Wings of Faith [r]

[victorie]

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie would blink, then blink once more with an almost audible tone before she opens her mouth to retort and then quickly closes it with a simple nod. She should be offended in all honesty, but she's letting it slide for now. Regardless, she isn't exactly enthusiastic to engage in a conversation regarding her bust size in the middle of the sweltering desert after nearly dying twice. She might have a sharp tongue and quite vocal about her appearance, but she knows when to give up a fight.

Then she'll catch the we, which really only elicits a raised eyebrow from the young knight. While she knows she should be wholly weary of the Grimleal, and she certainly is, she can't help but be put ease by the other woman. She'll tilt a little bit on the spot, putting on a face that demands explanation before Ariel launches into it. There'll be a mix of emotions on her face, from more than a fair amount of shock at first and then a much more dour expression as the facts of the assassination attempt or brought up.

"Then, maybe you should not be traveling alone my lady." She'll remark smoothly, letting the silence drape over them for a few moments as she becomes acutely aware of the sweat dripping down her brow now. She will end up putting her hands on her hips and lean forward a bit, giving Ariel the most searching look possible as if she's trying to divine whether or not a fell dragon was really hiding inside the seemingly innocuous girl before her. She's reasoned at this point that Ariel isn't about to sacrifice her to some demonic dragon that will bring about the end times, because at this point she figures that she would have just been left for dead mere moments before. "Allow me to escort you back to your... People? I could not let you go alone in good faith facing such peril after saving my life." She'll comment with a stiff nod, now stretching out her arm a bit as she gets used to the wider range of motion.

"And maybe you can speak at length regarding just how skewed my perception of your Grimleal is." She'll add cooly, only to glance down and cringe at the simply pitiful state of her clothes. There's a tear in the leather, the collar is stained by blood and perspiration and sand cling to it's spoiled surface haphazardly. One can see her cheeks growing a burning scarlet and her brow furrowing in some amount of inarticulate rage. "Damned archers." She'll hiss under her breath, tilting her head back to toss her braids behind her shoulders. "It seems I have developed a sudden disdain for the Plegian military." She seems unnaturally stiff now, maybe it's the heat getting to her.

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❖ nox ❖

[Ariel]

"Well, I'd hardly call them 'my people' - they are certainly not slaves beholden to me, nor would I treat them as such. But I would enjoy the company in returning to Altea." Ariel smiles as she locks eyes with the pegasus knight. Victorie can see many things, looking at the High Priestess. She sees a sense of relief, obvious given the circumstances of their meeting. She sees a sense of playful mischief, but above all she gets a sense of purity when she looks at Ariel. What that purity is of remains debatable, but all her teachings mentioned Grima's faithful being scarred by a mark - a mark that the Ylissian could find no trace of, and there weren't many places to hide it either. Ariel smiles as she starts to explain herself. "I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, it was a couple years back when things got violent. I only was filled in with the broad strokes when someone told me I was supposed to oversee the Grimleal." It was something of a lie, Ariel was aware of much more of the specifics regarding the war's start than she let on, but there was no use scaring her partner. "I will admit, Grima is portrayed as a vengeful God of the End Times - and it's not too far off, admittedly. Grima is the Dragon of Destruction, just how Naga is heralded as a Dragon of Creation. Here's the thing, though. Creation and Destruction are intertwined - you need both, and with Grima having been slain some twenty years ago; we've created more and more, and I suspect that with Grima's resurrection, He intends on leveling the playing field with his return. Destruction might not be pretty, but it's needed, you see?" It may be the heat is helping, but Victorie is starting to find herself a bit entranced by Ariel's words. Has she been led to believe something so vital to keeping balance is a diabolical thing to avoid? What would be to gain from saying such things? And why...why was she starting to feel even more protective of the brunette she's riding alongside?

TAGS victorie

 

[victorie]

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

That sense of purity she felt was quite honestly rather unnerving, if only because was the exact opposite of what Victorie could come to expect from the head matron of a death cult, to say nothing of the herald of the dragon of destruction. She was too small and personable and seemed to be little more akin to an innocent kitten or particularly fluffy bunny rabbit than the Head Priestess of the Grimleal. And what did that say about the Grimleal? They had always been the bad guys in the stories that Victorie's parents would use to make her behave (If you throw cake at your sister Grima will ruin your birthday party!) but... This was the last thing she could possibly expect! To say nothing of the fact she's been adventuring for all of a day and has already saved a doom-saying cult from utter destruction.

