Matters of State [Job, Nessa]

Nessa stared down hard at the pages in front of her, her violet eyes darted from left to right, quickly scanning the contents of the page for about the thirtieth time. It seemed that she was done, finally done with the task she had been commisioned to do. Now that it was over and done with it felt a little less embarrassing. It was just a story after all, and she had signed it with an alias, so it wasn't like anyone wouldn't ever know it was her. Besides the likelihood that Markus and Aven would ever stumble across this little fanfiction was very small. It was fine; she would just have to submit this to the client, once she did that then it would be gone and forgotten about for good. Although despite being highly embarrassed by the task, she did put a lot of work it to it, a small part her was tempted to make a copy to keep. But the idea of any of her guildmates ever finding out about it just made that too much of a risk. The humiliation would be irreversible. Fortunately, the only person who she was aware that knew about the task was Sorano, maybe one or two of the aces although that hadn't been confirmed. This was a secret she did not want getting out.

The door suddenly burst open, causing Nessa to jump suddenly in her seat. Papers up into the air. As she caught glanced of Markus, the last person she had expected to walk into her office, she quickly went into panic mode. She suddenly stood up and snatched them out of the air; her cheeks filled with a deep red blush as she attempted to shuffle the papers together and out of sight. She shoved them into her top drawer, quickly locked it shut before looking up at her visitor who couldn't have been more ironic if she tried. "O-oh hi, Markus, what um.. what would you care to discuss?" She said in an awkwardly polite tone, a hand resting purposely over the drawer. She quickly tried to compose herself, although anyone could clearly see that she was flustered. It hadn't been that long since she last saw him, it was strange getting used to having him back.

They had initially been reunited at the Winter's Ball hosted by the West Fiore Trading Company. A meeting that had been somewhat bittersweet, it would be a lie to say she wasn't happy to see him again. But she had immediately gone about setting rules for them. Because based on their past experiences, she needed to find a way to set up a means of resisting the temptation to give into him again. Not that it was likely to be tempted again but that particular time had involved a lot of alcohol and a little recklessness. But even so by saying it out loud felt necessary, just a little. However, things hadn't been so bad upon their last meeting when she and Johann from the West Fiore Trading Company had gone to Shadow Island to deal with several robotic monsters that had been attempted to infest the lands. Nessa and Markus had stumbled across each other while on the job at hand. Which had gone surprisingly well, they had both managed to contribute to the destruction of the beasts without any complications. So maybe, just maybe they could move on in their friendships, without any complications.

WC: 578 / 8000

Nessa quickly set about trying to compose herself a little better. Her behaviour, she knew full well, was suspicious. As he proceeded to explain his reasons for bursting into her office suddenly, her blush would slowly begin to fade, and she would offer his request her complete attention. It seemed he was coming to her because she was an Ace, and that there weren't any alternate reasons behind it. It was strange to be sitting in this position with Markus on the other side of the table, asking for her for permission to do something. It was almost a bit of a role reversal, the last time they had been on the job together if anything he had been in charge. But now that she was in a higher position than him, she would have to take charge. She just hoped that he wouldn't offer too much resistance.

She skimmed over the contents of the piece of paper that he handed her, her violet eyes scanning over the job details. It seemed to be a job about retrieving a girl that had been sold into slavery. A name popped up to her; she glanced at him for a moment before looking back down at it. Eldridge. She was pretty sure that was the name he had given her when they met, although that had been an awfully long time ago. Perhaps she remembered it wrong. Although she had admittedly thought about Markus a fair bit, he was pretty hard to forget. She continued to scan the contents, talk about facing a group of dangerous mages. She sat back, thumbing the page for a moment. She sighed, she was torn, she knew Markus well enough to understand how capable of a mage he was, but there were still rules. Rules that as an Ace, she had no choice but to implement.

"Markus, I understand this is important, but your rank doesn't qualify you to do this job alone." She explained. At the end of the day, if this job were tough enough to be ranked S, sending him alone would be a massive risk to him and the reputation of the guild. She was trying to keep her guard up a little around Markus, because despite what she was trying to do. Seeing him around now, still caught her off guard. But that didn't mean she didn't value his safety as a guildmate. She pondered the implications for a moment, "Unless..." A thought came to mind, although she wasn't sure if it was a wise thought. If an individual of the same rank or higher were to accompany him, she could approve it. But this meant doing a job with him alone. She looked up at him once more, looking at his features. He seemed too serious, so genuinely determined to do this job. She felt herself give in, leaning over, she scribbled a note on the job. Including both the names of the guildmates partaking in it. Before reaching over her desk for an approval stamp and imprinted it on the page. She then pushed back her seat and walked around the table. "Come on, we leave in an hour right? Best get our stuff together if we want to get to Bellum before nightfall." She said to him, striding past him towards her office door.


