Lucia smiled a little, seeing Luna react to her playfulness. That was how it should be, playfully teasing her, warm reactions, getting closer. She couldn't help sighing, the girl was just too dead set on comparing herself to others. For someone so passive and delicate she certainly had a strange competitive streak in Lucia's mind. Though seeing her stretching out her hand, Lucia accepted it with a warm smile, tugging her along before glancing towards Mortimer. "Mortimer, we're changing locations to look for prey, keep your eyes peeled okay?" She asked with a mellow smile. The gentleman phantom who had earlier been playing with the tiger abruptly stopped. Suddenly changing his orientation, he glanced towards Lucia giving a firm resolute nod before suddenly disappearing in a puff of smoke to scout. With Luna in hand, Lucia again began to set out on an adventure, looking for something in particular, she was looking for certain monsters, ones at around Luna's level. It took some time before finally finding one. It had green skin, was humanoid in shape but it's features were lanky and elongated. It was clearly not human. It was short though, about the size of Luna's waist, with a small smile, she approached it knowing it well. "A little goblin, these ones I know well. You can tell the strong ones by the quality of their equipment." She explained gesturing to the goblin. It had a decent looking blade in it's hand, a short blade that was essentially a normal sword with it's size. It was in useable condition making it clear it was above it's brutish counterparts but it's shield seemed to be a section of torn crate. The hash marks and hinges still hanging on one side. It's shield clearly improvised. "I have a very close friend who also played this game. He actually managed to tame these monsters way back when." She spoke, a hint of nostalgia in her tone. He was the one who taught her a rather peculiar type of magic she drew inspiration from. "I know them rather well though, they're very hostile towards women, if you want to test your potential, you should try against this one." She explained while petting the girl's hair. Naturally she neglected to mention that they targeted women because goblins didn't give birth to females easily but she felt that was better left not explained.
Upon taking her hand, Luna found herself being led along by Lucia, though she wasn't sure exactly where they were going. It seemed like the necromancer was looking for something or somewhere in particular, Luna wasn't sure. It was rare that things were ever actually explained to her by anybody and Lucia, unfortunately, was not much different in that regard. She explained a lot of things, but she also did a lot without actually telling her anything about it, so it was kind of an even trade in that regard. Eventually, they stopped, staring at a creature that could only ever be referred to as a goblin, which had Luna shaking slightly as she stood watching it, with that sharp sword and the strange improvised shield. It looked like a genuine threat, she wasn't ready for this was she? She couldn't take on something that was genuinely trying to kill her, could she? Especially if Lucia was right about them having a particular grudge against females? What, were goblin females so evil that even the male goblins absolutely despised anything female because of it? It seemed likely, all things considered. The story about one of Lucia's friends taming them was a little peculiar though. Why would anybody tame a goblin like that? If they had this inherent disliking of women, didn't that make them a danger if he took one into a town or a village. "A-a-are you sure I-I'm r-ready fo-" She was cut off as the goblin, having spotted them, charged her and slammed his makeshift shield into her side, sending her stumbling away. Before she could recover, it gave chase and slashed at her side, tearing through her clothing and scoring a thin red line on her flesh. She yelped, stumbling away again before she jumped backwards, the goblin giving chase again and slashing with the reach his blade provided, carving a line through her dress from her stomach down to her hips, causing it to flare open. "N-no! S-stay away!" Luna grit her teeth, raising a finger and launching a tiny, pathetic blast of magic at the creature, which it simply blocked with its shield and stepped in close, slashing at her thighs and drawing more blood. Luna cried out, dropping to her knees and, in a desperate attempt, slamming a palm into the goblin's chest, another orb of magic appearing and detonating, knocking Luna on her back and the goblin a few steps away. Luna grit her teeth, trying to scramble away by crawling backwards, lifting a hand and launching another orb of magic at the goblin, succeeding on making it stagger backwards as it attempted to block with its shield. With that brief moment, Luna pushed herself to her knees, then to a standing position, glancing down at her thighs to check her injury. That however, proved to be a mistake as the edge of a sword carved through her dress, slicing it clean off of her body and stripping her down to her underwear and a bra, the latter of which soon fell after a second slice. "N-no! Stop please! Noo!" She quickly found herself overpowered again, the shield of the goblin slammed into the side of her head, dazing her and sending her to the floor on her back, where the goblin mounted her, hands at her chest and tongue lolling out psychotically. She blinked, dazed, before her eyes began to fill with tears, her breathing sped up, her arms flailing. "Stop! Stop it! No more! Stop! Lucia please!" She begged, the creature's revolting hands all over her. Not like this! Not again. She felt everything bubble up inside. Terror, hopelessness. Rage... She screamed, louder than anything she'd ever heard or managed before, entire body wreathed in blue-ish purple light, almost like ethereal flames. The goblin flinched for a moment, though a moment was all Luna needed to lash out and lash out she did. "Get off of me! GET OFFF!" As she screamed, that same light suddenly flared until it was blinding, her eyes glowing blindingly blue, before a shockwave of power ripped out. She screamed and roared, releasing pulse after pulse of arcane energy, each pulse ripping the goblin apart little by little until nothing remained. Not a drop of blood. Nothing. Luna stood, still glowing purple, turning a hand to the blade of the goblin and firing a purple blast that split the blade into fragments, before her breathing began to slow and she slumped, covering herself as best she could. "Oh...oh god..." She gagged, swallowing heavily as she turned her eyes to Lucia. "D-did I....do this?"
