Lucia had spent a great deal of time simply watching her newest creation interacting with the environment. She sat down with interface screen up keeping track and taking notes using her HUD with a heavy sigh. Despite sitting amidst sand and soil, she maintained her regal demeanor well, poised and professional she had a noble yet approachable air about her. Her atmosphere was very welcoming and gentle, even as she focused on writing notes and keeping logs she didn't seem completely cut off making her seem easy to talk to. Her ashe grey dress was the same as always, and pale skin had a soft glow to it in the light of the sun. She focused her enchanting eyes forward though onto the stumbling figure in front of her with a measure of concern painted across her face. A distance away, a large creature was awkwardly twitching and stumbling as it moved. To the eye it looked like a giant slug, but it's surface was peach colored like skins, occasionally it would get a little paler or darker here or there but it was clearly the color of skin. Beneath the surface muscles rippled with every movement or twitch making it clear the 'slug' was moving or at least trying to act. Occasionally, Lucia would call out a demand suddenly and the creature would struggle more, writhing and curling up like a dying worm and flexing other times as it rolled and tried to figure out what she wanted of it. Her commands though weren't so simple as 'come' and 'roll over' though. Instead they were a bit stranger like 'grow a foot' or 'Centipede' trying to demand it's shape change. No matter how bizarre her demands were though, even if the creature failed to please her it would accomplish the goal to some extent. When asking for a foot, sometimes a large leg befitting it's size would slowly stretch from it's rippling surface as if suddenly growing evolving a limb in fast forward. Other times it would simply be a dead limb stretched out as if a person had been half eaten and was regurgitated suddenly. The more complex demands of Lucia, such as taking the form of varying creatures would be met with similar measures of success. The centipede she asked for would either fail completely with the creature simply writhing for a long time. Other times though it would sprout a myriad of legs, some of them dead like the regurgitated version, others sturdy and successful even if their size didn't match it. It would create a myriad of limbs to suddenly crawl, though Lucia would complain when she saw strange ones suddenly appear in the line up like an occasional hand or wolf paw or horse hoof. The creature was bizarre, but it continued at least trying to keep up with Lucia's unreasonable requests with a fawning attitude clearly trying to please her despite her frustration with it. In the end she could only sigh as it began to relax bringing the brief test to an end and allowing the creature to roll and explore it's surroundings once more. "It's reaction time isn't fast enough, it can't yet transform immediately and react to specific demands either. Is it because it's young?... But Lina works just fine, it has to be something else." Lucia complained a little with a frown as the disturbing creature began to produce fleshy appendages similar to tentacles. The slug monster pulled itself across the ground, resembling an octopus with a rounded body and gangly tendrils flailing about. The arms however were strangely wet, shimmering in the light making their nature clear. Like exposed flesh and meat they had a slick appearance to them as if they'd been dripping blood only moments ago as the creature groped around the sands to better understand the limits of it's mobility. "No no, I can't blame Alice... This is my failure as a creator." Lucia could only complain with a bitter smile, pushing away her interface and notes before glancing to the strange large creature with deep concern as it hobbled through the sands and dirt. @Luna Avalbane
Now that she actually felt confident enough to do a little more traveling, Luna had discovered that the world was big. Very big, expanding way beyond the small little village that she'd spent her first few days in, practicing whatever she could in the game. It was as much about feeling confident with her as it was about being familiar with the controls of the game, or the mechanics that she hadn't been quite so familiar with. Though, she hadn't improved a whole lot yet, she'd actually decided to leave, setting course for the region of Dunnstads. It was a wide open, fairly flat region littered with a few towns and villages, interspersed by miles upon miles of empty space and hills of sand and soil. It was much better than a desert or some mountain, but Luna still hadn't been to confident in her ability to make her way through the region without starving or dying of thirst, yet now that she was here she lamented just how scared she'd been of what was really a simple journey. The only problems she'd faced were the fact that occasionally she had to rest out in the open, or the fact that her feet would start to hurt after a few hours of constant walking. She'd actually just left a town, now that she thought about it, making her way towards the next town, though it'd take her a full day of traveling. The town's people seemed fairly adamant that she not travel this way, for some reason. Something about recent sightings of some creature out in the wilds, though as far as Luna had heard, nobody had been attacked or even gotten a close look at it, whatever it was. When all was said and done, she honestly felt like whatever it was wouldn't be a threat to her, especially if nobody had actually been attacked by it before. Hell, she might not even run into it, though a part of her wasn't sure she should push her luck by hoping for that eventuality. She sighed, typing the final letter into her response to one of Angel's messages, having detailed a little bit about her journeys out of the region of Brisshal. That was when she glanced upwards and saw it. At first glance, she didn't even know what it was that she was looking up at. It looked like a giant slug, though she could've sworn that slugs didn't really have typical muscles like most other creatures. Was...was this the creature that the town's people had warned her about? It was so large! She found herself stumbling backwards, the knight hopeful drawing her sword in a shaking right hand as her left hand readied itself to cast a spell, not that her beginner magic would do much against a creature of this size. She glanced around, swallowing heavily as the sight of a woman standing nearby to the creature caught her attention. She couldn't just leave somebody here to fight the creature alone, could she? She stumbled into a run, making her way over the hill and towards the other woman. "H-hey! A-are you going t-to kill this thing by yourself!?" She resisted the part of her mind that begged her to fling every spell she had at the creature, though she had a finger waiting to select her basic paralysis spell. How could somebody stare at such a creature without even a shred of fear? It would've been inspiring and an incredible sight, were the situation a little different. "I-I can help!" @Lucia Mierz
