(no subject)

[dis_armed]

Ilena's usual voluminous cloak is slung back over a chair today. She wears a high-necked leather bodysuit, sleeveless and legless, her one arm wrapped and buckled in straps; her boots, equally well-buckled, come past her knees. (Buckles and straps are inexplicably popular among humans in the land Ilena comes from. Not that this matters, except inasmuch as it affects the clothes that are available.)

A problem: after her last excursion into this strange place, there are several holes -- four in the torso, front and back, and two in the hip -- ripping through the leather of the suit. It has taken Ilena some time to discover that she finds this irritating. In the past, ruined clothes were always taken away, and replaced. Now it is not so easy.

A solution: apparently, the bar counter of this place delivers items, if asked.

She does not know how to address a bar counter -- although, to be honest, the faces of many half-youma warriors she has known (herself probably included) are just about as wooden as it is. "If you could replicate this I am wearing," she says, finally. "Without the holes."

Comments

[cantdiequiteyet]

All this takes place inside the bar, and of course, Teresa isn't aware of it and doesn't care.

She's outside, sitting by a fire, watching the forest around her.

(There's been an unusual aura around these past few weeks. It interests her.)

Her aura has been a constant presence for anyone capable of sensing it. Why shouldn't it be? She has no reason to hide it.

[dis_armed]

Ilena is about to return home to change into her new clothes -- 'no nudity,' the rule is here, she has been informed, and anyway, the sight of what's underneath a Claymore's clothes tends to distress humans -- when she senses the aura.




Some of the people here are dead, she's been told.




And now there is a blur, moving too quickly to be seen clearly, flying in the opposite direction and out the back door.

[cantdiequiteyet]

No one can move that fast, not even Quicksword Ilena, without drawing on their yoma power. And no one, not even Quicksword Ilena, can use their yoma power without Teresa of the Faint Smile seeing it.

She stands up, and watches that aura flash towards her.

If Ilena is coming to kill Teresa again, she'll have to try harder than she did before.

[dis_armed]

Ilena slows, then stops in front of Teresa.

Her sword is not in her hand. (But then, it wouldn't have to be.)

"It's you," she says.

Her face is like a rock.

[cantdiequiteyet]

Teresa's sword is also, not in her hand.
(It wouldn't have to be.)

She smiles at Ilena; inviting her, maybe, to try what Priscilla had to awaken to accomplish.

"Hello, Ilena. Are you going to try to kill me, again?"

[dis_armed]

Again? thinks Ilena.

This is ambiguous: is Teresa alive now, or is she not?

She would like very much to know. What she says instead is, "Have I a reason?"

Teresa may notice, at this time, what Ilena is wearing -- or, rather, what Ilena is not wearing.

(We are not talking about pants. Although to be fair she is not wearing those either.)

[cantdiequiteyet]

"The last time we met, you did," she says lightly, as if this is the most amusing this in the world.

"I haven't changed since Priscilla cut off my head. But it looks like you have.

Ilena isn't quite the warrior Teresa knew. There are some things missing.

[dis_armed]

"I was under orders then."




"And you were alive."



So yes, Teresa has, in fact, changed. One assumes. Unless she has returned to life, by whatever means; in which case, Teresa will presumably correct her.

[cantdiequiteyet]

"Yes," Teresa agrees, "I was. Then I suppose we have no reason to fight any more."

Of course she doesn't relax. They were perfectly relaxed to start with.

[dis_armed]

"I suppose not."

A pause.

"Besides, I have no wish to die."

Ilena has never put on airs. She knows very well why she was only number two -- and that was when she had both arms."

[cantdiequiteyet]

"Good," Teresa says, a lightness in her voice that echoes the amusement in her smile. "I have no wish to kill you."

She adds casually, as if really it's a trifle and she doesn't really care about the answer:

"When did you leave the Organization?"

[dis_armed]

She hadn't really thought Teresa would be vengeful. But then, Teresa was, has always been, unpredictable; she hasn't even stayed dead in the way that others do.

"As far as they're aware, I died in battle with Priscilla," Ilena says.

"But then, you wouldn't know, would you? She left no other survivors."

[cantdiequiteyet]

Teresa's smile freezes, and disappears as her expression turns thoughtful. Her head tilts the tiniest amount to the left and the smile reappears, quizzical.

"No survivors at all?"



It's to be expected. An Awakened One of Priscilla's strength. No one would be left alive in that battle, or perhaps even the town where she awakened.

Teresa obviously harbored no hopes that it would be otherwise.

But this is the first time she's heard it.

[hadyougoing]

Ava is standing at the far end of the bar.

She's looking in Ilena's direction, but does not appear very focused.

[dis_armed]

Ilena notices the girl; Ilena makes it a point to notice things.

She especially makes it a point to notice things when they appear, to her youma senses, to be a very weak demon.



Ilena's brows draw slightly together as she puzzles her way through the conundrum. It would be no difficulty to dispatch the demon. On the other hand, it seems that killing things, unprovoked, is frowned upon in this place.

Still, one would think that leaving the people here open to having their guts ripped out by a hungry monster would also be frowned upon.

Perhaps the direct approach is best. She rises to approach the thing that looks like a girl, looking first for any trace of recognition -- of what, not who, she is -- in the demon's eyes.

[hadyougoing]

Ava blinks.

Her eyes are on the grayer end of blue; as she regards Ilena, a flicker of something passes through them.

She hasn't looked down to her arms at all.

[dis_armed]

Evidence: inconclusive.

"The people here," says Ilena. Her voice is as cold as her ice-gray eyes. "Do they know what you are?"

(People have warned Ilena about a lot of things in Milliways, including the diversity of clientele. Unfortunately, nobody has warned her about not jumping to conclusions.)

[hadyougoing]

Ava ... blinks.

Informatively?

She doesn't seem overly concerned by Ilena's tone.

[dis_armed]

Ilena's sword is in her hand now. It happened while Ava was blinking.

"Answer me."

[hadyougoing]

That seems to give her some pause.

Probably.



When Ava answers, her voice is low and a little hoarse, as if she's got a cold:

"Sometimes they do."

[dis_armed]

"They do nothing about it?"

Ilena is attempting to establish parameters.

[hadyougoing]

"Nope."

Ava's still looking sort of at and sort of past her.

[dis_armed]

Ilena notes, in an abstract sort of way, that this is a strange experience. She's used to slicing demons in half, not conversing with them.

"Have you killed here?"

[hadyougoing]

Now her attention sharpens.

Sort of.


"Killed what?"

[dis_armed]

"Humans," says Ilena, almost impatiently, and then stops.

No. Other things than humans come here, don't they? And not all are demons.

"Anything."