Vacation Time!

She nodded, there was something special about Des, but she was just a child and children could have fear easily sticken into them. That's when she hear a old voice, raspy and the creaking of a mud crusted window, a voice beckoning them to take shelter within their home, when she turned to inspect the ace it was that of a kindly older woman. "Mme. Labelle!" She stage whispered, eyes wide. She hadn't seen this woman in many many years, along side Marie, she had helped raise Elaine. She was kind and motherly, she had most likely gotten exiled from the castle after Elaine's incident. When Suriel brought up the keys she gripped the Angels wrist, with a smal squeeze of reassurance, "It's alright, she's an old friend of mine." She went inside to see that she had come out with tea and a young boy, hiding behind her. "Nathanial....? My goodness....." She gasped, she knew that Mme. Labelle had had a grandson, her daughter had given birth to him right before Elaine left, just in time for her to visit the mother and the small-then- infant boy. "You wouldn't remember me, I only saw you for a brief moment when you were just a baby. You didn't cry you know, you had worried your family so much, but the minute I left the home, you let out the loudest wail that woke the village." Elaine recalled while chuckling to herself softly. Suriel had gone to further inspect the young boy, making him blush and smile slightly.

The older woman commented on how she must be popular with men and Suriel replied the she was Elaine's servant, saying all sorts of kind things which made her laugh slightly. Never had Suriel spoken about her like that and she found it funny. "She isn't actually mine; she belongs to someone with far more power than I." She interjected, causing the woman to nod understandingly, Elaine was comfortable with her and confidant she wouldn't judge her on any of what she did. The elder woman then asked why she had returned and Elaine sighed; pushing her hood back and letting her hair down. "Regardless if Suriel had come or not. I was planning to overthrow this island. I may be a felon, but I am also next in line to rule this island, and if it must be by force; I will make the sister islands believe that not all magic is evil. That it can be used for good...." She looked up towards the large mansion shadowing the village, "and that times are changing, and my people are more at risk to be afraid of magic then to open their arms to it. I wasn't planning to arrive here so early in my trip with my family, I was hoping to leave in the last possible time because I feared that I would not be coming home for quite sometime. I hoped that at that time, my family would be far enough across the water that they would stay out of harms way. But now it seems as though I have to work around this trip."

Elaine then had a spur of the moment, she turned toward Suriel and wrapped her arms around her. "Thank you...." She whispered to the angel. She knew that they had never been great friends, they had trouble getting along and both were-as much as they hated to admit it-most likely just fighting to get Azure's attention. Elaine understood though, she could never take Suriel's place; she was his closest friend and second in command. Elaine was nothing more than a girl he had fallen for only a few months ago. "For everything you've done for me, I know I can be a brat sometimes and I know I'm not your best friend but; thank you."

It was then that a loud noise, a stampede of feet tore through the streets. "It was her! I swear! The demon girl!" A voice shouted from outside "I saw her and another one, a young girl maybe, they went into that home!" There was then the sound of skin hitting skin, a small moan of pain and a body hitting the pavement outside. Elaine then pushed the young boy, his grandmother and Suriel into the back room. "Get them to safety, I'll be fine." She pushed them into the back room just as the door was locked down in a cloud of smoke.

Elaine was thrown against the table, breaking it in half. She could easily get up; summon her kings bow and kill everyone here in a matter of seconds; but she let knew that it would only cause more trouble, so she rained in the rubble of the home, lips sealed. "What are you doing here my Lady?"One of the guards sneered in mock sincerity. "We've been so worried about you." he continued, grabbing her and throwing her to the side into the wall. "Don't think you were being discrete; we knew you were on Crescent and we knew you'd come here. And you even went on vacation with your family. That's sweet, I wonder how they would feel if they saw you like this." when he picked her up again, facing him, Elaine spit the blood in her mouth at him. She hadn't expected them to know about Azure or Des, it's possible they even knew about Suriel. Her eyes flicked to the the back room briefly; she then proceeded to kick the guard holding her in the stomach and sprint to the back room; where Suriel was, her eyes wide. "We need to go back. Now." She said, with a bit of blood dripping down her face.

Elaine sighed and pushed the hair out of her face, a heavy weight on her chest, she knew this was suppose to be a vacation and yet she had spent the whole time fighting for her home. What Azure must think of her; she held her breath when Suriel took her hand, sayin that the fate of her home rested on her shoulders. She couldn't save an island, not something she had once destroyed, not something that had once abused her to the point where she felt like nothing more than a tool. At that moment she felt like screaming; she shouldn't have gotten herself into this and now there was no way out. She should have just enjoyed the vacation like Az had said.