WC: 557
Total: 1135 / 8000

Nessa caught him looking at her, his dark eyes catching her gaze, pausing in her step slightly as he thanked her sincerely. It was mildly surprising, but still, she offered him a genuine grin. "Don't mention it, I'm your Ace now, so if I can help in any way I'm glad to, plus, we're friends so it's no trouble." She said casually, it was the truth after all. Since becoming an Ace, it was her responsibility to make sure to help her guildmates in any way she could. They were essentially family after all, and if this meant that much to Markus, then it meant that much to her too. She didn't feel like creating a barrier between her and Markus meant she had to push him away. She really did want him in her life, as her friend. Surely if she she played her cards right, she could make it work?

She led him after of her office, heading over the wisp at the front desk. "But first, I'll need to collect some things from home, I have an emergency travel kit prepared, so it won't take long. Fortunately, I only live a fifteen walk from the guild, five minutes if I fly. Did you want to come with?  Or shall we meet back here?" She ask in a tone of uncertainty, she didn't exactly mind him coming to her house. He could just wait in the hallway, while she gathered her stuff and wrote a note for her family. Plus she was pretty sure her Dad was at work. Edward would be at school, and Antoinette was still away on that long job of hers. So the likelihood of an awkward encounter was slim. The only people they were likely to run into was Sebastian and Arielle. If they hadn't headed off on a little journey together, the duo certainly had become a little team of sorts. It was cute, and it helped Nessa feel less guilty about not taking them on jobs with her as much as she felt she should.  She turned her gaze the Will 'o' wisp. "Can you leave a memo for Sorano and the other Aces that I'll be gone for a while. I'm escorting Markus on an S Rank, will check in once I'm back." She told the Wisp, it seemed to blink at her once, which she knew was a confirmation of her request. She turned back to Markus,

"Also how did you want to get to Bellum? We could go by carriage, or we could fly. Alternatively, I could open a portal through Valhalla, and we could travel that way. I've actually been to Bellum before so I can reopen a portal there from Valhalla. Unless you can think of any other ways to get there quickly?" She asked, tilting her head. Wondering if she was offering up to much, first a visit to her home, then a brief walk through Valhalla, she wasn't even sure how much Markus knew about her new magic.

She heard his question and shrugged, "It's good, a little overwhelming at time. I wasn't expecting the position to be honest, but I'm glad for it nonetheless. It's nice to feel I can contribute a little more to the guild these days. Even if it's mainly paperwork and balancing figures." She told him. She knew he was trying to make it a little less tense between them, and it was still a little weird being around each other again. It wasn't like she would forget what had happened between them anytime soon, but if they could somehow get back to normal. Maybe they would be okay.

WC: 611
Total: 1746 / 8000

Markus seemed unfazed by her invite to her house, that was good right. Because if that might truly mean nothing, then it wouldn't be a big deal for either of them. This was strictly for work-related purposes, right? She would push open the door to the guild and begin to lead the way to her home. It was a little odd; they hadn't really had a chance to talk since they had first reunited, having been too busy with jobs and the sort. Then there was that strange encounter with Markus and Mars, or rather Aporia and Mars. Nessa hadn't really gotten an explanation about that, then again it's not like Markus owed her one. But still, it had left her very confused. Was Markus like Johann in that sense, did he have something living inside of him like Mars? Or was she just jumping to a conclusion? She didn't want to speculate too much, she only hoped that eventually, he would feel comfortable enough to tell her.

Nessa's looked at Markus in surprise as he mentioned Valhalla, before realising that he wouldn't know about her new magical abilities. He had left just before she had saved Tiphanae and formed her connection to the Valkyries. "Oh, well after you left, I sort of made a contract with a group of Valkyries, and can summon them to aid me in battle. They're like companions of sorts." She explained, "It also links me to the realm of Valhalla," She added, at some point, she hoped to introduce Markus to them properly. Although, there were two Valkyries she was uncertain about, their senseless attempts to push Nessa towards their respective bets.

Nessa tilted her head curiously as Markus spoke of taking her to the place he was trapped in for so long. The place where he had been caught for so long that had made such a difference in their timelines. For Nessa had only missed Markus's presence for four months, whereas for Markus it had been a long four years. She had been surprised he hadn't forgotten about her, but instead, he had whispered those three words that still hovered in the back of her mind. I missed you... She glanced away for a moment, not watching to catch his eye as she thought about it.

"That sounds okay, as long as we can pass through safely and quickly."

She replied softly; she didn't know what the expect from a word that was capable of trapping him for so long. But she was not about to force him to come to Valhalla instead. If he felt comfortable enough to take her then, then she would surely be fine. She had to trust his decision, plus it made sense not to delay matters too much. She heard his remark, and the blushed once more. She wondered if he had seen something he wasn't supposed to have. She laughed nervously, "Yeah, just some paperwork Sorano asked me to complete, it's not so bad I guess," She told him, trying to play it off casually.

