Consequence [Closed]

Two days had passed since Almyra and Anastasia had gone to Desierto to pay respects to her sister only to have to save what remained of the village after the Red Sand Bandits had attacked. Unable to be healed magically, but unable to heal as well without her magic, Almyra requested that Ana not to the Neutral Grounds for her to recover. It was difficult to heal her, but they managed to stem the bleeding completely. No longer at risk of dying, she assured her healers that she would be able to recover, given time. With no home of her own to rest in, she simply stayed on George, lying in the bed, wanting to move as little as possible. Her chest and the remains of her left arm still hurt quite a bit, but the other injuries she had sustained, while still present, were less painful.

Ashe would likely have received news of the fact that Almy was injured, and that Almy wanted to see her, but the exact extent of her injuries weren't revealed. It would be her first time seeing Almy in this state. The girl was currently lying in bed, holding her doll to her chest with her good arm with her eyes closed, resting, but not asleep. She was covered by a blanket and her bad arm was under it. What was visible currently of her injuries was a bandaged wrapped around her head where she had been cut by the bandit. She also had another cut on her face, but this was unbandaged and mostly healed.

"I hope she's hungry. She likes stew right?"

I would assume so. She did say she lived in the wild before, much like you did. I would be very surprised if she got along without making stew at some point.

"Well, you never know! Maybe she dislikes vegetables or something."

Ashelia, have you seen the girl eat? I have seen starving dogs more peckish eaters than she is. It will be fine.

"Well...if you say so." Ashe muttered to herself, grabbing hold of the stew with a pair of pot-holders while her ghost half floated along with a pair of bowls and some utensils. In truth Vendrick was right; knowing Almyra just about anything Ashe made would have been fine, much less a seasoned stew made of rabbit, greens, and some healing herbs. The spirit mage's main concern were the injuries Almy had suffered during the trip to her old village, something she hadn't been available for. Ana had filled Ashe in on what happened, but had seemed hesitant to give details about Almyra's current state. Maybe the blonde had intended to save Ashe some worry, but not knowing was just as bad.

I hope nothing too drastic happened...

She set the pot down just outside the door to Almyra's room to free up her hands, knocking softly a few times to announce her presence. She didn't want to barge in while the girl was changing or something after all. Ashe took the lack of response to mean she was probably resting, and let herself in.

"Almy? Are you awake? I've made some food if you're hungry..."

Light spilled into the dark room as Ashe pushed the door open, illuminating the upper half of the dark-skinned girl lying on the bed. Her eyes were closed in rest, but what made Ashe suck in her breath was the bandages wrapped around her head. Not wanting to disturb the smaller girl Ashe quickly grabbed the pot and set it on a side-table, then hurried over to Almyra's side to get a closer look at her injuries.

From what she could see there wasn't much damage, the only visible injury was a mostly healed cut on her face, but head wounds were a nasty lot. If the bandages were the result of a heavy impact...well, she had to hope that Almy's exceptional toughness was enough to keep the worst from happening. Careful not to move too much, Ashe took a seat on the bed and quietly stroked the resting girl's hair above the bandages. She wanted to wake Almy up to make sure she was alright, but at the same time she would need the rest. For now, she'd just have to settle for hoping the smell of food was enough to wake her on its own.

As Almyra rested, she slipped into a light sleep and didn't hear Ashe's knock on the door, nor did the light falling on her face wake her. Her rest remained undisturbed as her friend came in and set a pot of stew on the side table. The sound of Ashe's voice made her stir a bit and move her head. She was awake now, but hadn't quite caught what Ashelia had said to her, or if Ashe had actually said anything and it wasn't just the creaking of the ship or something else that had stirred her. It wasn't until she felt her friend's hand on her head that she woke up fully.

She made a quiet moan of sorts. "Mm... mmm?" Her head turned towards Ashe and her eyelids fluttered open. Her face twitched as a small, weak smile grew on her face. It was rather clear that it was forced. Almyra was in a lot of pain, both physical from her injuries, and mental after having lost her sister, then half of her village in such a short time span, but despite all this, she still tried to put on a smile, be brave, and not worry her friends. "Hi Ashey." She squeaked out. It hurt to speak. It hurt to breathe, but she had to keep going, had to keep up her brave face. She wouldn't want to upset her friends. She moved her good arm, squeezing the doll to her body gently. She caught a whiff of the soup Ashe had made and her mouth began to water. She looked about a bit. "Did you make food? It smells nice."

She was hungry at the moment, and perhaps getting the chance to eat would help distract her. Plus, even with the pain she was in, she was still happy to see Ashe, happy and sad at the same time. She considered the spirit mage to be her best friend. Anastasia was nice, but she could be a bit bossy. Nao seemed nervous around her a lot. Ashe was always so kind to her. The spirit mage's behavior towards Almyra, along with her general demeanor reminded her a lot of Timara. For that reason, being around Ashelia brought happiness, but it also brought with it bittersweet memories of her sister.

She really is too precious for her own good. Whoever did this had better be dead, or...

Ashe found herself somewhat surprised at the depth of her anger when confronted with the idea of someone actually harming the dark skinned girl in front of her. It just seemed so inconceivable that someone could bring themselves to raise a hand against someone so...innocent. Yes, she wielded a magic frightening in both its strangeness and capability for destruction, but the girl behind that power was possibly the least frightening being Ashe had ever met. No other person, living or dead, had shown such boundless acceptance and happiness at simply being alive. That someone had dared to cause her pain was simply unbelievable.