Though, she was surprised when Suriel whispered two small words in her ear. Claiming that she two, know matter if Azurius was her true master, was also her master. Elaine smiled kindly and did a surprising thing for the second time that evening and hugged the angel once more. She was glad Suriel and her were actually getting along. Then the elderly woman left the two and Suriel headed off towards the hotel, telling her to go find Azurius and to go tell him the truth. But also warning her that every second she wasted was another life lost. This made her stomach churn and the guilt settle in. What if she couldn't win? What if more people were killed than saved? These thoughts ran through her head until she reached Azure, quickly she wiped the blood away from her mouth and walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing her head on his shoulder; giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Hey Love." She murmured; sliding down next to him and watching the ocean lap against the rocks. She rested her head on his shoulder, contemplating how to go about this. "I have something....I want to talk about with you....." She said, phrasing her words slowly and carefully.

Elaine was suddenly crushed to Azure's chest, so much so that it knocked the air out of her upon impact. She could vaguely make out some sort of muffled apology as he held her tighter. Needless to say she was confused, she wasn't actually sure why he was apologizing so much until the events from that preceding evening dawned on her. She began to giggle, which then turned into a full blown laugh as she peeled herself away from him; wiping the tears from her eyes she place her free hand on the side of his face.
"Oh, Love no....that's not what I wanted to talk about. Do you really think I wouldn't have stopped you if I didn't want that? Azurius, I was completely in my right mind out on the balcony; I was fully aware of where everything was heading. But sometimes I forget; that we can't be like other couples....but still, you don't have to apologize for any of it Az. If anything I should." She laughed and shook her head. Though, the nagging thought of her home island pulled at her. Her smile faded and she dropped her hands; not really meeting him in the eyes anymore.

"You see that island, out on the distance?" She pointed to the tiny island she and Suriel had returned from. "That is Alyssum, my home. That is where we were, and I didn't realize it until I got there.....but it is in desperate need of my help. I'm a criminal on my own land and I haven't returned there in years; up until tonight that is. A-and I know this is a lot to ask of you but I need your help....my people, aren't happy. They are ruled by fear and malice. I can't let them live like that any longer. They are shut out to the outside world." She rambled. She had stuttered which had made her upset because she wasn't a fan of showing weakness, and she knew that she never needed to beg for Azure to help her. But she felt the need to anyways, just given the fact that she had lied to him about her whereabouts and now, her life, his and even Des' we're in trouble.

She looked back at him, bit the inside of her lip and swallowed slightly out of nervousness, "Please Azurius, I need your help."

Azure's word made her smile. Even though she already knew the answer she was glad that he would help her with her mission. He helped her up and smiled, he pressed her into a hug before kissing her. She smiled slightly and deepened the kiss, though she was sure that it ended for to quickly as he apologized saying that he just wanted to try it one more time. She shook her head and laughed. "You do know you don't have to apologize to me every time you kiss me, right?" She said smartly as she walked back to the hotel with him. When they arrived there was a few of Azurius' spirits and soldiers that Elaine recognized. Aries and Sybil were two of them of whom she knew; then Azure proceeded to introduce the rest.
Aries explained that they had each six hours of magic power and asked her what was the plan.

"T-the plan.....right." She muttered, she hadn't gotten as far as making a complete plan but she was going to try her best. "The people of that village or our first priority, I want them as far from the battle as possible, no civilian casualties. Next up; the guards, they're stationed around the outer edges castle; they guard the cardinal points of the building. Rotating every two hours, about 35 guards per point. None of them are Mages so they should be easy to go down. Then there are the royal guards, those who protect the Lady and Sir of the island, those who run the island. There are 14 of them and they all possess magical powers. I've only seen the few of them....growing up around the castle I only witnessed their magic a few times in my life. I only know of 7 of them; air magic, water, fire, puppet, gun, take-over and immobilization. The other 7 I have never seen. I was never allowed to see them; they were my parents personal guards." She explained. She was sure that they could easily take these guards down; but she felt as though she should warn them before hand.

"The people who run the island....I can take them myself. It just requires a bit of....persuasion." She sighed, pushing her hair out of the way. She wasn't sure she wanted to go through with this, but the people living there couldn't live like this anymore. "So....um, any questions?"

