Open - Homecoming

“Where are you headed, Miss?”

Northeast, Savanna replied, taking a comfortable seat near the window of the carriage. She was the only patron, the only person the carriage master could speak to. He looked confused, his eyes narrowing.

“This is the last city –”

I know. But you go further northeast, don’t you? Take me as far as you go.

He looked like he wanted to argue or put up some resistance to her request, but Savannah rudely turned her face away and looked out the window, chin in her hand, ankles crossed. She heard him scoff, heard the bench creek as he turned back around and clicked his tongue. The horse snorted and began to trot forward, the wagon rolling on.

She had been missing, more incognito than anything, and while she was sure Lucia had more pressing things to worry about outside of one errant knight, there was a tiny part of her that hoped she had been missed. Moving and finding a new place to stay and establishing a job; mundane everyday life things took her away from this amazing world and the people who inhabited it, NPC and PC alike.

Savannah couldn’t rightly remember the last time she had seen Her Lady. Perhaps it was at the wall or just when the Felderan army began to storm the capital. There were holes in her memory, one voice in her mind saying that Lucia wasn’t present at all and another vividly recalling that Savannah had saved both her and Vivian from a near-fatal blow. She huffed at the memory of the lilac-haired woman she met whilst clearing a cellar of their rat problem. Even now, months and months later, there was a bad taste upon Savannah’s tongue.

“End of the line,” came the cheery voice of the carriage-master. “I should be back this way in an hour or two if you need a lift back to the city.”

Savannah smiled, paid her copper, and exited the carriage without a bbackwardglance. Now to find her Ladyship and apologize for her errant attendance as her Knight.

@Lucia Mierz ​

 

When Savannah arrived at the usual wasteland hadn't changed, with black dusts flying around like ash, the dissolved and broken surroundings heaped on the floor like dried and dehydrated rubble. The only difference was the fact that Lucia's tent wasn't there, having been packed up and moved as usual, Lucia's time in her own territory was often short, between projects she traveled without a stable home-land to come back to. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for Lucia to live out in the wilderness in god knows where.

Instead of the tent though, Savannah would happen upon something that was no doubt more disturbing. What remained in the middle of that wasteland was a small child, small enough that one might suspect they were 5 or 6. It was a little girl that wore a nice dress and shoal making it clear she was not some kind of monster or strange foreign forest creature. What made her so harrowing however was the fact that every time a faint breeze brushed her golden blond hair away, it revealed the fact that she had no face. While the structure of her head was perfect, there were just no eyes, no nose, no mouth or eyebrows. Everything one might expect to be on a face was just gone, not from damage or scarring, but as if she was never born with them, her skin just seemed to wrap her face completely in a healthy peach color.

She simply stood there, perfectly still, unflinching even as she was buffed by the occasional breeze making her arms swing when the wind got too strong... but otherwise not making any effort to move or avoid it. Only if Savannah stepped closer would the small child suddenly move, head jerking up towards the new source of stimulation, the angle unnatural, neck twisting and head tilting to one side in a way that would cause extreme discomfort for a normal person. Once it seemed to ascertain that Savannah was not a stray wild creature from the woods, the head began to change, what was once a faceless head parted as a slit opened up across the length of it's empty face opening to reveal a single large eye that took up a portion of it's head. The eye rolled, darting around radically before falling on Savannah, staring unblinkingly at her for a short while.

With a sudden jerk of the shoulder, the girl began to take strange steps, as if unused to walking on two legs, like an uneasy newborn deer. Staggering in Savannah's direction, the small child's body jerked and twitched as it made an effort to maintain it's balance as it approached. A second slit appearing along the girl's pale neck towards her collar as it parted revealing teeth as sharp as razors, the slit contorting into a wide grin from the jaw to the collar bone the teeth parted as a bland and indifferent voice echoed out. "Identifying Human Female. Compiling Genetic Traits, Strands and Sequences. Target Organism 'Human Female A' contains inadequate sequences for further Evolutionary advancement. Secondary use; Organism 'Human Female A' biomass useful for stockpiling. Objective; Acquire Biomass." It read off it's thoughts without hesitation upon observing Savannah from afar, it's large eye flickering between different styles, one minute a hawk's, another minute a human's, as if trying to understand Savannah through the many lenses it had available. In the end though it seemed to arrive at the conclusion that Savannah wasn't much different from a normal human.