They soon arrived at her home; it was a humble building — wooden walls, flower beds outside the front. If you looked, you could see that it had initially been quite a small home that had recently had extensions added onto it. She reached into her satchel and unliked the front door. "You can wait in the living room if you want." She told him as she leads him into the main hallway. The layout of the home was cosy in nature; shelves adorned with books, ornaments and trinkets. It had a nice feminine touch thanks to her Aunties contributions. She pointed to the living, before heading up the stairs to collect her things.


WC: 625
Total Wc: 2371 / 8000

At the point in time when his daughter and her guildmate had entered the house, a Mr Richard Lux was loitering in the basement. The man was walking about his home lab, collecting some materials he'd forgotten to bring to work that morning. Some papers he had written up and some vials he needed to present to his boss in preparation for their next presentation. He was just finishing the task of packing them into his briefcase when he heard footsteps upstairs. He would glance upwards, a smile on his face. He could only imagine who that was, his beloved daughter. Whom was home so rarely these days, a bittersweet necessity.  Ever since she had joined Fairy Tail, he had seen less and less of Nessa. Occasionally she would join them for dinner or even breakfast, but time together was sparse. He wished he could see more of her, but he would sacrifice that desire in order to allow her to reach her dreams. He was most proud. His daughter, who only a few years ago, he barely recognised, had returned to the happy bundle of love and light her knew her as. On top of that, she was finally reaching her full potential, a guilds ace, wizard saint of purity. His co-workers were nearly sick of all the times he went on about her.

Richard packed up his briefcase and made his way upstairs, hoping he would catch Nessa before she disappeared again. The entrance of the basement opened up from the kitchen; he climbed up the stairs before quietly shut the door behind him. He deduced that she must be upstairs, he was sure he had heard her rushing up to her room. Yet, as he stepped into the hallway, he could hear someone else, another body in his home, exploring his living room. Richard crept up to the door, peeking around through the gap in the slightly ajar door. He spotted a male, a red-head between his mid-to-late twenties. Richard didn't say anything, as the man looked through their personal photos. He only observed. Richard presumed this must be a guildmate of Nessa, he couldn't exactly be a robber cause he was so casually perusing their living quarters. Plus Richard could read his daughter's magical signature from the moment she stepped into the house, he knew it well enough to know she was busy bouncing around upstairs.

As Richard watched the mans quiet moment, he raised his palm, quietly pressing on the living room door to open it wider. Richard knew the man was having a private moment, a moment he most likely didn't want to share with another. So Richard decided to speak up, before things became too uncomfortable for the young man. "Like a twinkling star in the darkest night, still she shines." He said softly, walking across the room over to the stranger. "She's always been that way, Nessa, much like her mother was." He said. When Markus would look at Richard, he would see a man in his forties, with messy brown hair, chin covered in stubble. He was a little shorter than Markus, but not by much. He wore a white shirt and brown waistcoat, brown corduroy trousers and mahogany-coloured leather brogues. He looked relatively good for his age, except for the edges of his eyes which were lined with crows feet. The sign of a man who smiled often. Looking up at the man with violet eyes that so resembled Nessas.

"You are a guildmate of my daughters are you not? Let me guess," He would take a moment to think, "Markus perhaps?" He asked, Nessa had told them many stories about her guildmates, so many so that Richard was sure he could name every one of them at first sight. There was but one red-headed enigma, which she kept significantly quiet about. Only revealing the minimum. Richard would cock his head curiously at the mage. "Do you mind answering a set of riddles for me?" He began, pleased that Nessa hadn't realised he was home. If she knew he was doing this, she would undoubtedly be furious. "First, What belongs to you, but is used by others? Second, What is it that no man wants to have, but no man wants to lose? and lastly, What can be broken without being touched?" He asked, moving away, he would move over to his armchair, turning into it he would sit down. Gesturing at the couch for Markus to sit across from him.

All the while upstairs in her bedroom, Nessa was rummaging through her room, packing her things away. As far as she knew, she was alone, with Markus, in her house. She was still debating on whether or not this was a good idea. Surely it would be fine, as long as they didn't linger alone too much. Not that anything would happen if they would, they had agreed that nothing else would happen between them. Besides, it's not like they were drinking, alcohol had certainly fueled whatever it was that had occurred between them before — drunken recklessness. That's all it was. As she finished bagging up her stuff, she glanced around the room. Making sure there wasn't anything she missed; she had packed a change of clothes, first aid kit, and other generic items you would take on a long journey. As she glanced around, her eyes caught sight of Avens poem pinned to the wall, amongst photos of herself with Arcadia, and the Valkyries. There was also that. A matter she still hadn't brought herself to address. Mainly because the time, just wasn't right.

