Welcome to Gaia! ::

Back in the Rift Lavendulan had promised her General a nice meal when they returned from their mission. Things, however, were delayed a bit because she had got the wild hair idea to not return with the rest of the group and instead find herself a personal youma. Not quite true, she knew which one she wanted; it was just the matter of tracking it down and convincing it to well... be hers.

That took time...

Not much thought went into choosing the kirin-like beast other than it had saved her in a time of need and helped her escape the Rift. Perhaps she should have considered that the only reason she’d been able to hold on at all was by some sheer determination to live and not because she actually knew how to ride a horse-like youma. It only took being dropped on her a** a dozen and a half times to realize that she might have made a mistake.

Either way, Tallulah was back roaming the Rift while she went deep sea fishing… so to speak. This was the ocean and she was underwater hunting for both shrimp and some peeler crabs. The blue crustaceans were smaller than what she’d like; especially when compared to the Dungeness Crabs from the west coast. But that didn’t mean they’d be less tasty.

On the beach, there was a small bucket with about five of them. Just three or so more and-

Laven’s eyes went wide, her mouth fell agape filling with salty seawater but it didn’t matter much; not like she could drown out here. There, beside a boulder, was a gorgeous lobster. A squealed sound of excitement escaped her and without hesitation, she swam down to pick it up.

Laven lifted the lobster and turned it over appraisingly; it was a decent size and had both claws. This, along with the crabs she'd found would prove to be a very nice meal.

The crustacean venomously disagreed.

Twice it tried grabbing ahold of her hair and at one point her other hand. Feisty, but she paid it no mind and instead continued to move seaweed around in hopes of finding a second one. But then she felt the water beside her shift and as the half-youma looked up, a rather decent size fish swam by her head.

Yes, it startled her. But not as much as it would have if she were a novice diver. Most of her life had been spent in or around water much like these and took it was a sign that danger might be near. A shark perhaps, or something bigger. Cautiously she turned, heart sinking into the pit of her stomach at the thought of being bit again. Ready to use magic and swim quickly away, back to shore where she could gathered all that she'd found and swing by Samir's home to cook it. It was nearing that time anyway...

Where she expected teeth and fins, Laven noticed something, or rather someone..., that made her look twice. She glanced down at the lobster, then back at the Knight, then once more at the creature and with a swipe of her hand she opened her subspace pocket and shoved the thing in without a second thought. Consequences be damned she wasn't about to let an oddly glowing Knight deprive her of a well earned meal. However, she probably should have considered that opening the pocked under water may or may not have filled it with the salty sea; oh well, sub-space aquarium, if not then she just hoped the thing didn't die in there and stink up the other trinkets that were kept hidden for later use.

Finally she regarded the Knight again; beautiful sea-foam green dress with aquatic embellishments, reminded her of a siren. However, there was no melodious voice tempting her near. In fact there were no movements, no air bubbles rising to the surface; in fact, the woman was completely still while observing her in turn.

Cautiously Laven swam near, remembering how Imbrum had frantically sought the surface after being unintentionally teleported into the reservoir rather than above it. Contrary to popular belief, she did not want someone's death on her conscious.

Lavendulan blinked back in visible surprise.

Nodding her head slowly, she held up a single finger then mimicked the same motion in response one lobster. Granted she'd love to find another but wasn't inclined to turn her back to a member of the opposite faction.

Underwater, Laven felt more comfortable with herself, her abilities and was sure that if push came to shove -aside from teleporting- she could easily get away. This being the first time she'd met someone else that appeared to be able to breathe underwater as she did, give rise to concern.

She swam around the knight, giving wide birth as to not get struck by some unknown magic; noting the lack of oxygen tank, scuba tank, or any other breathing apparatus. No weapon in hand which gave her reason to relax at least a bit. Laven paused again several feet away and pointed at the young woman then made the motion for breath and made up something to indicate the water around them.

You breathe underwater?

Or maybe she had something that allowed her to hold her breath for an obscene amount of time. Surely some trinket like that existed; after all the sparkling earing allowed her to link minds with other people.

As if struck by a sudden epiphany Lavendulan removed the silver cuff and swam closer to the knight, holding the piece of jewelry out with one hand and pointed at her ear.

Only slightly disappointed that the Knight didn't take the offered cuff, Laven affixed the piece of jewelry on her ear. Would have made communicating as they were significantly easier, but she understood the apprehension.

Caught sight of the magical gills and suddenly it made sense. Felt somewhat relieved that order wasn't trying to make a version of half-youma out of their knights. Lavendulan nodded in response to the hand gestured and after swimming backward several feet to offer some additional distance between them, she swam towards the surface and then towards the shore where she'd left her buckets.

The ebb and flow of each wave both shoved her towards the sandy beach then tried inviting her back for another swim; tempting but she wanted to understand more what the Knight meant by pointing at that ring and how that related to the gills on her neck or the glowing marks on her face.

"Of all the places I'd ever expect to find a Knight, this was definitely at the bottom of the list." With a swipe of her hand, she re-opened her subspace pocket and pulled the lobster out. It moved, claws opening and closing sluggishly but she paid it no mind. At least it was still alive and a torrent of seawater didn't spill from the pocket.

She turned, and Lavendulan realized that it wasn't a reaction associated with a shyness that made the Knight hide the scars from view. It was the presence of a half-youma, some ungodly creature, that made her uncomfortable. Seemed to reason that either someone like her or a full youma possibly had been the one to give her that scar.

