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Post by yooom on Sept 23, 2019 19:51:53 GMT -6
Soraya giggled at Asha’s touch, and Asha marvelled at how pleased the newborn Maiden of Light was from every slight touch she gave her. She was so thrilled, almost drunk from the pleasure of having some affectionate, slightly parental figure back in her life. It was quite sad, to think of what Soraya had agreed to for this. Asha wasn’t going to be a new mother for Soraya, no, she was going to train her to fight darkness. Asha’s hand gently pulled back from Soraya, the smile fading for a heartbeat. It was important to train her, to pour as much skill and magic into the girl as she could, but there was one destiny for every Maiden, Light or Dark. It would not do to get too attached to her.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem that Soraya noticed Asha’s cloudy expression, distracted by the destruction her transformation had wrought on the narrow apartment. Asha winced, noticing, for the first time, the shattered clock, lying on the floor below where it landed. Indeed, it seemed that only nails still remained on the wall, Soraya’s assorted photos of what Asha assumed to be relatives lay curled against the floor, and the heavy mirror that had nearly entranced Soraya all on its own rested beside it, long shatter patterns extending from one side of the frame to the other. Asha had noticed one of the dark burns on the floor, but, as Soraya leapt to her feet, Asha spotted more, similar lines where Soraya’s magic had scorched the walls and floor. It was quite easy to figure out exactly where she had been hovering when she’d made that spectacular display.
“There’s no need to call me Mistress, Soraya,” Asha mumbled, as she rose to her feet, though she was uncertain if the girl would even be able to help, she doubted it was intentional. “As for all of this, it’s…” Asha paused, trying to come up with a positive way to explain the destruction. “Well, Light Magic can get rather destructive. But, look at it this way!” she said, quickly. “You did all that, Soraya, by yourself, in...in seconds. It was incredible. I haven’t seen so much potential in a very long time.” Noticing the girl’s quivering legs, and suspecting that she might be about to topple, Asha took a quick step beside Soraya, gently wrapping an arm around her waist, and giving her a reassuring squeeze.
A thought occurred to Asha, and she took a step away from Soraya, a distant look to her eyes. “There...there is a place.” she said, stepping in place, turning in a slow circle, before stopping, pointing forward, towards one of the apartment’s walls. “That way.” She was silent for a second, before turning back to Asha, a bright smile. “It will be a bit, um...quiet.” The smile grew a little more awkward. “But it will be safe, and you shouldn’t have to worry about landlords or any of that.” She moved, but only got about a step towards the door before freezing, and turning back to Soraya. “We um...we’re going to have to walk outside...just for a few minutes but, with your um…” she paused, realizing that Soraya had yet to realize that her appearance had changed yet again, even more starkly different from the quiet girl’s usual demure appearance.
“Well, Soraya, I...I’m not sure if I mentioned, last night,” with a quick bound, Asha moved between Soraya and where the mirror had fallen, aimed squarely upwards at the girl’s face. “But, when a girl becomes a Maiden, the, um, the changes aren’t purely spiritual.” Somewhat hesitantly, Asha slowly moved to one side, letting Soraya gaze into her own reflection again, the bright, light blue eyes, and the almost identical shade of hair, a slight angelic glow to her skin. Asha stared into the blue eyes, hoping that she wouldn’t be too displeased with it.
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Post by Emiko on Sept 24, 2019 3:51:39 GMT -6
When Asha explained to Soraya that...she was the one that caused all of this damage, Soraya almost didn't believe it... It didn't seem possible that someone like her would be capable of unleashing light magic to such a destructive degree that it literally made it seem like an electrical storm had came through. While it was hard for her to believe, it was neigh impossible for Soraya to think Asha would lie to her about something like this. With that being the case, Soraya literally had no choice but to accept the fact that...somehow she had managed to unleash something so powerful that it destroyed a great deal of her home...
Soraya was honestly lost for words and could only look around the apartment astounded... A part of her was worried about getting evicted while another part was terrified of what she had unleashed. While her fears were strong and only growing with each passing moment, all of that suddenly melted away when without warning, Asha's arms reached from behind to hold the shaking girl reassuringly. That embrace proved to be an incredibly powerful thing as it instantly made Soraya forget her worries for a time. A deep blush gently spread over her face while a pleasant smile crept over her lips, and happily, Soraya moaned before leaning back against Asha peacefully. Asha's touch to Soraya was an incredibly powerful thing in her still transitioning state and it was all she needed to get the girl calm. As nice as it was though, Asha didn't linger in the embrace for long and moved before Soraya needed to address some things to her new Maiden.
In a bit of a calmer state now, Soraya listened intently as Asha offered her 'a place' they could go. Based off of the rather vague description she was given, Asha made it sound like a decent place to check out... Like her apartment, it seemed this 'place' Asha knew was quiet and secure. What really captured Soraya's attention though was when she mentioned she wouldn't have to worry about landlords, or anything else like that... This most likely meant that the place was free of other inhabitants which Soraya really liked the sound of being the reclusive girl that she was. And if it truly was a place that was quiet and safe, it was totally worth at least checking out as it sounded really nice! Though...one had to wonder if Soraya liked the sound of this place because of an actual curiosity or because her temporarily strong submissiveness towards Asha made her suggesting of this place more appealing than it should have been...
Regardless of the reason, Soraya was more than willing to check out this place and was just about to verbalize her approval when Asha started...acting weird. At first, Soraya was really confused when Asha casually made her way over to a mirror to block her view of it while making strange comments about Soraya and going outside... Her confusion only grew when Asha beat around the bush hinting that the changes in her being weren't necessarily all spiritual. Soraya was honestly just about to question what the angelic being was talking about when suddenly she removed herself from the mirror and...Soraya saw herself for the first time since being transformed into a Maiden of Light...
The moment that Soraya saw herself in the mirror, she gasped and covered her mouth with both of her hands in shock while her eyes went wide in astonishment. She stood like this in disbelief for several moments before gently bending down to get a closer look into the mirror at herself. As she drew closer, she could tell that this wasn't some sort of trick or illusion. She had changed again, and when she saw the cosmetic changes to her body this time around, Soraya...took the revelation about as well as she did her previous one...