She left her room, slowly making her way down the stairs, she headed into the kitchen to pack a few snacks and bottles of water. As she zipped up the bag, she made her way into the living room where Markus was waiting. "Okay, I'm pretty sure I got everythi- DAD!" She said dropping the bag she was holding. Eyes wide and she glanced from her father to Markus. "What are you doing here?"


WC: 1013
Total Wc: 3384 / 8000

Richard's violet eyes would watch Markus's features curiously; he did see the tear. Alas, he said nothing, allowing the moment to pass for the younger man. This was a stranger after all, and it seemed like whatever he was thinking about was far too private for Richard to delve into. He listened to his comment about Nessa, it was a curious adjective to use for her. Unpredictable. Yet, as he thought of his late wife Cordelia, and the little things she would do that would often little him in a state of pleasant surprise. His eyes would soften, glancing over at her face on the face on the photo. Her brilliant smile, shining brightly, lighting up every room. Yes, she had never ceased to amaze him, so why wouldn't his daughter be the same. He brought his gaze back to Markus as he asked for confirmation that he was Nessa's father.  "That I am. Dr Richard Lux, but please call me Richard."

After he had made his way to the armchair, he awaited the answers to his riddle; the man seemed rather unfazed by the light quizzing. Richard would listen quietly, saying no more as he took in each response. At the last one, his lip would curl slightly into a small smile. Interesting... He thought. It was after this point that his boisterous daughter would entire the room. He turned his head to look at her, his smile broadening at the sight of her. She looked well, something he couldn't help but be glad about. "I forgot some materials I required for a presentation and popped home. I was in the lab when you and your... guildmate arrived.  I decided I'd come up and say hello before you passed through." He explained. As Markus addressed him once more with a riddle of his own, Richard would sit up slightly. Intrigued by this decision, he would tilt his head, taking it in. He went over it for a moment, breaking it down, a few different answers came to mind, a secret, a promise. Something niggled in his mind, telling him to look further. As Markus followed up with another question, Richard's eyes would draw up to the younger man. He understood, yes that was it. A promise to keep this a secret, what he'd seen, what they'd discussed. This seemed to be something the man didn't want dicussed with anyone, Richard's eyes would glance to his daughter from a moment. A secret from Nessa, that seemed fundamentally the key point he was making, seeing as Richard didn't interact with many others Markus's might know. He would return his gaze back to the man, and offer him a small succinct nod. He would keep his word

Nessa stared between the two men, nodding at her father's response, she couldn't help but feel a little uncertain. Having no means as to guess what they had been talking about. As far as parenting went, her father had always been a bit of a softie. If there was ever any discipline in the household, it had been from her mother or following her passing, her Aunt Antoinette. Her dad was more of the type of father that would sneak you some ice cream after being grounded to make you feel better. She had only seen him angry a few times, and one of those times had been after meeting Rex. Her father did not like Nessa's ex-boyfriend in the slightest, and after their complicated break up. A break that which he knew very little about, other than that they could no longer make their relationship work. It had never occurred to him to pry any deeper, that his sister in law or daughter were hiding a very dark, painful secret. As she glanced between him and Markus, she couldn't feel any animosity. Not like there had been when Rex. It was as far as she could tell completely okay, she relaxed slightly, relieved that they at the least didn't hate each other.

She listened as Markus proceeded to comment on how she was a beautiful child, she relaxed slightly, letting out a laugh. "Oh god, you saw those. Dad seriously, baby photos, do you have any self-control?" She said in a teasing tone to her father, Richard shrugged, "Hey! Don't blame me, he was already looking at them when I got here." He said smiling back. Nessa glanced at Markus, wriggling her nose at him. "So nosey!" She said to him. When he made a comment about the riddles, she sighed loudly and rolled her eyes, "Riddles, really Dad?" She said in a tone of a daughter who had seen such behaviour far too many times, she glanced back at Richard. "Well, did he pass? or do we need to lock him in the basement?" Richard would grin, shaking his head, "Oh no, this one's going in the basement with the others, you grab him, I'll get the sedative." Nessa laughed, she enjoyed messing around with her father a bit, they didn't get much time together these days, some a little banter while they could was nice, refreshing even.

Richard shook Markus's hand, "Pleasure's all mine," He replied, Nessa walked over to him, leaning down she would give her father a peck on the cheek. "I'll be gone for a day or two, maybe longer depending on how this job goes." She told him, he would nod in response. "Be safe, both of you." He replied softly, glancing between them both. She mouthed 'love you' at him, which he mouthed back — a small exchange of affection. She smiled before looking back at Markus. "Yep, let's go." She turned, waving goodbye to her father before leading Markus back out into the hallway and out of the house. She shut the door behind him before giving him a sheepish look, "Sorry about that; I didn't expect him to be home." She said in an awkward tone, at the very least it had gone pleasantly enough. "So guess it's your turn to lead, we're going that place you were talking about earlier right?"