Would have frowned from the thought of it if the action wouldn't give the glowing woman reason to shrink away. The power difference, though measurable, leaned heavily in the Knight's favor and Laven was less inclined to fight with someone who was clearly out of her league.

"I am," she replied, wiping her hands off on a beach towel. Waterlogged hair clung to her face and uniform but she paid it no mind other than to tuck some behind her ear so it'd be out of her way.

"Seafoods kind of expensive. earning money to buy it from a store isn't exactly easy for someone who looks like me." She motioned to the horns, scales and blue-tinted skin. "Outside of Halloween shops or Fantasy Fairs, looking like this is less than acceptable."

"It's easier to just use what circumstances gave me and go hunting for my own food." Leaned the buckets to the side to see some of her haul, one had a few muscles and a couple of clams while the other had about five crabs and the lobster. Most had rubber bands around their claws to keep from fighting but unfortunately, Laven didn't bring enough.

"Back there," she motioned over her shoulder at the water behind them. "You'd pointed at the ring on your finger. Is that what gives you those gills so you can breathe underwater as well?" She hoped that was the case and that Order wasn't trying to create their own version of half-youma to even a severely unbalanced playing field.

"Oh!" Relieved that the glowing gills weren't the Knights' attempt to create their own moon-sworn monster, Lavendulan did have to stymie the desire to look any closer at the ring she wore. Admired the signet from where she stood and noted that the symbol looked vaguely familiar.

"Honestly," paused to consider if it was wise to explain herself, her situation to the Knight or if it was best to just be vague about it. "I don't know many half-youma myself. Contrary to what the name might imply, we're not really half-human other than in physical appearance. As much as I wish it, I'm not able to spend half a day as a normal civilian, or even a quarter for that matter." Meaning that it was impossible for one such as herself to hold even a part-time job.

The longest she'd ever been able to extend her glamour was six hours and the reprocussions of that event were written up in a report, along with a list of equipment that needed replacing after going feral when her purple-crystal ring shattered from the strain.

"I know that some are fueled by their more youma instincts whereas I try incredibly hard to hold onto my humanity." Glanced at the scars on her face again and felt a measure of remorse. Would have apologized but it was something that did not relate to her, nor her decision-making. It might have been that they saw her as an absolute threat with her strong aura and strange markings on her face.

I miss being human, Laven nearly admitted and had to clear her throat to keep from saying anything.

"I guess it balances its self out in one way, shape, or form." Her own personality didn't really match her physical features; sure she'd adopted a few nicknames in the past but she hadn't really done much to put a target on her head.

"No," she replied with a solemn shake of her head. Turned then took a seat on the washed-up piece of driftwood. "I'm the product of someone's curiosity."

I wonder... The voice had haunted her since her promotion. A phantom memory that had long since been forgotten in the trauma of essentially drowning to death in a frozen lake.

"It's not normal, we're not normal. I only know of one half-youma that has ever asked for it specifically," Wolframite, to prove his loyalty to the Queen had chosen his current fate. The others she'd never spoken to one on one to ask, but suspected it had to do with starseeds. Hawara, the Uranus Knight, had mentioned something about it, and Wolframite was worried that would be Tina's Fate if she didn't cease her addiction to eating them.

"I didn't learn about Purification until it was far too late to do anything about it. My family already believes I'm dead, which is probably for the better." It was a hard pill to swallow to see a tombstone next to her brothers knowing full well that there was no body beneath it, and if there was, it wasn't hers. "I've had to make due with the cards I've been dealt."

Too much information... Truth be told, a part of her didn't care. Two years she'd held these in out of fear of being branded a traitor or having her loose lips bring punishment on either Lopezite or Wolframite if she was dumb enough to confide in another agent these horrible thoughts and considerations.

"Sorry..." Laven raked her claws through damp hair and pulled it over her shoulder to wring the water out of it.

"Had I known then what I know now, I would have purified in a heartbeat. Would have been an all-or-nothing decision. Either forget my civilian memories and become a blank slate or forget a few days of being a monster and live life as I had been." Would have chalked it up to there being something wrong with the water at the cabin or food poisoning.

As a Lieutenant it was torture, often felt like a caged animal on display; relying on others to take me out on 'a walk'." Energy quotas were still expected to be filled one way or another. At least Samir brought her out to engage her in human activities and to enjoy the weather when it was nice out. "Often made fun of or mistaken as a fish-like half-youma, had a Lieutenant recently refer to me as a reverse frog prince." Laven let out a bitter laugh at that one. "If dreams are anything to be relied upon then Keeper is anything but fish-like."

Only Wolframite was familiar with what Keeper looked like. Her other half. The beast within. Beautiful and majestic, regal in her own right; a sea dragon, leviathan of the deep-sea trenches. A passive observer to her human tendencies and musings, swiming just beyond the point where light could touch her scales. Terrible in her own right when the need to fight, to survive overtook all sense of reason.

Marissa and Keeper were two halves of what made Lavendulan who she was and though she tried to repress her youma tendencies, without them she would not be alive today.

"I have a home now, nowhere near here, and someone I care for." Someone I love, she mentally added, believing that the knight might not think a half-creature like herself was capable of such feeling. "My general has been kind, never has he pushed or forced me to do something I was uncomfortable with which is perhaps the reason why I'm able to approach a situation with a more levelheaded reason instead of looking for a fight." A foolish part of her need to connect with others and someday it may be her ruin.