"...M-my hair...m-my eyes... T-they are blue and...am I...am I glowing...?" Soraya quietly exclaimed as she once again started to freak out over her appearance. She nervously looked up to Asha as she pointed towards the mirror in disbelief. It was true that she was aware that this was a possibility, but she was still quite shocked by this dramatic change from yesterday. "...Y-you told me my hair and eyes would change, but...you...didn't say anything about it being blue! This isn't...this isn't what I expected! This can't be right! I can't go out in public like this! Is this look going to be permanent!?"
It was in this moment of losing control of her emotions that...Soraya temporarily lost control of her powers. Without meaning to, a small orb of light formed at Soraya's finger tip only to immediately fly into the mirror and shatter it into pieces. The crashing sound of the shattering mirror was so sudden and unexpected that it actually caused Soraya to fall over with a yelp. In a panic, she swiftly jumped to her feet and ran as fast as she could to hide behind Asha's wing like a frightened puppy not realizing she was the one that did that. After staying hidden for a few moments, like a nervous child, Soraya gently peeked out from behind Asha's wing trembling as she tried to figure out what had just happened...
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Post by yooom on Sept 24, 2019 14:03:38 GMT -6
Asha was taken rather aback at Soraya’s little moan, leaning into her as she had reached out to reassuringly hold her, and, as she gazed into the girl’s bright blue eyes, she noticed a pink hue to her pale cheeks. Asha made a mental note of it; Soraya was, even unhypnotized, extremely sensitive to touch. Given the dramatic shift her life had just taken, the traumatic experiences she would undoubtedly face, being able to quickly and easily relax her would be incredibly useful.
Asha’s little hug did help calm Soraya down for a few moments, and she seemed quite eager to move to this quiet place. Unfortunately, the revelation that she had undergone another, even more thorough physical change sent her back into her confused, fearful state. She turned to Asha, her voice getting higher and higher with each syllable, and Asha gave her an apologetic smile. She hadn’t meant to mislead Soraya, but, in her haste to get everything done as quickly as possible, and with the stress of her imminent death due to Druj’s interrupted hypnosis, that particularly salient bit of minutiae had gone unspoken.
Soraya was working herself up, and Asha could feel the girl’s magic stirring up within her. Untrained, her emotions in turmoil, the power Asha had granted her was rising up to defend Soraya from whatever it was she felt threatened by. “Soraya, you should-” Asha began, but too late. A ball of Soraya’s magic zipped out of her outstretched finger, shattering the mirror in an instant. Asha’s wings flared out instinctively, and she flinched as her feathers collided with one of the apartment walls yet again. She glowered at the wall, before feeling another pressure against her other wing. She turned, and realized that Soraya was crouched behind it, trembling something terrible, her wide eyes on where the shattered bits of mirror now lay.
With what felt like too motherly of a tut, Asha gently folded her wings, moving over towards Soraya. She raised a hand to press reassuringly against her cheek again, her other hand gently taking hold of Soraya’s where the ball of magic had come from. Slowly, she raised it, so their hands were level with their faces. “You need to control your emotions.” Asha murmured, without the slightest hint of a reprimand in her tone. “Now you have powers, magical powers. They can be incredibly useful, but,” with a shoulder she gestured towards the broken shards of mirror. “They can also be incredibly destructive, Soraya. When you get panicked like just there, you can do a lot of damage. It’s important to remain calm.” Asha’s fingers squeezed Soraya’s hand, not hard enough to hurt her, but enough to stress the importance of her words. Her glowing eyes stared into Soraya’s. “Do you understand?”
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Post by Emiko on Sept 24, 2019 14:53:49 GMT -6
Soraya hadn't spent more than five seconds fearfully looking towards the shattered mirror with all sorts of thoughts running in her head about what had happened before Asha swiftly removed her wing and gently proceeded to calm her down. Like before when Asha touched her, feeling the angelic being's hand gently press along her cheek helped to instantly calm Soraya. And when Asha took her hand into her own to squeeze it reassuringly, that brought Soraya back to her senses and soothed over her emotions entirely. While it seemed like Asha was merely trying to calm a frightened Soraya down, it was actually a setup to teach her a very valuable lesson, perhaps the most important lesson of all regarding magic.
In a heartbeat, the tender moment became an instructive one as Asha pointed out how Soraya had incredible powers now and that she had to control her emotions because of it. If she failed to do that, the look Asha gave to the shattered mirror along with her words reinforced the truth of the destructive consequences that came with losing that essential emotional control. It was in that moment that Soraya realized SHE had destroyed that mirror when she started freaking out over something as trivial as her appearance. This helped instill in her for the first time just how serious this whole magic thing was along with how careful she had to be...
Though this lesson came to Soraya without a hint of anger or reprimand in Asha's voice, it didn't change the fact that Soraya felt guilty for what she had done. If not guilty, at the very least a sense of conviction that what she did was wrong and it'd be wise not to do it again. Soraya was always the kind of girl that hardly ever got in trouble, and when she did, it felt AWFUL. That was certainly playing out in her heart in that moment knowing that she wasn't necessarily in trouble, but understanding what she did was wrong...
"...I...I'm sorry...Mistr-... A-Asha..." Soraya softly whimpered as she gently turned her gaze from Asha's eyes down to the floor feeling like she almost messed up again for almost calling the angelic being her Mistress. "...I didn't realize how...serious it was to lose control of myself like that... I promise that...I'll try to do better in the future... Please...forgive me Mistr-...I-I mean...Asha..."
After she finished speaking, Soraya allowed her eyes to close hoping that she hadn't done something so serious that it would destroy things before they even began. Poor Soraya was just...so fragile and insecure. That mixed with her child-like innocence and soft heart made the prospect of her being a powerful Maiden of Light questionable at best. Still...the power she just demonstrated from a single finger beam couldn't be denied... She DID have a great deal of potential, but...these actions from Soraya did have to leave some questions in Asha's mind if she could realize that potential... Soraya seemed like she were at the very least willing to try as she promised to do, but...whether Asha felt the same way was...honestly in her court at this point...
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Post by yooom on Sept 25, 2019 11:27:30 GMT -6
Asha was pleased to see that her touch calmed Soraya down almost immediately, though her words did something to instill, if not fear, a sense of the responsibility that came with being a Maiden of Light. Soraya’s eyes grew wide, almost tearful, and Asha felt immediately bad about having reprimanded the girl, even if she had taken great care to not be too rough. Soraya hadn’t hurt anyone, and she was still in a nervous state after realizing the destruction her transformation had unleashed in her little apartment, which was at least partly, if not mostly, Asha’s fault.
