Burning Old Bridges (Ardere)

Appearance:

A lone cry of a feline in the night flickered the senses of a young demoness. She prowled the land of Terra Ignis very well using the help of her little cats. Of course, these were all simple feral cats whom had no home, but would very much love the company of one, she saw them to be of use before they'd die and become incarnated within her slowly growing feline army. That plan in it of itself was slowly being built up. There were plans, ideas, plots to be had that required a lot of patience and time to execute the way she had wanted it to be done. In time, she'd come to slip the rug from underneath them all.. if this went her way. The alley cat scurried its way to a building not too far away from where it frequently found and ate its scraps of foods and whatever anyone in this guild had come to feed it. Watching this all through the cats eyes, Aoi devised a way she could make this all work. She had little time left right now where she could open her case to some lowly little member and slide her way in that way. While she knew Eris was no longer there in the pinch she hoped for, this idea turned to her favor; one of personal gain and fruition should it succeed. As much of a narcissist as Aoi could be, the confidence in her skills without Eris were much slimmer than she had thought they were. It hit her like a brick at the realization of how lowly she set herself on the totem pole of power. Relying on someone aggravated her deeply, but as a blind person... it honestly wasn't something that was her fault, it was more of a pride thing for the independence of being able to do things on their own regardless of their lack of an ability to see.

With her disguise in the ready, there were many steps left to full proof her plan.Things like accents, histories, the how, the who, the why. All of these things had to be methodically perfect for it to fool a person. Not to mention keeping track of it so that should a person or two that meet this form talk, they don't discover inconsistencies and blow it for her. No no, this was very well planned for a personality and a voice to match. She had taken time in creating this appearance so that she would have the chance to go out and craft about the litter things as previously mentioned. However, now things were in stone and ready. She got to manipulating her magic, creating a realistic visage of ligature marks on her wrists and ankles to fit metal shackles and cuffs, some slightly more faded to show where some weren't as used as another. Her clothes had been slightly more worn, at least enough to believe they were recently put on in the last couple days at most, but not enough to her liking to be fully believable to the story she had. Her hair was semi frizzed, appearing to be less than fully kept after and her feet bare to the skin. The cold ground was harsh on them, but she had been used to it as a child. Growing up a normal homeless child had its benefits sometimes no less for plans like this. Lastly on her plan, she'd been running. Roughly now at 2.6 miles away from the building, she ran as though she'd truly been running away, letting just her own sensory sight guide her from falling off of the mountains. As the halls came into her "sight", the girl ran up to it and proceeded to crash into the door and fall back, making a screaming sound. "P-P-P-Please don't hurt me!"" She begged, her hands huddled over her head as she looked down to the ground, played to the assumption she ran into a person and their mass far outweighed her force and was knocked back from it.

She waited a couple of moments though, and if nobody came, her head would slowly pick up, looking about with a nervous shaking and feeling about on the ground until her hand would reach the door, patting slowly and lightly while getting up. Otherwise, she would continue to be a huddled mess on the ground.

Flipping through the pages of a book, Ardere's fingers ran through them at an intense speed. Speed-reading through the passages, his eyes absorbed the information as quickly as possible. Groaning in boredom, he tossed the book back onto the shelf. The Fire King was wandering the halls of the Infinity Hydra library. Pacing back and forth, he read through many books. The god slayer was quite the bookworm after all, known to read as much as he trained. But today he found himself pacing back and forth constantly, unable to settle on a reading selection. It was like his own mind was fighting against him. Stress and anxiety was not something he often found himself battling with, but like many people it still happened. He tossed book after book, pacing endlessly. Deciding to exit the library, he went out to get some fresh air.

Heading down to the guild hall, it was quiet--just the way he liked it. Grabbing a quick drink of some sake, he downed two cups and took a deep breath. Being the guild master, he didn't have to ask or pay for the drinks. But he always gave back when he could. Ardere closed his eyes before inhaling deeply, letting the oxygen go through his body. Let's go for a walk. Placing the sake bottle back in its original position, he wandered outside of the guild hall. What he found outside as he opened the door, was much to his surprise. A young girl who had fallen over seemed to be having some trouble. Are you alright? He asked, going to help her up. Blinking a few times and chuckling, he shook his head. I won't hurt ya. My name is Ardere. I'm the guild master around here. What's your name? He was a friendly man. Being a father himself, he had learned to deal with people a lot better than he used to. There was a confidence, but also a kindness to his demeanor. It was odd to see a man covered in armor and six feet tall be the way he was, that with his muscular build and piercing red eyes did not help, but there was an aura about him that even the Fire King himself did not know of.

