Argor takes advantage of Preston's drunkenness as well as his own changed appearance to keep the man somewhat off balance until he is of a right mind for a proper discussion of this magnitude. As they arrive at the Vault of Abadar in the Ivy District, and requests of Jostlin Ferqyr, the bank's Keeper, to allow the pair a private office in which to speak.
Once their privacy is assured, Argor finally speaks up, "Sir Preston, you may not have recognized me to this point, but I am, in fact, Argor Blakros. Before you make any actions or disregard me, I ask you of a favor. Use your divine gifts to scan me for evil, and if you do not detect the presence of darkness upon my soul, please hear me out."
Argor sighs, "How best to put this," he ponders. "Please try and put yourself in my position. The woman I loved and married turns out to not only be captured, but I never wed in the first place, instead having been tricked by a spy. For months, the passions, love, and private conversations had all been a lie. And the weight of this truth comes crashing down on me in an instant. Is it truly so hard to believe that I was in shock, out of touch with reality?"
He sighs, "I acknowledge that I lost control of my summoned creature in that time. It acted according to the magics that bound it, and eliminated the perceived threat in the room. And afterward, in my broken state, the same serum that changes the form of your love so frequently tried to break me. And nearly succeeded, if not for the kindness, love, and friendship of the rest of my colleagues, Cladissa included. Their influence changed me, even more so than the serum. I see the world more clearly now, and realize that i can do so much more good with the resources my former self has garnered than I had before."
He looks Sir Preston firmly in the eyes, "I intend to seek atonement, and pledge my soul to Judge of the Gods. If he sees it fit to forgive my past transgressions, I humbly ask if you would do the same. I recall your vow to see me undone, and if you still insist to pursue that, then I will not hamper you. I will defend myself within legal means, because I do believe that I will be able to help the people of this city better if my standing within it's political structure does not falter. There is far more than enough corruption present already than to risk more of it filling the void my downfall would create."'
"In short, I humbly ask your forgiveness."
__________
It takes Preston most of the day to sober up enough to talk coherently. Once he realizes who his "friend" is, he get visibly angry. He waits for Argor to explain himself, while he scans the arcanist for evil.
"I always knew there was darkness in you. I only ignored it because of my love for Cladissa, and her friendship for you; and for the fact that you were a Varlokkur, and would not dare to jeopardize that by breaking any law of Absalom."
Sir Preston slams his fist into the arm of his chair. "Now, your weakness has cost me my love. She sided with you in the wake of such wickedness - over me!"
The paladin takes a moment to slow his breathing. "I don't want to see you "undone", Argor. I couldn't give less of a damn about your political position, or your role at the Arcanarium. If you are truly different...though I find that hard to accept...then you will willingly resign as a Varlokkur. How much power does one man need? A maven, a Blakros, a wealthy businessman with connections across the high nobles of the city, and now a "great hero"...champion of the benevolent Pathfinder Society. Fahgh! When was the last time you even made an arrest or sat on a tribunal? Why should the city empower you to enforce her laws when you don't even have time to, or seem to care..."
"To be frank, I don't know if I can ever forgive you. All I know is that my men in Mendev need me, and I abandoned them for the call of a mercurial Jezebel who would dispose of me as easily as a piece of jewelry. If you will not resign, then I will enter a sworn statement of exactly what I witnessed in the Mausoleum with your superiors. What happens then is beyond my control. I will be leaving for the Worldwound in two days' time. You have until then to decide."
"I may not be able to forgive you, but I offer you this one chance to avoid disgrace, to retire quietly from law enforcement. I do this out of respect for your seemingly honest contrition." Sir Preston stands, shoving his chair back more roughly that necessary. He walks quickly to the door, but then pauses. He looks back over his shoulder with an unreadable expression. "Goodbye, Argor. Don't contact me again unless it's to say you've resigned. I'm staying at the Mermaid's Dimple until my ship sails." The heartbroken, angry paladin leaves the office, shutting the door behind him.
"I can accept those terms. Also, if you are willing, I can arrange for faster travel to your destination, if you'd wish it," Argor says after a brief thought.