Small moans brought worry and concern to battle with the anger darkening her brow, with the former winning out as Almyra turned and gave Ashe a pained smile. It was comforting to see her awake and capable of recognition, as that ruled out two of the major concerns over the head wound, but the fact that she was so obviously in pain kept Ashe from feeling at ease. Maybe it was just a lingering headache sort of pain, but she had a feeling there was more to it. Just as she was about to ask Almyra as much, the other girl sniffed about and asked if Ashe had made food.

At least she's hungry. That's a good sign. She smiled to herself as Vendrick's earlier comment came to mind. The day Almyra refused food was the day Ashe  really began to worry.

"I did, though it's just stew with rabbit and vegetables. Nothing too fancy, but I mixed in some restorative herbs to help speed your recovery. It's not much, but...it's something. I've also brought a bathing powder that will help dull the pain."

Ashe pulled a pouch from a pocket in her dress and set it aside, then twisted her fingers to have her ghost half start filling the bath. "While that gets ready we'll see if we can get some food in you to help heal your body. Can you eat by yourself, or would you like me to feed you? I don't mind at all."

Almyra smiled a little more as Ashe told her about the food. "That sounds good." She said, still sounding rather sleepy. Ashe also mentioned some bathing powder that would help with the pain. That also sounded like it would be nice. Pain hurt. Almy didn't like being in this much pain. The girl yawned and closed her eyes, before moving her doll onto her lap. With a small grunt from the exertion, she pushed herself up to lean on the backboard of the bed. She managed to mostly suppress another moan of pain, but a little squeak still came from her mouth.

Ashe then asked her if she could eat by herself or if she wanted her friend to feed her. This gave Almyra pause. She wanted to say she could do it by herself, but she probably couldn't, given she only had one hand. She could put the bowl on her lap and use her left arm to help steady it, but then Ashe would have to see that. Then again, her friend was going to see the injury soon regardless... "Um... I think I can manage if you put the bowl on my lap... or just hold it for me." She said, sounding a bit nervous. Knowing Almyra, it would probably be obvious that she was trying to downplay her injuries and be as independent as she could. She was rather stubborn that way. She cared about her friends too much, and didn't want to worry them with her injuries, though her attempts to act without help despite her injuries probably would only bring more worry to her friends, especially when she tried to do things like sneak out of her room to use the war room table for her calculations... or just perform her calculations in general, given the backlash that often came with the use of Amor Fati. She hugged her doll again with her good arm, still keeping her bad one concealed under the blanket.

While Ashe was relieved that Almyra was up and willing to eat, something seemed off. Even past the inevitable signs of painful strain the girl was fidgeting and averting her eyes like she was trying to hide something.

It can't be that she's not hungry, I'm pretty sure she'd just tell me that. I can't see anything around that would be causing it either...hrm.

Ashe used the gathering of utensils as a pretext to quickly glance around, confirming her suspicion. There was nothing she could sense in the room that would be causing Almy undue stress, so most likely it wasn't that she didn't want to feed herself, but that she couldn't.

But if she has a more severe injury, why would she not...ah, of course she would. She is that sweet after all.

The spirit mage's features softened as the thought occurred to her. She finished filling the bowl and turned back to Almy with the spoon in hand, obviously intending to do all the feeding herself.

"On second thought, there's no way I could allow an injured person to do this themselves after all. Here, open up."

She held the soup-laden spoon forward, remaining silently insistent until Almy gave in and let her do the work, and didn't let up until she had at least half the bowl in her belly. Despite Almyra's strangely durable constitution it would be better for her to have something for her body to work with, even if the healing herbs had no effect. Slightly more at ease for the moment, Ashe spoke up again as she continued to offer spoonfuls of the stew.

"You know Almy, if anything is bothering you you can share it with me. There's no need to hold yourself back for my sake." Forestalling a response, she stuffed the spoon into the girl's mouth and took the opportunity to keep going.

"I know you're worried, but please realize I worry just as much about you. There's no point hiding it from me if it makes me worry even more yes? So please, just tell me what's wrong so we can both stop worrying won't you?"

Ashe finished with a soft smile, trying to reassure the dark-skinned girl as much as she could. She was being honest; the idea that there was something wrong with Almy that she didn't want to share was almost certainly more worrisome than whatever might actually be wrong, and definitely more agonizing. If she would just tell her about it they could at least talk about it and try to find a solution. That was better in the end that sitting around fretting about it, right?

Ashe seemed a bit reluctant to just place the food bowl on Almy's lap, though that wasn't entirely surprising. Her friend might not know the actual severity of her injuries, but Almyra wasn't very good at hiding them, so the spirit mage no doubt suspected something. She watched the white-haired woman fill the soup bowl and then turn back to Almy, spoonful of soup in hand. Clearly Ashe wasn't going to allow Almyra to try to feed herself. She gave Ashe a weak smile and made a bit of an Mmh noise, though very quietly as she broke eye contact with her friend. Ashe had already done a lot for Almy, and she didn't want her friend to have to worry about her more. "Thank you." She let out quietly before she opened her mouth and allowed Ashe to spoon feed her the soup.

The soup Ashe had made for her was delicious, at least to Almyra. Most people would probably rate it above average, a 7, maybe 8 out of 10, but for Almy it was easily a 10 out of 10. Then again, there wasn't much she disliked for food. Whatever most people would rate something, she tended to rate it as a few points higher. In all honesty, she was quite easy to please with food. Ashe made sure Almy ate spoonful after spoonful of soup, not even giving her a chance to talk or thank her until it was over half gone.