It's ability to communicate though was likely not a consolation at all considering it was still trying to approach Savannah. It's mouth stretching wider as that slit grew longer, from the jaw line down towards the little girl's chest, the dress flickered and parted as if it were all a part of that little girl's flesh opening up for a large mouth that stretched down to her belly button. Despite the grotesque appearance it's voice was that of a sweet and energetic young girl reading off a harrowing analysis. Since it was on Lucia's land, it was no doubt a part of her group, but it seemed new, unused to it's position, no doubt unaware of Savannah's identity as it continued trying to close the gap with that large gaping maw stretching with some kind of anticipation.

 

It was hard to navigate a barren wasteland. Dead and dying stuff all looks the same and there was no marker that indicated if she were closer or further from the area where she gave Lucia her vow as her knight. However, Savannah continued to walk, eyes forward, head high. And, sure enough, she came to the place where she believed the event had taken place. Sad enough, there was nothing there for her; no familiar sounds of Lucia’s ghostly citizens tolling away at their passions, nor the clang of Sylvanas practicing with her spear against another, nor Mortimer’s gentlemanly countenance to greet her. Nobody…except a child.

The Death Knight stopped about five feet away from the creature, her grey eyes narrowing at the girl. She didn’t look to be a threat, but TerraSphere was a wild world. A flower in a jungle could look nonthreatening one minute and be grappling you and trying to eat your face the next. Nonthreatening meant nothing in this land. And the fact that the girl was missing her entire face did nothing to reassure Savannah that this was any normal girl to begin with. She ground her molars together, jaw clenching as a breeze buffeted her from the side, her long black hair drifting with the wind.

Her stance changed, her feet widening to bear her weight more evenly. One hand went swiping through the air in a complex pattern and a moment later, a large great-axe was within her grasp, the curved blade glinting in the sunlight.

Her movement seemed to spark the creature to move and the unnatural twist and turn of the child’s head had the Knight’s stomach turning. The single spinning eye only furthered Savannah’s discomfort and while she did take a threatening step forward, her intuition knew this to be one of Lucia’s creations. Granted, the last time she had see Her Ladyship, the Dark Mistress was adept at raising ghosts and such. Savannah didn’t know that she could make…whatever this creature was.

Shit, it was moving again.

Shit, it was moving towards her.

The jerky, uncoordinated steps of the child was met with silence. Savannah’s grip tightened on the haft of her axe. If this thing wasn’t one of Lucia’s creations, it would not survive the afternoon. It was wrong, but those words would never pass her lips. A slightly startled sound did penetrate the air when the…thing began to talk. The voice was that of a child and another wave of…discomfort jettisoned through Savannah’s being.

Acquire Biomass?

I-I-I’m looking for Miss Lucia Mierz, she immediately responded, a careful step backwards taken as a precaution. She wanted at least five to six feet of distance between them at all time. Sure, she didn’t want to kill this wretched, horrible, ugly impersonation of life, but she wasn’t about to die a second time. She would take her punishment for it if that was the case.

I am Savannah Reed, Death Knight to the Dark Lady. Do you know where she is?

She had no idea if the thing could even comprehend languages, but she had to try. After all, it hadn’t been aggressive toward her…yet.​

 

The child kept trying to approach Savannah, it's mouth widening in anticipation, when she retreated, it would huff out a large breath of something foul as it tried quickening it's pace. When it moved faster, there were times when the foot wouldn't even meet the ground properly, instead it would bend at the ankle at an odd angle to ensure it's pace was faster without worrying about keeping up appearances.

It was only when Lucia's name was mentioned that it would suddenly hesitate, slowing to a stop briefly as it tried to process the situation. The 'material' in front of it had known it's creator's name and title. Despite being human it called itself a death knight, as if trying to divide zero, it froze up, simply twitching as it tried to process the new information that was a paradoxical mess of misunderstandings. The large eye's iris turned, swiveling like a camera lens, contracting and swelling as it swiveled. After a short period it finally seemed to collect itself as the eye closed up. The slit that once was disappearing as the skin came back together revealing the faceless head once more. "Processing-- Organism 'Human Female A' contaminated with no undead matter. Non Sequitur; Are human knight, hostile existence to undead. Human knight working for creator who builds undead. Hostile existence supporting existences with hostility?" It seemed to struggle with the concept a short while longer.