He allows the paladin to leave before approaching Keeper Ferqyr about arranging a proper atonement. After, he flies to the office of the Third Spell Lord, Utgar, and without divulging any details, resigns from his post as Varlokkur. If pressed for reasoning, he honestly informs the Spell Lord that he must focus his efforts on rescuing Imrizade and eliminating the threat of this Onyx Alliance.
He returns to Verde Heights, and seeks out Cladissa. He waits patiently for her to meet with him in his office.
Preston pauses as he shuts the door. "What transportation?"
"When I reformed into a human, my powers over magic improved as well as my outlook on life. Tomorrow, if you'd like, I can teleport us to Mendev and then return myself."
"I....uhh." The paladin nearly chokes on his next words. "Thank you, that would be much faster. I will need the day to settle my affairs, perhaps I could come to Verde Heights in the evening?"
"I will need until dawn to prepare the spell and recover my spell allotments. Finding you in your...condition...wasn't easy," the mage says with a sly smile.
"But do come by for dinner. I insist."
A cat-shaped shadow detaches from the wall and speeds away.
=================
Cladissa is working on tending wounded and giving follow-up care to the victims of the attacks when Cole appears at her feet. "Yes? Verde Heights, huh? Okay, let me finish up here," she tells her familiar, then turns back to the poultice she had been securing on an acid burn. Once completed, she gives some instructions on how to change the dressing and then extends her spider legs to move rapidly through the streets.
Once at Verde Heights, she goes directly to Argor's office, not liking the emotions she's feeling from her familiar.
"Argor, you wanted to see me? How did your meeting with Sir Preston go?"
"Yes, I did, thank you for coming," he says as he rises and gestures her to a neighboring chair.
"My meeting with Sir Preston went...better than expected. He insisted I resign as Varlokkur, which I have already done."
Cladissa sits, studying Argor intently. Her eyes widen when he says he had resigned as Varlokkur. "Really? Wow, Argor, that's... well, something. I'm sorry."
She looks away for a moment, dreading what would come next. "He's... we're through, aren't we?"
He looks at the sorceress sympathetically. "I do not know. I think there may be a chance to salvage your relationship, if you truly cherish it. Harsh words in the heat of the moment can sometimes be easily forgiven."
Cladissa looks down into her lap. "Easily? Argor, I need your honest assessment. Is he willing to forgive me? Because I'm still not sure if I'm ready to forgive him."
"I will need until dawn to prepare the spell and recover my spell allotments. Finding you in your...condition...wasn't easy," the mage says with a sly smile.
"But do come by for dinner. I insist."
"I will not trouble Cladissa with my presence. I would prefer we meet only as long as necessary for the teleportation."
"Well...easily is a relative term," he admits. "but in my opinion, I believe you should forgive him, if he is willing to forgive you. His wrath was directed at me, and rightfully so."
He pauses a moment to let his words sink in, "I will not meddle in your affairs further. Clearly I am not the person to give advice on love..." he becomes melancholy for a moment as his mind returns to the loss he so recently suffered. He quickly changes the subject, however. "There is another matter I need to discuss with you. A favor, actually..."
The mage nods, and allows the paladin to leave as he begins making his own arrangements for the following day.
"Well...easily is a relative term," he admits. "but in my opinion, I believe you should forgive him, if he is willing to forgive you. His wrath was directed at me, and rightfully so."
Cladissa stands, heated. "And what about my wrath?" she demands, pounding her breastbone. "My best friend, taken! Impersonated! You dissolved into a puddle of goo! I was trying to hold everything together, and what does he do? Yell at your stupid imp and call you a coward! Does he help me? Does he give me the least little bit of comfort? No!"
She looks as though she is about to break down into sobs, but she regains control over herself. She stands straight and tall, eyes crackling with arcane energy. "He needs to prove himself worthy of me. I am Cladissa d'Lavigne Velorryan, and I am not going to crawl back to him!"
She calms herself, smoothing her skirts as she sits back down.