Lucia chuckled a little, through the fight, she frowned a little hoping Luna would be able to come back from her meek attitude. She couldn't help turning her head towards the goblin after her, knowing that if it went too far, she'd melt it into a puddle herself. She was prepared to try, after all, she wouldn't watch some stranger play with her precious love. Instead though seeing that she was determined to fight after being pressed down, she felt relieved. A soft smile on her face as the girl carved a scoop from the earth with light. A smile on her face as she nodded back, refreshed and glad. Lucia's trained eye wasn't wrong, this girl did have the potential to be a dazzling gem after all. Approaching the girl after she calmed down, she reached down to pet her head affectionately, appealing to her with a warm smile. "See? You did very well. Good girl-- I'm proud of you." She explained with a happy smile. Glad that Luna managed to find something to channel with her magic. She was very glad to see her make an achievement. "This isn't a bad thing though, it's very good. You should know dear, that some times this sort of thing is necessary, protecting the things important to you is very important." She spoke with a soft smile. Though seeing her trying to cover herself up, Lucia chuckled, sliding down to her knees, she gently took Luna's hands. If the girl was still flustered or nervous, she'd hold them gently and smile at her, giving her a firm nod, as if trying to say 'relax' as she tried to gingerly move Luna's hands from her body. "You're hurt. Here, I'll help." She spoke gently, using a flash of spirit magic, ethereal wisps of violet and indigo lights flowed from her gentle hand into Luna one dazzling sparkle by one. Each one trying to close her wounds with an icy and numbing energy. Her soft palm drifting along the skin Lucia bare belly, stroking her smooth stomach as she healed her. "You should remember that feeling though, soon we'll go out on a small adventure, just the two of us for some training. I'll help you adjust a bit more to channeling this sort of thing." She explained rubbing her stomach still, long past the point where her injuries were completely healed. A sweet smile on her face as she tried to lean down and kiss Luna affectionately. "Until then though, how about we get a big closer? That was probably really stressful, so you should relax the best you can right?" She asked teasing the girl, playing with her hair and bare stomach as she spoke.
Luna's eyes drifted closed for a moment, her breathing heavy and frantic as she swallowed over and over, staring down at shaking hands with a look of horror on her face. She'd...just killed that creature, torn it apart through a display of raw, unadulterated power. That wasn't something that she could just take back or rescind on, she was a killer now. She gagged again, choking down a sob as she turned pleading eyes to Lucia as the woman began to speak. She was proud of her? For slowly tearing that poor goblin apart piece by piece with nothing but her raw power? Why? Why was that something to be proud of after she'd spent so long trying to convince Luna that the creatures of this world were misunderstood and needed somebody to be their champion? To understand them and help other people do the same thing. Wasn't she going back on the promise she'd made to Lucia back then by doing something like that? She swallowed, flinching as Lucia touched her again, tearing up and looking down at her hands again, watching as Lucia wove their fingers together and tried to get her to relax. Now that the anger and panic had settled, she felt dirty. Dirty and wrong, as if she'd done something so horrible that it would taint her soul forever. It made her feel sick and disgusted, pained that she'd had to do such a thing to begin with. That wasn't something she ever wanted to relive, that hot, burning rage that had boiled up beneath her skin and flowed through her veins, the panic that had arisen with it, warping her mind and making even the act of taking breath one of the most difficult things that she'd ever done in her entire life. Suddenly, numb and cold sensations caught her attention, as Lucia dragged a soft palm across her stomach, feeding small lights into her that started to close her wounds as soon as they made contact with her. She'd never seen Lucia use this type of magic before, she hadn't even known that the woman could even heal. How many other tricks and powers did Lucia keep hidden from her, from everybody that she knew? "T-t-thank you..." She whispered softly, still trying to hold down the urge to puke, the rush of adrenaline slowly leaving her system little by little as that icy numb sensation slowly replaced it, her wounds sewing themselves shut fast enough to watch. Lucia next words made her eyes light up with panic again, shaking her head at the woman and fixing her with a pleading look. "I-I don't w-want to c-channel that again. P-please don't m-make me channel that, w-whatever that was." She sniffled, eyes shut as she raised a hand to wipe away the building tears. "I-It felt s-so awful. So wrong..." It'd felt like her soul was burning away, replaced with rage and hate, anger at the goblin for attacking her, anger at Lucia for standing there and watching her be touched, anger at herself for not being able to fight back and disappointing Lucia. It had felt awful... She perked up when she felt a pair of lips press against her own, looking Lucia in the eyes as the woman kissed her, pushing back gently before she pulled away again, nodding. "Y-yes please. C-can...I spend tonight with you? I d-don't w-want to s-sleep alone a-after that, I-I need you to c-clean that thing's t-touch f-from me..."