All and all, really could be worse.

"I do not actually."She'll reply gently, tilting her head some to the right as she regards the brunette with a curious expression. "To what cause does balance serve us?" She'll ask, pursing her lips a small bit as she cocks an eyebrow, the fact that she hasn't threatened Ariel yet should be calming! And, she seems inquisitive enough, but between the fact that she's baking in the sun and she's feeling some oddly compelling inclination towards the troubador has made her quite malleable. The question might peep into the back of her mind now and then, but it's quickly pushed away as she shoots Ariel a lopsided grin. "And, I assume you will be spared from such destruction?" She'll ask, clicking her tongue a bit as she gently pets her mount's mane.

### | Ariel | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Ariel]

"Being spared Grima's wrath is a benefit, yes...but it's hardly the reason I serve Him." Ariel giggles to herself as the two continue north, the end of the desert soon coming into sight over the horizon. Still, the young brunette keeps talking, her voice soft and calm but still firm. "In order for something to be gained, something else must first be lost. It's a fundamental rule of existence - but the people have gained and gained and gained and not thought about what's being lost. And when people realize how much they need what they've lost...the collapse that will happen dwarfs anything Grima could do on His own." It didn't make sense - why didn't it make sense? Grima and his overzealous cult followers were supposed to revel in wanton destruction for the fun of it! They tortured people for spite, killed for sport, and bathed in Ylissian entrails for mindless pleasure! And yet...everything this woman was saying rang true - it was simple, it was logical, and worst of all she seemed genuinely honest about it. As the troubadour smiles, Victorie can almost see a shimmering pair of angelic wings on the girl's back...a mirage? A hallucination? Or is this girl truly blessed by a God who isn't all that evil as He gets portrayed?

TAGS victorie totally a mirage tho

 

[victorie]

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie sways a bit as the horse clip clops gently on the sand, her body slacking some and the woman brushing her forehead with a hand. Normally she'd be a bit more sharp of tongue at the moment, and quick to talk back in her flowery way of speaking, but she finds herself hanging off of Ariel's words as her eyes lock forward and she simply tries to hold herself from passing out in this heat. Naga, why would these fools choose to live in such an awful place? There's about three things she can notice at the moment, the sway of her mount, the beating sun on her head and that voice worming it's way into her ear. Yep, she's pretty much the perfect recipient for a little bit of proselytizing. "What is this... Theoretical loss?" She'll yawn, her head dipping forward a bit as she frowns and stares at the neck of her mount. She sounds unsure though, her brow furrowing some as she tilts her head left and right. "... But, what about Naga?" She'll add, furrowing her brow all the more as she glares off at nothing in particular. "And my family?" She'll mumble, which is odd, as there has been no mention of her converting or anything of the sort.

And then she'll look up, her eyes narrowing as she thinks she catches sight of those wings, her eyes hazzy before she shakes her head several times and reaches up her left hand to rub her earlobe. She's exhausted, probably dehydrated and VERY upset she's likely to get a sunburn out of this! But even more, she's very confused about her faith now, even if she was never all that faithful before. If there was creation... There had to be destruction? Did that make sense? She couldn't tell, but she's getting all kinds of existential up in here. Though, the idea of the Grimleal and fashion worms it's way in there as well, she could look good in purple...

But most of all, she's very, very thirsty.

