Won't you talk with me?

And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

She awoke to the sound of cold winds whistling, drowned out as the groggy feeling of being asleep for a while invaded her mind and body, slowing both down drastically. Her mind was fuzzy, as so was her vision. It took a couple of slow blinks before the built up water within her eyes finally brushed away to revel a clearer picture. A white room, pure white, with nothing in it but a single gray door a little further away from her. Astrid found it strange, even in her half asleep state when her mind was at its slowest to process. She pushed herself up into a sitting position slowly, hands gripping at the floor, holding her weight as she rotated her head to look around. But there was nothing to look at. Just the same strange white walls surrounding her.
Where was she?
Oh, yes. Digging into her recent memories, the last thing she could remember was that strange thread woman tying her up and some sort of portal. But anything past that, there was nothing but a blank space.
One hand raised to rub the side of her head before running it through her hair, pushing away messy white bangs. The ace didn't know where she was, or where that thread woman had gone to, but she could only assume her ending up in this place was all her doing. For what reason? The rising star could only begin to imagine. But, she had not killed her. If she wished her dead, she would have already done so. So, at least that meant she was safe. For now... So there must be a reason for her kidnapping, Astrid assumed.
This was made clear when the grey door in front of her clicked and creaked open, catching the slayers attention. A signal to move, maybe? Though a bit hesitant to what she may find beyond the door, the silvernette saw no reason as to not move forward. Spending anymore time in a weirdly empty room? She would go mad, eventually, if she stayed forever. And if she did not progress she may never find the woman's reasoning behind her capture... Even if some parts of her didn't really wish to know. Her curiosity to know things recently had a thing of almost killing her. And who knew when the mage's luck would finally run out.
But, staying behind had more cons than pros. So against her better judgement, she complied.
The dragon slayer rose, shakily at first as sleep still lingered in her system, but a moment of collecting herself fixed that, dusting off her dress and shaking some lingering strands of hair from her face.
Cautiously, she walked forward through the door, leading her out into the hallway, made of the same strange, padded material. Now in the hallway, she could hear the winds from the outside more clearly. They were violent, howling, as though an angry wolf was the source of their noises. Just hearing it managed to chill the girl. It did not sound like the type of weather she wanted to be stuck in. So she would be at least a little grateful the woman didn't decide to just leave her outside. It was strange, being grateful to someone who kidnapped you. But Astrid wasn't the most normal person. Especially with her way of thinking.
After a minute of walking, the small girl ended up yet again at a door. The same door. So similar in fact that if the hallway wasn't a straight shot down she would have been convinced she had gone around in a circle. Everything in this place was so similar that it wouldn't be surprising if she did.

Though every part of her being told her to turn around and go back to the room which she had awoken in, the slayer built up her courage and gripped the door handle, creaking it open slowly, peaking out from the side just enough to see inside.
It was the same, white walls, white walls, and even more white walls. But this time, there was something different. In the middle stood a table and two chairs. In which, one of the chairs was currently occupied by another body. Not the same woman from the war, but instead, a new one Astrid had never seen before. The hair was the first thing to catch her attention, tied up into two neat pigtails. Matching blue eyes. She was... Pretty, and neat. Like a doll almost.
But... Who was this? This was not the thread woman, even her magical energy felt a little different.
Though she knew not who she was the Foss opened the door the rest of the way, staring directly at the woman who was sitting down. She felt no need to speak, as she probably knew she was already in here. Astrid stood at the door frame, simply waiting for the woman to speak and explain herself.

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And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

If thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee. Or so seemed this situation, as the women both continued to stare at each other for some time, neither faulting in their stare. Though the other woman's gaze was a lot softer than the ace's. Unsure of everything, the silvernette couldn't help but keep her crimson gaze hard as she looked down upon the other being in this room, unable to fully relax, even with her calm words. Her calm posture and words was strange and unnatural in this kind of situation, which made them all the more unnerving to Astrid.
Her red gaze would only move away from the girl to glance to where she pointed to, the other empty chair in the room before she once again connected her gaze to hers. Oh yes, she did have questions. Quite a lot of them. What was her reasoning behind this kidnapping? Where was she? How long did she plan to keep her here? But, before she would ask these, the ace had another question in mind.
Keeping her eyes on the blue haired woman Astrid walked over the chair, pulling it out and tucking in her dress to make sure it would fit neatly upon the seat before sitting, folding her hands into her lap.
She stared at the woman a moment longer before finally speaking.
"What is your name, madame? It is polite to introduce oneself before having a conversation with them, no? Especially when we will be in each other's presence for quite some time."
A strange first question, yes. Did the ace expect her to give her a true name? Maybe, or maybe not. Either way she would at least have some sort of identity to place onto an unfamiliar face.

