher balconies overlooking the courtyard gardens; she made a running leap and bounded over one of the railings, landing a perfect roll onto a triangular patch of grass near the central pool.

When she regained her footing, she made a beeline through the two gargantuan glass doors leading into the ballroom; she passed through it like wind and burst through the second set of doors and entering the foyer. Slowing down now, she halted at the base of the twin staircases and glanced over to Lady Abigail, and then saluted.

"Oh, there you are, Miss Abigail..."[/glow]

[Lilith]

Lilith spread her arms out and turned her head skywards.
she smiled at the slight warmth of the fading sun.
"you guys go in, I'm going to stay out for a bit longer"
she stared at the sky the stars began to poke out behind the clouds.

[Agrias Oaks]

Ever observant of her surroundings, when Beatrix sprinted into homing mode, Agrias couldn't help but complied, dashing a few feet behind her, even when Beatrix took rather harsh shortcuts, the knight thought of this as a 'follow the leader' simulation.

"A detour, I see?" chuckled the knight to her comrade, "very well then, Lady Beatrix, Hahah!"

When Beatrix leaped over and landed on the grass, Agrias did the same to follow, landing just a few inches next to the General. She followed a few feet behind her, until they were both at the foyer, starring at Abigail. Agrias gave the Mage a polite bow, giving her a small grin, "My, my, Thou'art a hard one to find, Lady Abigail!" The knight stood upright now, crossing her arms though the smile never left her features, "Granted, this is a colossus of a castle... are you alright?"

The foyer's fire would have Agrias' eyes stand out a bit more with the lighting, seeming almost to glow a soft gold along with her hair-- she seemed to be in a calmer mood, eyes being a window to her heart and all...

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]Beatrix stepped out of her pose after saluting and nodded to Agrias' comment. She leaned up against the tall banister at Abby's side and shrugged a shoulder, raising her hand and waving it nonchalantly.

"A colossus, yes, but not even close when compared to Castle Alexandria; you would be lost in even the main foyer, I'm afraid. Here, it is easily traversed, methinks, though I agree that finding the Lady Abigail was quite difficult. You must have been under our noses the whole time, yes?"

She moved off the banister and folded together her hands, cracking her knuckles while stretching her arms. She gave one look upward to the portrait of the Prince and Princess, and watched as, like the last couple of times, it flashed between the gruesome replacement and back to the norm. "I was afraid maybe the curse still lingered through some of these halls and you might have succumbed, Lady Abigail; it would be no surprise had you ended up a mantelpiece of some sort."

She chuckled, and shook her head, folding together her arms. "So I hear word of good news, Lady Abigail?"[/glow]

[Agrias Oaks]

Agrias smiled, Lady Beatrix was seeming normal, her old self, and it brought such relief upon the knight. She would grin a little, "Surely, Alexandria's Castle was unlike Ivalice." she mumbled, looking to Beatrix with a light wink, " Still, this castle is... impressive on its grandeur." the knight chuckled, looking around the foyer, until her eyes catch a glimpse of the picture, just as it had changed back, seeing the horrible beast in less than a second's sight.

"Oh my.." she would gasp, her body tensing, and she felt the hairs of the back of her neck stand on end. An image change similar to the beast known as Hashmal, Bringer of Order, one of the Lucavi whom was encased in the Leo Gemstone. She continued to stare at the picture, as it turned back again to the Prince, and the Lady Belle.

A dark feeling came over Agrias as she witnessed the change, she stayed quiet, and held to her chest quietly, calming herself.

'Surely,' she thought, ' I do not miss home so much as to see such... gruesome images....?'

The knight looked up again, to see the image was peaceful, and dismissed it to the tricks of the mind, "My..." she looked to Beatrix and then to Abigail, only interrupting after the joyous news came into a close, "Are... are either of ye as tired as I?"