### | Ariel | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Ariel]

"The loss is what makes up the things we gain - material components, mostly. Imagine how badly things would be if the entire continent realized there wasn't any more steel that could be made, because they'd used it all. Or, or that there was no longer enough space for people to be able to live. Mankind can be downright vicious when we don't get what we expect. Worse than any divinity ever could be, that's for sure." As someone with two older sisters, Victorie was likely no stranger to the atrocities people can inflict on each other - and that's between two bound by blood. Imagining what two strangers with already strained relations would do sounds too terrifying to contemplate. Bringing up Naga was a tougher subject for Ariel, but she did her best. "It's...complicated. I don't know much about Naga to be honest, and I'm sure most of what I do know is hyperbole made to drive me away from following it. As for your family...I don't know. Grima's wrath cares not for social status, age, or anything like that. If my parents hadn't been slain by the Plegian military almost three years ago, they'd be at as much risk of death as your family. I don't pretend to claim any power of Grima, all I can do is ask." It was certainly not what the Ylissian pegasus knight wanted to hear, but it was as good as she'd get from the troubadour. And while she may have been thirsty...well, Ariel surely had to know the local terrain better than she herself did. Would it be so debasing to ask? Or is it that submitting to such a level is the last barrier holding back the vestiges of abandoning everything she's learned about the world?

TAGS victorie

 

[victorie]

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

hankfully Victorie actually had a rather loving family, and even if she was the third borne and nowhere near as... Relevant as her siblings were, she still loved them more than life it's self. She was just jealous, dangerously so, and that sense of envy of what they would be was the entire reason why she was here! Divine guidance perhaps? One could never say. But, those words would convince her quite well, the young woman tilting her head left and right as her eyes fluttered and another yawn racked her body as she streeeetched out her back some and fought to stay lucid. That last bit was quite hard to swallow, her rank within society and the family that brought her into this world and made her what she was all being utterly disposable for a greater good? In a sense, she understood it perfectly, but that point stuck in her chest and she shifted uncomfortably as her heat addled brain tried to work through it. And why, why did Ariel's voice seem to cut through all of the ambient noise? She's going to be quite annoyed tomorrow, but, for the time being the young knight wavers as she reaches a hand out to the space between the two riders.

"I... Could use a drink Priestess." She'll remark, her eyes half-lidded as she feels that little twinge in the back of her noggin. Something is telling her to get away, to run far and fast and leave this hot hellish world behind her and return to a nice, simple life back at court, giggling and chirping with all the songbirds that lived caged within the marble confines of those halls. But, that thirst over rode her caution, and the young Knight became utterly compliant for seemingly the first time in her life.

She's going to be quite upset tomorrow considering the context of this situation, but the seed of faith has been planted in her mind. For better or worse.

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❖ nox ❖

[Ariel]

"A drink? Right, I think I still have some water left." Ariel starts fishing around the various saddlebags attached to her mount before pulling out a leather-wrapped bottle. "Probably still warm from the desert, but it's what I have. Don't worry about saving any, there's a stream no more than a couple miles out, we can refill there." Ariel's voice was still soft, still calm in spite of what was happening. The unfocused look in Victorie's eyes said everything that needed be said - the Ylissian woman's mind had eroded to the point of complete malleability. Were she more like the sadistic Grimleal Priests before her, Ariel could have requested immortal service from the other girl, service that in her barely sane state she'd be assured to give. She could be a hypnotized drone, faithful till the last in service of her Priestess. The thing was, Ariel detested that line of thinking. Yes, manipulation and honeyed words did wonders in swaying people to her cause. Yes, her magical talents could probably be abused to make her diatribes and sermons that much more inspiring, more alluring to any who heard it. But in the troubadour's mind, it wasn't worth it. Leading a legion of dream-walking faithful would make them obedient, but when they woke up...it's all too likely they'd revolt, and violently. Robbing anyone of their free will was a line Ariel refused to cross. Making suggestions to those hanging to lucidity by a thread, however, was fair game. "You know...I have to say, that was a pretty good job, dealing with those archers as quickly as you did. If you've no other duties to attend to, it'd be nice having you around." The scorching desert sands started to fade, replaced by the even less populated savannah that would quickly lead into the slightly more temperate Grustian meadowland. From there it'd be no more than a short over-water hop to Altea.

TAGS victorie

 

[victorie]

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie tilted her head back and gulped greedily at the drink, the water may well have been quite warm from the trek but anything would do to quench the dryness that had settled in the back of her throat. She'll pull it from her lips and smack them a bit, giving the bottle an eager look as she goes to stop it- only to blink and then get right back to her greedy drinking at the comment regarding saving it.

In general, Victorie most certainly would not have been a fan about the whole mindless thrall possibility. She liked to think her personality (and great looks!) was one of her strong suites up there with her utterly awe inspiring modesty. And the life of a mindless drone subservient to a death cult did very little to facilitate that, but then, if it was here choice she would surely change her tune.