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And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

Erika. A surprisingly pretty name for what could be called a criminal. The words Erika spoke to get to her actual name did intrigue the girl quite a bit. Something about a father and her actual name being 'Omega'. But those things were not important to her despite her curiosity to know more. She would not waste her breath on such things, but rather the matter at hand. It was Erika's turn to ask a question. And since the woman was so kind as to answer hers, it was only right to answer in return.
But, the question the woman asked was a little... Complicated. Her knowing her name was not surprising, and was easily skipped over. She was a rising star and an ace of her guild, after all. It was not surprising in the least to hear some stranger speak her name. Instead, the girl's focus was on the question at hand. She blinked, tilting her head to the side in question.
"Free?" Not from her capture, but rather metaphorically. She had never really thought about it before... But now that she did, the answer was rather simple.
"Well, doesn't everyone wish to be free?" Though she did not entirely get what the girl was trying to ask, it was the best answer she could give, hoping the woman would explain herself further.

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And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

The girl was visibly shaken from Erika's explanation. Her hard crimson gaze turned wide and staring, lips turning into a thin line, as if she was trying to hold in her surprise. Some of her words held the same explanation Izayuki briefly gave her a couple months ago about her lost memories before walking away and giving up, seeing how Astrid was having a hard time believing the tanuki. Did Erika know something she didn't? But, how? Did that mean Izayuki had not been lying? Confusion and anxiety flushed into her system, making her light headed and dazed. The want to stand up and scream at the woman until she gave her an explanation was inviting, but that was not how she acted. And the ace knew she was better than to let her rage consume her just like that.
The slayer dug her nails into her dress, clenching at the cloth to allow the small fit of anger run its course and eventually fade, breathing in and out calmly, eyes closing to concentrate. Well at least all those appointments at the doctor when she was a child was useful for something. Breathing exercises to calm her ungodly anger issues was helpful to some extent. Though there were only a few cases to this date where it actually worked, including this one. Every other time she had already been too worked up to even think about it, and it wasn't rocket science to know what happened afterwards.
After the fit of anger and anxiety faded away the musician once again opened her eyes, staring at Erika with a bit of a more softer gaze.

Help? She was asking for her help. But she had yet to specify what exactly she wanted her to do. Something about being free from her own ambition. The whole thing was a bit too complicated for Astrid to understand. How could one be free from their own ambition? She was tempted to ask for a further explanation, but felt as if the woman would start to grow tired of her misunderstandings.
Instead, she had a better idea in mind.
"You seem very knowledgeable. You know things about me that even i don't know."
She would pause to sit up more straight in her chair.
"How about a trade? If i help you to free yourself, in exchange you tell me who i am... What i am. Is that fair enough?"
Part of her didn't want to know. Part of her had tried all this time to run away from whatever was happening to her. But to have someone who knew everything about you right in front of you? How could she refuse? Her curiosity was once again at its highest. She was not going to run away from herself anymore.
She wanted to know the things she was keeping from herself.

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And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

It was true. To anyone else agreeing to such a thing without even knowing what she had to do would seem foolish. But to Astrid, it would not matter what she would have to do. After so many months of trying to run away from herself and ignoring what was happening to her? She had all the answers right in front of her in the shape of a blue haired woman. It was more foolish to give this opportunity up. After she found all the answers, maybe she could finally find peace for herself. No more sleepless nights worrying when a pair of fluffy ears and a tail would once again show up. No more worrying about these sudden and strange new urges. No more pain.
To be able to wield so much power as granting wishes... Was this woman some sort of genie? Maybe. Though genies usually had bottles, sang their desires in songs, and was voiced by Robin Williams. Or so said her children's books. Or prehaps she was some god. Either way, only a fool would decline such an offer. And while Astrid may be a little slow, she was no fool.