Soraya’s gaze slipped down from Asha’s face to her feet, unable to meet her eyes, as she whimpered out an apology, stumbling in her speech, fighting the hypnosis to not call Asha her Mistress. Her eyes shut, her face still pointed downwards. She was so delicate, Asha wasn’t even sure if this was the same girl who had, last night, determinedly swore to save her older sister from the grips of Druj. She was so quiet, afraid of doing something after the slight pressure Asha had exerted on her.
Asha stepped forwards and, wrapping her arms around Soraya’s body, squeezed her, pulling her into a tight hug. She could feel the nervousness, the panic within Soraya’s very spirit, and Asha focused on releasing some of her own magic out, connecting with Soraya’s anxious spirit, trying to soothe her soul. Without the eye contact they had shared last night Asha’s magic was rather imprecise, but it ought to be at least somewhat effective at calming the girl down.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, finding her lips again quite close to Soraya’s ear. “There is nothing to forgive from you, Soraya...you’ve only had these powers a few moments, its natural to have some trouble keeping them in check.” Keeping her arms wrapped around her, Asha gently nuzzled her face to Soraya’s, trying to gently ease her gaze away from the ground. She was a curious girl, Asha decided. So packed with potential, and yet so shy that the very thought that her potential might be damaging reduced her to near tears, practically brimming with energy one second, and then out cold the next. It only served to drive painfully home how unprepared she was for what was coming, what she would have to do if she was actually going to save Nur. She wasn’t ready, and, Asha was nervous to think, she might never be.
None of these thoughts registered on Asha’s face, a warm encouragingly smile instead lighting it up, if Soraya did open her eyes to look. “Now, your hair color is quite...distinct, but your jacket from last night ought to cover it up nicely, if you put the hood up. And if you just um, look down, I doubt anyone will notice the change in eye color. How does that sound?” She let out a nervous, jittery sort of giggle, for a moment scared that Soraya might reject her outright. The duties she had agreed to take on last night, she could easily simply say no this morning. Of course, there was no way to *stop* being a Maiden of Light, but, if she refused to learn from Asha, too scared of her own power, Asha wasn’t entirely sure what she would do.
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Post by Emiko on Sept 25, 2019 14:43:37 GMT -6
When Asha gently pulled Soraya into a gentle hug and held her in a firm embrace, the young girl almost wanted to cry. Initially it seemed like those tears might flow from the guilt of what she had done, but there was more to it than that... Soraya felt slightly overwhelmed because...she hadn't really been comforted in this way since her mother passed away. Sure she had been hugged by her aunt numerous times in an effort to comfort her, but...her aunt wasn't so much a parental figure as much as she was a guardian. This embrace...was far different, yet somehow familiar to Soraya that she literally felt like she were in the warm embrace of her mother once again... It took everything in her not to let a single tear slide down her cheek again which she thankfully held back...
This embrace along with the soft magic pouring from Asha's body into her own worked exactly as Asha had hoped it might in calming down Soraya. When the angelic being spoke to her in a whisper to reassure her everything was all right, it both melted Soraya's heart and filled her soul with peace. All she wanted to know was that it was all right and that everything was going to work out, which...it seemed like it was. Then she heard Asha go on to describe how she could keep her hair and eye color hidden from everyone else which either meant Soraya's change was indeed permanent, or more likely...they HAD to get going and soon...
Without uttering a word, Soraya gently pulled herself out of Asha's embrace and made her way to the bathroom where there was still an intact mirror in the house. As she turned on the light and saw herself in the mirror once again, she gazed hard at the physical changes of her body with...a much calmer demeanor now. As she gazed into the mirror, though Asha hadn't specifically said it, Soraya just knew in her heart that her old life was over beyond all reason. She couldn't live in this place she called home anymore and Asha's determination to get her out of this house was quite evident of that... It was hard for her to accept, but what Soraya had agreed to took priority over everything else now. It naturally terrified her to think about how serious things were, but...she knew this wasn't something she could turn back from even if she wanted to...
With a sigh escaping her lips, she made her way out of the bathroom and stood politely before Asha with her hands held together in front of her body as if to still show Asha the proper respect without kneeling or bowing. As she stood there before Asha, her face was straight and focused showing that determination once again. It seemed...she understood what needed to be done without Asha having to utter a word. When she spoke, her words revealed another strength of Soraya's character other than her sheer determination...
"...I understand, Mistress..." Soraya replied, not caring if Asha wanted to be called that or not. For now...that was what Asha was to Soraya and there wasn't much that could be done to change that... "...I understand that with my powers...staying in this place isn't feasible... I know I...have a lot to learn and...like I told you last night, I will do my absolute best for you as long as you are with me... I can cover up so we can leave, but...I'd like to pack a few things first. Just a few photos and some clothes since...I have a feeling we are going to be gone for a while... Let me do that, and I'll go with you where we need to go..."
...Soraya's change of heart and attitude seemed almost...out of place for her and seemed to come totally out of left field... She had went so far down hysteria earlier that you would have thought she'd say no after EVERYTHING that had just happened as little as it was. When Asha comforted her however, Soraya was reminded of just how important Asha was to her along with her claims of how she'd do anything for her companionship... While her strength was mainly in her sheer determination, Soraya also had a lesser strong trait in the form of undying loyalty to something she found worthy of devoting herself to. She may have agreed to become a Maiden of Light to save her sister, but Soraya was willing to go all the way for Asha's companionship. And if this sudden change in attitude revealed anything, it was that Asha clearly had the ability to get her focused enough to do what she needed to do with the right push. Perhaps...there was hope for Soraya to become a powerful Maiden after all...
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Post by yooom on Sept 28, 2019 21:08:25 GMT -6
Asha held her close, tenderly, feeling Soraya’s breathing slow, as her touch worked to calmed the stressed Soraya. Asha had only known her a little while, but the course of imbuing someone with magical powers, or rather empowering the magic within their being, was one that made Asha quite attached to her charges. She wanted the best for Soraya, even if the choice had doomed her to a life of struggle.
