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Svana felt instantly better. This time, she permitted Kira to heal her, leaving her tomahawk safely in its harness. Standing, she flexed, touching her cheek and scowling slightly. "This better have scarred," she growled, and turned to go to the counter and demand coffee.

Kira snarled. She didn't need her wisdom or advice. A weapon can only go so far, it can miss, it can break, it can be destroyed. Magic did not. However, she decided to play along. She forced a hollow smile.

"Obviously the weapon draws my attention."

"I thought that way about my daughter, once," Mynoris said to Baldur. "That she was broken beyond repair. I ended up being right because that very belief is what stopped her from healing," she says. "I treated her a certain way, and that affected her. I admit, I wasn't a very good mother." She sighs deeply at this...and she seems to have quite a good lung capacity. "Eating hearts didn't do anyone any good where I came from, but it was what you did with your life that mattered more than how long it was. In fact, I would say that the longer lived someone was, the more chance they had to slip up and do something to forfeit their rewards but...each set of gods probably do things differently. Not much mortals can do, or say, to change that."

Nodding to Kira, she says, "When you see the weapon, you likely think of yourself. The empty hand is your slave over there. You see what she does not have, compared to what you do have. So you fail to see what she does have." With a bit of slight of hand, she produces a ring. It's not an intricate thing, but it looks like it was made from a single piece of stone similar to jade, but with tiny gold flecks throughout it. "The sword is useful; it's a weapon. What use is the ring?"

"Not to be callous," Baldur said hesitantly, "but I'm not Svana's mother. Nor her friend. I'm not responsible to her in any way. I'm sorry for your daughter, but if anyone can save that b***h over there, it definitely isn't me."

Not that she would let him if he tried.

"Eating hearts is how we gain additional years. We kill people and steal the years they would have lived. From what I can discern, that's the only thing the gods care about. The quality of the life is not important. Quality will come in the afterlife. It's merely the length." He shrugged. "Like I said, I don't put a lot of stock into it."

Svana was given coffee. She was starting to feel marginally better. "I can think of a thing or two to use that ring for," she growled on her way back by to Kira's table.

"I wouldn't follow up on that," Baldur advised quickly, pretty certain of what her ideas were.

((Ooc: the ring blade should be on Claudette's back in the sheath. I keep losing all of her things DX I think she's got a gun missing, her medicine is gone, and Jinn escaped))

Kira scoffed. "It's a bladed hula hoop. Use your imagination." Where was Mynoris going with this?

Claudette was sitting up. Her head was still aching, though it was now reduced to a dull throb. Kira pressing on it didn't help, but she was alive and not covered in vomit. So there was that. She was tense. There might be another fight, and if there was, she would definitely be killed. No third chances. Claudette shivered, but maintained composure. Her hoodie being gone, her marks showing were the least of her worries right now.

The fights here came and went too quickly for Veiris to follow. He was used to war- long battles that only ended when the snow covered field was red instead of white. Or fights with the Clerics which only ended when he escaped. He dreaded to think of the other way those fights could easily go.

But try as he might, he made a terrible shield as Kira seemed to just direct magic around him, managing to throw Claudette even when tried to defend her. Before he could retaliate, the fight ended, a new figure interrupting.

As soon as Kira's attention was off Claudette and on the new person, Vieris moved to Claudette's side, checking her injuries. He was relieved to find her breathing and no sign of significant blood loss. He calmed himself down, pushing the lightning back below the surface, but his wings still stayed out, spread in yet another feeble attempt to act as a shield. As the conversation moved around him, he stayed with Claudette, offering a hand when she moved to sit at the table once more.

He pulled up a seat next to her and stayed there- choosing not to join in on the conversation of slavery. He was upset enough, and listening to there people talk about slavery like they were discussing the weather. It irked him more that they seemed to so easily justify it. He thought about the slavers up north who took advantage war-torn villages and bloody battlefields, but he pushed the thoughts away. He'd focus on the one in front of him.

When Kira approached, he glared at her, but her tattoos didn't glow to signify any magic use. He thought, if this day continued, he may learn to fear the glow of her tattoos like he fears the blue glow of the Cleric's touch. He vaguely wondered if he'd ever fear his own tattoos.

He didn't stop himself when Kira caused Claudette to scream. He let a small bolt of electricity escape, barely hitting Kira- only enough to send a small tingle up her arm. It was a warning. He didn't think he would be able to defeat Kira. He was almost certain he wouldn't. He'd never faced a mage like her, and even with the full power of the griffin, he could only handle so much magical energy. But he was tired of Claudette being attacked. He was tired of seeing the ghost of another every time she winced or whimpered.

Claudette was grateful for Veiris's presence. She was certain she could not physically handle another one of Kira's violent outbursts, and despite not wanting Veiris to fight for her due to not wanting her to hurt him, she was happy she didn't have to be alone. But it was more than that. He attempted to protect her knowing full well of how dangerous it would be, and that meant the world to her.

"Thank you," she whispered to him as she squeezed his hand gently. "Thank you so much."

"Are you burned?" she asked, gesturing to his wings. She thought she had seen him hit the tornado, but wasn't sure.

Feeling selfconscious about not being able to hide the markings on her wrists or arms, the ones that proved her to be the property of the Immortals, she didn't make eye contact with Veiris. She was too afraid of what he would say about them. And she was hoping he would have a better reaction about her marks than she had about his.

"I'm a damned hypocrite," she said softly, more to herself. She blinked tears from her eyes. She was exposed, and she was scared.

Kira however, turned to Veiris, grabbing one of Claudette's arms. "How do you feel knowing you tried to protect a slave? I bet you feel stupid. Had I killed you, you would have died for nothing. And speaking of which, what possessed you to even try?"

Claudette whimpered at the prospect of an upcoming battle.

Kira turned to Mynoris, not taking her eyes off Claudette and Veiris. "They may not be what they seem. Believe it or not, this little weakling," she punctuated weakling by pressing on Claudette's head making her almost scream again, "is the leader of our enemies. A little rebel group of slaves we haven't been able to exterminate yet."

Claudette shied away from Mynoris. She wasn't sure what to say. Her head was killing her.