Considering it a while longer, the little girl finally turned away from Savannah strangely trying to change it's orientation. With two legs on the ground, she bent her body down, pressing her faceless head to the ground and pressing one arm down as well. Lifting her left arm up forming a fist that began to slowly change it's mouth that faced the ground continued. "Utilizing Hostile forces, common military tactic, this one will bring Organism 'Human Female A' to the Creator." The creature spoke as the space between it's knuckles slowly disappeared, much like the slit it had made for it's eye previously. Fusing together into a round fleshy thing, an eye opened up once more as it began to move using it's face and arm as two additional legs. Scuttling like a large crab it moved rather quickly, stopping only to turn it's strange fist eye back towards Savannah to make sure it was following. "Organism Alice will escort, Creator has begun leaving for new territories." It added before trying to scuttle away once more hopefully with Savannah behind it.

The journey wouldn't be long, Lucia's knights, the Tal'darim would be seen outside of her territory carrying furniture and stakes for her tent, like a part of a convoy they all grabbed whatever they could and hoisted it up to bring along for the journey. Among them, Mortimer in particular appeared with a puff of smoke, spotting Savannah from afar, as well as the bizarre young child monster. "Alice, the Matriarch would be upset if she saw you acting in such a manner. Even if your appearance is unsteady, maintaining it is important in these times when our empire has no foothold." The gentlemanly phantom tried to explain to the scuttling little girl. The small monster had no words for the gentleman phantom, instead, it's fist eye simply darted between Mortimer and Savannah until he acknowledged her. "Miss Savannah, the Matriarch is farther ahead, I hope Alice hadn't bothered you too much with her unsightly appearance."

 

Savannah couldn’t help the look of revulsion that was plastered to her face as the…child came after her. Its walk was uneven, the feet not full formed and the legs seems to be different length but when she blinked and looked again, she couldn’t be sure if those were feet and legs to begin with. The only thing that remained was the slit where its mouth was…and even that was wrong. Vannah could feel the perspiration on her brow, the stone of nerves in her throat, the tight feeling in her stomach that made her want to dry heave from looking at this being. But, she held her ground, refusing to take another step back even as the thing closed in.

The Death Knight was resolved to defend herself is she needed to. She just hoped that it wouldn’t—

The creature stopped and began to speak. It seemed as if it were trying to piece together what she had said. Clearing her throat, the woman was prepared to speak again, perhaps explain where she knew Lucia from, when it began to morph once more, slowly changing shape. Savannah clenched her teeth together and flared her nostrils, trying to keep her virtual lunch in her stomach instead of splattered all over the ground. When the child creature bid her to follow, she had little argument or reason to deny the request. Sure, Savannah could be walking into a death trap, but she knew that it was more likely than not that this…thing belonged to Lucia. After all, if there was another esteemed Necromancer around, they would’ve been all the talk in world chat.

A feeling of relief flooded Savannah’s body as she noticed the Tal’darim knight doing menial labor tasks around the familiar tent belonging to the Dark Lady. Funny how when she was first introduced to them, they scared the hell out of her and now, having not seen them in months, she was filled with the same emotion as seeing a favorite cousin again after a long time apart. She couldn’t help but smile and lift a hand in greeting. She wouldn’t stop them as they seemed busy.

Mortimer’s appearance confirmed Savannah’s suspicion, for which she was grateful.

Alice, hm? she said, glancing from the…child creature to him and back again. No, it, ah, was just unsettling seeing her instead of you or Lady Sylvanas. She doesn’t…really…have a form. She felt like an ass tattle-telling on the girl, but maybe Mortimer could do something about it? More likely than not, she’d have to bring it up to Lucia.

I’ll just…go visit her Ladyship then. She isn’t with anyone, is she? I’m afraid I’ve been quite remiss in my duties as of late and need to offer an apology. I’d rather not have an audience. And, well, I wanted to make sure she knew I was…well…me. Her cheeks turned a darker more bruised blue than the rest of her skin tone. Savannah was blushing. New avatar and all…​

 

The small child slowly snapped upright once they had arrived. It's body releasing harrowing sounds as it's limbs snapped back into place giving it a humanoid look once more. It assembled itself into the small child Savannah had met in the wasteland though that gaping mouth still remained. Somehow noticing Mortimer, it spoke through that mouth once more, that same energetic child's voice as it dolled out it's achievement. "Presenting organism 'Human Female A', designated as potential hostile. Connection with Creator. Inquiry; organism 'Human Female A' contains biomass useful for stockpiling. Organism Alice requests the biomass of organism 'Human Female A'." It spoke, bluntly asking for Savannah's flesh, wondering if such a thing were acceptable. It seemed to treat such a thing flippantly, as if it would somehow only borrow her and then return it again soon after.