Perhaps some sense of that duty bled into Asha’s magic as it emanated from her body, for, after a long moment, Soraya gently pulled herself away from Asha, and made her way towards the remaining mirror. Asha remained standing in the main room of Soraya’s flat, watching her somewhat cautiously, nervous that she might have another spike of nerves, but Soraya was quite calm.
But she needn’t have worried, Asha could tell, could see the devotion written on Soraya’s face, could feel it within the depths of her very soul. Although she might momentarily flag, although the stresses of all these changes might get to her from time to time, Soraya had sworn to save her sister, had become a magical girl for the sole purpose of saving her sister, and Asha could sense that nothing would stop her.
Asha smiled at her, and nodded. If Soraya wished to call her Mistress, Asha supposed she would accept it. She had not been called it in perhaps centuries, but then again, the magic within Soraya felt arcane, so perhaps it was fitting. “Yes, your jacket I think should hide your hair nicely,” Asha suggested. “As for the rest of it, please, take all the time you need. We are in no hurry. The day has come, and the forces of darkness are at bay.”
~*~
Nur’s eyes drifted open, flinching slightly. Her bedroom curtain was open, if only by an inch or so, but the morning light that blazed in through was much too strong for a Maiden of the Night. Blinking, she rolled, and it took her a moment to realize that she was back in her bedroom. She sat up, blearily, rubbing her dark eyes, acclimatizing to the light, trying to remember what had led up to this moment.
And then it all came flooding back to her. The quiet night, the girl, Druj, Asha herself, it all came tumbling back. Nur felt her jaw drop. What on earth had she gotten up to. She had come face to face with the archenemy of all Maidens of the Night, and had only barely escaped with her life. If Druj hadn’t saved her, Nur wasn’t sure she would have survived such a deadly meeting. The blindingly bright face, filled with wrath, came back to Nur, and she shivered in her sheets. She bit her lip, trying to concentrate on something, anything else. She found herself contemplating the face of the girl, her eyes shining silver from Druj’s hypnosis. He had been so close, they had been so close. Nur felt her throat dry, and realized that, again, she felt like she was about to cry. It was a horrible empty feeling that she didn’t understand. Why did this girl make her feel so...powerfully emotional?
Druj’s eyes, blazing with silvery magic, came back to her. He hadn’t wanted her to go after the girl, whoever she was, and Soraya realized that, with a horrible sinking feeling, that, left alone with Asha, her fate seemed certain. Light would not hesitate to burn through that poor innocent girl’s being. She would become a Maiden, and, perhaps, one day they would meet. The thought made Nur feel despondent. Sadness turned to anger. Why had he stopped her. She could have done something, tried, at the very least, to save her. With Druj at her side, surely they would have stood a chance against Asha. Even as she thought that, she realized that Druj had left not for that girl’s sake, but her own. He could have faced Asha, Nur was sure of it, but a battle like that would have destroyed Nur in a matter of seconds.
Nur sighed, and slipped out of bed, her bare feet landing on the cool wooden floors. She took a small step towards the curtains, where the balcony jutted out, but thought better of it, turning towards the door, clearing her throat. “Druj?” she called out. “Druj, we need to talk about that girl!”
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Post by Emiko on Sept 29, 2019 0:24:03 GMT -6
With Asha's permission to take her time and gather the things that she needed, Soraya needed to say nothing else. She simply gave the angelic being before her a soft nod to show that she understood before going about her way to get prepared for...wherever it was they were going. Thankfully for Asha, Soraya didn't exactly live a lavish lifestyle being the typical poor young adult working her way through college meaning she didn't have much to take with her. What little she did have though was precious to her in nature.
The first thing Soraya packed into a rather small suitcase were the very few articles of clothing she owned which amounted to about a weeks worth of outfits at best. Following that, she would pack a few minor knickknacks that had sentimental value to her hardly taking up any space at all. Most importantly though, Soraya packed two pictures that she couldn't live without. The first was the picture of her aunt and her mother together that she had said goodbye to the night before. The other picture though was actually a beautifully painted picture that had been painstakingly painted to perfection. And that image...was the picture that Soraya had seen on the wall she collided with before falling unconscious on that horrible night all those years ago...
That picture, while just a mere painting, was the only real 'picture' Soraya had left of her family. After the accident, she spent a long time looking for someone to recreate the image that had been seared into her head. Though it...cost her a very pretty penny to replicate, it was worth more to her than her life. Up until last night, it was literally the only thing she had left of her family. And even as she packed it away safely, it...still wasn't quite the same. At least it was something...
After packing what little she owned, Soraya made her way over to where Asha had removed her jacket and picked the article of clothing up. After giving her hair a quick brushing and tying it back in a ponytail to be more manageable, she was easily able to hide most of her appearance underneath the hood of her jacket as Asha suggested. Once this was done, without uttering a single word, she grabbed the suitcase she had packed and made her way to the door to slip her feet into her white sneakers once again. And once she was dressed and packed, she walked out of the door of her apartment for the last time, literally leaving behind her old life to start a new one somewhere else... It was an incredibly hard thing to do, but...Soraya understood it had to be done. There was no point in fighting it, now...
~*~
Meanwhile on the other side of the city, the morning seemed to be greeting Nur much more quietly and peaceful than it had Soraya. She may have taken to it in a similar manner to Soraya in that neither seemed to like the morning light, but at least Nur had a bed to sleep in and didn't have to deal with the strange effects of a life altering transformation. That said, she seemed to still be dealing with the struggles of the night before about leaving Soraya behind and questioning Druj's decision to not only leave the girl behind, but leave without as much as a fight. While Nur understandably wanted answers, she would unfortunately not get them from Druj. At least, not this morning for the demonic creature wasn't even at Nur's apartment when she woke. Instead, someone else was actually visiting and it was a visitor whom Nur had never met before...
As Nur called out to Druj wishing to speak to him about the night before, initially only silence would greet Nur back hinting that something wasn't quite right. When the silence seemed to confirm that the demon wasn't actually at the apartment, out from the balcony where Nur had been walking, a unfamiliar, feminine voice could be heard responding back to Nur's requests.
"...I'm afraid Druj isn't here right now, dear. I doubt he'll be coming back anytime soon, to be honest with you."