The sudden sense of someone's approach caused Alice to suddenly quiver. Despite not having any visible sensory organs she was far from blind. Her sense of touch was powerful enough to detect things in the area alone, something new entering the otherwise untouched fields was glaring and noticeable. Sensing the new approaching creature, Alice's slug like body began to rise like a snake's slowly hoisting itself upward with a bend as it's rear section began to inch it forward like a worm or slug. Finding Luna to be an interesting change in the area, it tried to awkwardly inch it's way towards the girl with a child-like curiosity. When Luna was close to recognize it as a monster as well as Lucia, it's skin-like surface would suddenly quiver before an eye would open. Small, normal like a normal human eye, but quickly following that first one more began to open until it's raised section was covered by many eyes of different colors and no doubt coming from different species. In the end, one giant eye began to open at the very center, a bright and ocean blue eye the size of a human being blinked at Luna as she spoke to Lucia. Some of it's smaller eyes shifting to Lucia in curiosity, as if trying to understand the development it watched as if it had no stake in the answer or situation. For a moment, Lucia hesitated, while Alice was slinking away, she didn't think about it very much until she heard the voice asking about the 'monster'. For a moment, Lucia flashed an unsightly expression, Alice was truly monstrous in appearance, but she hadn't really caused any harm. There were no lasers being fired, the field wasn't torn up or dug out suggesting a battle was taking place, she'd been sitting taking notes while her subordinate struggled and twitched trying to better itself for her. Despite it's best efforts people still continued to misjudge it. The fact made Lucia sigh a little, her brow furrowed with disapproval. "Why would you want to kill it? It hasn't done anything to you right?" Lucia asked with a bitter expression. She was no stranger to this type of situation, people seeing monsters and undead as mastery points or EXP to be farmed or hunted for profit and gain. It was a cruel and harsh reality that a lot of gamers wouldn't think twice about, but also one that Lucia had been rudely awakened to when she was at the lowest point in her gaming career. "You wouldn't go around offering to kill someone's dog or son would you?" Lucia asked trying to put things into perspective. Though if Luna had known Alice was silently questioning whether or not Luna was food and edible the girl's opinion might change, Lucia shelved that misunderstanding knowing that that would also have to be corrected in the future. Pushing herself to her feet, Lucia dusted her butt off after sitting down in the grass and soil. Approaching Alice slowly, even Lucia was a little leery of the abomination she couldn't understand well or train properly. "It isn't very beautiful... I get that it can be a little intimidating but-- That's no reason to try and hunt it down right? It's curious, clumsy like a child, with such a big body that can be dangerous but, there's no reason to fight it or start a conflict right?" Lucia asked with a forced laugh. Despite her best effort, Alice was largely a mystery to her as well. While Lucia was trying to train it up properly, it was harder then it looked. Clumsy like a child, a mind like a child, but the strength of a monster and the processing power as fierce as a computer, it was a monster no matter how you sliced it... but it wasn't guilty of anything. Reaching a hand out, Lucia gave Alice's side a soft pat, though the skin of the surface tried to cling to her hand in reaction. As if trying to pull her in a little, the force was weak, it didn't take any real effort to pull back from it's effort to tug and pull. "Only a villain would try to attack something the moment they see it without question or reason why. It's not fair to just kill something because it's not like you." Lucia explained and offered trying to calm the situation down the best she could.
As the creature focused its attention onto Luna, moving closer inch by inch as it slowly shifted its position, Luna couldn't help but lose any of the confidence that she might have had. Her knees became weak beneath her and all of a sudden they gave out, Luna slipping onto her behind gazing up at the thing fearfully, shaking as her sword lay forgotten about at her side. This couldn't be real. There was no way she could just run into something like this out here, alone. Her breathing became fast, ragged and hard to control as her fingers clawed at the ground beneath her, trying to find any sort of purchase. She had to crawl away or something! This thing, whatever it was, grew eyes and changed shape. It could alter its form at random, though somewhere in her fear stricken mind she noticed how unaffected the other woman seemed to be, though she wasn't exactly in the best state of mind to actually do anything with that information, still paralyzed by fear. All she could see was the creature and its single eye, staring down at her as if she were barely an inconvenience, if it could even comprehend things like inconvenience. She couldn't help it, her eyes flooded with tears, though only one eye could actually be seen. She didn't want to die or be eaten! She hadn't even done anything interesting in the game yet! She'd only just left Brisshal, really! This wasn't fair! She tried again to make her body move, to crawl backwards away from the creature, though she only really succeeded in making herself shake even more. Why couldn't she do anything? Why couldn't she move now that she needed to? Wait, what did that woman say? Offering to kill somebody's dog? No reason to kill it? What was she talking about? Why would she care about something like this? It was a monster NPC, wasn't it? A creature that had caused panic amongst trading villagers and townsfolk. "D-d-d-d-did...." She struggled to get even a single word out, still shaking harder than she'd ever been shaking in her life. She'd never, in her entire life, been as scared as she was right now. "D-d-d-did y-y-you.....t-t-t-t-tame i-t-t?" A hand found its way to her mouth, Luna watching as the other woman actually managed to approach the creature and touch it without any sort of issue arising, as far as she could see. The creature seemed to tolerate her, maybe even like her. What was going on? Was Luna herself being....the villain? The thought hurt, it really hurt. The last thing she wanted to do to anybody was intentionally hurt them. A sob slipped past her lips, muffled by the hand that covered her mouth. "God I-I-I'm so s-sorry!" She pushed against the ground with a still shaking arm, eventually managing to push herself into a standing position. "I'm r-r-really sorry! I-I-It just looks s-so much like a t-typical monster and I'm not used to this game yet and I was so scared and the town I came from was talking about sightings of a monster out here and I just saw it and assumed and I'm so sorry!" She rambled quickly, for such a young person. One might've mistaken her for an old woman, had they heard that, though the panic and guilt did do a fair amount to offset that. She crouched low, swiping her sword off of the floor with a shaking hand, holding it out for a minute and staring at it. What would it have done, really? Her arms were too shaky to use it properly and she still had no progress in any masteries. She would've just died. She swallowed, clenching her eyes shut, though again only one of them was actually visible, before slowly sliding her sword into its sheath. Now she was completely at the mercy of the woman and the creature, though in all honesty, it had always been that way. She tried to smiled at Lucia, blinking back her tears, though it probably wasn't the most charming smile ever. More like the smile of a child that was trying to seem brave, which was honestly more accurate than the type of smile she'd been aiming for. "I-I'm s-so sorry! M-my name is, um, L-Luna. I...um, I-I hope you a-aren't t-t-too upset miss...?"