Lucia smiled, shaking her head, oblivious to the girl's interpretation of things. Certainly the monsters were misunderstood, she wanted Luna to be their champion certainly, but goblins and the greenskin tribe as a whole were those that weren't the same as beasts. More on the side of their own race, akin to humans, felis and undead. A hostile race, one that people wouldn't often encounter or approach. Were they misunderstood? Certainly, but they had their champion already, Lucia knew that person well, and his sturdy frame and harsh grating personality was still fresh in her mind. Instead, Lucia encouraged Luna to support beasts, except, she'd thought she did, those who had no human counterpart, no voice to speak with. "Awful? Wrong?" Lucia asked with a soft gentle smile. She was very understanding, after all, what she channeled was despair, sadness, hopelessness, it was awful and unpleasant. It was the nature of dark magic, it was the nature of making use of those things for the greater good. "Luna dear, it's certainly understandable. Many people who have power that come from dark places feel the same. It's revolting, unsightly and always very wrong. Very few people can be strong enough to face that darkness." Lucia couldn't help admitting with a bitter smile. Vivian at least had her beat when it came to that sort of thing. She still didn't have the heart to face the world without her facade as a buffer. Though she didn't explain this just so Luna could run or hide. All feelings should be equally explored or understood in her own mind. She wouldn't push the girl to explore it though, instead, with a gentle smile she only tried to explain that she genuinely empathized with her. "It is a harsh feeling, yes, but we all have our darkness to draw strength from-- we do so because our light is something to be cherished and preserved. But... That might not be your style. I certainly wouldn't want to use it if I didn't feel I had to." Lucia explained with a kind smile as she tried stroking the girl's hair to keep her calm and collected. She didn't want Luna to lose this feeling that gave her strength but at the same time she wouldn't pressure the girl to pursue darkness. Her request though made her expression soften. Care and affection alight in her gaze. She held onto her lovingly nodding back without hesitation. "Of course. I love having you with me." She explained with a sweet expression reaching out to take Luna's hands softly in her's. "We can sleep together, just like we usually do, once a week right?" She asked with a playful and teasing wink wanting to make Luna giggle or shy.
Luna let out a shuddering sigh, shaking slightly as Lucia held her and explained that a lot of people had power that came from a darker place, swallowing slightly and focusing on how she'd felt when that goblin had her pinned. That place had been so dark, the darkest place that she'd ever been in her entire life, she wasn't sure she could ever survive going back to that place mentally. "W-why does power h-have to come from a d-darker place, Lucia?" She asked, wrapping her arms around the woman and herself, sniffling slightly as she held back more tears. It was all so hard to understand and the trauma of taking a life was still shaking her up pretty badly. Even if that life had been an NPC creature that had tried to do unspeakable things to her, it was still technically a life and she still struggled to accept that she'd snuffed it out. At least Lucia could understand that accepting and embracing that darkness within her wasn't something that Luna was capable of right now. She didn't push her to accept it or delve deeper into it for more power and for that, Luna was truly grateful. The woman really did understand when it was okay to push for something and when it was best to stand back and let things take their natural course. "I-I'm n-n-not sure I ever w-want to have to call on t-that feeling ever again. It was l-like venom, c-coursing through my veins, cold and red hot at the same time, i-if that makes sense?" Maybe it wouldn't make sense at all. Lucia had explained that her own source of strength was envy and despair, after all. Rage might not be such a familiar feeling to the woman, at least, Luna could hope that the woman wasn't so familiar with that type of rage. Luna leaned into Lucia's hands, wrapping her fingers around the woman's and intertwining them together as Lucia's little teasing comment had her giggling ever so slightly, swaying in the breeze. "O-okay. T-t-tonight i-it's you and I. I-I hope you d-didn't have any plans?"