Ashe spoke now, telling her that she was open to talk about anything. Almyra wanted to talk about what had happened, about her sister, and then about her village, but she wasn't sure how to start, and wasn't sure if she could without breaking down into tears. She didn't want Ashe to see her like that, though. Still, perhaps it was for the best to try talking about it, though Ashe delayed her response with a well-timed spoon of soup to continue telling Almy how much her secrecy was worrying her. Swallowing the soup, she nodded and hugged her doll to her chest, bringing her left arm out from under the blanket in the process, revealing the bandaged stump of the limb that ended where the middle of her forearm should be. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, shaking as she tried to keep herself from breaking down.

"A-a lot of things happened... A-a little while ago.... m-my sister died." She sniffled a bit. "S-she was nice... a-and strong... a-and brave... but her body wasn't strong... but she always said she'd get better... a-and... and... she said she would see me in the morning." The poor girl started to shake more now, tears streaming down her cheeks. There was more to say, but she didn't have the strength to do so yet, to tell Ashe about how she was forced to leave without properly saying good bye, and about what happened when she tried to come back to do so. She brought her knees up to her chest, curling up in a little ball, sobbing pitifully, her wounds sending jolts of pain through her with each sob, making her cough and sputter, which only brought about more pain. The doll in her arms moved, gently stroking her arm. Ashe would be able to clearly sense the spirit inside it as being in as much pain as Almy, was, though it was feeling more than just sorrow. It radiated desperation and frustration as well, like it wanted desperately to help, but was unable to.

Seeing that Almy was ready to talk Ashe set the bowl aside, more interested in hearing the source of the girl's inner turmoil than in stuffing her insides full of food for the moment. She steeled herself for any manner of shock to come, but still sucked in her breath when Almyra pulled her left arm from under the covers to clutch her doll. Like the right it was wrapped in bandages, but halfway up her forearm the bandages ended in a stump where the remainder had been severed. It looked to be a clean cut, which was good, and she had no doubt Almy would recover from it in time with her constitution, but the severity left her concerned for what else might lay under the rest of the bandages.

Before Ashe could dwell too much on that a shuddering breath snapped her attention back to Almyra herself. The words came out in starts and stops, but were clear enough even through the pain in her voice.

Her sister... Immediately her eyes flicked to the doll clutched so tightly to the girl's chest. It wasn't the first time she'd felt the spirit within stir with emotion, but the sheer amount distress it was putting out right now put that to shame.

Well, that answers that mystery.

However, while losing a loved one was certainly traumatic it still didn't explain what had caused Almyra's current state. Ashe wanted her to continue but the emotional trauma coupled with the physical pain her sobs were causing proved to be too much for the dark-skinned girl, and rather than sit there and wait it out Ashe pulled Almy into a loose hug, whispering there-theres into her hair until she felt a tingle at the back of her mind.

"Almy, the bath is ready okay? Once you're soaking you can cry all you like without it hurting, so let's get you out of those clothes and into the water."

Fortunately there was little in the way of clothes to remove, with Almyra wearing only a simple gown over top of her bandages. The latter were more of a challenge to remove; Ashe took her time to ensure she caused as little discomfort as possible, letting Almy rest against her chest while she unwrapped the cloth from the many injuries covering the dark girl's body. There were quite a few, but she reeled in any reactions she might have shown. With Almyra now starkers under the sheets Ashe was presented with a bigger problem: how to get her to the bath. There was no way Almy could handle walking in her current condition, and Ashe wasn't strong enough to carry her. Unless she planned to leave her there while she fetched help, there was only one real option.

You may as well. You will have to show them all eventually, and I doubt she will judge.

Ashe hesitated, then nodded. "Almy...could you close your eyes for me please? It's going to get hot for a second, but only while I carry you to the bath alright? Don't worry, I'll be very gentle."

Without a word, as soon as Almyra's eyes shut Ashe began to change. Heat radiated outward as a cherry red flush spread across her skin and swept-back horns sprouted from her forehead alongside a spaded tail and huge stone-like claws that grew to cover her arms from the elbows down. Afterward Ashe stood several inches taller, and glowing yellow cats-eye orbs watched Almy intently to make sure she didn't peek.

As the change finished the heat died down, leaving only the warmth of her skin as she carefully picked the dark-skinned girl up. It was frightening how small and fragile Almy seemed like this, with her tiny body covered in wounds and cradled in two giant claws that could do far worse if Ashe slipped up even a little. Even tough cookies could be broken, and the thought that she could be responsible for harming such a dear friend left her paralyzed. Memories of the destruction she'd caused like this flitted through her mind, her fickle brain substituting the girl in her arms for every pot, vase, and piece of furniture she'd ever accidentally crushed with these monstrous hands.

Vendrick's hand fell on her shoulder, reassuring her with its presence. No, no. That was then, this is now. Those were things, this is Almy. You can do this. I can do this.

It took a enormous amount of will to do so, but Ashe took a deep breath, pushed the damning thoughts to the side, and set her mind to simply putting one foot in front of the other. Right now, the precious friend in her hands needed all her focus. She deserved nothing less.