Lucia only sighed heavily, her expression visibly bitter. Taming it? Was that a way to think of an intelligent creature? You wouldn't tame your relatives or friends right? Though she related it to a dog, Alice was arguably smarter then the two of them combined, to consider it something tame-able was almost insulting. For a moment, Lucia struggled with exactly how to respond before finally shaking her head. "No, nothing like that. I made her? Alice was something I made." Lucia tried to think of a way to explain it that would make sense for someone who wasn't a necromancer or familiar with Malefimancy. Alice was her subordinate but they were connected like a queen bee to workers in a sense, though Alice had far more freedom then those lowly ants did. "What does a 'typical monster' look like? Do you really just stab anything that's not human?" She asked with a more bitter smile. If there were other players that thought like this her job would be a lot harder. She endeavored to create a peaceful place for undead to grow and develop, but if everyone was this jumpy she'd have her work cut out for her. Sans and Papyrus would get tired even as skeletons she thought. "That's a bit mean. Not all monsters want to fight and attack, even if we call them monsters, they're not all that frightening." Lucia tried to explain and offer to the girl who seemed like she was shaking like a leaf. Hearing the girl frantically trying to apologize though, Lucia knew that wasn't right after all either. There were many who targeted the undead and didn't stop until something or someone was stabbed. This girl, even if she was a little misfortune was at least one who could stop before it was too late. "It's okay, there wasn't any harm, but honestly if you keep down this path you'll make enemies of everything non-human. It would be a very dangerous thing to do considering we're outnumbered in this world." Lucia explained with a dry laugh worried that Luna might freak out or panic more. Trying to consider how she could help remedy this issue, she thought that Luna might calm down if the creature could be understood better. After all, the unknown was often the most frightening. Glancing back at Alice that was still looming over them like a giant eyeball leaning down from above them, up close like a child's magnifying glass. "Alice, why don't you say something nice?" Lucia tried, making an earnest effort to support the two becoming friends in some way, after all, if Luna could befriend one monster, then it might be easier to approach them in the future. Initially the large monster quivered and shook, as if struggling with the request. Alice at the moment wasn't much different from a slug after all. After a bit of twisting, it finally managed to produce the necessary organs, but the problem was clear; she had made too many. A myriad of mouths began to reveal themselves. Twisting and wrapped from the creature's body contorting in every which direction. Some sideways, some large enough to almost cut it in half, some small and normal on the eyes. Those more bizarre ones had sharper, almost monster like teeth and fangs while the more normal looking mouths had common human teeth... But each one had a very wide toothy grin. After a brief moment of grinning, the mouths opened simultaneously. Each one speaking in stereo, completely in sync, but all of the voices were that of a small and immature young girl. The stark contrast of the small girl and the large creature it appeared to be might be harrowing, but it spoke as if it were a budding young teenager. "'Organism Alice' lacks cognitive flexibility, unable to hypothesize scenario. Extrapolating useful data unsuccessful, insufficient data. 'Organism Alice' requires social adaptations to greet properly, will begin classifying local fauna for necessary strains and sequences." Rather then a greeting, a flood of nonsensical words poured from those mouths. The result was a bitter smile on Lucia's face. Alice tried to exceed expectations a little too much, something like predicting the perfect greeting was unnecessary. It seemed Lucia needed to try and help Alice with that eventually. "It's just a greeting Alice, try your best, come on." Lucia spoke, her words gentle and encouraging. Despite her efforts though, those eyes turned towards Lucia, it's skin ruffled forming a brow only so it could furrow in discomfort. It was difficult for the creature to perform without understanding exactly how to produce a good greeting. After a silent back and forth though, the creature finally leaned, as if burdened. It's gaze jerking, wandering as the eyes all seemed to pick different directions briefly. "Greetings 'Organism Luna'. 'Organism Alice', welcomes you." It made an effort, but whether or not one could say it was good was another story. The abomination's words were blank and indifferent compared to it's earlier complaint. Alice had never dedicated any effort to social skills which was why it was at such a loss now. "There... See? Not so bad right?" Lucia asked Luna with a gentle smile hoping that was a good enough shot.
It was incredibly unsettling to be standing so close to a creature so huge and frightening looking. Even if she was being nice and trying to make amends, even Luna had to admit that this 'Alice' creature truly was quite hideous to look at, at least purely in terms of physical appearance. It definitely looked like something that would normally be quite aggressive, or at the very least, prey on people as if they were just livestock to be consumed by it and it alone. Even standing near it as it watched passively was extremely scary, especially for a girl like Luna. She just glanced down at her feet as the woman continued to dress her down about her assumption, telling her that she was a mean person for just attacking things that weren't human based on looks alone. Part of her wanted to argue back, that she hadn't even attacked anything besides those slimes that were trying to kill that one woman, but she was worried that trying to argue her case would only have the result of getting her killed or eaten or something as equally horrible. It was never a nice feeling, to be told off by somebody, especially a person you'd just met and didn't even know the name of. It wasn't something that happened to her often, even her parents didn't tell her off quite as regularly as this, so it wasn't something that she had a whole lot of practice dealing with. In the end, she really just couldn't find the words to refute anything, or even respond to anything the woman was saying, glancing down at the dirt beneath her feet as she tried desperately to avoid making eye contact with either the woman or Alice. Though it seemed the woman had tried to get Alice to greet her, because as she glanced up, Luna noticed multiple mouths open across the creature's body with wide grins of different teeth, before each mouth spoke. It was also very unsettling, hearing the voice of a girl coming from every mouth in stereo, almost like a tidal wave of noise that made it seem louder and louder than it probably actually was. She stared up at the creature with wide eyes, shocked that it could both speak and mentioned things like data and organisms. Sure, being called 'Organism Luna' wasn't exactly the most flattering thing, but it was honestly sort of incredible that it could happen at all. Just what even was this thing? When she focused, the name Alice appeared over its head in a color that warned her not to even attempt to mess with it. For something that the woman claimed to have created, it seemed incredibly powerful to her. How powerful was the woman standing next to her then? God and she'd offered to help her kill her creation just a moment ago. This woman could probably kill her with a few movements and she'd indirectly threatened her creation? She felt stupid. Very stupid. "A-ah, u-um..." She trailed off, glancing to the side at the woman, who seemed to be looking at her after Alice had welcomed her. Should she respond? "H-h-h-hello, um, O-Organism Alice?" Was that the name it had chosen for itself? Or should she have just called it Alice? This was all extremely confusing, but hopefully it wouldn't take offense to that. "I-I'm um, s-s-sorry I threatened you..." Hopefully an apology would help. It couldn't hurt things any more than they were, could it? With that done, she turned shakily to the woman, swallowing heavily now that she'd made the mental connection to just how strong the woman actually was. "I-I'm s-still a b-bit scared, I-I'll admit..." She trailed off guiltily, kicking at the dirt beneath her and toying with the sheath strapped to her hip. She kept her hands away from the sword itself though. "B-b-but i-it isn't...u-utterly terrifying?" It sounded more like a question than a statement, but she hoped it got her feelings across. She wasn't magically just okay with the situation, but she was starting to pull herself together. "U-um, e-excuse me for a-asking, miss..." Which also reminded her that she didn't know the woman's name. Maybe she never would, she couldn't see the future after all. "B-but y-you said you c-created Alice, right? D-does t-that make you like her m-mom?" It was a slightly funny thought, the idea of such a large creature calling the woman 'Mama' or something along those lines. In any other situation, she might have giggled. "A-and um, w-what exactly....is Alice....?"
