Four Leaf Clovers in Clover! (Event/Shirayuki)

A loud yawn escaped through the room. It followed silence and the sound of shuffling amongst the covers of the bed sheets and blanket. With a light bit of sunlight peering through closed blinds, it dimly lit the room but enough for any one person to tell how well into the morning time it had become. It felt nice to sleep in for a change rather than to get up and move about the skies with her Kitsune teacher these past couple of weeks, however even then it started to become a little less enjoyable not having her around. Despite the fact that the white haired woman tended to punish her like a disobedient child and in some rather inhumane fashions, it wasn't enough to deter her from wanting to bolden herself some more. She'd been too meek and resistant to the obstacles from which were placed before her in her life, but under this woman's guidance, she would become a fiercesome force to be reckoned with... just so long as she never ended up like her mother. That rat bitched deserved nothing but the crumbs of the rats that invade her prison cell drop to feed her with the hope she starved to death during so.

Now that her morning ritual of wishing nothing but the worst of her birth giver, the blonde summoner sat up in her bed and let out a long winded groan as she stretched. She'd taken time away recently as her birthday had come about. Never did she like her birthday since she was a child and Aristotle tended to push away everyone --even her father. Frankly, she hated that no matter how excited she got from any other day, the dreadful return of this day haunted her like a never ending nightmare. She gave no obvious reason to Shira on why it was she was going to be going somewhere, however she had made sure to tell her where it was she was going to be staying in return for her space. Knowing Shirayuki, she would very much so be keeping an eye on her to an extent. At least so to know she was staying in the town she said.

After a light freshening up, Aristotle took out her iLac from the nightstand drawer and began to type out a message on it before heading out of her currently place she'd been staying at. The recipient? Well the kitsune of course.

"Mademoiselle Shira, a Spring Festival is happening today and I wanted to know if you would join me. I would be happy to have your company for a relaxing time getting to know each other a little more without any stressful events! I will be waiting for you there if you decide to come!
Meilleurs vœux~"

Translation: Best wishes

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Even though Shirayuki had agreed to giving the blonde girl a rest from their travels, that didn’t mean that her icy blue eyes weren’t keeping an eye on her. There was a slight amount of risk for both of them, with the white haired being having revealed her natural form to her student, not to mention the finer details of her work. Work that required the utmost secrecy at all times, lest she find the law breathing down her neck, which was never a pleasant experience for anyone. Of course, she was intelligent enough to evade the dullards but still, it was much easier to keep things close to the chest.

Secured in the knowledge that Aristotle was safe and seemed to be sticking to their agreement, Shirayuki had moved to the outskirts of the town in order to do some business with a few of her more seedier partners. She’d managed to get her hands on a large amount of merchandise during her trip to Minstrel. Yes, it was technically a war but politics had never been something that she’d cared about too much. The Ironheart Pact had offered her a lot of money and all the captives she could grab, just for doing what she’d have done anyway. A bargain in her mind. It had been an easy job and one that she had been praised greatly for.

The negotiations with her associates, however, were not so easy and the usually calm kitsune was soon beginning to become a tad irritated. The buffoons' offer was ridiculously low for what they were asking for and the red haired woman, having shapeshifted to an alternate form, as she tended to, wasn't amused in the slightest. They desired half a dozen of her Minstrel Soldat’s, a group of her own allies that she’d swiped and girls that Shirayuki knew would sell well. With such lovely voices and sweet manners, they made perfect maids when trained and the kidnapper knew that.

“Not good enough for the six.” She coldly stated, folding her arms across her chest.

The three men before her looked rather annoyed too but the look she was giving them seemed to burn into them, green rather than her usual blue while in this form. “This is all we have and we do need the six so…” The leader of the trio started before another of the group tapped him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. After a few moments of deep discussion, he would sigh and remove a cloth covered item that was strapped to his back and hold it out to Shirayuki, a hand on each end. “Take this too then to sweeten the pot. We acquired it just recently and it truly is a magnificent piece of work.. Accept this along with the jewels and we’ll take the girls out of your hands.”

Shirayuki raised an eyebrow but took the item into her hands. It was fairly heavy and felt like metal. At first she was going to turn it down but after taking a brief peek under the cloth, she had second thoughts. She didn’t need another weapon but… Attaching the large weapon to her back, she’d stick out her hand. “Alright but next time. Bring more jewels.”

