Masters and Servants (Liana, Ava)

[Slash]

We Fight As One

The Heartless pair immediately took their battle stance, ready to block back the blows from the mistress, but...what was this?

Some sort of mirror appeared in front of both them and the mistress, blocking the Chaosling's attacks and reflecting them back. This was a Reflect spell, and a decent one at that.

How wonderful! The mistress's powers were beginning to emerge. Lethe and Kyza were overjoyed. Their mistress's victory was their own, after all. And now, just as the spell dissipated, it was their turn to fight. They split the chain and charged.

Their attack style was a very abnormal one, almost hypnotic. Despite the nature of their weapons, they kept a close proximity and swung in roughly the same direction. For any other creatures, this fighting style would have ended in failure and possibly injury, but Lethe and Kyza had both an expert sense of timing and a strange sort of unity which kept them aware of the other no matter what. Their chains never hit each other, and they dodged the swings of the other's weapon without missing a beat.

Lethe took the offensive, moving in with vicious, powerful strikes. Her fighting style was not nearly as unpredictable as Avarice's, but being a Heartless it was quite erratic. With Kyza defending her, she took many risks, looking to carve into the Chaosling. But they did not aim to kill. They had just met their half-brother, and had already taken a liking to him.

Besides, battle was fun. They had been in so little of it that they had almost forgotten the absolute thrill of it all, of blocking attacks and dealing them in return.

[Slash]

The Demon of Winter

Furiae Shepard watched the battle from a distance. There was that damned creature that had gotten her before. And others, powerful others. Well, then. Her next move was obvious. With a mighty heave, she threw her scythe a great distance, having it land between Ava and the others and stick in the ground with its handle pointed up.

"It has been a long time, creature." She pulled her scythe out of the ground and asked flatly, "Who are you all?"

Lethe and Kyza were surprised by the introduction of the new, human woman, who had a cold, sharp smell. Her heart was not desirable in the least, such a cold and shriveled little thing it was.

They remained silent. Whoever this was, they wanted little to do with her, except maybe ripping her heart out. She looked at them with distaste, then immediately focused on Lethe's wrist. Obviously she had seen something as the sleeve moved.

"Both of you," she said, pointing the scythe at them. "Let me see your wrists."

Lethe growled in anger, but Kyza held her back. Not yet. He calmly pulled back his sleeve, motioning for Lethe to do the same. Their Heartless insignias were now in plain view.

"Hmph. You're like him, then. And you?" She looked at Liana. "You don't seem to be one. What are you?"

[Aerith]

Declaration

Just as she had been starting to gain some confidence in this fight against Avarice, another presence presented itself. The sudden appearance of a scythe in the ground made her take a few steps backward, and she warily glanced around to see if she could spot its owner.

She didn't have to look for long. A rather icy woman walked over to lay claim to the weapon. She seemed to already know Avarice, though there was obviously no liking for him on her part. Instead of starting a fight with him, however, she turned her attention to Lethe, Kyza, and herself.

After asking to see the Heartless symbols on her two companions' wrists, the woman demanded to know who and what Liana was. Strange question to ask. "My name is Liana." She hesitated, unsure if she should so boldly broadcast what she was. This woman could be a member of that Restoration Committee Avarice had mentioned. Or, barring that, she could be some other enemy of the Nobodies.

Then again, she hadn't yet attacked Lethe and Kyza, so that probably meant she wasn't a Restoration Committee member.

"I am a Nobody."

[Slash]

New Information

Furiae looked over the woman carefully. She had no reason to lie, but a Nobody? As far as Furiae knew, all Nobodies resembled cast-off clothing. She hadn't seen a human one before, or if she had she hadn't known that it was a Nobody.

Nobodies could not feel. They did not have hearts. That was certainly appealing- but Furiae had been almost sure that they had no memories of their old life and could not resemble their old selves. Was this one made using a special process?

"You are a Nobody? But you appear human. How is this? Explain." Her interest was officially piqued.