Damn it... She'd been laying here for several moments now and not a single person's showed up. Did she actually pull a blind tactic and end up somewhere that wasn't even inhabited? No no... The cat she used to see from was entirely true and the right one, she knew she had this guild down pat and her plans were full proof. A light sigh and rubbing the back of her head gently, she sat up on her knees and patted around again, this time making sure she hadn't actually of dropped anything. "Ugh.. nyat cool... No no.. Aoi be calm and patient~ The best laid plans take time." Pumping herself back up, she slowly started to get up when she heard footsteps faintly from the other side of the door. Her eyes widened a little as she'd heard the steps getting louder and falling back down again. Aoi quickly closed her eyes and adjusted herself back into the role.

The door opened and in a skittish manner, the girl on the floor jumped and looked around. Her body physically shook from the sounds she was hearing until she'd heard a voice speak. The elder sounded, deep male voice made her scream lightly and jump back away from the door step. She looked up and around, currently showing only the milky eyes of a blind person, though hearing him claim he wouldn't hurt her only made her tense up. "T-T-That's what they all said too!" Slowly crawling backward, but his voice didn't show dark intent, though she knew it wouldn't. "I.. I.. I'm not... I'm Aoi..." What she didn't notice had happened though, but Ardere could see, her feet had begun to form small cuts, leaving blood like footsteps to form for the last bit of a trail to where she'd fallen in front of the doorway. The other thing that he could easily tell was this blood was pitch black in color, rather than it being red like any other blood. "I-Is it.. s-safe here? I-I can't let them take me back again..." Tears started to well in her eyes, having no notice of the slow bleeding in her feet when she'd taken steps.

Ardere noticed how skittish the young girl was. She looked to be injured, leaving light trails of blood. It was an odd color, but nothing that concerned him. What truly concerned him was that there was a young girl scared and injured in front of his doorstep. This was not the sort of thing he just left unattended. The Fire King offered his hand, sliding it over to hers so she could grab it. It had not been apparent before, but the young girl was blind. The fire mage's heart was beginning to sink, as he took a deep breath. It's alright. I can take you inside where it's safe. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you. His voice was soft and comforting, as he held her hand closely. He would attempt to guide her back up the steps, slowly and steadily. I'll take you inside, and we can bandage up those feet of yours. You seem to have cut them a bit. The samurai could not help himself. When he saw someone in need, it was like there was some sort of force driving him greater than himself. He was a powerful man, but none of that power was for sure. His strength was derived from his incessant need to protect people.

Assuming the young girl allowed him, he would help take her back up to the guild. This is Infinity Hydra. We have a bit of experience with helping people escape from the darkness in the world. Not one of our busier days, but perhaps that's a good thing. The guild hall was fairly calm. This was not the first time Ardere had brought a lost person into the hall, nor would it be the last. He had kind of a thing for adopting the lost and broken. Not that he saw her as only a potential guild member, but it would certainly help. For now his primary intent was just to bandage up her foot and get her something to drink, perhaps even a blanket or some new shoes. These were not things he found out of his way to do in the slightest. It was a basic kindness to the fire mage, something all should be willing to do.

This feeling... the helpless feeling before a kind strangers doorstep was more of a hit to her own psyche that she had actually thought it would ever have hit her. She couldn't tell for sure why it was that she felt this way, but how he spoke to her and grabbed onto her hand was... familiar. Once he'd actually place his hand on her own, it would jump from the reaction. It was nearly involuntary at this point in her life, so the fact she couldn't fake it without seeing it first hand only helped her in the long run. But that sensation made her smile. She could remember voices. It followed with a nurturing feeling. Some were of the nurses who sought her injuries, but as a child, the demoness could remember just how her spiraling began, though the lighter side of merciful antics would probably be stuck in her in smaller doses. Aoi was unsure of how to answer him as the guild masters kindness and actions sparked the upraor of memories to rush through her mind in such a vivid manner.