With that, their business was concluded and the two parties went their separate ways. As it so happened, her iLac would just go off at this point and after retrieving hers and glancing at the message, a smile crossed her features. It was as if she could hear Aristotle’s voice in her head as she read the message and with her business concluded, she didn’t see why they couldn’t have a little fun together but perhaps…a little change of outfit first?

By the time Shirayuki reentered the town and came across her mentee, she was now a brown haired woman, wearing an almost kimono like getup which gave her a rather old fashioned look. She didn’t mind that though and quite liked the image that she gave off with it. Who’d suspect her of being a criminal dressed like this? The blade was still attached to her back which somehow seemed to fit with her look.

Unable to help herself and recalling the first time they met, Shirayuki would briefly vanish and sneak up on Aristotle from behind, whispering into her ear once she was close enough. “You know that you really should learn to mind your surroundings because you never know when some weirdo might try and grab you.” Considering their first meeting, it was about as dry of a joke as possible.

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Was it still truly a good idea that the blonde remain in the company of someone who so willingly and nonchalantly kidnapped and sold people off for profit? Probably not. But, there was a stubborn part of the cursed summoner that told her that she was safer in this aspect than she would have should she have fought against the woman and lost. Who only knows where she'd currently be had she not of put her foot down and albeit begged to be mentored by the kitsune? The main thought making her spine shake like a leaf was in some skimpy outfit serving some perverted middle aged creep who had more gold around his house than a government had in the treasury. A sickening color when those thoughts came about.

But like many other very obscure and depraved thoughts, they were quick to wipe out of her mind when she had reassured herself of the purpose behind aligning herself with Shirayuki. A promise of sorts that contracted them together and it made for a much more trusting partnership if she had to say so. So much so that while Aristotle had waited for her mentor to arrive, the blonde had sat back in a bit of a secluded section from others. She had no issue with not hearing the surroundings as it did make things much easier to endure the crowds of people walking by. Not to mention her mind could travel to the other things to entertain herself while she awaited the kitsune's arrival. And if she didn't? Well there was a very serene plan B she had in mind that she had no issue with either.

Seated next to her was a messenger bag with an open zipper. It's contents were light and contained very little amount of items. Namely being her headphones that doubled as her hearing device. Several writing utensils as well, but in her hand and lap was a sketchpad and a pen in her left hand. Lightly tracing in on the paper before she felt something wrap around her. The second she felt the wrap around, her body jumped from instinct and the book flew across the bench she sat on as well as some pages flipping over. Turning around, she saw a woman who on first glance was a complete stranger until the realization set to her. The look in her eyes alone told her who it was, but the form and attire overall had reminded her that this was a common appearance she hid in so Ari could be able to know who her mentor was. Very few did she know or be assured to remember, but this raven haired one was surely one.

With a light sigh, the Minstrellan woman shook her head and chuckled. She spoke not a word until she removed the headset from her bag and quickly set it up on top of her head. Within a minute, the device had attuned her body to the sense of hearing and an air of discomfort washed over her. That was... until she realized what sat in the open. Her sketchbook flipped over to a page she finished several days back. It was a very well done drawing of Skirayuki. A full body image, detail paid to the fur of her tails, ears, and even the color that went into the whole drawing. "M-Mademoiselle! That was really uncalled for, however... that was my fault as well." She replied, quickly scooping up her sketchbook and shoving it into the bag. "But I am glad that you decided to come. It's been far too long since we did anything together." And yet in the back of her mind, she had figured it was only a matter of time before she mentioned having to discipline her later for not minding her surroundings... again.

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A brief cringe crossed the brunette's features as Aristotle was caught completely off guard by her sudden appearance. She’d honestly hoped that her mentee would’ve at least been able to detect her through her magic signature but alas it seemed that the blonde was in need of more training but in fairness, if Shirayuki even understood the word, the kitsune was a pro. Nevertheless, she’d have to give her student a talking to later for being so susceptible. Aristotle was in her world now and it was one fraught with danger, from all sides and there was only so much that the usually white haired woman could do to protect her. Still, maybe she’d let her off this once…maybe. “I told you before to mind your surroundings at all times, Aristotle, you never know when someone might be up to something. I could’ve been a ruthless kidnapper for all you knew.” Or not.