He quickly changes the subject, however. "There is another matter I need to discuss with you. A favor, actually..."
"Yes, whatever you need," she says.
|
Throughout the following day, Sabrina trails Cladissa around. Despite her terrifying appearance, thanks to her new reputation as a hero and old reputation for strange appearances, no one really bats an eye at the giant, four-legged, golden monster covered in eyes and tentacles and sporting teeth and claws bigger and thicker than a grown human man's forearm.
Yig's Champion mostly seems to be looking for something... or perhaps... someone?
Thankfully, the day proves to be uneventful until Argor's return.
In order to clear and refresh his mind and body, Gianluca goes to the Arshean temple baths.
He comes home breathing easier, with a warm satisfied smile and a new glisten to his honey-gold skin.
Argor gives Cladissa time to vent her frustrations quietly and sympathetically. He knew all too well the pain she must be experiencing, even if it was just a fraction of what he had endured.
Once she relaxes and acknowledges his request for aid, he stands and walks to the window as his prior self had done countless times, though this time it seems less sinister and more...sad.
"I...I have also agreed to undertake a formal atonement for my actions, though a private one. It shall be performed by Jostlin Ferqyr. I don't know if you are familiar with her, she is the Keeper of the Vault. In doing so, my world outlook may...change once more."
He turns and looks apologetically to Cladissa. "I know you and the others all endeavored to help redeem my soul from the pits of Hell, and for that I will be forever grateful. However, once the spell is complete, I cannot guarantee how I will feel then. As such...I need you to help me, both now and after, to maintain a proper moral compass."
"I have gathered the reagents necessary to perform the ritual to call a new familiar to my side from the Outer Realms. I...I was hoping..." he stammers, [b]"I was hoping that you would help me. Help me to call one that would serve as an anchor to this...this way of life that you have given me. Even after I atone. With enough help and time, perhaps my views will once more shift and naturally return to my current way of thinking. And if not...I will have a constant conscience guiding me back. Even...even if..."
The next day, Anja Blakros goes shopping to spur the economics of the disaster relief. After a tour of the best weapons makers in the city, she returns with a large package wrapped in a bow.
That night, she makes a special occasion after supper at Verde Heights. "Well, Grommesson if you insist on apprenticing with Argor and his companions, you will need a weapon. If for no other reason than to dissuade ruffians from attacking an armed man." With a clap, a footman brings in the large package.
With some grace, Grommesson opens the package revealing a falchion in a scabbard. "It's beautiful, but... Couldn't you find a bigger sword? Maybe a halberd?" He asks with a grin. "Thank you so much," He embraces Anja in gratitude.
Stepping back, he unsheathes the falchion to admire the craftsmanship.
"The smith said was a good blade, but I think it's very pretty and intimidating." Anja offers.
Cladissa nods silently in agreement, only once interjecting that she was familiar with Keeper Ferqyr, when she was working on the slavery reforms.
When he finishes, she sighs softly. "Absolutely, Argor. You will always have my support in this. I still feel... uneasy about how I put you on this path toward goodness and atonement. I did what I felt I had to in order to keep your soul from slipping into the Abyss -- because despite Rutai's machinations, the turmoil I sensed in your mind stank of demonic chaos. I believed the last thing you would want is for your soul to have been consigned to the very pit that spawned our enemies."
She stands again and moves close to him, taking one of his hands in hers. "I hope and pray this is genuine repentance borne of your own free will. If all this is just something I've imposed upon you, then I've made a terrible mistake. I've long hoped you would see the virtues of a good and altruistic heart. Maybe I've finally shown that to you. You had certainly challenged me to be better than I was."
"Whether or not it was a direct imposition, the serum, or my subconscious matters like at his point. But one thing is for certain," he says as he raises his free hand to the side of her face, stroking her hair back away from it as his golden eyes stare into her violet ones, "I owe you and the others everything."
Seemingly returning from whatever side track his mind had taken, he blinks and steps away towards his desk. "The...the ritual is a long one. Shall we begin?"
