School House Rumbles 3: Act 3. Warriors and Liberators.

[Ghost]

Sloane raised an eyebrow.

"Since when did we get floaty Flusses in this ship?"

"Amazed, are you?" Fluss laughed and fluttered her wings a bit faster. "Of course you are! Gaze upon my magnificent pseudo-physical form!"

"It's a hologram. I can do that now," Eisen said. She held her hand up and a perfect 3D blueprint of the Dauntless appeared in the air above it. "It's quite handy."

[Tami]

"Amazed, are you?" Fluss laughed and fluttered her wings a bit faster. "Of course you are! Gaze upon my magnificent pseudo-physical form!"

"It's a hologram. I can do that now," Eisen said. She held her hand up and a perfect 3D blueprint of the Dauntless appeared in the air above it. "It's quite handy."

Chloe suddenly appeared near Fluss, flying around her with much curiosity.

Rivia, who had been silent for them most part, smiled as she watched this.

[Eternal Torment]

"Amazed, are you?" Fluss laughed and fluttered her wings a bit faster. "Of course you are! Gaze upon my magnificent pseudo-physical form!"

"It's a hologram. I can do that now," Eisen said. She held her hand up and a perfect 3D blueprint of the Dauntless appeared in the air above it. "It's quite handy."

"Huh, that's pretty cool." Sloane chuckled. "Actually, that seems like something that could be used as a disguise."

He considered it a bit more.

"Well, the only problem is if somebody tried to touch it. They'd go right through the thing."

[KingofPie]

Noting the fairy Fluss and the Robert's odd scarf, Boss chuckled. "I swear, things just keep on getting weirder with you people..." he muttered. "At any rate, whatever you guys think is a cool plan doesn't matter to me," he shrugged lazily. "Stealth mission, visiting Tabia. When the time comes, I'll go on whichever one I feel suits me best."

OOC: Last post curse

"Amazed, are you?" Fluss laughed and fluttered her wings a bit faster. "Of course you are! Gaze upon my magnificent pseudo-physical form!"



"It's a hologram. I can do that now," Eisen said. She held her hand up and a perfect 3D blueprint of the Dauntless appeared in the air above it. "It's quite handy."

"Woah, pretty cool," Boss mused. "Where'd you get the blueprint? From the ship itself, or did you use some kinda scanning tech to get the layout?"

[Tami]

The Other's physical body dissolved into a greenish-yellow sphere of energy, the essence of it's psychic presence mixed with the stolen powers it still Sheldon to. As this sphere rose upward and tried to escape, Rivia brought her hands together establishing the Gestalt. For everyone it gave them a sense of being one with each other, of being part of something far greater than themselves.

Focusing on what was left if the Other, Riva called out, "Bygone to the Void, forever!" Summoning Null Magic. A sound like a scream was heard as the Other was banished into nothingness. Once done, she spread her hands apart and released the Gestalt., freeing everyone to return to their own bodies.

OOC: Anyone else need to respond?

[Ghost]

Chloe suddenly appeared near Fluss, flying around her with much curiosity.

Rivia, who had been silent for them most part, smiled as she watched this.

"I based Fluss's avatar on your little friends there," Eisen said. "I hope you don't mind."

"It's a bit weird to suddenly have a position in physical space, but I think I can get use to it," Fluss commented. She glanced at Chloe. "Um... what is she doing?"

"Huh, that's pretty cool." Sloane chuckled. "Actually, that seems like something that could be used as a disguise."

He considered it a bit more.

"Well, the only problem is if somebody tried to touch it. They'd go right through the thing."

Fluss flew over to Sloane and landed on his head, giving it a bit of a stomp for good measure. "You were saying?"

"They're not quite as solid as true physical matter," Eisen said. "But they make for a good immitation."

"Woah, pretty cool," Boss mused. "Where'd you get the blueprint? From the ship itself, or did you use some kinda scanning tech to get the layout?"

"The ship layout is stored in the main computer, of course," Eisen said. "Plus, by know I know this ship in intimite detail anyway."