Her keen eyes were drawn to the table as the blonde quickly scooped up her equipment and buried them away in her bag. Knowing her mentee’s skills first hand, Shirayuki didn’t need to ask what Aristotle had been doing. She had a gift for drawing and for the briefest moment, the kitsune could just make out the shape of a fluffy tail. An eyebrow rose but for the moment, she didn’t comment about it. She remembered saying that her student could draw her sometime…Had she perhaps done so from memory? It was a possibility and maybe something she’d inquire deeper into later. Despite having to naturally be elusive due to the path she had chosen, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t a streak of vanity behind her usually icy and cold exterior. “I trust that you’ve been having fun with that sketchbook of yours? You’ve certainly been out and about a bit during your stay here.” Her tone was casual enough, warmer due to her different form.

Taking a seat beside her student, Shirayuki would briefly glance at the people walking to and fro in front of them, her mind briefly drifting to the thought of perhaps snatching one or two. All she could see were jewel values above their heads, sizing up and calculating each person’s worth in little more than a moment. It was sorely tempting and there was a part of her that thought that perhaps she should use the festivities as a cover to grab more stock. It wouldn’t have been the first time she’d done such a thing and doubted it would be the last. Eventually, she shook the feeling off the time being though, realising that this was a chance to get to know her lovely blonde student a little better and in truth, an opportunity to unwind for her. She’d been on the go for a long time, such was the demand for her services.

Turning her brown eyes upon her student, a smile would cross her features. “We have been running rather ragged lately, haven’t we? I confess that I don’t know an awful lot about this festival, so you’ll have to fill me in on the details. I’d hate to embarrass myself in front of all these people.” There was a touch of teasing to her voice, gently mocking her student for her reaction to being grabbed.

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A low sigh of disappointment, embarrassment, and slight annoyance left the blondes mouth upon hearing the bit of a lecture she had received about her surroundings. It was something she had been drilled on and subsequently faced punishment of several times. Several hours spent in restrictive fabrics until she saw fit to feel the woman learned her lesson. It was a bit of a grueling thing to get thrown into the fire for, but frankly the Minstrellan signed up for it, so she couldn’t say it wasn’t something to be expected of her. All that she could do was nod in agreement that she would tighten up and learn from her mistakes, less she be subjected to more of her mentors more.. creative punishments. Last thing she needed was to be reenacting a mummification in some of the softest silk she’d ever felt. Granted the first time she had also fallen asleep so it felt less like a punishment and more like a rather restrictive nap, but the lesson felt learned then too. ”Understood, madam. I should know better by now…” She replied, gently biting her lip in her own frustration with herself.

Trying to relax herself after stuffing her items into her bag and seating herself up right in the bench, it didn’t seem all that surprising to her that Shirayuki would take a seat beside her. No, if anything it felt more relaxing to have a rather peaceful and stress free time just quietly enjoying the weather and atmosphere with the kitsune. But when she began to inquire about the deaf mages artwork, she had to admit that she got a little flustered about it. Surely she never divulged the fact she had a couple of good sketches of her in there, aside from the one she was working on. None of them of course being lewd in nature. However, people were not the only thing that Aristotle drew. ”Oui, Mademoiselle. I have the outline of a couple of stray dogs and one of a cat on a wood fence to finish sketching at a later time. They are just magnifique! Calico feline, two mixed dogs.. breeds I must admit I am not an expert on.” The blonde replied once more, only having known the Calico from her own past of owning pets, mainly cats and a couple goldfish.

Her attention turned towards the now dark haired woman as she mentioned running around ragged. A brow raised in wonder of if she was talking to herself at first or if she inquired that Aristotle was growing tired from all the traveling. ”This festival is just as foreign to me as I am to Fiore, Shira.” She paused, looking over towards a passing family and then back with a light envious scoff. ”I swore I would follow you and train under you. Whether I am to drag my own exhausted rear end across any and every bump on the road, I am with you unless you tell me otherwise… for example, you’re recent trips. Frankly, how I managed to get untied is beyond me, but I suppose that’s part of the teachings, is it not?” Putting on a big, cheerful smile, Aristotle gave a light giggle as she tucked some of her hair behind her ears and enjoyed a bit of time just casually chatting with the kidnapper.

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The gaze of the shapeshifter would briefly watch her student as she replied to her scolding but she said no more about the topic. The world that Aristotle had agreed to step into was indeed one of immense danger and Shirayuki’s warnings weren’t overblown in the slightest but she supposed that she shouldn’t be too firm with her student. The kitsune didn’t wish to break the sweet spirit of the woman, only harden her to the ways of the world. It would take time and truthfully, the blonde was doing rather well so far. She was becoming stronger by the job and Shirayuki had little doubt that Aristotle would make a fine mage and acquire the strength that she would need to achieve her goals. There was a long way to go but Aristotle had so much potential and the currently brown haired woman had the patience to teach her for as long as she needed to. The kitsune was actually becoming rather used to having the deaf woman around and she had mixed feelings about what would happen when the time came for the blonde to step out on her own.