Cladissa clears her throat. "Um, yes. Let's." She closes her eyes for a brief moment, and in response a cat-shaped mist arrives and solidifies. Cole meows once, shakes his head and paces around the office, tail proudly in the air.
The pair work the ritual, for hours and hours. As day slowly turned to night, and the rest of the staff began to go to bed, the magics of the ritual slowly, surely, begins to coalesce. A portal begins to open up in the center of Argor's office, a small, convalescing oval of pure white light.
The energies suddenly dissipate in a flash, and as their eyes begin to readjust, a halfling sized angel can be seen kneeling in the center of the room. Her hair the color of pure woven gold hangs over her shoulders, and her armor gleams in the now dimming light.
The angelic being rises to her feet, looking about the room. "This is always such an awkward sensation," she says as she observes the rooms occupants. She feels the connection between herself and Argor, and curtsies towards him. "Adrenia, at your service."
She looks at the pair a moment, "Exactly, if you don't mind my asking, who and what are you?"
"Argor, of House Blakros. I thank you for answering the call to service. This is Cladissa d'Lavigne Velorryan. We are both humans, albeit...modified."
Cladissa smiles brightly at the diminutive angel, and Cole rubs against her leg affectionately, purring loudly.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Adrenia. There's much to be caught up on, but the ritual was long and I'm tired. It's been a trying few days, so I'm going to take advantage of a chance to rest."
She reaches out to squeeze the wizard's arm as she turns to leave. "Argor? I'm glad you're still alive."
She retires to her room, spending some time laying down strands of webbing throughout her chambers before drifting off to sleep.
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As Cladissa heads to her room, she notices Sabrina lumber by like the world's angriest bear. Try as she might, one of the golden woman's extra eyes briefly glances over at the entrance to Argor's chamber before snapping away really quickly.
"It's nothing, Classy," Sabrina obviously lies if pressed before stalking away.
By the third day after the attack, things are returning to normal. Thanks to the sheer amount of wealth and magic in the city at the center of the world, the repairs are going much faster than they would somewhere more mundane. Any injured citizens who can be saved have been magically cured, and some of the wealthier districts look as if nothing had really happened. The crowd around Verde Heights seems to have dissipated over night, leaving only crushed flower petals and food packaging in their wake.
Word travels through the city by public criers that Lord Gyr and the members of the High Council will be holding a ceremony to honor the dead. They plan to unveil a new memorial for the fallen at the mass graves north of the city walls, within sight of the Azlanti Keep. The ceremony will be open to the nobility and a certain number of the public, on a first come first serve basis. The city is abuzz with an odd mixture of grief and excitement at the news.
A messenger from the Grand Council arrives at Verde Heights by mid-morning, bedecked in the full livery of the city. He hands his message to Grommesson with a smart bow, mistaking the half-orc as the lord of the house, waving his adamantine blade about. The letter is sealed in gold wax with the crown and eye haraldry of Absalom.
Greetings Pathfinders,
The Pathfinders colloquially known as the 'Freaks' are hereby cordially invited to attend tomorrow's Ceremony of Remembrance as the High Council's special guests. Tales of your heroism during the attack of two days past have not gone unnoticed. You are all to be awarded the Aegis of Aroden, our city's most prestigious medal of honor, for your valour and selflessness in the face of disaster. An escort will be sent to get you at the first light of dawn; the ceremony to be held at noon. You will be feted as our city's best, please dress accordingly.
We overflow with anticipation,
The High Council
Throughout the following day, Sabrina trails Cladissa around. Despite her terrifying appearance, thanks to her new reputation as a hero and old reputation for strange appearances, no one really bats an eye at the giant, four-legged, golden monster covered in eyes and tentacles and sporting teeth and claws bigger and thicker than a grown human man's forearm.
Yig's Champion mostly seems to be looking for something... or perhaps... someone?
** spoiler omitted **
Thankfully, the day proves to be uneventful until Argor's return.
Cladissa's eyes narrow and her jaw sets when Sabrina mentions the possibility of her being targeted again. ::Let her think that:: she transmits while her eyes crackle with barely restrained energy.