Mortimer on the other hand only sighed, rubbing his masked face in answer to the request as well as Savannah's reply. "No, what you're observing is her form sadly. As Unsightly as it is, she's been aware of herself for only a short week and therefore doesn't understand a lot about the importance of presentation and acceptable looks just yet. While this is an upgrade from her previously grotesque form as a large fleshy slug, I can't say there's been much progress lately." Mortimer explained with a burdened tone making it clear that Alice was still not used to existing. Unlike the others who Lucia made, who had bodies or bones structured in a particular way, Alice was an ocean of flesh blood and gore that was once simply a pile of corpses. Now compressed into a singular humanoid shape, it wasn't as strange, but as something that was once a pile of corpses, understanding how to look and act human was difficult. "Perhaps someday she'll understand, but until then, I'm afraid we'll have to keep teaching her." Mortimer expressed with some measure of apology as he patted the small girl's head. Alice seemed perplexed by the action but still blankly stared off into space as if in a daze with no face of her own to really understand what was going on beneath the surface.

Restraining the small child with a gentle hand though, Mortimer turned his gaze deeper into the woods, gesturing through the trees with a small nod. "The Matriarch is deeper within, we're preparing to leave the territory for another round through the kingdom. Though she isn't with anyone of note, I will advise some measure of caution as a very heated discussion is taking place." Mortimer explained with a somewhat bitter tone. The gentlemanly phantom rarely talked badly of others or looked down on them. He was perhaps the most mellow and approachable individual one could find among Lucia's subordinates, but at the same time he was apprehensive about what was going on near by Lucia. Unwilling to speak more, he merely beckoned for Sylvanas to continue on ahead and find out for herself with his advice in mind.

Deeper within, Savannah would find Lucia sitting down, with Grimoire in hand, her posture was as refined and dignified as always. A gentle smile on her face as refreshing as ever. However, her delicate and warm welcoming temperament was a far cry from what was happening not even 10 feet from her.

The familiar figure of Sylvanas stood, her frosty gaze had peaked with resentment and hatred. Hostility practically pouring out of the undead elf's body as she argued with a chilling and relentless tone. "No matter how much you shout, retrieving the corpse of Morgan Folke will do us no good. Not only has he spent his whole life hunting Mortimer down, he was laid to rest on holy ground, even if his resentment fades he cannot cross over to join us in a second life." Sylvanas tried to firmly argue, like a steel wall, not budging on the topic.

It was the secondary figure that was more unfamiliar, different from Sylvanas's armored frame, it was a woman with moonlight pale skin, a very revealing silk robe that boardered on scandalous and an hour glass figure that would make even the most heterosexual woman second guess their options. The pale woman radiated an intense burning heat that clashed with Sylvanas's icy atmosphere evenly, like a red hot knife clashing with a frosted blade neither losing momentum in the face of the other. Fiery red hair flowed down in thick lush curves that flickered like flames as she moved. "Hah! I've not even begun to shout if you think this is the end of it you frigid witch-- As I've SAID Morgan Folke can go rot in a ditch, but he was buried with the last known written location of his daughter's resting place. We should be going after her corpse-- why can't you understand this?!" The woman raised her voice in reaction to Sylvanas lowering her's. Glaring daggers at one another, it seemed a miracle that they hadn't already started trying to gut each other yet.

Lucia however, despite knowing they were clashing was content to see how things played out. Curious about what they would decide in the end, she only watched and waited to see the result as the argument continued. Her thoughts no doubt were elsewhere thinking about Luna and Vivian and her next destination.

 

The idea of teaching someone how to exist, how to be human was deeply perplexing for Savannah. And it didn’t make sense when it came to the others who were clearly milling about around them. She glanced up and around, taking in the different undead who were at ease with going through their routine, be it cooking or crafting or moving items. Looking toward Alice, Savannah could see the difference, but she didn’t understand it.

Giving a nod to the gentlemanly specter, she gave a single fleeting glance at Alice before wandering forward into the forest where Mortimer had pointed. She could hear the raised voices as she approached, one being the woman whom she admired and the other being another female that she hadn’t heard before. This wasn’t surprising to her as – with Alice as the prime indication – there had been a lot of change recently. She winced at that thought and let the feeling of guilt suffuse her. She had a lot of apologizing to do.

Breaking into the clearing where Lucia, Sylvanas, and the unknown woman were, Savannah couldn’t help but look at them all with her gaze finally resting on the voluptuous redhead. She had no words to describe the absolute beauty of the woman and for her to find a woman beautiful…the feeling was odd. She wasn’t attracted to women in the real world and being in TerraSphere meant every player-character looked attractive in some way, shape, or form so it was easy not to notice beauty in a sea of beautiful people. But this woman was different.