[Abigail Crescentlight]

"Ah!" Abigail gasped when she heard Beatrix's voice, then quickly stood up. She turned and smiled brightly, happy to see her companions once more! "There you are as well! I've looked everywhere! I thought we were to meet in your chambers, Miss Bea!" she called up, then ascended the stairs to join her sisters. She hopped lightly once she arrived, demonstrating her happiness to finally be among them once more.

She smiled as the two commented on the size of the castle, giggling sweetly to alert Agrias to the fact that she was all right. She looked to Beatrix when she continued, then blinked in her confusion. "Curse...?" she asked, blissfully unaware of the castle's history. She saw that the two were looking to the portrait, then turned her attention to it as well.

A flash. A terrifying image of a monster. Her eyes went wide, and her heart froze over with horror. She was a bit resistant to darkness thanks to the weapon she had long since confiscated from Shego, but her immunity was not all that strong yet. She tensed tightly, her breath catching... and she nearly collapsed backward onto the stairs.

It wouldn't stop there. She'd have other flashes in her mind... fears, regrets, long-lingering doubts about herself that flowed so strongly that it called into question her value not only as a Sister of Light, but as a person in the general whole. She caught her breath, and stood a bit shakily...

"Wh...what...?" she questioned, then looked to Beatrix. "News... Oh, yes!" she said, shaking her head clear. "Miss Agrias taught me to ride Boco, and I won a feast for the soldiers! Isn't that fantastic??" she asked, covering up her doubts quickly. She didn't want to seem weak in front of her companions...

She didn't want to seem weak in front of Agrias.

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]"Beauty and the Beast..." she muttered under her breath, still looking up at the portrait, the lingering presence of darkness whirling throughout the foyer.

"Hm...Ironic, isn't it?" she asked no one in particular, then directed her attention back on Abby. "Is that so? Spectacular news, indeed. The soldiers will all be very pleased to hear of this, Miss Abigail." She nodded her head and spun around to face Agrias.

"If you are tired, then you should take your leave and go rest, hm?"[/glow]

[Secondary Characters]

Abigail blinked a bit at Bea's words, not sure what she was getting at with them. Then, she mentioned to Agrias that if she was tired, she should go to bed. Abigail nodded and smiled to the woman as well. "I agree. You've had a long day, and you deserve a good night's sleep! Heavens, you've been up since... what... midnight?"

She smiled once more, tilting her head and winking as she held a finger up to Agrias. "That's an order from your doctor, missy!" she teased, then giggled. She then looked to Beatrix. "Besides, you and I have some business, right? The dresses?" she seemed happy and eager, even if inside she still felt... doubt.

"C'mon, c'mon!" she laughed, shooing Agrias off playfully. "Go get some sleep before some sleep gets you!"

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]Beatrix winced at Abby's playfulness with Agrias and seethed in mild anger. But when she, too, sent Agrias away to bed she smirked, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yes, we should see to the dresses now, hm? Goodnight, Lady Agrias."

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As they passed the familiar halls of Adam's castle Beatrix described several things to Abby that she had learned, herself, upon her arrival here for the first time, and even recurring visits. She told her the tales of old, about an Enchantress who controlled this land's spiritual center, but neglected to mention the Curse, or anything near the subject.

They finally reached the doors leading into her room and allowed Abby to enter first, and followed briskly soon after, heading immediately over to a large chest laying at the foot of her bed. Moments later and there were seven beautiful Victorian dresses of all colors and variety laying about her comforter, and she circled about them, arms folded, examining them.

"Personally I think this selection is my favorite, and since we're near the same size, the three of us, there won't be need of too much stitching..."[/glow]

[Secondary Characters]

Vivi stammered slightly and turned up to Lexia, and then back to Lilith. "Okay, well I'm gonna go into the castle, then," he said before toddling off through the massive double doors, seeing Agrias standing alone in the massive foyer.

"Oh, hi there!" he said, stepping up before her and nodding.

[Leckseeuh]

Lexia smiled and hugged Lilith a bit. Have fun. She nearly skipped off to the doors, following Vivi, and peeked inside. Haidare. She waved and walked beside Vivi, kind of looking up at her.