WC: 1017
Total Wc: 4401 / 8000

Fortunately for Nessa, Markus didn't seem to too bothered about having to meet her Dad. Honestly, she hadn't ever imagined a scenario where the two of them would have to meet, yet she found herself pleasantly surprised. Perhaps after the unfortunate disagreement, they had experienced after introducing Rex to her family just made her a little more cautious about these things. She hadn't exactly picked up on why her father didn't like him, only that there was something about his 'mannerisms' around his daughter that set the man on edge. Nessa at the time had been blind to it, the commanding way in which Rex spoke to her ordering her to do things in a way that suited him. The way he would patronise her naivete and pass it off as a joke, passively portraying her as an idiot. Even the way that when she wasn't looking, he would openly stare at her body in a way that in no way hid his intentions for it. At the time, Nessa just thought he was doing what boyfriends do, she in no way expected his subtle toxicity to cause her Father to throw him out the house — resulting in the biggest fight Nessa, and Richard had ever had. A common disagreement between fathers and daughters, the girl wanted to defend her boyfriend the father wanted to protect his child — following which the two barely spoke to each other for weeks. So for Nessa, the fact that her father seemed fine with Markus was a relief and had even been fine with Aven when they had been introduced to each other. But then again, she had to acknowledge a key difference here, neither of those two were dating her.

Nessa followed Markus as he would take the lead, eventually taking her into an alleyway. She stopped with him, turning to him as he began to explain things to her. He started talking about the void, and primordial chaos, words and beings she had no concept of. She tried to grasp what he was saying as best she could, but knew that until she saw it. She wouldn't truly be able to understand it. When he told her about it was dangerous, she looked at him seriously. For Markus to say that, well, it meant something. When he told her to stay close, she nodded, she had no intention of going walkabouts in the place that essentially trapped him for so long. She glanced down as he offered his hand, she hesitated for a moment. Before scalding herself for being silly, he was just holding it to guide her there, nothing else. She placed her hand in his, "Lead the way." She said softly.

After a moment, she sensed it; something was occurring around her. She could feel a strange, unfamiliar energy around them, and noises would rin out in her ears. Whispers, cries, Nessa gulped, unsure how to handle the sounds, it was an eerie sensation. Then, they would cease all of sudden. Silence. And an even more peculiar, like nothing yet everything at the same time. In the shadow of the alley a portal appeared before then, at Markus's word, Nessa nodded, following him swiftly through it. As she re-emerged with him on the other side of the portal, Nessa felt... nothing. It was oddly suitable for the term he used, void. Void of everything. Nessa glanced around; they had appeared on balcony, shaped like a semi-circle and made up off curious looking bricks. Around its edge a unique railing, intricately designed in some kind of pattern. It seemed similar to the same kind of intricate markings she had seen in Valhalla, yet not quite the same as the Norse designs the Valkyries used.

She would look up, and feel her heart sink slightly. There weren't there. The stars and she couldn't feel them either. Wherever she went, and anytime she travelled through a portal, the sky was always the first place she would look. So that she could see her stars, those celestial entities she felt such a strong connection, it was always reassuring to know they would still be there, twinkling above her. Yet, it seemed that here, in this place, that would not be the case. For the short amount of time they would be here, she would just have to survive without her stars. Not to say the sky wasn't a fascinating sight, all the different colours that seem to be running across it. It was ominous but also beautiful. She glanced back at Markus, realising she was ogling a little bit. She could still feel her hand in his, yet wasn't sure whether it was okay to let go yet. "It's so... different." She said, stating the only word she could think of. She had never been in a world like this before. She had been in worlds encased in darkness, and some that practically overflowed with energy. But here just felt so empty, a sensation she wasn't used to.

She would look around once more, noticing the other balconies that seemed to belong to a castle, magnificent and dark. Then her eyes would fall on the door. Nessa wondered if this was where they were going to, after all, didn't Markus need to collect some things? At least that was what she thought unless he had decided that it was best for them to pass through. She wasn't sure what to expect of the man, as she met his gaze. "Umm..." She began awkwardly, "What now?" She said with a shrug and a half-smile. Trying to play the strangeness of the moment off casually, yet she couldn't help but feel odd here. To add to the oddness of the place, she also had the weird feeling, like something was watching them.

WC: 968
Total Wc: 5369 / 8000

Nessa felt Markus's hands leave hers; he would answer her question. She blinked at him for a moment, for only the briefest of moment misinterpreting what he said. Then realising that they were of course, here for a reason, and nothing else. She nodded, watching as he went to open and door for her, she would follow him, stepping inside the room. Her eyes would quick take in the room, her curiosity about what kind of place Markus lived in soon to be sated. The room, for the most part, was sparse. She would take a few steps forward, turning to look over it all. She turned to Markus, a soft smile on her face. He spoke, saying that it wasn't much. He was right it wasn't, but it didn't really surprise her. "It's very you." She said with a small chuckle. He spoke about getting changed and getting stuff ready. Making a comment about baby photos, normally that would've been something she might have chuckled at. But there was just the blank way in which Markus said it; it just made Nessa felt like it wasn't the right response. So instead, she simply nodded.