She seems to perk up a bit after the drink, the life coming back to her brown eyes as she bounces a bit in her saddle and coughs. She's far from the perky woman she had been a few hours before when gliding in to save Ariel's life, but she's somewhat roused herself from the stupor which had made her so easily compliant. It seems the young woman is quick to tire on a march but has the tendency to bounce back, even if she has been left blinking a bit dumbly as she yawns into a hand and tilts her head to the right some and leans back in her saddle to regard Ariel. "Mhhm." She'll start, pursing her lips and shaking her head some as she cocks an eyebrow. "I doubt it was all that impressive." She'll reply, still not wholly sure if she should be proud of the engagement, seeing as how she nearly died twice back there. "But, I figure I have a debt I have yet to repay, to say nothing of a purpose I may have found." The Knight will remark, offering a small smile as she tilts her head down some. She sounds curious, and that was far from a no.

### | Ariel | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Ariel]

"Don't think of it as a debt. I mean, I'm grateful that you showed up, but I don't want it to seem like that's hanging over your head." It seems the young pegasus knight had recovered quite quickly - moreso than Ariel had expected, but that wasn't a bad thing. It wouldn't behoove her to force people into service - better to make it where joining her cause was the best thing for them. Victorie's position within her family had helped with that, but arguably it was mostly the High Priestess herself that'd done most of the work. "I really would like your help. The Royal Plegian Army clearly has its eyes on Ylisse once they put us down, and despite their queen advocating peace between she and I, that peace stops at the border. Myself, I don't care where you're from. Trust me and what we have to fight for, what we have to fight against, and I'll do whatever I can to make sure you're more than just a noble's third-born daughter." If there was anything that could seal the Ylissian girl's allegiance, the troubadour thought, ensuring that she was someone important would be it.

TAGS victorie

 

[victorie]

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

The young woman will put a hand to her forehead, a sort of knightly salute that signifies she were raising the visor of her helmet, you know, if she had one of those. She should really get one of those. "I thank you then My Lady." She'll remark, squinting a bit as she sways some. Certainly not all there at the moment, but she's cut through the haze of the heat and while quite brain addled has finally come back to herself. But, in this case, it's far too late for any of that to matter.

Now, she was never that patriotic towards her nation, and that tended to draw from the fact it was split into duchies and princedoms and smaller houses that dictated one's allegiance much better than the name 'Ylisse'. She only tended to shout of the name of the Halidom in combat because it was much less of a mouthful than 'For The Duchy Superior!' and made far more sense than just shouting 'Superior!' It was very pragmatic really. But then, she was also more than ready to fight for that imaginary line which the name represented. And she would be damned if any trumped up Plegian Queen thought they would ever roll over. Thankfully there was nothing to fear from the Feroxi, they were far too busy sitting behind their wall and fighting each other to be a threat, but Plegia represented something far more present and far more dangerous... And, the Grimleal represented a chance for Victorie to strike back before they ever formed the power to be anything more than a potential enemy looming on the horizon. To say nothing of actually having a purpose beyond family to fight.

I do not truly suppose I know what I am fighting for my lady." She'll remark, furrowing her brow some as she tilts her head to the right, giving Ariel an uncharacteristically wary look. "But, I think I am ready to fight none the less." She remarks with a resolute nod, putting her hand out to the rider beside her.

Of course, she's convinced herself she hasn't given in to the High Priestess' influence, but that lie holds very little water and the insistence this is for her country is naught but a weak excuse to help smooth over the little moral issues that nibble away at her conscience.

And then there's the mention of her position, which draws a cringe from the woman as she coughs and turns her head. She... Didn't want to think that, but, it stuck right in the forefront of her noggin.

"Yes, lets." is all she will remark in response.