A smile crossed her features though as Aristotle spoke about her artwork, detecting a touch of pride in her students voice. Her student was truly gifted when it came to drawing and Shirayuki briefly pondered as to why the young woman would choose a more dangerous path in life, when she could no doubt make an absolute fortune and aid her cause through her artwork instead? Still, that was not a question that she desired to ask her mentee aloud and certainly not in such an open spot. The brunette wasn’t going to pry and if the blonde wished to speak to her about anything then she’d leave the ball in Aristotle’s court. There was much that the two had yet to speak about with one another and although Shirayuki was uncharacteristically interested in her mentee, the relationship between them needed more time to develop. To be honest, the kidnapper was still coming to terms with actually teaching a student in some ways. Her life had been so solitary that having someone else around constantly was somewhat of a new experience for her. “I don’t like dogs. If they catch my scent then they chase me for miles. Must be for the vixen in me.” She commented with a slight laugh. “I have a fondness for cats though. I find the fact that they live their lives at their own pace quite refreshing.”

Her light and cheerful demeanour didn’t change as Aristotle spoke about their recent travels, appreciating the chance to let her hair down for once. To hear her student speak so casually about being captured would’ve probably sounded odd to most but if Shirayuki had learned anything about her young mentee so far it was that she was incredibly adaptable and seemed to just roll with whatever life had in store for her. She had taken to her new life so well. “You have a gift for getting out of ropes, one that I’m sure will only grow as we spend more time on the road but I trust that you’ll learn to avoid ending up in them in the first place as well.” Shirayuki’s tone was teasing but it was meant as a compliment, even though it might have seemed a tad backhanded. “By the time your training is through, you’ll be a pro at not only escaping rope but using it too. Of that I have no doubt.”


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Gem like orbs peered over from the crowd and onto her mentor. For just a moment, she seemed to be a little curious to the idea of the lessons that she had been set with for some time and the activities in which she'd been challenged with. It was a rather aggressive form at first as she had no real explanation or teaching in how things were done. Simply dumped into the fire for the most part and at first she was rather despised of the fact that this was the method the kitsune had chosen. In time, Aristotle realized the reason was met with the fact of the things that she had been doing to others. Realizing that she could end up in such a situation like the people that Shirayuki targeted... much less the fact that even Ari could have been one of these poor unwilling victims sold off to god only where showed that what was being done was just something to keep her relaxed should a situation arise.

Now Aristotle was not a perfect person by no means. Her disability first proved that to be the biggest hurdle, however it was also her desire to help anyone and with it could easily be lured into rather precarious situations that she wouldn't really wish upon herself to deal with. Things that Shira had been saying felt like they were going in one ear and out of the other. With her attention turning back towards the crowds of happy groups, families, and tourists, Aristotle thought it was going to go prove more difficult to achieve her goals. Sure, she could escape bonds and get her share of knowing how to form a knot or two as her mentor had noted to her, but how far exactly would that let her go? Honestly, there didn't seem like much of a chance unless she carried a coil or two of ropes with her that she could see herself being able to stop someone from physically hurting a person or persons.

Maybe she was just overthinking things.

"Mademoiselle?" She finally spoke, her attention seeming to refrain from looking away from the group enjoying themselves. "I.. do not know surely how to say this... but is simply learning how to act like an accomplice to your job your overall goal?" The cheery smile and even the aura of joy she carried a moment ago was fading quickly. Did the reality of things settle upon her too hard? She did have a habit to overthink many things and if she felt she was being used, did she truly want to continue? "I mean no offense, madam... it's just I feel as though even with the few jobs we've done together that I have only managed to learn rather menial things --no offense meant to you."