He left and went into another room, leaving her alone in his bedroom. Nessa would first walk over to the fireplace, aside from the wood in the hearth and the pokers to the side, there wasn't much else about it. As Markus said, there were no small decorative pieces like the things her Aunt would have bought at an Antique shop. Nor where there any photos to resemble any sort of reflection of his life. It was such an alien thing to her, Nessa understood full well the sentiment of a prized possession, something from your past that brought forward a fond memory. Did Markus not have that? Or perhaps, it was just something he wasn't willing to share with her? She sighed, moving away from the fireplace and over to the easel. She cocked her head at it, "He paints...?" She said softly to no one in particular, her tone laced with a rhetorical question. She approached, looking around the room. Despite this, she couldn't see any canvases, no evidence of any art he'd been working on or had done: just the easel, and a stand with paint and water on it. Nessa tried to imagine what Markus might paint; her mind went through the different types of art she new, perhaps still life? It was had to picture. Maybe she would get a chance to ask him.

She turned and looked at the bed, Nope. She was not going anywhere near that thing; she did not have a good history with beds and Markus. Her mind flickered back to that night, which only made her feel irritable. She really wanted to get those thoughts out of her head, yet it seemed it was such an easy memory to prompt she wouldn't even have to try and she would see it in her mind. Despite her intoxication, that moment, the look in his eyes as he spoke that single word, the feel of his lips. Nessa who had been wandering as she daydreamed, caught the heel of her foot and fell forward. With a slight squeal, she hit the floor, reducing the brunt of the trip with her heads. She lay there for a moment, before quickly scuttling to her feet, and brushing down her clothes. "Idiot." She mumbled under her breath, referring to herself.

WC: 583
Total Wc: 5952 / 8000

Taking a moment to get over the momentary embarrassment of falling over her own feet. She was at the least glad that no one saw that, she was trying to get over the 'clumsy' image she had amongst her guildmates, especially now she was an Ace. Falling over all the time didn't exactly shout 'mature, and graceful'. She would check over her clothes, wearing white didn't fair well with missions, how many times she went home with her clothes barely salvageable she couldn't count. It seemed this time, her clothes were fine, yet that most likely wouldn't last when they got to Bellum. She had no idea what to expect of this job they were doing. Saving a girl sold into slavery, meant that there could be a fight on their hands, and the job specifically stated that they would be dealing with powerful magic users. I do not care what the casualties are. It had said, that was a little darker than Nessa was comfortable with. Markus and Nessa hadn't seen eachother in so long, but that didn't mean she had forgotten by any means what she had seen that dark. The death of those mages, what Markus did. She hadn't witnessed anything like that since his return, but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of doing it again. She debated bringing it up with him, afterall, she was the superior on this mission, being an Ace. But still, it was a sensitive matter, who knew just what was happening to that girl. She would have to play it by ear and control the matter in any way she could, the last thing she wanted was to cause animosity between her and Markus. The tension between them last time had been palpable, driving her to drink herself silly, although it hadn't ended so badly. A least they were okay with eachother the next day, maybe a little too okay. Nessa glanced back at the bed, sighing. Her only romantic encounter since her seperation from Rex, and she had been a drunken idiot. Throwing herself at a man, who openly admitting her didn't trust her, nor could he ever love her. It was foolish, she knew that, yet she just hadn't been able to stop herself, nor could she really bring herself to regret it. Not really.

The voice of the woman broke out of the nowhere, Nessa jumped erratically, gasping loudly and raising her hands up defensively. She glanced around trying to find the source of the voice, but saw no once. Her heart pounded furiously, OH GOD, OH NO, OH NO, She thought it panic, as her mind began to rattle with thoughts of ghosts and ghoulies. She trembled slightly, she stepped towards the door Markus had gone through, she needed to go to him, she couldn't deal with this. No way, no way could she handle a ghost. The voice spoke again, causing her to freeze, squeaking slightly. She heard the name Aporia and stopped, realising that it sounded familiar. She listened, and slowly as she calmed down, it dawned on her that this was the voice she had heard on Shadow Island. When she and Johann had been dealing with the Clockwork creatures and randomly bumped into Markus. She mentioned Mars, Nessa glanced around, she still couldn't see where the voice was coming from. Was she hiding somewhere in this room?