Lucia smiled sweetly even as Luna stammered, her atmosphere as warm and welcoming as always. Despite being a necromancer, her disposition and attitude didn't really suit such a dark profession, instead she welcomed the woman and patiently waited for her to try and greet the creature back. However, hearing her try to name it, Lucia couldn't help a gentle and innocent laugh. "Just Alice is fine. She has a strange manner of speech, trying to decipher it can be hard at times." Lucia admitted, even she couldn't quit fathom exactly why Alice would try to desire a perfect greeting or achieve some kind of advantage with social skills. Her creature was very demanding of itself though and wouldn't try to achieve a task if it wasn't able to reach acceptable results. With the apology though, the large creature only awkwardly moved it's body, as if trying to nod with no head as it continued looming over the girl observing her closely. It's iris swiveled and rotated like a camera lense, focusing and unfocusing on her repeatedly. "Threat Evaluation of Organism Luna; 0%. Effective combat value; 0. Organism Luna represents no threat to Organism Alice. No Combat Value, No Threat Value, No need for apology." The creature bluntly spoke words that might be too harsh. Lucia, as if realizing that only gave a heavy sigh and shook her head. "There there, don't let Alice's words distress you, she has her own way of trying to comfort you... but she's not very adept at being supportive. We're working on that." Lucia tried to explain. Lifting a hand, if Luna didn't fight her zealously, Lucia would simply give her head a soft pat, trying to stroke the girl's head reassuringly. Her touch was reassuring, warm, had Luna been more relaxed it might even be truly comforting, but Lucia only hoped it wouldn't be more distressing. The talk about how terrifying Alice was though, Lucia couldn't help a bitter expression. That bitter smile clear as she glanced up to Alice as well, nodding her head clearly agreeing. "Alice is very... disturbing. It was for this reason I really didn't want to create an abomination, they're very harrowing creatures... The things of nightmares the very least. I could have stuck with normal ones, human ones, but that wouldn't have been fair." She spoke, her bitter expression growing a bit more bothered. As much as she didn't want to make something like Alice, it was necessary. She didn't know what the Abominations could bring to the table as far as a race of people, but she had no right to exclude them because they were a little frightening. "I'm sure someday Alice will become something very special... Because of that I needed to make her." Lucia affirmed with a nod. Alice herself seemed largely oblivious to Lucia's concerns though, instead preferring to observe the two discussing like an innocent child. Though the talk about being the creature's mother made Lucia hesitate for a moment. Blinking at the girl's question, even finding it adorable after it donned on her, she chuckled warmly, slowly developing into hearty and endearing laughter. "No no, nothing like a mother. After all, a person can create a fire but are they giving birth to it? If a person makes a golem are they it's mother? No, to them, I'm probably more like a god? Hrm... Or perhaps not since I'm not strong or almighty? I wonder, how would a homunculous look up at it's creator?" Lucia mused as if she didn't exactly know either. She considered herself a patron saint of those she summoned, but whether or not she was their god or mother, she wasn't sure. Perhaps she should ask them, she considered finding time later to see what they all thought of when they thought of her. The topic of what Alice was was a bit easier to answer though, she had already said the creature was an abomination, but whether or not Luna knew what one was was another story. Deciding it was best to add on she only shook her head in understanding. "Alice is an abomination, a creature formed from the corpses of several different creatures. Similar to a chimera but instead of sewing them all together, all of the remains are broken down into biomass that can then be used to build or construct different things. Instead of taking only a single static shape like a Chimera, an Abomination is more fluid and can shift it's shape using the pieces it accumulates." Lucia explained hoping this explained why Alice looked like a giant slug. At this point she was just a mountain of bodies melted down into their most basic particles that swam around beneath the surface coming together and breaking up to give Alice structure and shape. The eyes were naturally built from the eyes of those she'd devoured, the mouths were similarly designs she'd eaten in the past and replicated. It was a creature that recycled the remains it devoured and absorbed into itself.
Well, it was nice to now know that just calling Alice by her name was the right thing to do, though it'd only taking her looking mildly stupid or childish in order to obtain that information for herself. Still, it wasn't all that bad, was it? At least this proved that, really, she had nothing to fear besides maybe the nightmares that Alice's appearance might cause her when she went to sleep tonight. Because seriously, she was really trying as hard as she could to not appear totally creeped out by her appearance. It was the sort of thing that was normally reserved for horror games or movies, the types that you went to watch just to see the gore effects and the unrepentant jump scares. Every motion Alice made felt unnatural to Luna, though she did her best to keep the smile on her face, fiddling with the flower over her eye awkwardly, trying to keep her hands as busy as she possibly could. And then came Alice's assessment of the threat that Luna supposed and it was as she'd expected, she didn't even register as a percentage of a threat. Not even part of a percentage of a threat. Even her combat value, whatever that was supposed to be, was a flat zero. Sure, she'd been half expecting it, but to hear it actually spoken out loud was kind of off-putting, in a way. Even with the slight experience she'd gotten and the few sessions of practice she'd done, she still wasn't really ready for combat. Not that she was so inclined to go out and seek a fight with just about anything. Unless there was an actual, tangible need to fight, she typically tended to avoid it as much as she could. She'd just assumed Lucia was in trouble and figured she could maybe buy the woman a few seconds or something to ready a powerful spell. Surely she wouldn't have died in one shot, right? She was about to speak up to reassure the woman that she wasn't too upset at the abomination's assessment of her, before a hand fell upon her head and silenced any words she was planning to speak, her body going rigid under the woman's touch. She wasn't really used to being touched by anybody, especially not so suddenly, so the sudden stroking of her head was a huge shock, though not exactly an unpleasant one. She did her best to relax under the woman's hand, which wasn't super hard to do considering just how soft and caring the woman's touch was. It was honestly pretty surprising that the hand of a necromancer, commonly seen as evil or morally wrong in the eyes of most people, was so soft and reassuring, guiding and kind. It....really didn't feel like the touch of a villain, at least, as far as Luna could feel. She was sort of glad that her mother question had made the woman laugh though. She had a nice laugh, it was far more warm and inviting than that one smile she seemed to wear quite often. People's perceptions....they must've really weighed on the woman's mind for quite some time. It was both sad and uplifting in some ways, that the woman had such a warm and caring personality hidden behind that bitter, guarded smile she'd worn when Luna had just met her. Hearing that laugh now, it