So, the question became how to play this to her advantage. With the smile on her face, she slowly began to stand, wincing a little at standing on one ankle. It didn't feel sprained, maybe she just stood up on it wrong? "I-I'm sorry to cause trouble... A-And m-my feet... they'll be ok. Th-Those peoples' accursed item is going to fix that." She had replied, speaking of course of the lacrima infused with her heart, pumping her body full of the black blood that symbolized her magic. "I-I'm also used to.. to walking barefoot to that point. After my accident, I was homeless for a time. These things were so common that now if I walk barefoot, I tend to not notice cutting up or scratching my feet up." Her responses were entirely genuine. As much as trying to push in the stories and lies she had pent up, a bit of backstory wouldn't hurt her in the long run at all.

With a small sigh, she had looked around with each step, seeing the quick sonar like ability of hers, she started to see the outlines of the objects around. She knew he wouldn't lead her into anything, but she was curious like any feline to see what she was surrounded by as far as furniture and more ornate decor. "I'm glad I umm.. ran into the guild then- pardon the pun." A faint red mark was on her forehead from her earlier impact into the door. "B-But I don't want to impose on you, e-even if you say you do it a lot. And.. I'm glad it was quieter, the loud noises really get to me ever since they had me captive..." Looking away, she reached out, trying to feel for a couch or chair that she could sit on, wanting to see if she could at least get comfortable from the run she'd taken.

Helping the young girl sit near the bar, in one of the more comfortable chairs in the guild hall, Ardere took a deep breath. You're no trouble at all. Aoi, was it? He stepped behind the bar to give her some space, pulling out a bottle of water and some bandages for her feet. Is water okay? We also have coffee and hot chocolate, or even just milk. Infinity Hydra was one of the more hospitable guilds around, especially its guild master. Unfortunately he was at a loss as to how he could further help this girl without more information. He hated to ask, but the fire mage was going to have to ask a few questions before they could proceed. He couldn't just leave her to the wolves, there was a responsibility on his shoulders now. It was rather odd, he often seemed to like that responsibility these days. Maybe he was just getting too old.

Folding his arms after accommodating any of her needs, he would begin. Sorry to intrude, but these people that attacked you....who are they? It was a fair question seeing as she was the one who ran into his guild hall after all, making it his business to some extent. If anyone trouble came to his guild, Ardere would take care of it. This young girl was now under his protection, and that was not something to be taken lightly. Did they experiment on you? The way you talk about them, it makes me feel that way. Sorry if I'm prying, but I am not a rookie mage, I can help. His status was not something he often used in bargaining or even often boasted about, but he was not only the Guild Master of Infinity Hydra. The Fire King was one of the strongest mages in the country, a God of Ishval. But the one tribute he would forever enjoy about himself, was that no problem was too big or too small for him. Helping people was not about what was more rewarding or more important, it was just about helping people.

While it seemed that Ardere hadn't of seen her as any trouble, her idea of imposing herself that way to play her part was more annoying to herself anything. Firstly, she despised being petty and asking others to help... just wasn't her style. Secondly, the continuation of flashbacks weren't very pleasant either. Feeling this sensation twice in almost a mirrored situation bugged her to an extreme. Still, she tried to keep her cool while it seemed the guild master was preparing things to wrap her feet in. "I told you, sir. They'll heal rather quickly, t-there's no need to bandage them." She paused, her clouded orbs shying away and sighing lightly. "I... remember the last time I ended up in a situation like this. N-Not under these circumstances, but a childhood friend had taken me in off of the streets in a condition like this. I used to hear the sound of bandages against the table all the time." Sitting up in the seat, she wouldn't contest him still wrapping them up, but she'd prefer he not waste his bandaging.

Now the real fun was going to begin. She needed to be very careful in how she approached this subject, but she teared up a little and squirmed into her seat. "Th-They.. I.. U-Umm... I-I'm not sure entirely w-with names... b-because they didn't bring it up much.. B-But it had something to do with skulls." Looking away and then back up to him, or where she thought he was, Aoi listened to him bring up experimentation and her ideas shifted. She wanted to save this for later, but fitting this into her plans made things much much more easy should she get caught not in this human disguise. "T-That was why t-they'd kept me alive. I umm.. was one of 4 people they had. I. I remember a younger girl and two boys, b-both maybe around my age." She started, trying to recall the voice tones to reflect their ages. "They first did tests, t-then they started trying to infuse magics into me. Th-They said they wanted to make people into slave mages... b-but none of them worked on me."

