A visibly upset Ryuzo cones running out to the gate.
"Headmaster, what are you doing?!?"
"The announcement of your arrival did not go over well with the green mage teaching here. She is quite upset about the unseasonable weather."
"The Winter Princess took over the minds of several of my students. She helped in a plot to kill members of my family. The Winter Princess is not one of my students." Ryo says flatly. "Ryuzo, kindly go back inside. This does not concern you."
"She's my...we were...you can't just let this...creature...have her?!? It's not her fault! It's this twisted crone that made her do those things!"
Taking note of the aerial bombardment that has suddenly erupted in the skies over Avalon, Fei jogs around the school perimeter to try and locate some source to the disturbance.
"I found no compulsion in her mind after she was subdued and I looked. She was entirely at fault, my boy, and it seems she has control over you too, though in a much more mundane and effective way. You should be thanking me."
As the Winter Queen decides to investigate, Ryo goes to meet her just outside the gates. The capsule floats at his side rather gracefully for it's shape.
"Pay the boy no mind, he believes she loves him." The Headmaster says as he waves a hand over the capsule and reveals the unconscious Winter Princess. "She'll sleep until you get her to a safe place in your realm."
"Wha...what? She..? No! That's not..." his face gets very dangerous, and he looks to Mab
"You. You will pay for what you made her endure. Pain, by pain. I will tear your empire down around you, and when your minions refuse to heed you becasue they fear me more than you, you will cry out to the powers that spawned you and they will laugh, and look back at you with my eyes. On that day, I'll serve you to Titania naked and scarred on a f!+@ing platter." he spits, and turns and walks back to the school. His form distorts somewhat, but holds, and you can hear the fain, faint echoes of another woman, laughing...
Fei comes skidding to a halt on the path just inside the gates, looking back and forth at Ryo and the entourage outside, and Ryuzo's retreating form heading toward the school.
::Patience,:: Valēre's voice gently intones in Fei's mind. ::If all goes as planned, they won't need you here. Trust in your fellows.::
"I never said she was undamaged. She was quite a handful when it came to undoing her control on the students, and subduing her seems to have left... blank spots in her memory. I apologize for that, though the amnesia may make her easier to control in the future. I certainly didn't see the reason she left you anywhere in her mind."
"That arctic palace of yours is quite impressive, by the way. As expected of the Winter Queen."
::Patience,:: Valēre's voice gently intones in Fei's mind. ::If all goes as planned, they won't need you here. Trust in your fellows.::
Fei lets out a centering breath and maintains his position , the heat coming from his body clashing with the unearthly cold in the form of rising ribbons of steam.
He thinks to himself that - once this latest crisis is over - perhaps the swimsuit he is wearing needs to be burned. It does not seem to be possessed of any good luck at all. (o.O)
"So it does. Is that everything, your Highness?"
"A parting shot if you wish." Ryo sighs heavily. One last rain of molten rock falls toward the group, falling just short of actually hitting them.
Ryo goes back to his office and sits down in the chair quite quickly. Holding off that chill had been quite a strain without his focuses.
"It's done," she said, stunned. "I didn't think it would work. Ryuzo, your performance was brilliant. It completely distracted her. She barely examined the clone at all."
"She really doesn't like being called a crone, it seems." says with a wicked grin.
"Are they still moving?" she asked, tentatively checking on the current status of the guardians after Query's summoned creatures attacked them.
"She really doesn't like being called a crone, it seems." says with a wicked grin.
She chuckled. "Yeah, if I were you I'd avoid coming to her attention ever again after that."
"I reckon we'll cross paths again. Taht wasn't exactly an idle threat I threw out there. She will pay for what she did to you."
The sounds from the room with the guardians have quieted down, but whether that means the summoned creatures succeeded or not is yet to be seen.
"Mr. Kato? I believe this is yours." The Headmaster holds out the cloth. "A wonderful bit of magic I would love to try replicating at a later date."
He accepts return of his veil with a bow, and returns it around his neck.
"That's patron level work there Ryo-sama. But you are welcomed to try."
[Blink, Blink]
Fei looks around for a moment, but as everyone who could offer any explanation has gone he returns to the pool and starts breaking up the ice sheet covering it. :)
"Of course. Zren and Rikken are totally looking forward to it. And of course I'll still teach you how to fence. I did say I wanted to still be friends. That's not just words, you know," she said. Her cheerfulness didn't sound believable, but she was holding things together pretty well.
"I'm sorry for leading you on Sadie. I wish it were easier. I wish I was... that I wasn't so confused about this stuff. You're always so good to me." Vai still sounded ashamed, and wasn't making eye-contact with Sadie. "But, if Ursula gives you trouble again, I can roast her with lightning." Vai tried joking, but her voice sounded hollow and mirthless.
The sounds from the room with the guardians have quieted down, but whether that means the summoned creatures succeeded or not is yet to be seen.
"I'm probably going to regret this," she said, tying a handkerchief around her face to protect herself from flying dust and went back into the room to see if the guardians were dead or not.
"I reckon we'll cross paths again. Taht wasn't exactly an idle threat I threw out there. She will pay for what she did to you."
"Ryuzo....I would much rather have you than revenge. Don't get sucked into that mire. It doesn't end well."