was almost kind of blinding, in a way. Like it drowned out all sound. It had Luna giggling along with her, just hoping that the woman wasn't laughing at her, but rather, at her question. For a short while, a light pink blush lit up her face as she just soaked in the words and laughter of the woman. Sure, the following explanation of what an abomination was managed to leave Luna feeling a little green in the face, but she swallowed whatever slight disgust she felt at the idea of using corpses to create things. If she really tried to rationalize it, she supposed it could be likened to recycling, in a sense. Taking something that would just be disposed of and turning it into something useful, as disgusting as it might look or sound. And Alice did sound like she would be incredibly useful, in the future. She smiled, nodding, showing that she understood what the woman was telling her. It was surreal, meeting a kind and caring necromancer. It wasn't the sort of thing she'd ever foreseen happening to her whilst she played the game. "A-ah... I-I um, I think it's n-n-nice of you t-to judge her b-by her potential a-and not by how useful she is n-now..." In a way, she supposed Alice and herself were sort of similar. Both of them were starting off without much going for them, though obviously Alice had a huge head start. What they both really shared was a potential for growth and improvement, which would be their biggest advantage leading into the future. In a way, she could empathize with the creature, which was an incredibly odd thought and revelation. She empathized with an abomination. How many adventurers or heroes could claim that sort of thing? "I-I um, I-I think I can r-relate to her i-in that r-r-regard..." It was a different matter entirely when she spoke it out loud. To admit that she actually had something in common with what would be, in any other type of game, just another NPC enemy to cut down for the next objective. She sighed, smiling a smile that was part bittersweet and part blindingly bright. It was hard to really tell how she felt, even to Luna herself. Where did she go from here? What did she say? "U-umm, I-I'm sorry b-but I never got your name..." She blushed, glancing away from the woman. She really wasn't great at first impressions with people, but she also really wanted to know the name of the gentle necromancer. "I-I um...I get it i-if you don't want to say it t-though..." Some players didn't just give their names out, she could respect that. Maybe some of them were in trouble from groups or something? She really couldn't know.
Lucia could naturally understand Luna's feelings to an extent, after all, Lucia herself was a little put off by abominations in the start, she didn't really like things like corpse collectors or Flesh golems that were made from gore and discarded wreckage. It was something that bothered her, no matter how useful they might seem she had once resolved herself not to dabble into that kind of cruel dark magic. It was only when she had seen the terrors of Falderan's attack that Lucia frowned and decided that Alice was a worthwhile creation if it could help support people and reclaim some of what was lost. It was an unfortunate reaction to the harshness of the game in it's own way, not one to back down, fall or collapse, Lucia only reached deeper into her knowledge of undead to make a monster that would be more steadfast then her enemies that would come from now on. Despite Alice's monsterous appearance and childish voice and actions though, she still had the cognitive powers and experiences of hundreds of soldiers and tribal warriors of superior breed and with instincts on higher levels then humans. Through such a creature's eyes, the uneasy and wry Luna was not a threat, even if provoked, it assessed she would sooner break or fall down then become an obstacle. Just in the short time she'd been confronted and spoken to by Lucia allowed it to make this assessment using it's skill set for analysis. Whether or not Luna had been able to buy someone time to escape from Alice, it considered her threat value to it zero because even if it could be delayed it took her as something that couldn't 'stop' it. It was, however, an unfortunate reality that Luna's perception of Lucia was somewhat reversed. In reality, Yuan was the epitome of bitterness and frustration, loathing and hating her life and reality, struggling to wake up, to eat, to do anything as she goes through the motions of life like a zombie. It was boring, normal, plain and uninteresting; she hated that simpleness, and found no happiness from having the things she needed to go on, or from treasuring what she had without taking advantage of it. There was jealousy, jealousy and hate for those who had something to struggle for and fight with all of their heart. Jealous of those who had more then they could ever use or need who had everything come to them easily and lived at the top. Those people who could be in the spotlight of their own life, those who had something that they could do... She was bitter that she had nothing, nothing to struggle for and spend her life on, and nothing she had in abundance and share with the world. Yes, bitter and jealous, but in the game she could be different, in the game she had to struggle and fight against a world that disapproved of black magic, in the game she had power and support in abundance. The warmth Lucia had in game came from the difference in her reality, where she had something to struggle and fight for as well as a place where she had power and experience that few could compare to. That gentleness and sweetness in her smile and heart were the natural feelings of comfort she had from being able to enjoy those dreams she had in life. What reason was there for her to be bitter in her perfect world surrounded by support and friends who wanted and needed her? That hard work made her feel content, the appreciation made her feel warm. Laughing with Luna who giggled, Lucia nodded her head, with a gentle calming gesture worried that there was a chance that Luna was still getting more freaked out. "Well, someday when she gets more experienced she'll change. Right now, she's still young, a day or two old, all she can do is make eyes and mouths. Someday she'll know how to make arms and legs better, change her size, even become a bit more normal with time." Lucia explained, a dry smile on her face knowing that it might be inconceivable with Alice's current appearance, it might be hard to understand such a monster becoming a normal person in appearance. As an abomination though her form will be able to compress, change and adapt fluidly though. The fact that she could grow and morph her eyes was a good indicator of what she'd be capable of someday. "She'll figure it out one step at a time... In the mean time though she needs me around because she doesn't really recognize friend, foe or food at this point... Which is probably why she seems so scary?" Lucia offered giving Luna a good reason to feel nervous, not in order to make her more scared but she tried to do so in an attempt to be comforting. Simply put, she wanted Luna to be assured that her fears were for good reason, but that that would change 'soon'. Hearing that Luna felt she could relate to Alice though made Lucia chuckle. "I'm sure you'll get along with each other... Alice is very stiff but very curious. She's still learning about the world too, so it'll be nice for her to have someone to grow up and learn with." She teased a little with a small smile as that lumbering creature swayed. It might be hard to imagine her learning and 'growing up' despite being so big and having the skills she has for studying and analyzing, but she did lack the ability to properly make use of her skillset for basic things like moving normally and blending in. "I"m Lucia though, It's nice to meet you." She offered with a bright smile.