The voice was sure to strike Nur as something very off and weird and leave her with a thousand questions. Probably the most obvious ones being...WHO was outside on the balcony and HOW did this girl know about Druj? If Nur were to open the doors to the balcony to investigate, she would see the back of a strange woman whom had never graced her presence there before.
Standing over the edge overlooking the city was a Chinese girl perhaps 28 years of age. Her long black hair was tied up in a bun while her shortened bangs hung perfectly straight against her forehead. Her soft blue eyes were glancing over the city with a smile across her rosy lips. Her soft, white complexion and nearly flawless skin seemed to radiate in the sunlight beautifully making it seem as if...she were a model or something. With an attire consisting of dressy black boots, black leggings, a pair of long black gloves, and a sleeveless, burgundy dress which attached to a knee-length skirt, she certainly looked the part! This girl though...wasn't a model or even a normal girl for that manner... She was something far different than her appearance would lead you to believe...
"...Cambridge really is a beautiful city, isn't it?" The girl known as Sabella said as she sighed over the sights before her. "...It's been a long time since I last visited the city and seen it for myself. Though...I doubt I need to tell you about how beautiful it is considering that...you were the one given the task of looking over it a while back."
With a soft giggle escaping Sabella's lips, the Chinese girl gently turned to face her onlooker and casually leaned against the railing of the balcony. Crossing a leg over the other as she leaned, she smiled towards Nur and stared at her in utter silence examining her closely. She would only stay silent for a moment before finally speaking to simply say something that was sure to leave even more questions in Nur's mind, possibly even irritate her...
"...You are the prodigious Nur Roshan, I presume? It's rather funny... I didn't imagine that Lord Druj was spending so much of his time with someone as...how to put it...plain as you seem to be, dear... There is...something more under the surface than what I am seeing, I hope?"
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Post by yooom on Sept 29, 2019 10:03:23 GMT -6
Nur started at the sound of a voice, that was certainly not that of her Master’s. Druj’s voice was deep, always calm, always rather soothing, not at all like sharp, female voice that had called out to her. Nur jumped, for a moment completely sure that it was Asha, that somehow that radiant entity had tracked her down, and had come to end her very existence. But the voice of Asha was not a sound she was about to forget any time soon, and this voice was quite different, a slight accent that Nur could not quite place. Slowly, on her guard, Nur made her way towards the balcony, slowly sliding open the curtain. She flinched, instinctively, as the morning light flooded into the room, momentarily blinded, as the woman’s voice spoke, almost nostalgic.
Blinking, she stepped into the sun. It was a crisp morning, and Nur shivered, wishing for a moment to be wrapped in the warmth of her blankets again, but the mystery of this woman was far too intriguing for her to really contemplate it. She turned and gazed at the woman, somewhat blearily, as her image slowly came into view.
She was taller than Nur, and a few years older, it looked like, with a luxurious dress that was a deep shade of red, and long, black boots that matched her leggings and gloves. Her hair was exquisite, a perfect little bun and sharp bangs that made Nur feel extremely awkward of her messy bed hair. One of Nur’s hands moved on its own, as she stroked her own hair, trying to make it a little more presentable.
Nur’s gaze turned, following the blue eyes over to look out over the city skyline. She supposed that Cambridge had something beautiful to it, if this woman had chosen the worst time to watch the town. The morning sun burned most of the colors away of the land, of the streets that snaked their way southwards, to the river. The best time, as far as Nur was concerned, to gaze upon the city was just after sunset, in that brief moment after the sun had set, but before those hideously garish street lights turned on. In that moment, the beauty of Cambridge could be seen, in the networks of shadows that stretched, for those brief minutes, right across the whole neighborhood, blacks and grays and golds.
Sabella’s laugh jerked Nur out of her meditation, and she turned quickly to stare back at the blue eyed woman, whose attentions had shifted from the city to Nur herself. It took Nur a second to realize that she was laughing at her. She straightened, trying to keep her annoyance from showing on her face, though, as she called her plain that became much, much harder to do.
Nur puffed herself up slightly, though she was still much shorter than this woman. “I’m not surprised Druj can see more in me than you can. My Master sees more than any mortal, and he recognizes potential when he sees it. As for you, I must confess I have no idea who you might be,” Nur spat back, glaring up at the woman. Who on earth was she, and what gave her the right to insult her to her face?
Nur frowned slightly, as she gazed into Sabella, feeling the magic within her. She was magical, and thankfully it was dark magic within her. Nur was surprised at just how much of it there was within her. She was powerful, perhaps not even a Maiden of the Night, any more. Nur stared at her, and realized that she was gazing into the eyes of a Mistress of the Night. The next level of magic, Mistresses of the Night had committed, in unfathomable ways, to Druj. They were seasoned beyond what any Maiden faced, ferocious fighters in the night for years and years. They were exceptionally deadly, surpassed in dark magic only by Druj herself. Nur felt her blood run cold. Why on earth was she her? Had Druj been so dissatisfied with her performance last night he had brought this woman to replace her?
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Post by Emiko on Sept 29, 2019 12:03:38 GMT -6
Sabella almost laughed when Nur stood up to her if only for a moment before suddenly realizing exactly who she was and immediately backing down. As Nur suspected, Sabella was indeed a power Mistress of the Night who had ascended beyond the level of Maiden to achieve this level of magical mastery. If Nur had decided to do anything in that moment, Sabella wouldn't have been shy about letting her own power flow to defend herself. And in some ways...she was attempting to provoke the young Maiden into doing just that. Alas though, Nur was more perceptive and smarter than Sabella had given her credit for.
"...I see..." Sabella replied softly as she turned her gaze from Nur back towards the city again. "...I suppose Lord Druj does see more than I'd ever be able to. That said, while I can sense a great deal of magical power within you, it's clearly not radiating to the surface like I'd expect from other Maidens. Why he selected you of all people and chooses to take up residence with you is beyond me... That's his business though, not mine..."
With their brief little spat now behind them for the time being, Sabella quietly lifted herself up to her own two feet before gently hopping onto the balcony's guard rail without a second thought. After taking a few moments to get herself situated and comfortable, she glanced back towards Nur still working to take things in. Nur...wasn't at all what Sabella was expecting seeing as she herself had came from a wealthy family and didn't care to flaunt her status in society. While Sabella was quite egotistical, even she knew better than to let it blind her to the possibilities. That was especially true when it came to anything relating to Druj which was the reason she had came in the first place... Shad had direct orders from Druj himself regarding the young Maiden before her...