She cleared her throat and dragged her gaze back to Lucia.

My Ladyship, I apologize for my absence. I…It has been many days since I have been in your company and I have changed since the last time you laid your eyes upon me. I am called Savannah…if you remember? Savannah paused, her mouth dry and her mind spinning with all the things she could possibly say. She should’ve practiced on the walk over or something because, right now, she felt like an idiot.

I hope I have not fallen from your good graces?​

 

Almost immediately, when the voice came out both Sylvanas and the Fiery woman both turned towards Savannah at the same time. The hostility in their gaze was intense and oppressive. Taking it full on from both sides might be incredibly difficult. "Sylvanas, Lina, Savannah's legs might buckle if you keep glaring like that. At least give her a second." Lucia spoke causing the pair to hesitate briefly. Beckoning with a gentle gesture she urged Savannah to join her. If Savannah got too close, Lucia would even pull the girl directly into her lap before going back to thinking and planning. After all, while Lucia was someone who'd given up on the real world, she could still understand the difficulties that came with one. She herself had to go through quite an ordeal when she was laid off from work. Judging someone else for their inability to play would just be unsavory.

"I remember, back then you had a different avatar though, small and cute. This one's nice too though, it's big enough to protect me." She encouraged with a gentle tone. As if Savannah had never left. While Lucia didn't really know the girl's guilt or feelings, Lucia still treated her as if she'd only seen her the other day. With a hand rising to stroke the girl's hair, petting her playfully, it was Lucia's typical greeting or friendly reward, one Savannah was likely used to or had experienced before. "Don't worry, as long as you want to be by me, I'll always save a place for you. Promise." She reassured with a tender and reassuring tone.

Despite Lucia taking the time to comfort Savannah, she glanced back to the pair of undead woman who had only moments ago arguing heatedly. "Continue, I won't be able to decide if you two don't press forward." Lucia complained a little, a small smile on her face as she urged them to continue causing them to huff one at a time. Complaining back and forth, bickering, trying to argue points while Lucia played with Savannah's hair in thought. "Finding people to help lead is getting more difficult, without a surplus of heroes from large quests or events I've had to go looking again. With Mortimer coming from history, I thought it might be a good idea to check the logs for another champion, but it's proving a bit more difficult. As nice as it would be to acquire Morgan Folke or his daughter, figuring out how to do it has been difficult." She confessed her struggle with a heavy sigh, Sylvanas and Lina were merely arguing routes and methods to achieve such a thing, it was so that Lucia could work he way through which ones sounded more appealing.

 

Savannah could only glance between Sylvanas and the unknown woman a single time before dropping her gaze entirely. She hunched her shoulders up closer to her ears and was prepared to take a step back if needed. Their combined gaze felt like hot coals on her skin, burning and leaving wounds where-ever they looked. She exhaled slowly, trying to keep the fight or flight response in check before she heard Lucia’s dulcet tones.

Peeking up through her lashes, she saw the Dark Lady beckon her closer and felt the muscles in her shoulders and back immediately loosen. Nibbling on her bottom lip – which was very unlike her usual mannerisms – she strode forth, careful to give the two arguing women as wide a berth as possible.

Nearing her Ladyship, Savannah was prepared to open her mouth and issue a full formal apology if she needed to, but was cut off by Lucia’s slender fingers wrapping around her wrist and gently tugging her down into her lap. Savannah was immediately surprised, mostly because she believed she was in trouble for having skirted her duties as a sworn Knight to Lucia. The other half of her surprise came from the ease at which she settled, as if this were a normal occurrence between the two, an old song and dance they were proficient with.

T-That was my goal, a blushing Savannah murmured. I like the Faerin race, but that avatar was too small to be of much use. This one…well, being taller and studier, I can hopefully protect you from more and be of more aid on the battlefield if need be. She wouldn’t mention that Vivian’s mocking voice had been in the back of her mind when she created this new body. Never again would she be mouse-girl.

Lucia’s words allowed a wave of stress to flow off Savannah like water from a duck’s back. She could feel tears collecting on her long lashes and immediately ducked her head so that the others wouldn’t see. The world outside TerraSphere was very lonely for her; her family was gone or dead, her friends were moving on with her lives and didn’t have a place for her, the gaming communities she had been apart of before had splintered and broken because of inner-group drama and squabbling.