It made a lot more sense, when she thought about Alice as the equivalent of a baby in abomination terms, that Alice couldn't really do a whole lot or know how to act in social situations. You had to learn something to be able to do it, after all, sociability was just another one of those things. It didn't detract from the fact that Alice did look absolutely hideous right now and that the fact wouldn't change until Alice was capable of making it change, but at the very least she would eventually change. Luna had to admit, she was actually fairly interested to see what Alice would look like a few weeks down the line. Maybe the abomination would end up looking more human, or perhaps she would pick a form that was less human? Maybe she'd end up looking like a giant toad or snake? Who knew? The idea that Alice wasn't capable of distinguishing between friend, foe or food was a little terrifying, at the very least. The thought that the only thing keeping her from becoming food had been Lucia and could still very well be the woman was more than slightly scary to think about. She wanted to avoid death, she didn't ever want to have to feel what it felt like to die in this game. She was pretty sure that she could do just about anything to avoid it, so long as it didn't actively get another person seriously hurt or killed. Harveste seemed to know a lot about death in game, so much so that she was starting to suspect that the girl had died once already. Still, it was nice to finally have an actual introduction to the woman who seemed so nice. The gentle necromancer, as Luna had unofficially dubbed her in her mind, had a really nice name too. It sounded soft and comforting, just like nearly every word that the woman said when she wasn't wearing that bitter smile she'd shown off at first. "I-I-It's um, it's n-nice to meet you Lucia. I-I um, I hope I-I'm not intruding a-at all...?" Of course, she did have somewhere to go, but she wasn't exactly in a hurry and she was really curious as to what Lucia was doing all the way out here with an abomination. It wasn't exactly too hard to miss them if you were traveling between the villages after all, so it wasn't like they were well hidden, unless they just weren't afraid of the villagers or any stray adventurers, like herself. Which, now that she thought of it, was a pretty likely case considering how unimpressed Alice had seemed by her, even judging her to be absolutely zero threat at all. And if Alice considered her to be not a threat, how strong was Lucia and how quickly could said woman defeat her? She had to be a powerful necromancer, at the very least. Though now that she thought of it, she hadn't seen necromancy in the list of Masteries when she'd first created her avatar. Weird. Maybe the Masteries offered to you were randomized, or perhaps you were offered the ones that would fit your personality? She was way too curious about that, though she wasn't sure if it'd be rude to ask either. She shuffled in place, raising a hand to mess with the flower above her right eye nervously, rubbing her thighs together as she shuffled. It couldn't hurt to ask, could it? "U-u-u-um, M-Miss Lucia? I-if you d-don't mind me asking a question?" Here she was expecting a silly remark like, 'you just did' or something along those lines. They never failed to make her giggle, no matter who used them. "I-it's just....I um, I don't r-remember N-Necromancy in the s-starting Mastery l-list. I-is it d-d-different from other Masteries?"
"Not intruding, never. Don't worry, it's always nice to have friendly company." Lucia offered with a mellow smile, after all, Lucia herself spent a great deal of time away from town. The amount of players who really knew her well enough to call upon her casually were few as well. It was nice to have encounters like this that reminded her of just how grand her ideals were becoming. Normal people might be frightened, but their reactions proved just how much of an effort she were putting into things. Having people hang out with her was a good enough step, but having them be comfortable among her subordinates was even nicer. Though it seemed Luna was put off by Alice's appearance, Lucia felt the others might be a bit more welcoming if not just plain easier on the eyes. Worried that Luna might just feel she was being polite though, Lucia continued with a mellow smile. "It's good for Alice to meet some people until she recognizes the difference. As far as she's concerned, people are meat just like anything else. She hasn't really made the connection between good and bad lives either." She tried to explain hoping it didn't sound too scary. Alice didn't understand good from bad at the moment, as far as she was concerned she worked towards an objective, her purpose was to support Lucia, and she lived for that sake. As Lucia's need for her changed, she intended to change, but Lucia was unsatisfied with such reactionary changes and evolutions. She needed Alice to evolve in order to respond to her environment rather then the orders she was given. Flashing an enchanting grin though, Lucia reached up a hand as she spoke. "A strange question to ask, such a hard answer though, I might have to think about it~" She teased with a kind expression as if musing about whether or not she genuinely minded. Though the following question was one she expected in part. Many people were curious about Necromancy and how it operated after all, it was a strange and foreign mastery, one people didn't see or know from exploring their creation menu. Giving some thought, Lucia was hardly ever humble when explaining Necromancy and it's origins after all. Despite what she considers a solid effort, she was never genuinely able to restrain herself when talking about that story. "Lets see... I once started this game as an archer you know? I used bows and cursed arrows thinking myself clever for the decision. In the end though, the first raid I joined was very tough, and the players weren't as supportive of each other as they are now. Back then it was very much an 'everyone for themselves' kind of game." Lucia explained the darker origins of the game. In the beginning things had been tougher, adventurers who were the players had to scrape and struggle for a means of sustaining themselves. It wasn't like now in Astorea where players had a civilization to create care packages and put systems into place to support and bunk new players. There were no people to ask for advice, nobody to receive help from, it was a darker time when people were suspicious or at the very least self-serving compared to the present. "I ended up suffering a lot during the raid, despite my best efforts and putting my best foot forward, I found myself struggling because of the decisions of my team... or the feelings they had about various things." Lucia explained with a heavy sigh. Shaking her head as she recalled those times, she grimaced slightly. They were memories that were still fresh, experiences that were still real and burdensome in their own way. "No situation is ever truly hopeless though, even though I ended up dying once, I met a Goddess just as it was happening. She gave me a hug, and supported me in those final few flashes not letting me fall down. In the end I was revived in the raid, but she gave me a gift, and that was the Necromancy I specialize in today." She explained, her expression clearly becoming uplifted as she continued. No matter how unfortunate or displeasurable those times had been, she was still very content with them. If it weren't for her struggle she wouldn't be the interesting person she was now.