When Cladissa sees the note, she scowls somewhat. The battle certainly did not feel like a victory. She didn't like the idea of wasting more time on pomp and ceremony while she could be focusing her efforts on learning about the shadow realm and how to navigate the lightless plane.
Still, there was some value in showing the population of the city that there were willing defenders, and certainly their efforts had made some difference.
"Dress accordingly?" she asks Cole, who yawns in response. "This is getting ridiculous." She spends a couple hours trying on her various fine dresses that she'd collected over the last several months, using Hrim's sleeves to make the necessary adjustments to her current form.
Once that task is complete, she ventures out into the streets to do some shopping. After another couple hours, she locates a small shop that offers an esoteric collection of odds and ends. She decides to pick up a rod of grasping hexes to extend the range of the strange powers she wields. The gnarled branch tucked into a sheath on her belt, she heads back to Verde Heights to check on Sabrina and her sisters.
The next day, Argor arises a new man...again. He seems quite a bit more at ease with his new self than he had before, and the angelic woman at his side is a very pleasant being to interact with. He makes his way through the manor introducing Adrenia to the various staff members, informing them that she is taking the place of Rutai in the household.
At breakfast, he makes an announcement, "Everyone, this is Adrenia. She has agreed to become my new familiar in place of Rutai."
She rises from her seat and curtsies, "A pleasure. Argor has told me a bit about you all, but I like forward to getting to know you each and everyone."
Argor then adds, "Also, I wanted to let everyone know that I am going to be undertaking an atonement today, as I've already told Cladissa, to truly rectify any other damage to my soul I may have done prior to everyone's intervention on my behalf. I...have noticed that some parts of my memory are foggy, other parts outright missing. As such, I feel this is the most certain way for me to cleanse my soul of any misdeeds I may have done in those times. I would appreciate it if all of you would be attend. You...you've all done so much for me the past few days that I could never repay. It would mean the world to me to have you all by my side for this."
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Sabrina and her sisters are not at breakfast. According to Mr. Goodpies, the twins evidently only eat when they want. Meanwhile, Setsuna already collected and prepared some baby formula for Shion earlier in the day.
(It had been in stock because he had been anticipating a new addition to the Blakros family and wanted to be prepared.)
"Nothing seems to be getting through to them! I've tried Eugeni, Zoli, mom, and grandma, but all my Sendings just get... static. There should be no issues; I'm not on another plane of existence!" says Setsuna's very pretty and very worried voice when Cladissa gets close to their room.
"What about Teleporting?" inquires Sabrina, her voice laced with frustration. "We need to get Shion out of here!"
"Not an option. Even putting aside the change of a misfire, I experimented with Dimension Door yesterday, and the spell wouldn't even activate when I was holding Shion. It's like she's a localized Forbidden zone!" Setsuna mumbles. "Cloud Walking isn't an option either. Shion has no control over her motor functions, so she would most likely just fly straight into orbit. That wouldn't end well. I- Oh, hello, Cladissa! Talk about excellent timing. I guess I don't need to explain why I'm still here."
One of Sabrina's spare eyes snaps over to the spider woman, and the entire golden beast turns to face her friend.
A bag of goods is gently placed into the witch's hands.
Inside is 1,000 gp from the second loan Cladissa made to Sabrina. Addition, there are two scrolls. Much like she did with the copying componentrs for Argor's wedding gifts, Sabrina even included the ingredients that Cladissa uses to make Cole's spell soup!
"Hit Auronee with these for me, will you? I talked to Opsrey and Dreng this morning. Turns out that traitorous b~$%! was a Shadow Lodge stooge the entire time. Now she's a mass murderer. I knew that she was too good to be true."
"Language, Atty!" chastises Setsuna.
A sleepy Shion yawns lazily.
"...Right. Baby. Sorry."
Cladissa tries to not react overmuch to Sabrina's current appearance, which she finds rather hard to look at. Picking an eye stalk and going with that to make eye contact, she accepts the bag and items. "I'd almost forgotten about all this. But thanks," she says, brow furrowing over the spells on the scroll.
