The Tarots II RP

Aurora did not take the drink, "I appreciate the offer of the beverage but such liquid impairs me too much. I need to remain sharp since it is war out there" She walked to the other side of the table and pulled out a chair, dusting it off before sitting down, "I understand what you mean though" She took the winged bits off her arms, connecting them into their bow shape and laying it on the table carefully. "I wasn't well treated by the city folk or the military as a tarot and as a woman living alone. My house was trashed too often." She watched him trace the cup with his finger, "but they are here now, perhaps they really have changed and want to join our cause."

 

"Making friends does not come instantly, Emperor. Give it time. I need to know that you keep promises and remain truthful and loyal to whatever the cause we decide on. I refuse to be played like the Fool that is my title. Surely, that makes sense, does it not?" Enya's light blue eyes stared directly at Elreen, before being cast at the room where Lufu and Aurora were talking. She really didn't know how Aurora has kept such innocence and positive outlook on life. Perhaps, it was just her, perhaps she had suffered slightly less.

The thief turned assassin sighed as she tried to recall the faces of her loving parents. Her mother that had always patched her up from her training, her father that taught her stealth and how to handle daggers. Both taken too soon by the angry villagers, leaving Enya all on her own.

 

Elreen chuckled a bit. "You're right. I know," he admitted modestly. "Loyalty and honesty are a commodity these days. What you're saying makes perfect sense. I guess I was just... overwhelmed, at first. Finally seeing and being with others like me got me... excited. Excited like I haven't been in years." His laugh was disdainful, directed at nothing in particular. "A bit too excited."

Honesty was a commodity though. After all, as far back as Elreen could remember, he'd lived a lie, even under his parents. He would go off to fight, to lead, to die, because... Why had he done that? The emotion escaped him.

 

"I can assure you, it's not wine or anything of an alcoholic nature..." Lufu said ominously. The crimson liquid did strangely resemble something else, after all.

He listened to what Aurora had to say and then looked at her with a confused expression, still making the noise with his wine-glass. "I truly can't comprehend your positive outlook on life." Lufu said, shrugging slightly. "And I won't attempt to do so either."

He then gulped down the liquid in one go and stood up, facing a window. "People don't change, miss..." he said hollowly. "Thinking that they do is naive. Surely, their motivations and allegiances may shift... But what's inside remains the same."

The Vanitas had removed the glass from the table and gazed at the Tarots outside the dining area, grinning as always. Lucifuge stared outside and mumbled something to himself before turning away from the girl.

 

Aurora laughed, shaking her head, her hair falling into her face"naive, is that how I will always be seen. Some naive little girl." She picked up her bow from the table, "Maybe a little positivity can go a long way in a time of war. So sure I think people are better than they are but what's the point of being a clinical bastard when there millions of them across the world." Unclipping the bow she placed the wing looking pieces back on her arms, "I don't need to be some angel of death when I can try to spread the light a little further. I am a hanged man, no matter what way I look. So I choose to be positive to my last breath. Are you just going to fill your role as Death by looking down on life." She got up from the table and left the room without another word, she walked past everyone in the main room and right out the front door, she sat on the front step and looked at the clouds in an attempt to recompose her self.

 

Lufu didn't much care for the girl's chuckles... Or her departure, for that matter. He turned around to face his servants and began to speak to them.

"It is my role to be a grim reminder of the end of all things, is it not? What else do I have to offer but that? I am not Justice, nor am I Judgement." he spoke in a quiet voice to his Vanitas as they knelt down before him. "A little positivity goes a long way? Don't make me laugh... If it is true what she said, then your smiles shouldn't feel so cold and distant."

The Vanitas' grinning mouths opened in a wicked cackle, showing pearly rows of teeth framing a dark, seemingly endless void as they clasped the table and chairs for support. Of course, while they did shake and shudder with a nearly maniacal laughter, the shadow puppets made no sound.

"That wasn't a joke." Lufu hissed, and the Vanitas backed away, slowly melting away into the shadows. Lucifuge continued to look out of the tall window, with a distant look in his eyes.

 

Releasing a burst of laughter, Nerus quickly found himself groaning, "Ouch it hurts to laugh." Despite this he still found himself giggling. Grinning in Elreen's direction, Nerus spoke up sarcastically, "Loyalty? Honor? Those two things are as real as a pure human being. Every man, woman and child have an agenda it just so happens some align with your own." Wincing as he sat up straight, Nerus continued, "Don't come into this expecting us to be the best of friends, Emperor. We're simply allies joined by a similar agenda, stopping this war."