A soft sigh left Aoi's lips as she gulped lightly, trying to think of how to put this into the story. "They ended up trying to use a.. a.. la... lac-...lacrima..? t-to give magic to me and potentially turn me into some mindless creature. B-But it instead made my blood turn black. I.. I became cursed and my physical body could shift... I can change into a cat girl at any time if.. if I truly want to... b-but I'm afraid of the sensitivity of hearing and smells with it... I-I don't want anyone else to know. I can't bare thinking people would wanna use me because of it or make fun..." The girl had slowly begun to retract, folding her legs up at her chest and wrapping her arms around them. It shielded most of her face as she stared blankly for just a moment. "B-But now that you mention it... m-milk sounds really nice." A faint smile encroached on her face, just barely sliding her legs away from herself.

Ardere listened as she talked, it seemed she didn't know too much of her captors. The thing that bothered him was when she mentioned the skulls. Could she be talking about Savage Skull? It wouldn't be entirely out of the ordinary for them to do that sort of thing, but he would hold his commentary for now. What he could not hold back was his frustration. How could someone do that to such a young girl? Unfortunately he had dealt with his fair share of evil bastards in his time. This was not entirely new for him. Well I'm sorry that happened to you. You are very welcome to stay here if you wish. It is safe here, and you don't have to socialize with any of the guild members if you don't want to. We do offer free lodging attached to this castle you're standing in. Giving her a reassuring look, he reached down into the mini fridge. Finding a bottle of milk, he poured her a glass but left the bottle out for her. It was ironic that she liked milk, seeing as she was a cat-girl of sorts, but he kept that note to himself as well. He only hoped that she would stay at least for a bit. If she got hurt again he wouldn't be able to bare that on his conscience. And don't worry, this stays between you and I.

Pouring himself a cup of sake, he sipped the clear liquid. Sighing contently, the two were at the bar together, probably one of the few normal things the young girl had experienced. You know, I was captured when I was young too. Finishing up his cup of sake, he looked down at the wooden bar. The bandits that kidnapped me and burned down my village tried to use me to steal and assist in their crimes. But once I was old enough and learned magic, I made my escape. Part of that dark past is why I started this guild. I didn't want anyone else to experience the pain I had, or at least if they had....perhaps I could help them. Chuckling a bit, he sipped some more sake. I tried to make a place where all the lost souls could feel welcome. Not all of the other guilds are for everyone. We're not perfect, but I like to think I've made a difference somehow. Perhaps you could some day turn this negative experience into something positive yourself. Despite being such a powerful man and a guild master, Ardere was a bit of a softy, especially when it came to children or young people in general. He had a hard childhood growing up, which was why he tried so hard to accomplish much in his adult years. He had gotten this far because he channeled all of that pain and suffering. This was what made him strong, and it was what made him scary when he was serious.

It seemed her hinting towards Savage Skull without even the mention fully of it almost hit the guild master, but it was a little odd to find out if she had actually known if he knew whom it was. It was better to let the name stew in his mind and fester into a plot all its own. While the man mentioned the idea of her staying, she grew a little eye of surprise. Nothing like she'd expected him to go for it, but she was more so surprised by his lack of attitude change in his tone of voice or anything. Aoi picked up her glass of milk and held it in her hand. "G-Glass? I didn't know they kept it in these anymore... I got so used to licking it from a saucer while they held me captive that it kind of became a habit to do. Even if I'm holding it." The blind girl giggled, looking away for a moment and thinking of the times she'd done it just to do it, but it made for a great addition to her story.