As Ashe pulled Almyra into the hug, the girl buried her face in Ashe's shoulder, hiding her tears and muffling her sobs, though she still shook in Ashes arms for a bit before eventually calming down, though she was still tense and clearly fighting back her tears at this point. The spirit within the doll was still in pain, but it now seemed that it wanted to speak with Ashe, perhaps in the effort to spare Almy more pain. Her breathing was still a bit ragged and she still kept her face buried in Ashe's shoulder.

It was only when her friend told her the bath was ready did she willingly come out of the embrace. She looked up at Ashe, her eyes puffy and red and her cheeks stained with tears before nodding. She relaxed, resting against Ashe as her friend first removed her gown, then the multitude of bandages across her body. Some cuts on her were clean, clearly from a sword or other blade, yet others were rougher, and came in sets of threes, showing that some beast had also fought her. They were, for the most part, had healed the same amount, indicating that they had occurred at around the same time, though the remains of some remained, likely those that she herself had managed to repair with her magic.

There was some pain, yes, as the bandages were removed, but that was to be expected. She did her best not to react much to it, as not to worry Ashe. The most she would do was let otu a few twitches and noises of discomfort, but after only a moment's pause, she would be ready for Ashe to continue. Almy kept herself wrapped up in the sheets now, since she could easily discard them as she would get into the bath. Hopefully whatever herbs Ashe had added in would help her injuries. Upon Ashes request, Almy closed her eyes. She wondered what was happening as Ashe's transformation produced quite a bit of heat. She knew there was something different about Ashe, she had seen it as she worked, but she never investigated just what it was.

She then felt Ashe's stony hands push underneath her and scoop her up gently. Almy was relaxed in Ashe's hands, and seemed not to mind nor question what was going on. She leaned her head onto Ashe's chest, noting that her friend was now much warmer. She pressed her head against Ashe a bit more, enjoying the heat. She was still tired... it would be nice to just fall asleep here. Or in the bath, yes, that would be good. Having a nap in the hot water. She would let Ashe take her doll back to the bed to make sure she didn't accidentally drop it into the tub. For now though, she just rested in Ashe's hands, calm and sleepy, still holding onto her doll.

Very....carefully....no sudden moves...

Ashe stepped gingerly across the floor, eyes roving like a hawk in search of potential threats to her stability now that she sheltered such a precious burden in her arms. To an onlooker the scene would likely appear equal parts comical and suspicious, with Ashe, the towering demon, practically mincing across the floor while carrying Almy like fragile stolen goods. True, a part of her knew how ridiculous her state of mind was. Short of George suddenly and unexpectedly going airborne and throwing them about the room Ashe knew full well that there was nothing here to take her unawares, and yet she couldn't absolve herself of worry entirely.

Okay, almost...hm?

Her precious cargo shifted slightly in her hands, leaning against her and nuzzling into her chest in search of warmth. The expression on her face was one of pure contentment, the kind born from nothing but the knowledge that one had not a care in the world. In fact, beyond the signs of pain she'd born from the beginning Almy showed no signs of tension at all. She was totally relaxed.

That was strange to Ashe's eyes. Almyra was far from a stupid girl; she had to know something was amiss after Ashe's transformation. The heat and sensation from her claws alone had to be enough to clue her in, and yet she didn't seem to mind at all. No...that wasn't quite right. It wasn't so much that she didn't mind, but that there never seemed to be an issue in the first place. As if Ashe having strange and monstrous traits was perfectly normal and to be expected.

The thought was enough to give Ashe pause. She had always known something was wrong with her. Even before Vendrick had come along and explained things, simply the glances from her family had been enough to to tell her that she was different and abhorrent. That sentiment had never wavered even with Vendrick's insistence to the contrary, for she saw it mirrored in the eyes of everyone who saw this form. Anyone else in this situation would surely be on edge, but not Almy. The sensation she felt from the girl went beyond acceptance to something so pure that it swept through her like a cold wind and left tears in her eyes.

This...this is true innocence! How can someone so...so perfect exist? Even with all the things she's seen, it's like her perspective remains completely untainted.

I told you she would not judge.

"S-stuff it old man." she hissed. "Curse and damn it, I'm not the one who should be crying."

Her eyes swam with tears, forcing her to shake them free to see what she was doing. At some point she'd closed the rest of the distance to the bath and now slowly lowered Almy in, propping her head up with a towel while she scattered the herbal dust over the water. Unlike the stew from earlier the herbs in this powder were meant to numb pain, not heal it. With the current state Almy was in she needed both.

With her friend taken care of, Ashe brushed a stony finger ever so gently through Almy's hair and left her to drift off in the warm bathwater. She herself took a seat on the bed and spread her hands, cupping her next order of business: Almy's doll. She hadn't forgotten the spirit within, and now was probably the best opportunity to deal with it safely.

"Alright you, now that Almyra is safe and asleep I think it's about time we had our little chat. I know you can hear me, and I've felt you reaching out. Despite this demonic appearance I am what's called a Spirit Ruler; a sort of medium to the spirit world, but with more clout than most. I'm not blind. I can tell you have some attachment to Almyra."

She paused a moment to gauge the doll spirit's reaction before continuing. "Normally I would be wary of ones such as you. Spirits in your position often try to drag down the living, but I've been watching carefully. Her sadness causes you pain, and the frustration you feel at being powerless to help her is genuine. I've a good feeling I know who you are, but for Almyra's sake I'd like for you to tell me of your own accord."

Ashe closed her eyes and focused her will in the palms of her hands, bathing the doll in spirit energy. The soul within was weak, barely able to convey emotion, but she could fix that. She took hold of the frail bonds and opened them, allowing energy to pour in. It had the strength it needed. Now it just had to find the will to use it.