"Of course. Zren and Rikken are totally looking forward to it. And of course I'll still teach you how to fence. I did say I wanted to still be friends. That's not just words, you know," she said. Her cheerfulness didn't sound believable, but she was holding things together pretty well."I'm sorry for leading you on Sadie. I wish it were easier. I wish I was... that I wasn't so confused about this stuff. You're always so good to me." Vai still sounded ashamed, and wasn't making eye-contact with Sadie. "But, if Ursula gives you trouble again, I can roast her with lightning." Vai tried joking, but her voice sounded hollow and mirthless.
"Vai, look at me. For real."
"You didn't lead me on. You gave things between us a chance. I'm allowed to feel disappointed that you don't return my feelings. I'm also allowed to hope that you'll change your mind someday. And even with all of that, I can still be your friend. You feel the way you feel. I care about you and I want you to be happy. Even if that doesn't happen with me."
He looks at her for a long, hard minute. It looks as if he's weighing something, as he looks deep in her eyes. She may feel a bit naked under his gaze, but he seems to decide something, and sighs.
"I love you very much. More than I did even two minutes ago. Your mother deserves worse than what my patron and I could do to her, for what she put you through, what she's put us through... But, I will not cause you any stress or worrying about me on a vendetta. I want our time together to be good memories. If you wish it, I will not seek vengeance."
Nala breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled. "That is what I wish. My mother has taken too much from me already and I would rather not waste another precious minute on her or her schemes. The only way I would get involved in that mess again is if it were necessary to protect others."
"Done, then. Is it odd to be hungry again?" as his stomach growls.
"Not really. I was too nervous to do more than pick at my food earlier even though it was good. I think maybe we should go get a second dinner, one we can actually eat and celebrate freedom," she said with a stunning smile.
"Thank you so much for your help, Headmaster. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am."
"Thank you so much for your help, Headmaster. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am."
"I protect my students." He replies simply. "She was quite ready to accept the lie that I would simply turn you over when it was wrapped in the truth of the things you've done. Things of which you have been forgiven, in case you need to be reminded."
"I'm probably going to regret this," she said, tying a handkerchief around her face to protect herself from flying dust and went back into the room to see if the guardians were dead or not.
Both guardians are looking at Ori, but the fire in their eyes are barely visible and they seem to have been crippled.
"Thank you so much for your help, Headmaster. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am.""I protect my students." He replies simply. "She was quite ready to accept the lie that I would simply turn you over when it was wrapped in the truth of the things you've done. Things of which you have been forgiven, in case you need to be reminded."
"I am reminded every day," she said quietly.
"I'm probably going to regret this," she said, tying a handkerchief around her face to protect herself from flying dust and went back into the room to see if the guardians were dead or not.Both guardians are looking at Ori, but the fire in their eyes are barely visible and they seem to have been crippled.
Ori folds a piece of paper into a shape that looks like a small sapling. She sets it down and it grows into a large treant that moves forward to attack the guardians.
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but the tone of your voice seems to express a bit of shame toward that fact. There are people in my family that have done truly horrible things, even to each other! If the family forgives you, you have accoplished something extraordinary. Though considering how many times Professor Sunwake has forgiven me for something, it might not seem like it..."
As easy as it is to hit them when they can't move, the treant doesn't have the strength to damage them further. It only manages to cause more clouds of dust to fill the air.
"How can I not be ashamed? The people I hurt most were the quickest to forgive me. I didn't know that kind of thinking was even possible before. I've worked hard to live up to that. But the others....the ones that were under my control, but not otherwise hurt...the only thing I forced them to do outside of their own nature was like me and dislike the people I disliked. But even that did so much damage, and they never let me forget it. And they're right. It's exactly the sort of thing my mother does and I've always hated her for it. I can't blame them for hating me. Just because I didn't take it as far as her doesn't make what I did right...." She looked away. "It's easier for the sins that happened away from the school to be overlooked. That I did what I did here and to my fellow students...I'll never get away from it. Not really."
Ori quickly exited the room before she inhaled anymore dust.
"So, we need to hit them with something stronger than a treant....how long do you think you can hold your breath, Jeran?"
Jeran shrugged. "Long enough."
He took a deep breath before heading into the room and taking a swing at the first guardian he encountered.
"It's easier for the sins that happened away from the school to be overlooked. That I did what I did here and to my fellow students...I'll never get away from it. Not really."
"I will never get away from for being the reason my brother became a vampire. Professor Yrrum will never get away from the fact he was part of a gang of thieves. Most recently, I doubt Michael Dacamara will forget what he did during the demon invasion. Yes, you hurt people, but I think you are becoming a better person for it."
"Would your mother be as remorseful?"
"Vai, look at me. For real."
"You didn't lead me on. You gave things between us a chance. I'm allowed to feel disappointed that you don't return my feelings. I'm also allowed to hope that you'll change your mind someday. And even with all of that, I can still be your friend. You feel the way you feel. I care about you and I want you to be happy. Even if that doesn't happen with me."
Vai finally makes eye contact as Sadie says her peace.
"I... thank you, Sadie. See, you're always so nice to me. Vai says, feeling like there was something in her throat. "I... I want to be happy too. My sister told me that Professor Yrrum might be able to make a potion that would help me overcome my... um..." she pauses, looking for the right word. "neuroses. I'm gonna talk to him tomorrow. Thank you for understanding though." Vai sighs and looks around at the fencing room. "I wish it were more simple."
More so than the treant, Jeran is capable of crushing enough of the first guardian to render the magic keeping it animated have nothing to hold it together. The glow of it's eyes go out.