[Yun Lao]

With the defeat of the Other, and the others having safely returned to the material world, Rosemary found that the door to Rivia's mind closed behind her as she exited before locking itself and shattering like delicate glass. As if nothing had ever happened, the girl found herself once more in one of the various hallways of the dreamscape castle. With only a dead end and the massive double doors leading her back to the other matrons, she knew that Lilith truly meant as soon as she was done.

In the real world, Rosemary seemed to be peacefully asleep in Rivia's room, but her mental aspect knew that this would be anything but peaceful.

"Look, our little wayward sheep has returned." Lilith Vargreaves proudly declared as she stepped through those doors. Unlike the last time, she had the full attention of the gathering, making her trek down to the center much more unnerving. Then again, could one blame them when someone admitted guilt that easily? They were waiting for her excuses and the final verdict and judgement. Their gazes grew heavy with each step, until they almost seemed too much for her, until, at long last, Rosemary finally found herself at the center of it all where the pitch black mound and Lilith awaited. Leaning forth in her throne, the first matron smirked. "Well then, little one, I do believe you had snagged all of our attention before so rudely running off. Now, you have some explaining to do." With a soft sigh to brace herself, Rosemary began.

"Although I do not know the hows or whys we came to be, I have always been told that being a Matron was a noble task; however, upon seeing the memories of my ancestors, I am completely baffled on why such a cruel cycle even began. I have been constantly struggling to imagine what circumstances could lead our family to imprison one of their own, just for the sake of concealing their powers. Even more crueler is that Gawain, the supposed guardian of our line, only acts against us should we fall off the path of obedience. It is because of this that I have exhausted myself in searching for a way to rid myself of this fate; not so much for myself, but for the future generations to follow. If such thoughts are a crime, then yes, I am guilty." Silence followed, bringing with it the awkwardness of such a deliverance and the nervous anticipation of what was to come, but Rosemary was ready for the worse.

She wasn't however, prepared for parts of the congregation to start laughing. While she did not laugh with the others, Lilith's smirk grew much more haughtier. "Is that what you think this is all about? Did you believe we would all gather here just because you had a few radical thoughts on how the world has changed. Silly child, being a Matron is not about serving your family. It never has been." Despite believing she that was ready for everything, Rosemary found that her blood ran cold and Lilith was relishing in the girl's reaction.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Amazed, are you?" Fluss laughed and fluttered her wings a bit faster. "Of course you are! Gaze upon my magnificent pseudo-physical form!"

"It's a hologram. I can do that now," Eisen said. She held her hand up and a perfect 3D blueprint of the Dauntless appeared in the air above it. "It's quite handy."

Maxana smiles at the two tiny fliers. "You have some of the coolest abilities Eisen, since you got that upgrade."

[Eternal Torment]

Fluss flew over to Sloane and landed on his head, giving it a bit of a stomp for good measure. "You were saying?"

"They're not quite as solid as true physical matter," Eisen said. "But they make for a good immitation."

"You know, we might need to exploit that feature at some point."

Sloane regarded Fluss for a second, holding out his hand for her to land on.

"Maybe you could make a hologram box around somebody's head, break their line of sight and leave 'em open."

[Tami]

"I based Fluss's avatar on your little friends there," Eisen said. "I hope you don't mind."

"It's a bit weird to suddenly have a position in physical space, but I think I can get use to it," Fluss commented. She glanced at Chloe. "Um... what is she doing?"



Fluss flew over to Sloane and landed on his head, giving it a bit of a stomp for good measure. "You were saying?"

"They're not quite as solid as true physical matter," Eisen said. "But they make for a good immitation."



"The ship layout is stored in the main computer, of course," Eisen said. "Plus, by know I know this ship in intimite detail anyway."

Chloe followed Fluss, then grabbed her hand, "You want to play?" She wrote in the air.

[Ghost]

Chloe followed Fluss, then grabbed her hand, "You want to play?" She wrote in the air.

Fluss looked utterly baffled. "Er. I... don't... know... ?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

After what had happened the first night on the Dauntless, Casimir had spent the better part of two days in the same spot- the portside observation deck- unwilling to move until he’d come to an understanding.

