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 Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 4:52 pm
"...ah... I see..."
The cat sat herself upright, seeing as the conversation was a little more serious all of a sudden.
"I know Iris is a difficult person to deal with... but... as you mentioned this Bischofite would prefer keeping things on the downlow. That is sort of Iris' stance on the whole princess thing. Part of it is a personal preference on her part, but there are logical reasons for it too. Let's just say there's a lot more to purification than one could ever guess upon casual observation."
The feline's eyes drifted to her senshi, who was definitely glaring at her at that moment. However, the manx wasn't daunted in the slightest. "If it helps out any... Iris has purified three different people in total. Two were senshi, and one was an agent. So if anything, she does have experience."
Just because she was a pain to talk to directly didn't mean they had to talk about her like she wasn't there. Iris' glare didn't seem to soften in the slightest as ********* continued to talk.
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 12:33 pm
Hvergelmir stared at Sailor Iris for a while, considering her.
It wasn't that she didn't want to trust her. It was just, if she picked the wrong person for the job, and they met with Bischofite, and things went south . . .
It would've helped to know how Iris knew her, that was all. If she wasn't so cagey about it -- so Hvergelmir could trust that Iris wasn't trying to put one over on her in some way.
"It's not that," she explained, as much to Iris as to *********. "It's just -- there's -- a chance that it won't work. I need to know what you'll do if that happens."
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 5:18 pm
The manx soon enough was looking to Iris, uncertain of how to explain this portion of the ordeal now that Hvergelmir had clarified the issue.
Iris' gaze didn't soften in the slightest as the reason for doubt was spelled out. She closed her eyes, then spoke up.
"...does th'f*cker not want t'change? I ain't gonna go in fer a f*cker who ain't gonna want t'purify... not my style..."
It was a partial bluff on her part, but she wasn't going to spell out everything there was to know about purifications.
"...well... she said it was a sensitive issue for him... so I don't think it's a case that he doesn't want to change...?"
All the round-about answers and responses weren't really doing anybody any favors, and the cat couldn't help but lift a paw up and chew slightly on an itchy portion of her leg. Couldn't she trade Iris in for someone a bit less difficult, like Irene or Metis?
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 7:48 pm
Hvergelmir shook her head emphatically. "No! No, I don't think that's an issue. He implied he had a pretty checkered past, but if you're worried this is some kind of a trap to, um, steal your powers or something, I can ask Babylon Knight along. He has magic that forces people to tell the truth."
That was a possibility she'd already considered. She didn't want to resort to it out of hand, since she thought Bischofite's sincerity and his reason for wanting discretion were pretty believable -- but Hvergelmir thought if she had to trust anyone else along on the attempt, she could trust Babylon. Bischofite had implied he'd done a lot of horrible things. Hvergelmir could understand why someone with a power as rare and important as purification might want assurances about what they were getting into.
Absently, Hvergelmir ran a had through ********* fur. It was comfortable, having a soft, warm animal in her lap. Senshi were very lucky to have such cute, clever guides helping them.
"His body's been fused with a youma. It's -- it's awful. Purification might be his only hope -- or it might not work. I need to know what you'd do if it doesn't."
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 8:16 pm
Iris' face paled drastically when the truth finally had been offered. Was this the one Metis and Thetis had told her about during the warehouse fire? It had to be. The pit of her stomach seemed to knot up, and a gloved hand reached out for the backing of the bench to keep herself standing upright.
The manx seemed a bit more articulate about the matter at hand, and was far more willing to discuss aspects of it further.
"Where as sincerity would be an excellent thing to check ahead of time... I do not know if we could offer a dead-set 'yes' or 'no' answer... since that does sound rather tricky."
The round body leaned into the stroking fingers of the Page.
Maybe Iris could pull this off, but there was always the chance that it might not. The blonde would have been left far more vulnerable after an attempted use of her crystal, and that was something to be wary of.