A light sigh caused her body to slightly relax. It felt as though she had a wait lifted from herself airing out this question. "I know I signed up to be taught by you and in such a case, learning to escape ropes, cuffs, and the like is nice, however... None of that is going to help me when I cannot even fight. Those accursed summons I possess... they can only carry me so far. I know too little of them to use their abilities with confidence or potential." Her fists would grip tightly, as though this last part had been the thing dug most in her mind. "I cannot allow myself to be a burden to you in a fight. I do not want to be dependent on you like I am but a child being defended by an older sibling or a parent." A moment of silence followed this, trying to collect herself from getting herself out of annoyance with herself. "I need to be ready. Sometimes I feel this.. sickly feeling. It bothers me and my stomach churns in fear."

She would then mutter, forgetting that Shirayuki would easily pick up on it. "If she were to ever escape..."

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The kitsune didn’t say anything at first and her gaze was also directed towards the crowd that were walking in front of their table. Naturally, the calculator of a mind that she possessed was totaling up the possible prices of those who she caught glimpses of. Was it a habit? No, it’d become more than that after so many years. It was an obsession. Her work was all she truly had in her life, at least up until she’d come across her mentee and Shirayuki just couldn’t escape the kidnapper mindset, no matter where she was or what she was doing. Some might say she was completely warped, or worse, a creature that was morally devoid. She couldn’t even remember how long it had been since she’d started on the road to becoming a criminal. Years? Decades? Centuries? It was difficult to tell.

Eventually the currently brown haired woman replied, her tone rather neutral for the time being. “No. My overall goal is not to have you follow in my footsteps, unless that is what you wish. The reason for having you accompany me on my missions is just to give you a glimpse into the world that you’re walking into. You’re an incredibly sweet woman, Aristotle but when push comes to shove, sweet isn’t going to cut it when you’re faced with a difficult situation. I simply wished to give you a taste of the kind of scum that you’re likely to encounter and the situations that you might deal with during your journey as a mage. I needed to know that you could keep a cool head and the resolve to complete your objectives. Without those, you’ll never be able to control your magic and those spirits of yours might just end up dooming you. Now that I have seen your resolve and just how quickly you’ve adapted to being with me, I’m satisfied that we can move on and work on getting these spirits of yours trained and following your commands.”

She paused at that point, pondering a little more about what she’d heard her mentee utter to herself. With her enhanced hearing, it’d not escaped Shirayuki’s notice. Moments ago, she’d been intent on minding her own business regarding her mentee’s more private thoughts but given what the kitsune had just said about Aristotle mastering her abilities, the brown eyed woman changed tact. Such fear would not help her sweet mentee in any shape or form.

“It’s your mother, isn’t it? She’s the reason why you feel your stomach is in knots. I recall what you told me of her before and I remember promising you that you’d not become what she has. If she somehow finds you then you’ll be more than ready to face her. As I stated, we will speed up your training from this point on and you will be strong enough to do what you have to do. I understand if you don’t quite trust my words yet, given the length of time that we’ve been together but I confess that another reason for going slow with your training was to build up a rapport between us.”

The kitsune was about to speak more but a slight tingling at that point caused her to pause. It was an odd sensation, starting from her back and shooting through her body. She was uncertain as to just what it was for a moment but after a few seconds, a smile crossed her features, before she’d move one arm behind her so that she could remove the cloth covered item from her back and then hold it delicately with one hand on each end.

“I was just given this as payment for our last job and I think that it’ll look far fairer in your hands than mine. Consider it a backup plan for those times where your spirits decide to mess around. Its history and powers are completely unknown to me but what I do know is that it has no love for me. I think that perhaps it was meant to be wielded by a far purer soul than mine.”

It was only then that she offered it to her mentee.

“Take it.”

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For some, this would seem like it were a lot of information being brought around to have come to known upon this seemingly open admission being administered to her. But the blonde remained still faced while she was explained this. Frankly, at first she had just assumed the ropes and other bonds were just a tool to keep her in line despite her volunteering to be mentored by the Kitsune. Instead, it became something of a task for herself to try and break free. Not knowing the initial idea in mind, she thought that if she escaped from the bonds on her own, she may prove herself to be more of a worthy mentee than just having had been a cute face, cute accent, a stubborn personality, and a curse to boot. An eventual cash cow with a light amount of baggage wouldn't be something that couldn't be spun for a higher price. "No... I don't want to be like you... professionally speaking as such." It was all she could reply for the immediate moment.