The ace watched as Erika turned to face the wall and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, all sounds after the snap became clearer. No longer muffled from the implants residing within her ears. Crimson orbs slowly widened in realization. She was unsure what exactly happened at first, and was a bit hesitant to believe this woman had such a power as so restore a thing like hearing. But as Erika talked, it hit her. Hard. She did say she had the power to grant wishes, surely restoring hearing would be child's play.
Hearing the world through what felt like a new pair of ears Astrid lightly touched the rim of her ears, shocked as for once she could actually hear the almost mute sound of skin touching against each other. She then went one step further, as if to prove it to herself. The slayer plucked the small, gray hearing aids her grandfather made for her from her ears and clenched them in her grasp. And to her surprise, the wind raging outside the walls could still be heard, if not even clearer than before.
She... Had actually done it. This woman had done the impossible. God's work.
Slowly crimson orbs rolled back up to Erika, still wide with surprise.
She was happy. Overjoyed. No longer stricken with a horrible disability. But the woman's words... She made it sound like if she didn't do as she was told, she could just snap her fingers once more and take away her hearing, reverting her back into the poor defenseless girl people though her to be due to it.
She swallowed hard, unsure of what she had just gotten herself into.
"W-What will i have to do...?" Finally, the answer she probably should have asked sooner.

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And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

How did this turn into a plan about breaking the Black Rose guild master so quickly? At first when she had wondered into the room, seeing Erika there so calm, Astrid began to imagine all kinds of situations involved with kidnapping. Usually it had something to do with wanting money or fame. And while Erika did want those things, it was not going to be through sending a threatening letter back to her family or guild. Instead, it was going to be through something much, much worse.
"Izayuki... Will kill Elyx?" red orbs shook fearfully, watching the woman's composure dwindle down into a slightly crazier and insane version of herself. She almost couldn't believe the words that came from the woman's mouth. Elyx was a wizard saint. The first wizard saint. A guild master. A H-rank. A god slayer. And in her opinion, the most powerful mage out there. There was no way he could lose, ever, at least in her eyes. But yet, the young slayer was blinded by her admiration for him. To the point where she did not realize he was no actual god, but instead, a being that was still susceptible to death.
He had beaten the tanuki before, way back when the mage just began her adventure with her brother. Surely there was no way he could ever fall, even to her... But Izayuki had made it very clear she was some sort of crazed monster, and Astrid was not fond of the woman because of it. She did not find it hard to believe she would try something like that. To kill her own husband? How lowly could one be. And Erika did seem like an all knowing being, so there had to be some truth to it...
But... Was teaching the youkai a lesson worth dying over? She had faced death multiple times in her short life. Its sickly claws was not something she wished to see up close. Or was it actually worth dying for? Erika promised her information of who she was, but in exchange, she would have to give up a part of her. Her life. Granted, she also promised a new body and with it new life. But the thought of being in another body and dying? And also birthing a new evil from it? It shook the girl...
... This was all so complex and difficult to grasp. Each pro had an even more awful con to it. But, the prizes Erika promised in return, it was enticing for sure.
And if she did not do this, how would Izayuki ever stop her rampage? If dying taught the guild master a life lesson and gets back at her for the horrible deed of killing her idol, Astrid guessed it would be worth it. But at the same time, would it really?
Unable to keep eye contact with Erika the silvernette lowered her gaze to the floor, fiddling her fingers together.
"I... I don't know."
The responsibility to make a big decision like this was weighing on her, each pro colliding with each con.
As if rejecting the gift of hearing the ace clasped her hands over her ears, ducking her head down into her lap to hide her face, which was on the edge of tears.
She cursed her inability to choose either. She cursed the voices in her head that told her to accept, and the ones that told her to decline. Right now, neither was the right answer. And she hated it.
"I just don't know."

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And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain

❧

The more Erika talked, the more sense she made, which the ace absolutely hated to admit. She was right. What was the extent of her power? If she could do the impossible and reverse an otherwise irreversible disability such as deafness, what couldn't she do? Even now she could already be controlling her, making her think these things. Making her what she wanted her to be. She really didn't have any choice in the matter. One way or another, this plan would move into action. With or without her consent.
She was stuck. She was helpless. Again.
Astrid did not look up, she refused to look into the face of her kidnapper. What a cruel situation this was. Starting out as her wanting to defend Fiore against an invading kingdom, and ending with her death. This is not what she had expected to happen at all.
The girl's fists clenched once again, but this time, in frustration. Frustration, with not being able to do anything to change the outcome.
"... Okay. I'll trust you." She had to force the words out of her mouth, or else they probably wouldn't have come out as normal as they did.
"I'll do it."

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