There had been several things he’d needed to sort out.

He’d been masking his fear by throwing himself at the challenges they’d come up against, using the childish logic that; if he didn’t think about it, it wouldn’t be a problem… Convinced himself the only reason he needed to fight was because the others relied on him, needed him to make it through this. Indecision clouding his judgment, he’d been all over the place in terms of what he’d wanted.

Going well and beyond any reasonable decision all for the sake of protecting them from themselves, effectively making him no better than what Volkov seemed to be striving for; power over others.

The thing he’d been fighting against since the beginning.

Cammy had shattered that little bubble of misguided thoughts and actions and helped him to realize how wrong he’d been. What was worse was that it was something he should have been able to realize for himself.

He had to face the facts; he was scared. Of dying, of failing, of not being able to protect the ones he cared about. But that didn’t mean he needed to kill himself trying to protect them in the process. He almost died nearly as many times as he’d been in a fight.

It was disgraceful, immature and most of all, undisciplined.

That alone was enough reason to want to change. How could he stand in front of the others and say he was in control of himself, when he acted the exact opposite? … How could he be relied on in the first place? If everyone assumed he’d act irrationally and almost get himself killed in the process, there’d be no reason for them to even want his help.

So he’d change, then. Now that he was no longer dealing with a split personality, he was more than capable of devoting enough effort into it. It would only be a simple matter of keeping a promise he’d be making to himself.

He would fight until his heart stopped beating. Not to protect the others because they couldn’t. But for the sake of making sure everyone made it through. It was going to take everyone to see this through to the end, after all.

… Then there was the matter of his desire for the power to kill a would-be god… or two. The desire was there, the temptation to give into his darker half had been a strong one. But why had he stopped himself?

After searching for a reason, he’d come to realize why; he knew that deep down, seeking power for the purpose of revenge, or even for the purpose of killing another would make him no better than the person he’d set out to kill.

In the end he’d become nothing more than a tyrant, always seeking more power… And the cycle would continue until the sins of the past were repeated.

All he needed to do was look at the whole of human and fae history to see that.

So why quest for more power?

For the sake of maintaining order? To protect the weak?

No, the reasons seemed like good ones. But the road to hell was paved with good intention. It would only lead to a group, or groups of people attempting to wrestle the power away from him for themselves…

Why not enable others to become stronger. So they could stand on their own, and change the world for the better.
… That seemed like a better idea.

In the end he decided that, on his quest for the power to maintain order, to stop the rise of the would-be god Khal’ud, and disrupt the plans of another; Volkov... He’d help the others to do the same. Similarly, he wouldn't kill for the sake of revenge. If he had to, to do the job no one else would do. Nor would he kill in the name of another, or in the name of God. As the Old World had.

He would kill, only to protect the weak from the ones that would harm them. Hurt the ones he loved. End one life to save countless more. It wasn't noble. Killing never was. But sometimes it had to be done.

---

He stood up and stretched. After a few seconds of staring out at the expanse of space, he deactivated the invisibly he'd used to remain relatively undetected and walked out of the observation room a changed man...

For better or worse.

[Tami]

Fluss looked utterly baffled. "Er. I... don't... know... ?"

A sad expression, coupled with a gentle tug on Fluss' arm as Chloe tries to encourage the new 'Sprite' to join her.

[Ghost]

A sad expression, coupled with a gentle tug on Fluss' arm as Chloe tries to encourage the new 'Sprite' to join her.

Fluss turned to Eisen with a look of utter panic. "What do I do?"

"Play," Eisen said.

"But I've never played before!" Fluss said. "I don't know how."

Eisen smiled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Fluss turned at Chloe, looking shy all of a sudden. "Um... Okay?"

[Eternal Torment]

Fluss turned to Eisen with a look of utter panic. "What do I do?"

"Play," Eisen said.

"But I've never played before!" Fluss said. "I don't know how."

Eisen smiled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Fluss turned at Chloe, looking shy all of a sudden. "Um... Okay?"

Sloane turned his head, trying not to draw attention to his expression.

Aww. Fluss is so cute when she's all shy like that.

Damn his softness.