"...I do suppose introductions are in order..." Sabella replied as she lightly kicked her feet in the air while continuing to rest on the guard rail. "...My name is Sabella. As I'm sure you have surmised, I am indeed a Mistress of Darkness and a warrior under Lord Druj same as you. Before you start cowering, you should know I'm here on official business. Though to be frank, I hate being the delivery girl..."
...Sabella was here on 'official business'? And...it had something to do with her being a 'delivery girl'? What she was saying made absolutely no sense with how vague she had phrased it. Still though, there was method to Sabella's madness. She wasn't entirely sure what Nur knew about the current situation and was purposely being vague just to gauge how much she knew. At the very least, Sabella didn't seem as if she were going to hurt Nur. Depending on how much the young Maiden knew, Sabella had quite a lot of information to divulge.
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Post by yooom on Sept 30, 2019 13:16:20 GMT -6
Nur was able to quickly let out a sigh of relief as Sabella turned away from her, to gaze once more out at the city beyond. Nur had felt her body clenching, her hands curling up into fists, readying for combat, but, against a Mistress of the Night, she surely would have been defeated, in all likelihood with absurd ease.
That being said, as the woman continued to speak, Nur still felt a little offended as she spoke of her not “radiating” like other Maidens. There was nothing wrong with her, Druj would have told her as much...wouldn’t he? What did it even mean to radiate? Nur could feel her face growing hot as she started to blush, frustrated at this strange woman. She had been a Maiden for five years now, but the way this woman spoke to her made her feel wrong, in some basic way that she couldn’t even comprehend.
She watched as the woman, Sabella, she introduced herself as, lean elegantly on the railing. She was so relaxed, it was as if Nur, a Maiden of Darkness with quite the combat skills, wasn’t even worth considering as a threat. It was humiliating, and yet, Nur found herself strangely drawn to the woman. Attraction wasn’t quite the right word, though she was quite beautiful. It was more the sense of imminent danger that she radiated. Looking at her was like staring down at an oncoming train, a deadly force that she couldn’t help but stare into. She was a force, one that Nur could not help but marvel, even if ever word Sabella spoke annoyed her more and more.
“I have no intention of cowering to you, Sabelle,” Nur replied, haughtily. “I am the Maiden of this district, this is my domain. I am Druj’s warrior here.” She leaned back, against one of the windows to the house, unwittingly mirroring Sabella’s own pose as she attempted to replicate Sabella’s lazy calm. “Of course, I am happy to welcome a fellow warrior of our Lord to our residence. You must be tired from your journey, I’m sure,” she said, with a condescending sort of smile playing about her lips. “What is it you are delivering for our Lord?” she asked, with one arm pushing open the door to her bedroom, gesturing for Sabella to go through.
Although outwardly she was trying to be as laid back, Nur’s mind was in turmoil. What on earth was Sabella doing here? Official business? Delivery girl? What did any of that mean? When had she last seen Druj, did she know where he was?
Nur couldn’t help but voice that last question, by far the most important to her. “I was with Lord Druj just last night, he didn’t mention anything about a delivery girl to me. When did he talk to you?” She tried to sound as casual as possible, but she suspected she wasn’t quite able to keep her voice from trembling. Last night she had come face to face with their archenemy, and that girl was probably now her Maiden. To face those two alone, or, worse, with this mysterious, menacing woman, was more than she could hope to handle.
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Post by Emiko on Sept 30, 2019 15:04:48 GMT -6
While Nur did her absolute best to put forth a calm and laid back demeanor, Sabella was able to see past it quite easily. She was rather good at reading people naturally, but had the added ability to read people based on what was going on inside of their eyes. As a Mistress of the Night, she had the capacity to see into someone's soul based on their eyes alone and this allowed Sabella to see the turmoil in Nur's heart. She tried to act all tough and laid back, but Sabella knew the truth.
It took everything in Sabella not to let out a laugh at Nur's words finding the young Maiden's response to her own amusing. In fact, Sabella up to this point had been relatively calm and showcasing a very lazy, laid back attitude. When Nur went on to explain that she wasn't exactly sure where Druj was and questioning what Sabella was delivering, that lazy facade instantly faded away. Her smile was immediately wiped off of her face and she glared towards Nur almost in pure disbelief...
"...You're kidding me, right...?" Sabella questioned, staring Nur down hard now. "...You seriously don't know? You haven't the faintest clue what all of this is about...?"
Sabella didn't give Nur even the slightest chance to speak when she suddenly jumped off of the railing she had been sitting on and walked over towards the girl leaning towards the window. Once she was close enough, she stood over Nur silently for a moment and peered deep into her eyes with her own cold and calculating. At first, it might have seen as if she were about to attack, but Sabella was merely reading the girls soul and...was shocked to find Nur was telling the truth. She...didn't know what was going on and that confusion was in her soul plain as day to Sabella.
"...I'm surprised, dear... It's been rather big news floating around the shadows since it happened..." Sabella softly exclaimed as she turned her back to Nur and made her way to the railing once more. As she overlooked the city, she finally revealed what all this was about keeping her back to the girl behind her...
"...Last night around midnight, there was a new Maiden of Light born. The power she unleashed was...phenomenal to say the least. It lasted only a few seconds, but...we all felt it... Lord Druj was worried that...this particular Maiden could potentially tip the scales between our forces and theirs in favor of the light... And after we've all worked so hard to bring darkness back into this world..."
With a soft sigh escaping her lips, Sabella turned back to Nur and gazed at the young girl with a serious, yet determined look on her face. She had absolutely no intention of harming Nur in the slightest, but she...needed to understand how serious this situation was... Nur had to understand that this new Maiden of Light was bad news for Druj and his forces... If a Mistress of Darkness of all people was concerned about this, Nur would have been wise to take her words very seriously...
"...I was doing some work in Connecticut down south when...I felt the Maiden's power in the air. It was faint, but to feel it so far away...I had to see it for myself. It was on my way here that I met with Lord Druj who told me he was laying the foundations for a new plan of his. Something to test to see if this Maiden was really who we sensed her to be. Depending on how things play out Lord Druj wants to know if this Maiden is someone worth converting...or eliminating... Either way...all of this is for you..."