"Where are you?" She asked, a little confused, the last time she had heard this womans voice had been through Markus. But Markus wasn't in the room right now, so what did this mean? The voice, Aporia as she referred herself, would continue to talk. Nessa felt her heartrace slow once more, her fear subsided. She didn't seem threatening, at least not right now. "What's your connection to Markus?" She asked after the voices comment about Markus's return. The next comment cause Nessa to grow still, the woman spoke about Markus losing control, and chaos taking over. Talking about him doing something he might regret. "What do you mean Chaos?" She asked. The next question, Nessa looked ahead, she nodded before realising she wasn't actually sure if Aporia could see her or not. So she spoke, barely more than a whisper. "I will." There was no hesitation in her voice, despite any weirdness between her and Markus. She truly wanted to be his friend and as a friend, even she could acknwoledge that she cared for his wellbeing. She would do whatever she could to help him, even if she didn't fully understand what it was she was dealing with.

The door opened suddenly, Nessa turned to look at him, she felt a tinge of relief. Despite knowing that Aporia was probably not a ghost, not being able to see her did not help her feel at ease. He began by saying her name, before commenting that he had some explaining to do. Nessa look at him for a moment, a small smile. "Um, Aporia was just introducing herself." She said trying to show that she was okay with this information. She couldn't expect to know everything about Markus, and even if it was a shock, she was willing to accept him regardless.


WC: 870
Total Wc: 6822 / 8000

As Nessa slowly calmed down, she would quietly listen as Aporia responded to each of her questions. Firstly, addressing something, Nessa had somewhat suspected already. She had heard Aporia talk through Markus before, so it seemed logical that she would exist either inside him and at least communicate through him. Kind of like how Mars did with Johann, but still, now she knew she was surprised. Her having known Markus for so long and never known this about him. She pretty much knew about Mars the moment she met Johann, and yet Markus had never brought this to her attention. She blushed at Aporia's teasing comment, had it been that obvious that she had been scared? That was embarrassing. "Wait, did Markus see that? Or just you?" She asked the hint of nerves under her tone. She really hoped he hadn't seen it; she was trying so hard to prove herself as a competent wizard these days, attempting to rid herself of the clumsy persona she was known for. Markus, in particular, had seen that side of her a few times, which only made the prospect of him watching her trip even worse. Aporia would then continue to explain her connection to Markus, so she just lived inside him. It was weird, Nessa couldn't help but one, how did a living being just live inside someone else. She could only imagine the curious magic that live inside Markus and why he had come to have another entity sharing his body.

Aporia would then explain Chaos to Nessa, it was strange. She had always assumed that Chaos was just a word for mayhem, yet this thing that Aporia was explaining to her was so much more complex. That this realm was a part of it. Nessa felt like she was missing some vital information, she was a little confused. So Chaos was a personification of mayhem, yet it seemed like more than that. A part of her wanted to know, but instead, she decided not to pry. Digging into something that didn't entirely concern her right now seemed a little much. Surely, Aporia would most likely only tell her what she could and not anything she wasn't privy to. At least, that's what she had to assume. Nessa glanced around her comment, wondering how literal it was. Markus had told her to stay close, but he had also left her alone in this room. That meant it was safe in here at least, wasn't it?

It was after Nessa's earnest confirmation that she would do what she could to help, that Aporia seemed satisfied. Following which Markus had entered the room once more, following Nessa's comment, Aporia made a little stated that she would be leaving them to it — all the while referring to Nessa as his 'girl friend'. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she glanced away, of course, she was a girl, and she hoped they were friends. But there was something else that she could've met, something she most certainly was not. Something she doubted she would ever get to be at least, not to Markus. She listened as he began to disagree with Aporia, only to cut himself off. It was awkward enough without pushing it any further. He would address her, drawing her gaze back to him, cheeks still slightly flushed. He had explained that Aporia had been sealed inside him, answering Nessa's earlier thoughts about how Aporia came to exist inside of him. So she had existed in Markus before, but he didn't come to realise until he had disappeared. That somewhat explained how she hadn't come to know before then.

"Sure, lead the way." She replied to his remark about getting them to Bellum. It was probably a good thing too; there was no point in dawdling, especially after the time they had spent talking to her father and travelling so far.


WC: 649
Total Wc: 7471

Nessa didn't get her answer about whether Markus saw her fall over, but she could only awesome that he didn't. Either that or he was choosing not to mention it, for her sake. Either way, she was glad, she really didn't want to embarrass herself. Even if there were now walls in place between them, walls that she put in place. Sensible walls that were the sensible thing to do. Even so, she still didn't want to look like an idiot in front of him. She was his ace, and well, it would just be humiliating for him to see her that way. The clumsy fool she was trying so hard not to b anymore.

Nessa followed Markus as he began to walk along, making sure not to stray too far behind him as they walked. This place had already creeped her out a little bit, with its lifeless nature and lack of warmth. Although, the sudden voice talking to her from nowhere had contributed a great deal to that. Still, she was glad that 'Aporia' had chosen to speak to her. At least now, she understood sort of what was going on with Markus. It was a pretty big deal, after all, having a voice inside your head talking and maybe even controlling you. As Nessa thought about it, she had heard this voice before. When they had run into Markus the day, she and Johann had been fighting alongside the clockwork monsters. The voice that Markus spoke with was female, so that must of been Aporia. Which meant what he said was... actually her.