But here, she had been welcomed back with open arms. There was no punishment, and no one had forgotten about her. She sniffled, trying to keep it quiet, before a hand lifted to tweak her nose and dab at her eyes. She had to get herself together.

Thank you, she whispered, turning to look Lucia in the face, her silver eyes still shining with unshed tears. Really. I don’t have any other words to express my gratitude other than thank you. I do want to be by you, always. I promise.

She sniffled again, quieting herself as Lucia explained just why the two women were having so heated an argument. She hadn’t heard of the name before and was about to say as much when another idea popped into her head and immediately out of her mouth.

If it’s because of the hallow ground thing, I can go. I can recover the bones for you. I mean, I should be able to, right? But, if it’s information, ah, perhaps a speak with dead spell? I wouldn’t have that magic, but, your Ladyship might? Or someone who practices light magic?​

 

Lucia smiled sweetly, the girl seemed to have been through a lot. While Lucia had something of a low EQ it wasn't low enough to ignore that. Instead, she reached up, slowly wrapping her arm around the woman pulling her in close, a gentle warmth she offered and spread around her. It was sweet, tender uncaring for any armor or anything that might make it discomforting, Lucia still held onto the girl despite that as if she were cradling her in casual clothes. "Of course. As long as you're resolved to stay with me, I'll never turn you away Savannah." She spoke with a modest smile. That gentle hand stroking her hair slid her fingers through her hair affectionately and attentively.

If anyone knew loneliness, it was Lucia. Though for Lucia it wasn't the be all end all of pain, she would much rather be lonely then normal. Part of her even envied Savannah, the girl seemed so different, so special in her own way it made Lucia sigh with a flicker of envy here and there. Truly she wanted something special herself. It was for that reason she just couldn't let things go. "You don't have to be so modest Savannah. I need you. Without you, who else would protect me?" She spoke firmly, not wanting Savannah to brush it off as a joke or a hollow reassurance. While Lucia did need Savannah to protect her, the reason why might make the girl a little confused. To this day Lucia still felt despair at her own mediocrity, any bit of protection from normality was a satisfying help to her.

Though when

Savannah brought up going in and retrieving it for herself, Lucia hummed, the arguing pair hesitated once more. Seeing Lucia in thought she held Savannah a bit closer. The sweet floral smell of Lilac coming off of her as she considered while stroking Savannah's hair. "The information was in a letter, Morgan Folke's final letter to his daughter; Little Lord Folke. It was buried with him, unable to be sent because of troubles at sea it seems. The address of the letter will show us where the girl once lived... but it won't be easy." Lucia spoke, gesturing for Sylvanas and the curvaceous woman. "Sylvanas, Lina, explain~"

For a moment the pair of undead flashed each other hostile glares before Sylvanas finally spoke up first. "Morgan Folke was one of the three heroes of his era. When he was buried it was done on sacred land which disagrees with our bodies. Even if we can hold off the celestials from outside, those inside we can't class with or reach. We would burn up before we could reach the depths of the tomb no doubt." Sylvanas mused, considering their chances of simply rushing past all obstacles to the goal or being summoned from within the territory. It was dangerous, even impossible, a suicide mission that went one way with no escape plan for undead.

The gorgeous woman folded her arms in reaction to Sylvanas's words, crossing her arms over her full and abundant chest as she spoke, each action seemed to make them quake as she spoke with a huff that caused smoke to billow out from her plush lips. "Further more, Morgan Folke's remains can't be raised themselves, the bones were no doubt purified. It's always been the method of the forces of good to prevent corruption from reaching those who've done meritous deeds or know too many secrets." Lina complained, her voice was sultry, her words made one's ear hang for more, but the topic was far too business-like to enjoy. Listing all of the issues, the pair's concerns were clear, it would be a dangerous task and mission.

Despite all of the troubles though, neither seemed truly pessimistic, after all, their summoner had given them a task, it would be completed. Particularly for Lina who couldn't stop moistening her lips with anticipation, it was a time for her to show her worth a bit more. "Well, with Savannah, we've solved a bit of the trouble of fishing in troubled waters. With her support, you could prevent the reinforcements from entering and allow us to slip in and deal with what's inside mm?" Lucia offered with a mellow smile, wondering if Savannah was up for protecting her on such a dangerous mission.

 

The Knight basically melted into Lucia’s embrace. She hadn’t been hugged a lot as a child, not that she could remember, and her grandfather didn’t really know what to do with her other than what his own parents had done with him, which wasn’t a lot. He was an okay substitute parent, but he wasn’t affectionate, believing that a pat on the back and a smile was more than enough for her to survive on.