Ashe relaxed, but kept her voice formal. Even now, especially now, she had an appearance to maintain. Vendrick felt a bit of pride at that, but kept it to himself.

"There. If you've words to speak spirit, I will hear them. Tell me your story."

Almyra noticed Ashe pausing on her way to the bath. She wondered what it was that was giving her friend pause. Hopefully she hadn't done anything to worry Ashe. The fact that Ashe was so warm, and her hands now consisted of giant stone claws didn't bother her in the slightest, of course. She trusted Ashe not to harm her, on purpose or by accident. She heard her friend hiss in frustration at someone, probably the spirit that followed her around and say that she shouldn't be the one crying. Why was she crying? Almy wondered as she felt the massive hands remove the sheets covering her and put her in the warm water. She held out her doll for Ashe to take and felt the stony finger run through her hair. A small smile grew on her face as she spoke. "I love you, Ashe." She heard the woman move about and pour the herbal powder into the bath. It wasn't long before she felt the pain of her injuries begin to fade. She simply relaxed now, resting in the water, her head on the towel Ashe had provided her. She yawned before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the other room, someone else was finally able to fully wake up. Timara's spirit had been weak, very weak. She was no expert on the matters of souls, spirits, and their workings, yet she had managed to bind her own soul to Almyra's doll, and to Almyra herself as she died. It had weakened her significantly, leaving her in a strange state. She was not entirely conscious for most of the time, reality and her imagination mixed in a dream-like state. She could observe the world around her, but it still would feel surreal and mixed with her imagination. When Almyra was stressed, she was able to snap herself out of it for a time, but eventually drifted back into half slumber.

She was awake now, and could hear Ashe, the spirit ruler's words. She had seen her before, hugging Almyra when she was upset. She recalled Ashe was the one that carried her vessel over to Almyra for comfort. Still, she couldn't respond yet, despite how much she wanted to thank her for all that she had done for her sister. Some aura of her thankfulness could probably be felt, though. It would only grow stronger as Ashe poured energy into the doll, but beyond that, for a few moments, there was no response. Timara felt the rush of energy bring her to a state of wakefulness she had yet to achieve in her new life. She took a moment to enjoy it before testing herself. The doll moved a bit in Ashe's hands as the spirit of the woman within it experimented. Whispers and gibberish, senseless whispering and speaking came from it for a brief moment as Timara experimented with speech, then a single word was spoken, with some difficulty: "Tim... Timara..."few words came in the tongue of Desierto, a few simple ones that Ashe may recognize, but most she probably would not. There was a pause before a voice rang out in the language of Fiore, though clearly it was not the Timara's first language, and maintained the accent she had in life. "Thank you." Were the first words Timara uttered once she had gotten speech down. "My name is Timara Bys... I am Almyra's sister, as you no doubt guessed." She said. "I died several weeks ago, from an... affliction I had suffered from since shortly after birth." She paused thinking of what else to say. "But I was not ready to go... I had not gotten to truly live... I could not leave my sister, and I could not break any more of my promises to her. So I did this to myself." She said. "That is my story... or the most important parts of it, at least. I could tell you that of Almyra's injuries, as well, if you wish... I would like to, so she need not call upon those memories."

Although Ashe was reasonably sure of the spirit's identity she held her guard. There were still a good number of things it could be, and so she kept a watchful eye on how much and how fast it was taking in the energy she was feeding it. If it ate up what she offered and tried to take more that would be the major tip off, for the spirit would be able to do very little with just that amount. At most it would be capable of speaking and materializing, nothing else.

That said, the spirit seemed to be just as it appeared; a weakened remnant barely clinging on with the rest of its willpower. Even after taking a booster shot of soul energy it felt uncertain, as if it was having a hard time even remembering just how to talk. That put Ashe a little more at ease. A spirit that weak would pose little She waited patiently for it to work out how to speak, noticing the Desierto tongue among those the spirit fumbled through on it's way to Fioran.

Now possessed of at least a voice, the spirit gave her name: Timara. Timara Bys. She went on to explain that she was indeed Almyra's sister, and that she died of illness a few weeks past. That all matched well against what Ashe had assumed, but the reason for Timara's current predicament surprised both her and Vendrick.

She did this herself, and willingly? That would require either a spirit mage of some sort or an exceptionally strong willed individual. Or a liar, The ghost king mused. but I assume we are setting that option aside for the moment.

Ashe nodded in agreement, unsure if Timara would have the ability to sense Vendrick in her current state. It was probable that she could, but this was an unusual case after all.

"Yes, I had thought as much. Timara...Almyra has mentioned that name before. I'm inclined to believe your story, such as it is." She gave Timara a warm smile. "I will be happy to hear what you can tell me of Almyra's injuries, but even so I feel that she will eventually need to tell me herself. I do not know what happened to her, but it obviously weighs on her spirit. Keeping such things bottled up is not healthy. Tell me what you will, but I intend to hear her when she is ready."

Timara was indeed able to sense Vendrick and hear his voice. The doll remained still, though, but she was clearly intrigued by the presence of another, no doubt a spirit that assisted Ashelia, perhaps in a similar manner she wished to assist Almyra, though more successful. "It was mostly the latter. I have always had a... gift for learning magic, and with little in the way of physical capabilities, I spent most of my life studying and practicing magic of various kinds. I only briefly touched in spirit magic, though. Just enough to try to do this. I didn't tell Almyra because I didn't want to give her false hope."