She took a pause and sat up in her seat and adjusted her hands onto her lap. "What you do is never going to be for me. While I get where you are coming from in the reality of the world, I can't help but be wracked with guilt over those who I know are gone, much less all you've taken and knowing I could have tried to prevent their capture..." One hand had reached, clenching at her chest in a moment of frustration with herself for her choices, but she had to relent and let it go. Not that it didn't pain her any less. "The things my mother has done in her life. I could do nothing about that. I... I was cast blame, shunned by relatives of those victims of hers. I went to a deep, dark place after that. I was an "amoureux de la nuit" as I came to call it. A "lover of the night". Black clothes, nail polish, make up. Etc. I wanted to make myself look as distanced from being her as I could get."

"Several years of my teenage life I spent isolating myself, performing harmful acts upon myself, pushing away others. I bore all my hatred into my mother and all the things she'd done. Finally, I came to realize that if I continued down that path that eventually she would win. I vowed never to let her win, and over time I remolded myself back to a normal girl. I began to see the light in life and the things that made it worthwhile to protect, to cherish and love. I let that part of my life propel me into this one." As Aristotle explained the darker time in her life, she had tried to hide her wrists, littered with light scars among them. A light sigh came from her mouth, barely enough time in her pause to snicker a little. "I still keep this pink streak of my hair to remind me of that time. Plus, it looks cute!"

What she hadn't been prepared for was that Shira had handed over something. From what she could gather, it was a weapon of sorts that she had gotten from a job and something both foreign in origin, ability, or otherwise. Entrusting something like that toward her felt like something that she couldn't think was possible. "Are you sure, Mademoiselle? I don't want you to give me something worth your troubles." She said, taking the sword in both hands gently. A warm aura emitted itself from this weapon, making it very soothing.

However, that was short lived.

Once the reality set in of which she had been holding a rather decently sized weapon in her hands, she nearly dropped it from her arms nearly giving out from the weight. It wasn't so much that it was too heavy, however Aristotle wasn't really that prepared for such an expected bit like that.

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Truth be told, Shirayuki hadn’t expected her mentee to open up quite that much but she was hardly unhappy with the result. It gave the brunette a window into the girl’s past and it was certainly one that the kitsune wouldn’t have wanted to experience herself. Aristotle had been through more than the vixen had thought and it briefly caused the centuries old being to ponder. In all honesty, she could understand the rage that Aristotle had towards her mother all too well. Shirayuki herself despised her own mother and the two of them had not spoken for god knows how long. Anora had tried to force her way of life upon her daughter and Shirayuki had rebelled in the most insulting of ways. She had spat in the face of her own family and the resulting hatred had never left either mother or daughter, a fire that burned as strongly now, as it had all those years ago. What would occur if they met again? It wouldn’t be for the faint of heart. That was for sure.

Shirayuki remained silent during Aristotle's tale and waited until she had finished before replying, her brown eyes meeting her mentee’s. Her gaze was naturally cold but it wasn’t meant to scare her pupil, it would appear as though she was just trying to get a read on her student. She doubted that anything Aristotle had said was a deception anyway and after a few moments, that was the conclusion she came to with her ability to read faces. Why would her mentee lie to her when she knew what would happen if she did? Shirayuki was a deceiving old bitch but that didn’t mean she’d tolerate it from her mentee, as Aristotle knew well already.

Gently, she placed a hand over the cloth which covered the sword, resulting in the material pulling itself away delicately and folding up neatly, leaving the lovely blade for them both to see.

“I’m afraid that if you’re expecting remorse or regret over my choice of work from me then you have another thing coming, Aristotle. I feel no shame over the actions that I’ve taken in order to become the woman I am today and if I had to do it all again, I would. The path that you decided to turn away from was one that I have followed for centuries although I confess that I don't consider good or evil to truly mean anything other than nonsense. One person’s hero is another person’s villain.”

Pausing for a moment, she’d then glance down at the blade,

“If you want to protect what means most to you then I believe that you could do far worse than using this. Use it to show your mother just how different you are from her. As I said, it knows what it wants and it’s certainly not to be wielded by me. Bloody thing gave me an electric shock when I first touched it. Call it a gift or a sign that you’re ready to move forward but take it, Aristotle. You’ve earned it and I’m certain that it’ll aid you in the tough times to come….”

Shirayuki’s hand moved forwards at that point, grasping one of Aristotle’s hands, her head rising again to look at her mentee’s scarred wrist, before looking her in the face.

“I’d better not see any fresh scars during our journeys or I’ll make your previous encounters in my bindings seem like child’s play, we clear? If you feel like you’re starting to walk down that road again, I’ll pull you back and tie you to the nearest lamp post.”

It was probably about as sweet as she could be.

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