Nessa's cheeks would flush pink for a moment as she reflected on how angry she had gotten, how she had flared up over the prospect of him belittling 'that night', even when she was supposed to be keeping things friendly with him. She wasn't supposed to care about that and yet she had gotten irritated and snappy. Well, if she didn't feel embarrassed about falling over, she certainly felt embarrassed about this. Maybe she could apologise to him at some point, but not now. She looked away, hoping he wouldn't notice her awkward moment of realisation.

Nessa noticed that he had picked up the pace, so she followed suit. Listening as he spoke up suddenly. He was talking about the 'Domain of Chaos'. He went on, to explain what it was, talking about multiple words, and mentioning that title again. The 'Primordial Void'. Then he revealed that he had been chosen to be her 'progeny'. From Nessa knew of that word, is that it meant something akin to a descendant.
"So are you like..related to her?" She asked, although she still wasn't entirely sure who 'her' was, was he talking about Aporia, or did this have more to do with this 'Chaos' that kept being brought up. He went on to talk about The Realm and other domains. Nessa had to admit; she was struggling to keep up; this whole thing was pretty alien to her. But she didn't want to seem stupid and tell him she didn't completely understand it; she would just have to listen and hope she could figure it out. He talking about Void again, he mentioned that it was a place that existed before creation. Nessa blinked, not quite getting this either, if it existed before creation then how was it created in the first place? Maybe she was missing something key here. She felt herself feel frustrated that she hadn't paid more attention in school, perhaps she would understand this better.

Finally, Markus finished with something that Nessa could understand, how he was able to travel into this world. She imagined it had to have something similar to her being about to travel to Valhalla. Her contract with the Valkyries meant she was granted passaged whenever she sought it. So figured that Markus's connection with this 'Chaos' must have resulted in something similar. They were walking along a hallway at this point. Like the rest of the place, Nessa still couldn't feel anything. No breeze, to temperature shifts, it was still just so ...empty. At least it did until something kept into her sensory radar. She felt something stir inside her, a sense of caution. Like she was being watched. She looked around, not really seeing anything, but feeling it there. If the place was making her feel creeped out before, it was even worse now. She even took it upon herself to walk a little closer to Markus. Her arm near enough touching his as she strolled along, pretending that she wasn't freaked out by the experience. If she could see then it might not have been so bad, but the fact she couldn't. Just so happened to trigger that fear of ghosts once more. They weren't real, and to think they would exist he was foolish, but even so, she couldn't help but fret over the possibility of one jumping out at her.

Nessa who wasn't really focusing on anything around her any more rather than the feeling of being watched. Suddenly felt Markus stop beside her, causing her to stop too. She glanced to him, before looking around to see where they had come to. They had reached a set of double doors, which when Markus opened revealed another balcony. This one was a little bigger than the other one and more detailed. Nessa's violet eyes fell on the fountain situated in the centre of the balcony. The fountain itself was pretty dated, but the statue that emerged from it was beautiful. The figure of a woman in long robes plated with armour, she had magnificent white wings, and around her neck, she wore a beautiful amethyst crystal. Markus spoke, pulling Nessa's gaze away from the statue and once more back to here. She saw him extend his hand, and took it eagerly. She was pleased to be moving onto the next place. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate that this was Markus's home, but there was just something about the lifelessness of it. It felt so different from home, and even more so than Valhalla.

He explained what the plan was, she nodded, trusting him to take charge on this part. It was his mission after all. As he closed his eyes, once more she felt the strange sounds she had heard before when they had initially come here. As they reappeared in Earthland, Nessa felt the warmth his her skin. She sighed enjoying the sensation for a moment. This. This was what she was used to. Markus's hand left hers, and he instantly moved away. Reminding her of the mission at hand. They had arrived in a small clearing surround by trees. It seemed that Markus was family with the area, so Nessa was happy to follow him we're the to move closer to the estate. However, they didn't even get a chance. A voice caught Nessa's attention. She looked around. Standing there was a woman, Nessa immediately noticed how beautiful she was, with her purple eyes and her long red hair. She didn't look friendly either, Nessa looked at Markus. The woman looked pretty hostile, and from what Markus had said he didn't really want to get noticed. Sneak in, sneak out. They couldn't do that if they got caught so early. Nessa bit her lip, Think Nessa! She thought.

Then as an idea came to mind, before she could even change her mind, she stepped over to Markus. Hugging his arm in a seemingly familiar manner, "Sweetie, you said we were gonna be alone out here," She said in a whining tone, WHAT AM I DOING?! She thought, internally cringing at her own words. But still, there was no use going back now. She just hoped Markus would play along.

WC: 1301
Total Wc: 8772