The doll made a bit of a nodding gesture as Ashe allowed her to explain what had happened to Almyra. "I do not have all of the details. Life... if you could call it that, has been like a dream to me, though it becomes clear when Almyra is distressed. Regardless... she was injured near our home, since she was... made to leave the village after my death after she made a rather desperate act. She returned a few days ago to pay proper respects, but..." There was pain in her voice as she spoke, though she could maintain composure better than Almyra. "bandits had attacked. They killed half the village and imprisoned the other half. Almyra worked with the captain of this ship... Anastasia? to fight the other bandits. She went off alone to free our people while Anastasia fought most of the bandits. Almyra herself still encountered the leader and his dire falcon. Together, they did that to her, executed some people in front of her... and then she killed them both, which is what I believe is most upsetting to her. She values all life, and dislikes inflicting harm, even though it is a necessary part of life. To kill another person is something she could never see herself doing." With that the spirit was silent for a moment, though clearly worried for Almyra. She hadn't mentioned what Almy had actually done to the bandit leader beyond killling him, as she wasn't entirely sure, but she did worry over what might have happened. "I fear... I fear she may have gone beyond killing the man, even... and if she did..." Her voice trailed off, and the worry she felt for her sister only increased.

Hmm...so a strong will alongside a small bit of spirit magic were all that led to this. It's a shame she didn't know more, or things would have turned out better, Ashe pondered as Timara explained herself. It was interesting that she was able to sense Vendrick, but that wasn't unexpected. Perhaps the two spirits would have the chance for a proper conversation later. For someone to have managed even this much with so little skill was commendable. It would have been nice to meet another spirit mage as well, but there's no point worrying over that.

With that out of the way, Timara went on in detail about what had been bothering Almyra. The spirit girl's account was a bit limited of course; seeing as how prior to Ashe's help she had very little perception of the world around her there was only so much Timara could share. The bond that tied her to Almyra was such that only strong emotional distress would allow her to see the world around her.

From what she was able to recount Almyra had gone home to pay respects to her dead sister, only to find the village ransacked by bandits. They'd come and killed anyone who fought back, then imprisoned the rest. After arriving at the scene Ana handled the majority of the bandits while Almyra took on the leader...and his pet bird?

That would explain some of the more exotic wounds on her body. A bird's talons...that would fit. It would have to have been a huge bird to do that kind of damage though.

Worse, however, was what had happened to her emotionally. Wounds would heal in time, but the lives that man had executed would not come back. That burden would weigh on Almyra for some time, perhaps always. Yet the deepest scar on her spirit was not what the bandit leader had done to her, but what she had done to him.

Ashe couldn't hide the surprise she felt when Timara revealed Almyra had taken a life. Certainly, to Ashe it was nothing special. She was bound closely to the border between life and death, and had watched many pass from this life to the next. More than a few had been sent there herself. In the end, killing was simply a part of life. For Almy on the other hand...innocence on her level would never find doing such things commonplace, and that wasn't even the end of it. Not only had the girl killed him, but Timara believed she might have gone a step further.

"Beyond killing? What do you mean? Imprisoning his spirit? Torturing him? I'm afraid I don't follow..."

Ashelia...think for a moment. You know the sort of power Almyra wields. It eats away at everything, capable of unraveling the fabric of existence. Entropy, in a word. The end of all things. If you take that a step further, to the soul...

"She...ended him?" Ashe whispered, wide eyed. It was difficult to wrap her mind around the concept. Normal people on their own have a hard time imagining oblivion, and Ashe was a step above. She knew what lay on the other side, and it wasn't emptiness. The soul went through a great cycle of rebirth like any other aspect of nature. It didn't simply...end.

I...believe so. If you find it hard to accept Ashelia, think of what Almyra must be feeling. She was the one who took his spirit into her hands and crushed it forever. Even the ghost king seemed to pale at the thought. He sighed deeply, as if to shake off the specter of oblivion. To do such a thing...to end everything he ever was or could be...that must be an incredible burden to someone as kind as she.

Despite herself, Ashe felt speechless. To kill was one thing. It was part of the cycle to die, and eventually be born anew. But to end someone, and any hope of changing who they were...

"Timara...is this possible?"

The concept of what Timara was implying seemed difficult for Ashe to grasp. It made Timara wonder what Ashelia knew about Almyra's magic. About what it did, and about what it would do to Almyra herself and any who followed her path. She wondered if any of Almyra's friends knew the girl's true power. The truth of the matter was that Almyra held a massive amount of power within her, likely more than anyone among her friends, she simply couldn't control all of it. The girl had never actually grown stronger in their whole time together, she had simply learned to control her power and unfetter herself.

Vendrick explained just what it was Timara suspected Almyra of having done, there was a pause before Ashe asked her if that was indeed what Timara was implying. She didn't answer for a moment before the doll nodded. "I'm afraid it is." She paused a moment, thinking. Given how close Ashelia was to Almy, Timara decided it was for the best that the woman know just what she was dealing with in the girl. "Almyra has far more power than one would think, looking at her, sensing her, though it is not entirely her own. She has not once grown stronger in your presence, despite what it may seem. She has simply learned to better control the power gifted to her by the god she follows, imbued into her by ancient rituals making use of powerful artifacts. Part of the reason for her somewhat distracted nature is because she actively focuses on keeping it in check. Near the end of the fight with the bandit leader, she lost control. If she did end him, she did so by accident."