Elaine watched as he gave all his spirits and soldiers tasks. It was interesting because she had never seen this side of him, it was the side that Suriel and the rest of them were probably the most comfortable with but to her, this was all new. She had never seen him be an actual general and yet here he was, ordering his friends to her own whim which made her feel guilty. She hadn't meant to drag everyone into this trouble and know, instead of enjoying a nice vacation, they were stuck freeing her island out of her own spite. She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face even though there was none there; a nervous habit perhaps.

She was going to war with the place she had once called home. She was going to war with the people she once called family. People who she grew up with. Some of which she loved. Some of which who raised her. She gripped the table, eyes slightly widened and hands shaking lightly; fingers tapping the the edge of the table. What was she doing? She couldn't do this. She wasn't a fighter. She was just a little girl playing pretend.

But she couldn't let them know that. She couldn't let them know that she was afraid. She swallowed her fear and stepped back from the table. " Requip. Heavens' Armour." She muttered; it was a risky move, but was needed in this situation. The black mark consumed her left arm completely, ending just after her chin in tiny spirals along her cheek. Obviously it was glad to be put to some use again, she could already feel the immense power from it, clenching her fist she willed herself to control her form. The last time the island had seen this, had been the day she killed hundreds. Today, she was ready to kill only two.

She looked up at Azure giving him a soft smile, letting him know that she remained in control, she pulled him into a hug, standing on her tippy toes and pecking him on the lips, she moved away but stayed near his face for just a moment longer. "If it consumes me," she whispered in his ear, "kill me." She breathed, before stepping away and turning to the people in front of her.

"Let's head out. Now I'm on a time limit too."

(Heavens Amrour: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/62/56/f3/6256f3b24e68ff72a69dcc77d5895b18.jpg )

Elaine mounted the creature with Azurius and Suriel. When it took off she grabbed on to Azure, her armour equipped had easily allowed her to fly, but had decided to go with something the locals could guess was a large bird. Once they were over the island, the other teams dispatched; clearing the island of the locals as they headed towards the large building overlooking the main village. The creature had barely passed the over the building before Elaine tapped Azurius on the shoulder.
"Best if he doesn't land. People may see him." She commented, before letting go of Azure, giving him a beckoning motion with her hand and slid off the creature. Free falling towards the back on the castle. She extended her wings at the last moment and landed gracefully on the ground. Silently she looked around at the current situation, a small group of guards rounded the outer wall of the castle. She switched to her Kings Bow, releasing a burst of deep blue magic arrows, putting the guards to sleep. The colour of her armour shifted into black and deep blue instead of the usually white and gold.

If Suriel and Azure were to going her on the ground, she would beckon them towards a door that read Servants Entrance and push the door open from there she would grab one of the cloaks hanging near the furnace and throw it over herself, handing off the other two to Az and Suriel. If they would wait to join her she would enter alone and wait for them at the bottom of a long stone stair case.

"This will lead us to the main floor. The evac of the locals no doubt drew their attention. They'll send the guards out front and fortify themselves with the 14 on the upper east wing. There are a few escape routes through out the mansion, we can use them to get to the east, but we don't have much time." She explained, beginning her trek up the stairs. Once on the main floor she waited until the guards closed the main door, slipped past, beckoning Suriel and Azure to follow. She skitted down the main hall, the marble flooring made it hard to stay silent.

She then stopped in front of a large family portrait. In it were three people. A younger version of Elaine. Dull brown eyes, her hair swept up in an elegant bun, wearing a long sleeveless navy dress that ended just after her bust and fell to the floor. She was standing at the side of a chair which sat another woman. The same blonde hair, with light blue eyes and small doll like features; much like Elaine's. She had a small smile on her lips and was wearing a deep green long sleeved floor length gown. Her hair was loose and curled around her arms. Finally, a man stood behind them. Black hair and brown eyes, steely features, with one hand on the chair, the other on Elaine's shoulder. Dressed in all black as though he was attending a funeral.

Elaine stared at the portrait maybe a tad to long. But she had the feeling that something was missing, or someone maybe. She stared longer, before shaking her head and pulling open the portrait to reveal a secret passage way. "In here. Quickly."

Elaine sighed, taking a look around, there were two paths and she had to close her eyes to remember which exactly lead where. She chose the one on the right and started to walk down it. "Kill them? No. They're idiots. They have no idea how to do anything good with their lives, and jailing them? No. That won't work either. They need to see, see all the pain and suffering they caused these people. I need to show them change. And if that doesn't work;" She turned and smirked, "There's always gentle persuasion."She laughed and continued down the path, before coming to another door, with a brief shove, she moved it, beckoning the others to follow.