"Wait. WHAT???" she blurts out when informed that her stepsister was a traitor. "No. No, that's-- No. Just, no." She squeezes her eyes shut and paces a bit, replaying her last few interactions with Auronee.
"Impossible. Remember, they have doppelgangers. Auronee's too much of a goody-two-shoes with her father and all of Taldor to join the Onyx Alliance. Labyrinth. Whatever they call themselves."
She lets out a groan that sounds far too weary for one so young. "Now I have to go rescue my worst enemy along with my best friend!" she laments.
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Sabrina seems a little hurt by the "best friend" comments, but she does not press that point.
One of Sabrina's tentacles extends and closes the door.
"Shadow Lodge," corrects Sabrina. "The difference is important. While they might've folded into the greater Onyx Order, the Shadow Lodge was originally a secret society within the Society itself. Or something like that. Point is that I can definitely see a cunning but arrogant liar like Auronee joining it to advance herself within our ranks with ultimate designs of secretly taking us over. I'm 99% certain that Auronee is Auronee too. All of two or three days before the Oynx Order attacked, she helped me and Argor deal with some... old associates. Unless they have a psychic doppelganger with as much combat and magical power as her, that was definitely Auronee who helped me..."
Sabrina groans and flops over on her side.
"Why is seemingly everyone I know secretly evil?" Yig's Champion moans.
"...I think that it's very commendable that you want to rescue her, Cladissa," says Setsuna, ignoring her older sister's antics. "From what Sabs tells me, you and Auronee... aren't on the best terms."
Cladissa shakes her head, unconvinced. "Maybe, maybe she could have dabbled with the Shadow Lodge, but I don't see it. She's never needed to resort to underhanded methods to get ahead before. Maybe it's her, and she's mind controlled somehow. Hell, I'm guilty of charming a foe or two."
She pinches her brow, stomach twisting at the prospect of coming to actual blows with her step sister or a very close approximation. She groans softly, swaying on her feet. "All right, listen: under no circumstance is Auronee to be killed. She'll be dangerous, but she may not be in control of her actions. Can you do that for me?"
At breakfast, he makes an announcement, "Everyone, this is Adrenia. She has agreed to become my new familiar in place of Rutai."
She rises from her seat and curtsies, "A pleasure. Argor has told me a bit about you all, but I like forward to getting to know you each and everyone."
Argor then adds, "Also, I wanted to let everyone know that I am going to be undertaking an atonement today, as I've already told Cladissa, to truly rectify any other damage to my soul I may have done prior to everyone's intervention on my behalf. I...have noticed that some parts of my memory are foggy, other parts outright missing. As such, I feel this is the most certain way for me to cleanse my soul of any misdeeds I may have done in those times. I would appreciate it if all of you would be attend. You...you've all done so much for me the past few days that I could never repay. It would mean the world to me to have you all by my side for this."
Gianluca gives the new Argor a hug. "I'm glad you've chosen the Atonement. I can see that your intentions are currently pure but--meaning no disrespect--it does take work to make a change like you're making, and there will always be temptations to take the path of Evil. And you do have things to atone for. Realizing that is an important step.
"I will be proud to stand beside you when you do, and have confidence that this truly is a New Day for Argor Blakros."
"Why is seemingly everyone I know secretly evil?" Yig's Champion moans.
"Hey, what am I, Arshean chopped liver?" The Honeyed Hand quips.
When Sabrina's accusation settles in, Gianluca frowns. "Cladissa, you absolutely have my word. Hopefully Sabrina's information is wrong, but if we do encounter her on the fields of battle, I will do my best to take her down alive."
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Like a big, golden monster dog, an alert and focused Sabrina sits up.
"...Why? After everything she's done to you, when offered the perfect chance to destroy Auronee, you're still willing to let her... get away with it? I can't even..."
"Take a few deep breaths, Atty," Setsuna says calmly. "Think over your next words carefully. I understand that you're frustrated with the current situation; I am too. However, Cladissa is your friend. She's on your side. There's no need to lash out at her."
Sabrina gapes like a fish for a few seconds.