The show of affection almost triggered a flood of tears. Savannah quickly buried her face in Lucia’s shoulder, purposefully putting pressure on her eyelids to stop the water from coalescing in the corners and spilling down over her cheeks. Feeling more under control, she sniffled and pulled back, the back of one hand quickly wiping away whatever might have tried to escape. She was a Death Knight for crying out loud. There was no time for tears no matter how warranted they were.

Though they had had the conversation before, Savannah appreciated Lucia’s need of her. She hadn’t ever been in a position like that before. She was glad to be needed, to possibly be helpful, to not be cast away like something used and forgotten. She sniffled once more and shook her head, more chasing the negative thoughts from her mind than trying to disagree with her Ladyship.

I just keep thinking that you’re powerful enough to not need me, she whispered in reply, a darker hued tainting her cheeks as a blush. And I don’t want to get in the way of anything…that’s all.

She felt like a child again, always underfoot and awkward, never finding that best friend or circle to belong to. And there were no uncles or aunts, no cousins, no extended family to lean on or talk to. It was just her and her Grandpa, two blood-related family members with nothing in common and more than a generation between them.

Again, she chased the thoughts away, refusing to let real-life impede on her playtime. Lucia’s unique scent helped ground her in the moment and she turned those watery silver eyes to the two women. Though Sylvanas displayed an imposing form, Savannah could hardly keep her attention on the words flying from the elven woman’s lips. The redhead was just too mesmerizing, too beautiful, and, surprisingly, she felt her mouth water.

The question snapped her out of the trance she felt herself falling into.

…Yes! Yes, I could help. I could divert attention or recover the bones or take out the guards. Whatever you need me to do. Her attention turned from Lucia to Sylvanas and back again before she stopped, her brows slanting downwards, a frown marring her supple lips. Ah, but I am only one fight, one Knight. Are there others sworn to you that would also help us, Dark Mistress?​

 

Lucia chuckled sweetly, patiently reassuring the girl with soft arms around her. No matter what anyone thought, Lucia certainly needed people, particularly people like Savannah. Needing them purely because they wanted to be needed, it was Lucia's way to shine. Supporting Savannah, not bringing attention to the girl's tears, whether or not they were visible, Lucia wouldn't blindly call them out. She had low EQ and had trouble empathizing, but she wouldn't do something to damage someone. "Power isn't invulnerable dear. Who else will protect me if my power ever doesn't work?" She asked with a small mellow smile. After all this was petty close to such a situation already. While she could still use dark magic, her army and subordinates wouldn't be able to help her.

Though she could tell Savannah was trying to push the topic aside, it was a travesty, what Lucia wanted most was to bridge the gap between Savannah and herself. If the girl's heart didn't pound with hope and happiness then it would have been a huge loss. With only a flicker of thought, Lucia spoke in a calm and mellow tone. "You won't get in the way I promise. You're right where you need to be, even if it isn't much to look at, and there are those who clash from time to time, this is your home, and we are your friends and family. You're right where you belong, right here, where you're needed." She spoke reassuringly, trying to stroke the girl's hair. It was her best effort, her strongest attempt at trying to get the girl to recognize her as something 'more'. Whether or not it would bare fruit, Lucia would have to see, if it failed, perhaps there would be chances later. In the mean time, things were coming to a head, making her focus back forward.

Seeing Savannah so eager, she nodded back, hugging her a bit tighter in reaction. "We'll see when we get there. Largely what's most important is a body guard, since I won't have my subordinates there to protect me against harm." She spoke with a small nod. Though when asked about others, two figures flashed in her own mind. Luna wouldn't be of much help, as much as she adored the girl, the girl was still trying to discover herself, let alone learn how to fight in complex combat situations, she was still having trouble fighting and killing monsters one on one. With Vivian though, well, that woman would no doubt have ulterior motives when it came to Morgan Folke and the Celestials. As much as Lucia needed the letter he was buried with, he didn't want to burn bridges with the Celestials until she was capable of waging all out war with them. For a moment her smile got bitter, her allies were far too few for this type of thing, she hadn't thought far enough ahead, she'd need to reconsider raising up some human allies who were loyal and trustworthy.

"No, we won't have any back up, at least not that I know of. It will be tough, but I believe in you Savannah. We can do this together." She tried to reassure the girl. Though Lina and Sylvanas exchanged concerned looks, it was important for them to have someone support Lucia in the tomb when they dove down. It all depended on whether or not Savannah was up for the task.