Yawning, Nerus's eyes grew cloudy as his head began to droop, "Wake me uh... up in the morning." As he finished slurring out his words, he began to snore. Steady breaths leaving him as he fell into slumber.

 

"You have a surprising grasp on your memory if what you say is actually true, Iggy." Enya yawned as she spoke. Nerus had the right idea, but before Enya was ready to nod off, she first wanted to make sure the spy wasn't going to jump in and slit her throat during the night.That and she wanted to check up on Aurora. So she stood up without saying another word, feeling there was nothing left to say and walked out of the building.

She found Aurora sitting on the front step and leaned against the wall right next to the Hanging Man Tarot. She didn't say anything for a few minutes letting the girl re-compose herself a bit more.

"You alright?" She asked softly as not to break the tranquillity of the moment.

 

Aurora nods, "Of course, it always is ok." She didn't look up from the clouds. "I just really enjoy nature you know, I love to be up with the clouds right now but it compromises our position." She finally turned her head to look at Enya, "I just think we shouldn't act so down, just because we are cursed with powers people don't understand doesn't me we should act like we have a curse."

 

"I understand how you are feeling. I used to think my powers were nothing but a curse, something to be wary off and stay away from. Mostly because my powers got my parents killed when I was just six. Before that, I thought them to be wondrous and beautiful. I would use them all the time to make ice sculptures in the little clearing next to our house." Enya sighed and raked her hand through her hair as she spoke.

"Little choice but to steal and beg as a child, because I had no one to provide, or was willing to help, even when my mark was hidden. But eventually, I used my powers to kill someone in self-defense. But I got rewarded for killing him. He had murdered and pillaged the homes of his targets. It was then that I understood I could do something. I became an assassin to put a stop to those that do it to innocent people. I embraced my powers as another tool to help those that need it. I protected by killing." She shook her head as she told Aurora of her past.

"I am not a nice person, and my circumstances in life were bad leading to my more practical outlook on life. But even I cannot help but wish for easier times in which I can just enjoy myself without having to wonder what is around the next corner."

 

"..." Where to even start...? She only heard that he was a Tarot, but wasn't sure if he really was. She eyed him closely as she drew in a deep long breath to speak.

"I don't know what scared you to run off this far, but really, I guess most, if not everyone of us Tarots are being more on guard now that we are branded as...say...traitors. I supposed my initial goal of coming here was to eliminate you, but....it's probably safer if you have at least a roof over your head for the night. Who knows what other soldiers will still be running around..."

She was beginning to run out of things to say, as she cast a look at him before continuing. "And judging from your abilities, we would appreciate an expert in spying like yourself in our midst." Ryllis waited for his response wearily, getting more worried that he might not take her words seriously.

 

Elreen couldn't help but feel the cynicism lingering as Nerus went off to rest. He decided that, rather than stick his foot in his mouth or dig a hole any deeper, it would be best to take the time now to rest and recollect himself. "I'll just excuse myself," he chuckled meekly as he went off to find a room to lay his head for a while.

There was a room he eventually found, filled with shelves of tattered rags, old garments, and the occasional chipped blade or broken pauldrons. Maybe they used these things to repair what they already had? Those four certainly seemed to live a sparse life. He settled down and leaned against a wall, placing his ear to it so he could listen to conversation around the house, though it was very faint. The lulling noises and his lack of energy soon had him snoring.

 

Aurora took a deep breath, "My parents died young, my mother in birth, my father 8 years later. I was permitted to keep our home as no one wanted a wild child like me in an orphanage." She laid back on the stairs, "but, people would always trash our house, throw bricks through the windows, tar the steps, I was just a monster to them" she reached up the sky, "and every night I would sneak out and just go into the stars, just to watch the world, so still, so calming." She clenched her fist, "but sometimes people went to far.... I couldn't help my self, I.... I made some people go up and they didn't come down in lightly.... just a thump and blood everywhere...." She looked at Enya with sad eyes.

 

Ryllis nodded. Good to see that he found it agreeable to follow her to receive shelter.

The walk back to the house seemed uneventful, aside from her strapping on her vest and gauntlets.

"Enya, Aurora, I brought him here." She spoke once she was sure the two were ready to talk.

 

"Ah, another Tarot, I presume? Lufu did mention something to that extent." Enya looked at the newcomer with a half-lidded stare. The ice user had taken on a relaxed posture and made sure that her hands weren't visibly near her weapons. Of course, her hidden weapons were another case.

Then she heard someone coming from the inside of the house. Averting her gaze from Ryllis and the new guy, she saw that Selan had probably decided to join her and the other girls outside.

"Getting too crowded inside, Selan?"