"Cladissa, as Setsuna as said, I'm incredibly frustrated right now. I'm currently feeling very powerless and abandoned. I'm... sorry if I'm... being rude. I'm just... It's a lot of things! Putting aside the Yellow elephant in the room, I... Setsu, explain please!"
"...In light of something we just learned about him, I think my sister is jealous and bitter about all the attention and care Mr. Blakros was given. The recent news regarding Auronee was another metaphorical boot to the head. It's all compounded by that Yellow elephant," Setsuna explains calmly, clearly struggling to be as neutral as she can.
"That! I kind of feel like my entire life is a lie, and... I promise that I won't kill Auronee. And I'll maintain the spirit of that vow. I won't break every bone in her body or use exotic magic that'll make her wish she was dead or something else twisted like that. I'll just quickly incapacitate her as painlessly as possible."
Cladissa covers her face in her hands as Sabrina rails against Auronee. Emotions try to overwhelm her once more, and she fights to keep them at bay. After several measured breaths, she lowers her hands and stares at Sabrina.
"I've lived in Auronee's shadow for so long, I've forgotten what it's like to be in the light. But though I always fall short when compared to her, in this I can be better than her. I'm going to save her, even if she doesn't deserve it."
Looking uneasy, she grows silent. ::What's bothering you, Sabrina?::
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::...I, uh, kinda wish you'd been there to help Gianluca drag my melting corpse home; when you... departed to collect yourself, before Handsome Honey showed up, I truly thought that I was going to die alone. Going by your recently comments about friendship, I guess I hold you in higher regard than you do me... I probably have abandonment issues?
There is a very long pause.
::And there's this thing Sestu and I just learned about Argor, and now I'm all irrational and jealous about his recent treatment and terrified that he's going to feed Shion to a crocodile::
Cladissa presses her fists to her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut. The stresses of the last few days suddenly gave her a headache. She clamps her jaw shut to keep from screaming in frustration.
::It's too much. Sabrina, I'm sorry, but I wasn't ready to watch you die. Not after Imri, Argor, Preston, the whole attack, Mom, Auronee, I just-- I just-- I CAN'T!::
Tears begin to fall down her cheeks. She measures her breathing, her eyes still shut. "I'm only one woman, Sabrina. I'm sorry. I should have paid you more attention, but didn't. In your case, I trusted that you would fight it off, that you would stay with us. I didn't feel that same way with Argor."
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At a loss for words, Sabrina gapes like a fish again.
"D'aw, Classy~!" she finally chokes out, all her eyes tearing up as well.
Sabrina Wild Shapes into a golden (but otherwise normal and cute) puppy and moves to give her friend a big, ol' hug. She starts yipping what must be apologies of her own.
Granted, at her reduced size, she only manages to hug her friend's shin, but it's the thought that counts, right?
Argor bows his head with a smile towards Gianluca.
Cladissa lowers herself to her knees and embraces the excited puppy, letting the tail-wagging bundle of fur make her feel much better. Cole meows in protest, but she just rolls her eyes at him. "You'll always be my favorite furball, but you have to admit dogs just have that unconditional love down."
The black cat sniffs with his air of feline superiority and trots off to her room.
Setsuna lets her sister and Cladissa have as much time as they need.
Once things start to calm down, she sighs and says, "Cladissa, sorry for dancing around the issue, but we've recently discovered something about Mr. Blakros, and we aren't entirely sure how to proceed with the information. It was ultimately what caused us both to... get so worked up. That being said, I'd rather not add another problem to the pile on your plate. Or as Sabrina aptly puts it, force you to endure another boot to the head. What we learned isn't... particularly pleasant."
Rocking back on her haunches, she looks up at Setsuna and resists an instinctive urge to wrap the puppy up in her webbing to save for later.
"Go ahead and hit me with it. Might as well, otherwise I'll be fretting about it until you tell me."
"I'll try to remain as neutral as possible. Just give you the hard facts.