After revealing what had happened the previous night, Sabella let out yet another sigh before turning her attention back to the city before her. She watched as the streets began to get busier and busier with people going about their normal lives... Sabella herself couldn't help but flinch angrily as she thought about the prospect of the scales tipping in Asha's favor...
"...I am here right now because...Lord Druj asked me to come fetch you when you awoken." Sabella said softly as she glanced to the blue sky overhead. "...You're precious to him...more so than the rest of us for your own extraordinary power... I'm not delivering anything to you as much as delivering you to him when you are ready. He asked me to find you, look over you while you slept, and then bring you to him when you were ready. Though I hate doing errands as simple as this, I would never dismiss what our Lord asks us to do..."
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Post by yooom on Oct 2, 2019 7:42:41 GMT -6
Nur felt the blush on her face grow stronger, her embarrassment rising as Sabella stared at her. She had been trying to keep some facade of calm as she spoke with the Mistress of Darkness, but that vanished as she leapt down from the railing, striding powerfully towards her. Nur jumped in place, and tried to take a hasty step backwards, only to collide with the wall she’d been leaning against. “W-well, I have some clue about…” Nur’s mumbled excuses fizzled out as Sabella drew closer and closer to her, until she was only inches away from Nur, gazing into the Maiden’s dark eyes.
Nur stared back up at the deep blues, the small part of her that wasn’t cowering, as Sabella said she would, marveling at them, and the magical aura beyond them. She could feel them boring into her, gazing right through her, into her soul. Maidens could generally detect about how magical an individual might be. A Mistress could see more, could detect beliefs, plans; it would be suicidal to even contemplate lying to someone like Sabella. Nur felt her fists wither at Sabella’s gaze. Certainly, she was well within punching range, and Nur would be able to get out of Sabella’s own reach before the Mistress would have a chance to respond but, against such a deadly opponent, it would be only a matter of time before the Mistress would overpower her. Nur bit her lip, hoping that the Mistress hadn’t sensed those thoughts.
Sabella blinked, and rather abruptly turned away from Nur, stalking back up to perch at the railing once again. Nur let out a gasp; she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath the entire time Sabella had been looking her down. Leaning an arm to the wall, she took more unsteady breaths, as Sabella’s news washed over her. A newborn Maiden, right here, with so much power that her presence could be felt a state over. Nur shivered, thinking of that girl, her nervous eyes, her plea echoing in her ears.
Don’t abandon me.
It had to be her. Even Nur had sensed the girl’s potential. Unleashed by Asha, who knew what kind of havoc she would cause for the Light.
Sabella’s words started to set in to Nur, and she immediately started to worry, not for herself and Sabella, but for that mystery girl, alone with Asha. A new plan from Druj? What was he going to do? The answer to that question was obvious, the Lord of Darkness could not let Maidens of the Light upset the balance of the universe, those fires would need to be guttered. And yet, the idea of harming that poor girl made Nur feel even worse. All manner of Druj’s minions would be after her, and Sabella alone would be more than enough of a force to kill her. Another wave of that inexplicable melancholy swept over Nur, but she was able to keep herself from breaking down into tears in front of Sabella.
“To...fetch me?” Nur spoke. She stood up, feeling a little sick, the girl’s face still on her mind. a new Maiden...so powerful her birth was felt as far as Connecticut… “Of course, if our Lord requests my presence, we must go to him.” Nur said, stepping backwards, into her room. “Just give me a few minutes to get ready,” she said, sliding the door shut. She was able to pull the curtains shut again, and make sure Sabella wasn’t able to hear her, before she started to cry.
~*~
It took slightly longer than Asha had expected for them to make it to the safehouse. Truth be told, she might have gotten a little lost, it was difficult to figure out where she was without her usual bird’s eye view, though that was quite impossible in the morning. People were out, small crowds of them bustling past them. Asha was easily able to form a magical barrier, and Soraya was more or less disguised, her vibrant hair mostly hidden under a hood, but they were fortunate; no one seemed to pay attention to either of them.
The house was small, a few stories high but quite narrow, squeezed in amongst the other rowhouses, an unassuming red brick that blended in to the rest of the street, with a deep green door that Asha needed only to place a hand on for it to swing evenly open.
“We should be safe here,” she murmured to Soraya, setting a hand on Soraya’s shoulder, gently leading her over the threshold. The spirit gazed out over the street suspiciously, but no one seemed to paying attention to either of them, and she quickly shut the door behind them.
She sighed, her wings materializing out of thin air, unfolding as she stretched them out, relieved to be out of the public eye. She turned, to smile at Soraya, before gazing down the hallway they had entered.
The house was exactly how she remembered it, albeit with a rather thick layer of dust coating everything, the table, the faded mirror set on the wall, the framed family photographs. Asha paused on one of them, gazing nostalgically at a brown haired girl, before sighing, and moving past it, entering a larger room at the end of the hallway.
“This place ought to be safe for you, Soraya. You shouldn’t have to worry about landlords, or anything like that,” Asha said, with a smile.
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Post by Emiko on Oct 3, 2019 2:36:35 GMT -6
Upon delivering the news to Nur, Sabella could tell just by the sound of the young Maiden's voice that the news hadn't necessarily sat well with her. Sabella didn't know why this was the case, but could honestly care less. Her job was to simply protect Nur while she slept, and then ultimately deliver her to Druj once she was up and ready to go. Anything outside of performing those tasks were irrelevant in her eyes. So naturally when Nur confirmed that she understood and would be ready to go in a few minutes, that was the first thing the Maiden had said that brought a pleasing smile to Sabella's face. Without taking her gaze off the street below, Sabella simply offered Nur a nod of her head and quietly stood by as the young Maiden went inside to get dressed.
Once Nur had left Sabella alone on the balcony, the dark Mistress watched the hustle and bustle of the streets down below before giving a disgruntled sigh at their peaceful lives. Finding it repulsive, she turned her attention up to the sky and closed her eyes to bask in the sun's warmth. While she, like the others affiliated with the darkness didn't care for the light, Sabella found incredible comfort in the sun's warmth. To her, anything that provided a sense of literal warmth to her body was welcoming. And the warm rays of the sun were just enough to bring a pleasant smile back to her face as she thought about the plan Druj had told her about hours earlier...