There was another small pause before Timara spoke again. "There is more you should know. That end is what awaits Almyra should she be killed. Her magic protects her body from time, allows it to recover from even the most severe injuries, provided she survives, but upon death, entropy will consume her entirely, and she will be no more."

The news came as a shock to Ashe. How could it not? Two unbelievable things had been revealed to her one after the other; not only was Almy capable of extinguishing the soul, but she had in fact done so already. Recently. As Timara explained it it hadn't exactly been Almyra's choice, but it still shook her. There were other ways to kill a soul, necromancers could consume them for one, but in the end they still came full circle when the necromancer died. They didn't just...end.

Moreover, it seemed Almyra's power was growing. Well, not growing per se. She already had a vast degree of power within her apparently, she just wasn't able to use it. The recent incident was merely that power flowing unchecked due to Almy's emotional state. Now that was a frightening thought. If what Timara was saying was true, and Ashe was inclined to believe her, then the potential existed that such an outburst could occur in the future. There was a possibility that next time, Almyra might hurt somebody she cared about. If she took doing this to that bandit this hard, how would she cope with doing that to a loved one?

"Tim-" she began, but Almy's sister cut her off with a expression more chilling than any thus far.

"There is more you should know. That end is what awaits Almyra should she be killed. Her magic protects her body from time, allows it to recover from even the most severe injuries, provided she survives, but upon death, entropy will consume her entirely, and she will be no more."

Gods. Gods. They cannot help but meddle in the lives of mortals, ever hungry in their lust for power. It is never enough for them, and naught but tragedy follows in their wake. Vendrick was practically shaking with anger, though it wasn't immediately apparent. His was a cold, hateful fury, nursed carefully over millennia. He'd had time to learn how to rein it in.

Ashe had not.

The spirit mage reflexively clamped down on her emotions the instant the words passed Timara's lips, seeking inner calm in much the same way she 'got serious' in preparation for combat. It allowed her to view the situation with clarity, holding off on whatever might be troubling her until she had time to deal with it on her own terms. That was how she did things, and it never failed.

Which was why she was surprised to find herself on the other side of the room with her fist through the wall, Vendrick shouting at her, and no memory of how she'd got there. She blinked. How had that happened? Pulling her fist back and examining her hands revealed a large, mostly splintered chunk of carved wood in her hand. Looking over her shoulder, it seemed she had crushed most of the footboard and snapped the closest bedpost clean off. The bed was, fortunately, otherwise fine.

Ashelia, are you alright? Answer me!

"I...yes, I think. I'm, uh, sorry. About that. I just...need a moment."

Ashe strode back to the bed and sat back down, somewhat shaken as she locked her fingers together. She hadn't lashed out like that since...well, since she was a child really. More importantly...Almyra. When she died, that was the end. Like it or not, wish for it or not, that was the end. Without even trying, the moment her body stopped working Almyra would just be...gone.

"No. No no no, I'm not letting that happen," she said quietly. She looked up at Timara, trying to keep her face neutral. "There has to be a way to fix this. There has to be."

Her throat was a bit raw. She must have been shouting too. She fought back tears as she stared the ghost girl in the eyes.

"There has to be a way."

Timara sighed as Ashe was sent into a fit of rage over what was to be Almyra's eventual fate and Vendrick's ranting about gods. She of course disapproved of what would happen to Almyra as well, but she also recognized that it was entirely Almyra's choice, and that she knew the consequences of her choice.
"It was her choice, Ashelia. She knew what would become of her if she followed this path. The end does not come for all those who use her magic, only those who choose to follow the specific path she has chosen: the path of the oracle. And among those few, only those with the strongest minds and will are capable of binding the power to themselves so deeply. Now please, control yourself. She's here." Said the bound spirit mere seconds before Almyra came walking into the room, wrapped up in a towel. She looked sleepy still, clearly having just woken up, and moved clumsily, her body numb from the herbal bath Ashe had set her in.

"Are you okay, Ashe?" She asked, looking at Ashe with worry. "I heard loud banging and shouting." She walked over to Ashe being careful not to trip on the damaged floor board and paying no mind to her demonic form to rest her forehead on Ashe's shoulder. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll get better, I promise. Even my hand will come back eventually." She smiled up at Ashe, clueless as to what had upset her friend, but taking her best guess and trying to comfort her.

This was her choice? That was surprising...but changed nothing for Ashe. The end result was the same; Almy's soul would be swallowed up by the primordial chaos she wielded regardless of whether it was her choice or not, and Ashe...Ashe simply couldn't let that happen. She opened her mouth to inquire further about possible solutions, but was cut short by the arrival of Almyra herself.

"A-Almy, you shouldn't be up!" she fretted, hands held wide and ready to catch Almy should her numbed legs give out. "I'm sorry about the noise, but please, take it easy. I don't want you hurting yourself further..."

"You don't need to worry about me. I'll get better, I promise. Even my hand will come back eventually." Almy replied, smiling in an attempt to placate the obviously upset spirit mage. To Ashe though, the smile was heartrending. How could she be so calm, how had she been so calm, knowing that every life or death fight could end in her being gone forever? In that moment Ashe felt an overwhelming need to do something, anything that would be worthy of that smile. Someone that brave, that selfless, deserved far better than her lot in life had been thus far. And Ashe could give that to her.