"A few days after Mr. Blakros' wedding, myself and my grandma Rilee teleported to Absalom to acquire some much needed supplies. Long story short, we were trying to thwart a literal Giant invasion of Varisia; a Stone Giant chieftain fancied himself a conqueror and banded the local tribes together for his wicked ambitions. My friends and I disagreed.
"We lacked the means to teleport under our own power, so I Called a Hound Archon by the name of Elvis to assist us. He carried us in a Bag of Holding. Elvis is an old friend of our family. He saved me and Sabrina when we were children, so I hold him in high regard. Elvis is a noble, selfless paragon of Good. He would never lie about what I am going to tell you...
"Completely by chance, we encountered Sabrina, and she put me and grandma in contact with Mr. Blakros. He gathered everything on our list in something like nine hours. I... He was a miracle worker. Of note, a potent potion of Ward the Faithful he secured has proven to be exceptional useful in our adventures. Without it, we wouldn't be talking right now. I store it in a Bountiful Bottle, so I can use it every day. When he was... Argoo, I wanted to repay his kindness, so I blessed the potion and administered it. Zoli, Eugeni, Rilee... We're all grateful for what Mr. Blakros did for us.
"I was incredibly distracted by the impending Giant invasion, so I failed to notice that Elvis started to act really strange around Argor. When we went into Argor's store, he just... shut down. Sabrina was able to carry him around like a sack of flour for the rest of the day.
"When Elvis teleported us back to Varisia, he started talking again. I interrupted it as nonsense: 'I ain't nothing but a Hound dog... snoopin' 'round the store. I ain't nothing but a Hound dog... Poor kid was bleedin' on the floor. I ain't nothing but a Hound dog... cryin' all the time... cryin' all the time... cryin' all the time... cry-'
"Again, I put it out of my head because of other issues, but I had a lot of time to think about it all yesterday. Being in Mr. Blakros' presence jogged my memory. Curiosity got the better of me, and I... With Sabrina present, I summoned Elvis and asked him what happened. He... broke down and told us everything.
"Evidently, Argor... tends to summon him whenever he wants a Hound Archon. Working with him hasn't been particularly kind to Elvis. However, the last time (?) he was summoned by Argor...
"Argor caught a young man stealing from his store. His age is important, Cladissa; Argor actually called him a 'child'! The kid was just interested in learning some magic. He had discovered his aptitude for magic and put together a little spellbook. Elvis thinks that he was an orphan without support; the kid was poor and heard that Argor's store had some spells, and, well, he decided to help himself because he didn't have a master or the means to get into a school. I... don't agree with the boy's actions or decisions, but his fate...! Anyway, Argor summoned Elvis as backup and caught the kid in the act.
"After learning that no one would miss the guy, Argor disabled him with a spell and then dragged him into the Alchemy lab. He promised him a 'less severe' punishment if he cooperated, so the young man didn't fight back. For the crime of attempted theft against Argor Blakros, he ordered Elvis to 'execute' the kid. That was the 'less severe' punishment."
Setsuna shivers.
"Elvis pleaded for mercy; Argor had none."
The Oracle pauses for a long time.
"...Elvis was unsummoned shortly after, so he didn't witnessed what happened next. However, Divination tells me that Argor most likely summoned crocodiles to dispose of the body and promptly forgot about what happened like it didn't matter..."
Setsuna hugs a slumbering Shion tightly.
"...If Castle Doctrine applies in Absalom, then Argor was legally within his rights to do such a thing. However, just the idea of what happened...! I... wish I knew what to do."
Cladissa stands still, staring into space with a blank look, making it easy to wonder if she heard a word from Setsuna. After several minutes, she quietly walks over to a corner and empties her stomach.
When she finishes, she walks back over to the sisters very composed. "Very well. In a few hours, Argor will be undertaking an atonement. It will be on him to make up for this, and now what I suspect for a great many more deeds that have gone unnoticed by us. It will be on him. If he is strong enough, and dedicated enough, he will succeed and we shall put this knowledge behind us, for his sake. If he fails, well, then may the gods have mercy on his soul. Because I sure won't."
She turns without anything further and heads to her room.