Lucia wore a musing expression, joining Luna as she sat beside her, reaching a hand up to the girl's shoulders giving her a soft rub as she thought. Her voice came out very softly, mellow, trying to help the girl find her calmness and tranquility once more as she rubbed her shoulders. "Let's see... I suppose it all goes back to the nature of power dear. We are all born weak, but we acquire power to survive, initially the goal is something specific; food, water, comfort, and the means to acquire it is power. Over time though, power ends up becoming it's own goal, as the saying goes; Power Corrupts and Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The mightier one is, the easier their desires become to achieve, and that naturally takes hold as time passes." Lucia explained, patiently, steadily. Despite the vague and unknowable question, Lucia endeavored to explain it properly. "Life's great motivating factors all come from one of the four needs or five great desires; If it's not out of hunger, thirst, or for Air or Shelter, then it will be out of Rage, Resentment, Sorrow, Greed or Lust." She explained with a burdened sigh. All of man's great works rarely came from a place of innocence or honesty. It was always a place of negativity, progress, investigation was a harrowing and penetrative process that removed the veil and secrets of the world. No matter how harmless the act, it comes from a place of darkness if one searches it's base parts. One could look deep into anything and find darkness at it's depths, as unfortunate as it was, innocence was an illusion one cast for others. Hearing the nature of her darkness though, Lucia exhaled and gave a soft shake of her head at Luna's words. Certainly, Lucia knew rage, but not to that extent. She knew hate, but only when pointed inward. "Channeling rage is different from Resentment, it is a dark and seething feeling. No whites, no reds; it's a very dark blackness, like ink, my own is stained with purples and blues from the sorrow that comes with it. For me, instead it feels like things fade away like a revelation or epiphany; that everything is meaningless, that I can't change anything, that I'm merely a brief flake of glitter on the road side of life." She explained how it felt when she channeled her own power and skill. It came with an intense feeling of isolation, or worthlessness. It was unsettling, but Lucia knew that feeling well, it wasn't crippling for her any more. Long long ago she'd come to accept and tolerate her lot in life. Feeling Luna's hand, hearing her words though, Lucia cheered up, a gentle smile on her face as she nodded her head in understanding. "None at all, I'm all your's. Why don't we just go our own way together? I'll spend the day with you and we can talk about things. About darkness, about light. It's not good to have a skewed view on them, we should definitely talk about that sort of thing." She explained with a soft expression giving Luna's hand a squeeze worried the girl might have a melt down if if things started to appear full of darkness because of her words. She wanted to set the girl's mind straight.
Luna couldn't help but start to calm down even more in Lucia's presence, though maybe it also had something to do with the shoulder rub and the woman's calm and mellow manner of articulation. The necromancer's voice was so calm, so smooth and soft that it felt like she was trying to lull her to sleep, even as she delved into such deep topics as to the nature and root of all power, along with the lack of power that people were born with. About how power would corrupt and how somebody that sought power for one reason would end up seeking power for more and more reasons, until they only wanted power for the sake of having power. Of being the strongest. In truth, it sounded like a rather sad existence, as far as Luna was concerned. Was that what they meant when they said that it got lonelier and lonelier as you climbed, until you were lonely at the top? Still, as she listened, Luna couldn't help but frown as Lucia seemed to paint all progress and advancement in the light of negativity, that nothing had ever come from having good or innocent intentions. Was that...really true? Were people so callous that they only sought to look over their own ideals and would chase after the darkness for that same power? She frowned, things only seeming bleaker and bleaker as she listened to Lucia's views on everything that had happened. Did the woman....really not believe in innocence and good intention? She sighed, swallowing heavily as she thought about the implications of everything that had happened, shivering slightly as her thoughts came and went. "I um...I-I don't think...I want to use that power again..." She looked down at her own lap, hands clenching ever so slightly as she recalled that awful, burning cold feeling. The rage and hate, the anger that had bubbled up and overtaken her every sensibility. No, that wasn't something that she ever wanted to give herself over to, never wanted to use that sort of power. A power born of rage could only destroy, could only hurt and damage. "I-if that's....m-my darkness, t-then I'll j-just bury it away..." She admitted. She did smile when Lucia said that she had no plans before now, glad that she wouldn't be imposing in any way. Sure, they'd agreed to meet up and spend the day together once a week at least, but she'd have felt bad had the woman made plans for herself. "S-sure! I'd um, I'd like t-to talk some more." She coughed awkwardly, hand raising to fiddle with the flower at her eye. "S-so I k-know what you t-think of darkness, b-but you rarely t-talk about light."