While Ardere had begun to spin his backstory to her, the cat girl took a decent chug of her milk, still being partially dehydrated from her run to the guild hall as it was. Truthfully, this whole experience was starting to split her mind. Part of her was willing to give an honest shot, but the other... the other just wanted so much mayhem and destruction. Shaking her head of the idea, she nodded and allowed herself to.. merge the two into it's own sick manner. "I'm sorry to hear that... And.. I wasn't blind my whole life either." She seated herself up a bit and placed her bottle of milk on her lap in her hands still. "I will take what you said to heart though..." With a small sigh, her eyes settled towards her lap. "The whole reason I'm blind was because I was caught in a crossfire between mages from the town. I was trapped under a of heavy rubble and spent some time having to recover, but my sight was never to return, they told me. But!" She paused, smiling a little. "I taught myself how to use my magic to temporarily allow me to see. I.. I honestly prefer the world blind, but a sneak peek once in a while helps my imagination run correctly." Her hand rested on her chin, wondering curiously about what to do, but she nodded to her own ideas. "I could help others who are suffering from things like blindness and try to help better them!... Kinda gives 'The blind leading the blind' a whole new meaning." The girl giggled aloud to her joke, knowing how bad it actually was.

Ardere poured himself another cup of sake, leaning back against the wall behind the bar. He held a dominating presence, even when acting leisurely. It was something that the mage could not avoid anymore. After so many years of gaining power and fighting for the light, he had attained a certain level that most did not even dream of. Yet at times, he still felt powerless. There was evil in the world that he could not stop, no matter how much he tried. It became frustrating after so long. Sipping from his cup, he took a deep breath. I'm sorry all of that has happened to you, but like I said you are very welcome to stay here as long as you want. Not even the stronger dark wizards would dare attack this place directly. I once fought toe to toe with the entirety of Savage Skull. Winking at the young girl, he did not enjoy boasting, but it was important that those he harbored understood that they were in good hands. The Fire King did not plan on laying down and dying any time soon. You seem like a pretty decent person. I hope that you attain your goals. It's gonna be tough, but one person can make a difference if they try hard enough. Believe that.

Packing up the sake bottle and cracking his neck, the guild master walked from behind the bar. Sauntering over to where Aoi was, she placed his hands against the wooden counter. So, would you like me to show you a room. Or is there somewhere you'd prefer me to take you? I can give you the grand tour if you'd like. It's a big place, but it's not too complex in design. I made it easy for some of my members who are....less adept in finding their way around places. Chuckling to himself a bit, he had a few members in mind. But he stayed concerned with the girl's current status. I did design this entire place, even took part in building it. I like to do a lot of work myself. I wouldn't be a good guild master if I didn't get down in the dirt like all of my members. I prefer to put myself on their level. Ardere was attempting to make the cat-girl feel welcome somehow. He was still not sure whether or not she would stay. She didn't seem to want to cause any trouble, but he didn't mind at all. Her situation was a bit fishy, but if anything came of it then he would deal with it then.

Despite the fact that she knew he was being sincere about her story, she felt like he was laying pity on her. Granted, any time she heard the word sorry, she felt the feeling of being a pity party, so it wasn't anything personally put against him, but she would just let out an obvious sigh at the apology to her that he gave. "It's not really anything to be sorry about... It's something I've learned to live with. Honestly... I much prefer it better. The thing inside of me still lets me see when I truly want to, but for the most part I can get around with a decent bit of ease." She paused for a moment, pondering if she could honestly explain the way she was able to "see" the things around her as she walked, but nothing could come to her mind in that moment. "I.. actually can't think of a way to explain it, but... ever since I became blind, I had this innate sense where.. I can kinda see the outlines of people and objects, buildings. Like... Silhouette's, to be exact. For maybe a brief second or two, but with each step it changes. So at first, I was scared to walk, but like everything else, it became habit."

Something quickly clicked in the neko's mind when she finally managed to shut herself up. Did he actually mention Savage Skull and she not notice that it was said? No no... Was it maybe a test to see if she was lying or not? "Nyow Nyow, Aoi. Relax and think. How can you play into this..." She'd thought to herself. His hands just gently being put onto the counter near her caused her to involuntarily jump, mostly due to the blindness. Just the small spry things like that caught her off guard all the time. Looking up where she could hear his voice, she smiled gently for probably the first time since her arrival. "If I really won't be in the way... I guess it beats trying to find another place to stay, plus I know how to fight with the magic they made me have, so I won't be a complete waste of your time or efforts... A-And, a small tour sounds nice. I-If you want, I could try and make myself see so I can at least see how nice your guild actually looks like." Aoi began to stand, up from her seat, her feet reaching out to make sure where she would step was safe enough, then jumping off. She waited patiently for his answer, either way he took the idea she wouldn't really care, but since she had the option, she did wonder what he would react with.