"Almy, I...I have someone I'd like you to meet. It's the least I can do to repay you for...for being here, for being you. Even with me like this, you..." she choked back tears, wanting more than ever to wrap the girl in a crushing bear-hug. "A-anyway, close your eyes for just a moment. I promise, it will be worth it."

Turning her attention back to the Timara, Ashe looked the spirit girl in the eye for one meaningful second before she once again broke open her bonds and let power flow in.

Almyra's smile faded a bit as Ashe began to speak. Not that she wasn't unhappy, no, but it turned more into a look of confusion. Who else would be on the ship that she hadn't met yet? Ashe wasn't the most social person. Maybe it was that ghost that she always talked to, the one that seemed to annoy her a lot. Ashe told her to close her eyes for a moment, so she did, smiling again. She adjusted the towel a bit with her good hand, making sure it would stay on before leaning in and hugging Ashe. The only thing she didn't like about Ashe's demon form was that it seemed she didn't have much control over her own strength, and seemed like she had to be very careful not to hurt anyone or anything, which seemed a horrible inconvenience to have to worry about hurting people just from touching them.

Timara caught Ashe's gaze through the eyes of the doll and knew what her new friend wanted her to do. She felt more energy pouring into her, enough to not only leave the doll, but to manifest physically, is what she figured, based upon what Ashe had said. Moving her spirit form beside Almyra, she focused, closing her eyes and concentrating on the real world, on her sister, using her as an anchor to this world, just as she had done before, but this time, rather than to just maintain her connection to it, it was to directly interact with it. Now would be the first time Ashe had actually seen what Timara looked like in life: a waifish woman of her late twenties or early thirties, with dark skin like Almyra's. A red spot marked her forehead, one much larger than the one on Almy's. She wore a poncho of sorts over a simple dress. After manifesting, she gave Ashe a look of thanks before speaking.

"You can open your eyes now, Almy."

Upon hearing the sound of her sister's voice, Almyra's eyes shot open. She released Ashe and turned to face the ghost of Timara. "T-Timmy? But... but you didn't wake up..."
"I know, Almy. My body died, but my spirit has been with you the whole time, stuck inside Tammy."
The smaller girl stood there, mouth agape in shock, unable to process the emotions seeing her sister again brought forth. Timara smiled and stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her sister with the utmost care. Still, her movements were unnatural, as though her body was a marionette being tugged by invisible strings. Her awkward movement had become such an ingrained part of her identity, that it persisted even as a spirit. She stroked Almyra's hair as the girl started to sob tears of joy. "I know... I'm happy to finally be free again. I'm sorry for not telling you earlier. I didn't want to give you false hope before I died, in case it didn't work, and until now, I didn't have the strength to. Ashelia helped me with that."

The sisters stood in their embrace for a few minutes, Almyra softly murmuring how much she loved Tim, and how much she missed her, with her sister standing quietly smiling, maintaining her composure, if only barely. She looked towards Ashe. "Thank you so much for this, on both our behalves." Almyra looked up at Timara and spoke to her in their own language. Tim smiled and pat her on the head as she answered before letting her go. Almyra then walked up to Ashe and embraced her once more "Ashe, even though you had a different mother and father." She tightened her grip a bit. "Timmy and I think of you as our sister."

If she had any doubts, Almy's reaction at Timara's voice would have dispelled them. The warmth at her side disappeared in an instant as the whole of the brown girl's attention fell on her dear sister, and Ashe was witness to a rare sight indeed: Almyra was in shock. She'd seen quite a few emotions pass Almy's face in their time together, but never a complete loss for words. Ashe smiled a bit at that.

That's more my job, isn't it?

Turning her eye to Timara for a moment, Ashe could tell she was similar in many ways to Almy, as was to be expected, but something seemed off about her movements. They felt too...jerky. It wasn't uncommon for spirits to forget how to live though, so she put it out of her mind. She could deal with it later. After a bit of talking the pair turned to face her, Almy wiping the remnants of a good solid cry from her eyes.

"Thank you so much for this, on both our behalves." Timara started, followed by a brief exchange between the siblings in Desierto. They seemed to come to an agreement, and Almy hugged Ashe once more.

"Ashe, even though you had a different mother and father..."

Her eyes widened.

"Timmy and I think of you as our sister."

Her hands were shaking. Why were they shaking? She couldn't...

"V-Vendrick, pl-"

It is alright, Ashelia. He cut in softly, resting a hand on her head. Smoke trailed off her body as her demonic features receded, and Ashe suddenly pulled both Timara and Almyra into as fierce a hug as she could manage without hurting either of them. She held them there in silence, tears that refused to fall welling in her eyes while she tried to find her voice. It was a long minute before she was able to manage a response.

"Thank you. Thank you both. It means...it means so much." Ashe whispered, voice rough with emotion. "I can't even begin...just..." She squeezed them tighter for a moment before letting them go with a sniff as she gathered her wits.

"Okay Almy, lets get you back in the bed with fresh bandages on you. No arguments," she added, taking advantage of her human form's fingers to do the fine wrapping work. When the last bit was pinned into place she helped Almy slide into the bed, thankful that the numbing powder made it possible to do without causing the girl any more pain.

"Now you rest up okay? You two have a lot to catch up on, but no getting out of bed. Understand?" She waited for a response, sniffed, and continued. "I'm pretty tired myself, so I'm going to get some rest as well. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

She headed out the door, but stopped to add one last thing.

"Thank you. Both of you."

With that she closed it tight after a final choked-up sniff and left to get some much needed rest, leaving her two precious new sisters to catch up on lost time.