 

Friends and family. Glancing around from Lucia to Sylvanas and now this new woman, cloaked in fire-red and so tantalizing that Savannah found herself forcing her eyes away, she knew Lucia’s words to be true. Others might call her crazy or delusional, but she felt more needed and wanted here than she did anywhere else. She had someone who needed her, who protected her, who was free with her affection; what more could Savannah want or need?

She licked her lips and gave a small nod of her head. She could do this…she thought. It would be difficult, of course, but she had to at least try. She had to try and protect Lucia in return for the kindness and love that was offered to her. Her Ladyship wasn’t some newbie who would leave her out to rot if something bad happened. She would be taken care of, transported somewhere safe and she would rise again, stronger and better than before.

I will give it my best, your Ladyship, she said, standing and bowing at the waist with her eyes closed. I vow to protect you and retrieve these bones for you or die trying. Straightening, she looked Lucia in the eye and nibbled on her bottom lip for a second. There was something she wanted to ask, but she was unsure how to phrase it. Exhaling a quick puff of air, she blinked and set her shoulders.

My Lady, I have only one request if I may make one. Should I fall in battle, I only ask that bring me back and not…not the Woman Who Waits. I would rather wake up in your arms than the cold marble floor of the temple. Please.​

 

Lucia nodded, glad that Savannah was taking the role seriously. After all, invading a hero's tomb wasn't something that could be done so easily. The first time might be alright while security was lax, but successive tries would no doubt become more and more difficult as reinforcements began to arrive and supporters would appear. If they were given too much time to recover it would only lead to disaster. "We don't need to go so far as to disturb the bones we can't use Savannah. Just retrieving the things he was buried with is enough." She reminded, worried that the girl might end up cursed after disturbing the remains. While Lucia was an expert in curses, it usually regarded only evil and dark based curses.

Those justice bound curses or retributions were things that were a little foreign to her even now. Musing on the thought, Lucia glanced forward to hear her request with a blinking expression. Initially perplexed, but after a brief pause, a warm only nodded along with a modest grin. "You don't have to worry about that. One way or another I'll find a way to bring you back to me that way, I promise." She spoke reassuringly. After all, it wasn't a difficult request, Lucia had enough skills to revive someone with spirit magic at this point. That said though she wasn't sure whether or not Savannah would be all there upon coming back. It would certainly depend on how many times she was revived in one sitting. If it was too many there was a chance she wouldn't be human for a while any more.

With the vague plan worked out, Lucia only furrowed her brows further, reaching up for Savannah once more, beckoning for the girl to join her. "For now though, we should go over the lay out, the plan and the things that we should expect. It wouldn't be good for us to dive in without any understanding right? Perhaps with a map and some details?" Lucia asked wondering what might be helpful, after all, even if Lucia was aware of them already as the one who would be leading her small army for the invasion process, Savannah also needed that information to protect her.

 

So they weren’t going after the bones after all. Savannah nodded in understanding, her gut feeling as if she were getting in were getting in over her head. She needed to listen and pay attention, not let her emotions cloud her judgement and her ability to receive directions. Yes, Lucia had accepted her back into the fold as if she never left and yes, she was going to help her secure something powerful, but there was more to it than that. This would be the first time since Savannah had known her that Lucia wouldn’t have her powers to help her. She swallowed the nerves that clogged up her throat. This really was going to be dangerous.

Upon hearing from the Dark Lady that she would honor the request, Savannah felt a weight lift from her chest. The fear of dying was always lingering in the back of her head, taunting her with the cold, with the quiet, with the ghostly pale face of that woman and her serene face, her bony fingers, the cold grip as it circled her arm. She shuddered now just thinking about it, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. She didn’t want to die again, didn’t want to see the Lady Who Waits again, so being brought back by someone familiar was preferable.

Thank you, my lady, Savannah whispered. She had to learn a way to show her appreciation in more than words.

Following along, Savannah again began to nod at what she was being told. It made sense. A map would be great, as would any information that they had concerning enemies that would be guarding the area or magical wards that might be in effect. She didn’t want to stumble into a death trap and get both herself and Lucia killed. She winced at the thought and cleared her throat, her hands resting at the small of her back.

If we have any information about our enemies, that would help as well. But, starting with the layout would be best, yes. I would suggest possibly sneaking in to do this, but, ah, I am not very sneaky. Blushing a darker blue, she tapped her metal breast-plate for emphasis. Formfitting though it was, it would still rattle when the Death Knight walked. ​