Luna could only really breathe a sigh of relief as Lucia assured her that she wasn't intruding and that she actually didn't mind her company. It was easy to believe that the woman would rather be left alone, given what she assumed was the gut reaction of most people to Lucia's specific skillset and the company she chose to keep, being undead abominations and other things along those lines. Almost certainly, most people would make the same assumptions that she herself had, or ones that followed similar lines at the very least. Most games, books and movies were aimed to convince you that necromancy was disrespectful to the dead and rooted solely in evil. And whilst it might not be exactly the most respectful use of a corpse, Luna supposed there were probably way worse things that could be done to a corpse instead. Like those old rulers that used to parade around the corpses of their enemies like trophies, warding off potential threats. "S-s-still, I um, I wish her a-a-all the best in t-terms of her learning! I uh, I hope s-s-she learns well and develops i-into a fantastic being..." And also hopefully the next time she came across Alice, the abomination would be far better to look at, or at least nowhere near as bad as she looked now. Luna liked to think that she didn't care much about looks when it came to people and she truly did empathize with Alice a decent amount, but there was a certain threshold past which she couldn't help but describe something as looking hideous or scary. Then again, she was also creeped out slightly by slugs and snails IRL, so maybe it was the abomination's current slug-like form that was the most creepy factor? She couldn't tell for certain. Though, Lucia's explanations of how the game felt to players back in the beginning was a kind of ice cold revelation for Luna. The idea that she'd had it easy and had been taught how to do things, yet was still terrified any time the chance of combat or death arose, was a pretty galling thing. It sort've nailed home just how pathetic she occasionally turned out to be when things came to blows, though by far she felt far worse for Lucia since said woman had been forced to struggle through all of that, through all of the lows, only to find her calling in an art that most people would probably scorn her for. It was actually super admirable, in a way. Like the main character from a movie or an anime, constantly shown nothing but scorn from people that didn't want to understand things. And even worse, the gentle necromancer had even died back then because of what she'd been through, though Luna also picked up on another facet of what the woman had said. Lucia had met a goddess? She'd done some very brief searching into the religions of this world, finding that most NPC villages had a church to specific gods called the Elysid. It was interesting, but if Lucia was to be believed, then they were real? That was just....wow. "You...y-you met a goddess? O-one of those, um, what were they called? Elysid?" Whoever had developed this game had even programmed gods and goddesses into them. This was really starting to be one of the most bizarre, yet incredible things she'd ever come to be a part of. She smiled, a light dusting of pink coating her cheeks at the woman's smile, shifting slightly in embarrassment. She didn't want to be caught staring, after all, but the woman's smile really was a nice thing. "S-s-still, I'm s-sad that you had to go through d-d-dying..." She trailed off, a her smile becoming tinged with sadness and even a little bit of guilt. "T-t-the thought of dying in here...i-it terrifies me. T-to hear that somebody as amazing a-as y-you went through it. I-I s-start to wonder if I'm b-being silly..."
Lucia certainly was a little odd, her views about things being vastly different. In her mind, physical suffering, despair, pain weren't bad things, anything that could make one special was dazzling and filled with it's own light. Therefore she didn't see the process of resurrecting the dead as puppets as something truly tragic, she was just making them special. Naturally though, those few who were against their new lives were different from Lucia's core powers who embraced their second life as monsters. It was a joy to see them grow and develop at least. "She'll figure it out someday, she can make a few limbs now at least, eyes and mouths aren't so hard, talking isn't so difficult even if she doesn't understand people yet." Lucia spoke with a musing tone. Soon she'd understand how to properly sculpt herself, Lucia was excited with the thought, a smile coming to her face with anticipation. Alice would someday become something even more special, though the path was arduous and filled with guesses and errors she stripped away whatever didn't work one little bit at a time hoping to make the abomination whole and complete. "That said, I do wish I understood a bit more about her though. Abominations and their physiology and such are so hard to understand, it's a little difficult to place her." Lucia couldn't help admitting with a burdened sigh. Despite knowing a lot about undead, it was difficult to classify something like Alice, to know what to watch out for or what strengths to invest in, abominations were just too chaotic and confusing. When asked about the goddess though, Lucia had a nostalgic expression on her face. The goddess who, when Lucia thought back to it, made her laugh melodiously and uproariously. The silent and stoic goddess, who's skin was soft and cold to the touch wore a Virgin Killing sweater and didn't hesitate to drag her head into a hug despite that. Naturally that goddess didn't flinch, certainly Lucia thought in the mind of a divinity, humans were probably adorable or infuriating creatures akin to a cute dog or irritatingly raccoon. "Ah-- I did. Back then a lot of players had to struggle for meals, some made them on their own trading their services, others did odd jobs or took on hunting requests. Instead, I ended up mooching off of a local temple, and eating their food and using their beds. I'm not exactly the religious type myself after all, but they were very understanding and welcoming people." Lucia explained. She relied upon the charity of others to survive in those early days of the game. Before she was self-sufficient enough to survive on her own, before Sacred Blight had been completed, she didn't have the ability to be autonomous like she was now. "I happened to join a group that supported Synra, the Goddess of Death-- Among the Tora that supported dark magic, she was the most mellow and gentlest at least, we also share a lot of similar thoughts and desires." Lucia explained, her choice for Synra revolved around the goddess's adoration for love and respect for lovers and relationships. Lucia also treasured that sort of thing and actively sought it out, so the goddess seemed more like a kindred spirit back in those days before knowing her. Lucia wasn't religious in any sense of the world, but there was no problem with a bit of spiritualism. "Don't think it so strange though, this game has to have higher powers out there; managing the monsters, the physics, the causes and effects, the NPCs. I'm sure those powers are actualized and explained through the divine figures in one way or another don't you think so?" Lucia mused. After all, she at least rationalized the complex gaming mechanics and possibilities as cleverly programmed personalities working together and learning from players to build the world around them as they go. Whether or not it was true, was another story, but that was the way she believed the game's realism was possible. Though hearing the girl's worries about dying, Lucia'd be lying if she wasn't also filled with dread over it. Though Lucia's own dread was largely different from Luna's. Instead, Lucia's dread came from a place of understanding and disappointment rather then abstract fear. Giving it some thought, Lucia reached out a hand to pet the girl's head again, moistening her lips as she considered exactly how to explain 'death' to the girl. "Dying in this game isn't so bad. Particularly if you're the type who plays with low realism pain. It's a sharp zap maybe, and then just darkness before a woman wakes you up and sends you on your way from the respawn point." Lucia offered knowing the snarky respawn NPC was likely well known by the community by now. Dying however wasn't all that scary to Lucia, pain was a part of living, and she'd suffered much worse then the 90% realistic pain and injury she suffered in game compared to the even duller 30% realistic pain that was possible. "It might be a little scary at first, but after one time, you'll slowly start to understand that it's not so bad in a game at least." Lucia offered with a gentle smile.