They stood in a pure white room, what looked like a ballroom; trimmed in gold, a large piano in the corner, a few chairs, and large patio windows. Elaine stuck her tongue out at all the memories it brought back. She slipped off her cloak, giving the 'ok' to Azure and Suriel to do the same. She turned to the large doors in front of them; but they were blown open. Elaine, being tiny, was blown back; but landing on her feet in a graceful backflip. She would hope the others were okay, looking to see if they were injured. If they were she would run to their side, if they were okay, she'd hold her ground.

Two men emerged from the dust of the blast one with orange, blond hair and the there with dark green hair, holding a book. Elaine smiled and stood up, extending her arms and doing a mock-bow. "Akio~! Hisao~! To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting my two favourite guards in my least favourite place~?" She chimed, completely against her shy and determined nature. In the sense she was almost acting childish.

The Mage with the orange hair, Akio, smiled. "My Lady! My beautiful Lady Elaine. Haven't you grown~? Who knew that the little brat grew up to be an outlaw, come back to kill us all then?" The man asked. His extended his hands and flame burst at his finger tips. Elaine's smile dropped almost immediately, she extended her hand as well, and her bow appeared, arrows strapped on her back. "And what's this~? He asked, looking over to Azurius and Suriel, Elaine crouched low, ready to attack, "Brought the pity party with you? That's pathetic Eli. Really. That's the best you can do? Burn the village to the ground in a fit of rage? Isn't that a little, passeé? And what's on your face? That ugly thing is still there?" He teased. Then, with dizzying speed, he shot forward. Planting his fist in her stomach before she could react and sending her flying into the opposite wall.

Meeting her there Akio, threw her to the floor, creating a crater. Standing to her side he grinned. She pushed herself up, on her hands and knees. "The difference between then, and now. Is that I have a lot more control!" She shot up at almost the same speed; giving him a swift roundhouse to the chest, sending him flying through the doors he came through. She gave a sweet look to Azurius and Suriel, "You can deal with Hisao how you like. Be careful, he can be quite tricky. Get the book and he can't use the magic. Its puppet, by the way. So watch the strings." She gave a quick wink, extended her wings then shot forward into the next room where she had sent Akio.


Akio: ( https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b0/74/b0/b074b06d47a4855179d3f718db5be4ba.jpg )

Hisao: ( https://s666.photobucket.com/user/luna_kanzaki/media/Decorated%20images/show-1.jpg.html )

Elaine was busy in the other room, She and Akio were clashing swords, or, magic. Elaine was bringing everything she had to the table out of pure unbridled rage, sword after sword she clashed against the flames that he shot at her; time after time some swords were pushed away from her, flying into the wall behind her, some were melted were she stood. All this did was make her angrier. The mark grew on her face, swallowing up her other eye, turning this one gold.

"Face it my Lady, you can't beat me.....you are nothing more than the little girl you were years ago."The older Mage laughed, sending a spiral of flames towards her. She extended her wings and shot up, summoning her King's Bow. She drew it back and a large white magic arrow. When she fired it, it split into dozens of smaller arrows, unable to make the fire Mage move anywhere else. The arrows pierced their way through Akio and sticking him to the far wall.

Elaine landed, walking forward as the mark consumed just that much more of her body; taking her other arm and slowly growing up her leg. She stuck her arm out and a large broad sword, bigger than her body, she tipped the sword forward at his throat. "I....should kill you...." She hissed. Though her voice sounded distant, echoing slightly, like there was a hint of a voice that wasn't her own.

"You can't kill me. You don't have the guts to. You couldn't control it then, you can't do it now." Akio laughed, spitting out blood on to his shirt. Elaine smiled lightly, all emotion from her eyes gone. She drew her arm back and brought it down stopping before it hit him. Her arm was shaking slightly, battling herself as to if she should finish the hit or throw her weapon aside.

Kill him.

I-I won't!

Do it!!

"No!!!!" Elaine screamed. She threw her weapon away, it exploded into tiny light fragments as she picked up Akio by the front of his shirt and threw him back into the room where Azurius was battling. When she walked through the door Az would see her almost completely covered in her black mark. She'd give him a brief look before doubling over, coughing up a black blood-like substance over the marble floor.