[Aerith]

Explanation

At last. Here was someone who knew less than she herself did. Had she possessed the capacity, Liana might have felt a swell of pride. As things were, she simply continued to stare coolly at this new woman. She had yet to get a name in return.

With a glance at Lethe and Kyza, Liana made her best attempt to explain herself. "When people with strong enough wills lose their hearts, they leave behind a shell of their former selves, and these shells still possess all the old memories of the Somebody. That is why I still look human."

She still held her weapon in hand, and she wasn't about to dismiss it. Not while Avarice was still here. Who knew when he might want to start "playing" again?

"Who are you?"

[Slash]

Sudden Decision

This was, to put it lightly, surprising.

Nobodies can retain their memories and form?[/color] If she could...No, that was stupid. But it was...

If she could free herself from emotion, then...

That would put her so much closer to her goal. Ice was unfeeling, but Furiae was still tainted by emotions such as anger. If she could destroy such things, and still retain her goals while gaining the powers of a Nobody...and her form...

She could lose her heart and all the annoying complications that came with it.

She could be free. And how could she lose her heart? Giving into the darkness was possible, but she did not know how to go about such a thing.

But standing in front of her were Heartless. They could take it from her. And with that, she made the brashest decision of her life.

"My name is Furiae Shepard. Thank you for the information" She turned to Kyza. How the Heartless clung to each other. They were quite obviously connected somehow. Furiae walked a little closer to Kyza, pushed Lethe, then grabbed him by the neck.

Lethe freaked out. She could feel the pressing of alien hands on her neck as Kyza struggled against Furiae. But Furiae kept her at bay with her scythe.

"If you want me to let go," she whispered to Kyza, "take my heart instead of simply killing me."

"Agreed." She dropped him.

Kyza moved quickly, reaching into her chest and violently pulling the heart inside. It was a bitter, cold thing, and hardly palatable. It was still a heart, though, and Kyza would take it. Why she wanted him to was unclear, but he wasn't exactly in a state to consider this.

Furiae, for the first time, felt cold.

She looked at Liana and said, "A Nobody. Maybe...we'll meet...again?" She looked at Ava. "Next time I see you, Ava...I'll destroy you."

Her vision blurred, then went completely black as she faded.

[Aerith]

Inexplicable Choice

When Furiae moved, Liana didn't expect her to go for Lethe and Kyza. But when the woman told them to take her heart, she understood a little while managing to be even more confused. This Furiae wanted to lose her heart? Such an odd desire for one who still had the privilege of possessing one.

The two Heartless readily agreed to granting the request, and Kyza wasted no time and offered no fanfare before savagely tearing the woman's heart from her chest. Was this how it had been for her as her own heart had been stolen? Liana looked on with a smooth expression, though the flickering memories of disgust rose inside her head. She should feel something right now, something akin to revulsion, but she could not. And then she remembered frustration at not being able to feel.

The deed was done, and then the woman was gone after leaving some parting threats for Avarice, whom she had called Ava. Liana tilted her head slightly and dismissed her weapon. "Strange. She wanted to lose what I want to find. Why?"

It was high time she found these other Nobodies Lethe and Kyza had mentioned. She had to be prepared enough now. "We should leave." She turned to her Heartless companions. "I have pressing business elsewhere."

Where that business was, exactly, she hadn't the slightest idea.

[Slash]

Farewell

Although incredibly shaken by the unwanted touch of alien hands, Lethe and Kyza were determined not to show it. But it was difficult.

The mistress wanted to leave, presumably to join the other, greater Nobodies. Based on the ice girl's sudden attack and her questions, was it possible that she had wanted to become a greater Nobody as well? Such a strange goal, and it would be most interesting if she accomplished it. As far as they knew, there wasn't a greater Nobody who actively sought to lose their heart.

Lethe and Kyza nodded. "We apologize, half-brother."

"Another time."

"But now we must leave."

They opened a Corridor for their mistress and stepped inside. What would happen next was up to their courage and the strength of their mistress.