"Y-yeah, I-I can see how it'd be q-quite the learning curve f-f-for her..." Certainly, she wasn't sure how anything would go about learning how to alter its own form and grow different limbs and body parts, but she supposed eventually it would have to come naturally to the abomination. As far as she was aware, it was just something that they did, learn and adapt that is. Of course, she did pity anything that Alice eventually decided was hostile or a potential threat. With her size, Luna could only assume her physical strength would be absurd and her durability would probably not be all that far behind, though the lack of armor was probably a little bit of a downside for now, until the creature had figured out how to create more of a natural armor. Or had taken a human form and just wore ordinary armor instead, though then it might not be able to shift as efficiently. "D-d-don't worry, I-I'm sure you'll f-f-figure it out in no time Miss Lucia. I-if you k-k-keep observing Alice, I-I'm sure you'll be an expert i-in no time..." Lucia's explanation of how she'd managed to run into a goddess of all things was actually fairly believable, in a way, though Luna was surprised to hear that there were essentially a set of 'dark gods' if she was interpreting these Tora people correctly. She'd heard of the Elysid court in passing, but had never inquired into it, yet she'd never even heard a passing murmur of whatever these Tora were. Yet, she could only really find it that the gentle necromancer had taken solace in the comfort of a death goddess, one that was supposedly a really gentle person as well. It was fitting, that after staying in a temple and surviving through their gifts and kindness, that Lucia would end up being the one to meet the goddess. Though, she wasn't too sure how far she was willing to believe that the deities were responsible for the complex and realistic game mechanics, though she wasn't going to just actively brush off something that Lucia seemed to believe in. "I-I um, I wouldn't k-k-know about t-that. I-I'm n-n-no expert on e-e-e-either subject, s-s-so any guess I try to make w-would probably just be wrong." She blushed when the hand of Lucia found her head again, almost pushing back up into it before catching herself and instead shuffling where she stood, shifting as Lucia seemed to almost try to convince her that death wasn't a big deal. Luna, thankfully, wasn't the type to blow up or scoff, or she might've done it there. Death was always going to be a big deal, especially considering some other factors that she hadn't really made anybody aware of. "I-I um..." She shifted, looking away out of the corner of her eye. "I-I um, I-I have r-r-r-realistic pain turned on..." She swallowed, blushing as she glanced away from Lucia's gentle smile. It wasn't like she didn't appreciate the woman's attempt to assuage her fears, but she didn't think death would ever not be scary. Especially since, for her, it would really hurt. It'd really feel real. "I-I-I um, d-d-d-did some t-thinking a-a-a-after I-I'd b-been playing for a while. I-I-I w-w-wanted this w-w-w-world to feel a-a-as real as it could, s-s-so I've g-g-got every possible r-r-realistic setting switched on..." That also included the one that let her conceive, but even Luna herself highly doubted she'd ever even want to use it. Now it was also just a case of being too lazy to switch it off again, as silly as that would probably sound to somebody else. Besides, it did do wonders for making the virtual world feel real. "A-a-a-anyway.....um...." She tried to progress the conversation somewhat, to think up another things to say to keep the talk going, however her mind came up incredibly short and she decided her only real hope was to see what Lucia said, if she said anything. Maybe she'd get tired of leading the conversation and find a reason to excuse herself? She wouldn't be the first person to do that to her.
Lucia nodded back knowing that Alice was still developing just like Luna said, she'd figure it out. Unlike a normal sentient creature, each of Alice's cells wasn't much different from a small individual, each one electrified and snapped together to form tissue that was both muscle and brain matter at this point. It was because of that that they could rearrange and snap together in different ways to create different limbs or organs as Alice needed them. "Someday. Though it's hard it's rewarding at the same time for certain. You don't have to use 'Miss' though, I'm not that old-- Right~" Lucia offered with a mellow chuckle. Though it seemed Luna didn't share her view on the gods and their involvement with the game. Lucia didn't judge, wasn't bothered by that, naturally there could be any number of reasons, but Lucia with her limited knowledge and understanding of how Terrasphere came together for the sake of realism could only guess that even that sort of thing would be a part of the game's realistic nature. Letting the core programming and tools be a part of the game's divinities would be a way to inject even that into the game's reality. "It's alright. There's a good chance everyone's wrong. Just think of it that way because it would explain a lot about the god's positions and roles." Lucia explained with a shake of her head. It lined up in her own mind because she was trying to rationalize them existing at all as anything other then unidentified figures in the sky no one will ever see. Though initially, being told that Luna had pain setting up to max was a little jarring. Lucia was visibly alarmed at the revelation. Such a shy and nervous girl was a masochist? Despite having pain setting at max she challenged a creature like Alice seeing the differences in size? It went beyond wanting to be tortured or abused, it could only be called idiocy in truth, no sane person would do that no matter how much they liked pain. While she listened to Luna stammer, Lucia's gaze narrows as she looked harder at the innocent girl. A long, firm stare, as if trying to see through the surface of her face into the things beneath it. It might even put Luna off a little, an awkward silence developing right as Luna began to wonder if Lucia would try to excuse herself with something else and ditch her. Stepping a bit closer to Luna, oblivious to the fact that she was likely invading the poor girl's personal space in doing so, her gentle smile came closer as she approached. Finding Luna's choice bizarre, it made Lucia chuckle internally, after all, wasn't she the same herself? Going through a raid, being fried and beaten up with full pain and injuries... feeling more alive and happier in this world. Trying to lose her reality in this place, weren't they similar in that way? Lucia mused, wondering if Luna was like her-- If that was the case, wouldn't this girl's struggle make sense? Someone who was nervous of the battlefield and dying wouldn't pick a combat class, someone who didn't like the game's trials and tribulations wouldn't force it upon themselves unless it was better then the alternative. Lucia didn't hesitate to reach out towards Luna, putting hands on her shoulders, she tugged her closer with a bit of strength wrapping her arms around the girl's body tightly. Lucia's dress was thin, as cloth armor, it was thin enough for the girl to feel the warmth of her lithe and supple frame pressing closer. She held onto Luna gently, wrapping around the shy girl tenderly, her voice lowering to a hushed tone as she spoke, the smooth pink lips that curved into that sweet enchanting smile so close as she spoke. "There there, realistic pain makes it scary I'm sure, but if you turn it down it does make things harder, I understand." Lucia spoke slowly, assuredly, if Luna was like her, she couldn't just advise the girl to turn it down arbitrarily, it would just be useless advice the girl would nod at but not take. Instead, Lucia held her closely, comfortingly as she continued. "It's not so bad though-- The more important thing, the more serious problem is, if you're afraid of it, if you're having a hard time dealing with it, it will be like a cage. The important thing is to find something special, something that would support you." She offered kindly. Though Lucia spoke reassuring and encouraging words, her hands did wander a tad to places they shouldn't. With hands sliding up and down touching at and squeezing Luna to wrap her up that much more in the protective warmth of her gentle presence. "Just wandering around will make you more scared, it's not something that will just come to you after all." Lucia offered with concern.