What're you doing here?

[Agrias Oaks]

After saying her good nights to her two comrades, she stayed a while in the Foyer, contemplating her next move before she saw two familiar faces from before: The Nobody, and the little black mage.

"Ah, Lady Lexia, Ser Vivi."

She gave her bows to each of them, rubbing a little tiredly at her head. What Abigail said was true, it has been almost 28 hours since she last was able to sleep properly, if nightmares were not counted.

"Many pardons, I was about to retire. We were able to find Lady Abigail, and I hope you two attain a good night's rest as well! Hahah. Our white mage has won a feast for the Alexandrian Army T'morrow at 10 o'clock. I would like you to be there as well, since, if it t'was naught for thine help, we would of never found the Castle of Naught, much less rescue our dear General."

The knight politely gave her bows again, "May you be blessed with sweet dreams, and a good night's rest, Ser and Madam."

She exited the foyer on her way to her room... and got lost, of course. After turning this hallway and that, all seemed to grow similar, even the paintings. The next thing she knows, she is at the library, looking over to the scientists and giving them a small wave before letting them go about their business.

Curiosity got the best of her, and her eyes immediately fell upon a strange stick with a pointy end. She picked it up, and examined it further, noticing the ball-point at one end, and a cap on the other, "How curious..." she pondered, twirling around, wondering if it was some sort of new age wand. She noticed some blank papers in front of her and wondered if the two were somehow connected. Perhaps it is like a Quill? It does seem to have some bits of black substance on the tip, but where is the ink?

She pressed down on the stick-like structure, and to her wonder, ink magically appeared!

"Marvelous!" she would gasp, looking at the stick before pressing down on the paper again, "Genius! A magical device that serves like a Quill without ink, fascinating!"

When one of the maids went to check up on the excited knight, Agrias looked to her, and showed her the magic stick. "You there, many pardons, but what is this intricate device??"

"A...Ah pen, ma'am." chuckled the maid a little at the knight's silliness, wondering if she was joking, "It is used for writing?"

"A pen!" Agrias repeated, holding it, like it was some sort of ingenious invention, "Brilliant! M-may I use it?"

"Why, of course ma'am, there are many more around the Library, please- feel free to--"

"Thou hast MORE of these??" gasped the Knight, "Amazing!"

"Y-.." The maid chuckled, and bowed her head, "Why yes, ma'am. Please, feel free to them whenever you wish."

"Oh! Too kind, thank you!" Agrias whispered, and with that, the maid went to attend to her chores. Agrias looked down to the paper in front and began to write. Nothing in particular, mind you, she was writing random ideas that came to her head at first, the tired feeling in her gone and replaced with creativity. It took her several tries, with the hold on the pen, to attain that beautiful calligraphy of hers once again.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail followed Beatrix, listening happily to her stories. She oo'ed and ah'ed when appropriate, genuinely enjoying them. They walked through the castle until they reached Beatrix's quarters, and she looked to the dresses on the bed. "Oohh, so pretty!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide as she looked them over.

Reaching down, she felt the fabric lightly with her fingertips, enjoying the amazing textures. "I'm so jealous, Bea! You have such lovely things..." she fell silent here... that doubt in her heart weighing on her again. A sad look crossed her features for just a second before she looked up to Bea with her usual charming smile. "I guess that's the benefit of being a decorated General, hm?"

She rested a hand over her heart, sighing a bit and shaking her head. "I feel so... out of place sometimes. You're a general, Agrias a captain... I'm just some girl from the slums, trying her hardest to help where she can..." she whispered... then picked up the white dress she'd been admiring and held it up. "These dresses are more remarkable than I..." she added sadly, her head bowing somewhat.

She set the dress down, then looked to Beatrix. "Bea... I need to talk to you..." she said softly, her eyes down. "About Agrias... You... I've noticed you change around her... I didn't think much of it at first, because you told me once to beware my feelings. I thought maybe you were protecting me from heartless... but is it something more? I want to know... so I don't make a fool of myself... any more..."