"...I do hope this newborn Maiden of Light lives up to the hype..." Sabella softly whispered to herself as she soaked up more of the sun's warmth. "...It'll be fun watching Lord Druj's plan come to fruition if things happen as he predicts. And if she doesn't benefit his prodigious Maiden, perhaps he'll let me have some fun with her. Either way...this is going to be really interesting..."
~*~
The entire trip to this safe house Asha told her about, Soraya hadn't uttered a single word... Like they discussed previously, the young girl did her absolute best to keep her head down and stay quiet as to not draw attention to herself. And aside from a few shallow, judgemental looks directed at her due to her plain tastes in clothing, it actually seemed to work. No one really seemed to notice anything about the young girl that was out of the ordinary. Even...if she looked like she were a runaway with her face hidden under a hood and a suitcase in hand as she quietly traveled along.
The walk to this place may have taken longer than Asha anticipated due to her not being familiar with the path there via ground travel. However, Soraya didn't seem to notice or even care as she was lost in deep thought. The events of last night followed by the scary realization of what was coming in the near future kept swirling about in that brain of hers. As a result, the confident attitude she took with her on the road was severely starting to fade... It was bad enough that by the time the duo arrived at the safe house, Soraya's mind was starting to fill with worry and doubt...
Upon arriving at the safe house, Soraya's mind was snapped back to reality when Asha pointed out their new home. Glancing upwards to the building before them, Soraya's mouth fell open a bit as she stared at the house feeling slightly overwhelmed. This place of Asha's seemed almost like a mansion to Soraya who had only known the small living space of her apartment for the last two years. Even her aunt's house back home didn't seem to have as much space as this place seemed to have. While the building before her certainly felt big considering what Soraya was use to, it was actually just a normal building for this kind of neighborhood. It was neither too big, or too small, but rather a normal building that no one would think twice about.
She didn't say a word as Asha gently coaxed Soraya into the house and closed the door behind them to effectively shield them from the public's eye once more. Free to be herself again, Asha didn't seem to hesitate as she re-materialized her wings and stretched them out seeming to feel quite at home. Soraya though was much more reserved and didn't drop her reservations initially. Instead, she quietly set her suitcase down at the door and timidly started walking down the hallway clearly overwhelmed by the new living space they were in.
As she walked about, Soraya gently removed the hood from her head allowing her now light-blue hair to flow freely while she took in the atmosphere to the best of her ability. The house may have been a bit dusty, but it seemed to be in pristine condition otherwise. Whoever decorated the place had exquisite taste in furniture and decor and the house honestly looked like something designed out of a home and garden television show. Being the simple girl that she was, it was quite obvious to see why Soraya was so overwhelmed and unable to be at ease in this new place.
What really struck Soraya as odd was when she came across the picture that Asha had noticed on the wall just moments earlier. As she saw that picture, Soraya noticed that it wasn't just a decorative photograph hung up for show, but seemed to feature an actual person and their family. More pictures hanging on the wall seemed to mirror this one in terms of content showing that this place wasn't necessarily a safe house. Rather...it was actually someone's home or...at least was at one time. As that thought crept into her mind, Soraya started to feel a little nervous and uneasy.
"...M-Mistress...?" Soraya softly asked in a soft, timid voice... "...This place... This is someone's home...isn't it? Who's house is this...? And...are we really allowed to stay here...?"
It seemed like poor Soraya was back to her usual timid self again. After the silent travel she had done with the fearful thoughts clouding her mind, it wasn't hard to understand why. Throw in the fact that she was feeling overwhelmed by the sudden and rapid changes in her life and living space along with her body still adjusting to her own magic, and it was honestly a miracle she hadn't became hysterical again. While Soraya wasn't necessarily freaking out, it was clear that the young girl was in desperate need of some comfort as well as answers... Even if Asha couldn't bring herself to provide those answers in her given state, that didn't change the fact that Soraya needed some sort of comfort and stability to calm down again...
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Post by yooom on Oct 7, 2019 12:58:15 GMT -6
Asha was still stretching out her wings as Soraya started to speak, her voice high pitched, nervous. She turned to gaze over one shoulder at her newborn Maiden, who had barely moved past the threshold, peering cautiously past Asha, as if expecting an attacker to charge out from the next room over. She gave her a reassuring smile, before walking back over to her.
She rested an outstretched arm to Soraya’s shoulder. She could feel the tension bubbling within Soraya’s soul, she was drawing closer and closer to another magical outburst, and that must not happen here. To disturb a place that had been so empty, so serene for all these years with uncontrolled explosions of Soraya’s magic, it just didn’t seem right. Asha’s eyes shone silvery, glowing with a hypnotic aura, as she worked to ease Soraya’s mind yet again, just for a couple seconds. It would be just enough to settle her down yet again, Asha hoped. It was surprising how much hypnosis the girl needed to keep from shattering from the pressure, but Asha hardly minded. She was a wellspring of potential, and it wasn’t like Asha was capable of feeling drained.
“Of course we can stay here,” she said, gently leading Soraya forward, out of the little entrance hallway, unable to resist glancing momentarily at the brown-haired girl on the and past a narrow stairway into a square sitting room. A few couches were set around a carpet, upon which a dark wooden coffee table was set. Sunlight shone through a pair of long, thin windows on one wall, and, on another, a large painting hung, a picture of a nearby park, an ancient willow, its branches hanging inches over a beautiful little pond, with a pair of black initials set in the corner: S.B.
Asha gazed at the picture for a second, before focusing on Soraya again. The way she stood, somewhat crouched, eyes darting around the house. It seemed quite clear that she was scared of whoever she feared might be living in the house, as if someone was going to jump out from a closet and attack her. The hand on Soraya’s shoulder squeezed faintly, as she gave her another warm smile. “Don’t be afraid, we’re perfectly safe, I promise,” she said, her voice getting quieter. “It belongs to one of my other Maidens, but,” Asha paused, uncertain how truthful she wished to be. Noticing exactly how shaky Soraya seemed, she made her decision. “she’s since moved out of town. The duties of Maidens, you know, they must fight darkness all over the world. You, I should say,” she added, quickly. “Although I think your hands will be quite full here for the time being,” she said, just as hastily.
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