### | Ariel | notes

❖ nox ❖

[Ariel]

"I'm not a fan of all this fighting - the war has been taxing on me, mentally moreso than physically...But I still fight, because if we don't, the Plegian Crown will have the Grimleal rounded up like lambs to slaughter. If we could arrange a peace that doesn't involve me ceding what little authority I have, I'd probably take it." She'd accept it all right - she knows it will never happen thanks to warmongers on both sides who care more about killing the other guy more than winning, but it's not impossible to hope for. Ariel smiles again at Victorie, placing a hand on the knight's shoulder. If she had any doubts, any nagging reservations about joining Ariel's side, that simple gesture made them evaporate in an instant. It's a trick the Plegian brunette had perfected, people don't expect someone so high and vaunted to actually make physical contact with them - they trick themselves into thinking it's more sacred than it is. And while she didn't need tricks like that to recruit people, it never hurt. "Once we get to Altea, I'm going to have you fitted for a new set of armor - one that actually fits you, and does something for your figure - no offense but your current set is a bit bulky in places it doesn't need to be." Well, that'll probably get her attention if nothing else...

TAGS victorie

 

[victorie]

(( You're free to wrap it up whenever you want! ))

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie will shoot the Priestess a sidelong grin, her eyes narrowed a bit as she pats her pegasus once more. "You do not look it to say the least." She'll remark about the comment regarding how taxing a war can be, and this will lead her to arching her eyebrow once more. "To say nothing of how calm you seem after an apparent assassination attempt. One would expect to think you are already planning your strike back?" She'll question, pursing her lips a bit. She was still a fairly new student to strategy, but she had been trained in the ways of politics and she knew it was like any fight, composed of attacks and counter attacks, feints and jabs and all kind of other beguiling movements.

And then she'll giggle, a girlish airy laugh totally unbecoming of the knight astride her pegasus. "Pray tell me it will not be purple and covered in the marks and runes of Grima, I still have to return home now and then." She remarks with a hum and a nod. "And I have this inkling inclination that father would not approve of me joining the Grimleal, not to say I have yet to join." She remarks, turning her head a bit as she regarded the hand on her shoulder. Well... That was nice! "Lead on then Priestess." She'll add in an almost sing song voice.

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❖ nox ❖

[Ariel]

"Retaliation? No, I'm not thinking about that. Mindlessly throwing troops at your opponent creates the situations like what you just saw - a squadron of archers being taken down by a pegasus knight and a defenseless healer. They are attacking, and I am defending. If I start attacking, especially if I'm as reckless about it as the Queen has been, any advantage I might have is gone. When I do decide to make a move, it's going to have purpose to it." Ariel seems quite sure of herself as she speaks, the High Priestess may not be bestowed with divine knowledge, but she's savvy enough of military tactics (and has people who study those sorts of things for a living) to know not to commit that much to arguably a minor squabble. When the subject of the knight's new armor came up, Ariel just laughed. It was actually kind of funny, picturing the woman clad in purple and hailings to Grima. Part of her success came by having a low profile - the less people saw them as a megalomaniac cult, the better. "No, your armor's going to look fine! Purple would go well with your eyes, but making the entire armor that color is crazy! I'll let you look things over to make sure it's not too...overbearing, okay?" There's a slight pause, as the Grimleal Priestess grabs something out of her pack and hands it over. It's a small ribbon made out of blue silk, but someone has sewn the ends together to make a loop. Not only that, the ends appear to have been attached backwards - there's apparently only one "side" to it, instead of being a clear inside and outside. Certainly strange, to have done it like that. But there had to be some reason behind it. After all, Her Priestess seemed to always have a reason for these things...

TAGS victorie_thread over?

 

[victorie]

(( Fin on my part!))

Where there is Unity

Victory Lies

Victorie would blink several times as the trinket is offered up, being a Noblewoman and a rather accomplished jouster her first instinct is to think of this as the Lady's favor, but she'll screw up her nose and then chuckle as she tilts her head back some to secure the ribbon on the silver band she wears in her hair. ""Cute." She'll chirp in response, not making it known whether she knows what it's for, thinks she knows or has just settled for it to be a nice ribbon! She'll cast a sidelong glance towards Ariel as they continue on their way now, it certainly could not be all that far. "When you do strike back, I want to be there." She remarks, wholly confident that if she were just sent out with a band they could do the job on their own, but then, that might just be youthful invincibility. She's got a lot of that! Even as she snirks under her breath.

"Silver is much more my thing anyways."

### | Ariel | notes

❖ nox ❖