Still holding herself steady, Iris said in a low, strained tone "If it doesn't work, I won't do anythin'..." An unconscious person couldn't do much anyways, so it wasn't a lie by any means.
The Mauvian lifted her head, looking to her senshi with wide eyes.
"...Iris... are you seriously considering doing this?"
The eternal senshi uttered "...yes..." She might have been rough around the edges, but there was a determined sincerity to her voice.
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 8:56 pm
Had she -- had she heard correctly? Iris was willing to make the attempt, and wouldn't try to turn on Bischofite if it didn't work out?
It seemed like too much to hope for; and Hvergelmir realized, suddenly, that was why she'd been having so much trouble drafting the letter to Camelot. Ultimately, it was hard to make a case for clemency when someone else's life was in the balance, someone who was counting on you to get it right the first time, for their sake. Hvergelmir was so new to all this, and there was so little she could do. She had no power of her own to do any great good in the world. All she could do was go begging to other people to do the real work.
Hvergelmir reached out to fold her hand over Iris's where it was curled over the railing of the bench. "Iris," she said with conviction, "thank you. I don't know what I can offer you in return, but if there's anything either of you need, I'll do it if I can. Thank you, thank you!"
She paused. Reaching out to take Iris's hand had brought her own arm into her view.
"And there's . . . one other thing you should know."
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 9:28 pm
Iris' fingers twitched under Hvergelmir's hand. The eternal senshi did not turn to look to the Page who was probably looking at her now, airing her gratitude freely.
Rather than look to her, she looked to the rest of the park around them as she told her the conditions.
"...You will protect and defend me if this Bischofite lashes out in the scenario of a failed purification."
Hvergelmir had been absorbed in ensuring that Iris wouldn't attack this Agent that she might not have considered the fact the opposite could have happened.
The manx seemed to finally rise up to her paws and hopped off the Page's lap, padding slightly closer to where Iris was standing. There was a vague hint of concern betraying the feline's expression, but the concern itself was not voiced.
The eternal senshi pulled her hand away from Hvergelmir's, finally able to hold herself up on her own two feet without the assistance of a bench.
"...spit it out, Hvergelmir..."
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:07 pm
"That's . . . the other thing. I can't be much help to you in that department." It was her turn to look away now, anywhere but Iris's or ********* eyes. She stared at one of the pieces of paper that was still crumpled on the ground. "This mark on my arm -- that's the crest of my wonder. And it's there because I -- I swore an oath on my life not to hurt an agent of the Negaverse except in my own defense. I can be a shield for you, but otherwise -- for all I know I'll be dead at your feet as soon as I throw a punch."
Hvergelmir bit her lip. She really was asking the world, with nothing to give in return.
"I'm sorry. I have a friend I could ask to defend you, but she's -- " Hvergelmir paused, her voice faltering. "She's missing right now."
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:22 pm
Iris shook her head.
"...yer a f*ckin' moron..." Rather hastily, she snatched up the cat and replanted her upon her shoulder.
"...I said t'protect and defend... never said t'fight... that's what th'others will be there for... if push comes t'shove..."
Running a hand through her own hair and brushing it to the side, she set the date.
"...July 15th... have him locate me in this park... I'll be here around 11... he don't show... I'll take it he changed his mind."
With that, she began to walk away. However, she couldn't help but pause.
"...We've met before... a long time ago... you just don't remember... that's all..."
The cat shifted on Iris' shoulder, turning slightly to face Hvergelmir as they continued to move away. She attempted to wiggle a paw at the Page in departure.
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Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:36 pm
Hvergelmir looked down at her lap. It was cold with ********* gone. "You have a deal," she agreed, fixing the date and time in her mind.
Iris's parting words stuck in her head, but when she looked up, all she saw was Iris's back, already turned on her.
********* waved. Hvergelmir raised a hand and waved back, if a little dispiritedly.
It was done. For better or for worse, however things turned out now, it was done.
[fin]
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